#we've got so many tournaments

[rainingmbappe]

I find it really difficult to put the blame fully on players for having a rough patch. I know they're athletes, and it's quiet literally their job to show up when needed. But there's so much that goes into a good player and a good team, yk? Physical aspects are ofc there, but there are mental factors to account for too. I genuinely think that the number or games attribute a lot to that. Plus the bullying. When a player has been having a bad stretch of games, do you think the bullying and teasing is helping anyone? I know tumblr is still an exception to that. But yeah. All of it is just really not fair to the players, I think.

(Now ofc this doesn't apply to teams that have the best of the best and are obviously not making an effort.)

[woso-dreamzzz]

Leaving VI

Alexia Putellas x Teen!Reader

Summary: Your schedules don't match

You love Alexia.

You were only little when your father died. You didn't quite understand it.

Your father was a football fan, a big Barcelona supporter so all of his daughters got taken to games with him.

Alba was never that into sports, even just watching them.

Alexia was definitely sporty. You think she was what your father really wanted. She plays football and she adores it.

Your father was already sick by the time you were born. He was already struggling but he still took you to matches. It didn't click with you like it did with Alexia but he could still some athletic speck in you.

He took you to a tennis match instead. He'd never had much interest in tennis but he seemed to know what would appeal to you. You were tiny and Mama had been worried that you wouldn't be able to sit through a match.

But you did.

You sat through a whole match and fell in love then and there.

You were still little though and your father was still sick but he took you to as many lessons as he could.

He was a football fan but he could learn tennis for you.

He never could in the end, not when he died so suddenly.

But then Alexia took over. She didn't understand tennis and she still doesn't understand but she took you to every lesson and went to every match.

You just wish she understood the difference in your schedules.

She was getting ready for another round of Euro qualifiers even though Spain had already qualified. You were at Wimbledon, trading shots with Iga on the practice courts.

"Have you called your sister yet?" She asks, sitting down next to you as you guzzle down your water.

You roll your eyes. "In a minute."

"Do it now."

"What are you? One of my sisters?"

You're teasing her.

Iga is the world number one, by a lot of points. You sit just outside of the top ten. It's a little annoying, your own inconsistency. You can pull it out of the bag during big matches like Grand Slams but you suffer a bit in some of the less grand tournaments.

You're officially the youngest player this tour so you know you're getting babied by some of the other players, Iga especially.

You hadn't thought she had even known who you were until your coach told you she was the one who pushed him to take you on.

She thought you were on your way to being one of the greats.

She also thought you would make a great doubles partner one day.

It was different moving to Poland, away from your Mama and your sisters but Iga made it easy.

She was easy-going and you practically lived at her place so, yeah, you guess she took the more sisterly role in your life with Alexia and Alba at home in Spain.

"Go and call your sister," Iga laughs, spraying you with her bottle until you shriek and run off," And grab me a protein bar or something!"

You roll your eyes but head off, pulling out your phone to video call your sister.

It rings for barely a second.

"Hi Jenni," You say," Can you give Alexia back her phone? I need to talk to her."

"You don't want to talk to me, mini Putellas? I'm offended!"

"If I wanted to talk to you, I'd have called you!"

Jenni laughs before Alexia appears on screen, snatching the phone away from her ex.

"How are you?" Alexia asks, cramming her face onto the screen.

"I'm good!" You laugh," You look good too. Covered in sweat."

"You can talk," Alexia teases back," Have you just had a workout?"

"Practice pitch with Iga," You say," We've got matches coming up."

Alexia frowns. "What do you mean?"

"We've got matches in the next few days. It's Wimbledon, remember?"

Alexia shakes her head. "No. That was last year."

"It happens every year, Ale," You remind her," Me and Iga are competing and then it's a quick turnaround for the Olympics."

Alexia's frowning. "No, because I've got a match on the twelfth. You're flying out with Mama and Alba."

"The Wimbledon final is on the thirteenth. I need to stay."

"What?"

"Iga's out and I've got a real chance. I could really do it."

"But...What about my match?"

"What about mine?" You counter with a sigh," Ale, our schedules just don't match this time. I'm sorry."

"But..."

It's clear to the other girls in the room that Alexia's getting a bit distressed as her mouth opens and closes as she tries to formulate a response.

"But..."

"Listen, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Hey, wait-"

You put the phone down and Alexia just stares down at it, frozen as she looks at your profile picture.

"What's up with the long face?" Jenni pokes her in the cheek. "You're more frowny than usual."

"Nothing. I just...My sister can't come to the game."

"Well, duh, Alexia. She's got Wimbledon to win. She can't just fly out to us."

"I know but..." She blows out all her air. "Never mind. I'm just...I'm gonna go."

When you were little, Alexia tried to go to as many of your matches as she could manage. Sometimes she would come straight from her own games, still in full kit to catch your last ten minutes or so.

It was difficult but it worked.

You've gone professional now and branched out, travelling the world to take part in tournaments and games so you can work your way up and become the world number one.

She shouldn't be upset about you missing her match and her missing yours because that's just how sports work. So many went on at the same time that it was impossible to make every match but, still, a deep pit forms in Alexia's stomach as she thinks about missing your final.

Across the world, you prepare.

You practice on the courts with Iga and your coach. You eat well. You sleep well. You watch Alexia's match on the tv and wish you could be there but Alexia's no longer the only athlete in the family.

She had her career and you have yours.

Paolini is who you face in the final and she keeps you on your toes the entire time. She hits hard and fast and you go one set down immediately.

You pull it back though, managing to equalise the next set and then it's all to play for.

You take a few gasping breaths as you guzzle down your water, leaning back in your seat.

You look up at your box, where your family is watching.

Mama is there, of course, and so is Alba. Alba looks incredibly bored. You know she only comes to the tennis because of you and you're glad she's trying to be supportive but she truly looks like she's about to fall asleep in her seat.

Mama looks much more engaged. She'd told you once that she preferred the pace of tennis to football. There was less risk of injuries in tennis, no one around to slide tackle you or crash into you.

The most harm your opponent could do was smash a ball into your face and that rarely happened. Sure, you could slip and fall but it's not like footballers didn't do that too.

Out of the two sports her daughters played, Mama always found herself calmer at the tennis.

Mama waves at you and nudges Alba in the ribs so she can look up from her phone to wave too.

Your brows draw together in confusion.

There's an empty seat between them and you can't understand why.

So, you just kind of stare as you puzzle out who could be sitting there.

It's not until she comes back, with two beers and a hotdog that you realise who is filling that seat.

She looks exhausted. You can tell even through those stupid big sunglasses and the even stupider hat she's wearing.

She must have gone straight from her match to the airport to get here in time and crashed in Mama and Alba's room to keep it all a secret.

So, Alexia sits in her seat and you grab your racket.

You've got a set to win.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Cyd Charisse (The Bandwagon, Brigadoon, Singin’ in the Rain)—LEGS LEGS LEGS I would sell my soul for the legs of Cyd Charisse - she oozed style and glamour and sex appeal!! And she could DANCE! She was dancing next to the greats - Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire but they are never who you're looking at because why would you when you can look at her. I will only sit through too long ballet breaks for her. If there was any woman who you could call sex on legs it was her. These dances are everything to meeee (she comes in at the minute mark) and this dance too of course is iconic. In the words of Fred Astaire 'When you've danced with Cyd Charisse you stay danced with'

Rosaura Revueltas (Salt of the Earth)—She was a Mexican actress who is best known for starring in salt of the earth, an amazing pro-labor movie made by blacklisted filmmakers. She also starred in the Mexican remake of madchen in uniform, one of the first representations of lesbian romance onscreen. She was really dedicated to making progressive films and was also such an incredible actress and artist I truly believe more people should know about her and her work.

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Cyd Charisse:

Arguably the Best female dancer of her time, she supposedly insured her legs for $5 million dollars. Stole the show whenever she had a dance number, even if she went uncredited. Musicals started to go out of fashion so unfortunately she didn't have as many big roles as she should have, but those she did are unforgettable. The Broadway Melody number in Singin' in the Rain - the green dress!

Incredibly, Cyd Charisse only started learning to dance as a rehab exercise to strengthen her body after a childhood bout of polio. She was in high demand as a dance partner, Fred Astaire called her beautiful dynamite and said "When you've danced with her, you stayed danced with". She was one of a few leading ladies to dance with both Astaire and Kelly, declaring them both delicious. Kelly apparently was stronger, while Astaire was more coordinated. She also said her husband would always know who she had been dancing with because Kelly left her bruised, while Astaire didn't leave a mark. She's better known for her dance numbers today, but she was a leading lady in her time! Her Scottish accent in Brigadoon leaves a lot to be desired, but compared to the other actors in the movie, it's almost good. She appeared in The Harvey Girls alongside Judy Garland and Angela Lansbury in her first speaking role, but she really burst onto the scene with Singin' in the Rain and her infamous Broadway Melody Ballet number with Gene Kelly (no one could handle a length of fabric like Cyd Charisse). She was brought in because Debbie Reynolds wasn't really a dancer and Kelly was notoriously a stickler about his Vision. After that she starred opposite Astaire in The Band Wagon, which was a bit of a flop but created some enduringly incredible dance numbers. She went on to star in a number of MGM movies, and was one of the last of the Studio era stars to remain on contract. Since we've got up to 1970, I'm including her opening routine in The Silencers (1966) to show just how long she was making a splash - she's into her 40s here and still a siren:

and of course, the iconic Broadway Melody Ballet -

Photos do not do Cyd Charisse justice, unfortunately, because she is at her hottest while dancing, which she was exquisitely good at. Just go watch her first number in Singin' in the Rain, in that green dress; nothing I could say here will be more convincing that that.

She had amazing legs, and she knew how to use them! You probably know her best from the dream sequence in Singin' In The Rain. She was such a stunning dancer, and all her dance scenes are hard to look away from.

Dancing in the Dark clip:

She's an amazing dancer and my favorite from the period. Here's her and Fred Astaire in the Band Wagon:

I just like a woman who's there to be really incredibly good at dancing.

One of the most talented female dancers in Hollywood history, but what sets her apart from other competitors for that title is that she...umm...well let's be blunt, she was the dancer who put sex into it. The one who said "Hey, you know that A+ leg tone that naturally develops from doing this for a living? Why don't I let people see that? Like at every opportunity?" She reportedly insured her legs for five million dollars after hitting it big, which just goes to show that fame makes you crazy. It should have been ten million.

She could pirouette in pointes or tear it up in taps. Fred Astaire called her "beautiful dynamite" and wrote, "That Cyd! When you've danced with her you stay danced with." Gene Kelly partnered with her three times. Her legs were (reportedly) insured for $5 million in 1952 ($57.8 million in 2024 dollars)! Everyone in this poll will be iconic, but for raw physical grace, Cyd is up there with the best.

Legs for days, beautiful dancer in the most iconic scenes of Singin in the Rain. She's glorious. As some guys sung to her in It's Always fair weather, 'baby you knock me out!'

No additional propaganda was submitted for Rosaura Revueltas. Please send me some.

[hugheses]

ellen weinberg

a lot of people online like to praise her because they love her kids, but before she was mama hughes, ellen weinberg was an even more accomplished athlete than her wikipedia page can tell you. well i have way too much time on my hands and an affinity for googling things, so here is a not-so-little primer on the matriarch of hockey who has contributed far more than just her superstar children.

(basically anything not sourced is from the cammi & aj podcast i have a transcript of)

born in st. louis, she was told she couldn't play hockey because girls couldn't play on boys teams in the state of missouri, and there were no girls teams. went to bob johnson's hockey camp in aspen at age 7. moved to dallas at age 8, where she was allowed to play on the boys team. at age 12, is featured in a news clip "girl hockey player" where she says she wants to one day play professional hockey.

at 15, wins nationals with her U-19 soccer team, the dallas sting, and they are sent to represent the US in the first ever FIFA-sanctioned world women’s tournament in china and proceeded to win gold against all expectations becoming the first US team to win any international soccer competition, male or female. also on this team was her best friend, future woso legend carla werden (overbeck). 1, 2

other noteworthy teammates: she played with mia hamm on her state team and was roommates with brandi chastain at her first youth national team camp for soccer.

she was recruited to lots of top schools for soccer, but chose the university of new hampshire because it was also offering hockey. she describes this as "the lack of landscape really drove my next move" because there was only 31 D1 women's soccer programs in the country at the time, and none in the state of texas.

she reached out to the women's hockey coach at unh, russ mccurdy, and told him she was being recruited for soccer but was really coming to unh because she wanted to play hockey, and he told her that it was unlikely she would make the team. so bob johnson called and asked him to give her a shot, and he said ok. he allowed her to have a one week tryout once soccer season was over, and after the first day, he asked, "what size skates do you wear?" and that was it, she was on the team.

the women's soccer coach, marge anderson, was also a lacrosse player, and encouraged ellen to join the lacrosse team that needed more players. so she did. in her own words:

"I wasn't very good. I could run, but my stick skills- and I learned and I did everything, and it was great, and we went to the Final Four, but I was out at that point. So everybody always says I played three sports like, I was on the team. I was, you know, three sports at that level. I was done at that point and I stuck with soccer and hockey after my first year. But it was a really cool experience."

she may have not been very good but she did go on to coach her own kids teams in lacrosse (and potentially owen power, who is confirmed to have played lacrosse with them but it is not confirmed that it was when she coached them)

(she was #21)

she was an elite skater and creative player, and "would often find herself in trouble in Durham for rushing the puck from her defensive post or trying things like a spin-o-rama".

she helped UNH win 3 hockey championships in 4 years, made the all-new england team (soccer) as a freshman, was named an unh athlete of the year finalist after an injury that kept her out for an entire school year, was named to the ECAC all star team, was an ISAA senior recognition award winner, was soccer co-captain in 1990, and then captain of both the soccer and hockey teams as a senior X

in april 1991, she participated in the Eastern Regional Tryouts of the US National Women's Hockey Team

"We've got it pretty good, playing defense," says senior Ellen Weinberg to fellow defenseman Weston. "There aren't as many of us to choose from. But then, when you look at who's there, they're all good!"

she then went on to pursue a graduate degree at UNH where she was an assistant coach for both soccer and hockey for two years, all the while contributing to historical hockey research to the point that she is named in the acknowledgements of Hockey: A Global History by Hardy & Holman

“It was my way of staying involved because I had nowhere to play. Then I participated in the 1992 World Championship, finished my master's degree. Then I really had nowhere to play." (google translated)

The New Hampshire Vol. 83 No. 18 (Nov. 6 1992)

then in 1992, she played for the women's national team in both soccer and hockey.

the soccer team didn't play in any big tournaments that year, but for hockey she went to women's worlds in tampere, finland, where she was an alternate captain. the US won silver, with ellen scoring 3 or 4 assists in 5 games (depending on which source you believe) and ellen was named to the all-star team by the media as the top player in her position.

also in 1992, she was a power skating coach at the summerland female hockey academy, teaching future star hayley wickenheiser.

there was hope that women's hockey would be a part of the 1994 olympics, but when that didn't happen, ellen went to norway anyways to grow the game.

“They were hoping women’s hockey was going to be sanctioned in the ‘94 Olympics and it wasn’t, so the Norwegian ice hockey federation had all this extra funding so they asked USA Hockey for an ambassador to go over and help grow the women’s game,” she said. “We had played in the ’92 World Championships and I was one of the older people and they offered me that opportunity to go over and work with the Norwegian ice hockey federation and what I did was I lived in Oslo. “And I went around to all the little towns and taught the girls how to play. It was awesome. Since Norway was such a small country with four million people at the time, they needed all the buses during the Olympics so everyone went on holiday, so my job stopped for three weeks.” X

ELLEN WEINBERG of Boston and the University of New Hampshire was interested in Coach TIM TAYLOR's tactics at practice. The 25-year-old Weinberg, one of America's best female players, is advising Norway's women's teams. Women's hockey becomes an Olympic sport in 1998. "They complain in Norway that I coach too long on the ice," she said. "They should see this guy, always instructing." X

she was invited to camp in lake placid for the 1994 women’s worlds (which took place every two years then), but suffered a serious knee injury that she believes is because they didn’t have proper support/training facilities

“We didn’t have a gym at the time. It was so different. We just played relying on our athletic instincts. If I got injured, it’s probably because I didn’t have the ideal support,” (google translated) X 

by 1996 she was playing for the itech blaiders roller hockey team in NJ (and her then-boyfriend, jim, was coaching the new jersey rockin’ rollers) while also working in broadcasting

she had been considered a lock for the nagano olympics, despite being “old” but that “blown-out knee effectively ended her competitive career” :( 

she ended up in nagano anyways as a reporter for cbs, one of her first big gigs in her media career, which i can do a part 2 on if there's interest.

and currently she’s on the USA hockey foundation board and is a player development consultant for the women’s national team

[wileys-russo]

a practically perfect pair II l.wubben-moy x reader

tooth rotting fluff because you simply can’t convince me otherwise that lotte doesn’t give off the most wholesome, sweet and loving girlfriend energy

a practically perfect pair II l.wubben-moy x reader

3.9K words

you first met lotte when you were just fifteen.

you had both been selected for the under 17's lionesses junior euros, it was your first ever junior national call up and having been one of the only girls who hadn't played with the team before, you found yourself on the outs with the group.

it wasn't to say they purposefully left you out by any means, everyone was friendly and you felt welcomed. but not having been present for other camps or tournaments, there was inside jokes and stories shared which you just couldn't relate to, which lead to you feeling isolated from most of your team mates.

you'd always been more on the quiet introverted side and with so many large bubbly personalities in the team it was easy for you to blend into the background, something you didn't mind by any means feeling quite a sense of security from not being the centre of anyone's focus.

it did however mean you weren't starting for the first match of the tournament, and found yourself sat on the bench with a substitutes bib over your jersey which was easily two sizes too big for you.

you cheered and clapped and encouraged your team mates who were on the pitch, and kept your head down and listened intently during the half time speech, taking note of anything and everything on the rare chance you might be subbed on.

you weren't, but the girls came away with a win and you couldn't have been happier for them, exchanging hugs and congratulating them sincerely.

it was on the bus ride home that you had your first real interaction with lotte, you were sat up toward the front, the louder and more boisterous of your team mates always occupied the back and as we've established, you quite liked to blend in and avoid any unnecessary attention.

which was why you jumped out of your skin in shock as a body dropped down into the empty seat beside you, despite there being dozens of unpopulated rows.

"oh gosh im sorry! i promise i didn't mean to startle you." a toothy smile and messy mop of brown hair stared back at you guiltily as you softly assured her it was fine and you were just by nature quite a jumpy person.

"i don't think we've really had the chance to talk much, do you mind if i sit here?" the girl had asked a little quieter as you shook your head and her smile widened, dumping her backpack at her feet and buckling in as the engine roared to life.

you heard a few of the other girls calling out for her to come and sit with them but she waved them off as she pulled her hair back into a bun, assuring you before you could even open your mouth that she wanted to sit with you.

"hey you've got a little something..." the brunette started, pointing down to the collar of your jersey as you frowned and looked down, only for her finger to swipe up and knock at your nose as she grinned at you cheekily for the joke.

"i know we technically already know one another's names, but im lotte." the girl beamed, holding out her hand as you grinned and shook her outstretched palm, shoving her hand away as she poked at your nose and teased you for how easily you'd fallen for her previous joke.

"so i will admit i am an absolute sucker for a mystery, and right now you have to be the biggest one here. mind helping me solve it sherlock?" lotte requested playfully, leaning back on her headrest and looking at you expectantly.

"why most certainly watson." you quipped back with a shy smile and a giggle, lottes own smile widening at your answer, admittedly a little worried that she might have overwhelmed you with how suddenly and strongly she was coming on. 

the brunettes eyes twinkled with genuine curiosity toward the girl in front of her, who she had admittedly been staring after ever since she'd  joined the team. but seeing how reserved you were she didn't want to scare you off, though now spurred on by her friends and team mates who were also wanting to get to know you better without freaking you out if they came at you as a pack, here she was.

and from that first playful round of twenty questions on the bus back to the hotel the two of you quickly cemented into a close duo, one rarely seen without the other by their side or trailing far behind.

your blossoming friendship with lotte and the effortless charm and charisma that oozed from the older girl meant your own confidence grew in leaps and bounds, and though it took a little more time than with lotte you grew close with a small handful of the girls from that first national camp, in a group you all fondly nicknamed the good peeps.

the first real hurdle in your tight knit bond came a few years later when lotte made the decision to move to an american college. it was the best move to further her football career in a program that you had no doubt would help her absolutely thrive.

as much as both her, lois and alessia had begged you and some of the others in the group to make that same call, you weren't as brave as them and just couldn't commit from being so far away from your home and your family and your support system for so long.

the first few months of her being gone were fine, both of you one another's go to for absolutely anything and everything, especially the swapping of stories or news about your days and lives, you both scheduled in face times and phone calls and you were even in talks of booking a trip to go and visit her during your off season, having chosen yourself to commence training at the arsenal academy.

but as time passed lotte became more settled in her new life, the face times and calls turning into occasional texts, and you began to work harder to catch the eyes of the scouts for the senior clubs, desperate to earn yourself a proper professional contract, and both of your abilities to respond to the texts within a time zone that suited one another and encouraged and fostered an actual meaningful conversation lessened.

and at neither of your own faults, gradually the contact between the two of you dropped off entirely, the only communications a thoughtful but generic message for a holiday or a birthday, and before either of you could blink three years had passed and you'd finally signed your first professional contract with the arsenal women's senior team, and lotte was nearing the commencement of her final year of college.

unbeknownst to both of you the other would occasionally pop into dreams or thoughts, and lottes fingers would hover over your contact, wondering how you were doing and longing to hear the sound of your melodious laugh, but then someone would interrupt and require her attention and her phone would be hastily slid back into her pocket, the thought lost as she busied herself with study, football or social commitments.

you also occasionally found yourself scrolling through lottes social media, smiling proudly at her accomplishments and wondering what life would have been like if you'd followed along beside them, and your finger would hover over the direct message icon, but then you'd glance at the time and realise if you didn't leave now you'd be late for training or the bus to the match and the thought would be lost, promptly filed right into the back of your mind. 

everything changed again the day that you found out lotte had been offered a professional contact with arsenal, and was due to start pre season training with the team in just a few days now her signing had been officially announced.

you had of course seen both lotte and alessia's  decision to leave UNC early and return to england due to the ever increasing lockdown restrictions, and you'd commented a few sympathetic red hearts on both posts but hadn't interacted much more than that.

so you found your stomach tied up with knots as you sat lacing up your boots for the first training session of the pre-season, unsure if you were excited or dreading seeing the girl who you'd once considered basically an extra limb given how tightly you were attached to one another at all times.

you heard her voice before you saw her, the girl embracing a few of the older girls who she knew through the national teams, her confident laugh echoing across the locker room as the head trainer blew his whistle and everyone hurried out to the pitch.

of course that meant that the two of you were now left alone, stood up and staring one another down from across the room.

she'd gotten taller since you last saw her, always having had a few inches over you but now she'd evidently grown effortlessly into the long limbs you used to tease her for tripping over like a clumsy baby deer.

the baby fat from her face had also gone, her jawline now sharp and clearly defined. but her eyes, her eyes still remained the same twinkling cheeky orbs you grew up with, and as the corners of her mouth tugged up into a soft smile, you realised that was yet another feature which remain unchanged.

lottes own mind was also in overdrive taking you in in person for the first time in almost a few years. you'd also had a little growth spurt and had grown into your ears, ears which lotte had often tugged on and teased you for as they'd stuck out from your hair. your dimples remained the same in both corners of your mouth, your button nose scrunching up slightly as you returned her smile, as did the galaxy of freckles which dotted along the curvature of your nose, though your hair was a lot lighter and your skin a bit more tanned than she remembered. 

but overall, you were both still just you.

the gap rapidly closed between you you'd embraced one another in a tight hug, exhaling deeply at the familiar warmth which filled both your stomachs at one another's touch. whispering soft i missed you's and the murmurings of gentle apologies for the distance which had fallen between the both of you.

however wordlessly you both knew you felt the same, that despite that distance which had grown, in the current moment where you stood wrapped up in one another's tight embrace, it felt just like old times, and as if nothing had ever really changed.

it took half a year of lingering hugs that lead to butterflies in stomachs, hearts racing from the seemingly harmless but intimate tracings of one another's skin as you lay together in hotel beds on away matches chatting about nothing and everything, before you and lotte both realised that maybe something had changed between the two of you during your time apart.

which was that you had both accidentally but hopelessly fallen head over heels for one another, though neither of you had quite realised this yet yourselves despite almost everyone around you catching on immediately.

it was the longing glances that you both hoped the other would never notice, the way you would both curl up together on the bus home from matches, tired and aching limbs intertwined as you took turns listening to playlists you'd both curated for one another, chatting away amicably about whatever tv show you were both hooked on.

eventually, not to say it was without a loving but firm push from your friends and team mates, these growing feelings of affection for one another were finally confessed aloud in the comfort and privacy of your shared east london flat. this was then followed shortly by an incredibly forced and awkward first date, the two of you deciding right in that moment that you knew one another far too well to need to put yourselves through that agonising first stage of dating.

and from then on the rest seemed to blur into a slideshow of your shared life and memories together, one you both made sure stayed as private as you wanted without the pressure of it being entirely hidden.

it was how you found yourself hand in hand with the taller brunette, the two of you wandering slowly down the beach in the sunshine coast of australia, toes shoved into the soft sand of the foreign country.

both of you selected for your national teams World Cup squad you as a couple were overcome with joy and pride that it was an adventure you would get to experience right by one another's side.

"g! delete those, give the poor girls their privacy they've clearly gone off by themselves for a reason." keira shoved at her best friends shoulder as georgia snapped a series of photos of the two of you without your knowledge.

"what! its not like I'm gonna post them anywhere im just capturing the moment keira, ill send them the pictures and they can do as they please with them." the blonde rolled her eyes and placed the camera back around her neck, turning to watch the glorious sunset which was evolving before their very eyes, sending the sky a dizzying array of coral pinks and bright pops of daisy yellow and burnt orange.

"are we discussing mrs and mrs wubben-moy's impending wedding then!" ella appeared with a joking grin, dropping down on the soft sand in front of the pair, alessia not far behind as keira chuckled at her words.

you both of course were not engaged however it was a running joke within the team that it was an unnecessary step due to the fact you both behaved practically like an old married couple. 

"ive never met two people so practically perfect for one another, it's both really really lovely and really really disgusting." lucy piped up from the other side of georgia as the rest of the girls hummed in agreement, exchanging soft smiles as unbeknownst to you and your girlfriend they watched on fondly.

"hey!" lotte shouted with a gasp as you broke away from her, dropping her hand and playfully kicking water toward the older girl, dousing her legs and shorts with tiny droplets. "oh I'm so sorry love I tripped!" you gasped with an innocent smile, rapidly stepping backwards away from her as she advanced toward you with an amused shake of her head.

"lots no it was one small splash, please!" you begged as she quickly caught you, long arms wrapping around your waist and lifting you off your feet as you kicked and tried to pull away from her, the defender repeatedly threatening to drop you as she slowly waded deeper and deeper into the calm patch of sea.

"you do that and you'll be single before the kick off of this tournament wubben-moy!" you warned seriously as she faked dropping you, tightening her hold and jogging back into the shallower water, placing you back down on your feet on the sand with a cheeky grin as you smacked at her chest. 

"not the last name!" the brunette feigned a grimace of pain as she clutched at her heart and you rolled your eyes at her dramatic antics, a smile unable to be stopped gradually spreading across your face. "honestly babe you could quit football for acting." you clapped sarcastically as the two of you turned around and began the slow walk back toward the rest of your friends.

"now that's much better." lotte smiled, hands placing themselves on your cheeks and dipping her head to press her lips to your own, the sweet moment broken up by wolf whistles and jeers echoing across the beach from your friends. 

ella and alessia making kissy faces at the both of you your cheeks flushed pink and you buried your face in your girlfriends neck, feeling her body vibrating with quiet laughter at the teasing, her hand comfortingly rubbing at your back as you both embraced one another tenderly for a moment before breaking apart and returning to the group, all of you heading back toward the hotel for dinner.

you were laid down on the bed of your hotel room not quite asleep but eyes closed and belly full from a delicious feed, spirits high from an evening filled with the buzzing excitement radiating off your friends and team mates to finally be here in australia.

after dinner both you and lotte had spent some time bonding with the team before quietly slipping out of the games room, alessia and ellie having to sit on top of ella to stop her racing after you as soon as she noticed your absence, the stubbornly hotheaded midfielder wanting to demand a rematch of table tennis after you'd beaten her several times throughout the night.

the two of you the same age she was also one of the girls you'd grown up closest to, especially after the others had departed for america and she too had chosen to stay behind

though things between the two of you were quiet, silence had never been something uncomfortable for either of you. even just as friends in your youth you forever felt safe, loved and heard when around lotte as she did around you. and though of course over the years you had the occasional squabble over something, you prided yourselves on being able to communicate diplomatically and honestly to solve the root of whatever problem had surfaced.

"hello." you mumbled out tiredly feeling the bed dip beside you as lotte laid down, sketchbook left open on the other bed as she just took a second to take you in, eyes scanning your sleepy features adoringly before she pressed a lingering kiss to your forehead, you humming appreciatively at the sweet gesture.

you felt the older girl sit back up, your body tensing a little at the temperature shift as she gently lifted up the back of your top, a single finger tracing gently down the line of your spine. 

"my love may i please draw on your back?"

the request nothing new to you you simply made a noise of agreement, pushing your body up a little so lotte could properly tug your top so it sat hunched around your neck and you slumped back into the mattress, moving your arms to tuck securely under your head.

you felt lotte leave and heard her rummaging through her luggage for the correct supplies, eyes fluttering closed again as you exhaled deeply, nose twitching a few times as you did.

you heard the bed squeak slightly as lotte hopped back onto it, murmuring a quiet apology as she shuffled up the mattress toward your practically topless form and carefully settled her knees to rest either side of your hips.

"you can sit down baby it's fine." you breathed out, feeling how she was purposefully kneeling her body to hover just above yours, a hum returned in response before her weight actually settled down properly across the back of your thighs.

you tensed a little as you felt the first foreign touch of the marker on the exposed skin of your back, a gentle kiss placed behind your ear in apology as over time your body adjusted and the tension disappeared from your shoulders.

lotte humming something quietly to herself as she drew, the sound somehow only made you more tired, and before you knew it you'd peacefully dozed off. the older girl on top of you smiled at the action, heart melting at the relaxed expression on your face and the way your eyebrows would knit together every now and then, a silent way to confirm you were off deep in a dream somewhere, one which she hoped was nothing but pleasant for you.

around an hour and a half later she'd finished, shuffling herself back a little and laying down on top of you, murmuring sweet nothings in your ear and pressing feather light kisses to the back of your neck. you felt warm hands gently caressing your sides as you awoke, blinking slowly to zone back in and stretching a little underneath her, your girlfriend uttering a teasing good morning into your ear as you turned your head and mumbled that you'd like her to kiss you properly now.

with a soft smile and a chuckle lotte manoeuvred her body off of yours, hands grabbing at your hips protectively to steady you as you sat up and stretched again almost falling off of the bed as you did so, your top coming back down to cover your previously exposed torso as you did.

"what time is it?" you asked rubbing at your eyes and shuffling closer to the taller girl, pressing your face into her shoulder as arms wrapped tightly around you, her hand once again coming to rub comfortingly at your back as she muttered an answer into your hair.

"can I see?" you pulled away from her and gestured to your back, much more awake now as lottes eyes lit up and she nodded, quick to slide off the bed and offer you a hand up. fingers interlocking the taller girl practically dragged you into the bathroom, standing you in front of the mirror and tapping gently at your ribs, signalling for you to take your top off.

"oh wow..." you trailed off wordlessly as you twisted around and gazed down with wide eyes at the intricate pattern adorning your tanned skin. "it's beautiful, you're so incredibly talented it never ceases to amaze me, you never cease to amaze me." you spoke softly, eyes locked through the mirror with the taller girl stood behind you whose cheeks blushed a little with colour at the sincere compliment.

"you're so beautiful, my beautiful girl." lotte murmured in response, hugging you tightly from behind and burying her face in your neck, eliciting a small chime of laughter from you as a few loose strands of her hair tickled at your nose.

"don't tell me you've gone shy." you teased gently, the older girl pulling her head out of your neck and glaring at you playfully, craning her head around to steal a few sweet kisses before you turned in her hold, the two of you wrapping one another up in yet another tight hug, bound so close together each could feel the others heartbeat.

and though the comments from your friend were meant teasingly, lucy had been right.

together the two of you really were a practically perfect pair.

[yeeterthek33per]

You'll Bounce Back (Caitlin Foord x Steph Catley x Reader)

*In the spirit of the world cup and because I felt like it, this immediately came to mind*

Slight adulty warning*

Despite your best efforts, watching your team crumple against Nigeria wasn't the easiest thing to do. Considering you were currently on the sidelines watching on as Caitlin so desperately tried to push for every last chance to score, you knew she wouldn't take it well. She played her best out there, and all you could do in the moment the final whistle blew, when the celebrations of the Nigerians started, was resist the urge to hang your head in disappointment.

You knew the moment you went down during the Ireland v Australia game, that this was it for your journey through the group stages, the trainers having informed you that you would need a minimum of 2 weeks or more to recover.

So, sitting on that bench beside your best friend, who no doubt was taking it just as hard (being one of the many faces of this tournament), and despite not being on the field, you stood tall and walked (hobbled) out onto the pitch, to pick up each and every one of those girls.

Steph, you knew, like Caitlin, would take it hard, but she tends to bottle the loss more, and being impromptu captain only pushed it further into the bottleneck.

So when you spotted her standing, hands on hips, head tilted downwards, you knew she needed to let it out. Both of your girls looked defeated, and you felt helpless, knowing that if you hadn't gone for that tackle, you might've been on that pitch tonight. You should've been able to make a difference.

You should've been out there.

The thought has been burned into the back of your brain since the start of warm-ups. And yet, you push it back and begin to walk to Katrina, who was making her rounds. The older woman having become something of a mentor to you and the younger girls. She hugs you, only for a second as you pat her on the back, "You did great Min', I'm so proud of you."

Mini nods at you, despite not quite being able to meet your gaze, feeling she herself had failed you. You place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "C'mon, we've still got a chance at this. You've got this. Play it for Harps." You give her a goofy smile to pair with your words, and you see her give a little, her own lips tugging upwards. "Thanks, Rocket."

You chuckle and proceed to go around the pitch as everyone slowly returns to the change rooms, though keeping an eye on your defender and striker, watching as they interact with some family and a couple of the fans.

Steph and Caitlin eventually make their way into the corridor and down the stairs, finding you waiting for them, leant against the wall, your crutches beside you.

They both hug you, although it's brief and there's no words exchanged and you know they won't be talking for at least a couple hours, they know they did what they could, played their best game, or at least best as they could given the current team status.

It just wouldn't settle that way in their own minds.

Caitlin leans into you for a moment, pausing to allow just a moment of your warmth to envelope her and pulls away to go shower. Steph keeps hers briefer, leaving a peck to your temple as she pulls away to do the same, and you sigh softly.

You follow, and Sam's already began her post game speech, knowing all of the girls would need that leadership and guidance to begin to help them pick themselves back up.

"C'mon girls, you've done so much today. You all pushed yourselves so hard, and you all made me proud tonight, we've got one more go, Canada doesn't know what's gonna hit them, we're gonna come back, hard and strong, like we always do. You've all played your hearts out, and I'm so grateful to call you guys my mates and my family."

Sam claps her hands and gestures to the door, "Now let's get showered and get out of here, get recovered and rested, and get ready to push harder than we've ever pushed, because I will need every single one of you here, we all will."

"Yeah, Sammy!" A couple cheers come from within the group of Australians, one from Mackenzie in the back, another from yourself standing next to the door to the changeroom.

Your teammates and yourself load up onto the bus and begin the journey back to the motel. Caitlin and Steph have sat themselves in a seat towards the back, Caitlin leaning into the defender, head on her shoulder, as she contemplates her night, a frown deepset on her face.

You find yourself watching over them as you joke with some of the younger girls, despite the dead silence that would normally come with a loss, they're up and energetic, even after a long 90 minutes. Even going so far as to let out a "C'mon hops, get off the bus, everyone wants to be in bed soon!" Coming from who you found out to be Charlotte, and vowed to give her the biggest noogie of her life when you got off the crutches.

You crutch slowly up into the elevator and make your way into your room, which you shared with Katrina, the woman already having put Harper to bed now that she was staying in the team hotel.

You let out an exhausted sigh and plop onto the matress with a small thud, rubbing at your face. You hear footsteps pad over to your side of the room and sit next to you on the bed, a warm hand rubbing gently at your back.

"Thanks Min'."

Mini hums in response,

"You wanna know something Rocky'?"

You peak out up at her and give a small nod, rubbing harshly at the threatening to spill tears.

"I'm so glad you came out there today, I really needed that, I think all of the girls did. You've given them something to think about, and no doubt Sammy has as well."

You nod softly, tilting your head back to fight off crying. She pulls you into her immediately, her holding you tight as she rubs your back.

"There's nothing you could've done, darl', all you should've been doing is resting, and you're doing that."

You shake your head slightly, "I should've been out there out there with them, Mins', I should've never made that damn slide. At least then I would be out there."

"Hey Rocky', shit happens, you do what you gotta do, you throw yourself into the game, you give it your all, sometimes that means we get knocked around a little, that doesn't mean you failed us. It means you gave it your all and helped us secure a win."

Honestly, she was right, but getting that niggling feeling in the back of your head to go away was a momumental task in itself, so despite your best efforts, you only nod and pull away.

Katrina gives you a look, like she knows you don't quite believe her, but she let's it go for now. She instead nudges you and urges you to go see Caitlin and Steph, citing that they probably need to see their girl after a night like that. You perk up a little, your lips tugging up at the sides as you stand and hop over to your crutches to exit your shared and go and find Caitlin and Steph in their room.

Rapping on the door quietly, knowing the others have probably knocked out by now, you wait until you hear quiet pads on the other side.

It's Steph who opens the door, being the late sleeper of the two.

"Hey puddin'." It comes out as a soft sigh, if anything, exhaustion clear on her face, but knowing her, she was probably struggling for sleep anyways.

You shuffle into the room and pull her down into you, arms wrapped tight around her neck as she buries her face into yours.

"Hi gorgeous. I'm so proud of you for tonight. You both played so well." Steph squeezes you a little tighter at that, and you shift your arms so your hands settle on her shoulder blades to rub at her back gently as you look up at her.

You can tell she's trying to meet your eye, but it's not quite working. You knew she'd struggle to be able to let today go.

"Look at me." Your hand on her jawline tilts her head towards you, "You did everything you could, baby. You fought so hard today. You gave everything you could."

"And it still wasn't enough." Steph's head is turned to the side as she fights her own tears. "There were so many challenges that I missed that I would've gotten any other day of the week. I missed so many tack-."

You interrupt her, "Hey now, you know damn well that you couldn’t have stopped that, sometimes you don't meet tackles where you need to and that's not on you, sometimes, stuff happens, and you aren't quick enough to meet it there."

There's a soft grumble behind the two of you, the striker stirring slightly as you both turn to watch her. Steph's expression softens slightly.

"I mean, even Cait missed some stuff, doesn't mean she could do anything else about it."

She lets out a light huff, sniffles lightly as she turns back to look at you finally. Your thumb caresses her cheek and you give her soft cheeky smile. She looks down but her cheeks crease as she grins all the same, knowing she couldn’t deny you a smile if she tried. The look in her eyes has you swooning, and she leans down to take your lips with hers.

You hum softly, hand coming up to grip her neck and keep her pressed against you. Her hands find their way to your hips, gripping them and pulling you as close as possible.

You gasp into the brunette when she reaches to pull you up into her arms by the thighs, your legs wrapping around her waist, careful not to jostle your ankle too much. Steph's hand comes to settle under your shirt, her hips pressing up into yours, holding you in place.

The way she kisses away from your lips and down to your collarbone has you whining, although her hand is quick to silence you, not wanting to wake your other girlfriend who most definitely needs to sleep. She nips at the skin, grinning as you shudder softly. Her lips are hot on your collarbone, your skin radiating its own heat, and your insides buzz when she reaches to push your shirt over your head.

A whimper coming from Caitlin as she stirs makes you both pause, and you have to hold in a laugh when Steph groans and her head drops to your shoulder. You run your hands through her hair, which is let down for the night, and rub at her shoulder before she gently sets you down. You kiss her softly, getting ready to slip back out of the room.

"I'll let you sleep, sweetheart."

Steph is quick to protest, though, grabbing your hand to pull you back towards the bed. You giggle as clings to you the moment you're both settled.

Another body lands on the bed behind you and startles you slightly. Caitlin, now having fully woken to the noise, wraps herself around you sulkily. "Hey puddin'."

It comes out as more of a grunt than anything, the words pressed into the back of your neck as she leaves soft kisses on the skin there. "Hi bubs, sorry we woke you, go back to sleep." Your hand grips hers softly. She grumbles slightly, "You should've woken me sooner."

You chuckle and shift in their arms to face the striker, kissing her as soon as she's in reach. She sighs softly into your mouth, fingers tangling with Steph's as their hands rest against your side. Caitlin pulls away, and she curls her leg over yours to rest on stephs ankle, gently rubbing it.

You loved seeing them so affectionate with each other. They were best friends before they approached you when you got together, but they'd never been touchy. So seeing them that way now meant more than anything, knowing they were just as in love with each other as they were with you. It only made you smile more.

"God, I love you both so much."

"We love you too, pretty girl." Steph mumbles the words into your hair. Caitlin hums her agreement as she kisses you again.

"Now you both better sleep. We've got recovery time to make tomorrow."

They both whine at you, finally having you in their arms, and you want them to sleep. You laugh, "C'mon, now you two, you have a game to prep for, and sleep deprivation does not make that better, you guys will do better, you'll bounce back, you always do."

You were right. They always found a way to bounce back. All they had to do was play their best game.

Canada wouldn't know what hit them.

[kiragecko]

WINNER'S BRACKET FINALS: Batfamily Relationship Tournament 2024

VS

Round 5, Match ONLY: Babs & Cass VS Steph & Cass

Okay, this is the Winner's Bracket Final! The winner of this one will go against the winner of the Loser's Bracket next week. We've got an ALL FEMALE FINAL! There were only three all-female matches in this tournament, and two of them made it here. You guys LOVE Cass! (Very good taste.)

Now, which relationship do you prefer?

Babs and Cass, who created a mother-daughter relationship that was also a sibling relationship, and a mentor relationship, and a competition with Bruce, and far too many other things. Babs gave Cass so much, and was so bad at listening. They were good, and they were bad, and they were interesting.

Or Steph and Cass, where ones relentless optimism allowed the other to see that the world outside of fighting had value, and in return, the first was able to be valued for who she was. Steph was Cass' first friend!Relationship You Prefer

See Main Post for more information and the other matches.

[starssaroundmyscarssblog]

𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄

pairing: 90s!liam gallagher x fem!tennis player!oc

summary: in which they probably shouldn't have ever been a thing, but liam and lottie don't really care that much

word count: 2.19k

warnings: swearing, allusions to sexual content, fade to black smut bc it makes me uncomfy sorryy ++ links to the 'fern and noel' saga

he didn't know how it ended up the way it did, but fuck was he happy about it.

when they were younger he would stand on the side of the court behind a net at the tennis centre twenty minutes away from burnage on the train for her county matches. now he sat in guest boxes and spent time not rehearsing and recording plane hopping from open to open, tournament to tournament watching the way her agile feet jumped along the clay staining the soles of her white tennis shoes red.

she acted in turn thought and for that liam was thankful. watching her launch the ball from serve to return over the net was exhausting, but he knew the training and flying to catch the occasional gig was worse and he didn't know how she did it: give a blinder of a performance at the wimbledon grand slam finals and then land in lisbon to see him perform after her hours of press campaigns.

in liam's eyes, lottie could do no wrong; she was perfect in every sense of the word back when they'd started dating in secondary school. she'd offered to help him to pass his ppe's at the pleasure of his mam, she didn't smoke or do drugs at house parties, wouldn't touch a drop of alcohol until she was of legal age and even still it was rare enough to see her do it.

training took up every week night as well as all day saturday, she worked at the bar at the boardwalk in the evening (ironically she was a dab hand at making a blinder of a cocktail) and dedicated sunday to her homework followed by perfecting her serve stance and follow through.

lottie had everything going for her, something that she made clear she wished he had too. many a time she'd be sat with liam late at night, after her shift at the boardwalk, in the middle of the grassy patch in the children's play ground. "someone'll notice you eventually, i know they will. everyone who's seen you loves you."

liam pulled a handful of grass up with his hands out of frustration, a half burnt out cigarette hung between his lips that she couldn't keep her eyes off. "dicks aren't writing about us, though. no-one south of hale or north of oldham knows who we are."

three weeks later, liam had interrupted her training session. he cut off her backhanded serve and pulled her shoulders to him to kiss her soundly as lottie's tennis instructor yelled at him to leave. liam pulled away, grinning brighter than she'd ever seen him, "we've got a record deal, lotts. creation want to work with us, they've signed us!"

a grin split her cheeks right in two. lottie flung her arms around his neck, stood right on the tips of her toes to keep a balance her instructor would have been proud of had he seen it out into action in another other given situation. he blew sharply on the brass whistle hanging on a loop around his neck, hands on his hips as he glared lottie down. she withdrew and whispered a select congratulations in his ear and pushed liam away towards the gate he'd bulldozed through, with a kiss to the pulse point on his neck

lottie was training for the french open when she was called over to the reception desk, hot and sweaty with her hair stuck to the back of her neck, to take a phone call. "hello?" she questioned down the line, rolling her ankles so she could jog back to the clay courts and hit the ground running. she nearly lost her grip on her racquet, slipping through her fingers to collide with her trainers, when liam laughed down the line. "hey lotts, you wouldn't mind paying out my bail would ya love?"

"i thought you were going to belgium," she managed to splutter out, "what did you do to get arrested on a ferry?"

"bit of a long story, babe, but can you pay it?"

she sighed and pinched her nose. "fine, yes. but seriously, liam, this is the last time i'm going to do it. if i find out this has anything to do with you snorting one before boarding you'll be out of my flat and onto your arse faster than you can blink."

on the other end of the line, standing against a pay-phone in a belgian police station, liam adjusted has stance against the pillar. he sat down on one of the wooden slated benches lining the concrete walls and tried to cover his crotch. he chewed his lip in thought, laughing fakely at something bonehead shouted, and his voice turned sombre. "it's not. promise. just had too much to drink an' all that, having a bit of fun before r'kid turns into commander and fuckin' chief."

he heard her heavy sigh and his heart sank. liam had no doubt in his mind that he would be out on the end of astrid's boot in a second if he didn't clean up his act. "i mean it, li. one whiff of cocaine being found in my house and the confederation won't let me compete. i'll phone alan and tell him i'm paying out your bail. you can call me when you get back." lottie hung up on him and handed the receiver back to honey, who was sat behind the desk and messing with the crucifix around her neck pretending like she hadn't overheard any of the conversation.

out on the courts and with little under two months until her first match of the french open, lottie bounced from service to base line, firing fuzzy balls back to over the net while the red clay stained the hem of her whites. she scratched her racquet more times than was necessary to lunge for the ball, while shooting up and zipping around the boxes as she worked harder against the machine.

sometimes during their rigorous training jamie, her coach of seven years, would start loud shouting conversations while lottie was working her arms and thighs. he argued it helped her maintain good breathing regulation and improved concentration, because viewers in the stands could be distracting at the best of times. "so what's new with the rock star, then?"

she grunted as she sent another ball flying over the net and into the wire fence surrounding the court, skidding on her toes in pursuit of the next only an arm's stretch away, "nothing. the twat's only gone and got himself arrested because he got pissed on an over night ferry. 'this is the last time, babe, i promise'", she mimicked in a high pitched voice, "like hell it is."

"ah." jamie ran a finger over the hair he was trying to grow out on top of his lip, "has the brother been in touch yet?" a cold wind shot through the air and he pulled up the zip of his tracksuit closer to his neck. lottie's back flared up in goosebumps but she kept moving, running around the court and rounding up the balls to pour them back into the funnel of the dispensing machine. "no, but i'm expecting a call soon. when one phones the other usually follows suit."

astrid pounded at the treadmill in the gym of her hotel in paris, five minutes away from the large clay court stadium she'd thrashed each of her opponents on. she'd played her way to the final three days and came away relatively unscathed, apart from a strain in her serving wrist that a quick round of physio patched back up. lindsay, an american who was in the running for the doubles championship, was using a bike next to her.

between the two of them they shared an earbud each, stemming from a cassette player settled on the window sill and balancing in the middle of their sponsored water bottles. all of a sudden liam's voice crackled through her ear, and lottie shook her head as she cranked up the incline under foot. lindsay looked at her out of the corner of her eye, cycling as if her life depended on it. "not a fan?" she inquired, bringing down the gears to loosen the tension burning in her calves.

"it's not that," she panted, pushing through the blister forming on her heel, "i just can't believe you are. they're bastards, all of them."

lindsay gradually brought her legs to a stop, taking a moment to bring down her breathing before swinging over the seat to stand up, "i thought you were going out with one of the brothers."

"oh, i am," the incline increased again, "but it doesn't mean i can't call them that." lottie brought the treadmill down until she was walking on a flat line, and took a large sip of water. she looked at her watch and checked the pedometer hooked over her shorts by her hip and started to gather her things. lindsay moved to grab a skipping rope and stretched out her arms behind her back.

"and speaking of whom, i'm off. they should be here by now, good luck for tomorrow if i don't see you."

"and you, lotts. i've heard martínez is training hard, she won't give you an easy run."

lottie zipped her fitted jacket halfway up and tucked her thumbs into the loops around her wrists. "i know. see you on the podium." she left the gym with the two plaits her hair had been tied in laying over her shoulders. in the lift, lottie brushed her eyebrows back into place and checked her watch again, sidestepping a confederation official on the way out into the lobby.

she rocked back and forth on her heels near enough away from the reception desk so as not to look like she was loitering, but close enough to be saved if there were any photographers crouched in a bush with a long-range lens.

as lottie was attempting to push back a cuticle on her nail, she heard liam first rather than seeing him. his loud voice disrupted the peace of the hotel, earning him a disapproving glance from the bellboys and an even dirtier look from noel who was sulking behind, face like thunder.

liam sauntered into the lobby with his sports bag slung lazily over his shoulder, and his eyes were drawn to the dip of lottie's tits first before her smile. she wrapped her arms around him and sighed heavily in content, taking his congratulations on her progress in the open to heart. then she drew away and went to hug noel, who visibly recoiled.

"what's up with you?"

"nowt." he grumbled, shuffling around with room keys.

liam scoffed. "like fuck it's nowt. you're just in a mard because fern broke up with ye'." noel looked like he was ready to hit his brother square on the nose, but was restraining greatly. lottie tried not to sound too sympathetic when she consoled him.

"look i don' want to fuckin' hear it from you either, lotts, no offence. now is there an offie 'round here, i'm dying for a cig and i haven't got nowt."

lottie furrowed her brow in thought and tried to ignore liam looking at her out of the corner of her eye as if he wanted to jump on her right there and then in the glossy lobby.

she crossed her arms under her chest to push up her tits more, just to wind him up. liam discreetly adjusted the way he was standing. "err, yeah. i think there's one just down the road."

"cheers."

noel had sped away before he could even ask someone to take his bag up to his room. liam grumbled out 'lazy cunt' as he made a show of hauling it over his other shoulder, herding lottie into the lift with a hand over her chest.

as soon as the mirrored doors slid shut and they felt movement, liam was attacking lottie with a kiss so searing she felt breathless within seconds.

"missed you so fuckin' much," he mumbled, moving to ravage her neck.

when the lift doors slid open again she dragged him back to her room with her hands on the back of his neck, pushing noel's bag off is shoulder and leaving it abandoned outside his room. liam's hands were roaming over her arse and he withdrew the room key from her back pocket, scanning it before shoving her inside.

"all that time away from you was fuckin' torture," he groaned as her nails dragged down his stomach and traced the low-hanging waistline of his jeans, "need you now, babe." he sighed against her chest as lottie slowly unbuckled his belt, his hand weakly climbing her torso to palm at her tits through her tight jacket.

lottie smirked, "if being this far away from me turns you into this much of a mess, liam," at this she walked him over to her bed to sink down between his legs, following the seam of his jeans up his thighs and to his exposed boxers, "i'm going to have to get competing more often."

🪩⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊🎤

[only-lonely-stars]

just watched Dragons Rising S2... I am not okay and have many thoughts (SPOILER WARNING)

Please pardon how disorganized these are... :)

Nya and Jay's eventual reunion is going to crush my soullllll

All of the cool shots with Cole fighting have reignited my Man Crush Monday, and I'm not mad

Where are all the ladies? Pixal, Skylor, Vania, Akita? And what about side characters like Benthomaar, the Keepers, Scott, Unagami??? I desperately want to see them

The sorceress (Gandalaria?) is pretty funny, I loved the whole bit with the magic storeroom -- especially the mimic

Did Euphrasia achieve her True Potential when she stabilized the Cloud Kingdom island?

Ras floating into the sky for his interdimensional Zoom meetings has got to be pretty odd in-person...

What happened to Ash? If we've got Cinder now, did Ash die? Or did he retire? Some secret third option?

SOMEONE HELP MY BOI KAI

Seriously. Kai was wearing a wolf mask and yet he still went through the portal without any issues. How? Is it a plot hole? I thought I'd hit on a plot twist and then I was proven wrong, so... not sure...

Lloyd's whole panic attack plot line was... decent, but feels like it needs a little work in the writing department. Overall I love the idea!

What the heck is a Source Dragon Tournament?

Every single one of the Administration jokes landed. Solid 10/10. I was cackling at Cole's joke about a permit in triplicate.

THE DOG!!!! THE DOG!!!!! TOO CUTE!!!

Are the rest of the Ninja going to learn Rising Dragon Technique soon? Will Riyu and Sora get it together?

Will Arin ever actually figure out his object thingie (without bringing it up unsuccessfully another thirty times) before I get bored of watching him try? I hope so.

RIYU BABY YOU'VE GOTTEN SO BIG, I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!! Now go eat your vegetables so you keep growing.

It took me a while to find somewhere to watch it (I don't have Netflix), but it was worth it. I'll watch Season 2 Part 2 (season 2B?) when it's out! I'm starting to warm up to the idea of a spinoff show, especially with the overarching plot pulling it together.

[ilikesaladforks]

this uh paldean e4 audio drama thingy

rika said grusha-san yay

Edited 1: fixed one of rika's lines

Good ol' Rika here can't wait for it either! > Good ol' Rika here's looking forward to it so much I won't be able to sleep a wink unless it's night time!

Edited 2: fixed Larry's line (and Rika's)

The Paldean Elite Four's leisurely lunchtime

(I couldn't catch everything sadly :( )

Rika: MmmMMmMM! Go-For-Broke Grill in Mesagoza never fails to hit the spot!

Larry: Hassel, do you mind if I order an Ajillo?

Hassel: Why, of course, Larry! Go ahead and place your order!

Larry: Then allow me...

Uh, excu-...

Ah-

Excuse me...

Rika: Larry, you might just wanna speak up a little bit more.

'SCUSE ME! We'd like an Ajillo please!

Poppy: Poppy would like another glass of fruit punch, please!

Hassel: The Terastallization course has finally come to a close.　Naranja Academy is truly bustling with life as the school began preparations for the battle tournament.

Poppy: I'm sho eckshaited!

Rika: Good ol' Rika here's looking forward to it so much I won't be able to sleep a wink unless it's night time! After all, I've got a fave I'm cheerin' for this time!

Hassel: Are you referring to Liko?

Rika: That's right! Seems like she failed her practical test with Grusha, but getting the hang of Terastallization ain't the whole purpose of the course. She should be back and stronger than before!

Larry: Excuse me, I'd like to also add a plate of potato tortillas and escalivada, please.

Hassel: I personally have high hopes for Roy myself.

Rika: Ye mean that kid who Ryme gave her seal of approval for?

Hassel: Indeed! His prowess during his friendly battle against me was so magnificent! Just recalling it fills my heart... wibb so much... BWUH HWUH HWUH HUOI HOI HOI!

Poppy: Don't cry, Grandpa Hassel! There, there, it's all okay!

(blubbering Hassel)

Larry: Excuse me, I'd also like 4 servings of Paella as soon as they're ready.

Rika: How many orders are you placin', Larry?! There's no way we can finish all that!

Larry: Not to worry. I will gladly savour them all.

Poppy: How amazing, Mr. Larry! You're such a gourmand!

Rika: How was that kiddo? Yanno, the one you met, Larry.

Larry: Hmm. Dot. A sharp strategist, and an intriguing trainer whose feats included evolving her partner mid-battle, I would say.

Poppy: Quaxly evolved?! I want my pokemon to play with her again!

Rika: Regardless, it looks like we've got a ton of promising trainers gathered for this battle tourney.

Hassel: (sniff) Let us observe the final leg of the Terastallization course as one Elite Four!

Larry: How does everyone feel about a post-lunch parfait?

Rika: You're STILL eating?!

[sachirobabe]

Chapter 3

Kuroo Tetsurou x reader

Wc: 1664

Summary: You, a dedicated member of the girls' volleyball team, find an unexpected connection with Kuroo Tetsurou. Igniting a bond over shared passions and stolen moments, love blossoms on the court; all because you met him at a captains meeting.

<— Previous | Masterlist | Next —>

Taglist: @merlucide, @lemurzsquad, @02shuuu

After a grueling week, your tryouts officially ended. There was already an idea of what the lineup would be looking like, but your coach wanted to have a meeting about it.

Which is why you're at school on your only days off from both practice and your studies. Normally, meetings weren't every week, but it was a new season so they'd be more frequent for the first couple of weeks.

Your team had been too busy with tryouts to have a practice match with the boys', but it'd be happening this upcoming week and you were so excited.

"Good morning." You say walking into the gym, Kuroo and coach Nekomata were both seated—well Kuroo was on the floor, lying on his stomach.

"Good morning." Kuroo smiled, then began writing on his piece of paper on the floor.

"Where's Mori at?" You look around confusingly, trying to spot her light brown hair, pulled back into a loose pony tail.

"Her office, I think." Kuroo answers.

"I thought she said the bathroom?" Coach Nekomata furrows his brows and in response Kuroo shrugs. You sit down next to him and eye his paper, he's drawing up some lineups.

You frown at the absence of your coach. She made you get up early when you should be sleeping in like the rest of your teammates. The worst part is she didn't bribe you this time so you had nothing to look forward to.

Kuroo finishes and hands his paper to his coach, he examines it and held onto it for a minute or two. He kicks his feet, waiting for feedback. You laugh at him silently, in your head. He's kinda cute.

"What do you think about this, Y/n?" Coach Nekomata hands you the paper, it's slightly crumpled, you're starting to think that all of Kuroo's papers are.

You take it from his hands and look at the rotations, "I think a 5-1 is a good choice, especially if your second setter is clearly outplayed by Kenma." You follow the rotations more, seeing which players are getting switched.

"You guys also run a 5-1 too, right?" Kuroo bites the inside of his cheek, not wanting to sound like a creep for knowing.

"Yeah," you chuckle, "I think it looks great. You have a good use of substitutions." You smile and hand back the paper to him. His hand brushes yours for a millisecond as he grabs it.

"This is the lineup we'll beat your team with." He smirks.

"Oh yeah? Confident, I like it." You say,the door to the gym opens and all of your heads turn. "And where were you? We agreed on 9:30 am sharp. You're late." You lecture.

"Oh please, I don't want to hear it." She laughs. "I was here before you, I just had to get some things from my office." She shuffles some things around in her backpack, then pulls out a blank piece of paper, like Kuroo's, just not crumpled. "Start thinking of some lineups." She says.

You frown, "Can I borrow that?" You point to Kuroo's pencil and he immediately nods and slides it to you. "Thank you."

"I think we got this one in the bag." Kuroo now flips from his stomach to his back and faces the gym ceiling.

"Uh-huh, sure." You draw out the last word. "How many tournaments have you won?"

He clicks his tongue, "We've won."

"Recently?" You raise an eyebrow, staring into his eyes.

He can feel his cheeks begin to heat up, he turns away before you could see, "Yeah well, you lost some valuable players last season."

"We have good first-years." You say, "I heard one of your first-years can't receive well, isn't that what your team's known for?"

The two coaches watch you two banter back and forth, Mori reminding Kuroo that you had to finish the rotations still and to stop distracting you. The meeting was pretty short, there wasn't a lot to cover besides lineups.

"You're staying?" You point between the two coaches, Kuroo and you helped clean up and were ready to leave.

"We've got a board meeting in a little." Coach Nekomata says and you nod, bidding them goodbye for the day as you walk out with Kuroo.

You're not surprised to see that it's lightly raining, since it had been all week, and yet you still didn't bring an umbrella. "You have an umbrella?"

"Of course I do." He chuckles, opening it and luckily it was big enough for the two of you to be under. "Have you eaten already?"

You shook your head, "I was starving that whole time," you laugh, "Have you?"

He shook his head, "There's this convenience store by my house, you wanna go get something?" He strengthens his grip on the umbrella.

"Yeah." You smile.

He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and turns his head so he can smile like a schoolgirl, he quickly recomposes himself and look forward again.

You thought Kuroo was nice, you've never really gotten to know him, but you were semi-close to Kai, one of his teammates, only because he was in your class.

"How'd you feel about the first week of classes?" You ask after a moment of silence.

"Pretty easy, I'm enjoying it while it lasts." He says and you chuckle.

"Yeah, it gets rough around June and July. We usually use the first hour of practice to study before actually playing." You say.

"So you guys practice less?" Kuroo is intrigued by this, he had never heard of a team doing anything like it.

"No, we extend it to end an hour later, coach just wants to make sure we at least do something productive before practice." You clarify.

He hums, "I'm sure you have no issue passing exams." He compliments.

You smile, "Not really, I study frequently. I could say the same about you." You slightly nudge him.

He shrugs and rolls his eyes playfully, "Aw stop it, I just pay attention, that's all."

"Consider that the last time I compliment you." You laugh.

"I'm kidding! I appreciate it, thanks." He laughs along with you. "This is it." He says, looking both ways before crossing the street to the convenience store. The second you spot food, your stomach began to grumble.

You found yourself in a different aisle than Kuroo, trying to choose from the two onigiri in your hand. You decided to take both, you're extremely hungry. Kuroo came up next to you in line, you noticed he had a sandwich and a drink, an iced tea you think.

It was your turn next in line, you kindly greeted the man at the register and placed your items on the counter. What you didn't expect was to see Kuroo's items placed next to yours, you turn confusingly, but he had already given the man his card.

"You didn't have to—"

"Nonsense. I'm the one who asked you to come." He smiles widely, then quickly takes his card back and puts it inside of his wallet. "Cmon, let's eat." He grabs the bag full of your shared items.

"Thank you." You sincerely say, feeling a little bad about him paying, not that it was expensive, but still.

"Of course." The rain had stopped, the sun began to come out of the gray clouds. He leads you to one of the benches at a nearby park, it had an umbrella so it wasn't too soaked.

"God, I'm starving." He says, handing you your items.

You agree with him and a comfortable silence falls between you two as you're both distracted with eating. You eye the area around you, it was unfamiliar, but it wasn't too far from your home.

You watch an owner play with her dog, repeatedly throwing the ball for the dog to run and get it, it made you smile. You crumble up the wrapper the onigiri was in and place it on the table.

"You know," You begin, Kuroo was also watching the dog, but now his eyes were looking into yours, "I've lived here for a while now and I've never been to this park before."

Kuroo chuckles, "It's nice, right?" And you nod. "Kenma and I would play here all the time."

"That sounds nice." You smile and begin watching the dog again, Kuroo can't help but continue to stare at you.

"He didn't like it very much, his arms would hurt after playing volleyball for a long time." Kuroo recalls the memory.

"I believe that. I'm surprised he's still playing." You honestly say.

"I think he likes it. In his own way." He shrugs. "You and Himari are close, too."

You smile, thinking of your best friend, "Yeah, we grew up next to each other. It was nice having someone in the same grade, it felt like I wasn't going through anything alone."

"I get that, she's like a sister to you." He says and you immediately agree. Both of your families had been close since the day they moved in. "You don't have siblings don't you?"

"No, only child." You shrug.

"I have an older sister." He says.

"Really?" You're surprised, you would've thought he was an only child.

"Yeah, she's way older, so I don't see her very often." As he finishes his sentence, the sun quickly goes away and the sounds of thunder hit your ears. "Oh shit." Kuroo says.

"I think it's gonna rain again." You say, "I better get going."

"I hope it's not too long of a walk." Kuroo says, worried that you're going to get soaked.

"No, don't worry it's not." You smile, "I'll see you later. Thank you again for paying!" You say as you leave, speed walking towards your house.

Kuroo watches you get further and further away, his heart was pounding from the moment you walked into the gym. A small smile remains on his face as he walks back home.

[historical-fashion-polls]

For the Halloween brackets, I have been using the following criteria for my vote (especially in the ghost rounds) :

If I died in either outfit, which one would I rather be stuck for eternity in as a ghost?

(This takes into account both style and how comfortable the outfit would be to wear and maneuver in)

hi dear anon! 💖

thank you so much for this message – I love hearing everyone's criteria for the brackets!! ☺️☺️

between this and the "how many legs could I fit in there?" for the spider bracket, we've certainly got a lot to consider when choosing outfits! 😆💕

as a little meta commentary: I was at first a little worried that the ghost bracket would include a number of wedding gowns (since the criteria was the garment being all white) and I wasn't sure if that would be weird and if I should exclude them. but then I remembered the the ghost bride (in varying manifestations) is such a quintessential figure in folklore that it would actually be kind of perfect! maybe not the most comfortable kind of dress, but the aesthetic of it is hard to beat! 💕💕

thank you so much again for sharing your criteria – I do love hearing everyone's thought processes! ☺️☺️ I hope you continue to enjoy the tournament! 🥰🎃👻

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Cyd Charisse (The Bandwagon, Brigadoon, Singin’ in the Rain)—LEGS LEGS LEGS I would sell my soul for the legs of Cyd Charisse - she oozed style and glamour and sex appeal!! And she could DANCE! She was dancing next to the greats - Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire but they are never who you're looking at because why would you when you can look at her. I will only sit through too long ballet breaks for her. If there was any woman who you could call sex on legs it was her. These dances are everything to meeee (she comes in at the minute mark) and this dance too of course is iconic. In the words of Fred Astaire 'When you've danced with Cyd Charisse you stay danced with'

Mbissine Thérèse Diop (Black Girl)—She’s a Senegalese actress known for starring in Black Girl, one of the first African films to receive international attention/acclaim. So much of the movie relies on her ability to convey her character’s sense of isolation/loneliness, she’s so amazing, I really wish she had acted more. However, she just recently appeared in the film Cuties!

This is round 4 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Cyd Charisse:

Arguably the Best female dancer of her time, she supposedly insured her legs for $5 million dollars. Stole the show whenever she had a dance number, even if she went uncredited. Musicals started to go out of fashion so unfortunately she didn't have as many big roles as she should have, but those she did are unforgettable. The Broadway Melody number in Singin' in the Rain - the green dress!

Incredibly, Cyd Charisse only started learning to dance as a rehab exercise to strengthen her body after a childhood bout of polio. She was in high demand as a dance partner, Fred Astaire called her beautiful dynamite and said "When you've danced with her, you stayed danced with". She was one of a few leading ladies to dance with both Astaire and Kelly, declaring them both delicious. Kelly apparently was stronger, while Astaire was more coordinated. She also said her husband would always know who she had been dancing with because Kelly left her bruised, while Astaire didn't leave a mark. She's better known for her dance numbers today, but she was a leading lady in her time! Her Scottish accent in Brigadoon leaves a lot to be desired, but compared to the other actors in the movie, it's almost good. She appeared in The Harvey Girls alongside Judy Garland and Angela Lansbury in her first speaking role, but she really burst onto the scene with Singin' in the Rain and her infamous Broadway Melody Ballet number with Gene Kelly (no one could handle a length of fabric like Cyd Charisse). She was brought in because Debbie Reynolds wasn't really a dancer and Kelly was notoriously a stickler about his Vision. After that she starred opposite Astaire in The Band Wagon, which was a bit of a flop but created some enduringly incredible dance numbers. She went on to star in a number of MGM movies, and was one of the last of the Studio era stars to remain on contract. Since we've got up to 1970, I'm including her opening routine in The Silencers (1966) to show just how long she was making a splash - she's into her 40s here and still a siren:

and of course, the iconic Broadway Melody Ballet -

She had amazing legs, and she knew how to use them! You probably know her best from the dream sequence in Singin' In The Rain. She was such a stunning dancer, and all her dance scenes are hard to look away from.

Legs for days, beautiful dancer in the most iconic scenes of Singin in the Rain. She's glorious. As some guys sung to her in It's Always fair weather, 'baby you knock me out!'

Photos do not do Cyd Charisse justice, unfortunately, because she is at her hottest while dancing, which she was exquisitely good at. Just go watch her first number in Singin' in the Rain, in that green dress; nothing I could say here will be more convincing that that.

Dancing in the Dark clip:

She's an amazing dancer and my favorite from the period. Here's her and Fred Astaire in the Band Wagon:

I just like a woman who's there to be really incredibly good at dancing.

She could pirouette in pointes or tear it up in taps. Fred Astaire called her "beautiful dynamite" and wrote, "That Cyd! When you've danced with her you stay danced with." Gene Kelly partnered with her three times. Her legs were (reportedly) insured for $5 million in 1952 ($57.8 million in 2024 dollars)! Everyone in this poll will be iconic, but for raw physical grace, Cyd is up there with the best.

One of the most talented female dancers in Hollywood history, but what sets her apart from other competitors for that title is that she...umm...well let's be blunt, she was the dancer who put sex into it. The one who said "Hey, you know that A+ leg tone that naturally develops from doing this for a living? Why don't I let people see that? Like at every opportunity?" She reportedly insured her legs for five million dollars after hitting it big, which just goes to show that fame makes you crazy. It should have been ten million.

Mbissine Thérèse Diop:

[mantisgodsart]

[...isolation of the transformation appears to worsen the standard disorientation of a new body. I believe that the familiarity of the upper body may be offsetting the psychological impact of the lower body - as not everything has changed, the subject still "expects", on some level, that their body will work similarly, despite radical changes to organ systems and locomotion and the near-total overhaul of the centre of gravity.]

[The subject appears to be leaning on hexapodal motion as a type of "crutch", despite the size of the lower body making most of these sorts of motions awkward at best - the tournament venue doesn't currently have many internal spaces sufficient to test this one's mobility, but outdoors venues seem more promising for testing, anyways. This confirms something that I've previously suspected, as well - subjects find it more difficult to adjust to addition of new limbs than they do subtraction of limbs.]

[Subject appears to exhibit difficulty with coordination in the lower limbs, and has adopted an extremely "cautious" form of motion, taking steps with one limb at a time. The difference between upper and lower limbs means that this mode of movement is extremely... clumsy, to say the least. I intend to keep them under observation for a few more days before release and see if this resolves within the initial settling period or not. After that, just some periodic check-ins should be...]

Hello, and welcome to: watercolor paintings for Round 2 of @bug-oc transmutations! Mirach by @ghost-of-hallownest. Some extra details under cut because this is a long post and we don't want to make it longer.

This one is based pretty heavily on Dragon!Falin from Dungeon Meshi, but we're bringing through some lizard-y aspects from last year, and very much having fun with the tabby-cat patterns on the back - though technically speaking, Mirach's blue is limited to her wings, adding some markings to the body helps us break up that big plane of sandy yellows and add some interest to the design. We think it turned out well!

If we could fit it in, we'd add a third bit of Marigold notes related to the actual transmutation method, since it's been living in our brain for a while, and we think our Potion Drawing might be a bit... abstract, otherwise?

More or less, the weave - the active transmutation medium - is woven to the inside of the lasso's... lasso, and upon encircling something with it, the weave is transferred to the target, thus making the lasso fall apart entirely as a major component of its structure abruptly ceases to be part of the object.

This transfer-and-break is the same general method through which most of Marigold's "one-use" charms work - as the effect is now tied to the target's body, rather than an object, it simply remains in effect until the weave "wears in" to the body entirely, shifting it from an effect active on the subject to a part of the subject's body.

This means that, before the effect is fully integrated into the body, it can be broken, though as with all charmcraft some effects may still linger. This also makes it so, technically, the charmcraft only casts an effect on the caster - the same effect through which pretty much all Medals work - rather than being a direct interface a la wiring it directly into the bug's body, which is illegal and what Marigold spends a lot of time tiptoing around to produce major effects on a bug's body without the single most useful method for bodily alteration Charmcraft has to offer.

...that was longer than we really expected it to be. We are working on the other contestants, both of this round and the last, though it's going very slowly seeing as the afternoon sun is currently hot enough to melt our brain into a fine sludge. We've got a solid idea of all three other Round 2 designs, and we've finally got a sketch for Mal - though Pola is being delayed, still, due to our poor comics-making decisions. We're working on it! Slowly!

If we could figure out how in the hell to represent it visually, we'd be working on making a loser's bracket, too, but as is... listen, we're not a graphics designer for a reason. If you are a graphics designer and we can outsource designing a loser's bracket to you then please contact us. We have a budget of approximately ten dollars. We can do PayPal but if your payment processor of choice is US-exclusive we cannot help you.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hi! I just recently got into RoR. (Buddha is my favorite lol, he's so chill)

Can I request RoR characters reactions to meeting child!reader? Like they got summoned by accident?

I completely agree with you, of all the characters we've met so far (both in the manga and anime), Buddha is easily my favorite.

-You couldn’t seem to find anyone in this large place that you woke up in, it was almost like a castle, and you could hear lots of people cheering, but you couldn’t find anyone.

-You hear nearby voices and you quickly trot over and peek around the corner, seeing an open door and you head over, hearing the voices getting louder.

-You push the door open and the room goes dead quiet, seeing you there as you blink, a bit confused before you hear a woman, “What is a child doing here?”

-Loki approaches you and kneels, a bit wary as you were by yourself, “Hey there, who are you?” You beam brightly up at him, “I’m Y/N! I woke up in a big room after taking a nap!” he picked you up under your arms, pulling you up before turning and you found yourself faced with a room full of people, gods on one side and humans on the other.

-You had interrupted a meeting about the next Ragnarok tournament that was starting shortly, it made for such good entertainment the first time that everyone who died was brought back and they were going to bring in new warriors to fight, gladiator style, but if you died, you were brought back at the end of the tournament.

-Brunnhilde took you from Loki and you smiled, “Pretty! You’re so pretty big sister!” she turned, so none would she her blushing as she cooed, hugging you, “You’re so cute Y/N!!” you laugh and squeal at her affections before she sat you down.

-Tesla kneeled to greet you, “Hello Y/N, you said you woke up in a room? What did it look like?” you put a finger to your mouth, pondering for a moment, “It was big and round and had lots of black drawings on the ground!”

-Everyone froze, that was the summoning room, to summon the different fighters from the different pantheons, they had no idea how a child was summoned instead.

-Adam gave you the best hug you think you ever had in your life! He was so warm and just had this dad aura around him that just made him so huggable.

-The room was deathly silent when you were on Odin’s lap, smiling up at his ravens, “I like your pretty birds!” his chuckle is what calmed everyone down before Zeus spoke, “Y/N, how old are you?” you beam, holding up your hand, showing all five fingers up, “This many!” several of the people in the room collapsed to their knees, holding their chest over their hearts, unable to handle the cuteness.

-You found yourself on Raiden’s shoulders, your eyes sparkly, “I’m so high up!! Will I get tall like you if I drink lots of milk?!” your question was adorable as he grinned, even if you weren’t able to see it, “Of course! With lots of milk, rest, and exercise, you can become the strongest person here!”

-Your fists lifted to the sky, hearing your new goal, “The strongest!!” which caused round two of cute attacks that sent people to their knees.

-You had quickly become their favorite person, all of them, even Poseidon as you started nodded off while hugging him, which was a bit awkward looking, as he didn’t do hugs, but once on his lap, you felt so comfortable that you couldn’t help but doze off and in his heart, he knew that he would murder anyone who would try to hurt you.

-You were summoned on accident, but that accident led you to your new family, a massive one of all sorts of different humans and gods, and that family was going to spoil and love you until the end of time!!

[desultory-novice]

Sir Uther walks up to Noir Fontaine with purpose, having his usual happy-go-lucky smile and perky attitude. It was a surprise to see yet another human in this tournament ...well, atleast human-like. He instinctively reaches out for a handshake, eyes locked on Noir's face.

"Are you human?! MY~! I only ever saw the other one named Jade! Unlike her, you seem to be named after a color in french! Do tell, are there still any left of your species? Or are you all nearly extinct? Do you also have a history with Dark Matter in particular? I have so many questions~!! ☆"

His crystal eyes twinkle in delight, this truly was an opportunity to gain so much useful knowledge!

"Oh! And that entity, Zero as well! Does she exist in your world?"

"Hi! Wow! You're big! Bigger than I thought you round guys got!" 

Noir greets you with a boyish smile, though... ...He does not accept the handshake.

"You look like one of those Galactic Soldier Alliance people! I wrote fanfic about you! I can't let you read it because it's really cringe, but that's only cause when I was young I dreamed of being a hero, so...if you're ever recruiting, let me know maybe?! I'm not all that strong... but I'm passionate and have a strong sense of justice and somehow, I've got a lot of experience handling situations where all the evidence you killed anyone is gone because their bodies just disperse into matter once they're dead enough and the snow hides all the blood!"

[cw: mild body horror below]

"...What was I saying? Oh, yeah! I'm human! Whoa, there's another human here too? I should've figured that out, huh? I feel like I've been in a daze since I got here (or maybe even longer than that) and have been having a really hard time paying attention to stuff till lately when it all started coming back into my head REALLY FAST!"

"?! Do you speak French?! My mom taught my sister and me a little French and Japanese, cause of our ancestry, (what's my dad? I don't know! Maybe he's French-Japanese too?!) though we mostly speak Global at home. My name's supposed to be in Global but it's pretty cool that it means something in French too. 'Dark.' Sometimes I wonder if I was named after my hair? Though my sister's is the same color, pretty much, so that couldn't be it. Probably a coincidence?"

"Speaking of, my sister's human too and she's still around! We're separated right now, but my little brother's with her! (He's Dark Matter, since you brought it up! Yeah, he's adopted, but he's my little brother and if anyone says anything mean about him, I'll ****** them!) They're surrounded by friends too, so I don't worry!"

"It was really hard to get off the planet last time I was there, and it was getting pre~tty cold and people who got left outside tended to disappear till next year when you could find them again thawing out on the road but it's hard to imagine we've just gone extinct! I mean, the people from the New World had to have gone somewhere!"

"Hmm? Z...e...?"

"...r...." "...o...!?"

"M-muh...M-Mas..." "...pl...ea... ey...e...c-can....t... "...bre...athe...."

-

Noir clutches his throat. The dark, burn-like cracks on his skin that had been easy to ignore till now seem to crawl up, to his chin and beyond. A thick metal collar around his neck, barely visible between his gloved hands, hums with a dark violet glow before he passes out.

Elsewhere, an otherwise unremarkable looking sword in the stolen stash of a small Dark Matter begins to vibrate, seeking its host.

@kirbyoctournament

PS: Wisp belongs to @moonsharkss and while he's still in the lead this round, it's close, so if you want to give him a vote...!

(Help I forgot his hands!)

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Noir's Field Trip Masterpost

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AN: Welp, add another one to Sir Uther's body count/list of crimes...

So, I still have some "Cheerful" (...although more like his brains have been scrambled) Noir asks to answer/send out that I'll get to when I have time (writing him is a bit exhausting tbh... ) but I have gone ahead and drawn this to "progress" back to the main tourney story! (You didn't think he could stay this way forever, did you?)

TLDR, We're back to regular Noir (...or whatever other AU hijinks happen to come his way that affect him in some manner?! Magic anons...???) but if you wished to interact with or send another question to Noir explicitly during his short lived cheerful phase, lemme know! Though whether I get to it will depend on how I'm feeling ^^

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(...Fwiw, I'm pretty sure if he stayed this way for too long, the emotional cascade would eventually give him a full on mental breakdown as his refreshed, innocent psyche finally catches up with processing all the traumas that made up his life.)