#He will never know what to do the moment Nigel will call out for him. Purr his name. chant it like an oath. He'd probably give in.

[bloodbathfortwo]

Alex Forbes will never forget how much he yearned to hold Nigel Colbie on their wedding night. He wanted to taste his skin, temptation thumping in his veins, his hands were itching to pin him down, see his whole weight pressure the life off of Nigel's wrists, wanting to see the lines he'd leave on his skin, the way his parched throat is seeking his heavenly waters: He felt like a lecherous teenage boy. But for all he knows, he cannot wait to be one with his beloved Maraclea.

[lowkey-luxe]

Brigerton S1 Polin Rewatch

okay so I decided to rewatch Bridgerton bc I literally cannot get enough of polin, but I'm skipping most scenes that don't include pen or colin, this is S1. I'm just pointing out what catches my eye be it romantic or showing character. ❤️ will be something I think is related to polin. p.s. I have not read any of the books and I may put some speculation on meanings.

E1:

Pen calls her mother tasteless and tacless as LW, lmao

❤️when leaving the home, Eloise says hi to Pen across the st. and Colin looks over afterwards

❤️Colin stares at Penelope when she is presented to the Queen

LW says she doesn't like the alphabetical naming, and Portia calls LW out on writing a lot about the bridgertons

❤️Pen stares at Colin as he dances w/ another girl

Pen seems happy when Marina receives callers, I mean listen to LW dialogue about her

Portia tells them^ to bid farewell to "even Penelope" - she thinks of her at the bottom of her daughters

❤️Colin ignores Pen's sisters saying goodbye and goes straight to her to crack a joke, no nodding or curtsy or anything

❤️ Colin walks up to Pen at a ball, this time they do curtsy bc it's in society, she tries to get him to notice her dress but he says nothing (bc of Cressida)

❤️Colin denies Cressida a dance and takes Pen in front of her - Pen's first dance!

E2:

Colin is a jokesterrrr (first about Daphne's dress and then about "sticks")

Pen is the only one to go and check on Marina - she cares

Pen thought pregnancy came from cake, lmaooooo

Pen knows how to twist her words to please her mother

E3:

Pen is such a romanticccc and you can see it w/ Marina's situation

Pen goes to try to help Marina like Eloise tried w/ Daphne when Nigel was calling

E4:

Pen even offers to stay in for Marina

my boy Mr. Finch's first appearance! and later they flirt about cheese MY HEART - Pen seems to find it cute too

❤️again Colin goes to Penelope w/ no curtsy and make innapropriate jokes, I mean he sneaks behind her and says a joke w/ the intention to make her laugh - he looks for her reaction!!!!

❤️Colin looks at Pen, but she looks away!!! - who would look at someone like that, oh Colin you were bewitched before you even knew

❤️ Colin then talks about Marina to keep talking to Pen, he couldv'e walked away but decided to extend the convo!

❤️ poor Pen hearing about Marina hoping to entrap Colin, she tries to hard to softly disuade her

instead of saying anything about her feelings, Pen decides to pretend to try to sleep to kick Marina out of her room

Peneloise's first fight :(

Colin brings in his mother drunk lol - you can see how happy drunk she is w/ her little sensitive boy

Colin ends up helping Daphne - he is caring and sensitive towards her situation

E5:

❤️Pen meddles in Colin and Marina's convo, poor Pen seeing her crush courting someone else :(

❤️Pen keeps trying to disuade Marina from Colin and says it outloud

Peneloise angst

❤️Pen staresss at Marina and Colin

gentleman Colin - no kissing Marina, but proposes, he thinks he is so mature and doing the right/expected thing by society standards

E6:

Colin announces his engagement to Marina

❤️poor Pen being hurtful by said news

Anthony think Colin wants to get it on and thinks of him so young and immature with his actions and decisions

Colin says he is hurt in more ways than one when Anthony does not give him blessing - he cares so much of what others think of him

Violet and Colin have a heart to heart convo, and Colin says he is never taken seriously except by Marina - prob why he went to her bc he longs to be seen as such

Pen feels mocked and pitied by Marina? basically she cannot accept a compliment from her and is also mad w/ her by the whole Colin situation

Pen vs her sisters, never seem to have a moment of getting along or fitting in

Colin tries to sell Marina to his family, cracking a joke too

❤️Pen asks Colin for a word and he says "Pen, of course" - as if there is not even a need for her to ask bc he will always have a word w/ her, no hesitation

❤️unchaperoned and alone Pen tries to talk seriously but Colin cracks a joke and then sees her expression and apoligizes to let her talk

❤️Pen tells Colin that Marina is in love w/ someone else - not to her own benefit but to try to get Colin out of a marriage where he is not/ may not be loved

❤️Colin tells Pen she is good, while holding her hand??? - he sees how Pen tries to help him out but it's no matter to him bc he thinks he and Marina know each other so well, but knows Pen was just looking out for him

Colin aplogizes for his family's actions

Colin is such a romantic toooooooooo, he proposes getting eloped

Portia doesn't even care for Pen when she is supposedly sick, she probably has been disregarded most of her life

Pen proves Marina wasn't denied by George to try to end her engagement to Colin and for Marina's love?

❤️Pen worries about Colin being deceived, she knows Marina would be safe but she worries about Colin in the matter

Marina catches on and tells Pen that Colin does not even see Pen as a woman - which tbh is true at the moment bc Colin only sees her as "Pen" girl next door, sister's bestie, and someone he can joke with from childhood

Pen goes to Eloise and cries - now I read someone saying they thought this wasn't bc Colin was getting married or bc Marina called her out but bc she had used LW to hurt/expose someone she cared for, both Marina and Colin, Pen so thoughtful and knowing how harsh words can be just used LW to bring scandal to them in order to end the engagement, to prevent Colin being tricked into marriage

LW publishes Marina is with child and Colin was conned

E7:

❤️Colin's bedsheets are yellow? hmmm

Daphne checks on Colin, he thought he was in love and puts his heart before his brain, he also catches on something going on w/ Daphne - he is so observant on other's emotions and putting those first

Colin thought he was loved and is hurt that was a lie along w/ Marina's entire scam - Colin is emotional, and I don't mean in the way we think of but he shows emotions and is in tuned with his and with others, he again puts other's first as seen when if told the truth he would've married Marina

❤️even though her family is in scandal Pen asks about Colin

Pen finds Marina unconcious - still caring

E8:

Pen comes and checks on Marina, ready to care for her with water and a rag - still caring about her

❤️"one day he will see it" Marina to Pen about Colin

❤️Colin is singing and quiets when he sees Pen - was he just caught by surprise or shy of Pen seeing him in this state?

lol Philippa "did I lose it" - it being her dowry

❤️ Polin catching each others eye across the dance floor, he was ready and already marching to her and then she put her head down - my poor Pen, again no curtsy

❤️Colin acknowledges Pen was looking out for him in his best interests

❤️Pen was ready to declare her feelings for Colin

❤️Colin tells Pen he is leaving and tells it's bc of her bc she reminded him of who he is and what he wanted

❤️Colin asks her to dance, and she says no - he notices something in her saying no and stared at her leaving, whippppedddd before he knew

❤️Colin leaves but looks at Pen's home maybe???

❤️Pen ofc cries as Eloise comforts her about her father but she looks out the window to Colin - crying for both?

Pen is sad to see Marina leave too - someone who seemed to be closer to her than her sisters

[assassinshadowgirl]

Acceptance

"Clive. Joshua." Jill called both cheerily as she entered Clive's chamber. "I got something for you both."

The Rosfield brothers paused their Tome readings as Jill presented two fine lovely hand sewn pouches with an elegant phoenix embroidery design as well as their names carefully sewn on it.

Red was for Clive while orange was for Joshua. Even Jill has it; a dark blue pouch with a beautiful ice embroidery design.

"This is quite well made." Clive complimented as he examined the materials with his hands. Fine materials made from the feathers of Chocobos and silk.

"I didn't know you had such fine handicraft skills, Jill." Joshua doesn't recall she ever did one back in the old days at Rosaria. Except for flower laurels.

Jill chuckled and shook her head. "Actually, it wasn't done by me. It was someone else." She pointed out.

Clive and Joshua were curious who it was.

--------------

Jill led the brothers to Harpocrates's library. Quietly creaking open the double wooden doors, she gestured to them to take a peek inside. They did.

It was Dion. Sitting on one of the chairs, with knitting and sewing accessories on the long table, knitting something for two excited Bearer children.

"Here you go." He handed two little white knitted Moogles to them.

"Thank you, big brother!" The children expressed their thanks and soon were playing with it while Dion resumed his knitting.

--------------

"He made this for us?" Clive asked Jill. She nodded.

"I actually suggested to him to give it to you both personally yet he politely implored me to do it for his stead." She quietly sighed while observing him from a distance. "The guilt of what happened back at Twinside still weighs heavily on him. He may have begun living with us at the hideout but he barely struck any conversation with anyone.”

"I often see him spent most of his time alone outside. Staring silently towards the Crystalline Dominion direction, lost in deep thoughts with grief-stricken expression.” She gazed up at Clive. “Healing him from this ordeal won't be easy. I wish I could help him more but I’m not sure how."

Clive looked at Jill then shifted his gaze back to Dion. He clearly knew that the very catastrophe happened at the capital city wasn't Dion's fault to begin with. It was all Ultima’s machination; That fiend disguised itself as Olivier Lesage to manipulate Dion’s father, Sylvestre Lesage. And of course, Anabella played a part in this event. Her arrogance as an elitist, greed and obsession of wanting to obtain higher social status had opened up an opportunity for Ultima to take advantage of it. Dion who just wanted to save both his father and homeland from the tyranny, ended up striking his father down by accident resulting the prince to spiral into a deep shock and guilt mentality.

Though Dion managed to get back to his feet, the transgression he committed couldn’t be undone. He blamed himself though no one even the Rosfield siblings never ever blamed him. Yet Dion chose to hold the responsibility by himself.

Clive, this time, was determined to do something for Dion again after Harpocrates’s request three days ago. He didn’t want Dion to suffer alone. Clive wanted to pass a message to him; Letting him know that he's not alone and they are all in this together. As a family.

"What do you propose, brother?" Joshua asked.

“You remember the wild wyvern tail?”

“I do. However, Dion declined the gift.”

“Well, he did. Still the wyvern tail is a symbol to the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and it’s also his favourite flower. We may have planted the seeds at Nigel's yard. Hoping one day it will cheer him up when it blooms in abundance. I was thinking what if we give him the same thing but in a different form?”

Joshua and Jill exchanged looks then pondered for a moment. Maybe it might work…

--------------

"You sure you want to make this?" Otto asked the trio when he studied the blueprint drawing.

"Yes. I have the materials here." Clive placed the box on the table.

"And we would like to make it ourselves. Of course, with you as our guidance." Joshua added on.

“Please keep it as a secret. We don’t want Dion finding it out.” Jill requested.

Otto raised an eyebrow. "Forging something with this design isn't going to be a simple task. It might take a week or so. I mean you three never even done smithing before."

"With our magic, I'm sure we can get it done in about a few days’ time." Clive seems confident.

Otto was taken aback. He let out a grunt. Scratched the back of his head. Finally crossed his arms. "Fine. Let's not waste any time."

--------------

Otto wasn’t joking. The process and progress were indeed hard. It took Jill the whole day with lot of tries to get her ice magic to successfully merged with the silver. She made a few more for backups in case the Rosfield brothers screwed it up.

Once her part was done, Joshua and Clive proceeded. Both utilising their fire magic, trying to forge out the shape perfectly according to the blueprint. It was tough despite Otto’s assistance. There were a lot of trials and errors; either the shape was off, accidentally breaking the materials, Clive clumsily hammered his own fingers during smithing or Joshua ‘burnt’ himself so on.

Meanwhile Dion as usual, either spent time alone outside or staying in the library doing knitting or doing errands for Harpocrates. Though he did notice the Rosfield brothers spending a lot of time at the blacksmith. Luckily, he didn’t suspect anything as Jill instructed Torgal to distract the prince.

--------------

Finally, just as Clive calculated, they completed the piece in just three days. Now to gift it to Dion. Before that, Clive even prayed to Ifrit including the old ancient mural hanging in his chamber that Dion will accept the present they make for him.

The trio approached Dion in the library. They called his name. He glanced up and seemed rather surprised to see Clive, Joshua, Jill including Torgal was there to greet him.

“Is something the matter?” He asked.

“We have something to give you. Could you close your eyes for a moment?” Clive smiled.

Dion was confused. “Oh alright. If you say so.” He did as request without enquiring further.

“Don’t open till we tell you to.” Joshua reminded before nodding at his older brother. Clive took a deep breathe, opened the box and approached Dion. Dion can feel something was carefully and gently pinned on his collar. Clive took a step back and spoke, “Ok. You can open your eyes now.”

Dion did and stared down. He gasped before casting a quick glance at the trio. It was a brooch. A beautifully crystal shaped wyvern tail brooch pinned on his collar. “Is this…” Dion was loss at words as he touched the jewel. He then noticed the small bandages on Clive’s fingers.

“You make this for me?”

“I didn’t do it on my own. Joshua and Jill helped.” Clive smirked at his trusty hound. “Torgal too.” The hound barked. It was proud of it’s distraction skill.

Dion looked at the brooch again. “Why made it for me?”

Clive rubbed the back of his neck. “We made it to convey our message to you.”

“Message?”

“We want you to know that you’re not alone and you have us. Not only just a friend but family as well.”

“Family?” Dion looked away. “We are not even blood related. Furthermore, my father besides my stepmother was responsible for your father’s murder and Rosaria’s downfall. The Holy Empire’s ill treatment towards Bearers. Despite all of these, you still want to consider me as part of the family?”

“Yes. I do.” Clive smiled. “We never blame you. You have done nothing wrong. You’re just the same as us. Victims of Ultima’s scheme. You did what you have to do; to save both your father and homeland. If I was you, I would have done the same thing, Dion.”

Clive reached out to hold Dion’s hand in his. “I know you are suffering a deep guilt about Twinside but know this: It wasn’t your fault at all. And we are willing to share these burdens with you. Don’t hold it all to yourself alone. We are here for you, Dion. You can always reach out to us. We will be here for you whenever you need us.”

Clive pointed to the jewel. “This brooch signified us and you together. As brothers and family. Once Ultima is gone, let us rebuild Rosaria and Sanbreque together as one nation. No more mothercrystals. No more aether. No more magic. Alas no more as Dominants but as normal people.”

Dion was silent as he looked at Clive. Suddenly a single tear drop rolled down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away. “I—I don’t know what to say, Ifrit…I mean Clive.” More tears. “I---” He couldn’t hold back his feelings anymore. Dion never expected he will feel the warmth of something he once lost and longed for it once again. He thought he had completely lost it all. And now here he was, able to experienced it again.

Clive pulled Dion towards him and embraced him like he always did for his little brother. Dion embraced back as he wept. He finally opened up his feelings. Joshua and Jill also embraced Dion while Torgal leaned close to his lap.

“Welcome home, my brother.” Clive said.

“Thank you, Clive. My big brother.”

--END--

Writer's Note: Got the inspiration to write this short fic after watching the cutscene where Dion took out a green pouch to pass it to Terence. Then it later got re-edited into a story where I want Dion to be happy. Acceptance. Dion really deserves a happy ending after what happened to him.

[neilisntreal]

Spacedogs fic in which while Adam and Nigel are having fun, Adam’s older brother walks in. Here’s a snippet:

NSFW!

——————————

Adam’s brothers are gone today. Will is at some internship thingy at the police academy (Adam doesn’t really know or care, to be truthful) and Bobby is gone working on a case. That gives Adam the whole day alone to himself, which he always delights in. He usually spends his time alone watching documentaries on their big living room TV that Bobby and Will usually never want to watch, or he reads one of his big books about space.

Today, though, he’s decided he doesn’t want to be alone.

That’s why right now, Nigel’s fingers are curled inside of Adam’s omegan pussy, thrusting slow and deep. Adam’s cock twitches and throbs against his stomach while Nigel fingers him slowly. His mind is hazy and he can’t breathe; not when Nigel’s pressing right into his g-spot with his deft fingers. He always finds it so easily. He has it’s location memorized by now.

“N-Ni- Nigel- oh- hah~” Adam grinds against the fingers inside of him and whimpers in ecstasy. He feels so fucking good.

He’s been in pre-heat for the past 4 days experiencing surges of neediness, fevers, and depressive episodes; all of the wonderful things that come with being an omega. He’d called Nigel to come help him the second he made absolutely sure that both Bobby and Will were gone.

Now Nigel is here, fucking him stupid with only his fingers. The sounds of an omega in preheat resonate throughout the mostly empty house, Adams back arching up off his bed when Nigel’s fingers brush particularly hard against his “special spot”, as Nigel likes to call it. Adam is aching, an emptiness within him that he knows only an alphas knot can fill. An alphas calloused fingers will have to do for now, though. Adam isn’t ready to lose his virginity just yet.

Nigel and Adam have been dating since their freshman year, and are now both in their senior. Adam had turned 18 a few months earlier, and Nigel had turned 19 a few months earlier than that. They haven’t yet had proper sex, but with the pace things are going at now, Adam is going to be losing his virginity while in heat next week.

They’ve been doing sexual stuff for a while. Blowjobs, fingering, cunnilingus, a lot of dry humping, and even more making out. It progressed pretty naturally in their relationship, but Adam had wanted to wait a while longer to have full on sex; to be sure. When Nigel fucks him next week - not if, when - Adam is going to ask him to mark him, to bond with him. That’s what this has all been leading up to.

Nigel doesn’t know this, of course. Adam has kept it under wraps until he’s been absolutely sure that this is what he wants.

And in this moment, with Nigel’s fingers shoved into his wet pussy, he’s absolutely positively sure he wants Nigel’s bite.

———————

Read the rest on AO3 💪

[the-elevator-twins]

>[At the prospect of fresh meat, your twin seems to perk up, and point to the door almost frantically. Is he talking about the monsters? Those two are certainly meat of some sort.... though the second he makes that recommendation, he starts shaking his head, and seems to snap out of his daze, still frantic, but much more normal.]

>[He takes in his surroundings and tries to offer you his scissors and talk to you, but when he does, the strings tighten completely, blood dripping from the threads as they cut his skin and render him completely unable to talk. But he seems insistent on staying away from you, not out of fear of you, he'd gotten over that a while ago.]

>[It's like he's scared of hurting you]

>[Though almost immediately his eyes widen and his pupils shrink, and pained, choked, muffled laughter escapes him. The threads loosen and he goes back to his pacing, just more... twitchy, and hyper aware, like an animal. The parallels to how he acted when feeding off of the blonde monsters are striking, but his behavior is almost worse. Probably because unlike you, he didn't get to eat. He's starving]

CW: implied abuse

(i) > Seeing your brother like this... it hurts you in some way. Honestly, you should feed him, but at the same time, you know he really, truly doesn't want to. With a reluctant sigh, you force yourself up, wincing slightly in pain before the door knocks, right on cue. A hook moves to the door, pulling it back as you come face to face with 'them' again.

> "Hey newbie! Wow, looks like you got caught in a trap or something. Got baited to do something reckless?" > "Would you and your brother like to go out for drinks?"

(i) > Lips parted, you were about to decline, but it's already too late as your brother lunged forward. He seems to go after the weaker one of the two, while your manic coworker takes out a lighter and a beer bottle. You react quickly, hooking "Bryce" to the ground as Neil finishes mauling "Bruce" to death.

> "Hey! You think you can get away with this you little brat!? Do I have to punish you again!? You bastard child!!" > "H-Huh. . ?"

(i) > There, Bryce begins to morph, that of your own mother. . . or, what appears to be your mother. Instant dread sets in as you loosen your grip on the other, resulting in the monster to shove you to the ground.

> "If you had only done what you were asked of!! None of this would have happened!! Our prayers to God fell on deaf ears, all because you wanted to be selfish!! Maybe being locked up without any food will do you some good!" > "M-Mom-" > "Don't call me your mother you PIG! You're nothing more than an unwanted animal! Dead meat! We warned you what happens when you stray from God's hand!" > "St-Stop it-- STOP IT PLEASE--"

(i) > Falling to your knees, you cover your ears, it hurts... hurts to listen to the ringing and harsh voices, the meat hooks on your body coil in agitation. Tears threaten your eyes before you feel a hand grip your hair, forcing you to look up. Something in "her" hand frightens you, it's left you unpleasant marks before, a razor blade. There is only one emotion you have at this moment. . . Fear.

> "I'll make you repent, one way or another boy, REPENT! REPENT RIGHT NOW! YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!" > "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!! PLEASE MOM- > "Sorry doesn't cut it!! I'll make you remember my warnings permanently!"

(i) > "She" goes to strike you, only making you flinch and let out a mortified scream. You don't want to be hurt. . . You did the best you could, you tried to bee the best son. . . you tried to be enough to matter to someone, to feel important. . . but even then, the blade never tears into your skin.

> "N. . . Nigel. . ."

(i) > Lifting your head, you see the front of "her" stomach bleeding. the monster collapses in front of you as you only look up at your brother, who's appearance only looks more terrifying. But. . . all you can do is cry, shuffle to your brother's arms and hug him tightly.

> "I'm. . . here, Nigel. . . Shhhhh. . ." > "Ghhhuuhhhaaa. . . I-I'm sorry. . !! I-I did m-my best. . . I did my b-beeessst. . !! Hhhuuuaahhhh. . !!"> "Shhhh. . . Shhhhh . . . I'm here. . . now. . ."

(i) > . . . Neither of you speak a word, you just embrace and weep together.

[nextstopwonderland]

Masterlist of Bryan Danielson content I've posted Part 1

BCC/Bryanmox related content & links to other masterlists

Graphics/collages

(Original post)

(Original post)

(Original post)

Video clips

Bryan Danielson puts over Orange Cassidy during the Forbidden Door II press conference

“Is that real leather?”

“I don’t put myself in high energy situations because I don’t enjoy necessarily frenetic energy” - Bryan Danielson on the outlet wrestling provides

Daniel Bryan calls out Raw for not showcasing women

Bryan Danielson doing a promo in a makeshift crop top while stroking his “sexy beard”

Bryan on Eddie Kingston

Best moments on Rampage compilation by TNT

AWS promo - April 30, 2005

“FICKLE! They’re FICKLE”

A wild Bryan Danielson appears at Starrcast

Bryan puts over Ricky Starks at the All Out 2023 media scrum

Full match: Bryan/ZSJ round 1

“Who’s overrated now??”

Bryan sells his ass (no, he really does)

“Let’s talk about the illusion of free will”

Bryan and Paul London dolphin pod promo

Bryan + Henry’s Gym

Bryan and Brie

Bryan + Blue Panther (includes screenshots)

“I am going to break your arm. I am going to break your right arm and you’ll never be able to do the rainmaker again.”

“I haven’t done a cartwheel in a long time”

“I’m not what?”

Bryan’s commentary promo vs Eddie

Bryan’s pre-match promo vs Eddie

Bryan’s post-match promo vs Eddie

“Oh, I’m on!!”

“I just wanted to subdue him a little”

“My wife and I joke we could turn it into a gimmick”

“That makes me feel alive”

“Put your cameras down, wink wink”

“I can feel the end coming”

“My brain is so focused on wrestling”

“So at what point am I deceiving myself?”

“Im beat up, but happy”

Dragon grr’s, but is merely adorable

WK slow-mo vid

Daniel Bryan + Muppets

Bryan addresses Eddie

Random ROH WRD clip

Bryan is superstitious of a cat

Bryan on his history with Eddie

“I should have given him my respect a long time ago” - Bryan and Eddie, post-revolution

“Because I know what I’m willing to do.”

“Blue Panther has been my favorite luchador since I was 15”

Bryan gets his hair braided in Arena Mexico

“You said you wanted to introduce me to proper Lucha libre.”

Wrestling to me has never been about proving I’m better than anyone else.”

Bryan returns to Mexico City

“My heaven will be standing in a wrestling ring bleeding in front of all of you”

“A BANGER!”

Video compilations/edits

Bryan Danielson sings boy bands

HEY (EW) supercut

Bryan I don’t like frenetic energy Danielson being unhinged

Ring of honor compilation

Bryan’s got legs and he knows how to use ‘em (fanvid set to legs by ZZ Top)

Supercut of Bryan/ZSJ round 2

Wrestling road diaries supercut

“I may suck. I am opening to sucking” - 4 min and 33 seconds of why we should be thankful for Bryan Danielson’s existence

“He's trying to shake my hand, but we're not friends” - Bryan and Eddie in roh (plus some Nigel in the background)

Bryan + Will + doctors post-dynasty

The I have till 5 edits

Bryan has till 5 (a fanvid/fancam set to he’s a rebel & also a scaled down edit)

Bryan and his opponents still have till 5

Bryan and even more of his opponents have till 5

Audio clips

Robin Tran thanks Bryan Danielson for inspiring her to come out as transgender

Part 2

[sakebytheriver]

Thoughts on the latest Ghosts episode? 😊

Gosh, ok, where to start 😭😭😭

I guess I'll start by saying, Hetty's crack about checkmating Nigel was almost verbatim a line I wrote in my fanfic, like I spent so long looking for another way to say "checkmated" but ultimately just got rid of the word altogether because it sounded too cheesy 😭😭😭 like heres the line I went with instead

"...but once Nigel invited her after he invited Nancy, Hetty knew what he was planning. She could already see the chess board laid out in her mind of all the social slights and language stunts and all the petty little tricks, she learned from being an aristocrat in the 1800s, that she and Nigel would begin to move across the board each trying to get the upper hand on each other. By the end of it, one of them would win, and Hetty has never lost a game of chess."

So uh, yeah I'm pretty happy with all of my choices so far 😂😂😂

And as for the H-money stuff, it was cute 🤷‍♀️

The show is moving them into romantic territory now it seems and that's kind of where I check out of the ship a bit, sorry 😬

I loved the moment in the kitchen when Trevor's making innuendo trying to tempt Hetty into bed, like "I know a position you like being in" 😭 sir. And then she's like "no way... ok meet me downstairs in five" 😫😫 they're just so horny all the time I can't with them, but I mean to be fair what else is there to do for all eternity 😭😭😭

I loved Sas' reaction to them the most, where he was like "damnit I'm missing so much drama" that's my fave character right there folks 😭😭😭😭

Also Isaac's "found your stable boy" crack was like, bro just called Trevor a pretty boy and a boytoy in the most subtle way he could, I cannot 😭

Of course, I loved Trevor's chivalry after he ended things with Hetty and still took the library bullet for her, he's a sweet guy and I love that for him (and for Hetty). Also, the Splash roleplay 😭😭😭 Trevor, my guy. He just like me fr (both attracted to mermaids). The confrontation about Hetty really being ashamed of hooking up with Trevor and how he thought it was all just a roleplay game and that he doesn't like how this feels was pretty formulaic and predictable, not in a bad way just in the Ghosts CBS way 😂

idk it was fine, I really have no sappy thoughts about those two, I just wanna see them fuck constantly 😭😭😭

I have no idea where they're gonna go with them now that they're public about the relationship, I feel like it's prolly gonna take a backseat for a while and that it'll only show up as Trevor making some crude joke or reference to his sex life with Hetty in front of everyone that she scolds him for 😭 but tbh I really just don't know where they're gonna take them now that it's explicit that this is going down a romantic route, I just don't have thoughts about it I'm sorry 😭😭😭

Also, also Alberta's descendant was a sweetheart and her voice was lovely 😊

[smilesstardust]

Sarah

Nobody had expected little Sarah Reese to be a dancer. Not because she wasn’t good at it, because she was, and not because she didn’t take it seriously, because she did. She was just much quieter than future professional dancers were expected to be. She kept her head down and herself to herself, never calling any more attention to herself than absolutely necessary.

And there was her intelligence. She’d been described all her life as bright, teachers going as far as to label her gifted. There was the assumption because of that fact that dancing professionally was beneath her, that she would instead go off to college to become a doctor or a lawyer.

But she loved the stability of dance. Her and her mother moved around a lot for her mother’s work, but no matter what city they ended up in there was always a dance school willing to take her. The steps were always the same, class structure rarely varied. It was something that was always familiar, no matter how unfamiliar the environment.

She was sixteen when they moved to Chicago, her mother promising they would stay put until after she had graduated high school. It had taken a few weeks, as it always did, but she was enrolled quickly in the Gaffney dance school. It was different from every dance school she’d been to previously. The dance school wasn’t technically attached to the company that used the same rehearsal spaces, but they got to use the professional facilities and members of the company would teach when they weren’t performing. It wasn’t unusual for her after school class to be watched through the window by dancers and directors.

As much as she loved dance, she only did it twice a week. She took four classes across two days, and while she was good, she was certainly nothing special. She didn’t train as hard or as much as the girls planning on being professionals, but she could hold her own in a class full of them.

They all had places to major in dance or musical theatre at college. Sarah had been offered places at college too, at good schools, but it wasn’t for dance. And she was fine with that. She’d find another class to do in her spare time just like she had so many times before.

They were in the middle of ballet class, just about to change into their pointe shoes when the Gaffney company’s brand new artistic director walked in. The girls all fell silent for a moment, and then started to speak in hushed whispers to each other, gossiping while Sarah continued to tie her ribbons. Much to the surprise of everyone but their teacher, who agreed with a knowing nod, he asked to borrow Sarah.

Her teacher had given her a comforting smile as she followed Mr Rhodes out to the waiting room. He’d gestured for her to sit down and after explaining that she wasn’t in any trouble, he asked about her college plans. So she told him. Then he asked if she’d be willing to give those plans up for a place dancing with the company.

Sarah had been shocked, hadn’t known how to respond. Any of the other dozen girls in her classes would have been a more obvious choice. It wasn’t that she wasn’t grateful for the opportunity, but she couldn’t understand why it was being given to her. The artistic director, Connor as he insisted she call him if they were going to work together, explained that he wanted to take the company in a new direction. He wanted dancers with potential, not ones who were the finished product. And Sarah apparently had a lot of potential.

After a significant amount of arguing with her mother, she accepted the offer on the condition she could study part time at college alongside her role in the company. Connor had agreed without hesitation, allowing her to work around her classes. She started at the company the day after graduation, moved out of her mother’s house into her own tiny apartment and, on a whim a few months later, adopted a grumpy old cat called Nigel who made an excellent study partner even if he did get under her feet while she rehearsed. She formed tentative friendships with some of the other dancers, and came out of her shell a little bit.

The company had its stars, and she knew she wasn’t one of them, but she had never minded being in the background. She kept her head down and danced her heart out, content with the role she had.

There were whispers of something big about to happen, though nobody was completely sure what. When Connor walked into company class one morning with a face like thunder and announced they were getting a new choreographer, Sarah figured that must have been it. She’d heard of Ava Bekker, pretty much anyone who followed ballet knew the name, and Sarah knew she was a great dancer. But everyone else’s reactions had her wondering if Ava’s arrival was the good thing her gut reaction said it was.

This AU.

Ask me about it.

[dunkzillla]

#7 + 9 for "a place to call home" please?

#7 What is your favorite scene you’ve written so far?

the scene just before they go out to the pub, and Bryan sees Nigel sitting on his bed with the Pure title Bryan gave him when it was retired. Especially the moment Bryan (barely) recalls getting knocked out and Nigel getting back in the ring at the end of the match.

‘And now Nigel’s holding that very title again. Bryan watches through the gap in the door, and he swears he sees Nigel transform in front of his eyes. Swears he sees bright blonde spikes sprout from the top of his head, Union Jack knee pads curling over his knees. Holding the Pure title in his hands turns whatever Nigel this is, car salesman Nigel, into the Nigel that he’s always known. Nigel McGuinness, greatest enemy, soulmate, and one of the best wrestlers he’s ever known. The real Nigel. Nigel’s at home with the Pure title in his hands.’

#9 What is your favourite dialogue you’ve written so far?

This little bit from the upcoming chapter, between Claudio and Bryan!

‘“You’ve been without him for so long, Bryan. I thought that was a healed wound.”

“It was never a wound. He has never been a wound. He’s been… something special that I left behind when I moved house and thought I’d never get back but I have a chance to and now I want to make sure I come home with it. That he comes home where he belongs.”

“I never thought we would be here again, talking about Nigel McGuinness.”

“Yeah, me neither. But I need this, Claudio. I don’t think I’ve really been me for a long time. To be me I need him to come home. Please let me do this.”

“I wouldn’t stop you, prinzli. I just hope you know what you’re doing. You remember what it used to be like, yes?”

“Yeah. They were the happiest years of my life.”’

[flawedamythyst]

Today's Plotbunny: Farming AU

So, Stede inherits a massive factory-type chicken farm from his dad. Huge and industrial and with just absolutely terrible animal welfare policies, bordering on illegal.

Before Bonnet Senior is even in the ground, Stede is making changes, firing all the old staff and bringing in a gang of oddballs (inc. Buttons the Chicken Whisperer and Lucius the PA Who Is Not Paid Enough To Deal With Chicken Shit Thank You Very Much), halving the number of chickens they keep so they all have space to run around, looking up how to get organic certification, all that. All the local farmers think he's insane and that he's destroying his profit margin one hare-brained scheme at a time.

All the local farmers, except one.

Ed inherited a pig farm from Hornigold along with the rest of his vast criminal empire. The pig farm is a minor part of it all, mostly ignored and not particularly profitable. It serves two real purposes: a) money-laundering and b) disposing of corpses. Because you know...pigs and dead bodies and yeah.

Anyway, that was ten years ago. Ed has been out to the farm maybe twice since then because he's mostly focused on the actual organised crime stuff in the Big City. It's been a long decade though, and he's tired and bored and needs some R&R, so he comes up for a couple of days on a whim.

He meets Stede. Sparks fly. Hearteyes descend. Stede shows Ed what he's doing with his farm and Ed is fascinated, even as he realises just how little he knows about farming. And Stede makes it sound so fascinating! Fang has been managing the pig farm so Ed starts chatting to him, talking about possible changes and getting excited about it in a way he hasn't been for years about any of the Actual Crime.

Ed reluctantly goes back to the Big City after a long weekend that turned into a full week, but he can't stop thinking about Stede. He starts heading out to the farm more and more often to hang out with him, leaving Izzy in charge of the Crime in the Big City. He and Fang make small changes and then, inspired by Stede, bigger ones. Ed gets rid of some of the pigs, who he's never really liked as animals (especially not after watching them chew through numerous mobster henchmen) and replaces them with goats, who he always thought looked fun. He's kinda done with farming animals whose sole purpose is to die, he wants to try something without any death involved, you know? And goat cheese is fucking awesome.

The goats are fun. They may, in fact, be too much fun, but Ed is having the time of his life, running around with Stede after that one bossy nanny who always escapes, laughing and feeling lighter than he has in years. Maybe ever. He's thinking he might try kissing Stede, one day soon.

And then a Badminton turns up at Stede's. Probably Nigel. He tells Stede that he and his brother have bought up a whole load of land in the area and are going to be building a big housing estate, and that Stede's dad had been on the verge of signing a contract to sell his farm to them right before he died. Nigel leans on Stede heavily to sell and when Stede refuses, starts saying things like, "I'm guessing there's lots of chickens in those barns over there. Shame if something happened to them. Do you think it smells like Sunday dinner if a barn full of chickens burns down?"

Stede, furious at the very idea and frightened for his precious chickens, bashes him over the head. He falls, dies. Stede panics and calls the one person he completely trusts, the one who he has an inkling might have dealt with a dead body before.

Ed comes over and stares at Nigel's corpse, then sighs and says, "Guess it's a good thing I didn't get rid of all the pigs yet. No body, no crime, yeah?"

Stede has a little flailing 'oh god I'm a murderer and I'm making you an accessory, Ed! I'm ruining you like I ruin everyone!' moment, Ed steps in and kisses him to calm him down, then says something like, "There's no one I'd rather be an accessory to murder with."

They sneak Nigel's body to the pig shed in the dead of night, then go back to Ed's and make sweet, sweet love.

That's all I've got right now. I'm assuming at some point Chauncey turns up looking for his brother, and Izzy probably loses his shit when Ed announces he's moving to the farm full-time so he can be with Stede, but Ed and Stede overcome all, merge their farms, and create a goats&chickens organic free-range paradise.

I don't know anything about farming though, so it's never getting written.

[sunnyhoneyshimmermagic]

I can say without a doubt that while the strip clearly starts running out of steam around 2015, and to me, March-April 2016 was when it began being bad, there were still enough decent arcs and strips from 2016 to 2020 where I wouldn't call it TOTALLY terrible, more like an on and off period.

2021 to today is where it loses all control. I genuinely struggle to even remember the arcs I liked during this time. It's all so repeated, and what's "new" is almost always something refreshingly bad.

Examples:

That may 1st 2022 sunday where a girl actually likes Nate for once so Kim threatens to tear her arms off and NO ONE CARES.

Nate and Kim checking a haunted house, a 2-3 week arc where the big joke besides ha ha kim is a bitch is it was Chad playing the oboe.

Countless and I mean countless arcs of Nate having an idea but instead of us actually getting to see it fail it's his friends all making the same jokes you've seen 1000000 times, and none of which feel like they are being said by anyone else, all his friends turned into damn Francis.

Too many school arcs, Peirce has got to branch out from there. Even Gina arcs are less fun because you know now that no matter what, Godfrey and Gina will win.

Nate in general has really lost his old winning chances. I think he won some sport arc at one point, that's about it.

The knitting arc, 3 whole weeks for the most predictable result imaginable with nary a twist.

Nate sharing a locker with molly only the locker has none of the fun random stuff of the past and Molly is just Francis.

All the characters do is argue now.

Nate trying to stop eating Cheeze doodles, that totally didn't happen in a similar arc (it wasn't a bad arc but you get my point).

Hey, Chad, instead of being the fun and bright spot you are, how about just making food jokes?

EVERY. SINGLE. GIRL. BEING. SUCH. A. BITCH. Two girls just walk up to Nate randomly and start laughing at him. HE WASN'T EVEN DOING ANYTHING.

The arc where Nate and Francis break up, talked about it before, you know the drill.

Dee Dee is just... An egomanaical bitch. None of her once sweet nature, nor her realness with Nate are there. Now she's just girl Francis most of the time, and when it's time for some drama, she's become a real jerk. Oh, but wait, only Nate can get called out on that, carry on.

Oh, a golf/dog for christmas/Artur/Ailurophobia/school picture/sports/kim arc, gee, I wonder if there will be any variety at all, outside of Gram joining in on the golf once.

To me, the biggest change from the old days is the lack of adventure and story telling. Outside of the pretty decent school budget arc (and I guess the Nigel arc but I think that could have been less mean and more interesting), we just don't do story anymore. There are no totally different arcs you've never seen before (and if their are they're Nate in love with a tiktok star), no adventures, no quests, no big moments, barely any cliffhangers. Now it's just "here's a joke you've seen 100000 times with barely any twist, I bet it's funnier this time!".

And no, I don't care for the excuse "but it's hard to think up jokes after all this time." No it's not. I'm an inexperienced fanfic writer who hasn't even begun film school and has zero credits to his name, and I can come up with tons of original arcs!

In short... Dear lord are these last few years terrible. I literally went through 2023 at one point to get something for the AMV and I was like "wait this happened? wait, this was an arc?"

[edactually]

Stede POV - 10.3

Being apart from Ed was still torture, but Fang and Ivan made for good company. Every now and then they would be approached by people wanting to gush over the two of them, but such conversations usually ended rather quickly and it saddened Stede to see that two such lovely people were not considered band members worth much time, just placeholders until Blackbeard and Izzy Hands were free. The bulk of the attention was on Ed and Izzy, and Stede continued to flick glances over in their direction constantly, trying to spot if Ed needed an escape call at any point, but Ed never made eye contact.

Stede’s phone didn’t buzz with a message from him either, but he still checked it often as he joined Fang and Ivan in taking large swigs from a bottle of brandy they’d procured. He would rather have had it in a glass, perhaps with some ice, but he didn’t want to spoil the fun. He gulped too much on his first swig and almost spat it out and Fang snapped another photo at that moment. Stede looked like a pufferfish, but he could admit it was funny and didn’t ask Fang to delete it.

Ed rejoined them when Stede was mid-swig again, approaching from behind so Stede didn’t spot him, just felt a pair of arms clutching around him and pulling him in for a hug. “Sorry for leaving you.”

Stede swallowed the brandy he’d almost choked on and handed the bottle to Ivan. “It’s ok, you had to do it, didn’t you?” He wanted to be supportive and had no intention of making Ed feel any guiltier than he probably already did for abandoning Stede so abruptly.

“For old time’s sake, a favour and to be left alone for the rest of the night, yeah.” Ed clutched Stede tighter against him. “Had to.”

“Blackbeard! Here you are!”

Oh god.

Not here. No, no it couldn’t be.

But then again, hadn’t he heard that they were… oh fuck, the party invitation. The embossing.

BB.

Badminton Brothers.

He’d heard that they’d gone into the music industry together on the more corporate side of things. Riding on other people’s talent to make their money was how Stede saw it. He’d remembered seeing them interviewed for some business rag and they’d been spouting off about how they’d started the company themselves and had built it from the ground up and they were self-made successes.

No mention of the huge handout they’d gotten from their father and all the help from his contacts then. 

Well, Stede could hardly criticise rich boys and nepotism, but at least he didn’t go around claiming he’d done everything himself.

At least Stede was only face to face with one of them as Ed turned around. He didn’t squeeze Stede as tightly, but his arm remained around his waist and Stede held onto it like an anchor. There was some fun to be had in Nigel Badminton’s double take when he recognised Stede, but not much.

“I don’t believe it! Stede Bonnet!” And Nigel laughed. That horrible high-pitched warbling laugh that had echoed through Stede’s childhood nightmares. It hardly sounded any different, but Stede did his absolute best not to tense up at the sound, knowing Ed would feel it. If the Badminton brothers were the party hosts, then they were the ones trying to win QAR over. Even if Ed didn’t want to sign, he’d agreed to play nice as Blackbeard for one night with Izzy, so Stede had to respect that choice and not ruin it for him.

“Nigel Badminton.” He attempted a smile that was more of a grimace. “How…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Nice to see you.”

Nigel had taken one look at Ed’s arm around Stede’s waist and Stede saw his expression flit between disgust, confusion and then finally that horrible smile of his. He didn’t know what Nigel intended to do with the information that he and Ed were obviously close, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. “We were rowdy school chums.” Nigel explained, presumably for Ed’s benefit. “Always playing pranks on one another.”

As Stede recalled it, those ‘pranks’ had definitely been one-sided. And he wouldn’t call them pranks so much as bullying. It wasn’t a prank to tie a child’s hands to the oars of a rowboat on the boating lake and throw rocks at him while he tried desperately to escape. It wasn’t a prank to steal all of his clothes and leave them in the middle of a thicket of stinging nettles and thorn bushes and it wasn’t a prank to invent a game called ‘Bonnet Bashing’ where he was trapped in the middle of a circle of the Badmintons and their friends and things were thrown at him from all angles. That last one had resulted in a concussion and a broken wrist and had been the incident where his boarding school had called his parents.

However upon hearing that the Badminton boys were responsible, Stede had been told by his father to toughen up and try to get in their good graces - that forming connections with a family as powerful as the Badmintons would only do him good later in life when it came to calling in favours.

Stede had opted to find various hiding places instead.

“Yes, lovely to see you again, Nigel.” Stede attempted to duck out from Ed’s hold. As comforted as he felt by it, there was only so much Ed’s presence could do to dull the sting of being confronted with one of his childhood tormentors, and Stede didn’t want to be around when Nigel no doubt started trying to regale Ed with tales of childhood ‘pranks.’

“I didn’t realise you knew Blackbeard, Stede.” Nigel continued before he could make his escape. “The two of you are…?”

Fuck.

Stede hadn’t even defined the relationship with Ed, he sure as hell wasn’t having that conversation in front of Nigel.

“We are.” Ed answered for him, vaguely enough that Nigel could interpret it how he liked.

“Such a small world, isn’t it?” Nigel grinned. “Imagine me being childhood chums with one of your friends, Blackbeard! It seems like a sign to me.”

“Does it now.” Ed sounded bored. His arm dropped from Stede’s body. “If you’ll excuse me, I just have to take a leak.”

Ed looked pointedly at Stede and he was immediately thrilled. A real life escape call, but this one was for him. He went to follow as Ed began to walk away, but found an arm around his shoulders and the scent of stale sweat and expensive liquor invading his nose. “Gives me a chance to catch up with Bonnet!” Nigel called out. “We’ll wait here, come and find us again when you’re done.”

Ed shot Stede a look and he could read everything in it. Ed was desperate to save him from this hostage situation of courtesy he’d found himself in, but what could he do? Stede just mouthed ‘it’s ok’

“I’ll be quick.” Ed said, but the promise wasn’t made to Nigel.

As soon as Ed was out of sight, the arm around Stede’s shoulders dropped. “Well, well, well, Bonnet.” Nigel smirked. “Looks like those rumours about you were true.”

“What rumours?” Stede asked, although he had a pretty good idea.

“That you left your wife and children and upended your entire comfortable life because you wanted to run around waving your little rainbow flag.”

“Ah.” Stede felt no shame about that. Nigel was missing the minor detail that Mary had been the one to leave him, technically speaking, but it felt pointless to correct him. “I mean, it’s true.”

Nigel suddenly looked like the cat that got the cream. “So you and Blackbeard aren’t just friends then.”

Stede didn’t answer. Nigel didn’t deserve an answer.

“Isn’t that…”

Ridiculous, inane, horrifying - Stede was braced for whatever insult Nigel wanted to throw at him.

“Fantastic!”

Stede blinked. “Pardon?”

“If Blackbeard has a soft spot for you,” and Nigel’s mouth did twist at that like he couldn’t quite believe it. “Then you can really help me here. You scratch my back and I scratch yours, so to speak. I’ll owe you quite the favour if you help me land this one, Bonnet.”

“Land what, I don’t understand.”

“My white whale.” Nigel looked ready to start rubbing his hands together gleefully. “You see, we’ve been trying to sign QAR for ages. No one has managed it so not only will it be quite the win for us as a company and a nice little cash cow, but Chauncey and I have a little bet going on which one of us can get Blackbeard to agree. He’s our last hold out. According to Mr. Hands, the rest of QAR are willing to sign with us, we just need to secure their frontman.”

The arm lifted to loop over his shoulders again but Stede side-stepped it. Nigel continued regardless. “That’s where you come in, Bonnet. Use your… charms to get Blackbeard on side. Convince him to sign.”

Stede had never once confronted his childhood bully. He’d avoided the Badmintons like the plague, getting caught occasionally, but once his time at boarding school was over then he had walked away never to see either of the twins again. He had always regretted not standing up for himself back then, but now this was his chance. “I don’t think I’ll be doing that, Nigel.”

“Oh come now, Stede. What do you want in return? Name your price, name your favour, you’ll have it.”

“If Blackbeard doesn’t want to sign with Badminton Brothers then I won’t be twisting his arm into doing so. In fact,” Stede dared to take a step closer, squaring up to Nigel. “Perhaps I’ll convince him it’s the worst idea ever.”

Nigel’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t I?”

Nigel snorted. “No, you wouldn’t. You have no backbone, Bonnet, just like at school. So soft and weak. You cried all the time and picked flowers for fuck’s sake. So you’re going to convince Blackbeard to sign, because we both know you’re too much of a coward to deny me.”

“A coward, am I?” But Stede’s voice was trembling and he knew he was physically shaking. Not the picture of strength that he wanted to be right now.

“Exactly.” Nigel smirked. “So be a good boy, Bonnet, and do as I say and I’ll still owe you that favour I promised. I’ll even throw in a nice big bunch of flowers for you, I bet you’d like that.” Stede didn’t answer and Nigel took that as confirmation he was backing down. “Just as I thought. Pathetic.”

Not that word. Stede despised that word. The last time he had heard it had been at the museum, and he’d been able to do nothing but tremble. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Bracing his hands on Nigel’s shoulders, he shoved him hard and sent the man careening backwards. He stumbled, but didn’t fall completely, and glared at Stede with such hateful intensity that for a moment he thought about running, just like he had when he was a child, but he stood his ground. If he was about to come to blows with Nigel, then so be it. It had been a long time coming.

He could see Nigel’s hands curl into fists as he straightened up and began to stalk towards him. “You’re going to regret that, Bonnet.”

Stede fought the urge to squeeze his eyes shut so he wouldn’t see the first punch coming, but a familiar arm swept out and created a barricade between Nigel and Stede. Nigel stopped in his tracks, all the wind going out of his sails as he took in the sight of Edward Teach in his flowing white shirt and breeches like a romantic hero. “I don’t think he will regret that actually.” Ed’s voice was cool and calm, and as he lowered the arm braced across Nigel’s chest, Nigel took a wary step back away from them both. “Just like I won’t regret this.”

And then Ed’s arm swung with force and Stede heard the sickening crunch as it connected with Nigel’s nose, and this time the other man did go sprawling to the floor. Blood gushed from his nose like a fountain, and Nigel lifted a hand to it. His face was a picture of shock, and then much in the same way a small child takes a moment to understand they’ve been hurt before they react, he paused and then began screaming.

Ed ignored it. “I think we should leave, Stede.” Stede was still staring dumbfounded at the scene, but allowed Ed to take his hand and guide him away from the party.

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[bi-bard]

Letting Go - Nigel Imagine (Charlie Countryman)

Title: Letting Go

Pairing: Nigel X Reader

Word Count: 544 words

Warning(s): none

Summary: (Y/n)'s job stress was quite different than most people's job stress. When their boss is going down a path of more pain, they overstep a boundary that they had hoped to never confront.

Author's Note: This is short, but I couldn't shake it.

--------------------------

Nigel was pissed when he sat down.

He had called me to meet him at some small cafe. I obliged. The man paid me for a reason.

"Stressed?"

The face he gave me told me that he picked up the sarcasm in my voice. I just smirked at him. I wasn't a therapist, it's not like I was going to help much. I was meant to be help. An extra gun in a fight.

I had no idea why he was so insistent on me being the one by his side so much.

Still, I wasn't going to complain. He paid me. That's all that mattered.

That was the only reason I stuck around.

I say that. I always said that. How long I had truly meant that wasn't very clear. It was blurry. I just continued saying that this was my job and there was nothing else to it.

It was easier.

Especially when I had to watch Nigel try to keep a hold on Gabi. She wasn't a bad person truly but watching this constant chase was getting exhausting.

"You could let her go," I said after a moment of watching him glare into the distance.

He looked at me. "Excuse me?"

"Gabi," I continued. "You could let her go. Let her deal with whatever craziness she wants to deal with."

He didn't speak. It was like he was hoping that if he just stared at me long enough that I would drop the subject.

“I just don’t understand the point of forcing someone to stay with you when they don’t love you,” I shrugged. “Does that not hurt more than just leaving them be?”

Nigel glared at me. “I don’t keep you around to question my choices.”

“Someone obviously should.”

“And why should that be you?”

I took a deep breath. "Is it not completely obvious to you?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. I was ready to backtrack. I didn't want to admit to what I meant. If I explained, it became real. If it became real, Night could push me away. I didn't want that. I didn't want that at all.

"Forget it," I muttered, running one hand over my face.

"Tell me."

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing."

"It really is."

"I know what you mean," he leaned forward, leaning his elbows on his knees as he watched me. "But I want you to tell me. I want to hear you say it."

I took a deep breath, suddenly feeling this sickening feeling in my stomach. I felt ready to vomit. I would rather that than admit my feelings.

"Tell me," he pushed again.

There was another pause between us before I finally spoke. "I... I have feelings for you."

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. I looked away from him, scanning the area around us.

"Meet me here tomorrow."

I looked back at Nigel when he spoke up. "Why?"

"Just listen to me."

"Okay."

I watched him push himself out of his seat and start walking away. I felt like I should've had more questions than I did. But I didn't have many. Just two.

How the hell had I stumbled into that? And what was he running off to do before our meeting tomorrow?

--------------------------

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[justaaveragecryptid]

VAT7K headcanons (and a little with raps, Eugene, Cass, lance and the girls)

-Yong constantly claims Varian’s the coolest person alive, he truly thinks Varian’s just awesome he’ll tell whoever is willing to listen, and no matter how many times Hugo tries to show off Yong will always talks about Varian (once Yong said Hugo was cool and Hugo brags about constantly)

-Nuru and Varian both know quite a bit about treating wounds and illnesses, but Nuru always ends up worried about him because Varian states the main reason he knows how to treat these things is cause he’s used to fixing himself up after a lab incident.

-Hugo would never admit it, but he is absolutely WHIPPED for Varian. Varian will ask Hugo to grab something whilst building a machine and Hugo always says “pshh nah, you grab it” meanwhile he’s bringing what Varian asked for and anything else he might need.

-When Yong meets Catalina and angry he immediately welcomed into their little squad of chaos, the shenanigans include: pranking Varian, employing Varian to prank others for them, pretending Nigel just doesn’t exist and going out of their way to do it right in front of him, and releasing 237 toads onto the guards training grounds.

-Eugene can’t stand Hugo, he still sorta treats Varian like a child and often calls Varian his “baby brother” and while varian finds it endearing he also wishes Eugene would see him as an adult, so when Varian shows up with a criminal (and a rude one at that) and introduces him as his boyfriend, Eugene just loses it and it takes Rapunzel saying Eugene’s becomes a more aggressive Cassandra for him to admit he’s not being fair

- Rapunzel adores Varian’s friends, like The Yong boy is so cute and Nuru’s so kind and such a good influence on these chaotic boys, and Hugo’s such a charming young man and clearly a good match for Varian both in a romance sense and just as a general friend.

-Lance takes Hugo in the moment he see’s him, just “hello troubled tall skinny teen may I interest you in a strong father figure, me, and two mischievous younger sisters?” And while Hugo doesn’t want to admit he likes the thought that doesn’t stop him from going to lance for advice and looking after cat and angry whenever he’s asked

-Nuru had a huge crush on Cassandra (before she met Amber) when she first met her and Varian cringed so incredibly hard when he saw it (I personally see Varian’s crush really being him admiring how cool she was but I think Nuru’s behavior reminds him of it even if the feeling are different) she just stares at cass all day when they end up camping together on the road and no one lets Nuru live it down

[rubysunnday]

Favourite brother - Part 2

A/N: well, part one went down surprisingly well! 

“So, Daphne is now a duchess...”

Y/N raised her eyebrows expectantly at her brother, waiting for him to finish his comment. She looked back down at her embroidery and poked the needle through the fabric. “And?”

Colin leant forward in his chair. “Perhaps, now, the ton will be watching you.”

Y/N let out a unladylike snort. “Oh, please. As long as Miss Thompson is around and as long as Daphne and Simon are in their ‘newlywed’ bliss, I will always be the wallflower of the family.”

Colin eyed his sister with a sad gaze. He didn’t miss the way she stabbed her needle through the fabric a little harder than necessary nor the way she practically glowered at Anthony (probably hoping he would spontaneously combust). 

“Colin, I can feel you staring at me,” Y/N said, looking up from her embroidery to give her brother a level stare. “What is it?” “You truly don’t believe you are worth anything, do you?”

Y/N paused, needle halfway through the fabric. She slowly pushed it through, trying to ignore the burning in her eyes.

Colin was right. She didn’t see herself as worthy of anything. Compared to Daphne who’d captured the eye of the ton and then a duke and a prince, she’d had nothing. Her three older brothers had always been swarmed with suitors and Y/N had truly believed that, maybe, one day, it would’ve been like that for her.

But apart from an almost marriage to Nigel Berbrooke that was out of spite to her brother and sister and was unwanted by her, she had had no proposals and no suitors.

A fact she wanted to blame Anthony for but that Y/N knew was down to nothing more than bad luck. 

If she’d made her debut a year later it would’ve been the same story. Everyone would’ve been captivated by Eloise and she would’ve been forgotten. Or everyone would’ve been terrified of Eloise and been forced to look at Y/N.

Either or.

When you were a twin of someone who excelled in everything you didn’t, it was easy to be overlooked and forgotten - especially in a family of nine. 

But up until she and Daphne came of age, she hadn’t felt overlooked. She’d felt loved and seen as an equal to her brothers. Anthony hadn’t been so protective (He'd always been protective of them all. But compared to how Benedict was when someone upset or threatened his family, Anthony was a saint.). 

Everyone fawned over Daphne when she began courting Simon - and rightfully so. But Y/N’s prospects and potential suitors had become nothing more than polite conversation between her and her ladies maid. 

“Y/N?”

Y/N inhaled sharply and jumped slightly at Colin’s voice. She looked over at him and gave him a somewhat unconvincing smile. “I’m fine. I just feel somewhat underwhelming compared to my sister,” she replied, turning her eyes back to her embroidery. 

Which was beginning to look less and less like a violet and more like an oddly shaped duck. 

Colin, sensing his sister wasn’t in the mood to be proved wrong, left the conversation there. He also didn’t want to end up with a sewing needle in his eye - the chances of which were becoming increasingly likely the more he poked and prodded. 

It was a beautiful ballroom.

There were candles in every window and garlands of flowers draped across the walls with petals dashed across the floor. 

The garden was a lit with numerous furnaces and torches that blazed in the summer night and the fountain set in the centre of the sprawling, immaculate hedges and flowers trickled away.

None of the beauty, however, was making Y/N feel any better about being left out of yet another ball.

She’d been standing on the sidelines watching ever since she’d arrived. Benedict had offered to dance with her but Y/N hadn’t wanted to be mentioned in Lady Whistledown for dancing with no one but her own brothers so had declined the invitation.

Instead she chose to stand and watch the beautiful couples dance around the room as she sulked and drank yet another glass of lemonade. 

“Why are you skulking back here?” Anthony asked, approaching his sister with a confused, concerned and curious expression.

Y/N swallowed the rather large gulp of lemonade she’d taken and tried not to give her brother a glare. “No one’s asked me to dance.”

“I’m sure Colin -”

“That is not the point, Anthony!” Y/N exclaimed, cutting him off. “I’ve had no one to dance with apart from my brother’s and Simon, who is now my brother too!” She almost growled but remembered that half the ton were around and forced herself to calm down. “Daphne has been the centre of everyone’s attention and had the suitors falling at het feet. I thought that now she’s married, they’d look to me - but apparently no one settles for second best.” 

Anthony stared at his sister. “Y/N, you’re not second best to anyone.”

Y/N scoffed. She set her empty lemonade glass down, slightly worried she was going to through it at her brother’s head. “Then why haven’t you looked at me twice all season, Anthony? You walked off at my very first ball, leaving me to flounder. You never escorted me - not even tonight! You have, so far, not cared about who comes calling for me - which was no one, by the way - and you don’t care that I have had no suitors, no callers and no proposals!”

She was breathing fast and could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She was angry. She was so angry and even though most of the anger was at the ton for being so vain, she couldn’t very well direct it at a ballroom full of people.

Instead she directed it at her older brother, the one who should’ve looked out for her and guided her through her first season in society but didn’t.

Anthony, for once, had the decency to look hurt by his sister’s accusations. He had a broken look on his face as he realised she was right and that he’d ignored  her. He was stunned into silence.

But Y/N hadn’t want pitiful silence, she’d wanted an argument - for Anthony to get angry at her and prove her wrong but also right.

“Say something!” Y/N snapped, glaring at Anthony. 

 Benedict and Colin had noticed the, somewhat heated argument, and were trying to weave their way through the crowd to intervene before one of them snapped and punched the other.

Anthony opened his mouth and closed it again. He was speechless - a rare feat, indeed.

Y/N scoffed and shook her head. “Fine.”

She turned on her heel and disappeared through the crowd, heading towards the door to the garden. 

Benedict and Colin made it to Anthony’s side and frowned.

“What was that all about?” Benedict asked, looking at Anthony expectantly. 

Anthony swallowed and forced himself to look at his brother. “She hates me.”

Colin, who had sensed the argument was coming, put a hand on Anthony’s arm. “No, she doesn’t. She’s angry at the world and the expectations society place on her shoulders. All she really wants, Anthony, is you.”

“I’ve ignored her almost this entire season,” Anthony said, staring at Colin. “How...”

“There’s still a few weeks left of the season, though,” Colin reminded him. He gestured to the door that Y/N had fled through. “Go on.”

Anthony didn’t need anymore encouragement, he brushed past his brother’s and all but marched through the crowd towards the door. 

Y/N had disappeared out onto the fire lit terrace of the house and was leaning on the stone bannister, trying to calm down. 

She loved her brother. Truly, she did. She also knew that he would never do anything to ruin her prospects intentionally.

That didn’t, however, stop her from wanting to throttle him. 

“Y/N?”

Y/N closed her eyes and inhaled. She could feel Anthony watching her and heard his footsteps approaching closer as he walked up to her. 

“Are you alright?” 

There was concern - genuine concern - in his voice. Y/N was usually good at keeping her emotions together and not breaking down until she was either with her mother or on her own.

But all it took was Anthony’s concerned question and a gentle hand on her shoulder for her to lose any control she’d had.

Y/N felt the tears drip down her face and turned to Anthony, practically throwing her arms around him and clinging on to him as if he was the only thing keeping her afloat. 

Slightly surprised by her sudden change in emotion, it took Anthony a moment to catch-up with the fact his sister was sobbing in to his arms and needed, not Lord Bridgerton, but her big brother. 

Anthony wrapped his arms around her and held her as she sobbed, waiting for her to speak.

Y/N eventually managed to get control of her emotions again and she stepped away from Anthony, wiping her eyes as delicately as she could to avoid ruining her make-up.

“Sorry.”

“Never apologise for being human,” Anthony said softly, sitting next to her on a bench. 

Y/N sighed. “I’m just... compared to Daphne I am nothing. No one has even looked twice at me this entire season. I’m her sister and nothing more.”

Anthony put a hand on her knee. “Do you truly believe that?” He asked, looking her in the eye.

“I don’t know. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. All I wish is for someone, anyone, to look at me and call on me because they like me. Not because they wanted an easy way to my sister or to you or to Eloise or to anyone who isn’t me!” 

“Y/N, you are a wonderful young lady and if those men can’t see it -”

“Then they’re not worth my time, I know,” she said, shooting Anthony an amused smile. “You sound like Benedict.”

“I believe you meant that Benedict sounds like me, he did come second after all,” Anthony quipped.

Y/N smacked her brother on the arm. She shook her head with a smiles she tried not to laugh. 

“Come on,” Anthony said, standing up and holding a hand out to her. “Will you do me the honour of a dance, Miss Bridgerton?”

Y/N took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. “Of course, Lord Bridgerton.” 

“Excuse me, Miss Bridgerton?” Y/N turned around. A young man, Lord Durrell if she remembered correctly, was standing in front of her looking slightly anxious.

“Yes, Lord Durrell?” Anthony asked, raising his eyebrows in his trademark brooding, older brother way.

“I was wondering if you would do me the honour of a dance this evening?” Durrell asked, looking directly at Y/N.

Y/N smiled and held out the arm that her dance card was on. “Of course, Lord Durrell. After I’ve dance with my brother, of course.”

Lord Durrell smiled and wrote his name on her card. “I look forward to it,” he said, bowing down.

Y/N curtsied slightly in response and watched as he left. She waited a few seconds and then squealed and jumped up and down. 

Anthony chuckled, stepping back to avoid being hit by a flailing limb. “See, I told you.”

“No, you didn't, actually,” Y/N said, taking her brother’s arm. “You just repeated what Benedict said and gave me a hug.”

“Which is just as important.”

“Naturally.”

Anthony led Y/N to the dance floor and the two took up their positions. 

“I don’t say this often enough,” Y/N said as they danced around the room, “but I’m so glad you’re my brother, Anthony.”

Anthony managed to concel his surprise by twirling Y/N around and using the brief moment she wasn’t looking to show his surprise before hiding it again. 

“I’m incredibly lucky to have you in my life,” she continued, oblivious. “I just wanted you to know that.”

Anthony nodded and smiled, twirling her around again. 

Later on, however, when he was in his own lodgings away from prying eyes, Anthony looked back on the moment and had to hide his tears in a bottle of whiskey and the mountain of paperwork he had to fulfil. 

[houseboatisland]

Do you ship Molly with anyengine?

I think you should ;)

"Anyengine," I like that :3

Molly, as has been said many times for other reasons, is a complicated engine. I wouldn't necessarily call her aromantic, but she tries to snuff out any potential feelings she has for others out of a lack of confidence. "Why bother?" is her mindset in this regard. Per my headcanon, her self-esteem was blunted in her youth by the constant bullying of her sisters. They resented her as an engine comfortable with the commoners, and thus "common" in their eyes, so how dare a common engine shed with them and also be in reserve for Royal Trains? And that was drilled into her smokebox any time she was within earshot... for years.

Her sense of self-worth has grown by leaps and bounds since arriving on Sodor, and being allowed to blossom individually and separate from her sisters, (who are all now Hella Dead.) Still, her mind always stops abruptly at that invisible set of buffers between her and the idea of a significant other, habitually. There were SOME Sudrians she pondered. She eyed Henry from afar right after her arrival in '38, but then a certain diesel-hydraulic named for a hibernating forest animal came along, and that was that.

Now, if you want to hear some real gossip that'll make you pull a landline onto the bed, twirl the wire, and go "No. Way.," hear this:

Gordon fancied Molly once, but he once again hoisted himself by his own boiler sludge and could never bring himself to approach her after the fact.

Now, our headcanon goes that Molly arrived on Sodor in 1938 as a loan in anticipation of Gordon's upcoming rebuild. She would join him, James and Henry on the Express Rota, learn the ropes, and help cover for him until his return. Molly also came with the added benefit of not minding pulling trucks, and she was chomping at the bit to be transferred anywhere as long as it was away from her sisters. Sir Nigel Gresley hadn't forgotten dear old Gordon, (although his pet ducks ranked far higher,) and while the LNER's Board couldn't be convinced to send another Pacific over, Gresley interviewed all potential transfers personally, and decided Molly, out of dozens of candidates, was the best. No small praise coming from the man who was basically the LNER incarnate.

Her service record was virtually perfect, her discipline log was literally free of entries, and after several calculations, she was the fastest Claud Hamilton based on her accumulated train timings. And she never so much as bumped a teacup saucer all the while. Her sisters were, in a word... f u m i n g. And you know what? Molly smiled back at them, for the first time in one of these situations. She was living her best life in that moment, God friggin bless. It would later turn out to be the last moment she saw any of them, and honestly what a perfect note to end on.

The Fat Director, who had been putting off Gordon's rebuild for five years now, knew that Gordon would in modern terms, go postal if he found a way to convince himself that Molly was here to replace him and not just fill a temporary (temporary!!!) void, so great pains were taken with choreographing it all. But they needn't have. Timid Molly, it turned out, was Most Popular Girl in the Shed from the minute she showed up. The Sudrian engines up to this point had been through nigh twenty years of petty feuds, circular arguments, and enough trauma to warrant a therapist at Crovan's Gate if it were in the budget, so a new face who disliked confrontation as a rule was... everything they could have ever wanted.

*willie rushton voice* Gordon was fyeurrius.

Gordon was by this point worn out and paranoid, and the more worn out he got, the more paranoid he became. Despite everything to the contrary, he was sure the knives were out for him. He was a prototype who broke down increasingly frequently, and this new girl swans in acting humble and instantly being in everyone's good graces. He's humble!!! (He isn't.) The last straw of course was when Molly, accidentally, bested his fastest timing on the express to Barrow, and that was after she had started late. Gordon's Berserk Button was hit, let me tell you.

He was dragged to Crewe believing he'd be scrapped in an enemy territory workshop, cursing Molly's name and frankly making an ass of himself, you could cut through the theatrics with a saw. Like, it was embarrassing. Like, Gordon... dude. This naturally shook Molly to her core, and any new confidence she had just dissipated. The other engines would've written Gordon off then and there if he was around when she experienced this. Molly was their rock, and for a moment, Gordon was almost dispensable.

Then comes the war.

Archivists disagree on why, but for one reason or another, the LNER just... lets the NWR have Molly in the last minute it's still within their power to decide it. If you want my opinion, a dying Sir Nigel who still remembered Molly so fondly decided she should be allowed to stay on Sodor. No records exist, but in all likelihood he got Molly's difficulties with her sisters out of her, and acted on those as well as the praises Hatt sung her in his correspondences during the loan. So Molly becomes a Sudrian engine on paper, and this is later revealed to her in early 1940.

Gordon had by this time come back, and his time being rebuilt coupled with the national mood had sobered him up considerably. There was no time for fighting, that's what the Jerries want us to do, there's a war on, you know! As all the engines came to wear black and be worked to the frames, Gordon made his peace with Molly, who accepted it because again, she hates fighting. If she were a more combative engine, Molly probably would have torched Gordon a second tender for his behavior and wedged his apology in it. Gordon, for his part, was honestly contrite, but his uppity nature, history of rudeness and constant references to the war made this a bit hard to believe. The other engines forgave him in short order too, but not because they wanted to. So, even though Gordon was legitimately sorry for a change, it fell flat some.

The war drags on. Gordon is being put on goods work more and more, because passengers are suddenly second-rate, and all pretenses and class are out the window. Increasingly, he and Molly are double-heading the heaviest and fastest freight trains, like the iron ore and coal bound for the steelworks and shipbuilders in Barrow. These are stressful journeys lacking in light and made under risk of enemy bombardment. But it brought them together, as little as they may have talked.

And Gordon felt differently about Molly, very very different.

She had a knack for picking herself back up in the face of adversity, rising above the fray whenever others fought, something Gordon envies very much this day, she inspired confidence in you when it seemed she had so little, and she was beautiful. For the first time, the only time, Gordon saw a mixed-traffic workhorse covered in soot and grime and drab unlined black paint, and thought she was the most beautiful thing to ever grace two forever parallel silver ribbons of rail diving into a tunnel of night bombers blotting out the bloody moon. (Didn't account for Gordon being a poet, did you?)

The war ends, and there's a new deal for everyone. The welfare state is born, key industries are to be nationalized, Crovan's Gate and by extension the embryonic NW Region become critically powerful as the Attlee Government lets them keep all loaned materiel during the war, at no charge. (Sodor has consistently returned Labour MPs ever since.) The engines are returning to their old colors, and years of neglected maintenance are being seen to.

It's Molly's turn to be repainted. Rather than return to Apple Green and be like her sisters, Molly cuts her own path and chooses a slightly loud but altogether very becoming and gorgeous livery of yellow with red and gold stripes, and white wheel rims. Hatt would've allowed her to choose whatever she wanted, and you'd think this livery was a bit much for him, but no. He was enamored with the color scheme and even mused in his memoirs about making it a new postwar uniform livery. In the same line of course, he admits it would never happen, ("lest a Third World War begin on our railways on the heels of the Second!")

Gordon loved it, although he was incredibly subtle when it came to applauding it. This may have seemed cold, but he was ashamed of his earlier behavior. He had been so rude to Molly, and here she was, reaching new heights of popularity and success without so much as a hiccup. She's Ms. Perfect, and he's soiled his chances of bettering himself in her eyes forever.

It took him years, but Gordon managed to shove it all down... just. He still dreams of it, but he knows in his heart of hearts that they can never be together. Even if Molly truthfully forgave him, on top of her earlier wartime forgiveness made out of necessity and fear of disagreements, he wouldn't believe her. There would be no way, from his point of view, that she could say such and mean it. And why should she? He wouldn't deserve it.

And... Molly becomes the last engine Gordon has romantic feelings for. He's just... done.

Does Gordon ever tell anyone ANY of this? Not a chance. Who knew about it? Nobody KNEW, but Edward had a theory. It's Edward. He knows Gordon like a book. Does Edward ever voice his suspicions, even to Gordon alone and in the strongest confidence? No.

Did Molly know? No. Did she ever wonder? No, not even a little. It's Molly. No one could POSSIBLY go for her, could they? It's unrealistic. So, she'll just stuff that behind her tubeplate and get back to these trucks, that's what she'll do.

And there'll be no more of this nonsense.