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wrestlingisfake · 7 months ago

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Supercard of Honor preview

Eddie Kingston vs. Mark Briscoe - Eddie is defending the ROH men's world title; his STRONG men's title is not at stake. This is a battle between friends, and regardless of the outcome here, they are scheduled to join forces on April 21, in a trios match alongside Adam Copeland.

Mark is an ROH original, going back literally to day one, but most of his career was defined by teaming with his brother Jay. Even when Jay won his first ROH men's world title 11 years ago today, and carved out a role as a top singles guy, Mark was still mainly known for their tag matches. Jay's untimely death in January 2023 changed all that. Although the outpouring of sympathy helped make Mark a bigger star than ever, he's likened 2023 to his "rookie year" as a singles wrestler, so you can argue that he's in over his head here. He failed to win the men's television title a year ago, and plans for him to chase the world title last summer fell through due to a knee injury. It's hard to tell if this is finally his time to win the big one, or if it's just another step on a long road.

For Eddie, the story of this match is mainly about giving an opportunity to a respected peer, and promising to set friendship aside to fight as hard as he can. Deeper down, though, Kingston is still reeling from losing the AEW continental title on March 20, to Kazuchika Okada. Being a triple champion meant a lot to Eddie and his fans; losing a second piece of his crown so quickly could be a huge setback. Everybody wants to see Mark Briscoe "finish the story," to use a popular phrase, but Eddie can't let it happen, so something's got to give.

I've seen ROH pay-per-views where the Briscoes headlined, or where Jay closed the show. However, I can't remember Mark ever being in this spot on his own, so that's an intriguing x-factor. I'm sure he'll do great, but will it be great like those wild tag team brawls, or something completely different?

I could see this one going either way, but I've got a feeling it's time for Kingston to part ways with the ROH scene. I'm sure he's loyal to the brand, but he's also never there because he's always figured into big AEW storylines, and I expect him to keep moving up the ladder there. Mark, on the other hand, is just a guy in AEW but still a big deal in ROH, so he's perfect to be the franchise player for a while.

Athena vs. Hikaru Shida - Athena is defending the ROH women's world title, which she's held for 482 days. If she retains here, I'd say she's very likely to make it to the 500-day mark. By the end of 2023 she had cleaned out the Ring of Honor women's division, so I figured they'd send her up to AEW. Instead, they've been sending AEW regulars to ROH--first Nyla Rose, and now Shida. Athena has never beaten Shida, who won their only singles encounter back in 2014.

For months I've been expecting Athena to finally meet her match, put someone over, and go kick ass in AEW. It could happen this time with Shida, but it could have happened in December with Billie Starkz, or in July with Willow Nightingale, and it just didn't. Shida brings more of a "final boss" energy than Athena's previous challengers, but she doesn't have to be the final boss--they could always do, say, Athena vs. Thunder Rosa, or Athena vs. Kris Statlander. It just comes down to how many of these matchups Tony Khan wants to do in ROH, where most people aren't paying attention, or on the nationally televised product everyone actually watches.

I'm in favor of Athena dropping the belt and getting the epic run she deserves in AEW. I'm in favor of Shida getting a title run in ROH if she's not going to hold AEW gold anytime soon. But I'm wary of betting against Athena at this point. This is a match that'll keep me guessing right up to the finish, and that's the way I like it.

Billie Starkz vs. Queen Aminata - This the final of a 16-woman tournament to determine the first ROH women's television champion. Starkz defeated Robyn Renegade, Diamante, and Mercedes Martinez to get here. Aminata beat J-Rod, Taya Valkyrie, and Red Velvet on her way to the final.

I was in favor of Starkz winning the world title from Athena back in December, but it didn't happen, and they announced this new TV title on like the very next show. So there's a sense that they created this thing specifically as a silver medal for Starkz. She's been my pick to win the tournament from the beginning. However, I didn't expect Aminata to get a bit of a push, what with the sit-down interview about her life and officially signing with AEW in February. So yeah, maybe they're setting the stage for giving her the belt.

I think both of these women are in line for big things. But only one of them can win tonight. I guess I'll stick with my original pick and go with Starkz. But I like that they have me thinking Aminata could really win.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Lee Johnson - Fletcher is defending the ROH men's television title. I like both guys, but it's telling that the most interesting thing about this matchup is that Johnson is married to Julia Hart, whose tag team partner Skye Blue is dating Fletcher. Hopefully these two put on a match that gives people a reason to talk about them in their own right.

I'm not a fan of Fletcher being the #2 men's champ on ROH and the #4 guy in the Don Callis Family on AEW. If he's not going to drop out of the Callis faction anytime soon, I'd like to see him drop the belt. But I get the feeling Fletcher will retain.

Matt Taven & Mike Bennett vs. Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo - Taven and Bennett are defending the ROH tag team title. The two teams went to a ten-minute draw on April 4, which was enough for Dean and Bravo to get a rematch for the belts.

From what I've seen of them on ROH, the Infantry (Dean, Bravo, and Trish Adora) are money. I don't think that's come through from what little they get to do on AEW. I was hoping they'd make more of an impact in the AEW tag title tournament, but oh well. I'd settle for an ROH tag title run, and I don't think Taven and Bennett need the belts that much now that they're in the Undisputed Kingdom stable. I'm kinda thinking the champs will retain, but I'm 100% in the tank for Dean and Bravo.

Dalton Castle vs. Johnny TV - This is billed as a "fight without honor," which just means the match can't end by disqualification or count-out. I think this feud started in November, maybe? I barely keep up with the weekly ROH show anymore, but I'm always seeing an interview where Johnny is all "Ha ha, I'm a heel!" and Dalton is all "I can't sleep and I'm INSANE!" and Johnny and Taya freak out like they're scared and Lexy Nair is like "stop interrupting my interviews >:(" And it just keeps going and going and nothing ever changes.

It seems like it should be important that Dalton put custody of The Boys on the line just for a chance to wrestle Johnny, and then Johnny won, but then Johnny and Taya lost The Boys so Dalton is despondent. Except AEW legit released The Boys earlier this week--they couldn't even wait until after this match to make it seem like The Boys might play into the climax of the story. So that makes the whole thing seem even more pointless.

Adding to the trainwreck factor, I saw Johnny wrestle on yesterday's Bloodsport show and his right elbow was heavily bandaged up. I don't know what's wrong with his arm but I'm sure it's gotta be miserable gutting it through a busy weekend like this. Hopefully he can work around it here without too much trouble.

At this point I don't even care who wins as long as the feud ends. I guess Dalton has to win to end the feud. But I'll take whatever I can get.

Maika & Mina Shirakawa & Mei Seira vs. Tam Nakano & AZM & Saya Kamitani - All six of these women represent STARDOM, which has recently been growing closer with AEW/ROH since the promotion fired its founder, Rossy Ogawa. I keep meaning to get up to speed with Stardom and I just never get around to it. I remember seeing Nakano and AZM wrestle for New Japan and that's about it.

Maika, Stardom's world champion, and Shirakawa represent Empress Nexus Venus, which broke away from Nakano's Cosmic Angels group. I don't know if there's a reason Nakano is teaming with two women from Queen's Quest instead of her own faction. It also seems odd that Shirakawa and Maika hold the Stardom trios title along with Xena, but for this trios match they're instead teaming with Seira, who isn't affiliated with a faction. Maybe if I followed Stardom this would make sense, but as it is I think they just grabbed six women who were in town and could put on a good match, without any real storyline or context.

I don't think it makes any difference who wins, but since Maika's the world champ I'll go ahead and pick her side to prevail.

Mariah May vs. Momo Kohgo - This is scheduled for the pre-show. I guess these two had a rivalry in Stardom before May left to join AEW six months ago. I know May was on the Stardom show yesterday but I didn't see it, so I don't know if they did some kind of angle with Kohgo to set this up. I assume Mariah May wins, but I'm not sure they're protecting her for any particular storyline, so I'm not confident about that pick.

Josh Woods & Tony Nese vs. ??? & ??? - More pre-show stuff. Woods and Nese were a tag team for a while and now I suppose they're back together again for some reason. They're facing a mystery team and I sure hope it's a really cool surprise, because otherwise there's really no point in doing this. We're in Philly so maybe they bring in a couple of ECW guys? Are there any ECW guys left to bring in? Well, whoever it is, I'm picking the mystery team to win.

Griff Garrison & Cole Karter vs. Serpentico & Angelico - This is another pre-show match. I think these two teams were pissy with each other over losing an eight-man tag match or something. Last time I looked Griff was a babyface slowly going heel from the influence of Karter and manager Maria Kanellis. I'm genuinely surprised this is considered important enough to run on the PPV, even if it is just the pre-show. I don't care who wins.

#roh #ring of honor #supercard of honor #eddie kingston #mark briscoe

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guttedz0mbie · 2 years ago

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SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED!

Thank you to all of those who submitted a character! We have a total of 48 characters!

WELCOME TO THE GLASSES-USER-SWAG-SUBMIT 2023!

I'm your host Leo/Cryptix.

In this poll tournament characters will battle for the crown of being the the ultimate glasses user.

The bracket still needs to be made but the characters that they will batteling against has already been made!

Bracket 1

Twlight Sparkle(Equestria Girls) vs Michael Deil(Be More Chill)

Harry Potter(Harry Potter) vs Stanford Pines(Gravity Falls)

Tang(Lego Monkie Kid) vs Dendy(O.K K.O: Let's be heroes)

Lilith Clawthorne(The Owl House) vs Iaki Olietta(Fairy Tail)

Walter White(Breaking Bad) vs Velma Dinkley(Scooby-Doo!)

Milo James Thatch(Atlantis: The Lost Empire) vs Stanley Pines

Jade Harley(Homestuck) vs Cylde McBride(The Loud House)

Raine Whispers(The Owl House) vs Ghoulia Yelps(Monster High)

Ryan Akagi(Infinty Train)vs Merlin Wizard(Bee and Puppycat)

Simon Petrikov(Adventure Time) vs John Egbert(Homestuck)

Willow Park(The owl House) VS Sucrose(Genshin Impact)

Tenya Iida(My hero Acedmia) vs Sylvester Ashling(Epithet Erased)

Bracket 2

Bobber (TInker bell) vs Toby Mccalister(Word Girl)

April O'Neil(Rise of the TMNT) vs Tulip Olsen(Infinity Train)

Nobita Nobi(Doraemon anime) vs Richard(Spooky Month)

Berdly(Deltarune)vs Mr X (Amphibia)

Ralesi(Deltarune) vs Edna Mode(The Incredibles)

Alphys(undertale) vs Simon(Alvin and the chipmunks)

Sukia(Doctor Stone) vs Snork(The moomins)

Invisable man(Hotel Transolvania) vs Medic(TF2)

Gordon freeman(Half-Life) vs Miles Edgeworth(Ace Attorney)

Alchemist cookie(Cookie Run Kingdom) vs Constance Blackwood(Ride the cyclones)

Connie Maheswaren(Steven Universe) vs Dr. Fox(Unikitty)

Esspresso cookie(Cookie Run kingdom) vs Raymond(Animal Crossing)

Thank you to everyone and i am very excited to begin the tornament! It will begin on March 12th 4pm eastern standerd time!

Check out

@autismswagsummit

@tragicsibsshowdown

@transcringecompetition

@swaglesscompetition

@t4tswagcompetition

@creature-competition

@celestial-duo-summit-2023

@gaybadguystournament

@theultimatefunnymanshowdown

@redeemed-vilain-tournament

@worst-teenager-competition

@redhairswagtournament

@rabbitswag-competition

@divine-swag-summit

Huge inspos and you should check them out! Can't Wait for the battle to begin

#i love polls #tumblr polls #battle #tournament #submit #glasses #bracket #i got polls #competition #swag summit #swag competition

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notmaplemable · 1 year ago

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Battle Of The RWBY OT3s

We shall see who will be the champion of OT3s. At least for RWBY and out of the OT3s I personally enjoy.

But a champion shall be crowned!

Rules:

This is a double elimination tournament. Whenever a pairing looses a match they will be transferred to the elimination bracket. If they lose again they'll be permanently eliminated.

Rematches will go to the character who won the previous match.

4 matches will be held a day, or all matches remaining in a round.

This is for fun. Don't treat it like a IRL election. Be civil.

Seeding is random.

Bracket

First Round Matches

M1: Ghira x Kali x Willow Vs. Blake x Weiss x Ilia

M2: Ruby x Blake x Yang Vs. Jaune x Ruby x Weiss

M3: Ren x Nora x Pyrrha Vs. Jaune x Ruby x Pyrrha

M4: Jaune x Ren x Nora Vs. Blake x Weiss x Yang

#rwby #battle of the RWBY ot3s

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sofiamantegafan110 · 1 year ago

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RAINBOW TOURNAMENT MATCHUPS: ROUND 1

Here are the matchups for Round 1!

1. Ruby Anderson vs. Bella Parker

2. Laurel De'Vious vs. Daria Roselyn

3. Mila Berrymore vs. Victoria Whitman

4. Vanessa Tempo vs. Simone Summers

5. Natasha Zima vs. Karla Choupette

6. Uma Van Hoose vs. Poppy Rowan

7. Stella Monroe vs. Holly De'Vious

8. Georgia Bloom vs. Meena Fleur

9. Priscilla Perez vs. Carmen Major

10. Phaedra Westward vs. Heather Grayson

11. Zooey Electra vs. Harley Limestone

12. Sunny Madison vs. Karma Nichols

13. Jett Dawson vs. Sheryl Meyer

14. Delilah Fields vs. Michelle St Charles

15. Lyric Lucas vs. Margot De Perla

16. Dia Mante vs. Mara Pinkett

17. Jade Hunter vs. Krystal Bailey

18. Kia Hart vs. Daphne Minton

19. Jewel Richie vs. Olivia Woods

20. Brianna Dulce vs. Hali Capri

21. Nicole Steel vs. Monique Verbena

22. Tiara Song vs. Skyler Bradshaw

23. Lily Cheng vs. Gabriella Icely

24. Coco Vanderbalt vs. Kim Nguyen

25. Robin Sterling vs. Luna Madison

26. Reina "Glitch" Crowne vs. Minnie Choi

27. Violet Willow vs. Amaya Raine

28. Maria Garcia vs. Emi Vanda

29. Lila Yamamoto vs. Marisa Golding

30. Harper Dune vs. Shanelle Onyx

31. Tessa Park vs. Avery Styles

32. Roxie Grand vs. Naomi Storm

33. Lola Wilde vs. Sabrina St Cloud

34. Veronica Storm vs. Eliza McFee

35. Ayesha Sterling vs. Ainsley Slater

36. Demi Batista vs. Meline Luxe

So yeah, those are the rounds. Get ready, because the first match is soon!

#rainbow high

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thetidkes · 1 year ago

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FRENCH GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENT

Upcoming French Open is due very soon and there is series of civil unrest incidents. But the national security threat is at a medium level. Hence you might pack your bag and head to watch the most exciting game of all, the French Open. It is also known as Roland Garros. It’s a major tennis event that will be played from 28th May 2023 to 11th June 2023. It is held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, since 1928. Roland Garros is the French aviator after whom the tournament and venue is named. This is the only Grand Slam tournament that is held on clay court. It is the second major tennis tournament that is held after the Australian Open.

Official Roland Garros tournament poster

Since the year 1980, French Tennis Federation has invited artists to create an official poster. This year the poster is created by French artist Maxime Verdier. It is a beautiful poster with a halo on court Philippe-Chatrier and tennis ball-stars in the night sky. It’s an inspiration to all the players. A beautiful thought presented artistically.

Champions – Past and present

The current men champion is Rafael Nadal(singles). He has fourteen French titles to his credit. And the current women champion is Iga Swiatek (singles). And the most doubles titles for men, won by Roy Emerson (six) and most doubles titles for female is with Margaret Court (four). The most Women’s singles titles (seven times),was won by Chris Evert. She also has won the Golden Slam in the year 1988. She has eighteen Grand Slam singles titles to her credit. Carlos Alcaraz, who is also a favourite, won the Italian Open to regain his number one spot and secured the top seeding in Roland Garros.

Most successful French Open player

There is only one question that all tennis lovers are asking, Is Nadal playing the French Open? Everyone is hopeful of seeing Rafael Nadal in this year’s French Open. He has 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles under his belt. There has been a doubt regarding Rafael Nadal playing this French open after he sustained a hip injury. It is difficult to imagine a French Open without Rafael Nadal.

Players for French Open

A total of one hundred twenty-eight players will be playing in this year’s tournament, of which one hundred and four players will be through ranking, sixteen players through qualifying and eight players through wild card. A total of 32 men’s singles players will be seeded for this year’s French Open. This is done on the basis of current world ranking and their eligibility.

Watch out for Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Aryan Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Iga Swiatek and many more popular players. Iga Swiatek will be looking to defend the Women’s Singles crown.

Do you know that the winners of the French Open actually does not get to keep the original trophy. They get a replica which is smaller and made of silver. This year the prize money for French open has increased by 12.3%. Also, the prize money for the qualifying competition has been increased by 11.8%. It must be a heartening news for all young tennis players who would like to make ‘playing tennis’ their career.

So, grab a racquet, practice and prepare for future. We here, at THE TIDKES, would like to be a part of your bright future by empowering you with the best tennis racquet and tennis balls.

Thank you for reading this article. We at thetidkes are confident that our women cricketers will put in their best and make our country proud. We also hope that many of our young women will now take up cricket as a sport and career.

All guys and gals do visit our ecommerce platform thetidkes. This is one of best online sport shop in india for the best cricket equipment and all sports related equipment and accessories. Best quality of SS Kashmir Willow Cricket Bat , Kahmir willow cricket bat online at best price. They have all types of other sports like badminton, football, basketball, volleyball and table tennis, etc. Do visit our retail store, TT SPORTS, at Akola, Maharashtrato find a wide range of sports products and accessories. We are authorized distributors of COSCO, Yonex, Nivia, Spartan, SS, Tennex, Konex and many more Indian and global brands.

You can contact us through social media.

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Facebook: Tidke Exporters and Traders Private Limited

#sports

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sca-nerd · 6 years ago

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OKAY BUT I WISH I HAD TAKEN VIDEO OF THIS!

So Hidden Mountain does a great job with their children and youth. Like - I am always super impressed with the time and effort they put into activities and boffer and things. I wish I liked other people’s little kids enough to do the things that they do.

Before the tournaments on Saturday, they had youth combat. There were, I think, maybe five or six kids in armor competing (one of ours forgot his cup and the other one I don’t think even brought his armor). One of the combatants was a little girl named Willow. I think Willow is around 6. Willow is now my hero and inspiration.

For those of you who haven’t watched youth combat - you should. It’s so much fun watching THEM have fun, and it really reminds you that what we do is a game and it’s meant to bring you joy. Willow brought a whole lot of people joy.

In one of her matches, when the Marshal called lay on, she proceeded to scream and rush her opponent. It was a battle cry to end all battle cries and should be a ringtone. Watching this tiny, armor clad warrior scream and rush into combat was adorable, hilarious, and empowering. Especially when her opponent back peddled a couple of steps.

And then she died. But this little girl didn’t JUST die. She D.I.E.D. When she lost her fight, she dramatically flung both her shield and sword into the air and collapsed to the ground with an equally impressive death-rattle. I wasn’t sure which she enjoyed more - the fighting or the dramatic demises. Spectators appreciated both.

At one point during the Rapier tournament, one of the fighters looked at his opponent and proceeded to scream in a very Willow-esque way. “What? It was adorable when she did it.” He reasoned.

It was. It really, really was.

#MySCA #SCA #society for creative anachronism #Barony of Hidden Mountain #boffer #youth combat #our fighters could learn to be more dramatic in death like her #I wonder if she would teach a class at university #kingdom of atlantia #willow for crown tournament

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wlntrsldler · 4 years ago

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unrequited (draco malfoy/cedric diggory series)

PROMPT: You and Cedric grew up together. After the tragedy of the Triwizard Tournament, you’re left feeling empty without your best friend. Draco Malfoy steps into the picture. Will the feelings be reciprocated? Or will it be unrequited?

WARNINGS: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, angst, fluff, sadness???

PAIRING: draco malfoy x reader and cedric diggory x reader; hufflepuff reader

WC: 2.2K+

UNREQUITED MASTERLIST

PART 1

“You know you're my best friend, right?” Cedric muttered from beside you, nudging the side of your rib with his elbow. “Always will be.”

The final stage of the Triwizard tournament was creeping up behind you. It was said to be one of the most dangerous obstacles in history. Cedric acted smug about it, acting like the idea of death didn’t phase him one bit. In front of other Hufflepuffs, he let out an empty chuckle, declaring that the TriWizard cup would be home on the mantle of the Hufflepuff common room by the end of it all. But during the moments where only he and you existed in the world, his lips quivered and his breath was broken as he explained to you how much he loved you.

During Cedric’s first two years at Hogwarts, he would come home and tell you all about his year. He would teach you spells in secret and make potions with you so by the time you entered as a first-year, you were already ahead of everyone else. He would spend his days and nights with you when he wasn’t at Hogwarts. Fellow students would make fun of him for how often he would receive owls with your name attached to the back of the envelope.

Cedric was your best friend. Always will be.

“Of course, I know, you silly man.” You huffed, turning your head to face him. He was staring at you, eyes twinkling under the soft glow of the lonely moon. The air was crisp and the winds were quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the soft whispers between the two of you and if one were to focus enough, the incessant beating of Cedric’s heart rattling in his chest and the breaking of your heart in yours. “Why are you telling me this?”

He sighed, gulping down any sign of false bravado. He knew he never had to fake with you. You always did understand him, better than anyone ever could. “Y/N… Tomorrow’s obstacle is said to be deadly. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you in case it’s the last thing I’ll ever say to you.”

“Nonsense,” You replied, waving a hand in front of his face. You shook your head, not accepting the venomous words that slip past his lips. You blinked away the tears pricking your eyes, fearing that if you even let one drop slip, it might become a reality. “You’re Cedric Diggory. Nothing can break you.”

Cedric laughed a hearty laugh, startling the small animals finding sanctuary within the bushes that stayed static beside your bodies. His finger absently traced the scar on your hand, one that you got a few years back as you hid behind the Whomping Willow before you knew of its capabilities. Cedric rushed over to you once he heard you yelp in pain, a few meters away from the irritated creature. You ended up with Madam Pomfrey for a night and a half and the scar was the constant reminder you had of the memory. “Can you at least say it back?”

“Fine,” You playfully rolled your eyes, grinning at the sound of his laugh. It was your favorite thing. “You, Cedric Diggory, are my best friend. For now and for always.”

Cedric beamed and slowly started to sit up. You followed his actions and took his arm once he offered it to you. He led you a few steps towards the secret passageway that you both took most nights to get away before stopping. You cocked your head to the side, shooting him a puzzled look. He suddenly hugged you, tightly as if you were his lifeline, and mumbled incoherent, sweet, nothings into your ear. Cedric placed his chin on the top of your head, a single tear landing on your crown, making you shiver. “I’m scared, Y/N.”

You let out a broken sigh, digging your fingertips into the muscle of his back. You feel his warmth radiating on the side of your cheek, suddenly feeling wet. You hadn’t noticed the tears slipping from your eyes. It was quickly, too quickly, starting to feel like a reality. “Me too, Ced.”

“What do we have here?” A smug voice sneered from behind you. You and Hermione twisted your heads to look at the man harboring the posh voice. Malfoy. “A Hufflepuff and a mudblood. Pathetic duo, if you ask me.”

The boy was dressed in all black, a hint of emerald green in the silver pin that he sported on his vest. Crabbe and Goyle stood behind him, smiles reaching their eyes as they followed the Slytherin prince around. Draco’s hair fell perfectly to frame his face, loose strands looking intentional as they landed on the areas that made him look ethereal. It was unfair really, how beautiful Draco Malfoy was. He was like straight out of a painting; pale skin, soft hair, pink lips, that often contrasted his dark exterior and his detestable character.

“Get out of here, Malfoy.” You spat, narrowing your eyes at him. “Why are you even here? I’m sure all of us would have a lovelier time if you went on your merry way.”

“You’re a courageous little Hufflepuff, aren’t you?” He teased, words dripping with distaste. “I’ll have you know that I’m here to watch Potter crumble into pieces. Although, I’ll also settle for Diggory if it comes down to it.”

You let out an angry huff, “Oh, you little shi-”

“Y/N, don’t.” Hermione placed a hand on your shoulder, holding you back. “He’s not worth it.”

Draco chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. “A mudblood telling me my worth? Comedy. Where’s your boyfriend? Did Dumbledore finally get tired of housing the neverending line of Weasley scums?” He turned to Crabbe and Goyle. “Took him long enough.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Malfoy.” Ron chirped up from behind the three boys, three butterbeers in hand. “But I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere.”

Draco rolled his eyes but left without another word, the two boys following him as soon as he took his first step. Ron took his spot beside you and Hermione, passing you the butterbeers. The three of you looked down to where Harry and Cedric stood, the two boys in deep focus before the final round started.

Cedric’s eyes wandered the arena, stopping when his met yours. He smiled, teeth uncontained behind his lips and raised a thumb up. You mirrored his actions, raising your butterbeer in celebration of him making it this far. Dumbledore called for Cedric’s attention, letting him know that it was soon to begin. He nodded and got ready. Before the sound of the cannon, he turned to look at you one last time and mouthed, “I love you.” Just as you were going to reply, the cannon went off and Cedric disappeared into the darkness.

You heard disgruntled mumbling from a few people beside you. You turned and saw Draco with his eyebrows furrowed, staring at you. His cheeks were dusted with the mellowest shade of pink when he saw that you caught him staring. He quickly turned away, bottom lip caught between his teeth. You continued to stare, unable to decipher the look on the boy’s face. His eyes darted back to look at you, awkward under your intense fascination.

“Y/N?” Hermione’s voice pulled you out of your daze. She waved her hand in front of you, growing concerned. “Hello, Y/N?”

You snapped your attention back to her, blinking a few times to adjust your view. “I’m sorry, what?”

Ron laughed, taking a sip from his butterbeer. He motioned to where Cedric stood earlier, “She asked if you finally told Cedric how you felt about him.”

You shook your head, eyes growing wide. “I told you guys. I’ll never tell Cedric how I feel. It’s not like he’ll return the feelings anyway.”

“Have you seen the way he looks at you?” She asked, a slight irritation to her voice. “Sweetheart, that’s how every girl wants to be looked at. He’s so in love with you. It always baffled me how you never noticed.”

“Hermione,” You groaned, staring at your stubborn friend. “He doesn’t look at me in any way. He sees me as his best friend, nothing more.”

“Are you bloody stupid?” Ron responded, backing Hermione up. He ran his fingers through his ginger hair, tugging at the ends in frustration. “We’ve known the two of you for a fraction of the time you two have known each other and even we can see that you two are madly in love!”

“We agree.”

You looked past Ron’s shoulder to see the Weasley twins, grinning and nodding in agreement with their brother.

“You two don’t even know Cedric.”

Fred cocked an eyebrow, “We’ll have you know, we have Potions class together. He always wants to partner with us.”

“So yes, dear Y/N. We do know Cedric.” George chimed in.

“Well perhaps you do know him,” You trailed off. “But that doesn’t mean you guys know what he’s feeling. You’re just guessing.”

“It’s not guessing when he said it himself.”

Your eyes widened at the twins’ revelation. As you were about to question the two boys, a loud commotion caught everyone’s attention. All of you turned to the source of the sound to find Draco and a shattered glass of butterbeer pooling at Crabbe’s feet. His eyes narrowed, shooting daggers in your direction.

He spat, “Are we here to gossip or are we here to watch the Triwizard tournament?”

All of you remained silent, not knowing the reason for his sudden outburst. The words that the twins let slip danced in your thoughts the entire time. Everyone’s patience ran thin as the competition seemed to drag on. People left and returned upon hearing any sign of movement. You stayed, however, no matter how long it took for anyone to come back. You looked down at your yellow sweater, the initials “C.D” embroidered on the left sleeve.

Cedric got you the sweater the summer before your first year at Hogwarts. He picked it up at a shop at Hogsmeade, in yellow, confident that you were going to be placed in the same house as him. He knew you were always scared that you were going to be separated into a different house so he did little things to put your mind at ease. ‘I’ll be by your side no matter what happens but in your heart and mine, you’ll always be a Hufflepuff.’

You smiled at the memory, rubbing your thumb over the golden thread. You looked up at the sound of shuffling feet, moving away from you. You saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle making their way out, growing impatient with the lack of gore, you assumed. The blond boy disappeared behind the doors, slipping away from your line of vision.

You were on your third butterbeer, eyes slowly fluttering closed when you heard an audible gasp coming from everyone in the crowd. Your eyes shot open and watched as Harry and Cedric appeared in front of everyone. Harry’s body was covering Cedric.

You stood up, wanting to get a better look. You couldn’t wait to hug Cedric and congratulate him. Then you heard someone wail. Mr. Diggory.

Your knees buckled as you heard him yell and scream as he rushed down the steps to meet Cedric. The breath was knocked out of your lungs as you leaned against the barricade for support. You felt Hermione and Ron hold you up, stopping you from falling through. You were breathing unevenly, chest rising rapidly.

“Y/N?” Mr. Diggory called, head twisting in every direction trying to look for you. “Where’s Y/N?”

You shoved Hermione and Ron away, apologizing in your head for your roughness and ran down to meet him. You tripped over your own feet a few times, eyes not being any help as tears clouded your vision. The cold air was hitting your overly bitten lips, the cracks and scars growing sensitive with each breath. You pushed past everyone and fell to your knees when you got a good look at Cedric.

“Y/N…” You heard Harry say. “I’m so sorry.”

“W-why are you apologizing, Harry?” You questioned, stuttering over your words. “He’s okay. He’ll wake up.”

You didn’t realize that Ron and Hermione followed you until you heard Hermione’s broken cry after you said those words. You turned around and saw her face buried in Ron’s shoulder, a protective arm wrapped around the small of her back.

“Y/N…” Harry tried again, reaching out for you.

You pulled away, nearly crawling over to Cedric. You leaned close to him, a broken smile on your face. You whispered, “Ced, I’m here. Wake up, Ced. You did it. Ced?”

“Y/N..”

“No!” You yelled, shaking Cedric's body. “Ced, wake up.”

“Miss Y/L/N.” Dumbledore called for you, looking down at your pleading face. His eyes pooled with tears. “He didn’t make it.”

You crumbled into Cedric’s unmoving body. His eyes were still open, blankly staring back at you. The love and adoration that once swam in his pupils were gone and replaced with a gray smoke. Death. You sobbed into his chest, clinging onto his lifeless limbs. Your piercing cries shook everyone to their core, the entire arena falling silent as Mr. Diggory wrapped his arms around you and his son.

You placed your left arm under him, clutching him closer to your body. His blood stained the embroidery of his initials on your sweater, a painful memory overpowering your once sweet one.

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azapofinspiration · 4 years ago

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The Princess and Her Knight

Summary: It's been declared that Princess Ruby's hand will go to whoever wins the tournament, as the regent wishes for her to be at least engaged and comfortable with her partner before the time to take the crown comes.

Unfortunately, Ruby's heart is already set on the court minstrel, Weiss.

And yet, at the same time, a mysterious White Knight can't help but draw her attention as the tournament continues.

White Rose Week Day 7: The Princess and Her Knight

@white-rose-week

[AO3] [FF.Net]

“You know, most people would be flattered to have so many people fighting over her.” Yang bluntly said, ignoring Ruby’s pout.

“Easy for you to say,” Ruby grumbled. “You got to marry the love of your life.”

Ruby knew that Yang was in a different situation. After all, she and their father had married into the royal family so she wasn’t the heir despite their father having taken over as regent after the death of Ruby’s mother. She had a lot more flexibility when it came to her choices.

And if the love of her life was the daughter of Menagerie’s chief and their marriage helped secure an alliance between their kingdoms then that was merely a happy happenstance. If their dad had said no, Yang would’ve just run away with her probably.

But Ruby was the heir to the throne. Within a few years, she would have to step up and take the crown, and her dad wanted her to at least be engaged and familiar with her partner by that time. And according to the laws, which he had tried to change but was shot down by the council, she had to marry either another royal or a noble.

So now a tournament was being held, with nobility and royalty from their and the surrounding kingdoms. The winner would receive Ruby’s hand in marriage.

It didn’t matter that Ruby’s heart was set on another.

“They don’t want me. They’re all here for honor or glory or status or…other stuff.” Ruby gestured at the armored contestants milling about. “Even if they know me, none of them really know me.”

“What? Like Weiss?” Yang’s voice had softened with sympathy, even as Ruby’s heart gave a discordant twang.

Yes, Weiss actually knew her. She was Ruby’s best friend.

However, Weiss was just the court minstrel.

Weiss had arrived in their court right about the same time Ruby had begun her training to become queen. She could play pretty much any instrument presented to her and her voice was akin to that of angels. Ruby had been intrigued by her from the start. After all, it wasn’t everyday you encountered a girl with hair and skin as white as snow, much less a girl with a scar marring her face. Some would call it ugly, but if anything, Ruby had always thought it made her even more beautiful, showing her will to survive despite getting slashed open right over her left eye.

Yang suspected that Weiss was to some degree of noble birth, given how her manners rivalled those of the haughtiest lord or lady of the court, but Ruby found that to be unlikely. Though those manners and sense of propriety may have been why Weiss had tried to keep a certain distance between herself and Ruby at the beginning, despite Ruby trailing after her like a puppy in her free time.

Weiss could be sarcastic and distant, but as Ruby had watched, she noticed the kind and caring person underneath the chilly veneer. And before they knew it, they’d gotten closer and closer until Ruby could hug her and call her her best friend and only get a roll of the eyes instead of a gentle push away and a lecture on proper etiquette.

Then somehow, without even noticing it, Ruby had fallen in love.

Ruby desperately wished to tell Weiss her feelings, but she wasn’t about to risk her most precious friendship. Besides, even if her feelings were returned, they wouldn’t be able to marry due to Weiss’s commoner status.

It wasn’t fair.

And Weiss wasn’t even here at the moment!

“Yeah…” Ruby mumbled, slumping in her seat despite her mental Weiss lecturing her on her posture. “Why did she have to leave and attend family business now of all times?”

Shortly before this tournament’s announcement, Weiss had received a letter that apparently urged her home for some emergency. Ruby had been upset at the time, though understanding as she of all people knew the importance of family.

Now she was despondent as by the time Weiss got back she’d surely be engaged and unable to ever reveal her feelings.

“It sucks, but that’s how it is.” Yang shrugged but gave her an understanding smile. “I’m sure things will be fine when she gets back.”

“No they won’t. I’ll be engaged.”

Yang sighed. Ruby could understand that she was trying to cheer her up, but it just wasn’t happening. “Let’s at least check out the competition, shall we?”

“Fine.” Ruby sighed and she cast her gaze over at her potential suitors.

Jaune Arc was from a large noble family with a history of turning out fantastic knights. Jaune himself was fairly decent but Ruby would never be able to get over her first impression of him where he vomited right on her shoes as she trained with her family’s knights. Overall, he wasn’t the worst person she could get married to, but there were plenty of powerful contestants.

Pyrrha Nikos, for example, was a strong contender. She was considered to be one of the strongest fighters on the continent, the Gladiator from Argus. She could probably trounce every single person here, but Ruby already knew that she wouldn’t as she was just participating out of obligation and she was sweet on a certain knight who was prone to blowing chunks when nervous.

Penny Polendina was someone that Ruby was fairly familiar with. She was one of the best knights that served the Ironwoods, the royal family of Atlas. She and Ruby trained together during a diplomatic mission in Atlas several years ago and they had kept correspondence since. Ruby was sure that she could count her as a friend. Maybe not necessarily one of her closest ones, but a friend all the same.

Oscar Pine was currently being trained by one of the most powerful mages in the world, Ozpin, but he did some knight training as well. He always seemed nice enough, but Ruby really didn’t consider him to be romantic interest material.

Neptune Vasilias and Ilia Amitola were both knights from Menagerie and close friends of Blake’s. Ruby knew them more by reputation and Blake’s stories than personally interacting with them. Neptune was a bit of a flirt but usually pulled through when it counted while Ilia was more serious and quite stealthy in her work, able to slip in and out of situations easily. Ruby figured they’d be okay partners if it came down to it.

Mercury Black on the other hand was a hard no. He served Lady Cinder Fall, who was herself known for her devious and power-hungry tactics, having married into the nobility and her husband almost immediately dying under mysterious circumstances, and Ruby did not trust him a bit. She didn’t like the sly looks he kept throwing her way. He was only allowed because her father had made this an open invitation so they couldn’t technically turn him away.

And the eighth participant…

Ruby frowned as she took them in.

The eighth participant wore white armor and unlike everyone else who was getting in their last fresh breaths before the tournament started, they already had their helmet on. They stood next to their horse, feeding her a sugar cube as they inspected their lance. They weren’t that big, probably even shorter than Ruby, and had a slight figure. A rapier was at their hip, clearly their weapon of choice.

Ruby had no clue who they were.

She was familiar with most of the royalty and nobility, as one in her position as heir to the throne should be, but she didn’t know who the White Knight was.

She glanced at the knight’s standard and felt her eyebrows rise.

“Huh.” Yang said, clearly also noticing the symbol. “Well, what do you know.”

A white snowflake on a blue background.

The Schnee insignia.

Ruby narrowed her eyes.

The Schnees were one of the most powerful noble families in Atlas. However, ever since the Duchess, Willow, had taken ill years ago, her husband, Duke Jacques, a former commoner, had mostly taken over control of her duties. And there was not much good to be said about how he ran things while she continued to be indisposed. He was a merchant at heart and still conducted his business, tying it into the Schnee affairs, and he was as cutthroat as the worst of them. Ruby had frequently heard of him and King James butting heads before coming to begrudging agreements. The family never came to events, isolating themselves with usually only Jacques emerging to conduct business.

The Schnees had three children. Ruby had only heard talk of the eldest and heir Winter, mainly because she had chosen to take a knighthood from the Ironwoods. The Schnees were infamous for their skills in magic, making them highly desirable in courts, so everyone had been jealous of Ironwood snagging one of them despite the family’s isolation. Jacques had been insistent on the family relying on only their own power, so now they took on no knights and had no mages, members of the family undergoing rigorous training and tutoring within their castle walls. So Winter had caused quite the scandal with apprenticing herself out, though given that the Schnees served the crown just as much as anyone else, there had not been much that Jacques could do.

Ruby knew that the other children were a girl and a boy, but only rumors were whispered about them. They said that the middle child had been maimed by Jacques and shut up in a tower for daring to disobey him. Or that she’d been left in the woods to die after refusing to marry who her father had picked to secure more power. Or her father had tricked her with a rigged test of skills and she was long dead, though no one knew for sure. They said that he’d tried to make the boy the heir after Winter left and the other daughter was silenced, but the king’s council had stopped him. It was hard to tell what was true with how little the family was seen in public. It was all too easy to imagine horrors behind the doors of the coldest noble family in the world.

And yet, here was a member of that mysterious family, vying for her hand in marriage.

“D’you think it’s the girl or the boy?” Yang asked as she sat up and squinted at them. Her eyes flickered over to where King James and his entourage had set themselves up, Winter Schnee clearly by his side as she was rumored to always be. “Which would you prefer?”

Ruby scowled. “Neither.” She firmly said.

A Schnee was a fascinating prospect, but given the head of the family’s reputation, it did not bode well for one of them to be participating.

Yang hummed, tilting her head to the side. “Well, this should be interesting…”

“What should be interesting?”

Ruby glanced over as Blake took her seat at Yang’s other side. She too was glancing over the competition, and her gaze eventually settled on the Schnee. Though surprisingly, she didn’t look too shocked, which stuck out to Ruby. The Schnee business ventures had a lot of dealings with Menagerie, mostly to Menagerie and the Faunus’ detriment, and Blake was well known for her low opinion of Jacques.

“So you noticed the Schnee, too?” Yang pointed out the obvious. “We were just talking about them. What sort of scheme do you think Jacques is up to, trying to win Ruby’s hand?”

“Not much probably.” At Ruby and Yang’s surprised blink, Blake continued. “You haven’t heard? New evidence was brought forth of all of the Duke’s underhanded dealings and presented to the king. He’s been arrested and is still awaiting trial.” Blake took a sip from her goblet, ignoring Ruby and Yang’s slack-jawed expression.

“Holy cannoli…” Yang muttered. “So is this one of them trying to regain the family’s honor or something?”

“Considering it was the second daughter and the Duchess who provided the information, I think they’ve proved that some people in the family do have honor.” Blake dryly replied. “Apparently Jacques had been drugging the Duchess for years to take over her duties?”

“Whoa…” Ruby breathed out, impressed despite herself. The second daughter did sound pretty awesome, but then again, as she glanced back at the White Knight, there was no guarantee that this was her. It could just as easily be the son, and rumors said he took more after his father than either daughter. “Still, that doesn’t mean they’re not suspicious.” She crossed her arms and fixed her pout on her face. “They probably aren’t really interested in me, just like more than half of the others participating.”

“You’d be surprised.” Blake muttered, taking another sip and rolling her eyes at Yang’s attempt to steal her drink.

Before Ruby could ask what she meant by that, the trumpets sounded to signal the tournament’s start.

It proceeded much as Ruby thought it would once the bracket’s were announced.

Pyrrha wasn’t able to go all out on Jaune, clearly holding back, but she still easily won. Likewise, Penny won out over Neptune, and poor Oscar hadn’t stood a chance against Mercury.

Ruby kept a close eye on the bout between Ilia and the White Knight, but the Knight proved to be the superior of the two. Though Ruby was impressed by the Knight stopping to help Ilia up after it was over, showing a kindness she didn’t expect due to the Schnees’ reputation.

In the second round, Penny just barely won. She and Pyrrha had to resort to hand-to-hand combat to determine the winner, and in the end, Penny’s throwing knives allowed her to stay out of the range of Pyrrha’s spear.

On the other side, Ruby was sure that Mercury had tried some tricks, as she saw Mercury approaching the Knight before their bout and whispering in their ear with a sly smile all too similar to his mistress’s. Given the way they’d jerked back and she could practically feel them glowering at him through their helmet, it certainly sparked Ruby’s curiosity. However, Mercury ended up getting knocked out without too much trouble.

And that left for the final round…

“So who do you want to win? Penny or Mystery Schnee?” Yang asked as she snacked on some treats. Ruby had been so caught up in the fighting that she hadn’t even noticed her leaving to get food.

Ruby sunk back into her chair as she looked over at her final two choices.

Penny was her friend and Ruby cared for her dearly. But she was just a friend. Ruby had never thought of her in a romantic or partner-type way. Sure, Ruby could probably marry her for the good of the kingdom, but…

And the White Knight, the Schnee seemed to be pretty alright. As much as one could glean personality from someone who they’ve only seen fighting and is wearing a helmet besides. At the very least, it’d be fun to spar with them. Which gender they were wasn’t really a factor to Ruby, as usually actually knowing someone was what really made someone attractive to her, which is why…

This wasn’t what she wanted.

If she had a choice, she’d choose Weiss.

But Weiss wasn’t an option.

Yang sighed and ruffled her hair a bit. “Yeah, I know.”

“Hey!” Ruby smacked her hand away and scowled at her. She quickly fixed her hair but paused as she felt the prickle of someone’s eyes on her. She turned her head to see the White Knight facing her. She blinked a bit in surprise, but they quickly turned away.

Blake chuckled. “It might not be as bad as you think.”

Yang glanced at her, eyes narrowed. “Do you know something?”

“No.”

“I think you do.”

“Well, even if I did, I wouldn’t say anything.”

“Well - “

“Shush!” Ruby finally interrupted their flirting. “It’s starting.”

Penny and the White Knight were well matched. They kept on coming out even after each run until finally it came down to hand-to-hand. The White Knight drew their rapier and Ruby couldn’t help but be slightly impressed by their skill. They clearly were someone who relied on technique and skill and they still managed to do so even with the bulky weight of full armor.

But Ruby knew Penny was one of the strongest fighters she knew. This match was already decided before it began.

It was as much a surprise to her, as it was to the rest of the audience, when the White Knight managed to evade the last of Penny’s knives, knock off her helmet, and held the tip of their rapier to Penny’s throat.

A clear victory.

Applause thundered around her, but Ruby could only stare in shock.

All her preferences aside, she had thought that Penny would win. And she would’ve accepted it, despite her misgivings, but now…

Ruby didn’t know what to do with this.

Her dad, Taiyang, stood from where he’d been seated on the throne to watch the proceeding and ignore his daughters’ chatter about the events. He’d been surprisingly quiet, not even joking around with Uncle Qrow during the tournament like he usually would, and Ruby had forgotten that he was even sitting beside her this whole time.

“Congratulations, champion!” Her dad’s voice boomed over the waning applause as the White Knight collected their horse and came to stand before the royal box. “You have bested your peers and proven yourself a knight capable of protecting the royal family. As per the rules of the tournament, you have won the hand of our fair princess Ruby. Do you accept your prize?”

The White Knight was silent for a moment before reaching up to take off their helmet.

“I will gladly take her hand - “

Ruby’s breath caught in her throat as the White Knight spoke. That voice -

“But only if she gives it of her own free will.”

As the helmet came off, long white hair came tumbling down from the high ponytail on their head, blue eyes shone as they gazed up towards Ruby, and a slight smile tugged at the scar going through their left eye.

“So,” Weiss smiled up at Ruby, as smug as the cat who ate the canary, “what do you say, your highness?”

“Weiss?!” Ruby erupted in shock, just as her face exploded in red.

“Holy crow…” Yang muttered, just as surprised as she was.

Blake continued eating, completely indifferent. “Are you going to answer her or not?” She flatly asked.

“Oh, uh,” Ruby floundered a bit more as Weiss just chuckled a bit, “yes!” She shouted, before recovering her royal composure. “I mean, yes. Of course, I would love to give you my hand.”

She extended her hand to show her sincerity and Weiss took it. Weiss clasped her hand before bringing it before her face and giving it a light kiss.

“Gchk!” Ruby practically choked as she felt her face heat up even more if possible.

Weiss smirked, eyes dancing with mirth over her reaction. “Then I guess we’re engaged.”

“Yep.” Ruby’s father grinned as well, before projecting to the audience once more. “It is now official! Her highness, the Crown Princess Ruby Rose, is engaged to the White Knight, Lady Weiss Schnee of Atlas.”

The crowd roared around them but Ruby was feeling faint from the whiplash of everything that happened.

How were you supposed to feel when one minute you’re about to be locked in a marriage you don’t want and the next you’re getting everything you want with the person you want?

She felt a slight tug on her hand. Ruby looked down to see the teasing expression gone, replaced by the concerned look on Weiss’s face. “Are you alright?” She frowned a bit. “It’s fine if you don’t want to do this.”

Ruby’s heart skipped a beat. “I do. Trust me, I do.” She smiled at her and squeezed her hand back. “But an explanation would be nice.” She admitted.

Weiss nodded. “Of course.”

Somehow, Ruby knew this was going to be a doozy.

“Your dad tried to have you killed?!” Yang’s jaw dropped and Ruby felt hers dropping right with hers.

They’d gathered in the library as the feast celebrating the end of the tournament and Ruby’s engagement began to wind down. It was the place they had always hung out together, but for once their meeting was a bit more urgent than usual.

Weiss hummed, much too at ease with such a horrific fact. “I should’ve thought there was something suspicious when he said that if I managed to complete the quest I’d be allowed to leave the manor as I wished. As it was, I did complete it and I managed to have my sister secretly arrest my attacker, but I didn’t come away unscathed.” Like she didn’t realize she was doing it, her fingers lightly traced her scar.

“So it was better to have him think me dead. Part of the reason why I wanted to leave was to become a knight like my sister and to restore our family’s honor that my father had tarnished. The attack made me realize that simply doing good would not be enough, I had to take out my father as well.” Weiss continued. “So I fell back on my other talents. Music has always been a passion of mine, one that my father actually encouraged, so becoming a minstrel was an easy task. No one looked twice at me, allowing me to gather all the evidence I needed. Only King James, my sister, and my family’s loyal head butler knew of my task back in Atlas, and of course, I did inform Regent Taiyang when I ended up here.”

“And you knew this entire time?” Yang rounded on Blake.

She didn’t even blink. “The Faunus and Menagerie have been the victims of most of her father’s crimes. Well, most of the ones not done to his own family.” Blake glanced over at Weiss before returning to looking at Yang. “I was aware of all members of the Schnee family, so of course I recognized her right away.”

“Blake has been invaluable with my investigations.” Weiss shot her a smile before catching the disappointed frown on Ruby’s face.

“So the important family business?” Ruby prodded.

Her expression softened. “I’d finally gathered all that I needed, but I had originally intended to wait to confront him. I wanted to reveal the truth to you first, but I received news from Klein that my father had been acting more suspicious than usual so I had to go after him much sooner. He was making alliances with factions that sought to overthrow King James and later attack the other kingdoms. Unfortunately, even with my intervention, his conspirators escaped.” Weiss scowled. Ruby knew that she was always harder on her own flaws than anyone else, and this untidy wrap-up of the incident was most likely weighing on her.

Ruby took in her sister’s thoughtful expression as they both mulled over this new information. Truthfully, it was a lot to take in. Ruby was almost overwhelmed with how much she had learned about Weiss in such a short amount of time.

Weiss was a noble, of the infamous and powerful Schnee family.

Weiss was not only a musician and minstrel, but also a knight.

She could almost be considered a spy, given that she’d somehow been able to go undercover to investigate her own family, her own father.

Weiss was somehow even more talented than she had ever imagined.

Yang clapped her hands together. “Well, that’s good enough for me.” She smiled as she apparently recovered all the revelations. “Blake, how about we give the lovebirds some alone time?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Blake returned the smile as she took her arm and led the way out.

Weiss sputtered, her composure finally broken. “We’re not ‘lovebirds!’”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Yang waved at them as they left. “You guys just got engaged. The honeymoon period’s officially started.”

“Yang!” Weiss facepalmed once more before turning back to Ruby. “Ugh, Ruby, your sister - “

“Weiss.”

Weiss blinked at her. Her eyes searched hers for a moment, looking for something, though Ruby didn’t know what. “Yes?” She cautiously replied.

“I just - I just wanted to know if - “ Ruby paused, the words tripping from her mouth. “I know you said that you wanted to tell me, but was everything else just - just - “

“Oh.” Luckily, Weiss understood her better than she knew herself. “Ruby, I may not have told you about my family or about my personal mission, but it wasn’t a lie.” She hesitated before taking Ruby’s hand in her own. “I know why you may think that, but I never tried to hide who I was or tried to get close because I thought it would benefit me.”

“If anything, you tried to push me away.” Ruby chuckled and Weiss joined her.

“Yes.” She smiled. “Now that all of my family drama is over with, I can now focus on other things.”

“I know you asked me if I really wanted this, but do you?” Ruby couldn’t help but ask.

“Ruby, I only joined the tournament for your sake.”

Ruby looked away, feeling a blush rise once more in her cheeks.

“Your father even ensured that I was knighted before I joined. The moment I returned he told me what was going on. And I knew that I at least wanted to protect you from those who weren’t actually interested or those who were interested but for all the wrong reasons.” Weiss scooted a bit closer as she said that until their knees were touching. “And now that we know that this is what we both want…”

Weiss held both of Ruby’s hands and brought them up, squeezing them tight. “Ruby, I promise to protect you to the best of my ability. I will follow your lead wherever you go and my sword is yours to command. I want you and I love you. Will you have me?”

Ruby felt herself getting a bit teary-eyed. “Of course,” she replied, “but isn’t it a bit too soon for the wedding vows?”

Weiss huffed and looked away, her face a bit flushed, “I just want you to know how I feel and assure you that I’ll be here for you. Is that such a crime?”

“No,” Ruby laughed and then she leaned in and pressed her forehead to Weiss’s, making her freeze in place, “just as long as you know I’ll be here for you, too.”

Weiss was full out blushing now, and while red was usually Ruby’s favorite color, she found this to be her favorite shade yet.

“May I kiss you, my knight?” Ruby asked in a slightly teasing tone.

Weiss smiled. “You may, my princess.”

And as they finally came in for a kiss, Ruby couldn’t wait for the ballad that Weiss would surely write about them.

The Princess and Her Knight.

Ruby liked the sound of that.

AN: KNIGHT WEISS! KNIGHT WEISS! KNIGHT WEISS!

I know that Weiss is set-up (by both her circumstances and her fairy tale analog) as the princess-type, but as the series continues Knight Weiss has truly begun to rise. I just love Weiss in the role of the knight. It's great so that's what I did here.

When I originally thought up this fic, I had it ending after Weiss's reveal as the White Knight and her asking for Ruby's hand only if it's willingly and Ruby accepting. Typical fairy tale ending, right? But as I re-worked it and added in elements, like how the Schnees fitting into this AU, their role (like at one point they and the Ironwoods were the dual rulers of Atlas but I decided to just make the Schnees like top-tier nobility instead), and how Weiss fits into that (plus her supposedly still being on family business was a good excuse to not be by Ruby's side like she would've been otherwise), I realized that I probably should explain what was going on with that and I ended it on a note that was just as sweet.

Oh, and as mentioned, the Schnees, including Weiss, do have magic in the form of their Glyphes in this world. Ruby remembers this fact at like 3 AM the next morning and burst into Weiss's room to ask if she had magic as well and promptly gets magicked out, as Weiss can do that to the princess now that they're engaged and she hates being woken up.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! I know I didn't do as many fics this year, but I had fun with the ones I did do.

#RWBY #White Rose #White Rose Week #Ruby Rose #Weiss Schnee #Yang Xiao Long #Blake Belladonna #Whiterose #Background Bumblby #Day 7: The Princess and Her Knight #The Princess and Her Knight #RWBY fanfic #my fanfic tag

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hedwigstalons · 4 years ago

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High Expectations - Ch20

I’ve been a little quiet for a bit because illness hit me hard (although thankfully not for too long). I’m back though and I bring another chapter of the beast that keeps on growing.

Extra thanks to @willow-salix who had to deal with my post-fog writing going back a few stages and who helped beat this into some sort of coherency.

Earlier parts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen

AO3 chapter link

Chapter Twenty

The mood in the plane was buoyant and the air was charged with testosterone and bravado. The transport flight was filled with Air Force personnel and their destination was Fort Hood, Texas. Scott hummed absently, his fingers drumming out a little beat on his knee, feeling relaxed for the first time in weeks, normally being a passenger on a flight made him agitated as he itched to be in the pilot’s seat but today was different.

The Army was the designated host of this year’s United States inter-service sports tournament and Fort Hood was the location where, for the next few days those selected to represent their respective services would compete in their chosen sports.

The tournament was supposed to be a friendly coming together of the various United States forces plus the various World Security Patrol branches, and for the most part it was friendly although it would be a lie to suggest there wasn’t a certain amount of posturing and goading underneath the surface. For those taking part it was a chance to uphold the honour of their chosen service and score some one-upmanship, for those like Scott who had been selected before it was also a chance to settle old scores.

For Scott it would be a blessed interlude between missions; after his last assignment he was in desperate need of some R&R but with taking leave off the cards this came a close second for allowing him to decompress and see the good side of military life. It would be a chance to indulge in some physical activity that he didn't have to think too hard about, recently his life had been nothing but one exhaustive mission after another. For once he was happy to be free from the burden of command for a while, his primary mission now was to run fast, fight hard and add as many points as possible to the Air Force tally.

His thoughts turned to last year’s competition; he’d done well and never placed lower than fifth in any of his events despite one Seaman Jeffries of the World Navy tripping him in 1500m, an action that by rights should have seen the man disqualified. Unfortunately the rankings were upheld with Jeffries placing second while he had struggled to regain ground and claim fifth. The injustice still rankled and he wondered if he would have to face the nefarious Jeffries again this year.

“Sir,” Scott called across to the Major who had been designated at team captain and was in charge of the Air Force contingent, “do you have a copy of the events list I can take a look at?”

“Sure Tracy, I brought some spares just in case” Major Ellis replied, passing a sheaf of papers across the aisle. “You’re up on the Wednesday afternoon for your track events and then Thursday afternoon for the martial arts. See any familiar names?”

“One or two” Scott replied as he checked out the list of competitors. “The US Army have put Moran in the hurdles again. I’d love to beat him this time and wipe that smug smile off his face. I’ve never met anyone so gloating.”

Having scrutinized the running order and competitors for his own events, no Jeffries, thank God, Scott began idly flicking through the rest of the programme. As he scanned the lists he spotted a familiar name, wanting confirmation of his suspicions he pulled out his phone and sent a message.

How far out of Fort Hood are you?

About 40 minutes came the response. This was quickly followed by How did you find out? Everyone at home promised not to tell you. I wanted it to be a surprise. If it was Alan I’ll kill him.

Competitor list. See you soon.

Scott let out an involuntary chuckle knowing Gordon would be mad at giving himself away and thus depriving himself of the element of surprise in any pranks he had planned.

“What’s tickled your funny bone?” asked Ellis.

“It looks like you’re going to get to meet my kid brother.”

“Really?” Ellis asked curiously, opening up his own copy of the events list. “Is he on the other flight?”

“No, Gordon isn’t Air Force, he joined WASP.”

“You’ve got a brother in WASP? That’s a bit of a polar opposite to the Air Force. I bet that didn’t go down too well at home.” Scott had worked hard to build his own reputation but it was still well known who his father was and the Air Force pedigree he was following. “Is he another sprinter like you?”

“Dad took a little persuading” a frown furrowed his brow at the memory of Gordon’s journey into WASP; ‘a little persuading’ really didn’t do it justice but he wasn’t going to have the family’s dirty laundry aired in public, “but WASP was the natural choice really, Gordon’s a swimmer.”

Major Ellis found the relevant page and looked over the listings. The name Ensign G. Tracy leapt off the page again and again within the WASP entries.

“He’s all over the pool like a rash! Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. Is he really that good?”

“You evidently don’t follow swimming that much. I should’ve realised WASP would jump at the chance to put him on the squad. It’s not often anyone gets to field an Olympic medallist.” He couldn’t help the smile that split his face at the thought of seeing his brother swim again for the first time since the Games. Gordon had dedicated so many years to his sport and had achieved glittering success that gave Scott a rush of pride at the memories.

In the confined space of the plane their conversation was beginning to attract attention.

“What’s that about an Olympic medallist?”

“Dunno, ask Tracy.”

“Hey, Tracy, who’s got a medal?”

“My brother, Gordon.”

“You’re kidding!”

While Scott’s own unit might have been well versed in his sibling’s success story the competitors were pulled from across the Air Force, most of them complete strangers before boarding the flight. There was a flurry of movement as a couple of people pulled out their phones and plugged the name into a search engine. By now most of the plane was taking an interest. It didn’t take long for someone to dig out one of the news reports; Gordon’s Olympic win had taken place less than two years previously and coverage was easy to find.

“Here, listen to this.”

Team USA continue their race to the top of the medals table with a successful day in the pool. The crowning glory came from Gordon Tracy, a rising star in the swimming world, who not only achieved gold in the 200m butterfly but set a new world record in the process. This achievement is made more remarkable in that Tracy is just 17 years old.

“That’s your brother! And now he is on the WASP team? Heck Tracy, can’t you do something like hide his trunks so the rest of us stand a chance?” one of the Air Force’s own swimmers exclaimed.

“No can do. There is no way I’m sabotaging my own brother and don’t any of you think of trying anything either. If you had ever met Gordon you would know that wouldn’t work anyway, he would probably just do the race butt naked.”

xoxoxox

Gordon gazed listlessly out of the window of his own transport flight, the clouds forming an unbroken blanket below them, the vista bland and uninspiring. After 4 fours in the air he was feeling bored, cramped and fed up. He’d started the flight all keyed up at the thought of competing again but the long hours in the company of strangers was starting to wear thin. For one thing there was too much trash talking for his liking, he’d never gone in for the verbal sparring side of sport but it seemed his companions very much viewed the other services as the enemy at this event. It wasn’t an attitude he had encountered elsewhere in WASP and he hoped the bad mouthing would be constrained to these few days, it also wasn’t behaviour he could join in with in good conscious and so he had stayed quiet and kept himself to himself, trying to get back into competition mode after so long off the elite circuit. A vibration in his pocket startled him and he pulled out his phone.

How far out of Fort Hood are you?

Without thinking he typed About 40 minutes and hit the send button. Only when it was too late did it register who had sent the original message and he realised his mistake. He had wanted to surprise his oldest brother, the one who was hardest to meet up with due to their differing military commitments. He’d been able to tell the wider family about his selection during his period of leave over Alan’s birthday but with Scott away on his mission he’d been able to keep the news secret from his eldest sibling.

How did you find out? Everyone at home promised not to tell you. I wanted it to be a surprise. If it was Alan I’ll kill him.

Competitor list. See you soon.

Well, he supposed Scott would have found out in a few hours anyway and at least this way they would both be looking out for each other. He wasn’t quite sure of the format of the event or how easy it would be to break away and hunt down a member of one of the other services.

xoxoxox

Gordon wasn’t sure what he had been expecting from competition or from Fort Hood but it looked like finding Scott wasn’t going to be easy. Outside of their own events the personnel were able to watch the competition but there was very little free time beyond that. Even if he could get away, finding his brother was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack; the different services were billeted all over the base and by the end of the first day all he knew was that WASP was sharing a dorm block with the Coastguard Service and a mess hall with the US Navy.

Not that he had much time to brood, the swimming was taking place on the first day of the competition proper and after a hurried breakfast Gordon found himself hustled towards the pool.

He was looking forward to the chance of some competitive swimming again. The specialist training on the Merlin had been intensive and the extended time beneath the waves had ignited a passion for marine biology but the cramped space of a submarine had hardly been conducive to physical exercise. This competition would give him the opportunity to indulge in his first passion, he just hoped he was up to the task having been entered into far more events and across a wider range of disciplines that he was used to.

Aside from his trunks lacking the Team USA branding the competition was much like any other Gordon had attended. A fair crowd had filled the viewing gallery but Gordon couldn’t tell if Scott was amongst those in dark blue. Events were called, heats were swum (and usually won) and Tracy was once again a name to be reckoned with in the pool. It felt good to be cleaving through the water again. Despite not being in peak condition for swimming he was still in fine physical form over all and the muscle memory from all those races past carried him along to victory time and again. The main difference to his usual style of competition was the lack of medal ceremony at the end and at the conclusion of his last race Gordon was able to wend his weary way back to the changing rooms where he flopped down on a bench.

Pressing his shoulders against the cold tiles, eyes closed and head tipped back, the last of his energy was spent. It had been a long time since he’d pushed himself to those lengths in the water and normally his race card was rather more sparse, one elite athlete among many, each responsible for their own specialisms. The problem was, despite the high physical standards demanded by the military, elite athletes were in short supply and his pool times had placed him as primary candidate across more events than he was really comfortable taking on but he hadn’t felt able to say no to his superiors this early in his WASP career.

He concentrated on his breathing, listening to the hum and chatter of the other competitors around him, a cluster of WASPs gloating about their healthy position in the league table were his nearest companions. He knew he ought to be getting dry, knew he ought to be digging out the tracksuit he’d been issued for the event, but his limbs felt leaden. He wanted to be collapsed on his bunk but that involved moving and right now moving felt an impossible task.

“Gordon, eat something.”

He sensed a dimming of the light levels through his eyelids as a figure stepped between him and the harsh lights of the changing room. The voice was commanding but his eyes stayed firmly shut and his body refused to obey.

The figure in front of him was causing quite a stir but then that was typical of Scott. He tended to exude an attitude as though he owned a place and this evidently wasn’t going down well with the WASPs around him who bristled with resentment at the young figure in Air Force blue invading their section of the changing rooms. There were muttered jibes, reminiscent of those from the flight over, but the intruder wasn’t giving the WASP delegation the rise they so clearly desired. Having failed in their goading one of his team mates decided to square up to the man they evidently viewed as the opposition.

“And who the hell are you to order us around, flyboy?”

Scott’s eyes glittered at the challenge, a warning look that Gordon would have recognised from his own childhood had he been fully cognizant of the situation, Scott was not in any mood to be pushed.

“That’s Captain to you” there was a pause as he took in the insignia worn by the other man, neither were in traditional uniform but the competition sports kit still had a place for rank slides; after all, the military thrived on hierarchy “Chief Petty Officer, although I accept you may not be familiar with the rank structures of the other services”

Scott turned his attention back to his brother, ignoring the WASP who was now brisling after being firmly put in his place. He was well aware of the animosity being directed towards him but his focus was his sibling, not some jumped up sardine with a chip on his shoulder. He’d been concerned at the amount of events Gordon had pulled, and now, seeing his brother in the aftermath, he knew that concern had been justified. The figure in front of him was breathing a little too shallowly for comfort and hadn’t moved from the moment Scott had spied him from across the changing room. It had been a long time since he’d seen his brother swim himself to this level of stupor, years of competing had made Gordon pretty well attuned to his bodily needs, but evidently today he had neglected his post-race routine.

Gordon had gotten as far as taking off his swim cap but no further, water dripped down his torso from the flattened hair that was still slick from the showers. Even accounting for his time under the waves his skin was far paler than Scott was used to seeing. He’d come down with the intention of congratulating his brother on his success in the water but now his primary concern had turned to Gordon’s basic wellbeing.

Scott knew he had to get his blood sugars back up again. He grabbed his brother’s kit bag and rooted around in the end pocket. He allowed himself a small smile of triumph as his fingers closed around the packet of glucose tablets it appeared his brother still had the sense to carry. He extracted two tablets from the tube and, crouching down in front of his brother, placed them in Gordon’s palm before closing the lax fingers over them.

“Gords, you still with me? You need to get these into you.”

He paused while Gordon’s body processed the order, then let out a little breath of relief as the arm jerked up and Gordon began to suck on the tablets.

He hadn’t seen his brother crash this bad since he was about twelve. An early promotion to senior squad had seen the pre-teen eager to please his new coach while trying not to show anything that could be construed as weakness by his new and much older team mates and so the kid had forgone his post-race refuel. The result then had been Gordon turning a grim shade of grey and falling off the medal podium in a dead faint.

With the glucose tablets administered Scott turned his attention back to Gordon’s kit bag and pulled out a celery crunch bar, a firm favourite for the swimmer. He opened it and placed it in Gordon’s now empty hand. This was evidently an imposition too far for the WASP already disgruntled at being put in his place by the young captain.

“With all due respect Sir” there was a distinct sneer behind the formality “there’s no eating allowed in the changing rooms.”

If Scott’s eyes had glittered before, now they blazed with anger and contempt. Rising from his crouch in front of Gordon, he drew himself up to his full height and positively loomed over the belligerent WASP.

“With all due respect I would have thought you would rather your team mate got his blood sugars up, or does your first aid training not cover hypoglycaemia?” He took a step towards the WASP, encroaching into the man’s personal space in a clear display of dominance. “Not that you seem to be acting as a team right now. Would half of you even be here if it wasn’t for the relay events, or maybe you tried to enter him for all four legs of that at well?”

With the glucose hitting his blood stream Gordon became more aware of the increasing commotion around him. Voices that had once been jubilant now had a dangerous and angry edge and…yes...most of the anger seemed to be coming from Scott.

Something tripped blearily in his brain; what on Earth was Scott doing here and why did he suddenly feel so cold? Amber eyes cracked open and he forced his head open off the wall. The movement was clocked by Scott who was back in front of him in an instant.

“Hey Fish, you back with me?” All traces of anger had gone as he turned his attention back to his Gordon, the Air Force Captain replaced by the brother of old; the caregiver with the ready supply of band aids, ice packs and gentle admonishment as he presented yet another injury for inspection.

“Yeah, I’m...I’m good.” He looked down in confusion at the crunch bar in his hand, not entirely sure how it had got there, but took a bite anyway. “Guess I should have known better than to skip refuel.”

“Yeah, you should”

Yup, that was the Scott he knew from Kansas. Gordon felt like he was 9 years old again, being told off for being an idiot in the same ‘I told you so’ tone that had made it quite clear that of course jumping off the shed roof or using the frayed rope swing had been a bad idea.

“Yeah, thanks for that” A snort, an eye roll, and a re-emergence of the same attitude common to his past nine year old self.

“You’re okay now though, right? You’ll finish your bar and get dressed? Glucose tabs are back in the end pocket if you need more.”

“I’m fine, honest.” Okay, the slight whine was a little too much like a kid but he was tired and there was something about Scott’s familiar care that had him regressing 10 years. He forced protesting muscles to obey and hauled his back off the wall, rolling his shoulders to try and loosen the muscles that were rapidly seizing up. He tried to suppress a groan at the exertion, he wasn’t quite ready to try standing until after the crunch bar was finished but he also knew Scott would not be pacified until he saw some sort of response. The skeptical look he was given showed that Scott still wasn’t entirely convinced. Mustering up his remaining energy he returned the look with a grin which seemed to appease the elder Tracy.

“Hmm”, Scott didn't sound like he believed him but couldn't argue it, “well, get dry and get your kit on. You did good out there. I’ll be on the track tomorrow afternoon; I’ll see you there.” Without waiting for an answer Scott turned and exited the changing rooms.

The departure of the Air Force officer was followed with an outburst of grumbling from the WASP delegation.

“Asshole. Who the hell does he think he is, ordering us around?”

Gordon still hadn’t found his footing among the other swimmers, or the wider WASP delegation. He might be the highest ranking of those at the pool but he was also by far the youngest and with the shortest amount of service under his belt by a country mile. Rank structures overall seemed to be treated differently during the competition and these particular team mates seemed to have little regard for authority. He was conscious that a wrong move now could make life distinctly unpleasant for him, he might never see these men again after the competition was over but he still had to get through several more days in their company. He decided to play it for what it was; Scott being an irritating older brother.

“That was Scott. I think he got the whole older brother thing hard wired in at birth.”

“You’re related to that?” There was a contemptuous sneer aimed at Scott’s retreating form that set Gordon’s hackles raising but he knew sniping back would be an error.

“Yup. Of course, I got blessed with the good looks while he got the height.” He flashed a grin, trying to diffuse the tensions.

“Is he always such a jerk?” a Seaman sat to his right piped up, finding his voice now the imposing Captain was no longer practically standing on his toes.

Gordon shrugged; evidently the tensions were still there. “Only when he needs to be. I should’a thought to grab the glucose tabs myself after that many races. It’s been a while since I hit the pool competitively.”

There was a slight shuffling from the other swimmers, signs of guilt at not looking out for the young Ensign that had carried the team. Scott’s words about the rest of them only being there to make up the numbers for the relay, while not wholly accurate, weren’t far off the truth. They were all back in their dry kit while Gordon was still in his trunks, his skin still pale from the exertion even if his eyes had regained some brightness.

“Anyway,” he scruffed at his hair before drying off the rest of his body ready for dressing, “I need some real food after that and then I need to find out where the track events are being held.”

A snort. “Well we’ll be watching the shooting tomorrow. You can join us, or are you really going to do what big brother tells you?”

There was a challenge in the tone but Gordon was feeling more alive again and less tolerant of their needling. “I’m not going because he told me to, I’m going because he’s my brother and I want to. In my family we support each other and Scott, well, he’s done a lot for me.”

Decision made and allegiances stated he swung his kit bag over his shoulder and headed out to find some food.

#High Expectations #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Scott Tracy #Gordon Tracy #Military brothers #Family comes first #swimming

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medievalandfantasymelee · 2 months ago

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We will not be accepting visual propaganda for the tournament profiles of following contenders, simply because they already have more than we frankly know what to do with. (Worry not, we will accept and reblog any and all qualifying propaganda for them when the Round begins).

- Westley [Cary Elwes], The Princess Bride (1987)

- Lancelot [Santiago Cabrera], BBC's Merlin (2008-2012)

- Arthur Pendragon [Bradley James], BBC's Merlin (2008-2012)

- Robin Hood [Errol Flynn], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

- Madmartigan [Val Kilmer], Willow (1988)

- Henry V [Tom Hiddleston], The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

- Sir Gwaine [Eoin Macken], BBC's Merlin (2008-2012)

- Aragorn [Viggo Mortensen], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

- Xenk Yendar [Regé-Jean Page], Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

- Inigo Montoya [Mandy Patinkin], The Princess Bride (1987)

- Sheriff of Nottingham [Alan Rickman], Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

- Gawain [Dev Patel], The Green Knight (2021)

- Mat Cauthon [Donal Finn], The Wheel of Time (2021-)

- Caspian X [Ben Barnes], The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010)

- Geoffrey Chaucer [Paul Bettany], A Knight's Tale (2001)

- Oberyn Martell [Pedro Pascal], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

- Hubert Hawkins [Danny Kaye], The Court Jester (1955)

The following contenders still have had No Additional Propaganda submitted:

- Amleth [Alexander Skarsgård], The Northman (2022)

- Niccolò Machiavelli [Thibaut Evrard], Borgia (2011-2014)

- Merry Brandybuck [Dominic Monaghan], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

- "Hotspur" Percy [Joe Armstrong], The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

And the following still has no Text Propaganda for his profile:

- Prince Jingim [Remy Hii], Marco Polo (2014)

The First Round of Competition shall commence on Sunday, the 29th of September.

This round shall last seven days and consist of ten Tilts (polls) per day* of competition, posted at half-hour intervals beginning at 4:00 PM each day by the reckoning of Eastern Daylight Time.

If you have any propaganda that you would like to be included in a contender's tournament profile please make sure you send it by this coming Saturday.

*Due to the the number of polls in this round (74) on the first and last days of competition, we will be posting twelve tilts.

#announcements #housekeeping #medieval hotties round 1

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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

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National Enquirer, January 18

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Bill and Hillary Clinton

Page 2: Katie Holmes’ friends are warning her to wise up about her hot-tempered beau Emilio Vitolo Jr. after he went on a profanity-laced rant -- Emilio’s been in an edgy mood over his family New York City restaurant losing money while they’re forced to stay closed because of the pandemic and he’s definitely let his nice guy mask slip and it’s affecting their relationship and everything was all peaches and cream before but now it’s strained and difficult at times -- Emilio showed his ugly side when he raged against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for shutting down indoor dining on his Instagram Stories

Page 3: Tom Cruise’s chemistry with his latest Mission: Impossible co-star Hayley Atwell has spilled over to real life but it’s no surprise because the British beauty is the mirror image of Tom’s ex-wife Katie Holmes and Tom deliberately hunted down a Katie clone to be his on-screen leading lady and Hayley is everything Tom is looking for in a partner and more -- physically Katie was Tom’s definition of total perfection which is brunette with an athletic build and he’s been quietly looking for a girlfriend for some time who had the features he loves which is brown hair and a squarish jaw and hazel eyes

Page 4: Stressed-out and scandal-scarred Ellen DeGeneres in binge eating her way toward an early grave and Ellen is burying her sorrows by bingeing on junk food and milkshakes -- she’s packed on 30 pounds in 30 days after Kelly Clarkson beat her in the ratings for the third week in a row -- Ellen is convinced the world has turned on her and hides in her dressing room and locks herself in her bedroom and eats until she can barely breathe and it’s the only thing that gives her any comfort these days and the results speak for themselves because she’s bursting out of her clothes

* Radio shock jock Howard Stern has blasted back at former staffers who painted him a cheap and petty monster -- the King of All Media said at the end of night he sleeps fine

Page 5: Concerned mom Andie MacDowell is fearing for the safety of her starlet daughter Margaret Qualley after she was caught canoodling with accused abuser Shia LaBeouf -- no one can understand why she’d be with this guy after he’s been accused of such horrible things and Andie is beside herself with worry and she fears Shia may have staged his PDA with her daughter to polish his tarnished image

Page 6: TV couple Chip and Joanna Gaines have prepped for the reboot of their wildly popular Fixer Upper reality show by undergoing extensive renovations on their looks and they spared no excuse in getting personal makeovers for the show’s return -- they are splurging on trainers, stylists, new clothes, designer makeup, at-home spa days and pricey hairstyling plus other indulgences

Page 7: Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani have called of their spring wedding plans after they were caught on camera in a vicious street fight -- they’ve been fighting about everything since they got engaged and all that tension finally exploded in a brutal screaming match -- the ruckus erupted over groomzilla Blake’s feeling that Gwen has given him little support after he’d spent endless hours and millions of dollars planning their over-the-top nuptials and after all his plans Gwen suggested they simply elope and Blake blew his stack -- Blake was already bristling because Gwen seemed more focused on jump-starting her career than their wedding plans

* Jennifer Lopez recently confessed she and retired slugger Alex Rodriguez are mulling never getting married after benching their wedding plans amid the coronavirus crisis and she’s been spotted without her engagement ring

Page 8: Barbra Streisand and James Brolin have bounced back from the brink of a $400 million divorce and now they’re even talking about making a movie together with Babs feeding him directing tips -- they’ve had their ups and downs but they’re getting a second wind and believe doing a project together will give their relationship the kick-start it needs -- James has seen his career revitalized with his role in the sitcom Life in Pieces and directing several TV movies and his recent success is pretty exciting to both of them -- James’ dream is to direct a big-budget feature starring his son Josh Brolin and Barbra wants to help him realize that goal

* Barely a year after leaving Britain broke and beaten Meghan Markle has regained her Markle Sparkle with Hollywood flooding the former D-list actress with movie scripts and big-bucks deals -- the wife of Prince Harry is savoring her triumph as Hollywood’s newly crowned queen and thumbing her nose at the royals -- since leaving the cable TV drama Suits Meghan has missed acting and now she’s looking for the right big-screen project to relaunch her career

Page 9: Sex and the City is on track for a reboot only this time without black-sheep cast member Kim Cattrall -- Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis are all reuniting for what Sarah has called a revisit of the hit series -- Kim who has had widely publicized spats with series star and producer Sarah over the years has complained about the fan backlash she received for bowing out of a third Sex and the City movie follow-up

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Tiger Woods hit the links at a Florida tournament with son Charlie, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen walked hand-in-hand during a hike with pals in St. Barts, Pete Davidson took a stab at knitting, Paris Hilton with white roses

Page 11: Bill Cosby is refusing to shower with his fellow prisoners because an outbreak of COVID-19 in the SCI Phoenix prison has caused the fallen funnyman to steer clear of the showers

* Martha Stewart turns 80 in 2021 but the scrappy senior’s been working her farm like an energetic 20-year-old -- the domestic diva has been riding out the pandemic at her 153-acre farm in Upstate New York but she’s doing anything but taking it easy as she’s up early milking cows, shoveling snow and even chopping wood for the fireplace and she hasn’t ignored her Martha Stewart Living lifestyle empire

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Ryan Seacrest personally tapped Billy Porter as his co-host on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve because Ryan is Billy’s biggest fan

* Kanye West and televangelist Joel Osteen have parted ways -- Joel loves the spotlight as much as Kanye but he wasn’t prepared for the backlash after they were criticized for their walking-on-water stunt and that was when things started to sour

* The Kardashians’ new show on Hulu promises to spark even more controversy as it will show a much more X-rated version of the family

* New Bachelor Matt James gets in a round of golf near his home in Jupiter, Florida (picture)

Page 13: Michael Douglas was over the moon after becoming a grandfather again at 76 and has big plans for the Douglas family dynasty -- reformed bad-boy Cameron Douglas and longtime partner Viviane Thibes welcomed son Ryder nearly three years after their daughter Lua -- making him a grandfather again is the greatest gift Cameron could have given his poor old dad and Michael hopes he loves to be 103 like his dad Kirk Douglas so he can watch Lua and Ryder grow up

* Reba McEntire’s new beau Rex Linn is a junk food junkie and she’s worried he’s digging his own grave with a knife and fork -- Reba loves Rex and he’s the sweetest guy in the universe but it’s just troubling the way he eats everything in sight -- Reba’s worried he’ll be six feet under if he doesn’t change his ways soon and she’s desperate for him to lose 25 pounds and she’s determined to put him on a sensible mostly vegetarian diet but Rex keeps sneaking chips and sweets when he thinks she’s not looking

Page 15: Four years into their brutal divorce battle Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are entering into a new custody battle this time for their pets -- the fractured couple’s clash over their five youngest children remains at a standstill as Angie refuses to budge on her demand for full custody -- while Brad continues to battle for shared custody of the kids he’s now making moves to ensure he has equal time with their critters as well -- Angie’s house is full of animals many of which Brad helped choose and raise and while he doesn’t want full-term custody of them he’d like to at least have them accompany the kids when they visit because Brad has noticed the children miss their pets when they’re with him and he wants to rectify that and he thinks they’ll want their visits to be longer if they have their pets with them

Page 16: Scandal-tarred Prince Andrew faces a shocking new investigation into how he lives like a billionaire despite being cut off from British taxpayer funds -- the disgraced playboy stripped of royal duties in 2019 over his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal has no steady stream in income to explain his lavish lifestyle of private jets and ski chalets and luxury cars -- but Randy Andy has apparently been secretly trading on his blue-blood roots to sponge off Arab princes and score lucrative deals with shady tycoons and cash-rich international oligarchs like Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Trade Sheikh Mohammed Bin Ahmed Althani and Secretary General Issa Abu Issa -- a probe of his financial dealings could see Andrew further shamed and banished from the royals forever

Page 19: Taylor Swift’s heady brew of mysticism in her new album Evermore has fans wondering is Tay Tay a witch -- in a music video for her song Willow she pursues a magical glowing thread through an enchanted forest and joins in with a witchy circle of cloaked revelers -- Wiccans are rushing to embrace her but others are wondering whether Taylor’s interest in witchcraft is merely to boost sales

Page 22: Devastated Lisa Marie Presley struggled through Christmas as the heartbroken mom is still coming to terms with the suicide of her only son Benjamin Keough -- her holiday was somber after she wasn’t included in her mom Priscilla Presley’s holiday plans -- Lisa Marie arranged to spend one night at Graceland to be with Ben at his final resting place

Page 26: Health Watch

Page 34: Kat Von D has made herself at home in a haunted house -- she left L.A. with her husband Leafar Seyer to give their son a more normal environment and instead they wound up in a seven-bedroom Victorian mansion in rural Vevay, Indiana that has 13 fireplaces and a local reputation as a retreat for ghosts

Page 36: Grateful Dead fans have been dying violent and mysterious deaths for decades sparking fears the hippie band’s superfans are being targeted by a bloodthirsty serial killer

Page 38: John Mulaney chatted up young girls on sex sites and sent nude selfies that suggested he was doing cocaine before checking into rehab -- the married star decided to get help after girls who partied with him online threatened to expose how he’d broken his 15 years of sobriety

Page 40: Garth Brooks confessed his life in lockdown with wife Trisha Yearwood hasn’t been in perfect harmony because he’s driving her bonkers with his nonstop whistling

* Hollywood Hookups -- Joe Giudice showed off his new squeeze who is a lawyer, Tyler Perry and Gelila Bekele split, Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez engaged

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Duchess Kate Middleton in 2020

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Tichina Arnold and Beth Behrs on the sitcom The Neighborhood

Page 47: Odd List -- two months after hoofing it from a New Jersey slaughterhouse a runaway goat was captured and given a new lease on life according to the animal rescue that snagged the fleet-footed critter, a Texas man helped his boss turn the page on an old debt by settling his 48-year-old library fine as a joke

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