#< knockout and hook watching this go down

[transingthoseformers]

Then I hope BWU Screamer gets to breed Megatron repeatedly :3

Especially if the new flight coding in Megatron reacts to Starscream's displays in a very unfamiliar but positive way, but Megatron isn't complaining.

Sdfhdss yes. Megs is thoroughly not used to this, but he is not going to disagree with wanting to be railed into the berth by Starscream.

[captainsophiestark]

We're Good

Kol Mikaelson x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: TVD/TO

Summary: Kol meets Davina and finally seems serious about someone, so his best friend convinces herself to finally let go of her secret crush. But when Kol gets jealous of her paying attention to another guy, what once seemed settled might not actually be finished.

Word Count: 3,092

Category: Angst, Fluff

A/N: Title is lightly inspired by the Dua Lipa song, although the fic doesn't totally fit it.

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I tried not to scowl as I watched Kol from the second level of the Mikaelson compound. He was down on the dancefloor, in the middle of the latest party he and his family had decided to throw. I knew Nik or Elijah had some ulterior motive for hosting, but I hadn't cared because this time, I'd had my own ulterior motive. I'd put on my absolute best outfit and made sure I looked like a knockout, all so I could finally tell Kol Mikaelson, my longtime friend and crush, how I really felt about him.

And now, before I could, he was standing at the edge of the dancefloor trying to make a move on Davina Claire.

I should've known. Kol and I had been friends for a long time, and despite pretty regular flirty moments between us, he'd never taken any steps to make us something more serious. Instead, he flirted with, hooked up with, and even dated whatever mortal he'd most recently fallen for while I stood by pretending not to get my heart broken.

This time, I was done with it. For good.

I set my jaw and squinted, refusing to let the tears fall as I turned from the balcony. I almost made it into a hallway off the Mikaelson compound where I could disappear from everything, but of course, I couldn't quite get that lucky.

"He's a bloody idiot, you know."

Rebekah Mikaelson, my best friend in the world, stood before me with her hands on her hips, blocking my exit.

"Rebekah-"

"I'd love to have you for a sister-in-law, but you deserve better than one of my idiot brothers. As a boyfriend and as a friend."

"Bex, I don't want to hear it right now."

The sympathy on her face almost killed me, but she stepped aside. I thought that would be it, but then she called out to me just before I could turn the corner and escape this whole mess.

"Mourn all you like tonight, but tomorrow we're going out! There are plenty of men in this city to help you forget all about Kol!"

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

Rebekah gave me exactly one day before she started hounding me about going out on the town to forget her "idiot brother". And honestly, I might've ignored her, except for the fact that Kol spent the entire day after the ball with Davina.

I'd always known he was a flirt, but this time, he actually seemed to mean it. So I gave him more space than usual, for my sake as much as his, and spent more time wih Rebekah. We baked and went on walks, and after a while, I stopped shooting her down when she tried to drag me to bars. Kol kept hanging out with Davina, but slowly, seeing them together was starting to hurt a little less. I always thought if he found a girl to get serious about, it would be me. And a tiny little part of my heart still tore to shreds when I saw how wrong I'd been. But unlike those first few days, the heartbreak wasn't eating me alive anymore.

Which is how I ended up out at a bar with the entire Mikaelson family, dancing my heart out on the dancefloor without a second thought for whether Kol would join me.

We'd first started a montly tradition of the firve of us going out and just having fun a few years ago, and despite various dramas and the siblings scattering to the winds, we'd more or less managed to keep it up. We always picked a place a few hours from where any of us were living and planned to stay the night, so we could well and truly forget everything but having a good time together. Normally, I spent the night orbiting Kol, to the point that Nik usually had a field day giving me shit about it. Tonight had been a little different.

I'd joined Nik in dragging Elijah out of the house, gone with Rebekah to order all of us some truly strange, fun cocktails, and danced the night away on the dancefloor with all of them, without my mind or gaze constantly circling back to Kol. He didn't seem to even notice the shift, and I was surprised to find that it didn't really bother me. Kol was a good friend, after all, and with a little more time to process, maybe we'd even be better off.

"Hey!" Rebekah shouted into my ear, still barley making herself heard over the music around us. We'd been here for hours, but none of us showed any signs of slowing down just yet. "That guy at the bar has been staring at you all night!"

I turned to follow her gaze and found a handsome guy looking back. He smiled, a little sheepish, and I returned the gesture before whipping around to Rebekah.

"Why are you so fixated on setting me up with somebody?"

"Because it's fun! And I haven't got to do it once in all the time I've known you because you've been so hung up on Kol. So come on, let me have my fun!"

I made a face. I wasn't sure I wanted to take a chance on the random person Rebekah had found, regardless of me finally being over Kol. She huffed, then leaned in to speak in my ear again.

"Just trust me! I compelled him and asked him some questions, and he seems like someone you'd get along quite well with!"

I closed my eyes. "You compelled him, Rebekah? Seriously?"

"Well how else was I supposed to make sure he wasn't some sleezy werewolf or something? Go on, just talk to him!"

"Fine! Fine, but it's still our Mikaelson Family Fun Day, so I'm just going to talk."

"That's fine with me! Although I promise not to judge you if you don't come back to the room tonight-"

I picked up the nearest thing I could find (a stack of napkins) and hucked it at her, which she easily dodged. I did my best to ignore her laughing behind me as I headed for the bar.

The guy smiled as I approached him, and I smiled back. I headed for an open spot standing next to him at the bar, and he started speaking as soon as I came within hearing range.

"Hey! I've been hoping you'd come over and say hi all night."

I smiled. "Why didn't you come over and say hi yourself?"

"Didn't want to interrupt you and your friends if you didn't want to be bothered," he said with a shrug. "Although, that girl Rebekah tried awfully hard to get me to come over once or twice."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, Rebekah loves nothing more than meddling, especially in my life." I paused. "I'm glad she convinced me to come over and talk to you though."

"So am I! I-"

He broke off at the same time as I felt someone slide up to the bar behind me, chest almost pressed into my back. I started to turn around to tell whoever it was to back off, but a familiar voice spoke up before I could.

"Why don't you go find someone else to bother, mate?" said Kol, his tone laced with the slightest undercurrent of a threat. Apparently, he'd decided to make sure he got what he wanted, because a moment later the guy whose name I hadn't even been able to get yet turned on his heel and walked away.

I rounded on Kol with a furious scowl, but he just grinned back at me, still very close and in my personal space. Normally, the proximity would've left me with butterflies, but right now all I felt was anger growing in the pit of my stomach.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, an edge to my voice that I'd really never directed at Kol before. His eyebrows shot up, but otherwise, he didn't seem bothered.

"I was getting rid of that creep who was bothering you. Come on, darling, I thought you'd be thanking me-"

"Thanking you? Kol, he clearly wasn't bothering me! I came up to him, for God's sake!"

"Well I'm sorry, it just looked like you might want me to step in-"

"How? How did it look like that, Kol?"

My voice was getting louder now, enough that a few people were starting to take notice, but I didn't care. I was furious at my so-called friend and he was going to hear about it.

Kol cleared his throat. "Love, maybe we should take this somewhere else-"

"Knock it off with the pet names! Kol seriously, what the fu-"

In a split second, the bar disappeared around me. Instead, I found myself thrown over Kol's shoulder as he vampire-sped out of the bar. When we finally stopped, it was just inside the front door of the house we'd all rented, with Kol's back to me as he closed the front door.

I took my opening and hurled the nearest pillow at his head. It hit its target dead on, and I got halfway through picking up another one when Kol used his vamp speed to close the distance between us and grab my wrist.

"Hey! Knock it off, alright? What's the matter?"

"What's the matter? Are you kidding me Kol?" I wasn't sure whether I wanted to laugh, cry, scream, or all three, but I focused on the screaming part as I faced a bewildered Kol. "You absolute hypocrite, how dare you pull me out of that bar, and how dare youstep into my conversation like that!"

"What? Is this seriously all about me scaring off that one guy? You hardley knew him!"

"Obviously it's not completely about him, although that move still sucked, Kol! It's about you thinking you have some right to barge into my life and scare off a guy who might be interested in me! Because that's what it was, right? There's no way you thought I wanted him gone, so you did all this because you wanted him gone, right?"

"...I- I guess I didn't really like seeing him with you, but-"

"But nothing! Kol, we've had just a kind of flirty friendship forever. And whenever it seemed like we might be heading into something else, you were always the one to bail out. And last month, when you found Davina and got serious about someone else, it ripped my heart out. But I forced myself to take some time and get over it! Because that's your choice, and I care about you regardless of if you want to date me. But Kol, you have been clearly, specifically going after Davina lately. Which means you have absolutely no right to come tell some guy at the bar to back off when he's flirting with me."

"Darling, come on-"

I held up a hand to cut Kol off. The storm of emotions had finally started calming, hardening into something more manageable. I'd let myself struggle in this relationship without ever having an up front conversation for far too long. We were going to set some boundaries and have it all out, whether or not Kol wanted to. I was done with the rollercoaster ride.

"Kol, I know you call a lot of people 'darling', but if you want to stay friends with me then I'm going to need you to stop calling me that."

Kol just stared at me for a few moments, blinking and apparently processing everything I'd just said. His eyebrows knit together and he looked seriously distressed, but I refused to back down. After a moment, he took a half step towards me, his hand reaching out slightly towards my own.

"...And what if I don't think I want to be friends anymore, darling?"

I scoffed, another overwhelming wave of anger rising up and over me. I shook my head and turned around, walking a few steps away and hoping the space would help me cool down.

"You better not be flirting with me right now, Mikaelson, after everything I just said and everything you've been up to with Davina lately."

"Davina and I aren't together, love. We went on a few dates after Nik's little party, but we've hardly seen each other since then, and I don't intend to keep anything going. You might have noticed, but you started avoiding me after the ball and I had no idea why."

I turned to face Kol at last, scanning his face for any hint of something that might help me make up my mind on how to feel about all this. The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile, and I scowled.

"I wish you'd said something earlier about this little crush of yours, honestly. I didn't think I had a shot in hell with you. It would've saved us both some time."

I shook my head, slowly at first and then much much faster. Before I completely realized what I was doing, I crossed the room and smacked Kol in the chest. He was one of the oldest vamipres to ever live, so it didn't have much of an impact on him, but it definitely made me feel better.

"Kol Mikaelson, you jackass! You do not get to use this as an excuse to confess feelings for me!"

He laughed, holding up his hands and clearly fighting a beaming smile. I slowly tapered off my assault, instead opting for crossing my arms and absolutely fuming at him.

"Seriously, Kol, this isn't funny. I show interest in someone else for the first time in our friendship, and all of a sudden you're dropping everything to come and confess feelings for me? You get why I don't feel like that's completely sincere, right?"

Kol sighed, the smile finally falling off his face. He moved to close the distance between us again, and this time, I let him.

"I'm sorry. I'm not joking because it's a joke to me, I promise. I've had feelings for you as long as I've known you, darling, but I didn't think I had a chance with you. And you've been important to everyone in our family for just about as long as we've known you. If I made things complicated, or made you want to stop spending time with all of us, my siblings would've literally killed me."

I snorted, looking down so Kol wouldn't see me fighting a smile off my face. No matter what, Kol always seemed able to make me smile when I least wanted to. Normally, it was one of my favorite things about him.

"What can I do, hm? What can I do to prove I mean what I'm saying?"

I sighed, crossing my arms and at last looking up at Kol. With wide eyes and no hint of the sardonic smile I knew so well, he looked more serious than I'd ever seen him before.

"...If you're really sure about this, Kol, that you really mean this...?"

"I do. Darling, I swear I do. I promise you, I won't waste the chance if you give me one."

"Okay, then prove it. I've never seen you go more than a week without flirting with some human, witch, vampire, werewolf, or whatever other sentient beings we come across. Make it a month, and maybe I'll believe what you said about being serious about this."

"...And will we be dating for that month?"

Slowly, I shook my head. "No. I want to, Kol, and I want that to be where this goes, but... I need to see that this is real first. I want to believe it is, so badly, but after centuries of meaningless flirting and dancing around each other without a conversation, of seeing you have flings every chance you get and watching each one of those burn out... I can't just take it on faith."

Kol sighed, glancing down at the ground before meeting my eyes again. He didn't say anything, just closed the little remaining distance between us as he brought his arms up to circle my waist. He pulled me to him, leaning down with a glance at my lips, and I didn't stop him as he pulled me into a kiss.

Fireworks exploded in my chest. My knees went a little week as I leaned further into Kol, resting my hands on his shoulders. After a few long moments, just as my common sense started returning to tell me what a mistake this was, Kol pulled back with a grin.

"Sorry, darling. But I couldn't wait a month to do that."

I snorted and shook my head, stepping carefully out of Kol's grip. He watched my every move with a smile, and my heart did a backflip when he licked his lips. I told my heart to calm the hell down.

"I... certainly didn't mind the potential preview," I admitted.

Kol laughed, running a hand through his hair as he looked at me.

"This is going be the longest month of my life... but if that's what it'll take, I'll make it through. I know it'll be worth it, especially now."

I rolled my eyes, but this time, I couldn't quite keep a smile off my face. Finally, my heart started returning to a normal pace, and I managed to meet Kol's eyes again without having a cardiac event.

"Alrlight, so... what do we do now? I don't know about you, but I don't particularly want to go back to the bar."

"Is that a joke, darling?" He raised an eyebrow at me, but I just shook my head. His mouth dropped open like he couldn't believe I was serious. "I may not get to do the activity I most want to do right now for another month, but I did just get my best friend back after extensive radio silence. We have so many episodes of our favorite shows to catch up on!"

"...You didn't watch them without me?"

"Of course not! Did you watch them without me?"

"Of course not!"

"Well then, there you have it! That's our evening. You make the popcorn, I'll turn on the tv."

I laughed as Kol turned on his heel, getting immediately to work. I still wanted to wait the month I'd made him promise; I still wasn't confident his romantic affections wouldn't wander. But despite all that, a massive weight lifted off my chest as I headed into the kitchen for snacks. I had my best friend back, and finally, after a ridiculous amount of waiting and dancing around each other and poor communication, we were actually getting a shot at our happy ending.

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

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

TVD/TO Taglist: @elenavampire21

[svltzmans]

boxer! hope mikaelson headcanons

a/n: i've been thinking about this hc for weeks guys i'm in love!

warnings: nsfw content (18+), mention of minor violence/injury, as always not edited just a bunch of thoughts

boxing is one of hope's favorite ways to exercise, and also one of her coping methods when she gets upset or angry

most of the time, hope uses a punching bag for her workouts

(something she knows won't get tired)

she boxes until her fingers blister, and her hands are too sore to continue

when hope works out, she pushes herself as hard as she can

and she doesn't mind getting a few badass injuries in the process

hope has definitely broken a few boxing bags, not realizing her own strength

she gets so enthralled with her punches that she doesn't think about it

she'd be an hour or so into her workout session, and the bag would just fly off the chain holding it up

the first time this happened, she just stared at it for a minute and burst out laughing

hope also sometimes likes to spar, and she'll usually get another supernatural to train with her

but one day you'd ask her if she wanted to spar with you

and she's honestly shocked, because you had never shown any interest in boxing before

she'd absolutely agree to train you

but not before teasing you a little

"i'm gonna go easy on you baby, don't worry"

she'd help you wrap your hands to protect them from getting blistered

she'd be super homoerotic about it, of course

"such pretty hands, baby. gonna show me how you use 'em?"

she'd let you pick out a pair of her gloves to borrow

(but you'd end up keeping them)

hope would start by having you punch the bag so that she could "see your skills"

but she actually just wants to watch you

because she thinks it's so hot that you're doing this with her

hope knew you were strong

but she didn't know you were that strong

she's in awe of your every move, watching you (seemingly effortlessly) throw punches

eventually she can't help herself and starts shouting praise your way

"there you go baby, that's it"

"such a strong girl, you're doing amazing"

"beat the shit out of that thing, pretty girl"

hope is too focused on you to notice that the chain holding the bag to the ceiling is starting to weaken

and eventually, the bag flies off and across the room

"oh shit!" you'd yell, thinking you'd owe the salvatore school a new punching bag

"damn love, you're too strong for the bag."

hope manages to fix the bag, hooking it back onto the ceiling

"think you're ready for me?" hope says, wrapping her own hands

"bring it on."

you and hope would start sparring, dancing around each other

and it would be almost impossible for you to focus, seeing the passion and intensity in hope's eyes

hope wasn't lying when she said she would go easy

her hits are gentle enough that they're not the slightest bit painful

she'd stop to check in a lot, double checking that she's not being too rough

and you'd do the same, even though she always had the same response

"i like it rough."

while trying to dodge a hit, hope loses her footing and lands on the gym floor below her

laughing, she pretends to collapse and just stays on the ground

instinctively, you'd straddle her, hovering above her

"knockout," you'd taunt, finally leaning in to kiss her

"seeing you about to beat me up is pretty hot," hope would mutter between kisses

"there's more where that came from," you'd say, pretending to throw a punch jokingly

you'd lay down next to hope, both of you staring at the ceiling

you'd just enjoy each other's company for a while

and hope would help you take off your hand wraps and gloves

(and probably kiss your hands because duh, she's a romantic)

i need to box with hope rn and exercise with her more after iykwim lmao

[morose-melodies]

Can I request for yan zhongli and yan diluc who have a reader who have a reallllyyyyyy low alcohol tolerance?

I just took a sip yesterday a juice in can with a little mix of alcohol and headache just really said "Hey btch" and my sis forced me to drink a soju and oh boy it only took me one small glass to get drunk and knocked ou. I won't EVER drink alcohol again

a night to forget | yandere! zhongli and diluc

content warning: none

(I've never drunk alcohol a day in my life so this is probably very cringy but hope you enjoy it :))

zhongli <3

... perhaps this was a bad idea.

that's what zhongli thought, as he watched you tumble down a staircase.

how did he allow this to happen? he pondered.

...

this all began earlier that evening, it was still light out and zhongli hadn't seen you for more than a week, he missed you very much.

so he made plans with you, innocent plans. he was going to bring you to third-round knockout and perhaps have a drink or two with you.

everything went smoothly, you enjoyed listening to the stories and had a nice conversation with zhongli, everything was great up until the two of you got drinks.

you didn't drink.

You had no reason not to, you just never did.

when you first took a sip the drink was strong when it first touched your tongue, but you managed to take a few sips anyway.

zhongli didn't drink any alcoholic beverages but instead drank tea. time passed, as zhongli and you had a conversation but somewhere near the end, your face began to show discomfort.

zhongli picked up on it quickly, asking, "what's bothering you, (y/n)?" something had to be bothering you, that's what zhongli thought as he reached out, his hand seconds away from your face but paused, just before touching your cheek, to check your expression, to make sure you weren't uncomfortable.

you looked up at him, through your eyelashes, repeatedly glancing at his hand, before leaning towards his hand and resting your cheek there, "I'm okay... I just have a headache."

"then perhaps we should we leaving now... it is getting late," zhongli's thumb grazed your cheek, slowly before pulling his hand down to his side.

he stood up and you followed after him. your head ached as you began to walk down the staircase.

it wasn't a long staircase, it had at least four steps, so when you tripped, not only was zhongli shocked, but you were also shocked.

and you didn't just slip, no, you tumbled down those four stairs, you rolled down the steps and it seemed to go on far longer than it actually was.

... perhaps this was a bad idea.

that's what zhongli thought, as he watched you tumble down a staircase.

how did he allow this to happen? he pondered.

when you finally reached the ground, you just lay there, on your side, the humiliation you felt at that moment was overwhelming.

zhongli came to your aid, almost immediately, he kneeled to your side and placed a hand on your shoulder, "are you not feeling well? you should have told me, (y/n)... (y/n), are you alright?"

you sighed, nodding slowly as you sat up, zhongli's hand remaining on your shoulder, "my hip just hurts now... and people are staring."

so shy... you were always so shy, zhongli noticed that very soon after meeting you.

"I'll be okay," you slowly stood up, a hand on your hip and you smiled at the people who watched - shamelessly - then turned to zhongli, "will... will you walk me home."

you were slurring your words, zhongli nodded, "of course. your safety is important to me and there is no better way to show it other than to keep you safe, whilst walking you home."

zhongli held an arm out for you and you hooked your arm around him, your body immediately leaning against his, as you whispered, "thank you."

on the walk home, at some point you stopped walking and just stood there, your arms tightly wrapped around zhongli's arm, he smiled and chuckled softly before asking, "do you not want to walk?"

something in his was hoping you'd say no and you shook your head, saying, "I'm soooo tired, Mr. zhongli... can you carry me?"

to which he smiled, nodding before lifting you into his arms, and adjusting your clothes before he began walking again.

you rested your cheek against how shoulder, breathing softly against his neck as he carried you.

he carried you all the way home, made you soup, fed you then tucked you into bed and while you slept placed a small kiss on your forehead <3

diluc :)

"oh! it's beautiful."

you took the flower from diluc's hand and smiled.

he stated that he wanted to dedicate the day to you, but never gave you an explanation as to why, so you decided to just go along with it.

he spent the whole day helping you with errands, such as tending to your garden, shopping in mondstadt, and visiting the cathedral, and now he was gifting you with a grand dinner.

what did you do to deserve this? that's what you've been wondering all day. it's all so flattering, you've done nothing but blush and giggle all day it seems.

diluc then plucked the flower from your hands, after asking then said, "I will return this to you, later on, I can promise you that."

with a small smile on his lips, the tucked the flower into a pocket on his coat before holding his hand out for you to take, which you did.

he led you into the manor, into fine dining, with food already prepared on the table. he led you to a chair and pulled it out for you, you smiled bashfully as you sat down, mumbling, "thank you."

"of course." diluc replied as he pushed your seat in and sat down.

and then it was silent.

diluc was unsure of what to say, or if he should say anything at all but all those thoughts left when you began your meal with a sip of the dark red wine that diluc made just for this occasion.

you sat the glass down and licked your bottom lip, then took another sip before saying "that was nice," you smiled, but your smile seemed hesitant or regretful, "but... do you have water or something... i don't handle alcohol well."

diluc nodded, apologizing and excusing himself to get you a glass of water. you sat there silently, looking down at the food, before taking small bites from it.

then you placed the fork down and stood up. your head rate picked up as you left the dining room, and your skin began to feel hot.

"(y/n), here," diluc held a hand out for you and led you to the nearest couch, you sat down, your body relaxing against the cushions.

diluc brought the water towards your lips and you took a sip from it, before reaching out and grabbing the glass and drinking more.

your hands wrapped over diluc's and diluc felt a smile grow on his face. when you finished drinking the water you gave it back to diluc, and your face flushed.

"perhaps we can pick up on this another day... I apologize, (y/n) i should have asked if-"

"it's okay," you smiled, scooting to the edge of the couch, your hand on diluc's shoulder, diluc nodded, slowly before standing up and holding a hand out for you.

you place a hand in his and stood up. then diluc pulled you close to him and you rested your head on his chest.

"diluc... dance," you mumbled into his chest, and his hold in your loosened. diluc paused, confused by your request, "what was that?"

"do you hear the music," you leaned further onto diluc and began to slowly sway to the music you heard from another room.

"spin me... around," you held your hand out to diluc and he slowly took in and spun you around.

bad idea. you were suddenly very dizzy, too dizzy. you paused, your hands gripping dilucs hand tightly, to remain standing, "I need... to sit."

diluc placed a hand on the small of your back and led you to the couch and you sat down again, "I... i don't feel good."

you leaned onto the couch, your eyes slowly closing, "take me home... please."

"(y/n), i won't let you go home in this condition..." diluc paused, watching as sweat ran down your neck, he sighed, "you'll have to stay here until you feel better."

"oh, that won't be neede-"

"it is. (y/n), stay where you are while i get you another glass of water."

so for the rest of the night diluc cared for you and even let you stay over for the night. he brought you to the guest bedroom, watched as you got into bed, and sat at the foot of the bed as you fell asleep, fumbling with the flower he gave you earlier.

he left the room and went to his office, he placed the flower into a large book of his, intending to make you a pin out of the flower.

after he left his office, he went back to the guest room, peeking in to see that you were sleeping, he smiled softly.

he walked in and sat at the edge of the bed again and stayed there for a few minutes after you fell asleep to admire you <3

[mysteroads]

Chapter 2: Calling in a Favor

Summary: Beetlejuice calls Ginger for a favor, and learns some important details about a certain magic shop.

Excerpt:

“Why do you wanna go to a weddin’ shop?”

“I don’t appreciate your accusatory tone,” he told Ginger primly, then let his voice drop into a growl. “Also, it doesn’t matter. I’m calling in a favor. You don't get to say no when it's time to repay a favor, and you know that.”

Lydia raised her eyebrows at his tone, then put the phone on speaker and said, “Hi, Ginger!”

“Lydia! Honey, how ya been?” Ginger squealed.

“I’m doing good, Ginger. Look, the favor’s for my future step-mom. Can you help us out? Help me out?” Lydia smirked at Beetlejuice and he stuck his tongue out at her.

Ginger giggled, and Beetlejuice winced at the high pitch. “For yer step-mom? That’s a little different! I was worried that creep had proposed to you and you were dumb enough t’ say yes!”

Lydia’s eyes flew open wide and met Beetlejuice’s shocked gaze. Her face turned red as her mouth opened and closed and he started to get worried, then she wheezed, gasped in a breath, and then broke out into mad peals of laughter. 

“It ain’t that funny,” he muttered, knowing that his hair was bright pink to match the blush on his face. Still cackling, she tipped over onto his stomach, trying to muffle her screeches.

“You okay, Lydia?” Ginger asked, worry coloring her voice.

“She’s fine,” Beetlejuice growled, poking his friend until she rolled off him and onto the floor. “Look, Ging, I’m serious about that favor. Just go get your boss to make an appointment for Lydia’s step-mom, alright? Can’t be that hard. Your silk is top shit, ain’t it? Your boss’ll want to stay in your good graces.”

“Welllll… I guess I could ask the boss lady, but I can’t promise nuthin’. She’s a… a f-fairy, ya know? I really don’t wanna mess wit’ her.” There was a real quiver in Ginger’s voice.

Beetlejuice frowned. “A fairy? You mean a brownie?”

“No, BJ, I mean a freakin’ fairy! And before you ask, she ain't a stupid pixie or nixie or a dumb ol’ leprechaun neither! She’s tall, like six feet, and a total knockout!”

Beetlejuice swung his legs off the wall and sat bolt upright, staring down at the phone, thinking hard and fast. “Wings?”

Noticing his change in posture and the sudden tension that almost crackled around him, Lydia’s giggles cut off. He barely noticed, too focused on the phone.

“No wings, but she flings magic around like a demon, BJ! Not like a witch or wizard or even a sorceress! No spells, just magic. She’s scarrryyyy!”

“Fuck,” Beetlejuice hissed, threading his fingers through his hair. “Look, I’ll call you back, Ginger. I gotta think about this. In the meantime, you better get me a list of all the shops you have an in with, alright? But you aren’t off the hook with that favor, so don’t get any ideas.”

“Okay, BJ. Bye Lydia!”

“Bye Ginger!” Lydia said, climbing back onto the bed and closing the phone. That done, she turned and sat cross-legged, eyes intent on his face. “What was that about?”

“Which part?” he asked absently, tapping his nails against his knee.  

Lydia watched his tapping fingers and her brows furrowed. “Whichever part is making you drop some of your glamor.”

[velvetwyrme]

Welcome back! I love transformers! Which continuity are you interested in? Any favorite characters in particular? Do you have any oc’s? (No pressure if you don’t I’m just curious) <3

Thank you, it's good to be back abfjdbdk! and HECK YEAH TRANSFORMERS 🤝!!!

Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to Talk About Transformers, I will take it graciously and with extreme amounts of vigour and rambling!

Under the cut because of the aforementioned vigour and rambling.

To answer your first question: I'm largely into the IDW (2005) comics, Animated, and Aligned (TFP) continuities! I've also started watching the original G1 cartoon and Cyberverse which has been really fun!! (I'm absorbing so much information. I'm also idly keeping up with the new Skybound comics, which have me yelling screaming crying etc.)

As for characters... I would say I have no favourite/s except I do also own 1 (one) Transformer and well. for something that basically turns into a brick, he gives me immense amounts of joy.

But yes, other than Soundwave, (who has charmed me in every continuity I've seen so far!!) it's a constantly rotating roster because there are SO many characters to think about (which differ from continuity to continuity!!) and I am having the time of my LIIIIFE!!!

It's so funny going from UT/UTMV to TF because UT fans have a lot of focus on Versions of Literally The Same Two Guys, whereas TF has an overabundance of options to pick and choose from (I love both!!! I just think it's very funny in comparison whfjfbek)

Anyway, I am a big fan of a lot of characters from IDW and particularly MTMTE because they're all a bunch of little FREAKS and I love them. But! If I had to pick a few from there, I'm particularly fond of (in no particular order) Drift, Whirl, First Aid, Ratchet, Swerve, Brainstorm, ALSO NAUTICA I love her dearly!!!!

I'm also a Tarn girlie at heart u_u I am not immune to "big bad dude with a mask and a sexy voice just so many problems". Also I have a special place in my heart for Spinister and Pipes rhfjfbejfbk (I love the Scavengers [similarly, a bunch of little freaks] and Pipes makes me SO SAD. WAIT- ANOTHER CHARACTER THAT MAKES ME VERY SAD: IDW SUNSTREAKER. (He was my first taste of the Horrors of the IDW comics and that STUCK with me)

Similarly, I think the Constructicons (+Prowl in IDW) and Combaticons have SUCH fascinating dynamics hjsjkhksjdfh,, combiners got me going crazy... I NEED to find out more about the other combiner teams. It's a fascinating concept.

As for other continuities... Animated has me sick over Blurr, Shockwave and Swindle, and... well, Optimus has intensely kissable lips in this series. Why did they make him like that. I'm also very fond of TFA!Starscream- he was my favorite back when I watched the series as a kid and it was very fun seeing him with fresh eyes LMAO

Fun fact: TFP was a large part of what got me to actually sit down and check out Transformers but... I actually still haven't watched the series itself (つω⊂* ) I just saw TFP!Soundwave and went "OH okay, I love him and need to find out more" which quickly expanded into me going on a deep dive into Transformers, and resurfacing about a month later having read all the IDW 2005 comics and about an equal amount of fanfic for various continuities whfjgbjrbfk,, BUT even though I haven't watched it yet- TFP already has me hooked on Knockout, Ratchet (and Soundwave ofc LMAO)

And the last answer; unfortunately I don't have any TF OCs (ᴗ_ ᴗ。)........

.........YET.

I have many Thoughts but haven't put together any designs because I want to get better at drawin mechs before I jump into making my own! Hopefully that way I have a better idea of how to put em together LMAO. That being said, I Am in fact plagued with ideas!! Like!!! I'd loooove to take a crack at trying to put together a sailplane/glider OC!

(LOOK AT THEM STUPID LONG WINGS...)

Or!! A pair of mechs, one whos an imaging satellite and the other a telescope! (Real starcrossed lovers type deal... both meant to only watch from afar, both longing to be in the other's place/by their side)

I also have a tradition of making sonas that have wings but can't fly, so I kinda want to make a TF sona with a similar concept- either just with good ol doorwings, or maybe a flier with a messed up gyro which causes problems staying upright in the air 🤔

Anyway!!! This is really long again! Oops but not oops because we all knew this would happen. Thank you again for the ask!! (and the excuse to yell about Transformers shfngbekbgm) Now I will return to my daily schedule of listening to. eurobeat and the Transformers Devastation soundtrack. Bye

[news-markharrisonrootsmusic]

NEWS SEPTEMBER 2024

Hello everyone,

I hope people are as OK as they can be in this time of the Great Weirdness. It's a very busy time for me right now, with the new album and shows and everything else that goes into this music thing. Here's something I appear to have said in a recent interview and I reckon that, like Dylan, I'm going to stick to this kind of gnomic utterance in future:

I'm not an attention-seeking performer. I'm only interested in songs and delivering them well. That’s the only interest for me. It's not about me. My music points out rather than points in.

FANTASTIC REVIEWS OF THE NEW ALBUM

It's great to see how well-received the new album has been, here are a few of the things that have been said so far about FOOLS & CLOWNS:

'There's one thing you can always say about Mark Harrison: he's a complete original ....' (Blues in Britain magazine)

'this supremely well-informed character’s distinctive approach to music-making' (Morning Star)

'wonderful melodious tunes and fascinating lyrics' (At The Barrier)

'Mark nails the poverty (economic, moral or spiritual) of our own times with a zeitgeisty zing, all while still putting a smile on your face and a spring in your step!' (Plunger)

'I think it's blinkin' marvellous, 10 out of 10 to the Mark Harrison Band' (Frank Hennessy, BBC Radio Wales) 

'it’s a knockout record. The songwriting is clever and the arrangements are spot on' (Folking)

'Mark Harrison is an English singer-songwriter, whose ability to tell a story – and a story about the most unlikely of subjects – is, quite honestly, unsurpassed' (Down at the Crossroads)

'the playing and the wit and the wisdom of Harrison's words are a real joy to hear' (FATEA)

'songs that have melodies and hooks – some that will have you dancing, some nodding wistfully and a few that will have you raising your fists and roaring' (Music News) 

BUY THE ALBUM 

Please do go ahead and ORDER FOOLS & CLOWNS HERE - you won't hear anything else like it, and it might get you thinking, moving, smiling or all three at the same time!

Huge thanks to everyone who has already bought the album, hope you are all enjoying it. 

Everyone ordering the album directly via this link will also receive a private link to download it and watch a film in which I talk briefly about each of the songs and the ideas behind them. 

To get a flavour of the album, watch: 

the official film of the much-played and streamed single THEM AND US here

clips of tracks from the album: Fools & Clowns compilation

a film of us making the album: The Making of Fools & Clowns

The album has, as you can see, fantastic artwork, plus a booklet with all the lyrics. 

NEW T-SHIRTS

We now have a fantastic selection of new T-shirts in a new online shop. The designs are all taken from designer Andy Hall's wonderful work on albums and posters over the years. Three of the designs are available at gigs now. 

All the designs, in all sizes, can be ordered here: online shop

SHOWS

There are lots of forthcoming shows, and more coming in all the time, have a look at the listings here. Here are this year's as things stand, with ticket links:

THURS      OCT 3        GROUNDHOG BLUES CLUB, WELLINGTON, TELFORD               TICKETS & INFO

SAT         OCT 12           CARLISLE BLUES/ROCK FESTIVAL                             TICKETS & INFO

FR1         OCT 18      BREADSALL MEMORIAL HALL, DERBYSHIRE                          TICKETS & INFO 

SUN         OCT 27           BEVERLEY BLUES FESTIVAL                             TICKETS & INFO

SAT         NOV 2             THE PLOUGH ARTS CENTRE, GREAT TORRINGTON, DEVON                 TICKETS & INFO

SAT         NOV 23           THE EDGE ARTS CENTRE, MUCH WENLOCK, SHROPSHIRE              TICKETS & INFO

SAT         DEC 7              UNDER THE EDGE ARTS, WOTTION UNDER EDGE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE     TICKETS & INFO

We get to play at a whole variety of great venues and events, as people who follow us will know. Do come to something, and spread the word too, we need as many people as possible to come and find out about the unique thing we do ....

UPDATED WEBSITE 

The website has been revised and updated, have a look at it all here, it's got everything anyone could need to know, see or hear! 

http://www.markharrisonrootsmusic.com/

FILMS

New live films, including the most recent shows:

recent live films

All manner of good films are on our YouTube channel, have a prowl around and subscribe too: YouTube channel

SPOTIFY

You can check out all the albums here, and if you like the music, please do buy something too: 

Spotify

ALBUMS

All the albums, can be ordered direct here, so if there are any you haven't got, do get them! We do songs from all of them.

http://www.markharrisonrootsmusic.com/shop.php

[kuromi-hoemie]

what's your favorite movie and/or tv show?

I've seen sm movies and am always looking for new ones i don't think i could really pick one as a true favorite i just know a bunch of good ones.. i do have other kinds of favorites though 0: Indonesia is my fave country for horror movies; supernatural, cults, indie and found footage r my favorite kinds of horror movies. I'm p open on the country/subgenre etc i just tapped out on caring about what we put out here in the US in 2016 😬

as a crossroad i could've watched all the older movies that never caught my attention or i could simply watch stuff from other countries and idk lol cats out the bag.. it has to be rly good to make me care about an American movie atp. or be an indie ☝🏾 but here are some movies i enjoy.. i am always down to watch one of these w someone 👇🏾👇🏾

and then for shows mm. Steven Universe is the first one that comes to mind.. only show I've bought the OST for and it's the only movie i have on a physical DVD and i just finished rewatching it the other week ^.^

shows are even more varied for me both in genre and countries of origin. another favorite is The Untamed (on yt for free in its entirety in HD btw). it's as homophobic as it is gay but The Rich Man's Daughter left a p strong impression on me too it was an Experience. i need to sit someone down for that rollercoaster again (also on yt for free/hd/its entirety). also like 👀👀👀 i have no clue where they're going with it but i am also rly liking the show From so far. and i just got caught up on The Ancient Magus' Bride the other day and god i wish there was more Right Now ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა i need to read the manga, but it's also still ongoing so idk 😮‍💨

right now I'm in the middle of watching Fabuniku/Fantaji Bishojo Juniku Ojisan to/Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 👉🏾👉🏾 it's kind of a comfort show to me atp and I'm watching it to avoid looking for a new thing to watch. Ah, another one i really liked was Rent A Girlfriend actually, my friend put me on to that one and i was HOOKED i burned thru all 3 seasons in like a week or so (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠)

i like when the romcom has characters who love and care for each other fr, i don't mind if the reason they can't admit it is silly, if people were rational and realistic we wouldn't have the drama 💆🏾‍♀️ put them in a situation...

[sageglobalresponse]

What to know about Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou fight

Anthony Joshua, the former world heavyweight champion who lost his belts to Oleksandr Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2021, will face Francis Ngannou in a 10-round heavyweight clash called ‘Knockout Chaos’.

Joshua, a former unified WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight champion, has won his last three fights against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, and Otto Wallin. He aims to extend it to four straight wins when he faces Ngannou in his second boxing game.

Ngannou held the title of UFC heavyweight champion before he exited the promotion to pursue his boxing career, amassing a record of 17 wins and three losses in MMA.

Here’s what to know ahead of the fight

Date

The fight is scheduled for Friday, March 8, 2024, and the show starts at 4 p.m. GMT.

Venue

The clash will take place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight is scheduled for a Friday, instead of the usual Saturday night to avoid conflicting with the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix on March 9.

Where to watch

The bout will be live on different pay-per-view channels.

Boxing records

Joshua: Total fights: 3; Record: 27-3 (24 KOs)

Ngannou: Total fights: 1; Record: 0-1

Is there a title on the line?

There is no title on the line when Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou face off. Joshua lost multiple belts to Usyk and was unable to regain them in their rematch. Similarly, Ngannou was unsuccessful in his attempt to claim Fury’s WBC crown, suffering a defeat against the Briton.

What they are saying

Joshua: “This Friday it’s going to go down, so I can’t wait for the opportunity to show my skills and combat this person who thinks he can knock me out. I believe I can knock him out. Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement.

“I’m just ready for a good fight – someone who’s got two arms and I know where the jabs come from, the hooks, the body shots, the right hand, the right hook – so I can be ready for the shots coming my way.

“He has to be ready for the shots which are coming his way because I’m a man who will be standing in front of him, bringing him a lot of hell and problems as well.”

Ngannou: “I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is how to land? That’s the hardest thing.

“Almost everyone in this division can knock anyone out, but how do you land or carry that power and energy to 10 rounds and still hit someone hard or knock somebody out after all the fatigue? It’s a chess game.

“I didn’t have any experience in boxing but don’t make any mistake. I’ve had a lot of experience in life and a lot of experience fighting. I’ve built my fighting spirit as high as anyone else. I know I can fight.”

[frontproofmedia]

Teofimo Lopez Defeats Jamaine Ortiz By Decision

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Published: February 09, 2024

Teofimo Lopez Defeats Jamaine Ortiz By Decision

LAS VEGAS — Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) defended his WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight world titles with a unanimous decision win over Jamaine Ortiz (17-2-1, 8 KOs) Thursday evening at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Lopez was the aggressor, while Ortiz employed a cautious strategy that resulted in exchanges that were few and far between. Ortiz, who normally fights from an orthodox stance, boxed from the outside as a southpaw, using footwork and jabs to set up quick counters. Lopez pushed forward, bursting with jabs and right hands, though he had difficulty cutting off the ring, especially following the third and fourth rounds. In the seventh round, a clash of heads caused a cut on Ortiz’s left eyebrow, and he seemed to slow down. But Ortiz continued to pepper shots from a distance, while Lopez accelerated his offense. One judge scored the bout 117-111, and the other two had it 115-113. Lopez swept the final three rounds on all three judges' cards. Lopez said, "I tried my best for the people. I even tried to box going backward, and he didn’t want to commit. “Glory is next for me. None of these guys want to fight me. I’ll fight {Terence} Crawford at a catchweight. I’m here. I’m ready. I’ve always been ready.  I’m younger, prettier, and a two-time unified champion at 25. “We’re talking about a lightweight {Keyshawn Davis}. He hasn’t done anything. Just like Vasiliy Lomachenko told me: If you want to fight me, you’ve got to get a world title. If you want to fight the king, get a world title.”

Ortiz said, “I stuck to the game plan. I was listening to my corner and my team. I was doing good. I thought I was winning. That’s what I believe. I believe I won the fight. What can I say? I came up short once again. “I just felt like he couldn’t hit me. I was making him miss all night. I was countering. I was making him miss. I was hitting him with the jab and the check hook. I just felt like he wasn’t landing any shots on me.” “I always stay true to who I am. But we’ll go back to the drawing board, make some adjustments, and come back for a title shot.”

Keyshawn Davis Stops Jose Pedraza in Co-Feature

Davis Puts Lightweight Division on Notice Keyshawn Davis (10-0, 7 KOs) made a statement tonight. The 24-year-old Olympic silver medalist earned his most important victory yet by vanquishing former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza (29-6-1, 14 KOs) via sixth-round TKO. After studying Pedraza for two rounds, Davis kicked his offense into high gear, using lead left hands to prepare vicious fusillades in the third and fourth rounds. Pedraza survived, so Davis boxed on the outside in the fifth. But he reinitiated his attack in the sixth, landing several combos before forcing referee Tom Taylor to stop the fight.  Davis said, “Throughout this whole training camp, I’ve been saying that I’m the best at 135. Everyone kept saying, ‘You’ve got to get the stoppage. You’ve got to get the knockout.’ But I told everyone to not worry about it and just watch me work. And that’s exactly what happened. I got the stoppage. “Teofimo has been doing a lot of talking lately. I’ll go up to 140 and fight Teofimo. What’s up?! Get this win tonight. You already know how I’m coming. You and your father. So, let’s set it up. I’l come straight to 140. Let’s go! And if you’re scared, Teofimo, then {Emanuel} Navarrete. He is a hell of a fighter. It would be an honor to get in the ring with you after you capture the WBO title. So let’s do it." Lightweight: Mexican warrior Rene Tellez Giron (19-3, 12 KOs) overcame height and reach disadvantages to upset George Acosta (17-2, 3 KOs) via eight-round unanimous decision. Acosta tried his best to keep Giron off him, but Giron closed the distance and landed several punches in the second and third rounds. Giron landed a right hook in the fifth that floored Acosta, who survived an onslaught to the body before the two went toe-to-toe in the final rounds. Scores: 79-72, 78-73 and 76-75.

Middleweight: Javier Martinez (10-0-1, 3 KOs) notched an eight-round unanimous decision win against Raul Salomon (12-3, 10 KOs). Martinez used a high guard to defend against Salomon as he pushed forward. Both found their rhythm in the center of the ring by the middle rounds, where Martinez landed power shots to the head and body with ease on an unrelenting Salomon. Scores: 79-73 and 78-74 2x.

Lightweight: Abdullah Mason (12-0, 10 KOs) had his first scheduled eight-rounder tonight, but he only needed two rounds to obliterate the previously unbeaten Benjamim Gurment (8-1-3, 5 KOs). After dropping him with a series of shots, Mason landed a counter left hand that immediately floored the Texas hopeful. Time of stoppage: 1:29.

Lightweight: Charlie Sheehy (9-0, 5 KOs) remained undefeated with an eight-round points verdict over rugged Mexican Abdel Sauceda (12-4, 8 KOs). Sheehy maintained distance with sharp jabs and quick footwork. Saucedo came on strong in the final two rounds, but it was not enough to win a single round. Scores: 80-72 3x.

Lightweight: Alan "Kid Kansas" Garcia (11-0, 9 KOs) dropped Tomas Ornelas (7-4, 5 KOs) with left hook to the temple before ending the fight with a rib-shattering left hook to the body at :51 of the first round. Heavyweight: Lemir Isom-Riley (4-2, 2 KOs) upset hometown favorite Antonio Zepeda (6-2, 6 KOs) via third-round TKO. Zepeda took a pair of knees in the third after appearing to suffer an injury. Time of stoppage: 1:28.   Junior Welterweight: Art Barrera Jr. (3-0, 3 KOs), the latest fistic prodigy to come out of the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, scored a first-round KO win over Michael Portales (3-3-1, 1 KO). Time of stoppage: 1:41.

(Featured Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

[ugonooztorresi]

In a peculiar town named Citanaux, there lived an eccentric artist named Nooz. Nooz was known for his avant-garde creations that often pushed the boundaries of imagination. One day, feeling a surge of frustration with his lack of inspiration, he stood in the middle of the town square and shouted, "Come down here, God! Let's settle this like men!"

To Nooz's surprise, a figure with a long white beard and a robe appeared before him. The townsfolk gasped, recognizing the divine presence. Unaware of the gravity of the situation, Nooz, thinking it was just a random stranger, challenged him to a boxing match.

"Prepare yourself for the Nooz knockout!" he declared, putting on makeshift boxing gloves.

God, amused by the artist's audacity, decided to play along. The two began an odd boxing match in the town square. Nooz, with his unconventional moves, managed to land a few punches on God, who, in good humor, took the hits with a smile.

As the match continued, Nooz couldn't help but notice the celestial glow around his opponent. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "Wait, you're not just a random guy. You're a pink pig ... You're God, aren't you?"

God, still grinning, nodded. "Indeed, mortal. But I appreciate your spunk. Let's end this match amicably."

Feeling a mix of embarrassment and awe, Nooz removed his boxing gloves. The townsfolk, now in stitches, watched as the artist and the Almighty shared a good-natured laugh. God, in a moment of divine insight, touched Nooz's forehead, sparking a surge of inspiration within him.

"Go forth and create, Nooz. Remember, inspiration can come from the most unexpected places," God advised.

From that day on, Nooz embraced a newfound humility, channeling his artistic energy into creations that blended the earthly and the divine. As a parting jest, he couldn't resist one last playful jab, giving God a light punch on the shoulder.

God, taking it in good humor, rubbed his shoulder and said, "Well played, Nooz. Perhaps I needed a reminder not to take myself too seriously."

Nooz smiled, looked him in the eyes, and said, "Listen, you swine, I have a score to settle with you." He leaped forward and with a hook, struck God so hard that he fell to the ground, dazed.

[casspurrjoybell-24]

Sugar Punch - Chapter 43

*Warning Adult Content*

- Theo -

The moment Maddox stepped out, the room shifted and the crowd went wild shouting his name at the top of their lungs.

The arena was so loud I felt my chair shake as everyone stood up and started yelling and screaming, it was too loud to hear what everyone was saying but I got the gist of why they were so excited.

Tonight, was going to be the best fight ever recorded live on TV and not only was so much money at stake, the two fighters, Zane and Geoff were heavily requested for years, since Maddox won his first big fight as a professional fighter.

From where I sat, I could see everything, the shape of each muscle to the lining on his face, it made my heart pound loudly against my chest as I watched Maddox look around the room, like nothing could touch him.

"He's hot," Arthur whispers in my ear as the crowd started to die down, I choose to just ignore him and try not to let his comment bother me.

It felt strange seeing him, back when we dated, I desperately wanted to watch him fight live like this, who would've thought that I'd be watching him now, two years later with my boyfriend sitting beside me, crushing on my ex.

It didn't bother me, if anything I agreed with Arthur, Maddox has gotten two years older but if anything, he had gotten even more irresistible, his body was a piece of art and I noticed a few new tattoos on his neck as he waved to the crowd.

Part of me hoped he didn't notice me in the crowd but then the other part of me also wish he did, just to know I was here cheering him on and that I still admired him.

Not long after Maddox entered the ring and after some talking which, I couldn't understand from being so close to the ring, the fight started and Maddox and Victor started throwing punches.

It was the first round but the moment the bell rung, Victor was on Maddox like a wild tiger, hungry to tear him to shreds, I was on the edge of my seat as I couldn't tear my eyes away from Maddox as he dodged a punch.

As the fight went on and minutes past, the fight had gotten brutal and it was starting to show on both of their faces, as they rested in their corners, faces swollen and covered in blood, sweat and cuts.

"It doesn't look too good, is it normal to bleed that much?" Arthur whispers in my ear as I looked at him from the corner of my eye to see him looking at Maddox.

"He'll be fine," I said, believing it from knowing Maddox first hand.

Maddox had a particular fighting style, he was a professional in every way and learned his opponent's down to every single detail, from the time I did speak to him about his training, he told me he studied how they fought like a religion of sorts.

The final round was starting and they both looked like they met their match as Maddox threw a jab at Victor and hitting him in the face, making him stumble back, Maddox didn't stop there though as he kept coming for him, blow after blow.

It was like something changed in him, Victor couldn't get out to hit him back as he kept his gloves up, protecting upper half and with another blow, Maddox broke through his defence and used that moment to land the finishing blow.

It all happened so fast as Maddox threw a powerful right hook so quick that I was sure everyone missed it as it landed directly on Victor's face, making his whole-body jerk before he fell to the ground, the bell ringing not long after he hit the ground.

Cheers erupted as the referee started the ten second countdown, the crowd joined in as the arena filled with cheers so loud, I felt my ears pop as I kept my eyes on Maddox, his chest rising and lowering as he kept his eyes on Victor.

Then it was announced, Maddox had won by knockout and the crowd went wild.

"YES," I shouted, along with everyone around me as I got up from my seat, feeling the adrenaline of the crowd as I watched Maddox cover his face with his gloves, then rising them to the air as he looked out at the crowd, almost like he was searching for someone.

I felt my stomach drop when his eyes got to my section and almost like he knew I was here, his eyes found mine and he never tore them away from mine as his team started crowding the ring to wrap their arms around him in celebration.

After what felt like an eternity, he looked away with a growing smile on his bloodied mouth as he hugged Jordan back, his trainer and best friend as I stared at him in complete shock at what had just happened.

He looked right at me.

Maddox was looking directly at me, in the eye.

Nobody else, just me.

'How? Why? Did I miss something?'

There's no way he knew I was here, unless someone told him, there were thousands of people inside the arena, to find me in a crowd was almost impossible.

Tony... he must've told him... he was the only one who knew I was coming tonight, I should be mad, I should be anything other than what I was feeling right now, like nothing had changed between us.

"That was so amazing," Arthur excitably grabbed me, turning my head to kiss me on the lips. "Did you see him look over here? Oh my god, so hot."

My head was spinning and everything was starting to make me feel nauseous, I needed air... I needed to get out of here before I threw up in front of all these people.

Whilst everyone around me celebrated, I grabbed hold of Arthur's hand and pulled him along with me as I moved past people in my row, as I made my way towards the exit, not looking back at the ring as I kept my head down.

"Theo?" I heard Arthur but I couldn't stop, I had to get out of here and I had to get out of here now.

Once I pushed past the mountains of people, I finally made it outside with Arthur and it felt like I could finally breathe again as I crouched down and grabbed my head in my shaking hands, taking deep breathes as my heart felt like it was seconds from leaping out of my chest.

'He saw me.'

Maddox looked directly at me, I thought he'd be upset I showed up not alone but he almost looked glad, amused even...

I can't get his face out of my mind, as he smiled at me whilst he kept his dark eyes on me.

"You're shaking Theo..." Arthur's panicked voice came out as he bent down to rub my back. "Should I go and get somebody? You're starting to scare me."

"N-No," I grab his arm as I released a shaky breath and forced a smile. "I just needed some fresh air, it got a little much...sorry, I didn't mean to drag you out here," I apologized, as I stood up.

What the hell was I doing?

If Arthur didn't find me suspicious then, he sure as hell did now, I knew he was looking at me the moment Maddox looked our way but in that moment, I didn't care, I couldn't think.

"Okay... should we go back in? Or do you want to go home?"

Dammit, I didn't come here for this, this was supposed to be a date and right now I was ruining it by my freak out but I couldn't deny that I felt my heart skip a beat when his eyes locked on mine, I had forgotten all about Arthur and everyone else for that matter.

This feeling... it didn't go away and I knew what I was doing to Arthur wasn't fair, not when I was still so much in love with Maddox.

I was still in love with him, so much that it was impossible to forget about him and move on, I had to be miserable, as long as he wasn't with me, I felt like I would never be happy.

I had to stop being selfish, I had to break up with Arthur.

"I'm sorry... Arthur, I don't think..."

"Theo, is that you?" a voice startled me, as I turned around to see who it was as my heartrate spiked.

Once I laid my eyes on him and to my surprise, I never thought I'd run into him again, especially not outside when the fun was happening inside.

"Aiden."

He walked closer and it really was him, he had longer hair but it was definitely him, it was Aiden, Maddox's cousin.

"Shit, I thought it was you."

He came closer and wrapped his arm around me in a 'bro hug' before moving back, a grin on his face as he checked me out.

"How are you? I haven't seen you in what... two years?" he asked, as I smiled and nodded my head.

"Yeah, almost two years... and I'm fine, uh."

I looked at Arthur standing there awkwardly looking between me and Aiden, already knowing what's he's thinking.

"This is my boyfriend, Arthur Jones... uh Arthur this is Aiden," I said, not missing the way Aiden's eyes widened like they were going to pop out.

"Hi... how do you know each other?" Arthur asked, as he shook Aiden's hand, who was looking at me with now sad eyes as he looked between us.

From his face alone, I could see that he knew what happened between Maddox and I only hoped he didn't say more than that, as I haven't told Arthur about my relationship with Maddox and didn't plan too anytime soon.

"Oh, it's not what you're thinking," he quickly noted, before cringing. "Not that I have anything against gays," he added, making Arthur laugh. "I met Theo through... a friend, we go way back," he smiled at me, then Arthur.

More people were coming outside now from the venue and soon outside would be overflowing with hundreds of people, high on adrenaline from tonight's fight.

"I'll uh see you around Theo, Mads is expecting me and if you haven't noticed, I'm a little late too for the fight," he laughed nervously, before smiling weakly at me.

"Oh, sure, yeah," I stuttered out, as I accept his hug once again, before he we both pulled away.

"See you Theo and nice to meet you, Arthur," he said, looking at Arthur before he walked away and went inside the venue as people came out.

Arthur interlocked his hand in mine and stared at me in awe as he connected the dots from what just happened.

"Babe... what the hell... Did he just say 'Mads was expecting' him?" he gaped. "Does that mean he knows Maddox Zane? The fighter?"

I swallowed hard and nodded my head slowly as I looked away from him to where people were coming out of the venue, the music and the cheers inside still loud and going strong, as I heard people still celebrating Maddox's win.

"Aiden is Maddox's cousin."

Arthur started to freak out as he started asking me questions after questions but all I could think about was how crazy tonight has been and how it's been so long since I've felt like the old Theo again, just from seeing his face.

Once Arthur finished asking questions, I didn't feel like answering seriously, I decided I needed a drink, a really strong drink, which Arthur didn't mind as I dragged him along with me to the nearest bar to us.

Tonight, had been wild and totally unexpected but one thing that I was sure of is that whatever was running through Maddox's head when he saw me, was the exact same thought as mine.

Something was still there between us and it was far from over.

It confused me, excited me and made me feel as though I was cheating on Arthur, so I wasn't going to drag this false hope I had on any longer, I had to stop these thoughts of Maddox and I somehow getting back together.

Maddox had broken my heart and then stomped on the pieces two years ago, and left me a complete wreck, I wasn't fine for months after he cut all contact with me, no matter how hard I tried to talk to him.

His smile tonight reminded me just now of the last time I saw him, when he opened his mouth and said 'but the sex was good' I felt the same sickening, heartbreaking feeling, despite my heart beating like crazy.

Arthur wasn't Maddox, Arthur isn't going to hurt me, I should try and be the best boyfriend I could to him and stop this obsession with Maddox...

Maybe moving in together is what I needed to fully move on?

"Move in with me," I blurt out, as Arthur and I walked hand in hand down the street, towards my apartment.

Arthur stopped and gaped at me, before tears filled his eyes and his mouth turned into a smile.

"Are you being serious right now, babe?" he squealed, as I smiled and nodded my head, ignoring my gut clenching hard.

Arthur instantly wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed me on the lips, you'd think I just purposed to him as he pressed his lips roughly against mine, pecking me on the lips, over and over again.

"You're not going to regret this," he said excitably, his arms still around my neck. "I love you, Theo."

I'm not going to regret this... I'm not... but then why do I feel so unhappy?

[spaceageloveblog]

Phone in my hand Still checking if you called I'm double-texting No, I've never been cool

Sit down to watch the Champions League final. Twitter open on my phone. All sorts of seemingly normal people I follow that are Man City fans posting about the game. All sorts of engagement. Would be fun to post online about sports and have people respond and start discussions. I post all sorts of what I think are interesting takes and get nothing. I only have 21 Twitter followers so that's probably part of the problem. I post what I think are interesting takes via comments under other people's soccer Tweets and get the occasional like. Except that one time I posted a banal comment about not liking the ruling that Rashford wasn't offside in the Manchester derby and got like 1000 likes.

And I'll burn that bridge when I get to it Yeah, I'm on fire

She asked me why I was a Manchester City fan once and I had to think about it. My reasons aren't great. I little over a decade ago when NBC Sports started showing the Premier League in the US, I wanted to pick a team. I was already a fan of the international tournaments every 2 years, i.e. the World Cup and the Euros. I was off and on interested in the Champions League. But the EPL on NBC looked so good on TV, I wanted to follow a team. I didn't want to pick the English version of the Yankees or Cowboys, so the big teams were off the list. Going too small would be stupid. So maybe just outside the big teams, but nothing captured my interest.

I felt pulled to Manchester because that felt comparable to where I grew up in Western PA/Northeast OH, but United was out due to the big club rule. Then I saw City competing for the title with them in the spring of 2012. Then I watched the final matchday of the season, saw Aguero score the winner in stoppage time and was hooked. Then I saw Noel Gallagher was a fan and I was more hooked. But I only watched them off and on for the next few years, going in and out of cord cutting. Then Pep came and we had cable, didn't follow the Centurion season that closely, but fell in love with the 2018-19 domestic treble team and was hooked even further. I'd say I've watched >90% of their games from the 2018/19 season onward.

It's all blue You know I feel it and I bet you do (And I bet you do) And that's on you If you wanna take off, baby, you do you

So Man City won the treble. They were amazing this year. Especially Mar/Apr/May when they were relentless in the league, forcing Arsenal to buckle under the pressure, and steamrolling everyone in the knockout stages of the Champions League, culminating in a dismantling of Real Madrid in the semis. They sort of muddled their way through the final few weeks, but that happens sometimes. They got the job done.

Overthinking (Overthinking) You know I'm really good and you're a miracle You're so misunderstood I get so lost in your mind (I'm so lost) Daddy, teach me this lesson a thousand times

Being an American fan of European sports is funny sometimes. On an object level I literally can't quite understand the critique of the fans of other clubs complaining about how this feels. I'm like, if you are a Man United fan or Liverpool fan this isn't supposed to feel good. Then I realize on a meta level it all makes sense. They are doing whatever they can to diminish what their rivals accomplish, perfectly normal.

It's also weird sometimes being a non-expert at the sport but following along the team for the entire season and watching entire games, seeing experts on TV and hearing experts on podcasts say things that are wrong and your realize everyone is full of it. Like the complaints about Pep overthinking it by starting Ake over Walker, when it was obvious for City fans who have been paying attention. And the takes that Lautora Martinez obviously messed up by going for goal rather than squaring it for Lukaku, when it wasn't that obvious.

It's all blue You know I feel it and I bet you do (And I bet you do) And that's on you If you wanna take off, baby, you do you

The celebrations have been great. The joy from Pep, the players, the fans...it's been fun to watch. Feels like it's been building for a few years, as City has been the best team in Europe for a while now, just couldn't get over this last hurdle. And for the fans, there's one less thing the red side of Manchester has over them. Pep looks different than he did 12 years ago in Barcelona, like he understands the magnitude of this accomplishment a little more now. And I hope Jack Grealish has gotten some sleep.

I put down your pain, but I'll pick it up again It's all blue That's why I fit in with you You know I feel it and I bet you do (And I bet you do) And it's all blue You know I feel it and I bet you do (And I bet you do)

I remember when the Steelers won their first Super Bowl of my lucid lifetime. I was first happy for Bettis, as it was a long time coming from him. Then I thought of Cowher, as it was a longer time coming for him. But ultimately it was more about me, I waited my whole life. That's who I was happiest for, myself.

Sat in my car 'til the song stopped playing See, I'm blue with or without you, baby Sat in my car 'til the song stopped playing See, I'm blue with or without you, baby

I keep scrolling Twitter and Reddit for more fan reactions, more expert reactions. I keep watching ESPN FC and keep listening to them say the same thing over and over about this team. At some point this will get old, but I feel compelled to keep soaking it in for now.

It's all blue You know I feel it and I bet you do And that's on you If you wanna take off, baby, you do you

Pep's contract is for 2 more seasons, so hopefully he stays for those at least. One more would make 10, so I'd love an additional year to make a full decade, but that's probably too optimistic. So another league title, another Champions League title, they could both happen. And who knows what happens next. They money would still be there, but you need the coach too. I watch the revolving door of coaches at the other biggest clubs in the world and realize City has been spoiled to have Pep for 7 seasons. Would be absurdly spoiled to get him for 9 or 10.

I put down your pain, but I'll pick it up again It's all blue That's why I fit in with you You know I feel it and I bet you do (And I bet you do) And it's all blue You know I feel it and I bet you do

We cut off cable again so unless I do something about that, we'll miss half (or more) of their league games next year. With ESPN+ and Paramount+ we'll see all of their Champions League and FA Cup and League Cup game. Peacock will get us half (or less) of their league games. Is that enough? We'll see. There's only so much you can do to arrange your life around following a soccer team 4000 miles away across an ocean. But it's been really fun so far.

I bet you do too

[imaginedreamwrite]

Criminal: Part 9

Becca watched you suspiciously; her blue eyes crinkled at the corners as she took in the image of you with this barely passable contrived smile on your face that didn’t dare meet your eyes.

You were tired, and you were tired of crying in the spare room in her apartment over that idiot and his ‘brilliant’ ideas.

You loved James Buchanan Barnes, and you’d loved him since you were 10. You loved him for years, and for years you’d kept it hidden until you had to face your feelings when he was drafted. When the reality of Bucky having to go to war was upon you, you had to deal with the way you felt about him.

Internally anyway. Externally, you kept your cool and acted like you didn’t give two shits about him.

As if anyone would believe you.

As if Becca, who watched you pray almost nightly for the safe return of Bucky, would believe you.

“We’ve had Italian coffee,” Becca mentioned, pulling you from the cozy café you’d stopped in before continuing on your shopping trip, “now let’s go to that boutique on 3rd. Let’s get you a knockout dress for when you see Bucky again.”

“I’m not seeing him again. I hate your brother.” You claimed while having red-rimmed eyes.

“Y/N,” Becca groaned, “you and Bucky are two idiots in love.”

“He hurt me, Becca-“

“He didn’t mean to,” she walked with you down the street toward the boutiques, her arm hooked with yours, “that idiot brother of mine is so head over heels in love with you, it’s almost sickening.”

“He is an idiot.” You scoffed and wiped a few tears with your free hand.

“Yes, he is an idiot. But you should know he didn’t mean to hurt you. He thought…well he thought he could spoil you with gifts you would never get yourself.” Becca nudged you with her hip.

“He used to do that with every dame he ran with-“

“Did you even look in the boxes? Or did you throw them without peeking in?” She asked even though she didn’t have to.

“Becca-“

“I figured you didn’t. So let me give you some insight into what he had gifted you,” she cleared her throat as you walked, “that green dress you saw at Christmas before Bucky left for the war. We were going Christmas present shopping and drug you and Steve along with us. We passed by this little boutique, and you saw this dress-“

“I remember it, Becca.”

“Bucky bought it. He bought it the next day, and he would give it to you, but he never got the chance. He had been drafted, and it sat in a box in my parent’s home since.” Becca watched you, she watched your eyebrows furrow and your lips pursed.

“He got you jewelry that was made to look like the pieces your mother had.” Becca stopped walking and turned toward you; each item she spoke of was personalized to you; it was made for you.

“The perfume…one was the same kind your mother had, and the other was from a fancy perfumer from the south of France.”

“You got it as a birthday gift, but you didn’t like it.”

“Yeah, but you did.”

Becca heard you sigh and then she saw you bite your bottom lip. You were still angry, you were still hurt, and she didn’t want to take away from you. She didn’t want to minimize the hurt you felt because she could understand it. She could empathize with you because she knew how you felt. She knew how long you’d loved Buck, and she knew how long you’d seen him treat his ex-dames like he had treated you.

“He can stew in it.” You started walking with her again, that innate stubbornness settling in again. “He didn’t need to be such a prick.”

“I know-“ Becca stopped walking and clenched your hand when you turned the corner and came to a dead stop as a group of men were waiting for you.

You hadn’t recognized any of them, but Becca had and judging from the face she made, it wasn’t a pleasant acquaintance. She had backed up with you angled behind her.

“You’re on the wrong side of the city,” Becca’s attention moved from the leader of their group to the men behind him, “what are you doing here?”

“Maybe Barnes invited me-“

“He didn’t. He tolerates you, but he doesn’t care to be in your presence any more than necessary.” Becca took another step back, and you with her.

“Hurts to think Barnes thinks so little of me,” he had stepped aside and cast his dark eyes upon you, his lips upturned in a smirk, “haven’t met yet, dame. Name’s Thomas Johnson; I own the other half of the city.”

You grit your teeth and ground your kitten heels into the cement while he was watching you. You didn’t need to know him, to know anything about him, to pick up on how uncomfortable you felt. If Bucky could destroy and annihilate anyone in his path for the sake of keeping order in his half of the city, then this man could seek and kill for the pleasure of it.

You felt sick to your stomach the longer he was watching you, the longer his eyes were on you. There was an almost instant souring to your stomach, and you found it hard to catch your breath. He was looking at you as if you were something he wanted to destroy, for the pleasure of seeing you in pieces.

The look in his eyes was evil if you ever saw it, and despite your best effort to say something, anything, you were struck speechless. How could you say something to a man who appeared to be the devil in a fine-cut suit?

“I introduced myself, doll,” his gravelly voice made you want to wince, “be a polite little bitch and tell me your name.”

“You don’t want to start this,” Becca warned, briefly glancing over her shoulder toward you.

“Start what, Rebecca? I’m having a conversation with a dame who doesn’t know her manners.” His dark eyes were on you again, and your throat became tighter with every passing second that he was looking at you. “Tell me your name, sweetheart.”

“Y/N Rogers.” You mumbled, your hands sweating when he whistled, and a quiet mix of chuckles was heard from his men.

“Captain America’s sister in the flesh.” He grinned and reached into his coat pocket for a cigar, placing it between his lips.

As he balanced it, he dug out a lighter and lit the end, the soft glow coming before the first puff. “You’re a lovely little thing, aren’t you? Where has Barnes been hiding you?”

“You don’t wanna do this,” Becca’s voice was clipped, her fingers gripping the wrapped twine box tightly in her hands, “if you cross that line-“

“If I cross the line?” He sneered, “What’s going to happen, Becca? What’s your big brother going to do? Burn the fucking city to the ground for one slut? Is Barnes going to kill me if I touch his toy?”

“For her,” Becca shuffled, keeping herself between you and them, “he’d burn the fucking world. You don’t want to do this.”

His eyes were on you; his deep and angry, nearly black irises zeroed in on you. His lips were curled, and his fingertips were stained yellow from the cigar he was smoking. There was such darkness from him, such twisted animosity.

Bucky was a prick, and he had hurt many people, you knew that, but this man…this man screwed with people for the thrill, for the fun of it.

“Heard Barnes got himself a little bird, didn’t think it was you. Usually, he goes for the…bolder women. The women who know how to suck a cock.” He tilts his head. “You know how to suck a man’s cock, Rogers? I bet you’d look real pretty on your knees-“

“I’m only warning you once more-“

“Shut the fuck up, Rebecca!” He focused his anger on her. “I ain’t afraid to put a woman in her place. Now answer me, sweetheart. Do you ever suck a man’s cock? You ever been a made woman? I like putting women in their place.”

“I’m surprised you’ve gotten so close to one. We could smell your stench from a mile away.” You finally spoke again, your backbone settling into place.

“What the hell did you say to me, you mouthy whore?” He stepped up to the curb, the rings on his hands catching the light refracted from the sun.

“I said,” you felt fear, but like your brother, you didn’t back down, “I could smell your stench from a mile away.”

“Oh, I see,” he grit his teeth, “You’re a loud bitch. Bucky’ll like that when he finally fucks the virgin out of you.”

“Tommy! Bucky will kill you!” Becca warned, pushing the two of you back toward the figurative corner you’d been placed in. “No one touches her.”

“You’re both mouthy bitches.” He cracked his knuckles. “Lucky for you, Rebecca, there’s only one bird I wanna hear sing.” He reached for your wrist and yanked you toward him.

You screamed and fought against him, kicking with every instinct you had to separate yourself from him.

“Johnson!” Rebecca screamed as she was grabbed around the waist and held back, her blue eyes burning hatred into him. Like you, she had fought until she was restrained, until her arms were pinned to her sides, and her head was yanked back by her hair.

“I think,” he grunts in your ear as he ground himself against you, “I should send Barnes a message.”

“Go to hell,” you screamed, thrashing against him with the renewed fight.

“Oh sweetheart,” he groaned in pleasure, your fight driving him further toward a place of the twisted and dark lust, “keep fighting like that, and I might have to take you home.”

“He’ll kill you! He’ll rip you apart!”

“Don’t worry, Rebecca,” you shuddered when his lips part and his tongue ran against your neck, “I won’t steal the opportunity to make Roger’s sister a whore, from Bucky. We’re just going to have a little fun.”

You angled your head and bit down on his hand as it started snaking toward your neck. You bit down hard enough to draw blood, and when he dropped you, your hands and knees scraped against the cement. You had just started to pick yourself up, to scurry away, when you were grabbed and thrown against the nearest wall, his uninjured hand wrapped tightly around your neck.

He was squeezing the life out of you; he was pressing so hard you started to see spots. And then he leaned in and inhaled your natural scent, his lips brushing against the shell of your ear.

“I wish I could see the look on Barnes’s face when he sees my bruise around your neck,” he laughed in your ear and dropped you again, mere moments before you passed out, “give my regards to your brother, Rebecca. Tell him he’s got a fine cunt to fuck.”

Their departing footsteps were ringing in your ears as you gasped for breath, your eyes blurred by tears of pain and fear. Once they were gone, you let yourself feel everything you hadn’t while they were here.

“Y/N,” Becca came to your side, “it’s okay, honey. They’re gone.”

She wrapped her arm around your shoulders and leaned into you, giving you small comfort compared to what you needed. “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay. They’re gone.”

She helped you to your feet and helped you balance. She kept herself pressed against you to stabilize you, and then she moved away from the place you had been, to the nearest shop, out of the alley you’d been forced into, that had a phone.

“I’m going to call him,” Becca explained slowly before she started moving toward the back of the shop; the shopkeeper’s eyes widened at the sight of you.

“Keep an eye on her,” she mentioned to the owner, earning a nod in return before she was out of your sight.

“You’re alright, miss,” the shopkeeper attempted to comfort you, “your friend will be right back.”

You were scared. You were more frightened than you ever thought or wanted to be, and you wanted Bucky.

[fandomwriterstuff]

Percy was at the academy when he met Annabeth, a Minervan with a penchant for getting into dangerous situations. That was how they became fast friends (not the Minervan part, Percy was a human), getting into tight spots and having eachother’s backs.

They got into shenanigans nonstop while they were in training and that didn’t stop when they became part of a crew to journey through space. Annabeth was used to Percy being clumsy and getting minor injuries, but she realized soon into their friendship that she shouldn’t try to predict how the human body would react to anything. Depending on the levels of hormones like adrenaline and the specific torque of his body, a small injury could land him in the hospital, and major falls could mean just a bruise. For Annabeth, it didn’t make any sense, but she learned to roll with it.

Percy’s new crewmate though, a Plutonian named Nico, came from an exceptionally sturdy species and was very aware of Percy’s fragile human-ness. It was getting on Percy’s nerves. They were on a mission on a planet covered in skyscraper volcanoes and Nico kept looking back at Percy, checking his ropes, and generally nagging. Percy thought it was because Nico was romantically interested in him, but damn was it annoying.

“Just keep climbing!” Percy huffed, locking eyes with the Plutonian above him. Nico reluctantly turned his face and kept climbing, silent except to update Annabeth (who was on the comms in their ears).

Not three minutes later, Nico asked if Percy needed more slack and held up their whole operation another few minutes.

“You know what?” And Percy was nothing if not reckless, even though he knew he was overreacting. He could feel the rage and adrenaline pulsing through his veins as he unhooked himself. He free-climbed up to a wide-eyed Nico and glared into those glowing obsidian eyes.

“Stop worrying about me. I’ll meet you at the crater,” Percy rolled his eyes as Nico sputtered and continued his climb (sans rope), all the way to the crater lake at the top of the mountain.

Not too much later, Nico joined him to collect samples in silence.

“You can’t just assume everything will break me. Humans are sturdier than you think,” Percy sighed as they sealed their containers and made their way to the edge of the crater to climb back down.

“I guess, but you’re just so much… Softer than me,” Nico looked away and frowned. It warmed Percy’s heart a little to be called ‘soft.’

“Alright, I’ll forgive you and hook back onto the rope to go down, but only because you’re too cute to be mad at,” Percy smiled at the soft blush Nico emitted, though as he went to hook onto the rope, he lost his footing and slipped.

He was sure he was going to die.

He felt every stone jab at him as he rolled down the slope. His ribs were being battered, his head whipped back and forth, and as he collapsed on a plateau nearly halfway down the mountain, he groaned, checking himself for injury.

“Percy?” Nico shouted from above, already hooked in and climbing down to Percy’s position.

He ignored the other man while he checked himself. No broken bones, no blood anywhere, no intense internal damage. He might just get out of this with a few bruises! He sighed and thanked whoever was watching out for him for preventing his early demise.

“Percy! Are you alright?” Suddenly there were hands on his shoulders and Nico pulled Percy from the edge of the plateau to check him over.

“I’m fine,” Percy huffed an incredulous laugh.

“You fell down half a mountain! You should be dead!” Nico was searching Percy’s limbs for injury, and Percy allowed it only to reassure the other man.

“Jackson, report,” Annabeth’s tinny voice came in his ear, and Percy could hear the concern tightly lacing her tone.

“No broken bones, no lacerations, maybe whiplash,” Percy tilted his head side to side and turned it right to left. “Possible minor concussion. Slight dizziness.”

“DiAngelo, get him back here, ASAP,” she commanded, and Nico confirmed her with a nod and a ‘Yes, ma’am.’

The trip down was uneventful, though when Percy got through medical, Nico was waiting anxiously outside the door.

“What’s the verdict?”

“I’ll live, Officer DiAngelo,” Percy saluted him, then smiled at the relieved look on his crew mates face. “No lasting damage, not even a scratch. No concussion, they’re saying the dizziness was adrenaline wearing off.”

“Thank Pluto,” Nico sighed.

“I call that ‘God Mode,’” Percy laughed. “When the human body defeats all odds and comes out unscathed,” and as he said that, he tripped on the rubber mat at the foot of the staircase and he couldn’t control his body as it flung itself into the stairs. Percy braced himself with his left arm, and immediately regretted it as he heard a loud SNAP and felt a sharp pain shoot through him.

“God mode or ‘One hit KO,’” Percy choked out.

“What?” Nico looked over to see Percy crouched over the stairs, left arm dangling.

“One hit knockout. The human body either defeats all odds and comes out unscathed, OR one small thing can throw the whole thing out of balance.” He groaned as Nico nodded, taking in this information.

“Do you have an example?”

“Yeah, I fell less than five feet just now and I’m 100% sure I just broke my arm.”

“WHAT!” Nico crouched down next to Percy with wide eyes. Percy laughed through the pain and patted Nico’s shoulder with his good arm.

“Nothing medbay can’t fix in a day or two. Just painful as hell.”

“You’re going to be the death of me.”

[news-markharrisonrootsmusic]

NEWS 30 AUGUST 2024

Hello everyone,

I hope there are more good than bad things happening for everyone. Lots going on in this music world, especially with the release today of the new album FOOLS & CLOWNS. 

NEW ALBUM OFFICIALLY RELEASED!

Please do go ahead and ORDER FOOLS & CLOWNS HERE - you won't hear anything else like it, and it might get you thinking, moving, smiling or all three at the same time!

Huge thanks to everyone who has already bought the album, hope you are all enjoying it. 

Everyone ordering the album directly via this link will also receive a private link to download it and watch a film in which I talk briefly about each of the songs and the ideas behind them. 

RADIO AND REVIEWS

There has been some great advance radio coverage, including BBC Radio 2 The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe (the single played),  BBC Radio London Gaby Roslyn show (live appearance), BBC Radio Wales Frank Hennessy's show Celtic Heartbeat (three tracks played), Jazz FM David Freeman's Blues and Boogie show (three tracks + interview), Times Radio (live appearance), and BBC Radio Kent (interview and single played). Many other shows have played the single and other tracks, and I want to say huge thanks to everyone who gets behind our unique music. 

Reviews are starting to come in and all of them are overwhelmingly positive. It's noteworthy that reviews of what we do always focus on the songs and their subject matter, and the musicianship of the band. It's great to see how many good judges of music not only 'get' what our stuff is all about, but regard it as having value and being entertaining at the same time. 

QUOTES

'I think it's blinkin' marvellous, 10 out of 10 to the Mark Harrison Band' (Frank Hennessy, BBC Radio Wales) 

'it’s a knockout record. The songwriting is clever and the arrangements are spot on' (Folking)

'Mark Harrison is an English singer-songwriter, whose ability to tell a story – and a story about the most unlikely of subjects – is, quite honestly, unsurpassed' (Down at the Crossroads)

'the playing and the wit and the wisdom of Harrison's words are a real joy to hear' (FATEA)

'songs that have melodies and hooks – some that will have you dancing, some nodding wistfully and a few that will have you raising your fists and roaring' (Music News) 

This is an album of truly original and individual songwriting and musicianship, for people who care about and enjoy those two things! The songs together present a world view, upsides and downsides of the human condition, common experiences of trying to get by, and fun in the face of adversity. In short, the human spirit.  

Here are clips of tracks from the album:

Fools & Clowns compilation

Here's a film of us making the album:

The Making of Fools & Clowns

The album has, as you can see, fantastic artwork, plus a booklet with all the lyrics. 

THE SINGLE - THEM AND US

has been getting lots of airplay on radio

a perhaps unusual topic for a song but a very common experience for so many: the modern workplace from the point of view of people who do real jobs, and how they see the highly paid battalions of managers who make those jobs way harder and seem to have no useful function 

'a really good infectious song ..... a deceptively jaunty sounding song, I really liked it' (BBC Introducing)

Stream it, download it and see the lyrics, here.

Watch the official film, which illustrates this widespread issue with some wit here

See Mark talking about the subject of the songhere

NEW T-SHIRTS

We now have a fantastic selection of new T-shirts in a new online shop. The designs are all taken from designer Andy Hall's wonderful work on albums and posters over the years. Three of the designs are available at gigs now. 

All the designs, in all sizes, can be ordered here: online shop

SHOWS

There are lots of forthcoming shows, and more coming in all the time, have a look at the listings here. Here are this year's as things stand, with ticket links:

SAT         SEPT 7         CRANFEST, CRANBROOK, KENT                                        TICKETS & INFO

FRI         SEPT 13      THE PUMP, TROWBRIDGE                     TICKETS & INFO

FRI         SEPT 20      SOUTHDOWNS MUSIC FESTIVAL, BOGNOR                            TICKETS & INFO

THURS      OCT 3        GROUNDHOG BLUES CLUB, WELLINGTON, TELFORD               TICKETS & INFO

SAT         OCT 12           CARLISLE BLUES/ROCK FESTIVAL                         TICKETS & INFO

FR1         OCT 18      BREADSALL MEMORIAL HALL, DERBYSHIRE                      TICKETS & INFO 

SUN         OCT 27           BEVERLEY BLUES FESTIVAL                         TICKETS & INFO

SAT         NOV 2             THE PLOUGH ARTS CENTRE, GREAT TORRINGTON, DEVON          TICKETS & INFO

SAT         NOV 23           THE EDGE ARTS CENTRE, MUCH WENLOCK, SHROPSHIRE            TICKETS & INFO

SAT         DEC 7              UNDER THE EDGE ARTS, WOTTION UNDER EDGE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE            TICKETS & INFO

We get to play at a whole variety of great venues and events, as people who follow us will know. Do come to something, and spread the word too, we need as many people as possible to come and find out about the unique thing we do ....

UPDATED WEBSITE 

The website has been revised and updated, have a look at it all here, it's got everything anyone could need to know, see or hear! 

http://www.markharrisonrootsmusic.com/

FILMS

New live films, including the most recent shows:

recent live films

All manner of good films are on our YouTube channel, have a prowl around and subscribe too: YouTube channel

SPOTIFY

You can check out all the albums here, and if you like the music, please do buy something too: 

Spotify

ALBUMS

All the albums, can be ordered direct here, so if there are any you haven't got, do get them! We do songs from all of them.

http://www.markharrisonrootsmusic.com/shop.php

Many thanks for all the interest and support,  

Mark 

PS If you don't want to receive these occasional newsletters, just let me know.