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sunshine-theseus · 10 months

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The Game That Changed Our Lives | Katrina Gorry x Reader

Words: 2.3k

Summary: your sister retires but you found the girl. (I know how her final game went but I’m changing it because I can. again apologies it's not my best)

Warnings: nothing really but reader is like 26ish? So it’s like a 5 year age difference. And I’m gonna say Harper is like 4 not 2 for the sake of the timeline. Also please pretend there’s like at least a week between the 2 games.

Requested by - @liverpoolfan96

“Christiiine. You can’t make me! I refuse!” I try to pull my arm out of her grip as she drags me onto the field.

“You’ve been crushing on her since we played against them at the World Cup, you’re going to meet her.” Christine continues to drag me through the celebrations of our teammates, the British Columbia rain pelting down on us and the Australian players.

“Plus, after our final game in Vancouver, who knows when you’ll see her next. And I’m your older sister, I’m required to make you do things you don’t want to.” She abruptly stops in front of Steph Cately, who is talking to Caitlin Foord and Katrina Gorry.

Christine hugs her former Portland teammates before turning to Katrina, who now has her little girl resting on her hip. The group begins talking amongst themselves and I zone out, until an arm wraps around my shoulders and squeezes me.

“This is my little sister. I apologise you haven’t met her yet, she’s awfully shy, especially when she likes someone.” She pointedly comments toward Katrina. I shove my elbow into her ribs and glare up at her before turning toward the Australian girl. My face is flushed, and my palms are sweating as I make eye contact with Katrina, who smiles at me before picking up the little girls hand and makes her wave. It’s painfully adorable to watch.

“It’s nice to meet you…”

“Y/n” I smile at the shorter woman as I watch Christine, Steph and Caitlin slowly move away from us out of the corner of my eye.

I talk to her for a relatively long time, eventually finding myself sitting on the wet pitch, my feet touching Kat’s as Harper runs back and forth between us, occasionally actually holding the ball we’re throwing. But then we’re both called by our respective teams to get back to the locker rooms before going back to our hotels. We bid each other goodbye, exchanging numbers before I crouch down and hug Harper.

I spend the following days excessively texting Kat, or Mini as everyone endearingly seemed to call her. I also facetime them after dinners to talk to Harper, who apparently begs all day to see me. I tell everyone who will listen, about the beautiful Australian and her precious little girl who adores me. It doesn’t take more than 10 minutes for Christine, or whoever else it may be, to tell me to shut up most times. Except Jessie, who is either far too polite to say anything, or has her headphones on and therefore isn’t actually listening. In her times of need, she messages Janine, who comes to rescue her.

~~~~~

The day of our match in Vancouver at BC Place, temporarily renamed Christine Sinclair Place, I unintentionally go dead silent. It was naturally an emotional day for us all, but being the sister of the world’s top goal scorer who is finally retiring, having played with her all my life, and being there to see her hang up her boots? It had me tearing up every time I even looked at her.

I woke up that morning, turned over in bed, and saw her training bag sitting on the bed, and began crying. A similar incident happened at breakfast as I watched her walk the buffet line next to Schmidt. Ashley wasn’t sure how to comfort me and simply decided to pat me on the back.

By the time we pulled up to training, Kat had messaged me multiple times, and I hadn’t read a single one. I spent every moment by Christine’s side. I think most people were annoyed by lunch time, but I continued to cling to her arm as the bus pulled up to Christine Sinclair Place. And as we all changed into shirts with the number 12 on them for warm up. And as we changed into our kits, her for the very last time. I finally let go when we had to line up, her mere steps behind me as she waits to be announced.

I make eye contact with the Australian I had been accidentally ignoring all day, tears pricking behind my eyes. I give her a small smile, but she just turns back to her mascot.

We then all line up on the pitch, watching as past Canadian teammates come out and a farewell video plays on the big screen above us, Schmidty, Christine and our nieces standing in front of us all. I can’t help the tears that fall as Jessie hugs me as well as she can as we stand side by side.

Before we get into our positions to start the game, I rush to the sideline to meet Christine. Our pinkies link together, and we step over the white line with our right foot in sync. We turn toward each other, and as we raise our joint hands to kiss our thumbs, foreheads leaning against each other’s, the tears spill once more. Our hands drop to our sides once again and before I can say anything, Christine wraps her arms around me. Not a word is spoken as we hug, or as we part, or as she pats my back when we move to our positions.

I turn to look at the player I’m marking and come face to face with Kat. Her originally cold glare softens when she notices the drying tears on my cheeks and taps my leg as we wait for the whistle to start the game, a small attempt to try and comfort me.

~~~~~

In the 37th minute, the ball falls at my feet and I don’t hesitate on running forward, making a final pass to Christine for her to shoot, increasing her score from 190 to 191 goals. As the net ripples, I run and jump into her arms before she wraps an arm around my neck and ruffles my hair. The action had become our well known ‘sibling celebration’, and like hell I wasn’t going to experience one last time.

“We’re going to get you a goal too.” She laughs as we reset. I once again fall in my spot in front of Kat, who gives me the first smile of the night.

We’re awarded a corner in the 56th minute. Jessie sets it up and it falls to Christine, who manages to find me, and I manage to find a gap, and the goal. It’s a similar string of events, jumping into Christine’s arms before I wrap my own arm around her neck and mess with her hair. She gets subbed off 3 minutes later and I struggle to let her go as Schmidt comes on. A familiar pat on my leg as we watch her walk off is my only sense of comfort.

~~~~~

After the game ends, and many hugs and celebrations and lots of tears, the toes of my boots meet those of Kat, who has Harper hanging on her hip again.

“I’m sorry I ignored you all day. I didn’t realise how sad I’d be today, and I got so overwhelmed.” I wipe the remaining tears off my cheeks as I finally look into Kat’s eyes, the palladian blue seemingly brighter under the stadium lights.

“It’s okay, I just wished you said something. So we could’ve cheered you up.” Harper reaches out for me as I take Kat’s hand and I pick her up, spinning her around.

“Can I also admit I was nervous? That we were getting too close, and I’d just spill all my feelings to you. But after today I think I shouldn’t waste time fu- fluffing around.” The swear almost slips from my lips but Harper’s tug on my hair reminds me of who’s around.

“I wouldn’t have minded… if you’d let it slip.” Her hand slips into my spare one and we smile at one another as Christine and Hayley approach us.

Christine bends over, resting her hands on her knees, as she comes face to face with Harper.

“Hey chickee, how’d you like my final game.”

“It made mumma sad.” I turn to look at Kat questioningly.

“You were sad?”

“I mean yeah but no where near your level of sad.”

“No no! Not mum, mumma.” Harper’s finger pokes at my cheek and everyone seems to have a matching incredulous look on their face.

“Me?” the girl nods vigorously.

Kat opens her mouth to apologise but I kiss her cheek then Harper’s, and hand the little girl to Christine who wastes no time spinning her around and taking her to play with girls from either team.

“Can I kiss you?” I rush out as I turn to the older woman, her eyes sparkling. She nods and I place my hand on her cheek, leaning down to press our lips together.

“I know this is pretty quick, but will you be my girlfriend?” her warm breath hits my lips and all I can do is kiss her again.

~~~~~

“Come on Harper! Aunty Christine’s already there!” I yell down the hall, Kat rushing past me to pack the orange slices and bottles of water into the car.

The 7-year-old comes rushing out at the sound of her favourite aunt’s name, making a bee-line toward the car.

When we arrive at the field, Harper bounces on the balls of her feet, waiting for Kat and I to get out. Once we have everything, she grabs my hand and pulls me through the crowd to find Christine who is getting ready to ref the Under-10s finals.

“Christiiine! Can you help me tie my boots?” I look at Kat, who has just caught up to us.

“We may as well be invisible.” She chuckles and helps me set up our seats as Christine ties Harpers boots and sends her off to warm up.

“She’s going to be playing for The Matildas before you know it.” She says as she passes us.

“Heartbreaking it won’t be the Canadian team.” I retort. Katrina pulls my hand into her lap and rests her head on my shoulder.

“Thank you for helping raise her. Being her other mum.”

“I’d do anything for you two. Anything.” Kat hums and puts more body weight against me.

“You’re so pretty.” I whisper, pecking her nose.

“Not as pretty as you.”

~~~~~

“Katrina! You can’t look! It’s bad luck!” I yell through the door as Jessie helps me get into my dress.

“But I want to see you.” I can hear the pout in her voice, and it takes everything in me not to leave Jessie and rip open the door. It’s Harper who saves me from doing so. I hear her dragging her mum away as my niece ushers me over to put one last pin in my hair. The 15-year-old had some sort of magic for hair, and it was free.

It’s another 20 minutes before the bridesmaids line up, and an additional 5 until I slide into my place next to Christine, who opens her mouth to say something, but seems to choke up and begins to cry. All I do is smile and link our pinkies, and she walks me down the aisle.

As I stand next to Kat in front of our friends and family, holding her hands as she says her vows, I realise how lucky I am. Having these people in my life, meeting the love of my life and having the best daughter. I wouldn’t change a thing. And I say just that.

“When my sister dragged me back onto the pitch to meet you after her second last game, I was so embarrassed and adamant you’d hate me. For no reason. But when I looked into your eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes, I knew. And when Harper laughed as I blushed when Christine basically told everyone I had a crush on you, I knew I wanted her in my life forever too. I’m so grateful for having Christine and Jessie and the whole team. I’m grateful for my family. But I’ll never be as grateful for them as I am for having found you.” I smile a watery smile as Kat cries, and I can’t stop staring and thinking how beautiful she is. We exchange rings and I kiss her like it’s the only thing keeping everyone alive.

“I love you.”

~~~~~

I stand on the sidelines, looking down at my boots and the matching pair that stands firmly next to them. I then reach out my hand and link my pinkie with the girl next to me. Despite the different jerseys, we step over the white line with our right foot in sync. We turn toward each other, and we raise our joint hands to kiss our thumbs, foreheads leaning against each other’s. When I look into Harper’s eyes, I see Katrina’s, and when I think about this moment, my very last game, I think back to that game 13 years ago, saying goodbye to my sister on the pitch, and I smile.

“Good luck chickee.” I press a kiss to Harper’s forehead and take my position, marking the young Gorry.

When the game ends, I fall to my knees. People from both teams dogpile on top of me as we celebrate both the win and my final game. I spend a lot of time talking to everyone before I meet Katrina’s eyes, standing next to my big sister. I run forward and pull them both into a hug.

We eventually head back to the hotel. Kat and I fall back onto our bed, hearing the girls continue celebrating in the hallway.

“I’m so proud of you.” She whispers against my neck, the warm breath sending chills down my spine.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” I kiss her gently and pull her closer to me. We spend the rest of the night watching the games at Christine Sinclair Place. The game that got us to confess. The game that changed our lives.

#woso x reader #woso #womens soccer #the matildas x reader #wwc 2023 #the matildas #canada wnt #canwnt #christine sinclair #katrina gorry #katrina gorry x reader

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sturniolobsessed · 8 months

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STORMY NIGHT - M.STURNIOLO

Warnings : kissing, use of pet names

Summary : It’s late at night and a storm is roaring through your hometown. You have always hated storms and your boyfriend, Matt knows that

Authors note : This is my first fic so I hope it’s not bad lmao. This one is probably gonna be short but lmk what you want me to do in the future, can be smut if you want <3

Creds to @astrolynnworld for the idea

Pink is y/n

Blue is Matt

________________________________________

I am lay in my bed, covers drawn up to my chin as the storm rips through the night sky, with fear in my eyes. I’m trying to do everything to distract myself from the noises of the thunder but I can’t help to jump every time the thunder strikes

I decide to put my music on and close my eyes to drown out the noises coming from outside. As I was vibing along to “bellyache” by Billie Eilish, my music randomly stops and I hear the noise of my phone ringing

Upon picking it up, I hear the voice I most needed to hear, Matt Sturniolo, my beloved boyfriend

“Hi sweetheart.”

“Hi..”

“Are you alright, y/n?”

“Umm… yeahhhh sure.”

“It’s the storm isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s scaring me.”

“It’s alright, my love. Don’t apologise, I’ll be over in 10.”

“No, Matt! It’s thundering and it’s not safe.”

“You think I care?”

“Yes because if you die, you can’t even comfort me over the phone.”

“And if I bring snacks and promise a Netflix night?”

“Alright, I’m listening…”

“Good girl, see you soon.”

“See ya, don’t die.”

“I won’t, darling, don’t worry.”

Matt puts down the phone on the other end and I immediately have a bright smile plastered on my lips. Matt had always had that effect on me, I love it

[Timeskip]

10 minutes later, I hear a knock on my door and I know that it’s Matt. I hop up out of bed to go and greet him at the door. When I open the door, he is stood outside with a little goodie bag.

“Hey handsome, what’s all this?”

“Stuff for you. Can I come in?”

“Oh yeah, of course.”

I step aside to let him in and he walks in with a smile. He gently grabs my waist and pulls me in for a warm, soft kiss. I kiss his lips gently as he delicately holds my body in his arms.

“Can we go and cuddle with the snacks?”

“Of course we can, love.”

He grabs my hand and the bag as we mosey on to my room, plonking down on the bed. I snuggle up to his side, his arm wrapping around my shoulders.

“Soooo? What’s in the bag?”

He starts pulling out all of the items and naming them off as he goes. He pulls out his hoodie, my favourite snacks, a drink for both of us and a cute, little scented candle.

“Aww thank you, my love! What’s the candle for?”

“Don’t know, just saw it and knew you like scented candles.”

“Thank you, Matt.”

“You’re so welcome.”

He kisses the top of my head as I start to dig into the snacks, my mind completely distracted from the storm outside until it starts again. I hear the thunder rip through the sky again and I bury my head in Matt’s chest

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m right here.”

I don’t respond, I just simply nod into his shirt. The thunder keeps going for a number of minutes and my head remains in his chest for the whole time until it finishes.

I finally hear it come to a temporary halt and I move my head from Matt’s chest, looking up at him

“Thanks..”

“It’s alright, sweetie.”

He pulls my head to rest on his chest once again and I smile as he puts on Netflix. I let him select a random film as I know that we will probably sleep through the second half of it, like always.

“I love you..”

“I love you too, pretty girl.”

I blush slightly at the nickname and the fact that I can now fell Matt’s hands in my hair. I cuddle closer to him and close my eyes, feeling comfortable in his embrace

I can feel myself starting to drift off and before I know it, I’ve fallen asleep in Matt’s arms

“Night night, y/n.”

________________________________________

Taglist : @mangoposts @thetriplets3

#sturniolo triplets #matthew sturniolo #matt sturniolo #matt sturniolo x reader #fluff

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cerealxperimentslain · 2 months

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i am sick to bastard fucking death of shofarsogood (tw for anti arabism and islamophobia) (& a guest appearance of a klansman for some fucking reason)

i think this post is a little funny, and i will give you the context to see why

ID: A post by @xclowniex, reblogged by @shofarsogood:

“I really need goyim to listen to the whole "if 9 people sit at a table and then one nazi sits at that table and no one tried to remove the nazi, then there are 10 nazis at the table"

I have lost my entire irl friend group due to antisemitism, and whilst correlation doesn't equal causation, so im not saying anything as 100% fact, however there is mad correlation between levels of being antisemitic and closeness with a specific person.

I can't be bothered to turn it into a physcial graph but in my head, oo babie is it a strong graph”

End ID

(first of all lol. lmao.)

ID: @xclowniex reblogged @the-catboy-minyan:

@goatfactsofficial:

A screenshot of a 4chan comment saying “I see you've fall for the old Jewish trick of using evidence to make a point”

@goatfactsofficial:

“literally the pro-pal crowd for the last 298 days”

End ID

let’s be clear, @shofarsogood is mutuals with @prismatic-bell

ID: @shofarsogood reblogged @prismatic-bell

@badjokesbyjeff:

(the post has been cut off for brevity)

End ID

(badjokesbyjeff cameo, naturally)

(I could insert screenshots of prismatic-bell reblogging from shofarsogood but that feels redundant. go scroll both their blogs for a single minute you’ll find more than enough proof)

we should all be familiar with prismatic-bell at this point, but here’s a quick reminder

ID: Post by @prismatic-bell, dated 13 may 2021:

"Free Palestine" IS an antisemitic statement.

It comes with the idea that Palestinians are the only people who have an ancient homeland here, and that Jews are to blame for "taking it over." When they destroyed our temple and put a mosque right on top of it! And then they claim we don't belong there!

"Free Palestine" is a shorthand way of saying you hate Jews. Because it ignores history and, almost without variation, is used as an excuse for antisemitic crimes.”

End ID

(google dot com what were muslims doing in the year 70CE) (also i have endless examples of prismatic bell saying the most fucked up shit. xe has never-stop-posting disease and it would be literally impossible to miss what kind of person xe is)

ID: post by @prismatic-bell:

“You know what?

Fuck Ramadan.

Sorry. We were attacked, raped, murdered, beaten, and kidnapped on a major Jewish holiday, and our Chanukkah was spent in misery. I was threatened for playing Chanukkah music IN MY OWN CAR.

So FUCK Ramadan. If this is how our holidays are treated, y'all can feel the same.”

End ID

like. there are so many “don’t call me zionist” people who follow and interact with shofarsogood. i don’t think you get to find yourself offended by people calling you a zionist if this is who you are mutuals with, & therefore mutuals-in-law with @prismatic-bell and @spot-the-antisemitism.

also second cameo of @the-catboy-minyan

ID: @shofarsogood reblogged @spot-the-antisemitism:

@the-catboy-minyan:

“dude I should have replied to every donation ask I got while having "proud Israeli Jew" on my blog to show people how these are bots that send asks randomly. you think Gazans are gonna come to a (((zionist))) for money? Imao.”

End ID

ID: @spot-the-antisemitism reblogged @shofarsogood. End ID

let me introduce @spot-the-antisemitism

ID: @spot-the-antisemitism reblogged a post by @the-garbanzo-annex-jr:

A badly cropped image. On the left is a photo of protesters protecting their identities with Palestinian keffiyeh and masks. On the right is a photo of a klansman in a hood. The text on the image reads:

“If your ideology requires that you cover your face… …maybe you need a new ideology.”

End ID

these guys’ whole entire deal is cherry picking examples of people being antisemitic and using that to try and delegitimise the whole antizionist & pro Palestine movement through some attempt of “guilt by association”. all while freely and guiltlessly associating with people like @some-israeli-guy

ID: @spot-the-antisemitism reblogged from @some-israeli-guy. End ID

this fucking guy

ID: @some-israeli-guy:

“They started a war to wipe out the Jews, they spread lies of rape and torture to demonize the Jews, and when their people ran away in fear and their militaries lost, they had the nerve to call is "the disaster" and act like innocent victims.”

#israel #palestine #no peace with nazis #palestine is a death cult #palestinian hypocrisy #antisemitism

End ID

like what do you even say to that.

a lot of this checking blog stuff i learned to do when it was much more common for cryptoterfs to be prowling around these parts. cryptoterfs won’t say transphobic slurs and they won’t openly advocate for the death of all transfems and forceful detransition of all transmascs, but they have no qualms about following people who do, while they avoid reblogging anything hateful enough that will get them easily clocked as radfems or terfs. hell, maybe they don’t even personally believe those things, maybe they’re trying to “see both sides of things”. maybe they don’t care at all and follow those blogs for entirely unrelated things and that’s why they won’t reblog any of the hate speech.

does it matter?

at the end of the day, whatever their internal motivations may be, they don’t disagree enough with the absolutely horrendous levels of transmisogyny and transphobia to see it as a dealbreaker

parallels parallels parallels

speaking of which, the way these people blog also mirrors the way that many radfems will blog. we all know the style, the “dig up some fucking joe nobody transgender person saying something stupid or lesbophobic/misogynistic & use that to paint the whole movement in a bad light”

“oh but isn’t that what you’re doing right now?” prismatic-bell hasn’t been the bane of tumblr for years just for you to call xir a joe nobody. i could pull up a joe nobody with 3 followers who says things about palestine that i wouldn’t repeat with a gun to my head, but that’s not what this is about

this is about some incredibly popular blogs on here that are either violently hateful towards palestinians, or they are mutuals with those people and don’t see that as enough of a problem to even unfollow let alone block & denounce them.

anyway i can’t link links in the original post but i have a lot of receipts reblogged to @disgustingechoes feel free to have a peruse if you are unconvinced

#shofarsogood #prismatic-bell #spot-the-antisemitism #the-catboy-minyan #xclowniex #some-israeli-guy #goatfactsofficial #the-garbanzo-annex-jr #anti arabism #islamophobia

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gale-gentlepenguin · 2 months

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Gale’s Top 5: Best Songs in Epic the musical (first Act)

Rules:

1. I will be focusing on only the first act of the Epic . (So from the Troy saga to the Underworld saga)

2. I will be listing one song PER saga. So I will be picking my personal favorites from each saga and ranking them accordingly.

3. The way I Decided to rank them was on the following: how well it portrays the story, the music, the epic lines, and overall willingness to listen on repeat.

4. This is based on my opinion. And you are free to share your opinion in replies.

5. If I did include the Thunder Saga. Thunder bringer would be the arc rep and arguably in first.

____________________________________________

5. Done for

youtube

Now when I first thought about doing this list. I was surprised how low I had this overall saga. If I was ranking it without limits this song barely cracks the top 10. BUT it is a great song. It embodies the clash of wills between Circe and Odysseus. Both have people they want to protect and are both willing to do what they need to in order to win.

Circe has the upper hand with her magic, but thanks to Hermes, Ody is not out of the running. And you can feel his struggle. He is doing what he can to stay in the front seat in this battle. So when he thinks he won, Circe threw him a curve ball and that ending leads to the next song.

In truth, it has the most emotional variety in this saga, and I love the musical progression. It really feels like a duel to the death. And for that it’s great.

____________________________________________

4. My Goodbye (both versions)

youtube

This is the parts definitive Athena part in my mind.

This song is where I actually think both the original release and re-release have merit.

The original being more solemn and appearing as both feeling like they have to seperate in order to go forward. Athena seems to be lamenting this more. It felt more heart breaking, like they tried and failed to fix a friendship but nothing could be done as they were set in their ways.

While the re-release feels more like a falling out. Both sides are angry at the other. And the scathing remarks REALLY hit in this one. Athena is more offended, Odysseus is resentful of Athena. In eachother’s view, the other failed them. They are both too prideful.

3. Just a man (re-release)

youtube

I originally had Warrior of the mind as this slot, but after listening to the re-release. It sold me on Just a man. The only thing really shocking is that I have this at number 3.

This is the start to Odysseus arc. He had been tired from war, and thought he could end it with just killing the villains and leaving. But now told by Zeus he must kill an infant. He is torn. He sees an innocent infant, much like the son he left so long ago. You hear Odysseus heart break as he is talking to this baby. It’s arguably his most cruel action, and he feels so much guilt over it. He is singing to the infant as much as he is to himself. And we even get faint previews of Other songs in the re-release which was enough to sell it for me.

This song really makes the man.

____________________________________________

2. Monster

youtube

The song that fully describes Odysseus’s transformation. He laments all his pain through his journey. The underworld was a constant smack in the face of all his failures. And while I do believe Underworld is a more emotionally intense song. Monster is the song with the payoff of all Odysseus went through to get to this point. He would become the monster that WILL get home. That is what he decides, and nothing will stop him. Even if he must be heartless.

This song does a great job showing Odysseus’ doubts and realizations and then the moment he accepts it, the crescendo is simply transcendent. And honestly would be my favorite song on this list… if it wasn’t for one more.

____________________________________________

1. Ruthlessness

youtube

The big man of the sea had to be number one.

Poseidon steals the show with this one. His song matching his tone and building up like a crashing wave. He is reprimanding Odysseus, and mocking him.

The god of the sea even gives the captain a sense of false hope, just before he kills most of his crew.

Then after leaving only 43 men left. He tells him the words he said to the cyclops

“I am your darkest moment.”

F***ing vicious and vindictive.

Every action Poseidon did, every word said was just to MOCK him. It even adds to the hypocrisy of it. Or it would be if Poseidon wasn’t a force of nature.

The gods are often portrayed earlier in this as these beings that have reasons beyond understanding. But Poseidon’s appearance is surprisingly simple. They hurt his son who cried out to him and now they gotta pay.

And Just when Poseidon was going in for the kill, Odysseus pulls a trick that helps him escape for now. But the last line stays

“Remember me.”

As another line Odysseus yelled at Polyphemus.

Poseidon isn’t done. And he WILL be back

#Gale’s top 5 #epic the musical #Gale’s opinion #songs #musicals #good stuff #the odyssey #Youtube

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crying-wolves · 1 year

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hi!! why stress when you can be in a fictional world??

so i kept seeing my ex this week 🫣 after not seeing them for a year 🥴 and im over her but it’s like first gay love you know? that shit fucks you up!!!

i kept thinking about abby and how i wish i could text her 😭😭 like babe come pick me up PLEASE

so yeah maybe something around that?? i think we all need some abby comfort

You usually weren’t known for making mistakes.

Seriously, as overconfident and precise as it sounds, you were always the smart one. Level-headed in a way that pissed your friends off when all they wanted to do was go a little feral. Experiment. Let whatever happens, happen.

Yeah, you didn’t buy into that whole “let the universe make your choices for you” moonshine. Didn’t appeal to you in the slightest.

So why, oh, why are you spending your Friday night standing outside of a crumbling sports bar, rubbing at those tears that threaten to fall from your eyes onto the ground below you?

You guess the universe pushes and pushes until it finally has its way with you in the end.

Your fingers had dialed practically everyone of your four roommates in the past 10 minutes that you’ve been standing out in the balmy summer air, but, of fucking course, each call went straight to voice mail every single time.

Figures! The one time you decide to do something out of your comfort zone and everything starts spinning off its axis immediately.

The idea of calling an Uber flits across the back of your mind, but you really don’t want to spend anymore money tonight, having already handed your card over to the bartender enough times that you were thoroughly buzzed and feeling that if you checked your bank account right now, all of those vodka sodas would come racing back up your throat. Hard pass.

It isn’t until you scroll through your contacts for the fifth consecutive time and land right back at the top, however, that you stop to consider what may be the most obvious answer of the night: Abby Anderson. Fuckin’ duh.

Abby “Permanent Designated Driver” Anderson. The girl who has decidedly quit drinking altogether after deciding that she really wants to take her whole softball career seriously. Abby Anderson who is always, always wide awake into the deep recesses of the night, cramming for her 8am or putting in a few last minute hours at the gym.

Abby Anderson, sweet, sweet, Abby, somehow bestowed with the patience of a saint and the subtlety of a freight train, who will definitely pick you up, but won’t hesitate to ask what you’re doing at this ratty old place at 2:30 in the morning.

It’s probably a lot better than practically dragging your way home, so, why not?

You dial the number and she picks up within 3 rings, a little out of breath. You guess she took on the weight room, tonight.

“Yeah?”

Your body stiffens. Fuck! How well do you actually know Abby? You’ve barhopped with her and some other friends in the past, but most of those nights were spent casually sipping at a bottle of soda while you listen to everyone else converse and socialize. When was the last time you actually spoke to her?

“Is this one of those county cop calls that keeps going around campus, cause I’m not signing your fuckin’ petition—“

“No, no!” You blurt out, a little surprised at yourself. “It’s just— I mean, it’s just…me?”

Abby says your name inquisitively through the phone, sounding as startled as you are. “Hey…is everything alright?”

You scan your surroundings as if they’ll give you the answer that you’re looking for, and shrug like she can see you. Could be worse, you guess?

“Are you busyyy tonight?” You slur a little, and she seems concerned at the sound.

“No, I’m, uh, free? Are you in—“

“Could you, maybeee, give me a ride home?”

You think you can hear a ‘pause sound’ moving through her head, or maybe you’re just a bit more drunk than you thought.

“Yeah! Yeah, totally, just…are you off-campus, or—?”

“Mmhmm! I’llsendyouthelocation, byeee!”

You click the end call button and stare st the black screen. Since when did you get so frazzled over talking to her? She sounds the same as she usually does, right? Choosing not to think about it too much, the location is sent her way and, judging by the distance, she should be there in 20 minutes.

She’s there in 15. You hear her before you can actually make out the vehicle in the distance. It’s late. The roads are empty. You didn’t give her much context, so, you don’t exactly blame her for hurrying.

But her car pulls up in front of you like a heavy metal chariot, and you get a little anxious about stepping into the passenger’s seat in your sheer black dress and platform heels.

Neither of you say anything for the first minute and you’re rather grateful. Your insides feel like poorly melted snow, and you’re not sure if it’s the way that Abby’s gripping the steering wheel or the fact that she keeps glancing over at you through the side window. You see your legs shift against the leather seats, but your mind is elsewhere.

“Did you, uh, get to the bar alone?” She begins, tapping her thick fingers against the wheel, sounding like she’s trying to broach something, but you don’t know what it is yet.

You squint down at your phone screen to check the time again. Right. The evening started way earlier than you remembered.

“Nope. Came here on a blind date.”

Abby tries not to react like that shocks her, but she doesn’t quite make the mark.

“You went—! Oh! Right! ‘course! Makes sense…”

Silence, again. The kind that’s unbearable in situations like these. You roll down the window for some fresh air, but it makes the both of you sweat even more.

“Did it…go well?”

You purse your lips together and shake your head. “Nope. She was kind of a dick.”

Abby lets out a breathy chuckle at your answer and you decide to keep going.

“She wasn’t really that into me. Kept chatting up the waitress and interrupting me whenever I spoke. Said she had to leave early to pick up her little brother from his friend’s house, but she said she was an only child when I asked earlier, so…”

“Damn…that’s—that’s rough…”

“Yeah…”

What is with the both of you and pained silences? Seems to be something in the air tonight.

Abby clears her throat while you’re silently moping at the memories, and when you get to a red light, she turns to take you in.

“If it makes you feel any better, the last date I went on snuck out of the back door before dessert.”

You gasp, dramatically, and she rolls her eyes in the same manner.

“No fuckin’ way! You’re tellin’ meee that someone would actually pass up a chance to go on a date with you?” The utter disbelief that you stare up at her with makes her cheeks go pink, and she can’t help but feel a little satisfied with herself. She smiles, a little bitterly.

“Not as much of a catch as you think I am, babe.”

You can’t help but giggle. “Oh, I hardly believe that, Ms. Anderson.”

If there’s one thing you can thank the alcohol for, besides getting you in Abby’s car in the first place, it’s the extra push it gives you to go for the things you actually want.

“You know, Abigail, if you’re into it, we could, maybe, do a repeat performance of our shitty dates with each other, and make them…not shitty? How’s that sound?”

You feel the smile before you see it on her face. It’s like she can bring the warmth of the sun into any space she occupies.

“Well…” she starts “As long as you promise to at least tell me before you sneak out the back, then, we got ourselves a deal.”

You’re giddy with all that light she brings. And, you think, briefly, that sure, maybe you don’t usually make these kinds of mistakes, but at least this one scored you a date with THE Abby Anderson.

So, maybe, possibly, the universe could very well be onto something.

#Bestie tell me why this is 1.3k words after I told myself it would be something short and sweet 🫣 I hope u like it <3 #my first wlw relationship BROKE me so don’t beat urself up over still seeing them!!!#take care of urself I love u💜#abby anderson x reader #abby anderson #abby anderson fanfic #lovey replies!#abby anderson fluff

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hard-deckpilots · 1 year

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Storm Season.

Fandom: Top Gun.

Pairing: Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Reader.

Summary: Whilst visiting Jakes home whilst in leave, the weather takes an unexpected turn. One you’re not use to, but one Jake has experienced many times.

Wordcount: 1.09k

Warnings: Talks about tornadoes. Not a tornado expert. Some swearing. Jake being comforting. Mentions of tornado damage.

Tags: @sebsxphia

A/N: I’m basing this off a Instagram post Glen Powell just made, which is about a Twister reboot. And despite being one of the films I hate I am going watch and write about it. I was also going to do this one months ago but didn’t.

Images not mine.

Jake was a bit reckless as a teenager, anytime there was a tornado warning he’d go out in his truck and try to get as close to it as possible. Times have changed though, he’s a lot smarter and safer especially after an incident that happened in his town about 10 years prior. He knew it was a little bit of a risk to bring you home during storm season, but it was the only time off that he could get.

You on the other hand, had never experienced a tornado before so it was an entirely new experience. Growing up in Montanna there was maybe one or two a year, but you had never been around to witness them. Thankfully. The most severe weather you have ever experienced was the snow storms, which seemed to last forever.

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Sitting in the living room of Jakes family house, you sat there and the colour of the sky changed. When you woke up this morning the sky was a beautiful blue, but that quickly changed as clouds started to roll in. You went to the toilet and as you came back, you could see that Jake was standing at the window looking towards the sky.

“Jake, you okay honey?” You asked wrapping your arms around his waist,

“I’m alright sugar. Just keeping an eye on the weather. Just wanna make sure we stay safe.” Jake smiled softly at you to keep the reassurance. Although Jake use to chase storms whenever they turned up, he knew how to read the clouds and the different warning signs that were given. Sitting back down, you noticed that Jake wouldn’t take his eyes off of the window. You turned your attention back to the TV and lost yourself in it for a little while. That was until you felt Jake stand up and head into the garden, you frowned a little and went after him.

"Y/n just prepared to have to go into the basement cupboard." Jake spoke holding your hand softly,

"Why? What's going on Jake?" You asked concerned in his sudden change of posture.

"Babe, look at the circulation of the cloud. That's turning into a supercell, that could produce a tornado at any point." Jake explained watching as the clouds started to darken, and the wind started to pick up slightly.

"Wait... Really? Jake please tell me you're not playing a joke on me." You speak worried, also trying to think why on earth you were standing by the outside in the first place.

Jake turned to you and put his hands on your arms softly. There was a hint of seriousness on his face, one that you don't usually see.

"Honey I need you to listen to me. This is the one thing I do not joke about. If I tell you to get to the basement cupboard, then we both go." Jake explained keeping calm but serious head.

You nod and for the next 5 minutes you stick next to him. Both of you watched TV until a message popped up in the middle of the show. A tornado warning. Jake stood up and grabbed your hand first, then grabbed some pillows and blankets.

"Come on darlin' we have to go downstairs now." Jake spoke calmly taking you to the basement.

You follow Jake, and he sets the blankets and pillows down in the basement cupboard. He sat you down then looked into your eyes.

"Listen to me. I'm just going to run upstairs quickly and I'll be right back down okay?" He stated quietly,

"Be right back yeah Jake?" You asked a bit scared.

"I'll be right back." Jake kissed your head softly and watched as he went back upstairs. You kept your breathing calm, as you waited for him to come back keeping your eyes on the stairs.

You watched as Jake came down the stairs fairly quick, missing a few steps as he came over to you. He sat down next to you and held you in his arms.

"Listen to me Y/n... Not matter what happens I'm going to be with you the whole time okay? I love you and no matter what, I love you." Jake spoke as he squeezed you in his arms.

Looking up at him with fear in your eyes and suddenly your ears pop. You put your hands to your ears trying to adjust to the sudden pressure change.

"I love you too Jakey, so so much." You spoke, Jake hearing the fear in your voice.

He pulled you onto his lap and covered your ears with his hands, trying to help you with the pressure change. But also because he could hear the roar of the tornado close by. He tells you to close your eyes and he holds you right against him.

One of the first thing you noticed when you started dating Jake, he had a wonderful singing voice. One that would calm you down. Where your head laid on his chest, you could feel him humming. Keeping you calm and keeping him calm.

"It's okay sweetheart... It's okay... We're okay... We're gonna be okay." Jake spoke keeping as calm as possible, hearing the roar from the tornado.

After about 10 minutes being in the basement cupboard, the noise had calmed down and Jake finally uncovered your ears.

"We're okay darlin', we're okay." Jake kisses your head and he can feel you shaking. "I'm gonna check outside okay? I'm gonna be right back..."

Jake stands up and walks up the stairs carefully. He reaches the top of the stairs and thankfully the rest of the house is still standing. But the garden and some other houses down the road weren't so lucky. He called down the stairs.

"Baby! It's okay you can come upstairs." Jake shouted down.

He waited a few minutes as you came up the stairs and instantly walked into his arms. You were still shaking slightly, but you were both alive.

"We're okay. It's all over." Jake whispered holding you close. After a while stood together, you finally pulled away and looked out of the windows. Jake opened the front door grabbing his boots and his yellow raincoat.

He stood in the middle of the street, looking at his surroundings and looking at the sky. Only a few homes destroyed. Those homes were already being attended to by emergency services. Jake sighs and walks back in, checking the power cables are still standing.

You could tell he was a little shaken, it was the first tornado in over 5 years that he had seen. But he focused on you. His focus was always on you. He kisses you softly.

"We're okay."

#top gun maverick #jake hangman seresin #hangman x reader #tornado

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hit-song-showdown · 9 months

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Year-End Poll #74: 2023

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Morgan Wallen, Miley Cyrus, SZA, Taylor Swift, Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, Rema and Selena Gomez, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande, Luke Combs, SZA, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha. End description]

More information about this blog here

Before getting into the ramble, I'm just going to get ahead of the responses and clarify that when I name a song on these polls, I use the official name of the song as it's listed on the Billboard charts (obviously unless the official title includes an uncensored slur or the song was credited to an artist's deadname, which I haven't had to deal with as of now.) Luke Comb's cover of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car is simply listed as "Fast Car - Luke Combs" on Billboard. Not "Luke Comb's cover of Fast Car" or "Fast Car by Tracy Chapman (Luke Combs version)."

Now that I got that out of the way. Hi. Good to see you all again. Welcome to the end of 2023. We made it.

This is going to be an interesting entry on this blog for me. Because not only is this the first time I posted a poll from the current chart, this is also the first time since 2009 when I have not been closely monitoring the charts all year. So right now, I feel like I'm trying to look back to figure out what happened.

So. What happened?

Ever since the streaming era began, it's been clear that pop success matters less and less, but that feeling was especially strong this year. I'm not saying any of these songs are bad (that's not the point of this blog). But streaming splintered people's listening habits so much that everyone is able to listen to their own thing. Before I got big into chart watching, I was not an avid pop listener. But I was still knew which songs were popular because they were so much harder to avoid.

As I'm writing this, I've been listening to various Top 40/100 stations on the radio. Even ignoring the number of Christmas songs, I have yet to hear a song that came out in 2023. It makes sense to hear songs from 2022, since songs often take a while to build momentum (such as the tracks from SZA's SOS), but I've heard songs from 2014, 2013, 2006, 1995, etc.

And that's not even touching the year-end chart itself which includes 1. songs from 2022 (Kill Bill, Anti-Hero, Snooze, Calm Down), 2. a remix of a song from 2016 (Die for You), 3. a cover/remake of a song from 1996 (Creepin), 4. a cover of a song from 1988 (Fast Car), and 5. a song with an interpolation of a song from 1998 (I'm Good (Blue)). There are only 2 songs on the top 10 that are from 2023.

This year's tendency to look back is emphasized further by the genre which had the largest presence: country music. Not just because country music tends to be more traditional, but country music hasn't had a presence this big on the top 100 since the 90s. The biggest song of the year is a country-pop track by Morgan Wallen, whose 36 track album debuted at number one on the Billboard album chart. Not the country album chart. The Billboard 200. Beyond that, we have Luke Combs, whose cover of Fast Car reached the top 10, but two other singles from his album Growin' Up reached the Billboard Year End 100 without relying on the usual techniques country songs often need to cross over to the pop charts. Additionally, each year as of late tends to have it's pick of "think-piecey songs," whether it's Blurred Lines in 2013, WAP in 2020, or [insert any Taylor Swift song here]. The two most controversial songs of the year also happened to be country, with Oliver Anthony's Rich Men North of Richmond and Jason Aldean's Try That in a Small Town.

Why was country so big this year? One of my theories is that with streaming splintering people's listening habits so much, chart metrics will tend to favor physical media. I don't think it's a coincidence that Taylor Swift tends to dominate the charts while also being one of the top-selling artists on vinyl. If people are willing to pay actual money for your music instead of letting it stream in the background, the charts are going to calculate that differently. Not only are country fans more likely to buy physical music, but the two previously mentioned controversial country songs were also helped by right-leaning listeners boosting their sales, resulting in the two songs receiving a 78 and a 66 position on the year-end chart respectively.

As I'm writing this, I'm worrying that I'm not giving country music its proper credit. "Why was country music so big?" is a question that doesn't need to have a deeper answer. "A lot of people liked it so it had a larger presence" is also a sufficient answer. Country music doesn't have to cheat to reach the charts. The reason I'm delving into this is not the mere fact that country was popular, but the fact that country was so popular and seemed to shape the pop landscape as a whole, while not having the usual staples of a country-pop crossover. Unlike previous crossovers, none of the songs I mentioned needed a pop star or a rap verse to break onto the pop charts.

But speaking of a genre requiring a pop star to find a mainstream chart presence, 2023 marks the year of the first afrobeats song to reach a billion streams on Spotify, with Rema and Selena Gomez's Calm Down. But even without the pop feature, afrobeats also had an explosive year in 2023, and it's possible we'll only see the genre grow more popularity, similar to how reggaeton took over the pop landscape after Despacito crossed over to the mainstream American charts in 2017. If you, like me, aren't that familiar with the history of this genre and you would like to learn more, please know that afrobeat and afrobeats are two distinct genres. This article also does a good rundown of the differences and their respective histories. Also, while the song itself isn't afrobeats, Unavailable by Davido came out this year and it's incredible. The full album is amazing too. It's dreamy and atmospheric with energetic drums and I need to find a slot for it in my favorite releases of the year.

For a year where pop music was widely considered to have a down year, I sure had a lot to talk about. I haven't even touched on the "decline of rap music" (especially sad since it's the 50th anniversary of the genre), Taylor Swift's dominance (I mentioned her twice though; she'll live), or delved deeper into the presence of older songs on the charts. It certainly was an interesting year in music to talk about. But listening to it? Well, I'll let you decide that.

But if you look past the top 10 (or even the top 100), this was an incredible year for music. I haven't had the time to listen to every new release (thanks law school), but I still listened to enough that I came out of this year with some of my favorite musical projects of all time. I plan on sharing my favorite songs/albums of the year in a later post.

Thank you for spending this year in music with me.

#billboard poll #billboard music #tumblr poll #music poll #2020s #morgan wallen #miley cyrus #sza #taylor swift #metro boomin #21 savage #the weeknd #rema #selena gomez #ariana grande #luke combs #david guetta #bebe rexha

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spiders-hth-is-an-outlier · 2 months

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This is a post absolutely nobody asked for because 0 of you follow me for Takes on music, but one of the pop music podcasts I listen to has been all in on Pop Girl Spring, and they played a little game the other week where they did a draft for the top 10 songs from all the albums they’ve been covering – so that’s the new releases by Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Maggie Rogers, Gracie Abrams, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Ariana Grande, and Kacey Musgraves, plus the currently charting album-less singles by Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. And while I don’t have the fun structure of a competitive draft to play with, it did make me sit down and hash out my own Top 10, and I have literally nowhere to put the fruits of all that effort except Tumblr, so here’s way, way more words than anyone asked for about POP GIRL SPRING.

Listed in not-exactly no particular order, but also not in This Specific Order, like, this is not a countdown, I’m not ranking them with great specificity or anything. The 10 songs I need on my imaginary Pop League Team.

Good Luck, Babe! (Chappell Roan): Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a great album and I think Roan has a great career ahead of her (knock on wood), but this is the first song she’s released that feels like a Timeless Hit to me, like the kind of thing that’s going to show up in Buzzfeed quizzes in the 2040s about picking the best songs from this decade. On god, this could be one of the best pop choruses ever written – starting with that fucking high note is such a flex! – and it’s such a poster child for how great, earwormy pop music can tell a fairly specific story and make it feel deeply universal. Legendary. No notes.

Espresso (Sabrina Carpenter): SONG OF THE SUMMER. Is it a better pop song than Good Luck, Babe? No. Is it the Song of the Summer anyway? Yes, because those aren’t supposed to be Timeless, they’re supposed to make you forever remember *this specific summer* in your life. It’s a great song with an unbeatable hook, and I dig the fact that it makes just slightly less sense than it probably should – caffeine is the metaphor for…how you’re going to stay up nights thinking about Sabrina Carpenter? Okay. Whatever you say. It’s not a song about anything, which sometimes is bad but in this case is amazing, and there’s something marvelously audacious about committing to lines like “walked in and dream-came-true’d it for ya.” Bonkers. Delightful. Carpenter has put out like 4 albums which does not seem possible for someone I up until now only vaguely remembered as “was on that nostalgia-bait Boy Meets World sequel series,” but man, she came to play with this one.

BILLIE GETS TWO

BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Hit Me Hard and Soft is a fantastic album, managing to edge further into straight-up pop territory without compromising the distinctive voice that’s made Eilish the Snobby Music Critic’s Pop Princess. I have no idea how long she’s going to be able to (or want to) keep splitting the difference between these two identities, but she’s doing it right now, probably doing it better than anyone since Little-Earthquakes-era Tori Amos. I chose this song because I think it does the best job of fusing those elements: it’s a right-down-the-middle love song in the classic pop vein of “i know my baby is a life-ruining trainwreck but honestly i do not care,” and it’s got good mid-tempo ballad structure with that little bit of haunted-ness that is Eilish’s signature sound, and I just think it’s probably the most solid song on the album.

CHIHIRO: This one is my *favorite* song on the album, which is why it’s here. I don’t know what it’s about. It’s not particularly “radio-friendly” (is that a thing anymore? What do we say instead of that? Digestible?) It’s slinky and vaguely threatening and it just feels like a song that nobody else could do. It’s the one that’s been most consistently stuck in my head since I first listened to the album. I feel like it’s flying under the radar a little, but I’m super here for it.

The Kill (Maggie Rogers): I feel like people sleep on Maggie Rogers because her marketing aesthetic seems kind of like, navel-gazing folky singer-songwriter, which is not all that Of the Moment right now. But the thing is, that’s really not accurate at all! Her music is just straight down-the-middle, strongly crafted pop, WHY is she not more famous? She’s so good! Don’t Forget Me is just so, so solid as a pop album, crammed full of songs that are massive hits in some alternate universe. “It Was Coming All Along” is my personal favorite, but for this list I’m sticking with The Kill, just because it seems to be the closest thing to a breakout hit off the album and I want to hype it up. It’s a bouncy, incredibly sing-along-able song about a mutually destructive relationship, what is not to love. Pop music was invented for this.

BEYONCE ALSO GETS TWO

BODYGUARD: Look, I’m going to level with you, I wanted to like Cowboy Carter a lot more than I did. For me, the album has exactly the same flaw as Renaissance did, which is that it fundamentally feels like Beyonce has done a *ton* of research for her music history degree, stuffed every bit of it into the album, and by god you are going to listen to her senior thesis on the Black roots of popular music. Both albums are like – so smart and so sincere and they just feel – a little bogged down to me. I don’t know. This may be entirely because I am just not on Beyonce’s level here, but there’s something about Cowboy Carter that makes it hard for me to really love as an album, rather than as a project. That said, there were several tracks I really liked, and this one’s probably my favorite, maybe because it sounds the most authentically like a Beyonce track to me. Whatever you think of Jay-Z or of the Carters’ marriage, it’s undeniable that a huge part of her as an artist and a human is tied up in this idea of being one half of their partnership, and when she does these “it’s me and my baby versus all the rest of you bitches” songs, she always strikes what to my ear is her most authentic, heartfelt notes. BODYGUARD has a cool, California-road-trip kind of vibe that puts me in mind a little of “03 Bonnie & Clyde,” but appropriately, more grown-up now.

YA YA: After complaining that a lot of her recent music feels a little too overstuffed with References, I have to say that this is one of the worst offenders – but it fuckin works. This feels deeply retro but not at all in a corny way, a great update of a certain kind of mid-century honky-tonk music that makes it feel vital and current. I don’t think Beyonce has truly hit the same high in terms of weaving her politics and her music together since Lemonade, but to me this song stands up well alongside that album (which for the record, I think was a generational achievement, a truly transcendent work of art). Also, as appropriate for a song whose theme is “shake your ass in defiance of a world that does not care about you,” the ass-shaking game is on point! I honestly wish this song had received all the success that went to TEXAS HOLD ‘EM, which is a song I truthfully feel is hokey and try-hard. This one covers the same ground but infinitely better.

Von Dutch (Charli XCX): I am a naysayer to Brat Summer, I’m sorry to say; I think Charli is a fairly decent pop musician and Brat is a fairly decent pop album, but I do Not get the hype. It’s got some worthwhile tracks, and I do appreciate that she’s allowed some space to excavate less-common themes in pop music – songs about wondering if now is when she should be having kids, about wrestling with the way that other women bring out her personal insecurities – rather than just the genre staples of Love and Partying and Being Awesome. That said. I think the best song on the album is just a regular-degular banger about partying and being awesome. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

YES, TAYLOR ALSO GETS TWO (man, it’s a 31-track double album! Get off my back!)

Down Bad: One of the things I don’t think Swift gets credit for, due to being overshadowed by the Harrowing Constant Drama of her personal life, is that she legitimately has a dry, off-kilter sense of humor that brings much-needed levity to the Harrowing Constant Drama of her body of work. TTPD is, among other things, a *funny,* self-aware album about how knowing full well that your emotions are absolutely unhinged vis-a-vis actual reality doesn’t actually do jack shit to keep you from drowning in those emotions. A lot of the hate for this album has really come from people who Do Not get the joke, who are cherry-picking verses and single lines from deeply self-aware songs without providing the context of that self-awareness. I love this song. I love the chorus: crying at the gym is a detail that’s perfectly, wryly relatable in its absurdity, and “everything comes out teenage petulance / fuck it, if I can’t have him I might just die” in that swingy, chipper groove is exactly why no one does it like she does, packing all that ambiguity and frustration and self-loathing of your own irrationality into a great hook. I love the fuckin alien abduction framing device to talk about a relationship whose impact inside your own head and heart is wildly out of proportion to its impact on the materiality of your daily life – a relationship that *might as well have* happened on an entirely different planet than the one everyone else lives on. It’s great. This is a great song.

The Albatross: So I wanted for the second TTPD track to pick something from the other side of Swift, the one that *is* deeply, irretrievably, uncomfortably emotionally sincere. There were definitely some strong contenders, but I kept coming back to this song, which I actually have heard very little chatter about, but has snuck up on me as an album favorite. I try not to get too lost in the labyrinth of Swift’s endless Easter eggs and self-mythologizing, but this is a song that I do think benefits from understanding its place in her personal biography; specifically I think it gains a lot from seeing it as a companion piece to “The Archer,” a softly agonized song from the beginning of a relationship about the duality of predator and prey, about wanting to go all-in but dreading the part of you that you know is capable of sabotaging this. The Albatross is – a softly agonized song from the ending of that same relationship about the duality of destruction and salvation, about wanting so much to protect someone you used to love from the havoc *that same love* has ultimately inflicted on their life. There’s a whole novel lying in the space between these two songs, and both of them feel raw and intimate in the way they expose the pain and vulnerability and shame that shadow the act of allowing yourself to love someone. TTPD was, in my opinion, rushed out too quickly, an experiment in presenting Swift’s emotions in a more unprocessed, uncrafted way to make a statement about art as a survival mechanism during emotional times, but an experiment that doesn’t entirely work; it truly could have benefited from another six to twelve months of cooking and a strong editorial pass. To me, this song is a glimpse of what TTPD could have been if instead of being rushed to press in the middle of her ginormous tour for the sake of her own catharsis, it had been given the space and attention that Folklore/Evermore were given. The Albatross is truly (like The Archer before it) an optimal wedding of Swift as a chronicler of her own interiority and Swift as a generationally gifted musical craftsman.

(I had a couple of also-rans, so shout out to Dua Lipa’s “Happy For You,” a song I really loved off an album I thought was kinda phoned-in overall, and Gracie Abrams’s “Tough Love,” through which I learned that there could potentially be something interesting about Gracie Abrams, someday.)

#pop girl spring #ladies do you need a man's long-winded opinion on any of these young female artists?#it's your lucky day

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emmebearpaw · 4 months

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Hello. I've worked in a grocery store for a while, I shop for people and take it out to their cars (this is my 3rd summer in a row...). I know lots of weird types of people at the grocery store. Please allow me to tell you what kind of person various characters are at the grocery store. Fandoms: Reverse 1999, Genshin Impact (R1999) Regulus is the Doordash driver who checks in to pick up groceries and then goes MIA. She shows up 5 minutes later to get them with a Dr. Papper and no cart and you just have to look her dead in the eyes with 2 dozen bags around you and say "You need a cart."

(GI) Furina is this one guy at my old store who was always the last one to show up on Saturdays. Tired. Easy. Does not feel like chatting right now. She's here to get Mac and Cheese and some Wine and then she is going to bed. (R1999) Kanjira, Erick, Balloon Party and Mondlicht are the group of unsupervised kids that are causing a Problem. (R1999) Oliver Fog and Eagle are the inexplicably unsupervised kids there at odd hours that ask you where a specific item is and are a joy to have. No problem. Inexplicably looking for a block of good cheese. (GI) Lyney, Lynette and Freminet are the kind of people shopping who employees don't even notice until they get to check out. They are sent to the store with a list. They plan out an ideal route like its a fucking heist. They are in and out of there in 20 minutes with the power of teamwork and planning.

(GI) Baizhu does carside pickup. Only buys organic foods. Qiqi doesn't get goldfish she gets Annie's crackers, that sort of thing. In a seeming contradiction there is a bottle of wine in the order too. (R1999) Ok listen to me. This isn't a customer story. This is my former STORE MANAGER. Constantine is my old store manager that everyone hates, but I have one particular story she is. We had radios in our department so we could communicate items that weren't on the shelf and to ask for assistance from other departments. No one else was supposed to use the radios, however management didn't want to spend money on the radios so they just let other departments steal from us, which usually meant we didn't have any. Our store manager in particular would get upset if we didn't use the radios. He also had a habit of stealing ours, so we didn't give him the code. I left my radio at my workstation to run an order outside as he walks in for the morning. I come back in barely 2 minutes later and the radio I left out is gone. Constantine is stealing my radio. (R1999) The Apeiron crew are this group of 4 or 5 Orthodox Jewish men who would all come in together (unusual, most grocery shoppers are alone or with their significant other + maybe their kids. Additionally we are not an area with a large jewish population) and I always had to inform them that. Yup that's our whole kosher section. No we don't have a kosher frozen section. I wish you luck on finding food for your diet, god speed, I can not find kosher food we don't stock. I do plan on writing something jsut for them because I think i need to, emotionally. 37 would throw a fit in the canned bean section.

(GI) Venti was this guy who was clearly reselling beer. Ordered 5 40 packs of bud light 3+ times a week. (GI) Yaoyao is every kid I've seen pushing around the tiny kid sized shopping cart they have at my new store. She's not accompanied like the real world kids are though. No she's just shopping by herself. Where are her parents. (GI) Neuvilette is the guy at my old store who would order like. 10 liters of sparkling water. All the same flavor. Made me climb the shelf most days to grab all of the bottles that fell over (the flavor he ordered was on the top shelf too) so I could try to scrounge together everything he ordered. Probably more later lmao

#my post #genshin impact #reverse 1999

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headingalaxys-spicy · 2 years

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Hetalia Mating Season: Demon King England

Alright how this series is going to go is that I will be making these short stories and not do multiple parts. Because if I did that I’d never be able to get to the Golden Nightingale this year. I know I’ll do all the mains plus Spain. You can also just yell at me in the comments for others if I get a high enough interest in it. Anyways, here we go.

Also this series will be done in Gender Neutral…..until the spicy part because I do have to get specific. So I separate the Male! and Fem! version of what goes on. I want all who want to read to be included and actually have fun.

So yeah, that’s my bit here we go.

Also I'm keenly aware of my skill in making male x reader content is lacking in the emotional and physical payoff. I'm working on that.

***********************N$FW AHEAD YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED************************

“All love songs have a hypnotic lure in them, you just need to pick the one that will make them want to take the bait.”

Arthur was down in his lair studying the last 100 songs that you’d listened to in the last 90 days. You had tendencies to have certain songs play more than others. Now that he’s got enough intelligence to know which tune will catch you off guard. The spell that he’s crafted hijacks the temporal lobe that can override the rest of your brain signals. All he has to do is get the melody within range of your ears.

“A simple enough task, to get my mate here with me. This is exciting and so much fun!” He begins to giggle like a schoolgirl that’s just recently seen their crush from afar. His short choppy hair had a charming frizz. His light, matte skin was lit by the light of his wand. He’d been moisturizing it so that he could look more enticing to his human lover. He was neatly writing down the incantation for the amorous melody with a feather quill. He admired the neat writing that decorated the paper. It had taken him hours to perfect his spell. He practiced on a few gnomes, ogres, and fairies to see if he’s had success in being able to rewire their brains to become reactive to the music he played that suited their personalities. It was successful for the most part with a few minor hiccups. His spell would become faulty if there was another melody in the distance playing or if he himself is not entirely concentrated while he performs the spell it could be broken depending on the victim's concentration.

It would be hard for you or any other human that could hear the enchanting melody to resist. Especially if England himself utters the melody and doesn’t simply use his fae familiars.

Arthurs mind wanders off onto the day you met. There was a light downpour. It’s drops made light plops against his black umbrella. The way that you walked like a ballet dancer effortlessly dodging other pedestrians. This is where his initial attraction lay. You were so light on your feet that you were managing to escape from his vision. He knew he had to catch up. He knew he couldn’t let you escape. He flicked his umbrella into the air and disappeared behind it transforming himself into his demon form. He jumped on one of the nearby buildings so he could have a better view of where you’d run off it. You acted as if you were the white rabbit that was very late for an important date.

Once he saw that familiar red beanie that you kept a top of your messy locks it was easy for him to keep track of you. He went to lower buildings so he could keep you in his vantage point. Once you went inside that gift shop that was situated on King’s Road. He shifted to his incognito mode so he could observe from afar for a while. He watched as you apologized for the delay and that you’d be ready to open in 10 minutes. The small crowd that was at the shop had a compact but cute entrance. He saw how swiftly you zoomed around the shop turning on the lights and quickly sprucing the palace up two of the people who were in the crowd were your associates.

The fairy lights and lamps lit up your fantastic brick-and-stone shop. All the cute knick nacks of union jack adorned goods, unique wood carvings shaped like men, monsters, and other dimensional beings. Streamers of luminescent pastel lights give the place more of a magical forest-like feel.

“Alright everyone! Thank you for your patience [Last Name] Timeless Gifts is open!”

Some of the crowd began to clap in excitement. Your store was extremely popular on Instagram and a few other platforms. It was one of the new reasons the latest flux of tourists came to London. They wanted to get some of the latest charming gifts that were from around the world and from all of the artists in the U.K. The queue drained into the store eager to get pictures and gifts.

Arthur shifted his shape to look less attractive; he didn't need attention. He’d need stealth. He wandered over to the famous little gift store. He loved the way that your energy was always on high when you spoke to your customers. You were evicted about the thing you go to do every day. You were in the middle of showcasing some of the crafts you’d made. You were beaming with pride at the results you were able to make for your efforts. Your energy was different from most humans that he’d ever encountered. The energy that floated off of you was like small sunbeams that were meant to heal any soul that was overcast with dark rain clouds.

He was eager to know more about you from that day forward. He summoned seven faries to keep watch over you and all of your daily activities. They were to have a nightly session to discuss any new developments. After a few months of surveillance and his occasional visits in his modified form he decided that it was finally time to approach you and use his intelligence to woo you. He had to calm himself beforehand his heart was racing like it was trying to make it’s way to the ball. How exciting that he can finally put his devious plan into action.

He will come in about a half hour before closing for ‘bridge’ time. He will take a gander at the sizable book collection that sat in the center of your store. It had more of the gag book gifts that one would give as a fun last minute stalking stuffer, or for a bachelor(ette), or for a light hearted office prank. Regardless it was a great way for him to think of a way to spark up a conversation with you. Since he knew that humor was one of your forte. You really knew how to illuminate a room with your charming charisma. It was one of the many things that he fell in love with in the months of observing you.

“Excuse me Y/N I love the ambiance that you have brewing here. Is that Earl Gray that is brewing for the scared hour?” He has a charming smile that graces his face and his emerald eyes sparkle with excitement but you could tell they were holding back some other emotions. But you paid it no mind after all. All of your customers who came in had different stories and opinions to offer all of which brought in new life to your store.

“Of course, up in the atrium I believe we have room for one more to join us for afternoon tea. Care to join for a small fee of £10.”

“Sign me up it sounds like a jolly good time.” Not even holding back the gigantic smile that now adorned his face. It was like he was living in a daydream. Through the course of tea time he sat right next to you and stole all of your attention from your other guests who only maybe got in a question or two about how long you’d had the shop or how you got into your craft. Arthur was always able to smoothly interject in something that he knew would pique your interest.

“Oh yes I remember that bakery that is just out of the way on Piccadilly Circus. It has the Sticky Toffee Pudding that is to die for. If you haven’t tired then maybe we can go sometime.” He made mental notes of where he’d ask you out on a date. He had plans A-J worked out in his head and he was ready to deploy his tactics. He took winning you over as seriously as he did when he wanted to conquer more lands within the underworld.

You give him a smile that touches his cold heart and ignites it with a match. When your response was:

“Sounds like fun maybe one a day when running this gift shop isn’t so crazy.” You give a thoughtful gaze to your planner that you had in front of you next to your delicate pale yellow tea cup. “Would next Thursday at three O’ Clock work for you?”

The match had been thrown into the nest of hay twigs and firewood that was nestled in the pit of Arthur’s heart. The tiny flickers of fire spread through the brush to create the flames of desire for you. The way that you spoke, the way that you wrote, and the air of summer that surrounded you constantly even in the depths of winter made him realize that you were the perfect one for him to claim as his mate.

“Sounds like a date.” You giggle and take a long swig of your tea, you had to attend to some of your other customers you requested your attention. You quickly jot down your number and give it to him. And as soon as you left to greet other customers, you for some reason felt a slender tail of sorts wrap around your lower leg. The feeling didn’t linger for long and you assumed it was your imagination after all. You had been up for 48 hours straight since the holiday season that started next month in November was about to begin . You were already beginning to become back up with national and international orders. You were bound to make big profits all around. Soon you’d be able to own your own home and start some of those other dreams you had in mind.

Arthur however was still not satisfied. He wanted to have your undifivied attention and be able to drive himself into you in peace. He wanted to capture his sunshine and hide you away for your attention was too pure for others anyway. He gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath.

“At least they said yes.”

“Alright you two, I'll check in with you tomorrow at 11am. Make sure you lock up properly and put the new inventory away.” You bid your small team good-bye for the day. You were eager to get to your date. The posh British man had an electrifying energy that drew you in like a moth to an open flame amidst the blackness of the midnight sky. One where there were there were no stars or moon to act as guides. You’d be susceptible to his trap.

“Hello, love. You look great!” He grabs your hand and places a gentle kiss on your bare hand. The kiss sends lighting bolts up your veins. It was like getting hit with 500 mg of caffeine at once. You were awake now and he had your undivided attention.

“Thank you. You as well.” Red appeared on your cheeks like bright fairy dust.

‘The face fitting for a demon royal. I just want to get in with it. It’s getting hard holding back my urges.’

“Let’s go and get ready for tea time at the Bluebell Pastry Palace. The scones should be getting ready to come out of the cobblestone oven and their tea has been shipped from Japan and India. The best chai and the best matcha too. It will be quite good time.” Not even attempting to hide his happiness. He can’t help but be charmed by you. Every lingering glance you gave him and gazed into his eyes added extra logs to the burning fire in his heart. You reach for his hand and your hands interlock. You wandered through the somewhat crowded streets. The union jack was laced throughout the streets while there was a light breeze with tufts of fog that whipped through your hair. You felt like you were entering into a hazy dream of sorts heavy with meaning. You felt like there were sparkles of red that hit your body. Was that a faint melody that you could hear? Familiar was how it felt, but it also held a great deal of mystery to it.

“Hey Y/N are you alright were here! You look as though you may have seen a troll or a fairy just wander just out of your view.” He teases with a toothy smile that makes your heart jump a little.

“Yeah, I’m all fine. I get lost amidst my thoughts on occasion.”

Once you were seated at a window table that was adorned with red roses, pastel pink tulips, ruby carnations, purple orchids, and vermilion peonies. The scene laid out before you looked like a fancy fairytale daydream. The greenery that surrounded the elegant flowers curled out like long strands of silky streamers that were sewn by a fairy godmother prepping for a ball. You felt like every moment that you spent with Arthur felt like you were being pulled deeper into a lucid dream one which you did not want to be awakened from.

When I saw you over there I wasn’t sure

Now I’m feeling something I haven’t before

Your (eye color) float back over to his forest green eyes. They put you in the center of his pupils that were like microportals.

“Your thoughts wander to where Y/N?” Did his voice sound a little more hypnotic and enticing?

“Toooo….” Your mind really couldn’t think of an answer.

Look at us so distant now skin to skin

Your concentration was disappearing and all you wanted to do was concsntrate on the song that was faintly playing in your ears. It sounded fun, it sounded lively, it was surreal. Arthur hadn’t let go of your hands since the two of you had wandered in from the misty London streets. That magical lighting shock that you first felt when first encountered him. There was something more to him that you couldn’t really pin down.

If you keep this up I’ll let you in.

You vision began to fade in and out. The spell that Arthur had perfected was beginning to take effect on you. Its talons had made its way into your mind. It felt like being a mix of high and drunk at the sametime with the melody of the song becoming clearer in your mind. You body felt fully relaxed. You were fine. You looked into Arthur’s pools of verdant green, becoming you to take a dive and take a swim.

Yeah you, almost make me fall in love

Yeah yooooooou, got me hypnotized under your spell.

Arthur’s grin was much larger than that of the Cheshire cats by now. He was beginning to break out in a cold sweat of sorts. He wasn’t going to be able to hold back for much longer.

Your eyes are glazing over with smoky clouds of confusion and being in a heavy daze. No doubt the song had hooked you in and was dragging you out to the wider seas. Where there would be nothing to stand between you and him. You’d been met with the Leviathan of the seven seas, who sprung up from hell during the first mating call of spring.

“What sort of tea will you be ordering, love? I’m going to stick with my usual at this time: Earl Grey.”

For a moment you seemed to snap out of the trance you’d been under but you still felt the weight of something baring down on your soul. You were in the middle of the sea. Where the waves still rocked your tiny boat of consciousness recklessly. You pick [insert choice] along with your favorite dessert of the moment, Madeira Cake, which had been sweetened with sweet white wine and had hints of lavender. It seemed to be the tastiest treat.

Arthur’s hands had made themselves once again interlocked with yours once you gave your order to the waitress.

“I’ll be right back dears, with the tea!” She said cheerfully as she went on her way.

“A lavender cake of sorts that’s not a bad idea Y/N so. Tell me more about you and what brought you to London and about how you established your store.” He looked at you intently with a glint that had appeared in his eyes. Was… was that a look of hunger? You quietly mused to yourself.

‘It’s a first date. I’m overthinking this.’ You give him a girn and tell him about the origins of your store.

“Yes, I’d always wanted to not work myself to death at a boring office job and I loved to learn about new crafts like miniature wood works and making small musical boxes. There's just something so spectacular about being able to craft a miniature world to tell a story.” You yawn for some reason.

When I get you closer to my body.

Wanna feel your hands all over me!

For a moment you thought all that existed was just you and Arthur and his gloved hands that had a strong hold on yours. Your lips had just turned upwards. You were in a state of ignorant bliss. It felt like there was a thin tail that had made its way around your lower calf. You paid no real mind to it though because whatever Arthur was going on about you were into it right?

Gotta make ‘em jealous everybody

Cause you know we got it

Chemistry!

“Here are your tea, dears! Enjoy. I’ll be back in a few with the fresh scones and cake!” The cheerful waitress only momentarily disrupts the daze you were in. You didn’t care though; your mind was on another planet, relaxed by the floral scent of the tea and from the windowsill. You also began to see small orbs of light form around Arthur’s blemish-free face illuminating it like Christmas lights decorating a tree. The orbs all lingered around his ear and you were unaware that he was trying to ask you something until you hear his voice say your name like it was disembodied.

“Y/N , love, aren't you going to try your tea? You wouldn’t want it to get cold.” He flashes a toothy grin right before he takes a sip of his own cup. He shifts a little in his seat, it was becoming troublesome to keep his hardened cock at bay.

‘Just a minute or two more and I’ll be okay.’

You agree and momentarily stare at the cherry red porcelain cup that had apples adorn the face of it with a matching red saucer. You saw a pink orb linger on your cup for a few seconds before it playfully wandered away. The smell of lavender wafted off your selected tea, you found it somewhat odd and thought the aroma from the cake just had you mistaken. You simply smiled and let your eyes wander off to a bright pastel corner of the store where the orbs were no longer in your vision. But your awareness was decreasing rapidly. The only thing you were aware of was…

‘Did Arthur always have sharp teeth like that?’ Before the next thing you knew the feeling of the tail became much more real than ever before. The flowers and sunshine had vanished from your vision only to be engulfed by the blackness of hell and the song that played in your head was on full attack now. You could hear it ringing in your ears after new earbuds had been placed there.

The sensation of the tail playing with your nether regions. It felt good and that was all that mattered to you at that moment. Your mind has been muddled with a plethora of different concoctions to keep you calm. It wasn’t long before you didn’t really remember what happened on the rest of your date, but the next thing you were aware of is that you were on a soft duvet with missing shoes.

[Male Ending]

His tail wrapped around your clothed member tightly. You let out a gentle moan in surprise.

“Y/N, this won’t hurt too much, but you will need to behave for your King. Understand love?”

“Haaa okay, but like where is my tea and like where are we?”

Arthur’s smirk perks up and he allows his tail to pick up speed and cause greater friction on the fabric and your dick. You bite down on your lip and let out a pleasure groan. Your body simply falls back onto the bed and you try to make sense of where you are but couldn’t.

“We can also get some for the aftercare Y/N but for now let's have some fun~” He appears from his walk-in closet from the other side of the room. He decked out in his black lingerie . Most of his tall slender form is in place except for his protruding penis that stood straight out from his body.

He could only hear you giggle.

“What’s funny my love?”

“Heh. Everything.”

“Is that so?” He uses his large wings to glide right next to you lying limp on the bed. He ceased his movements on your member for now as he took a few more moments with the aid of the dimly lit fireplace. He grabbed the jacket off of you and ripped off your button-down shirt. The same went for your pants, leaving only your boxers and socks untouched.

“Yeah, it feels. Nice.” A blush has made it’s way to your face. ‘Wait, what’s going on am I having some sort of lucid dreaming right now….?’

“Oh I know.” He grabs your cock tightly. “But this is about to feel even better.” Arthur licked his lips. You could feel claws now, but it still did not trigger panic within your consciousness at all. Still docile, but growing heat was beginning to bud towards the place that he was massaging, and it won’t be long before it also disappeared from your body. Arthur finally planted a kiss on your lips with a bit of force that knocked you back onto the dark duvet. His tail pulled one of your legs to the side so he could straddle you properly.

In your vision, it felt like rose thorns forced your legs apart as more pressure to your third head continued to build. You felt as though your body had hit clear day clouds. You felt light touches of fairy wings grace your jawline for a few moments. A bite, however, snapped you from your daydream to bring you back to the present, where Arthur had bitten you. He left a gash from his sharp teeth. While you hear some incantation of sorts mixed in with him stating your name as if it was….

A searing pain filled to the brim with desire hit you like a boulder that had fallen from the highest mountaintop. You could only let out a confused shriek unaware of if you should be turned on or terrified. The heat continued to swell in your member until Arther wrapped his mouth around your cock, licking up your pre-cum. His head bobbed up and down steadily so that you could become more acclimated to beginning in the underworld and not nearly as spaced out on his potion. The rubbing of his slender but tough hands massaged your calves and the backs of your thighs while his tongue managed to stroke the base of your member. You knew you were reaching your edge.

“Ahhhh ~”

Arthur slides his agile tongue along the underside of your cock once more before his mouth releases your dick with an audible *pop*. Seconds before you were about to climax. He swiftly grabs your penis and places his thumb over the tip, with the command:

“Shout my name.”

“Augh. What?” Just not getting knocked out of your high.

“Shout my name, King Arthur ruler of Pride!”

“kinG Ar… KING Arthur!” You shouted at the top of your lungs as you were finally allowed to climax.

“Heh, that’s a good boy~” Now heres for the hard part. He spreads your legs wide and gives you no time to react to him shoving all of himself into you. Your mind was still blank and ravaged from releasing from Arthur’s harsh grip. All you could do was groan in pain. Your whole body is tense and grasp for the sheets for they were the only things that could stablize your reeling mind. All you could do was rock your hips along with his. The rhythm of Arthur’s cock moved your whole body like a punk song; fast tempo and distorted shifts with your legs in midair.

“Ugh. nnnn.” Sleep paralysis like grip was all over your body. The only control you has was the use of your hands. Arthur playfully dragged his tongue along your ear and gripped your hair. The King was beginning to edge towards a climax.

“Just a little more and you’ll be able to rest your head.” He puurs in your ear as he continues his rampage on your nether region. Arthur finally releases himself and rides out his orgasm.

[The Aftercare part is at the bottom after the Fem Ending]

[Fem! Ending]

You still felt the presence of his tail on you. His now glowing ember orbs were the only things your eyes were able to see. Everything else was lost in a sea of red, orange, or black. Your mind was still adjusting to the new reality without being blindsided by Arthur’s original incantation that lulled you to him. When you felt it slithers closer to your entrance. Your body shifts away about an inch or two, but you did not manage to get far.

“Oh, my dear that’s really cute. You can’t escape. It’s far too late.” A British voice calls from the warm black mass that called towards you.

You grunt in response. Wondering where your voice had gone. It must have been pilfered by Satan's spawn that was resting himself on top of you.

“Looks like my spell really did hinder you more than intended. Oh well, the first night will be easy… I just have to make my claim on you.” You felt a gentle kiss on your cheek. You whimper in response and not much else. You were still unsure about the reality that you were in were you having a lucid dream or was this some kind of nightmare. “I’ll make you feel okay Y/N, poppet.” You felt your clothes burn away leaving you with no other barrier to protect you from his hungry claws. He kisses you on your lips intently and wraps his tail fully around your waist. He’s waited for too long to have you.

“Nnnn. nnnnn.” You try to move your arms a bit, but they feel just like when you’re trying to wake up from Sleep Paralysis except no matter how hard you moved none of your limbs would listen. You could feel the breath of Arthur’s cruel laugh as he made his way into the crook of your neck.

“That won’t help. It’s best if you relax, poppet.” Seconds before he bites your right shoulder harshly and creates numerous hickeys all along your collarbone. Your breathing stayed heavy, and you simply let tears roll down your eyes.

‘Holy shit this is actually real this is actually happening.’

A few minutes into the hickey session Arthur’s dick is poised at your entrance. He’s posied in full demon form in the nude. It was as if he was trying to showcase himself at a stallion show. He scoops you up and brings your legs to the edge of the bed and places them over his shoulders. Arthur bits his lip in excitement and anticipation. His tail wrapped around your tender flesh tighter. You knew by how much pressure was on your abdomen that you’d definitely have marks in the morning. He slams himself in, taking no regard for the pained yelp that left your lips. Your hips had to accommodate the sudden change quickly.

“nnnAh!nnn.” You were trying to resist.

Arthur no longer responded to any of your reactions. He was concentrated on continuing his bloodline here in hell. You could feel his nails being to leave long scratches on you. They began to draw small trails of blood; your first markings as the new Queen of Pride. The bed began to squeak loudly against your eardrums as Arthur moved his chiseled abs closer to your stomach closing the distance between the two of you. The lust that was thick in the air was making it harder for you to breathe and get a grip on the new reality you’d been thrown into. You clutched the sheets for it was the only thing you had to safety in that moment.

Arthur went in deeper and pinned you closer to the bed. Confident that his cock was capable of keeping you in place. A dozen kisses were all across your chest. His hands interconnected with yours. It felt like fireflies had now nested in those places and began to fly out from your chest. You felt your heart felt it speeding up while trying to calm down.

‘No, NO!’

The bed was beginning shift from the sheer force coming from his hips. His head moved up once more to place one more hickey on your throat. He was savoring the moment. He was seconds away from the edge. His cock was ready to burst. His hands pratically make new gashes in your skin as he put his all into his final thrust. His lava like seed filling you to the brim until the sheets were soaked.

“Y/N!!!!” He’d reached heaven practically. It took him five minutes or so to ride out his orgasm while you were still and your body did not react. It only felt the copious amount of fluids that were all over and sticky.

[This is where the Endings Converge]

“Ahh!” You let out a log elongated moan, your head was spinning and you felt disconnected to your body. You could no longer feel your lower half. It felt like it had disappeared.

“Good job poppet.” He gently kisses you forehead not minding the sweat that rolled down your face as if you’d just hopped out of a hot shower. He loosened his tail and transformed into a lesser form that only showed his horns and his verdant green emeralds were back and shining brightly. They felt magical and warm like the orbs you’d seen back at the restaurant.

“Let’s get you all cleaned up.” He lifts your body from the bed and takes you to the ornate bathroom that had ornate golden thorns in fields of blood red and velvet black Fritillaria painted on the walls. Pure warm water had been drawn into the dark jade green tub that had been crafted from marbel. “This may sting a bit, poppet. I did leave a lot of marking all over your legs. I’ll make sure to clean and bandage them.” You get low to the water until the immersive warm soapy bath englufs your soul. Arthur clings to you and holds you from behind.

“Y/N?” Voice low and gruff it gripped your ears and your attention.

“Yes…?” Not knowing what to expect but not wanting to make him upset.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Pride. I’ve chosen you as my new mate and my bride. But the first few nights will be rough for you because I will be filled with almost nothing but sex and I’m not going to be gentle.”

You were shocked by that statement and you were still trying to come out of your spiked tea and the musical haze that he’d put you in. The consequences of which were just now were beginning to show because it felt like there was a jackhammer bagging at the side of your head. You wince in pain and lower your head. Arthur notices that your muscled tensed and moved toward your head.

“Are you okay poppet?”

“My head it feels like someone slammed it to the ground.”

“It’s alright my love. I have a healing spell for that.” He kisses the back of your hand and you could feel his tail brush past your legs again. “I know it’s all a lot but it will be fine. Being a Queen will be easy.”

Arthur will summon his spellbook and find the right incantation. He will fix you right up. He’ll let you rest for the night but you will have a rought morning since it’s the first thing that is on his mind once he become conscious again. This begins your new life as the new (Queen or King) of Pride.

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crguang · 4 months

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sweet reliable women 🥺 i'm excited to meet her!

if you had to pick your favourite 3 hsr and genshin women, who would they be and why? i think i could take a crack at guessing two of the star rail women you'll pick, hah

-💙

GSHDHSJSJFJF im unfortunately very predictable…. and my type is so obvious😭

for genshin my favourites are:

- ningguang. we go years back her and i, i love women in high positions of power who have to put on a performance for the world and have a softer, hidden side to them. i admire her composure, strength and the fact that she can navigate any social situation… people have a lot of misconceptions of her because of her ambitions but she’s a good person who knows when to be ruthless and i love her lots for it

- yelan. my little adrenaline junkie… shes just so fun?! she hides behind so many disguises, lies as she breathes, is a masochist and a secret intelligence agent. they made her for ME!!! her and ning are canonically partners in crime, she’s part of the reason why ning is the tianquan and is her most trusted friend. plus she’s sexy and smart and i need her in my bed

- arlecchino. my type to a T, she fits all of my attraction criteria— powerful, diplomatic, astute and sexy with a side of her no one really gets to see. she genuinely cares for her children despite her upbringing, wants to bring a change to the way the house of the hearth functions, is a little weird and off-putting… i love that its unexpected for her to be so chill because shes so intimidating 😭 like wym the 4th fatui harbinger loves watching insects in the wild and having barbecues with her kids

my fav hsr women are (unsurprisingly):

- kafka… KAFKAAAAA what an annoying, irritating, lying little shit im obsessed with her. i initially thought she was going to be a little like yelan (she kinda is… they’d get along fast) but she’s just an arrogant little shit who lies for fun. she’s cocky and confident and the worst part is that her bite matches her bark. i cannottt help but be attracted to her, she’s a jack of all trades and it makes her deliciously unpredictable. PLUS they made her a violin player!!!!! thats my favourite musical instrument!!!!! i listen to classical music every day. her design is also one of my favourites— i love that she’s completely covered and still the sexiest character in the game. people went insane just seeing her SHOULDERS, like we all turned into Victorian men catching a glimpse of a woman’s calves for the first time when she took off her coat😭

- black swannnnnn❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ just stunning. no notes. 10/10 design. that suave personality and charm makes me melt and every time she comes on screen so do i— i mean… i find memokeepers in general very interesting, but what’s better is that since they forego their mortal bodies and become memetic entities, they don’t really have human emotions other than what’s felt through people’s memories. but black swan does, a little; that primal fear she feels in acheron’s memories, her preference for warm, wistful memories… it’s just so interesting. i also love how consistent and transparent she is, some memokeepers steal or erase memories but she doesnt. she has morals (aesthetics of memory, as she says) and she sticks to them until the last resort. she’s supposed to be inherently objective, and she isn’t. i love that a lot. also, because shes very good at what she does her presence is so reassuring, her smooth, low voice just adds to the feeling i need her to hum me to sleep

- JINGLIU. that voice alone gets her in my top 5 but her LORE… the fact that she’s doomed by the narrative???? that she pushes past her limits, rises when she should have fallen, out of spite and hatred to fight her own inevitable end???????? incredible. she’s above material things and immaterial concepts like status and fame because she only lives for one thing: to kill a god. and as she pursues her goal, she becomes a little like them, indifferent and ruthless. she’s a woman who’s lost everything and who refuses to lose her mind despite it being inevitable. her will is incredible. i love her design (tho she shouldve been wearing pants or actual armor😒) the moon is my favourite entity and she embodies it. i’m one of those people who go “omg look at the moon” every night, they made her for meeee

#this is kinda long but😭 you asked!!! /lh #all these women have many things in common its so…#💙 anon #sat answers

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dougiejack · 6 months

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🎶✨when you get this, put 5 songs you actually listen to, then publish. Send this ask to 10 of your favourite followers🎶✨

lmao i'm about to be so annoying because, as you probably gathered from the music league, I tend to pick one artist and then that's all for like a month lmao.

So here's my top five The Amazing Devil songs (in no particular order except in the sense that I'm going through all three albums to find my faves). Everyone should listen to them.

Drinking Song for the Socially Awkward Probably the easiest to sell because it doesn't have the fantasy vibes that a lot of their songs have and also lmao who among us can't relate to being at a party and feeling like you don't belong there. And also showing memes to your cat.

The Old Witch Sleep and the Good Man Grace This one is just genuinely a great song. It builds SLOW! It's almost 9 minutes long and it doesn't really hit until minute 4 but once it hits. My god. "You're not a coward cause you cower, you're brave because they broke you, yet broken, still you breathe. so breathe. just breathe."

Wild Blue Yonder I have a weird weakness for songs that are like "We know we've reached the end of our story so let's make the most of our last night together" honorable mention in that category is all I ask by adele but that one is SAD and this one is FUN! There's a robot vampire!! (theoretically)

That Unwanted Animal Firstly, needed a Madeleine song. Secondly this one contains the rawest line I've ever heard. "If we join our hands in prayer enough, to God I imagine it all starts to sound like applause"

Farewell Wanderlust This is simply Thee Amazing Devil song. It's everything I love about them. It's smart it's funny it's sad it's horny they both sing half too and the way they play off of each other is so good in this song.

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gotham-ruaidh · 2 years

Text

Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Chapter 2 (Save Our Souls) || Chapter 3 (Dancing On Glass)|| Chapter 4 (Merry-Go-Round)|| Backstage (1) || Backstage (2) || Chapter 5 (Danger)|| Backstage (3) || Chapter 6A (Love Walked In) || Chapter 6B (Without You) || Backstage (4) || Chapter 7 (Stick To Your Guns) || Chapter 8 (Time For Change) || Backstage (5) || Chapter 9 (Take Me To The Top) || Backstage (6) || Chapter 10 (Home Sweet Home) || Backstage (7) || Chapter 11a (Nightrain) || Chapter 11b (Nothing Else Matters) Chapter 12a (Handle With Care) ||| Also posted at AO3

Chapter 12B: I’m So Tired of Being Lonely

I'm so tired of being lonely // I still have some love to give Won't you show me that you really care?

Soundtrack: “Handle With Care,” Traveling Wilburys, 1988 [click here to listen]

“Here – these were still on the table.”

Faith smiled gratefully, elbow-deep in water at the kitchen sink. “Thank you, Claire – but really, you don’t have to help out. You’re our guest.”

“Nonsense. It’s the least I can do.” She picked up a towel and started drying the dinner dishes. “Does Alec do most of the cooking?”

“He does. I did, for a long time. Especially when the kids were little. But he’s really gotten interested in it over the past few years. So now we split the cooking, more or less.”

“Does it help with his sobriety?”

“I remember something Dougal once told us. He said that an addict is always an addict. And once an addict gives up their intense focus on scoring drugs, they need to channel that focus into something else. Something more constructive.”

“I get that. Jamie has his music. That was so, so helpful for him when we were at The Ridge.”

“He told Alec last night that he’s got an album’s worth of material.”

Claire nodded. “He wants to tour in the spring. Acoustically. That’s how he wrote the songs – so that’s how he wants to perform them. Get the band together and show everyone a different side of Print.”

“And did he ask you to tour with him?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t sound too enthused about that.”

Claire shrugged, stacking the now-dry dishes on the counter. “He told me that he’s fine when he’s at home. It was on the road where he started to get fucked up.”

Faith nodded. “Alec was always into something or other. He was using, even when I met him. I didn’t think anything of it – all the musicians I saw were into one drug or another. But it didn’t start to get to be a problem until their first big tour in ’66.”

“Did you tour with him?”

“Whenever I could. Our kids were so little. I wanted our family to be together, but it was so hard to travel with them and sleep on buses and figure out what to do for childcare when the gig always started way past their bedtime.” Faith turned off the sink and watched the water slowly drain. “So I started staying home. And that’s when it got really, really bad.”

“How bad, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Faith sighed. “I remember it so clearly. I’d just dropped the kids off at school, and I heard the phone ringing when I came home. It was Tom – do you know Tom?”

“Tom Christie? Jamie told me he’s a fixer. Whatever that means.”

“Well. Back in the day, Tom was Uprising’s road manager. He told me he’d found Alec in his hotel room, ice cold, with a needle sticking out of his arm.”

“Oh my God,” Claire gasped.

“He was alive, but just barely. They were in New Orleans. I called my sister to pick up the kids from school, and Tom got me a plane ticket to come down that morning. I held Alec’s hand in the hospital for three days until he woke up. Thought I’d divorce him if he didn’t die. But then he woke up.” She closed her eyes. “I’ll never forget what he said. ‘I’m sorry. I fucked up. You can leave me, and I get it. But I swear on our children that I’m gonna get better for you, Faith.’”

Alec and Jamie’s laughter drifted into the kitchen from the living room across the house.

“He went cold turkey. It was the most awful three weeks of our lives. But he’s kept his promise.”

Faith opened her eyes and turned to Claire. “I don’t know you, honey, but I do know Jamie. He’ll never do that to you. He had to hit bottom in order to come up and find you.”

Claire licked her lips, stunned. “I – ”

“Trust me when I say that another one like him won’t come along. He wrote a whole album for you, Claire. You’re it. I know it probably scares the shit out of you – what would a guy like him see in a plain Jane woman like you? But believe me – you’re exactly what he needs.”

Claire’s heart thundered.

Jamie’s arms wrapped around her middle, drawing her against him for a kiss. “There you are. Come on – Alec says it’s time for dessert.”

Claire pivoted a bit to look up at Jamie. Gently cradled his jaw in one hand. Kissed the corner of his mouth.

Faith smiled at her over Jamie’s shoulder, Alec’s arm wound around her tightly.

“I think this used to be their daughter’s room.”

Jamie opened the closet door, keeping busy as Claire unzipped her overnight bag and took her toiletries into the ensuite bathroom.

“Have you ever met her?”

“Yes, a few months ago. Before The Ridge. My record company threw a party in LA and Alec brought her as his date. I was already half shitfaced but at least I remember being nice to her.”

He closed the closet door and stepped over to the other side of the bedroom, watching Claire wash her face.

“They are such a wonderful couple.”

“Yeah. Alec – he’s such a good sounding board. He got clean before it was even a thing. There were so few places like The Ridge back in the early 70s. Betty Ford, of course, but mostly for alcohol detox. Not a lot for the hard stuff. Faith and the kids have kept him on the straight and narrow. And he’s a much better man for it.” He paused. “I want what they have, Claire. Do you understand now?”

She set down her washcloth and turned to face him, leaning against the sink. Listening.

Jamie swallowed. “I want to share a home like this with you. A house that we can fix up, and call our own. I want you to have you own career, and for me to support you in what you do. And I want to have a houseful of kids. I want to share my life with you, in every way.”

She walked toward him, and hooked her thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans. “Are you proposing?”

“That’s what I want, Claire. But I need to know that it’s what you want, too.”

His eyes burned into hers. Outside, the wind whipped something against the window – tree limbs, or the branches of a rosebush.

“I can think of a thousand reasons why not. But none of them seem to matter.”

“We don’t have to rush it, Claire. You can come with me on tour this spring. We’ll just be playing clubs and theaters – no arenas. Not the full production – we’ll warm up to that. I want you to see me on the road. I want you to know what you’re getting into. But I want to share that with you, Claire.”

“Are you sure, Jamie? You sure you want to spend all that time with me? For all you know, I could be a horrible travel companion.”

He smiled. “Do you know what? I don’t think I care.”

She leaned up for a kiss.

“I’ll do it. The tour, I mean. And for the other stuff…”

He kissed her again. “We can talk about that more.”

She nodded. “I’m all in. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good. I need to show you something.”

He stepped back a bit, and began unbuttoning his shirt.

Her eyebrows raised. “I thought we said we’d keep it PG-rated until further notice.”

“We are. I just – you need to see this. If you have any questions about how I feel.”

Now unbuttoned to the waist, Jamie pulled back the left flap of the shirt.

There, directly over his heart, was Claire.

He hissed as her thumb explored the tattoo.

“Got it as soon as I landed in LA from North Carolina. Friend of mine, who did most of the work on my arms.”

She bit her lip. “I don’t know what to say.”

His heart hammered beneath her thumb.

“We still have so much to learn about each other, Jamie.”

He reached out to tilt her chin, eyes meeting hers.

“I hope to have the rest of my life to learn about you, Claire.”

She parted her lips, and he dove in for another kiss.

“Starting tomorrow,” she breathed.

He nodded. “I want that.”

“Me too. Speaking to Faith – I can see how it’s hard for her sometimes. But the good always outweighs the bad. And I want that, too. I want what she has with Alec. I want that with you.”

He kissed her again. Again. Again.

Finally she pulled away, and rested her forehead against his.

“Can you hold me as I fall asleep?”

“Are you comfortable with that?”

She nodded. “I want to wake up next to you. The other stuff…it can wait. But I don’t want to wait to feel so close to you.”

He granted her wish that night. The next night, too – after a fun-filled day with Alec and Faith. And the night after that, when they stayed up very late, talking about their future, holding each other close.

At their very small wedding six months later, Alec gave a particularly rousing sparking grape juice toast. And Faith took the candid photo of Jamie and Claire that sat proudly, framed, on Claire’s bedside table for many, many years.

#outlander #outlander fanfic #little bit better than i used to be #jamie and claire

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