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vintagetvstars · 1 month

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Hello and welcome to the Hot Vintage TV Stars Bracket! We will be splitting things off into two tournaments, a women’s and a men’s tournament.

We are starting off with the Hot Vintage TV Women’s Bracket!

Round 2 of the Hot Vintage TV Women’s Bracket begins on Tuesday, April 30th!

For tags I use #breaking news for important updates, #station letters for asks, and #today’s news for less important updates. Round 2 of the hot vintage women’s bracket will be posted under #tv ladies 2 as well as each lady’s name if you’re looking for someone in particular. Round 1 is posted under #tv ladies 1 and each lady’s name. Additional propaganda will be tagged #propaganda for anyone wanting to just look at that as well as each lady’s name. Here’s a link to a master list of all the polls so far Hot Vintage TV Ladies - Master Poll List

All polls for round 1 are now up!

Want to check who is still in the running for Prime Time and who has been banished to the Graveyard Slot? Check out these two lists to see where your fav ended up: Prime Time Contenders and Graveyard Girlies They’ll be undated daily as polls go down.

We are now accepting propaganda for later rounds! Here is the link for submitting additional propaganda to be added to future rounds: Additional Propaganda Form

We are now accepting additional propaganda! To send in additional propaganda for the current round please send in an ask with a link to a tumblr post you’d like me to reblog, pictures you’d like me to post as part of your ask, or text propaganda I can post with your ask. Also please feel free to tag me in a tumblr post of your fav you’d like me to reblog as propaganda for them!

PSA: If I see you being repeatedly rude in the comments/tags/reblogs/asks you will get blocked. Please try to stay civil and polite! This tournament is all in the spirit of fun and a celebration of some of tumblrs fav vintage tv stars.

FAQ

Q: Is 2004 actually vintage? / Why is X year(s) considered vintage?

A: While there isn’t a concrete set of time considered vintage, the most widely agreed upon time frame that is considered vintage is anything that is between 20 and 99 years old. Anything 100 years or older would be considered antique. Since it is currently 2024 any TV show from 2004 or earlier is nowadays considered vintage television. Some people only consider anything 50 years or older “true vintage”. While I think that works fine for some things, TV is a very young medium compared to movies so cutting things off in the early 70’s would have too greatly narrowed the competition. In the spirit of the most fun and variety I decided 2004 was the most reasonable cutoff date.

Q: Wait I still see X star on TV! They can’t possibly be vintage! Why are they considered vintage?

A: This tournament is focused on celebrating stars careers during the eras of vintage television which for the purposes of our tournament is between the years of 1950 and 2004. Many of the earlier entries were working in film well before they started in TV and so many of our later stars have been working for a long time and are still working in modern TV. If they’re in this line up it’s to celebrate their time as stars on vintage TV series! So while you may know them in shows today we’re currently here celebrating some of their older maybe even lesser known performances! Part of what made me excited to host this tournament is the joy of discovering stars and shows we may not have seen or heard of before! So if you see a modern fav on here please take the opportunity to see what vintage show they worked on that they were submitted for and maybe check it out! You never know what cool new (or in this case old) show you might find!

Q: Why was X star that was close to the cut off allowed in the competition?

A: At the end of the day these polls are about having fun and celebrating some of our favorite television stars from vintage shows. If someone met the criteria of being a lead or very clearly lead material and was in a show that aired at some point within our time period then they were allowed in. While this won’t satisfy everyone, I think this is the best way to allow for the most amount of participation and fun. This also applies for any entries for people in TV shows pre-1950 being allowed in as it’s still very clearly vintage TV even if it is a bit before our start date.

Q: How did you pick the match ups?

A: I chose to pick the pairings by hand as I thought random pairings could lead to a lot of really wild pairings that wouldn’t make sense as early as round 1. However the list of vintage ladies is extremely stacked so it was very hard to try to find reasonable pairings. In general my philosophy for pairings was to try to give people equal footing in at least one category while avoiding as many major matchups as possible in the early rounds and trying to avoid any unfair steamroller match ups. I thought it would be most fun and interesting to try to match people up decently fairly so we might have a variety of hot vintage tv ladies throughout the competition. Also seeing your fav steamrolled is generally unfun so I really tried to match things up the best I could to be on somewhat equal footing. A lot of it was matched based on similar hotness vibes, similar eras, similar looks, and on occasion similar name recognition though I did try to avoid that where possible as again I tried to stray away from major match ups so early in the tournament. It’s definitely an imperfect system and to be fair I did run it by friends and family who helped tweak a few pairings here and there. Ultimately I did my best to try to make it fun and interesting so I hope everyone is having an exciting time even if some of the matchups are imperfect.

Q: Where do the poll pictures and propaganda come from?

A: All the poll pictures and propaganda are user submitted. As long as propaganda met our criteria and I was able to easily access it then it made it in. Everyone was required to submit a suggest poll picture as part of their submission so the poll pictures used are completely user submitted. Poll pics for stars with multiple submissions were used on a first come first served basis. If you do not like the poll picture used please feel free to send an ask with a link to a new suggested poll picture of your choice, if the star had no other submissions then I’ll switch out their poll picture with yours for the next round, if they had multiple submissions I’ll move to the next suggest poll pic in line and add yours to the list for future use. All propaganda pictures needed to be within the bounds of our tournament so anything obviously from their time in movies or from their time outside the time period of our tournament was not used. There may be some pictures or propaganda that doesn’t entirely fall within the bounds of our tournament that got through as I only excluded things that were extremely obviously outside the bounds of our tournament. I have not provided any of the propaganda or pictures for this tournament.

Q: Where are the men? / When are you taking submissions for the men’s bracket?

A: We’ll start taking submissions for the hot vintage tv men’s bracket following the conclusion of the women’s bracket. For now sit back and enjoy the women’s round and if you want to start collecting propaganda and men to submit in the meantime our submission rules are below!

Submission rules below the cut

Submission Rules:

Only stars in TV shows that aired between 1950 and 2004 are considered sufficiently vintage and therefore eligible.

Stars have to have been either a lead in a show or successfully arguably leading material (as an example someone who was never a lead but had many reoccurring guest star spots). If their name shows up in the opening credits they are probably eligible.

Stars that are primarily known for playing themselves in reality based and nonfiction shows are not eligible. This poll is about celebrating hot actors and actresses and while I’m sure there are plenty of attractive reality tv stars, news anchors, show hosts, and documentary subjects out there, that feels like a very different genre so they will unfortunately be excluded from this bracket.

Only live action TV stars are eligible. I love cartoons and vocal performances but this is focused on who is the hottest so we need to actually see them on screen to be eligible. If the star also did voice work please only include their live action performances for propaganda. Yes, this does exclude the muppets (but if enough of you really want to vote on who is the hottest muppet we can do that for a future poll).

I hope this doesn’t need to be said but please submit only human performers over the age of 18. If they started work before becoming an adult please only include their work from when they became an adult for propaganda.

For photo propaganda please limit yourself to no more than 5 photos per submission. I have to check and download everything myself and depending on how many submissions I get that could be quite a lot of work so I’m trying to keep things down to a reasonable number while still giving everyone a chance to show some variety in their submitted photos.

For video propaganda please try to keep things around 6 minutes in length or shorter. I plan to watch all submitted videos so I can try and label them with content warnings so keeping things shorter will let me get through them faster and get polls up quicker! Also we just want to see a lil snippet of what makes them so attractive, we can save watching their full performances for later as I hope this poll will introduce us all to many new tv shows to binge!

No negative propaganda please! This is about how hot these vintage TV stars are, not how good they were as a person. It’s fine to include aspects about their personal life in propaganda but please try to keep it mostly focused on why this makes them attractive as a person. I won’t be posting anything that is hateful or overly negative. Though you are certainly welcome to do your own research and judge them on their values and actions if you wish.

#breaking news #vintage tv stars poll #vintage #vintage tv #1950s #1960s #1970s #1980s #1990s #tv #tumblr polls #retro #vintage ladies #tv ladies 1 #tv ladies 2

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theluckywizard · 11 days

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WIP Wednesday

Thank you for the tag @greypetrel

YES I am still working on Kiss Me Moonstruck. It's at 30k words now! Short summary: Two old friends conspire to fix up their incorrigible children over Satinalia week in 9:35 Dragon in Kirkwall. Rose Trevelyan and Garrett Hawke really don't want to be fixed up. 😏 Here Rose Trevelyan is having a fish out of water experience walking into the Hanged Man behind Garrett Hawke for the first time. She'd sneaked out of the estate to wander around Hightown and catching her in the act, Garrett instead convinces her to come to the Hanged Man with him. Excerpt below the cut 👇

Rose enters past Hawke, immediately assaulted by the stink of old ale festering in floorboard crevices and a haze of smoke so thick that she nearly chokes. The sensations thrill her.

She scans the space, jammed with revelers staggering and dancing and then the crowd erupts in a cheer, drinks thrust into the air with a slosh for her companion. Garrett raises his arm full of Satinalia crowns to the denizens of this fetid dive and announces that the next round is on him. He grasps her hand and tugs her closer to his side before distributing the wreaths by tossing them far across the establishment into waiting hands.

“As before, watch your valuables,” he says, leaning low enough that his hair grazes her ear. When she turns to look up at him, he smiles down at her, straightening her crooked wreath.

“So what’s good to drink here?” she asks.

“The Sip-Sip is rather smashing if you want to walk sideways,” says a smoky, silky voice that belongs to Captain Half-an-Outfit. Rose feels her appraising gaze once again run across the length of her torso and linger on her leather clad breast. Her eyes jump up to meet Rose’s, like polished amber jewels that dwell in an outrageous smolder.

“So this is your fussy bride to be, Hawke?”

Rose manages her reaction carefully, knowing bait when she hears it.

“She’s right here you know. You can talk to her,” he scolds her. “Rose, Isabela. Isabela, Rose.”

“You’re looking a little more unbound, aren’t you?” says Isabela, gliding her fingers underneath the length of Rose’s braid. “Love the hair.” The woman’s ample bosom, barely contained inside a stay-bound chemise, is paraded so close in front of her that Rose has no choice but to contend with them.

“A pleasure,” manages Rose, retrieving her braid from the pirate’s presumptuous hands.

“Is Varric here?” asks Garrett.

“In his lair no doubt,” says the pirate. “He’s cranky after the dust up with Dougal yesterday.”

“Oh Hawke! It’s her isn’t it?” A willowy elf stumbles out of the throng before the pair of them, slipping in a puddle of mislaid drink before recovering herself. Short, sprightly braids are tucked behind her elegant ears and the curls of her vallaslin reminds Rose of the one belonging to the family game keeper, one she had affectionately traced with a finger on a few occasions. “It’s you! The one with the smirk he liked.”

Lightly scowling, Garrett chucks a crown at the elf that she catches awkwardly against her throat as Rose furiously tries to repress her smile and there’s nothing to be done about the pink flames in her cheeks.

“Oh— I— um— wasn’t supposed to say that was I?” she says.

“I’m quite capable of embarrassing myself, Merrill,” scolds Garrett. “No need to help me along in that.”

“But you brought her here of all places!” protests Merrill. “A proper lady!”

“He either despises her completely or is flat on his arse out of his gourd in love,” says the pirate, eyebrow raised as she tosses back a swig from a bottle.

“I have reasons to believe it’s the former,” Rose says, crossing her arms.

“Maker,” grunts Garrett, he rolls his head to look at Rose who spies the faintest flush in his cheeks. “Pay them no mind. Their manners have drowned at the bottom of a bottle.”

“But I haven't had a bottle! I’ve only had a pint,” counters the elf.

“It’s an expression, Kitten,” says Isabela, stroking the fur epaulet of Merrill’s fascinating getup.

Garrett turns to Rose. “Just so we’re clear, these two Maker-damned rascals will badger me about anything remotely embarrassing,” he explains, though his expression is fond and his flush the natural cost of having such doting friends.

Rose silently wishes she had people to torment her with such ferocious affection.

Tagging @delicatefade, @jarakrisafis, @samseabxrn, @rowanisawriter, @about2dance, @leggywillow, @skinwalkingxana and YOU

#Kiss Me Moonstruck #Rose Trevelyan #Garrett Hawke #Hawke x Trevelyan #Matchmakingmoms!AU #honestly Hawke deserves a little romantic comedy in his life #trouble #sexy trouble

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thesakuragarnet · 4 months

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Playing With Fire: A Pro Hero Dabi AU (Future AU) Chapter One

THIS FIC IS 18+ ONLY!!!!! (Tags below Keep Reading Button)

Summary: Toya Todoroki was groomed his entire life to be his father's successor, only for it to backfire in Endeavor's face. Ranked in the top ten alongside his two closest friends, Hawks and Mirko, the 26-year-old BlueFlame Hero: Dabi is the bane of Endeavor's existence. For half a decade, the trio has been the topic of several scandals involving drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity as they splurge their fortunes on ridiculous parties. Pampered with support items and his family's fortune, Dabi is widely known for his impulsivity and douchebag attitude. However, after meeting his match in a random club, Toya Todoroki has no idea where his life is headed, other than that he wants to spend the rest of it with Sakura and their future children. Now, a year has passed since class 1-A graduated from UA, and, per the Commission, they all serve as sidekicks to various hero agencies (primarily those of Dabi, Hawks, and Mirko).

TL;DR Between pissing off his father, competing with his friends/rivals, trying to start a family, and running his own agency, Toya has absolutely nothing under control, especially his tendency to drink his problems away.

Word Count (of Chapter One): 2,552 words

AO3 link

Tags for fic: Hero!Dabi, Dabi X OC, Bakusquad, Dekusquad, swearing, explicit s3ggsual content, drinking, drugz, Dabi & Hawks & Mirko are best friends, alcohol!sm, implied s3ggsual content, romance, add!ction, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, smvt, sw!tch Dabi, trying for babies

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Chapter One: The Introduction

The BlueFlame Agency was conveniently placed right across the street from the Endeavor Agency. After years of hard work, Daddy’s money, and not giving any fucks, Toya Todoroki AKA BlueFlame Hero: Dabi had built his own empire. He had been lucky enough to have Support Items that compensated for his complicated Quirk. With a body built for ice and a Quirk of raging fire, Toya Todoroki was the embodiment of self-sabotage. Here he was, twenty-six years old, in the top ten, with only two real friends: Hawks and Mirko. They were rivals that actually gave a shit about each other. Their agencies were all in the same city: Musutafu. It was a town with a large population, which meant more crime and villain activity. The three of them lived like Hollywood celebrities; they partied, they drank, they slept around, and the cycle repeated. They were always trying to outdo one another while simultaneously always having each other’s backs.

When his little brother’s class graduated from UA, they were forced to be sidekicks instead of Pros first. The Commission wanted it that way. They were running out of reliable sidekicks, and heroes that gave their sidekicks respect. By training them as rookies and underlings first, they would have the humility and appreciation for their Pro standings as they rose through the ranks. Toya was offended when he found out Shoto chose Mirko’s agency over his own, but he was glad that he hadn’t signed up for Endeavor’s. In truth, Shoto insisted he only applied because it was where his friends were going. The main contenders of the famous “ 2110 Class 1-A” were split between Mirko, Hawks, and Dabi. The BlueFlame Agency housed Katsuki Bakugo, Mina Ashido, Hanta Sero, Denki Kaminari, Ejiro Kirishima, and Kyoka Jirou. Meanwhile, the Hawks Agency boasted Fumikage Tokoyami, Yuga Aoyama, Neito Monoma, Momo Yaoyorozu, Tenya Ida, and Mezo Shoji. Finally, Mirko’s sidekicks were Shoto Todoroki, Izuku Midoriya, Ochaco Uraraka, Tsuyu Asui, Koji Koda, and Mashirao Ojiro. It had been a year since they first began their careers as sidekicks, and many of them were becoming anxious and antsy, wanting to step it up a notch.

…

“He’s late for rounds…again,” Katsuki Bakugo snarls, drumming his gloved hands on his elbow. The sidekicks stand in line awaiting the arrival of their fearless leader: Dabi. They referred to him as many things amongst each other: Hot Topic, Dipstick, Daddy Issues, Shoto’s Psycho Older Brother. He was almost always hungover at every single rounds meeting, and it had been that way since day one. It was no secret that Toya Todoroki had a slight drinking problem that likely started during high school. He, Hawks, and Mirko had made several tabloids very wealthy with their luxurious, salacious parties. Toya had been in several interviews for being an openly neurodivergent Pro, but he hated every minute of them. Once he got away from his father, he stopped taking his ADHD medication. Mina thinks the real reason he stopped taking it was so he could drink as much as he wanted whenever he wanted, but no one really knows. One time, they all came back from a mission to discover him and Hawks contemplating snorting a line of coke, and it was unclear who was trying to encourage or discourage who.

“I know he’s here. I saw his car out front,” Kirishima frowns, his brow furrowing as he stretches.

“Maybe he passed out? Should someone go check on him?” Jirou pipes up as she takes off her headphones.

CRASH!

They all immediately look toward the ceiling, where the sound came from. The floor above them housed Toya’s office.

“OH SHIT!” Kaminari shouts, preparing to sprint up the stairs. Suddenly, more crashes echo from upstairs…followed by a distinct, high-pitched repetitive noise.

“Oh…Oh God, really?! ” Sero cringes as he covers his ears.

“OH NO! OH FUCK! SOMEONE GIVE ME SOME COTTON FOR MY HEADPHONE JACKS!” Jirou panics, her face paling as she squeezes her eyes shut.

“Aw maaan. How did she slip past us?!” Kaminari whines, and Kirishima jabs him in the side with his elbow.

“Not manly thirsting over a taken woman, bro,” Kirishima shakes his head, and Denki shrugs. The noises get louder and louder, and, suddenly, it’s apparent that there are two separate voices: one raspy and deep, and one smooth and feminine.

“Screw this. Again?” Mina huffs, her face turning red as she struts over to the stereo and turns the music all the way up. Unfortunately, it does next to nothing. Bakugo is the only one in the room with a blank, uncaring, unfazed stare, and everyone else looks wildly uncomfortable. It’s painfully obvious…Sakura’s here.

…

The noises coming from both parties might as well shake the walls, and they can hear the sounds of shuffling furniture in the ceiling.

Inside the Pro Hero’s office, Toya shoves all his papers, keyboard, and phone line off the desk and unceremoniously shoves his wife on it, lying her on her back as he continues to thrust into her. Sakura’s unable to keep quiet as she scratches at the back of his leather jacket.

��Watch the claws,” He grunts through his gasps as he continues to rapidly pound her.

“Shut the hell up,” Sakura growls between euphoric moans as her eyelids flutter. Toya smirks and deliberately gives a particularly harsh thrust, making her wince.

“You gonna keep being -ahhh- ah- a fucking brat ?” He groans, blinking hard to distract himself from the building arousal. He’s determined to break her first, or, at the very least, at the same time.

“ Y-you’re the f-f-uuuucking brat,” Sakura spits back at him as she grabs a fistful of the black leather, pulling him to her and smashing her lips to his. He digs his fingernails into her exposed shoulders, and it takes everything in him not to rip off that beautiful purple dress she’s wearing. He’d love nothing more than to burn it right off and leave her completely naked, but they had a meeting to attend. It had to be quick. They’d been going at it like rabbits for the past five days ever since they got married. After all, that was the plan that his father placed on his shoulders. Find a strong girl with a strong Quirk. Get hitched. Have a kid. Carry on the legacy. That was his duty as the eldest Todoroki son. It only just so happened that he was actually head over heels for this warrior of a woman. Unlike his father, he married for love and lust rather than for power. They had dated for three years and were engaged for two. It was just by chance that they met. He was drunk off his ass at Hawks’ party, planning on just having a one-night stand with the first sexy bitch that took interest. But then, he locked eyes with this toned, sleek woman with flowing brown hair on the dancefloor. And somehow…he knew. It was only her from then on, no one else.

Sakura and Toya’s tongues tease each other as the desk screeches back and forth with every motion. Sweat drips down both of them as his hips snap back and forth in fluid, calculated motions.

“Are you ready for it, baby?” His voice is a gravelly rasp in her ear, and it sends a chill down her spine.

“Twelfth times the charm,” She sighs with a teasing smile on her face. He would kill to see that smile every waking moment of his life.

“Fuck…Fuck, I’m coming. Oh, I’m fucking coming ,” The moans tumble out of his mouth as his thrusts become erratic, and he sharply inhales as Sakura’s walls clench around him. Her back arches as he harshly bites his lip and empties into her. Sakura’s legs tremor before they both go still, breathing hard and covered in sweat. Like something out of a movie, they both grab each other’s faces and sloppily kiss one another, overwhelmed with the afterglow.

BEEEEP!

“Dabi. The Commission is on Line Four,” Jirou’s voice sounds monotonous and irritated through the phone that Toya shoved to the floor. He growls and rolls his eyes as he breaks away from the kiss.

“Duty calls, princess,” He sighs before slowly slipping out of her, a breath of relief bursting from the both of them as they separate. Toya shakes himself back into his pants and zips them up, wiping Sakura’s juices off of the outside seams. He leans down, picking up the phone and putting it on the desk as he pulls up his rolling chair. Sakura slowly starts to sit up, scooting to the edge of the desk as she prepares to jump off and grab her panties. Swiftly, Toya stops her, smoothly inserting two fingers inside her, keeping any of the release from seeping out. Sakura freezes as he goes to pick up the phone, and he winks at her before making a “Shhh” gesture with his other hand.

BEEP!

He presses the button on the landline and picks up the phone, keeping his fingers still deep inside Sakura.

“BlueFlame Hero: Dabi, speaking. AKA The Toya Todoroki AKA The Amazing Son of Number Two Hero Endeavor AKA The Number Six on The Chart. What’s up?” He leans back in the chair, flexing his finger once and giving his wife a sideways glance as she squirms, desperately trying to be quiet.

“Yes, Dabi. Are you aware of the Summit this weekend in Hosu City? You haven’t gotten back to us about your attendance,” The voice crackles through the telephone.

“Mirko and Hawks might’ve mentioned it,” He yawns, uncaring.

“We’ve been sending you and your staff emails for the past month,” The woman explains, and Toya snorts.

“Oh, yeah. Those,” He mutters in boredom.

“So? You do understand that you are expected to attend if you wish to keep that Number Six placement, yes?” The woman deadpans, making Toya’s eyes narrow.

“I’ll be at your stupid summit. Don’t worry your pretty little head. I wouldn’t miss a chance to embarrass my Dad for the world,” He chuckles before he starts pumping his fingers in and out of Sakura, making her tightly grip the edge of the desk and spread her legs wider. He looks over his shoulder at her, a devilish grin spreading across his face as she looks at him with pleading eyes. He can’t tell if she wants him to stop or keep going, and he loves that.

“Alright, then, wonderful. We’ll be sending details to your sidekicks promptly. We look forward to seeing you there!” The voice says with faux grandeur.

“Oh, oh. One more thing. The Summit. It’s a whole weekend, right? So, are we getting fancy hotels? Is this like a just me thing, or am I allowed to bring my beautiful wife along? You know, Draconic Hero: Firebrand. Sakura Todoroki. Sister of Ryuko Tatsuma. I’m sure you’ve heard of her,” Toya winks, and the voice at the other end sighs.

“Yes, you will be staying in a hotel with all of the other Pros invited. The purpose of the Summit is to promote teamwork and set a goal for the year in terms of capturing villains and stopping the drug rings…” The woman continues to speak, but Toya ignores her, mouthing the words “Blah, blah, blah” and rolling his eyes, making Sakura laugh. Her laugh then dissolves into an involuntary loud moan as Toya intentionally curls his fingers around her G-spot.

“Did-Did you say something?” The woman suddenly stutters, seemingly flustered. A cruel smirk spreads on Toya’s face.

“Oh, nothing. I’ll be there. We done?” Toya brazenly asks.

“Y-y-yes Mister Todoroki- I mean, Dabi, sir. Yes, that’s all I needed. Goodbye,” The Commission employee stammers before the phone line goes dead.

“N-not cool,” Sakura’s voice lilts, and she glares at Toya as he slides his chair closer to her, his fingers still flexing against her sensitive spot. He pushes in deeper so his thumb can run small circles over her clit, and she sharply inhales.

“Baby girl, we both know I’m cold as ice,” He smugly replies before slowly pulling his hand out of her, making her shudder. He stares at his fingers, noting the dripping mix of their fluids, and grabs a tissue from the box on his desk. He roughly wipes off his hand before throwing the tissue in the trash bin at his feet.

“I had to make sure it got all the way inside. Can’t get a kid in you if it all seeps out, now, can we?” He chides before picking her panties up off the floor and handing them to her.

“Now. I believe these are yours?”

...

“Morning, team,” Toya yawns as he runs a hand through his messy white hair.

“You’re ten minutes late,” Katsuki snaps, and his friends give him a nervous look.

“To my own meeting? You can’t start without me anyways. Not like you punks have anywhere else to be,” Toya scoffs, crossing his arms.

“We didn’t have to pick your agency, you know,” Bakugo mutters under his breath, and Kirishima touches his shoulder.

“Cut it out,” He whispers to his best friend, but Bakugo flinches away.

“Listen, you’re my favorite, so I’ll give you a pass on the attitude alright. I’ll be on time for the rest of the week, I swear. I had something…important to do,” Toya smiles to himself absentmindedly tapping his foot. Kaminari snickers, and Mina and Jirou simultaneously smack him on the back of the head. The clicking of leather boots echoes in the stairwell behind Toya, and Sakura slowly emerges into the doorway, walking up behind him. She clearly is struggling to walk.

“I’ve got the reports printed out,” Sakura says flatly, handing a folder to Toya. He cracks open the folder and walks up to each sidekick, handing them a sheet of paper.

“These are your patrol zones for the day. Remember, our goal is to outdo your little friends at Hawks’ and Mirko’s agencies. If you see them, feel free to team up, but be the better hero. If you need me, just call. I’ll have my phone on me all day. I’ve got a meeting with Team Lurkers this afternoon, though. So, I probably won’t answer after four-ish. Got it?” He drones on like a tired drill sergeant.

“Yes, sir!” They all shout back, except Bakugo, who only gives an annoyed nod.

“Oh, and whoever can get an embarrassing picture of Shoto fucking up gets a dollar raise,” Toya sneers.

“What about Deku?” Bakugo raises his eyebrow.

“The Number One’s prodigy? Ehhhh, maybe like twenty-five cents,” The Pro concedes, making Bakugo smirk.

“In the bag,” The chaotic sidekick mutters under his breath as he follows his friends out of the automatic doors, leaving Toya and Sakura alone.

“You…you don’t have a meeting with Team Lurkers at all today,” Sakura points out, raising her eyebrow.

“Right. We are going to a rave with Keigo and Rumi tonight. But, don’t worry. I already promised you, no more hard drugs. But I can’t promise I won’t be doing shots with Keigo,” Toya snickers, grabbing her by the waist and kissing her on the forehead.

“In the meantime, I think we should pay dear old Dad a visit, considering he didn’t bother showing up to the wedding.”

#my hero academia fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 writer #dabi #ao3 #pro hero dabi fanfic #hero dabi fanfic #hero dabi #pro hero dabi #dabi smut #dabi x oc #bnha dabi #my hero academia #bakusquad #touya todoroki #todoroki touya #married dabi

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crypto-keeper · 3 months

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Horror Husband Hoedown 2024 - Round 2!!

Okay folks, so sorry about the gap! Life happened and kept on happening!

Here's who we have left:

So our top contenders from last year are now joining the fray!

Round Two is gonna shake out like so:

Keep an eye on here and I'll post links to the individual battles as they're posted.

The tag to follow or blacklist is: hhh24!

The battles:

Brahms V Pennywise

Candyman V Freddy

Frankenstein's Monster V Chucky

Hannibal V Dracula

Creature V Mummy

Michael V Herbert

#horror husband hoedown #hhh24 #horror husband 24 #tumblr poll #candyman #frankenstein #hannibal lecter #chucky #herbert west #pennywise #brahms the boy #the creature from the black lagoon #freddy krueger #imhotep #michael myers

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valleydean · 1 year

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Chapter 12 [Read Here]

HEAVYWEIGHT a deancas boxing au by valleydean (emmbrancsxx0) read from beginning | playlist | ko-fi

SUMMARY: Brooklyn, 1927. The Golden Age of Boxing. Two years ago, light heavyweight champion Dean Winchester and heavyweight champion Castiel Novak had a secret affair. After a scandal tarnished Cas’ name and stripped him of his title, the two parted ways. Now, with a heavyweight tournament on the horizon, Dean aims to up his weight class so he can compete for the title. He finds unexpected competition when Cas comes out of retirement and returns to New York to fix his reputation. Upon their reunion, the two contenders learn that, outside of the ring, some bruises never really heal.

PREVIEW:

Devereaux, dressed in a crisp blue shirt and a bowtie, walked to the center of the mat. His thick-rimmed glasses caught the lights above. Dean stepped forward, too. Castiel met them there.

His eyes were fixed on Dean, and Dean stared right back. For a moment, the sounds of the crowd, the lights, the music, all subsided to the background of Castiel’s consciousness. All that remained was Dean. Dean’s posturing morphed into a forced-casual, almost relaxed expression—as if to say he wasn’t worried. That he could beat Castiel easily. That this fight would be over before it even started.

Castiel would prove him otherwise. He wouldn’t let the intimidation tactics weaken his resolve.

Dean might have been shutting everything out—their past, everything they’d been through together, who they were to each other. He might have been acting as if Castiel was a stranger. That was his mistake. Castiel knew Dean’s body as well as he knew his own, from the years-old fracture in his nose to the way his knees tired after too much endurance. More than that, he knew Dean’s mind. He’d use that to his advantage.

“Gentlemen,” Devereaux said, following the usual script, “you’ve already heard your instructions in your dressing rooms. I’ll remind you of a few things now. When I say break or stop, I want a clean break, got it? And keep it above the belt. Anything below this point is illegal—” he hovered his hand just below the waistband of Castiel’s shorts.

Dean’s eyes flickered down his nose to that point, then back up to lock onto Castiel’s again. A sly glint came to his eyes, and a sharp smirk spread on his face. His pink tongue darted out to wet his lips.

Castiel’s stomach flopped. Maybe he didn’t know Dean’s mind as well as he’d thought.

He scowled and tried not to react. He feared it was already too late. Dean had caught his lapse.

“Fifteen rounds, and you can’t be saved by the bell in any of them,” Devereaux reminded them. “Protect yourselves at all times. Obey what I say at all times. No funny business. Now, touch gloves.” He stepped back, giving Castiel and Dean room.

Dean held out his gloves, his infuriating smile still pressed to his lips. The simple act of touching his gloves felt like giving him what he wanted. Castiel lifted his chin defiantly and punched his fists against Dean’s as swiftly as possible before putting as much space between them as he could.

Castiel got into his fighting stance and shuffled from side to side, trying to get loose. Dean stretched his neck shoulder to shoulder. He swung his arms back and forward, clapping his gloves together, and then raised them into guard. He was holding his right hand high near his cheek and letting his left drop to expose his face—like he’d always done when he wanted to appear overconfident.

The bell rang. The crowd erupted.

Devereaux swiped his arm vertically through the air and yelled, “Fight!”

/////

TAGGED: @lovercas @donestiel @wanderingcas @wayward-angels-club @thetiredstuff @skella-bro @casthegrumpy @celestialcastiel @bluefirecas @jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets @that-one-fandom-chick @haru-park96 @alejandriaiqq @no-aesthetic-all-aethetic @amirosebooks @epple-benene @agus-likes @the-ship-haz-sailed @justkissalreadyforfucksake @madimoo31 @an-angel-in-love-with-a-hunter @gracelesstars @bazghetti @wayward-waffles @theojaxons @jenmishrob @all-or-nothing-baby @auttownblue @leftistdean @sargafust @wannabe-loser @jessalrynn @splicedthoughts @castielss @that-dumbass-on-a-horse @passionfruixts @fabreagab @princesswinchester100 @superduckbatrebel @hopefuldreamers-world@theangelwiththewormstache @casandeans @mylovelydame21 @confusedisaster @superduckbatrebel @destielwentcanonomg @highest-brightness @i-put-the-ayyy-in-asexual @darkacademiagay @imthedoctorlove @freckledean @youcanteverknowenough @chicken-kebabs @myguardianangelisatrickster @hotactiongirlcoded @wingsandimpalas @casandhumanity @tploz @dontsgotalifee389 @on-a-bender @castiel-mybeloved @siriusseverusdeservedbetter @doctorprofessorsong @castielshotgirlsummer @toomuchheartcas @paintdriesfaster @lesbiancowboyy @angelinthefire @transdeantruther @fluffy-alpacaness @rogue-cas-whore @winchester-derangement-syndrome @lizzybennettdarcy @kineticpassion @i-love-books-and-so-do-you @dascean @llamasdumpsterfire @psychicbouquetblaze-stuff @im-some-lionheart @charlie-bradburi @bunnymcbunnister @gothanna @afeelingsosweet @sinnabonka @artsymoth @cassandrablah @sweetpeaalena @goiwantamuffin @rauko-is-a-free-elf @jessalrynn @ungcl @highwarlockofinnsbruck @deancaskiss @caddy-coo @bloodydeanwinchester @hannibalsthembo @proudpigeon @butterscotchdean @this-is-me19 @layofcastiel @claire-drinks-lovely-lemonade @harleycao @jgvfhl @thembo-cowboy @aussie-twat @slit-wrist @ilikemanythingsespeciallyyou

Please let me know if you’d like to be tagged in chapters or if you’d like to be taken off the list.

#destiel #deancas #destiel fic #deancas fic #dean winchester #dean #castiel #cas #my post #my writing #heavyweight #boxing au

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mirsvintagesonytv · 11 months

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BSD Figure skating AU !!!

I've had this idea bouncing round my head for so long because I skate and i need the drama of the sport as the main plotline in the fic for ONCE instead of romance so HERE WE GO:

Also some context before i go; this is written BEFORE the ISU raised the age limit for seniors from 15 to 17, so this will reflect that. In this AU, it is based loosely off both current skaters and former skaters, ill make another post about who each character is modelled after, BUT the time periods these skaters are from fluctuate from now all the way back to 2014, so in this AU the only quads that have been landed by men are 4 toeloop and Salchow, and none in the womans. COOL NOW ON WITH THE RAMBLE!!!!

Dazai Osamu, prodigy figure skater under infamous coach Mori Ougai. He, alongside his teammate, friend and rival Nakahara Chuuya, sweep Juniors for their first two seasons, with Dazai winning every competition he enters.

Commentators and experts describe him as the future of figure skating and claim he has a talent that can't be trained. This includes very limited amounts of pre-rotation despite Mori's way of coaching (which teaches his skaters to rotate from the back instead of the hips), incredible artistry, and beautiful spins

Both him and Chuuya are tagged to be the two most likely contenders for the gold medal in the next olympic cycle, which as of their first junior season, is 3 years away, over current senior world champion and current 2 time Olympic Gold medallist Dostoyevsky and the Japanese National Champion at the time, Edogawa Ranpo.

Two years later, in their first senior season, Dazai becomes the youngest Japanese man to complete the grand slam, winning every competition he entered, beating out Fyodor by a heavy margin

This all points towards Dazai being the next olympic champion and subsequently he qualifies for the national team.

The next season starts out strong when he once again takes the GPF gold, and then wins again at the japanese nationals

At the olympics, Dazai is chosen twice for the Team event, making history by breaking multiple records and acquiring the gold for the team. Everything points to him sweeping the individual event the next week.

However, in the days before the individual event, a japanese news outlet reports that Dazai had failed a drug test during Nationals earlier that year.

At first Mori stays quiet, until he gives some half hearted excuse shifting the blame off of himself whilst the media continue to hound Dazai, and other skaters become animous towards him, blaming him for doping/ruining the competition.

Dazai is allowed to compete, and as a result, the prediction of three years that he would take gold is flushed down the drain as he fumbles through both programs, placing in 4th.

The hearing for his doping case is adjourned soon after, finding him innocent. He is reinstated for competition just before worlds, where fans expect him to take Gold and reclaim his title after the mess at the olympics.

He doesn't and proceedes to bomb out at worlds, later withdrawing from the world team trophy and not being heard from all summer.

The next season, Dazai comes back for test skates, visibly injured and distressed, abandoning Mori's coaching team the week after in favour of Fukuzawa and former world champion and japanese skating legend Oda Sakunosuke.

OKAY THATS AS FAR AS I GOT!!!! thats like the expostition of it all or like the kind of intro to what i have planned for this fic!! i love rambling im gonna write this istg. SEND ME ASKS PLS ABT ANY CHARACTER THIS AU IS MY BABY.

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bonniebird · 1 year

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Emmett x Fem!Reader

Requested by Anon

December event

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“Why’re we all here?” Rosalie said as she joined Emmett at the kitchen table. Bella, Alice and Jasper had also been summoned. Even Alice wasn’t too sure until you burst into the room with a bag full of cooking supplies and a printed-out list.

"I’m entering a cookie bake-off and I need a team." You said as you tipped everything out on the counter and lofted the list of rules in the air until Alice snatched the gracefully out of your hands.

“So you thought five of your team members, who can’t eat human food, would be a good choice?” Emmett said. You glared at him and held up another sheet of paper.

“This is my rival. We’re mortal enemies and we have to beat them.” You continued. Emmett was chuckling now and Rosalie swatted at his arm before softly speaking up to encourage you to keep explaining. Once you explained the rules and showed them the list of ingredients that were allowed you fell silent.

“So… when is the contest?” Emmett asked.

“It’s in two hours.” You said quickly.

“Oh. So there’s no rush then.” He muttered. The kitchen was suddenly a flurry of activity as Rosalie took charge of weighing everything out, Emmett and Bella were assigned to find the bowls, spoons and trays that they would need. Jasper went with Esme to the store to get some cookie cutters while Alice made neat name tags for each flavour of cookie and team member. Once you were done it was clear that you’d be a strong contender.

“So what now?” Emmett asked.

“We pack them up and take them. Then we need to set the table up and go through each round. Each round has a different theme.” You explained.

“You didn’t mention that earlier… I’ll go and get what we need and meet you there.” Alice said and quickly vanished. Everyone else went to Rosalie’s car while you slowly and carefully carried the boxes of cookies out of the kitchen, worried that you’d drop them.

Emmett tags:

@savagemickey03 @zoomdeathknight @pheonix4269 @bloodrose @sarahbullet235 @lovelyy-moonlight @stellasblog @DeanWinchestersgirl87 @thekayarlene @linkpk88 @babypink224221 @lisainhell @spiderwebs-blog @gryffindorqueensworld @rockyrascal @twerp8999 @lovesanimals0000 @lovesanimals0000 @theletterhart @bluebear142077 @boardstomymood @alexxavicry @daughterofthenight117 @multi-fandom5 @justice-for-the-kaldorei @rafecameronswhore @kaylantus @supernatural-wolfie @devilslilbabysblog @why-am-I-here-01 @maxineswritingcenter @babygrinchsblog @alwaysadreamingoptimist @love1deandra @archaeologydigit @im-eating-rn @bucketbunny @littlefreakingfangirl @jayyeahthatsme @gillybear17 @gatefleet @lchufflepuffcorn @Kaitieskidmore1 @slxthxrxn-sxmp @jamie-c-bower-simp @hc-geralt-23 @readingbookelf @gatefleet @boardstomymood @heeheehoohoohahahihi @sakurarukas @elenavampire21

#emmett cullen x reader #emmett cullen #bonniebird #december2022

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dweemeister · 5 months

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2023 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (preliminary round)

Tumblr’s new post editor has disabled completely the ability to make indented bullet points. I apologize in advance for how ugly most of this post looks.

* * * * *

OPEN invites to (or at least people who are committed to the final, but would like access to the prelim): @birdsongvelvet, @derricklogan2, @dog-of-ulthar, @inmyworldblr, @machpowervisions, @memetoilet, @metamatar, @myluckyerror, @noelevangilinecarson, @phendranaedge, @plus-low-overthrow, @qteeclown, @shadesofhappy, and @the-lilac-grove. Some of you have participated in past MOABOS editions, some of you are longtime followers I've not really spoken to, but have interacted with quite a few of my posts... if you are interested, please let me know. I'll assign you a group or I'll put you into the final.

* * * * *

Hello everybody,

If you were tagged here, that is because you graciously accepted my invitation to help out with this year's edition of the Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS). I welcome you to the eleventh edition of MOABOS (MOABOS XI) and the tenth edition with outside help from family, friends, and followers on tumblr. When I first opened this up to other folks in 2014 (MOABOS II), I believed that this would last but only a few years, at most. And every time the year is new, I have no clue whether or not there will be another edition of MOABOS.

But here we are yet again. The Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song is not possible without all of your help.

For newcomers near and far: This is a classic film blog (concentration: pre-1980s Hollywood, but I have various specialties outside of that and watch plenty of newer films). That blog's primary purpose is to host my nearly 800 film write-ups tagged "My Movie Odyssey" (an index can be found here). MOABOS is one of my blog's year-end traditions, and just a smaller part of a larger one. On my blog, the Movie Odyssey Awards honor some of the best achievements from movies that I saw for the first time this calendar year (the "Movie Odyssey") with an Oscar-like ceremony. I choose all the nominees and winners from each category, save one: Best Original Song. It is the only category that does not require you to watch several movies in their entirety. MOABOS is my way to say thank you for your friendship and moral support no matter how long I've known you. It is, sneakily so, a way to introduce all of you to music and movies I enjoyed this past year. And you might learn a snippet of film history through this!

INTRODUCTION

An unspecified number of songs have already advanced to the final round. 24 songs will contest this preliminary round in two groups - Group A and Group B. After three years of pandemic disruptions, the 2020s are finally making a significant mark on MOABOS, perhaps with a vengeance. Some of the highest-grossing films of both 2023 and 2022 are here to contend, as is a movie newly-minted as one of the highest-grossing anime films ever. But the defending decade, the 1980s (through Dolly Parton's title song for 1980's 9 to 5), has plenty of entries this year. It is the decade of pop culture I like least, but the 1980s have a decent shot at being the first decade to defend a MOABOS title.

Last year was regrettably a monolingual field of songs. Folks, multilingual MOABOS is back. This year, across both groups, English, French, Hindi (returning for the first time since 2020, or MOABOS VIII), Japanese (also returning after a three-year absence), Brazilian Portuguese, and Vietnamese will be represented. For their respective movies, they capture just a part of a nation's soul and filmmaking culture at a certain time. MOABOS, too, is its own sort of time capsule.

After a few years of slight decline, the preliminary round of MOABOS drew a record 36 people casting rankings. Might that record fall this year? That same preliminary saw a resounding rejection of American folk music (or spoofs of American folk, at least) and a decidedly mixed opinion of the style of Golden Age 20th Century Fox musicals (their plots might be silly and nonsensical, but at least they have no pretensions of being anything more than that!). No American folk this year, but 20th Century Fox has a few contenders this year.

1980s and contemporary pop have historically performed well in the preliminaries. With some formidable entries this year that receive regular radio play, does that hold up or are there upsets in the cards?

2019's MOABOS (MOABOS VII) preliminary remains the gold standard for sheer chaos. The miraculous comeback of "I Dug a Ditch" from Thousands Cheer (1943) in the prelim's final hour brought a song that seemed dead as a doorknob back to life. A song about digging a hole got out of its hole, if you will. No group since has ever matched that drama. Might this be a nailbiter of a result?

INSTRUCTIONS

Please rank (#1-11) at least seven of your group's songs. Please consider to the best of your ability (these are only suggestions, not strict guidelines):

How musically interesting the song is (incl. and not limited to musical phrasing and orchestration);

Its lyrics (incl. and not limited to lyrical invention and lyrical flow);

Context within the film (contextual blurbs provided for every entry for those who haven't seen the films);

Choreography/dance direction (if applicable; I know that almost none of us have a dancing background, but let's not discount this aspect entirely);

The song's cultural/sociopolitical impact and legacy/listenability outside the film's context (if applicable, and, in my opinion, least important factor)

A notice on audio/video quality and colorization of black-and-white film: Because it is sometimes difficult to find clean recordings of much of this music, imperfections in audio and video quality may not be used against any song while you are drawing up your rankings - you're on the honor system on this one. In addition, in respect to personal and blog policy, I will not provide colorized videos of films that were originally in black-and-white. You can call this snobby all you want. But to yours truly, film colorization of B&W is disrespectful to the artisans who plied their craft and made decisions based on the fact the film was shot in black-and-white. It is essentially redirecting a movie without consent.

You are encouraged to send in comments and reactions with your rankings - it makes the process more enjoyable for you and myself!

The top six songs in each group automatically advance to the final round. Unlike previous years, no at-large wild card picks outside the top six will advance to the final.

The deadline for submission is Wednesday, December 13 at 11 PM Pacific Time. That is 9 PM Hawaii/Aleutian Time. That deadline is also Thursday, December 14 at 1 AM Central Time / 2 AM Eastern Time / 7 AM GMT / 8 AM CET / 9 AM EET. This deadline - and some of you have joked with me that this is inevitable - will be pushed back if there are a large number of people who have not submitted in time. However, I very much do not wish to extend the deadline because the final round is more intensive and usually involves more participants. A small group of longtime MOABOS veterans will be asked to do both groups, if possible (but they are required to complete their assigned group first before moving on) - they are generally selected for their longevity of MOABOS participation and promptness. Tabulation details are under the "read more".

Please pay attention to the groups you have been sorted into, and please only submit rankings for the group you have been assigned. For your convenience, the YouTube playlists for both groups follow:

PLAYLISTS: (GROUP A) / (GROUP B)

Group A: be warned, I am somewhat trolling you on one of these songs. At least it comes early!

Feel free to listen as many times as you need, and I hope you discover music and movies that strike your interest. With the deepest appreciation from this grateful classic film fan, here are your group's songs. The following is formatted... ("Song title", composer and lyricist, film title):

GROUP A

“Apartment for Sale”, music and lyrics by Cate Blanchett and Todd Field, Tár (2022)

Performed by Cate Blanchett

After her cross-hall apartment neighbor dies, composer/conductor Lydia Tár (Blanchett; whose character is the first female music director of the Berlin Philharmonic) learns from the deceased's family that they think the classical music emanating from Tár's apartment is an unlistenable racket. They bluntly request Tár to stop playing music entirely when they meet with potential buyers. Moments after that encounter, this is her response. By this point in the film, Tár's rationality is very much in question. This is a drama about the hubris and manipulative ways for a person in power.

This is the shortest song ever to qualify for a MOABOS preliminary round.

“Barsaat mein hamse mile tum sajan (In the Rainy Season, We Met One Another)”, music by Shankarsingh Raghuwanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal, lyrics by Shailendra, Barsaat (1949)

(initial version) / (end-of-film reprise)

Performed by Nimmi (singing voice dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar)

Lyrics in Hindi (translations in the CC's in provided videos)

Raj Kapoor was a major director/actor in the early decades of Bollywood. In one of his first directed movies, shortly after the Partition of India, we find Barsaat. This romance tells of two love stories of city men meeting women who live in Kashmir (a disputed region between India, Pakistan, and China). Later in the films, we will find Pran (Raj Kapoor) and Reshma (Nargis) quickly falling in love. But this song surrounds the womanizing Gopal (Prem Nath) and Neela (Nimmi), whose faithful love for Gopal goes largely unrequited. After much convincing from Neela, Gopal attends a local festival – and doesn't pay much attention to this Neela-led song-and-dance number.

In the reprise, Neela has died near the end of the film. Reformed, realizing too late how horrible he has been to Neela, Gopal carries her body to her funeral pyre as the monsoon rains – as hinted in this film's very title – finally arrive.

“Ciao Papa”, music by Alexandre Desplat, lyrics by Roeban Katz and Guillermo del Toro, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)

Performed by Gregory Mann

In this stop-motion animated adaptation of Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, director Guillermo del Toro injects the tale with his signature gothic touch – moving the narrative up in time to Fascist Italy and not shying away from the original book's grotesqueness and the title character's sociopathy. This song appears as part of a montage where Geppetto (David Bradley) goes in search of Pinocchio (Mann) after Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz) abducts the wooden son.

“Esse Mundo é Meu (This World is Mine)”, music by Sérgio Ricardo, lyrics by Sérgio Ricardo and Ruy Guerra, Esse Mundo é Meu (1964, Brazil)

Originally performed a cappella by Antônio Pitanga; provided version performed by Marina Lutfi and Adriana Lutfi (lead vocals), Sérgio Ricardo (vocals), João Gurgel (vocal/guitar), Alexandre Caldi (winds), Marcelo Caldi (piano/accordion), Lui Coimbra (cello), Giordano Gasperin (bass), and Diego Zangado (percussion)

Lyrics in Portuguese (extremely rough translated lyrics... "Saravá ogum" is an Afro-Brazilian exclamation; I'm not sure what "Mandinga" means in the song's context, but it's an Afro-Brazilian word that either refers to an ethnic group or "magic")

In this film almost never screened outside Brazil, two separate romantic storylines – a white couple and a black couple – play out in a Rio de Janeiro favela. In the latter storyline, Antônio Pitanga plays a shoeshiner. One day, while setting up his shoeshining equipment along the beach, he sings this song – an optimistic number in hopes for a better tomorrow. Black Brazilian romance was and is rare in Brazilian cinema, and the inclusion of such a romance so prominently featured in this film makes it a landmark of the nation's film history.

From the song's humble origins and use in the film, Sérgio Ricardo turned it into bossa nova. That's the late composer/film director himself in the provided video (the older man furthest to the left). The lead singers are his daughters.

“Hold My Hand” , music and lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop, Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Performed by Lady Gaga

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

This song, with touches of '80s arena rock and torch songs, appears at the top of the end credits. It is not quoted in the film's score at any point in this equally jingoistic sequel to the original Top Gun.

“I Know Why (And So Do You)”, music by Mack Gordon, lyrics by Harry Warren, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

(initial version) / (reprise)

Performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, Lynn Bari (dubbed by Pat Friday), The Modernaires, and John Payne; reprise by Payne and Sonja Henie

This song's melody forms the backbone of the film's score throughout. In the opening minutes of this musical, we find the Phil Corey Orchestra (Glenn Miller and His Orchestra) rehearsing in preparation for a Christmas concert they will be headlining in the mountainous resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. The first 48 seconds of the first video are an instrumental version of Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade".

The reprise occurs near the end of the film as Norwegian refugee/figure skating extraordinaire Karen Benson (Sonja Henie, a 3x Olympic gold medalist in figure skating) and pianist Ted Scott (John Payne) find themselves stuck in a mountainside cabin. Karen, who has fled Norway due to the Nazi takeover there, has been pursuing Ted for almost all of the film, and Ted finally succumbs to her charms here - to the outrage of his girlfriend (Lynn Bari). Suffice it to say nobody should watch 20th Century Fox musicals for the plot (but refreshingly, they're not pretending to be any more than what they are).

“Jean”, music and lyrics by Rod McKuen, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

Performed by Rod McKuen

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Adapted from Muriel Spark's novel of the same name and set in 1930s Edinburgh, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie stars Maggie Smith as Jean Brodie, a teacher at an all-girls school. Brodie, a woman with unorthodox teaching methods, has a cadre of favorite students nicknamed the "Brodie Set": Sandy (Pamela Franklin), Monica (Shirley Steedman), Jenny (Diane Grayson), and Mary (Jane Carr). Each of them are around twelve years old when the film begins. This film, an atypical "teacher movie", is about a breakdown of professionalism, betrayal of trust, loss of innocence, and hubris.

The melodic structure is inspired by the style of Scottish folk songs, and it forms the central spine of the film's score and plays throughout. The song itself is not performed with lyrics until the end credits. Due to the events in the film's closing act, the tone, placement, and lyrics of "Jean" become ironic. The lyrics are decidedly romantic but, in context, it's anything but.

“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”, music by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, lyrics by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, and Lionel Richie, The Color Purple (1985)

Performed by Margaret Avery (singing voice dubbed by Táta Vega)

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Based on the book of the same name by Alice Walker, The Color Purple stars Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Harris in her breakthrough role. Celie, forcibly married off to Albert "Mister" Johnson (Danny Glover) as a teenager, has grown resigned after a lifetime of parental and spousal abuse. Mister has a mistress named Shug Avery (Margaret Avery), who works as a showgirl in Memphis. After one stormy evening, a sickly Shug appears at Mister's homestead for the first time and, over a few weeks, Celie nurses her back to health. The two grow attached and, as tribute, Shug performs this song at the local riverside juke joint.

In the book, the romantic relationship between Celie and Shug after this moment is more explicit. Director Steven Spielberg's greatest regret over this film was not making more of this romantic relationship. Given that the movie was released at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis and in an environment where LGBTQ+ themes were verboten to the major movie studios, I don't believe much more could've been done in 1985.

“Pink”, music and lyrics by Lizzo, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, and Ricky Reed, Barbie (2023)

(initial version) / (reprise)

Performed by Lizzo

After narrator Helen Mirren describes to the audience Barbieland, we are introduced to Barbie (Margot Robbie), just awakening from a good night's sleep, with the initial version of "Pink". At the end of that day at the nightly dance party, Barbie asks her fellow Barbies if they ever think about death – a Barbie faux pas. Barbie corrects herself, but remains haunted by her question when she goes to bed that evening. We hear the reprise as Barbie awakens the next morning after barely sleeping, and everything that can go wrong does go wrong.

“That Darn Cat!”, composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, That Darn Cat! (1965)

Performed by Bobby Darin

Appears in the opening credits and final minutes of this comedy. That Darn Cat! marked the end of an era and the start of another. This was Hayley Mills' final of six films for Disney (a run that included the title character in 1960's Pollyanna and in her dual role in the original Parent Trap) and Dean Jones' first for Disney. The provided version includes audio from the opening credits, extracted directly from the film itself (a stipulation in Darin's contract means that the original soundtrack version is nowhere to be found online).

“Trời Sáng Rồi, Ta Ngủ Đi Thôi (Good Morning and Good Night)”, music by Phạm Hải Âu, lyrics by Phạm Hải Âu and Chung Chí Công, Good Morning and Good Night (2019, Vietnam)

Performed by Hà Quốc Hoàng and Trần Lê Thúy Vy

Lyrics in Vietnamese (translation in provided video)

In this romantic musical influenced heavily by Richard Linklater's Before trilogy, indie musician Tâm (Hà Quốc Hoàng) unexpectedly forms a deep connection with Thanh (Trần Lê Thúy Vy), a rideshare driver who challenges his view of life, love, and art. This song appears at the top of the end credits. Most of the numbers in this film are composed in a style suited to Vietnamese indie music.

“When I Grow Up”, music by Ray Henderson, lyrics by Ted Koehler and Irving Caesar, Curly Top (1935)

Performed by Shirley Temple; first reprise (not provided) by Billy Gilbert and Arthur Treacher; second reprise (not provided) by Esther Dale

Orphan Elizabeth Blair (Temple) performs this at a charity show meant to raise funds for the orphanage she is staying at. At certain points in this song, she dresses up in a wedding gown and dons "old" makeup in respect to the lyrics.

Where Alice Faye and Betty Grable may have been the two primary musical adult actresses at 20th Century Fox, Shirley Temple eclipsed both. Her modestly-budgeted movies showcased her childhood innocence and spunk, endearing her to a moviegoing public faced with the dire straits of the Great Depression. She was the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood from 1934-1938, and moviegoers of the Lost, Greatest, and early Silent Generations credit Temple's movies as needed morale boosters.

The folks assigned to GROUP A include: @cinemaocd, @cokwong, @emilylime5, @exlibrisneh, @idontknowmuchaboutmovies, @maximiliani, @shootingstarvenator, and @stephdgray. You are also being joined by 15 others including myself and my sister.

GROUP B

“Animal Crackers in My Soup”, music by Ray Henderson, lyrics by Ted Koehler and Irving Caesar, Curly Top (1935)

Performed by Shirley Temple

Young Elizabeth Blair (Temple) and her elder sister, Mary (Rochelle Hudson) are living in an orphanage and are the primary entertainers for their fellow orphan girls. This number occurs early in the film and is quoted multiple times in the film's score. For those of you who despised this song's placement in those Shirley Temple DVD infomercials, I have no apologies to offer you.

Where Alice Faye (MOABOS X's "A Journey to a Star" from 1943's The Gang's All Here) and Betty Grable may have been the two primary musical adult actresses at 20th Century Fox, Shirley Temple eclipsed both. Her modestly-budgeted movies showcased her childhood innocence and spunk, endearing her to a moviegoing public faced with the dire straits of the Great Depression. She was the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood from 1934-1938, and moviegoers of the Lost, Greatest, and early Silent Generations credit Temple's movies as needed morale boosters.

“Barbarella”, music and lyrics by Bob Crewe and Charles Fox, Barbarella (1968)

Performed by The Glitterhouse

Played over the opening credits (not provided, because they are extremely NSFW) in which the title character (Jane Fonda) slowly undresses herself in zero gravity. Based on a controversially racy and heavily sexualized comic book series in France (even for the French!), Barbarella is a campy sci-fi movie that obliterated Fonda's homespun image in cinema. The movie was and is far more popular in Europe than it was in the U.S. (where it never became anything more than a cult classic).

In the years since, Fonda, a noted liberal activist, has essentially pleaded no contest to accusations that the film was anything but feminist.

“Captain Crow”, music by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe, The Sea Beast (2022)

Performed by chorus

Appears in part during a celebratory night at a pub in the film's opening act. Full appearance at the top of the end credits. This is a sea shanty celebrating the legendary monster hunter Captain Crow (Jared Harris). The melody is seldom quoted in the film's score. In The Sea Beast, an unnamed country has waged a centuries-long campaign to kill sea beasts, in defense of humanity. Similar to American Westerns, the film and this song plays with ideas of how popular narratives or mythoi are spun.

(Instrumental-only version for those interested... many versions in different languages are available on YouTube, including French, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and more – some lyrically clunkier than others)

“I’m Just Ken”, music and lyrics by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, Barbie (2023)

Performed by Ryan Gosling and company

The Kens of Barbieland have just taken over power from the Barbies. In response, the Barbies, Allan, and Mattel employee Gloria and her daughter Sasha have manipulated the Kens into fighting each other while they attempt to reestablish control. According to director Greta Gerwig, the dance segment seen here was influenced by "Lullaby of Broadway" from Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935; see the warm-up playlist I sent to many of you) and "The Broadway Melody" from Singin' in the Rain (1952).

“Mujhe Kisi se Pyaar Ho Gaya (I’ve Fallen in Love with Someone)”, music by Shankarsingh Raghuwanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal, lyrics by Shailendra, Barsaat (1949, India)

Performed by Nargis (singing voice dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar)

Lyrics in Hindi (translations in the CC's in provided videos)

Raj Kapoor was a major director/actor in the early decades of Bollywood. In one of his first directed movies, shortly after the Partition of India, we find Barsaat. This romance tells of two love stories of vacationing city men meeting women who live in Kashmir (a disputed region between India, Pakistan, and China). This film juxtaposes the story of the womanizing Gopal (Prem Nath) and Neela (Nimmi), with that of Pran (Raj Kapoor) and Reshma (Nargis). It is the beginning of Pran and Reshma's romance that we see here, after she has been rowing Gopal and Pran around for the last few days.

“Qu'est-ce qu'on fait de l'amour? (What Do We Do with Love?)”, music and lyrics by Vincent Courtois, Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (2022, France)

Performed by Pomme

Lyrics in French (rough translation)

This song appears at the top of the end credits of this sequel to 2012's Ernest & Celestine, which was nominated (against the odds) for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The original was, as I wrote back in 2014, "cinematic friendship at its most rewarding and profoundly beautiful." In this sequel for our dynamic mouse and bear duo, Celestine (the mouse) accidentally breaks Ernest's (the bear) precious Stradibearius violin. It leads the unlikely friends to search for an old violin maker acquaintance of Ernest's back in his homeland of Gibberitia ("Charabïe" in the original title, a name derived from "charabia", the French word for "gibberish").

A further shameless plug for all of you reading this to seek out animation that is not from the major American and Japanese studios.

“Return to Sender”, music and lyrics by Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell, Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)

Performed by Elvis Presley

The eleventh of Elvis' 31 movies (if MOABOS returns for future editions, let's just say there's a lot more Elvis to come) and the second shot in Hawai'i after 1961's Blue Hawaii, Girls! Girls! Girls! is a misnomer as there are only two girls vying for Elvis' affections (it would be an appropriate title for many other Elvis movies). My sister thinks this film should've been titled Girls? Girls. Girls!

Here, Ross Carpenter (Elvis) is a fisherman who spends his evenings as a nightclub singer. Fellow nightclub singer Robin Gantner (Stella Stevens) and the secretly wealthy Laurel Dodge (Laurel Goodwin) are very much attracted to him. This number occurs after Ross starts seeing Laurel, inflaming Robin's suspicions, and resulting in a spat at the bar that immediately preceded the song.

“Something He Can Feel”, music and lyrics by Curtis Mayfield, Sparkle (1976)

Performed by Lonette McKee, Irene Cara, and Dwan Smith

(use in film) / (soundtrack version with Aretha Franklin)

Loosely based on the history of the Supremes, the musical Sparkle is the story of the three Williams sisters (the late Cara as lead singer Sparkle, McKee as Sister, and Smith as Dolores). They decide, along with two of their boyfriends, to take their church singing experience and turn into a semi-professional group called the Hearts.

This song appears midway through the film, as the boys have dropped out to become the group's managers. The Williams sisters have renamed the group Sister and the Sisters (I would've kept the original name). The performance of this number is intercut with glimpses of Sister's troubled personal life – the film's Rubicon crossing, setting up the conclusion of her storyline.

The film's original soundtrack does not contain any of the original performances. Instead, Aretha Franklin sings all the songs from the film in the soundtrack.

“Suzume”, music and lyrics by RADWIMPS, Suzume (2022, Japan)

Performed by RADWIMPS and Toaka

Lyrics in Japanese (extremely rough translation)

This song's melody (especially the eighteen-note vocalized motif) appears throughout the film. But this version, with lyrics, only appears as the second song in the end credits. In this film, 17-year-old Suzume and a young man named Souta must journey across Japan to close a series of mystical doors. Mysterious phenomena are passing through these once-locked into our world, and are causing natural disasters.

Makoto Shinkai's latest, unadjusted for inflation, is the fourth-highest grossing Japanese film of all time. MOABOS regulars will recall previous entries from Your Name (2016) and Weathering with You (2019) – all RADWIMPS compositions. Suzume directly addresses a trauma that Your Name and Weathering with You danced around: the 3/11/11 earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

“Take My Breath Away”, music and lyrics by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, Top Gun (1986)

Performed by Berlin

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Song

This song plays during romantic dialogue between Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood (Kelly McGillis). Top Gun never plays the entire song. In its inexplicable four appearances in the film in a 20-minute span, the song itself is played muted underneath the dialogue, its lyrics barely discernible in those respective scenes.

“Tiền”, music and lyrics by Trần Khắc Trí, Good Morning and Good Night (2019, Vietnam)

Performed by Trần Lê Thúy Vy, Hà Quốc Hoàng, and company

In this romantic musical influenced heavily by Richard Linklater's Before trilogy, indie musician Tâm (Hà Quốc Hoàng) unexpectedly forms a deep connection with Thanh (Trần Lê Thúy Vy), a rideshare driver who challenges his view of life, love, and art over a full day. This song appears about a third of the way through, after a conversation about money ("tiền" means "money" in Vietnamese). Most of the numbers in this film are composed in a style suited to Vietnamese indie music.

“We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)”, music and lyrics by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Performed by Tina Turner

This song plays at the top of the end credits of the Mad Max series' third entry. In this movie, the late Tina Turner herself plays the antagonist (but neither true villain or antihero) Aunty Entity - who leads a post-apocalyptic trading post called Bartertown. "Thunderdome" refers to a gladiatorial arena in Bartertown in which conflicts are settled in a battle to the death (an aside: awkward as "Thunderdome" sounds as a lyric, it makes more sense than "Thunderball" from the 007 movie of the same name).

The folks assigned to GROUP B include: @addaellis, @halfwaythruthedark, @rawberry101, @rosymeraki-blog, @theybecomestories, @umgeschrieben, @underblackwings, and @yellanimal. You are also being joined by 14 others including myself and my sister.

Would you like to know something more about a song or a movie featured above? Do you have a question or comment about MOABOS's processes? Feel free to ask me! If you are having difficulty accessing any of the songs (especially if region-locked) or if there are any errors in the links above or the playlist, please let me know as soon as possible.

You will be contacted for the final round regardless of your participation or non-participation in the preliminary. If turnout in one group is lagging behind compared to another, I will ask some of the more senior participants to participate in the other group, too. Do not worry too much about this if you cannot participate, although I will be checking in as the deadlines near.

Once more to all of you here, my thanks for your support for the Movie Odyssey, the blog, and for me personally over however long I've known you. It's a privilege and a pleasure to share all these movies (well, excerpts of them) and musical numbers with you. It's my hope that you not only learn something new about film and/or music, but that you also find this very fun to do!

Happy listening, all. And thank you again!

TABULATION FOR THE PRELIMINARY ROUND

This preliminary round uses a points-based, ranked choice method which has been in use since MOABOS II (2014). A respondent’s first choice receives 10 points, the second choice receives 9, the third choice receives 8, etc. The winner is the song that ends up with the most total points. The tabulation method described here for the preliminary round is used only as a tiebreaker in the final round (more on how the final is tabulated when we get there).

The tiebreakers for the preliminary are:

total points earned;

total #1 votes;

song(s) which is/are ranked higher on more ballots than the other(s);

average placement on my and my sister's ballots;

tie declared

#Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song #Movie Odyssey Awards #MOABOS

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novafire-is-thinking · 1 year

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Round Three is (mostly) complete!

As you can all see, Swindle is currently suff— competing with Brainstorm for a spot in Round Four. I know I could have given Swindle a bye, but I make the guys earn their spots here. He shouldn’t get to compete in less matches than everyone else, and Brainstorm is a worthy and witty opponent. (They’re also the same MBTI type, but I digress.)

I’ll update the spreadsheet with the winners and Round Four’s matches in a few minutes, but first…

Some Highlights from the Results:

For most votes, the poll that takes first place is Rung vs. Whirl with 2,479 votes total. Ultra Magnus vs. Starscream is in second with 2,278 votes.

The poll with the least votes was Seaspray vs. Tarantulas with 1,316 votes.

The match with the greatest gap between opponents was Fireflight vs. Breakdown. The final ratio was 89/11.

The closest matches were Rung vs. Whirl and Blaster vs. Blitzwing. The final ratio for both was 51/49.

Posts coming later today:

A summary of Round Three in memes and gifs

My favorite tags (Parts 1 and 2)

The most likely MBTI types of the remaining contenders (because there are some interesting patterns/trends)

An ask game or two (with a twist). I haven’t had much of a chance to talk about the characters and series I love since I’ve been too busy remaining “impartial.” (Not really)

#robot husband poll #robot husband poll update

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inkwolvesandcoffee · 1 year

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Fun & Games (Forrest Bondurant x Reader, Modern AU)

(Credits for the images in the moodboard go to their respective owners)

Genre: Romance, Humour, Modern AU

Pairing: Business Analyst!Forrest Bondurant x IT Trainee Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.3K

Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, a sprinkle of awkward romance (well, it’s rather just Forrest being a mess), very little swearing, Forrest being a gentleman, unrequited crush/love/lust (or is it?), responsible drinking, Jack being on the short end of things

Summary: Everyone has a hidden side to them. But on a Friday afternoon at the office, Forrest Bondurant, the normally stoic and feared business analyst reveals a side to him no one had expected.

Least of all a certain trainee.

And everything is fun and games, even if eventually feelings get involved.

Tag list: @buttercup32sstuff @liliac-dreamer @vir-tual @potter-solomons @ilovemanypeople @zablife @hecatemoon87 @alikaheroes

Monster Masterlist / TH Masterlist

Friday afternoons at the office are for sharing drinks and playing games. Then again, what else can you expect when you’re surrounded by geeks?

All tables in the cafeteria are occupied, more and more colleagues either leaving their office or coming in through the front door. The small room is filled with chatter, pieces of conversations about various topics blending into each other to the degree you occasionally can make out a single word.

Unsurprisingly, the Nintendo Switch is swiftly turned on and taken into use to organise an informal Mario Kart tournament. In less than a minute, the first two contenders have already stepped up and taken their places at the start line of Toad Harbor. Sipping on a can of beer or soft drink, we watch them, and afterwards each other, going head to head like we’re in a stadium watching the Olympic Games.

After a disastrous loss on the Royal Raceway playing Lemmy, Gary holds out the controller to me. “Fancy a round, Y/N?”

“Sure, why not?” I shrug, hop off my seat and walk around the table to take the controller from his hand.

Now, everyone gets to pick their own opponent but no one goes twice in a row. The latter doesn’t matter, but the first certainly does since there’s one person in the office who’s sparked my interest ever since we met.

The grumpy business analyst who’s working even now, tucked away in the corner of the sofa.

It’s Friday, basically the weekend! Even you deserve and need a break.

Mentally crossing my fingers, I pick up Charlie’s controller as well and hold it out to the bear-like man still busily typing away on his laptop. “Play Mario Kart with me, Forrest?”

He peers over the edge of the screen at me, the blue flames of annoyance calming the moment we lock eyes. Features softened, he shakes his head. “I ain’t gamin’.”

“Aw, come on. Don’t be a spoilsport and do the lady a favour,” Howard, our low-code trainer and his brother, cuts in. “Or I will.”

“I’ll play,” Jack intercepts, stepping away from the people he’s talking to and drinking beer with. “If you’d like, of course.”

I hold out one of the controllers, glad the data analist wants to compete. Truth be told, he’s my second choice of company I’ll happily settle for. “Sure, bring it on.”

Behind me, muttered words end in a grunt.

“What was that?” Howard asks. “What’s wrong, grumpy?”

“I’ll play the next round,” Forrest grumbles. He shuts his laptop, puts it in the leather bag at his feet, crosses his arms, and sits a little bit more upright.

“I promise I’ll go easy on you.” I smile at him, a warm feeling spreading throughout when he averts his gaze. Though his scruffy stubble hides most of it, his cheeks are rosy.

“What about me?” my opponent asks, feigning indignance.

I turn back to him, feeling uncharacteristically brash. “You’ve been here longer than me. I’d expect you to have become an expert by now, Jack. After all, you’re a data analyst. Surely the data has told you how to win.”

A bright smile tugs at the corners of his lips the moment I mention his name. “Bold of you to assume.”

“What? Am I wrong? Aren’t you a gamer?”

“Tell her about the Bloodborn tattoo you got recently. Or how about the new Pokémon you caught and nearly yelled me out of my bed for last night,” Howard chimes in.

Jack hunches his shoulders and throws his brother a poisonous look. “Shut up.”

‘‘Which one did you catch?’’ Though I’ve only recently gotten back into games and especially Pokémon, I’m still as eager to talk about them as I used to be.

‘‘Zamazenta.’’

“You caught Zamazenta?’ Okay, yeah, no,” I shake my head, “I’m definitely not gonna go easy on you. Success comes with hard work, that much I’ve learned so far. I’ll show you how serious I am.”

I cringe.

That sounds like one of those cheap lines those trainers and Gym Leaders say.

Nonetheless, no one seems to have noticed it because various of my colleagues break out in an amused ooooooooh. Slowly but surely, the first murmurs about bets arise.

Jack and I plop on the couch. Forrest scoots to the side to free up space for me. I half-expected him to immediately stand up to sit or stand somewhere else, but he stays put. Not that I mind since the heat radiating from his body is pleasant like his cologne. Leather, sandalwood, tobacco, and warm spices are the most prominent notes. However, there is something I can’t quite place, an element reminiscent of the woods.

Something wild.

Uncontained.

Grumpy wolf.

I snort at the thought. Fortunately, I manage to conceal my amusement behind an awkward cough. I can’t lose face yet around here.

“Ready?” Jack asks.

“When you are.”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Fiery. I like it.”

And so the battle begins.

Supported by and with the blessing of our co-workers, we decide to partake in a 150 CC Grand Prix. Normally, the rule is everyone gets to play one race, but apparently they allow full tournaments whenever a trainee wants to challenge a senior.

In the corner of my eye, I notice Forrest leans forwards and throws a look in my direction. However, when I glance to the side to read his expression, he averts his gaze to the floor. If only he knew how bad he is at faking interest in his shoes. The way he fumbles with his fingers is endearing, however, because it shows a fragility beneath the rough exterior.

Throughout the races, and again failing to be inconspicuous, he brushes my shoulder in encouragement while intently watching us go at it. Almost as if he’s trying to learn through observation.

In spite of the slow start, I end up second with Yoshi while Jack ends in fourth place playing Princess Peach.

The business analist holds out his hand as soon as the on-screen ceremony is over. “My turn.”

Startled by the abrupt gesture, I lean back to avoid being hit in the face. Forrest blinks, probably realising what almost happened. He beckons his brother to hand over the controller quickly and rapidly retreats into the corner of the sofa. “Sorry ‘bout that. Should’ve… should’ve done that differently.”

“No worries.” Our gazes meet. The brightness in his eyes has dimmed, the seas in them darkened with sincere regret. “Don’t apologise.”

You’re just a little clumsy, but that’s okay. A clumsy grumpy wolf. Keep it in. Don’t grin. Calm and collected.

He opens and closes his mouth, unsure what to say. Finding no words to answer with, he simply nods and lets out a low groan.

“Um…” As if he’s holding a rock for reasons unknown, Forrest stares at the controller in his hand. Howard barely manages to stifle a snigger. Jack has his lips pressed firmly together in a straight line, also on the verge of breaking out into a fit of laughter.

“We can activate Smart Steer,” I propose.

“What’s that?”

“It prevents you from falling off the map. It’s especially handy on Rainbow Road.” I might as well have spoken in tongues because he gives me a foggy look. “It’s one of the most difficult tracks. Notorious, even.”

“Ah,” he mumbles, brows still knit together.

I almost feel sorry for putting him on the spot, but, then again, it’s also quite funny to see one of the great giants in the office struggle.

“Now, with the L button, on top of the controller on the left,” I indicate where it is, “you use that to launch the items you gather during the race. However, you can only have one at a time.”

“One at a time… right.”

“You use the left joystick to steer and press A to accelerate.”

“Right.”

“Those are the basics. Still wanna play?”

Please don’t say no. Please don’t.

He nods. A smile spreads on my lips and I bounce in place like an excited puppy. “Yay. I’ll activate Smart Steer, though, just in case.”

“Aw, look at that. Forrest has safety wheels again,” Howard coos.

“Shut your damn mouth,” Forrest grumbles.

I chuckle, shake my head, and set everything up including the safety wheels. Can’t throw the senior business analyst into the deep and have him crash, after all.

We pick our characters. Well, it’s perhaps better to say I pick our characters since Forrest mucks about with the controller and already doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing.

A few seconds later, the timer for the first round of the first course in the Flower Cup appears on screen. Everyone turns towards the screen in anticipation, except for Jack and Howard, who prefer watching Forrest as a form of entertainment.

Three.

Two.

Engines are starting to roar.

One.

Start!

“It ain’t startin’.”

“You have to press A.”

“I am.” Forrest briefly taps the button. “The cart don’t move.”

“You have to press and hold it down. A regular car also doesn’t drive itself, does it?”

“Not yet,” Jack mumbles next to me.

I look at him, make a face, and turn back to the man on my right. “In Mario Kart they don’t. Now try it.”

Forrest holds down the button and lo and behold, the cart comes into motion.

Only to leave me at the start.

“Oi, you-’’ I exclaim and put the pedal to the metal.

We’re not even halfway through the first lap when the next car crash is bound to happen.

“Ehm, where are you going?” I ask, squinting while trying to figure out a reason for what he’s doing. Then again, I suppose there is no rhyme nor reason, no analysis to be made, when it comes to video games. At least not with this particular business analyst.

On the screen, Forrest is trying to race up the waterfall. “Followin’ the track.”

“No, you’re not. We’re supposed to go down. Watch the map.”

“What map?”

“In the corner of the screen. That map!”

“Since when that’s there?”

The remark triggers both chuckles and eye rolls. Nonetheless, it doesn’t decrease the fun and joy of having gotten Forrest out of his comfort zone.

And ending third in the Flower Cup because, despite the rocky start, I still managed to climb up the ranks. My poor colleague, however, ends in sixth place, having taken too many detours while wasting items.

“You tried.” I nudge his shoulder with mine as he hands me his controller so they can be passed on to the next pair of speed devils, “Thanks for playing. That was fun, wasn’t it?”

His jaw clenches and he avoids my gaze. Then, surprisingly, he grunts in acknowledgment. However, it seems there is still no time for a break because he reaches down to his bag, fingers automatically outstretched to the laptop inside.

Feeling emboldened by having gotten him to relax, to a certain degree, I dart forward and grab his wrist. Well, that was the idea, but my fingers are too short to fully wrap around it. All the same, it does the trick in getting his attention.

His breath hitches and he stiffens. Yet, whereas I had braced myself against the first traces of wariness or even pure animosity, his demeanour is anything but violent. Forrest doesn’t attempt to escape my grip. Instead, he looks at me, eyebrows raised while he gazes at me with sharp focus.

I’ll have to choose my words carefully. Perhaps he’ll turn on me the second I say the wrong thing.

I bite my lip and gently squeeze his wrist, trying hard not to get lost in the warmth of his skin. “Put the laptop away? Surely work can wait until Monday.”

“I’m working on a big project.’’ He grimaces and scratches his cheek with his free hand. At least his fingers are off of the laptop. ‘‘One I need weekends for.”

“Working so much isn’t healthy. Everyone needs time to recharge.”

“He’s a notorious workaholic, Y/N,” Howard comments, sipping from his beer. “He’ll need someone to keep him away from the damn laptop for him to rest.”

He puts his bottle down, a wolfish yet well-meaning grin on his face. Evidently up to no good, he swaggers over and crouches down in front of us. His attention focused more on Forrest and me rather than Jack, he leans in and lowers his voice to a conspiratorial murmur. “Just give the girl your number. She seems awfully worried about you so why don’t you give her the means to assure her you’re doing fine. Or we can arrange a meeting point this weekend and you two enjoy the city, take some time off together.”

A prickling travels along the back of my neck when the implications of the comment dawn on me. A funny tingle rises in my chest, which has grown tight. Nevertheless, hoping it doesn’t show too much, I turn to the business analyst. “Maybe exchanging numbers goes a bit far, but I have nothing planned tomorrow.”

“C’mon, Forrest. This is the point where you ask the lady whether she’d like to spend time together. Ask her out for a cup of Joe. Show her what we mean by Southern comfort.” The Mendix trainer wiggles his eyebrows, but flinches and grimaces when Jack kicks him as kindly as possible. Or, rather, as politely as you can be when the situation calls for subdued violence.

“Fuck off, Howard.” Forrest clenches and unclenches his fists. If neither Jack or I intercept soon, we might very well have a fight on our hands.

“Alright, that’s enough out of you. You heard him, go on. Off you go.” I playfully push Howard’s shoulder, gently telling him what Forrest has already harshly put into words.

“She’s a keeper,” he mouthes before sauntering back to the table by the window.

“Sorry ‘bout my brother,” Forrest mumbles into his fist, gaze averted. “I’ll talk to him ‘bout crossin’ lines.”

“He means well,’’ I chuckle and tilt my head, secretly glad he can’t see the way I fumble with my necklace. ‘‘And, to be honest, it sounds like he agrees with me. It’s okay to take a break. So, I know we don’t know each other well, but would you humour me with a trip to Starbucks or another café? We’ll both take a break.”

Slowly he turns to me and nods. “How about one o’clock, hm?”

I let my necklace fall back against my skin, feeling light as a feather carried by a storm of butterflies. “Sounds good to me.”

“Might need my number. To… let you know,” he squirms a bit, “where I am. And vice versa.”

I fish my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans, create a new contact, and hand it to him. “Here. You fill out your info while I go grab something. Keep my place warm.”

“Want my number too?” Jack cuts in. The suggestion sounds frantic, but is also strangely reminiscent of the way a wolf whines. “In case he don’t answer.”

I giggle, in part to hide the embarrassment of only having just remembered he’s here too. “Sure. When he’s done, feel free to give me your number as well.”

A smile passes over Forrest’s lips as he looks at the case. Strangely, there is something endearing about the slightly crooked teeth peeking through. He briefly glances at me, but forces himself to maintain eye contact. “Suits you. Bunnies.”

“Do they?”

He nods.

Do you think I resemble one?

I stiffen at the thought and blink as if slapped across the cheek. “I’ll, uh, yeah, be right back.”

He sees me as a bunny. He does, doesn’t he? Hang on, is that good or bad? I mean, they’re cute. Does… Does that mean he likes cute girls? Also, they’re easy prey, weak. Sure, I might be out of my comfort zone here, but I don’t make easy prey, do I? Right? Yeah. Besides, men like girls that are a little fragile, in need of help. Smaller than them too. Why am I so worried about this? It’s ridiculous. Let it go! Let. It. Go. For. Fucking. Get it.

Like a woman possessed, I scour my bag and retrieve my Nintendo Switch Lite from it. I inhale and exhale deeply, roll back my shoulders, straighten my composure, and head back to the cafeteria.

Casually, I plop down on the couch between Forrest and Jack, who returns my phone to me. “Thanks.”

“Give me a call whenever you want. Don’t have to be business,” Jack says, a careful smile playing on his lips.

“Same,” Forrest mumbles. “Call whenever.”

“Well, I’m gonna grab another beer. Y/N, want one?” Jack slaps his hands on his thighs and rises to his feet.

“Nah, I’m good. I’m a lightweight so I’m at my limit.”

Besides me, Forrest mumbles something. The only clear words I can make out are “never” and “drunk”, laced with what sounds like a promise. Or I might be imagining things, the booze having gotten more to my head than I thought.

“Anything else then? Water? Soda? Tea?” I shake my head. “Forrest?”

He grunts as a substitute for ‘no’, focused on the e-reader in his hands. He must’ve picked it up while I was gone.

“Alright,” Jack murmurs and turns his back on us.

I plug my headphones in and start up my favourite game at the moment.

Silence is an important language to understand, but also incredibly hard. Only few are well-spoken in it, know how to use it to communicate with one another.

But even a master sometimes needs words.

“If you want you can…” In the corner of my eye, I see Forrest awkwardly shift in his seat.

“Hm?” I look up from my screen, wondering what it is he wants. “Sorry, what is it you said?”

“Lean. On me.” He clears his throat, voice toned down. “If- If you want.”

I shuffle over and rest my head on his shoulder. “Oh, yeah, this is really comfy.”

I snuggle up to him further, basking in the hearth-like heat his body emits. Perhaps it’s his cologne, but the woody notes in it conjure a pleasant image of being curled up by the fire in a cabin in the woods. Sheltered and safe from harm since there is a fierce protector nearby, hiding beneath the skin. “You’re really warm.”

He stiffens for a moment, but then lets out a pleased hum and rests his head on top of mine.

After another moment of comfortable silence in which he reads and I game, Forrest asks perhaps the most ironic question this evening. “Whatcha playing?”

“Pokémon Brilliant Diamond.”

“That’s what Jack plays, right? That game in which creatures fight each other.”

“You also have to train them. And they’re not ‘creatures’, they’re Pokémon.’’ I sit up, my tone harsher than intended. Then again, who does not get carried away when talking about what they love? ‘‘Also, there’s an overarching story line, an adventure to go on.”

His features soften, surprise melting into tenderness, and he hums.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m a nerd.” I roll my eyes and lean against him as before.

He hums again, but whether he agrees or means something else is up in the air.

We retreat into the same bubble we created at the quarterly meeting last week. Strangely, he let me in despite the walls he’s surrounded himself with, prolonging the conversation as much as possible. Afterwards, he walked me to the station.

I’m still unsure whether his cheeks were rosy because of the cold or he was blushing.

“When are you leaving?” Forrest mumbles after a while, the words hardly intelligible. It’s almost as if he’s reluctant to ask the question, let alone keen to hear the answer to it.

“In a little bit.” I check my watch. “Half an hour, I wager.”

“It’s dark out.”

“Wanna walk me to the station again?”

He slowly nods after a moment of hesitation.

“I’d like that.’’ A genuine smile, full of anticipation and the vivid memory of last time, spreads on my lips. ‘‘Thank you, Forrest.”

This time, he really is blushing.

#Tom Hardy #Facepuller #Forrest Bondurant #Forrest Bondurant imagine #Tom Hardy imagine #Lawless

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stereax · 2 months

Note

I know the details might be messy if some of Pettersson’s salary is retained by the Canucks and/or a third team, but what do you think a trade to the Canes would look like?

To clear the air first: this anon sent me this ask BEFORE the extension went down. I just have a little backlog and a pounding headache. Everyone who's still in my inbox, fret not, you WILL get answers, I promise.

So clearly Petey ain't getting traded no more. That being said, let's speculate under the cut what a Petey to CAR trade could have looked like. For science!

Science under the cut, woot! Okay, so. First off. No way Vancouver trades Pettersson before the playoffs at its current state. Teams expected to be Cup contenders do not trade off their star centers in the middle of the season. Much more likely would have been a trade prior to or during free agency to send his rights to Carolina. (Petey is still an RFA at the end of this season, so his rights are easily flipped.)

Now, what would that trade look like? Pettersson is a franchise player. The price tag on him should reflect that value. We know Carolina's offer was "overwhelming", but Sebastian Aho (the lesser) was not involved in any such offer. So, here's my guess.

I think the talk started with Nikishin and Necas. Nikishin, if you don't know, is widely regarded as Carolina's top prospect, an LD who plays in the KHL and whose rights are thus indefinite. There's no guarantee he would ever come stateside, however, which drops his value significantly. If he does, though, he is touted as NHL ready from the jump. Necas is a center who often plays wing and has been a Cane for several seasons now, scoring 71 points last season. I mostly know him from Canes twitter always going "can't spell Canes without Necas" whenever he does anything. Annoying.

As "untouchable" as Nikishin is claimed to be, this alone doesn't get it done at all. There was almost certainly at least one first-round pick involved, probably multiple, and perhaps a few later-round picks or lower-tier players and prospects as well.

So could it have been Nikishin's rights, Necas, CAR 2024 1st, CAR 2025 1st? Maybe. Maybe a second in there too. But there's another intriguing piece available, one that could certainly blow away Allvin and co. And no, I'm not talking about Kotkaniemi. He's kind of a bust and we all know that.

What if the overwhelming part of the offer... was Svech?

Okay, I know. Svechnikov is one of the Canes' best offensive players, a premier power forward when he's healthy. Emphasis, however, on "when healthy". Dude gets hurt. A lot. In the last five seasons including this one, he has played over 70 games only once and has not broken the 70 point mark. It's not great. That being said, if you can keep him healthy, you have an offensive dynamo. There's definitely a level left to be unlocked there.

Would Waddell move one of his best forwards for Pettersson? Who knows. Go big or go home, right? Zito did the unthinkable two years ago with the Tkachuk trade, selling a 100+ point winger and a franchise defenseman for Tkachuk, and see how well that ended up for Florida. (And how badly for Calgary.) Could Waddell have tried a similar trade?

To review, the Tkachuk trade was:

To FLA: Matthew Tkachuk, 4th round pick

To CGY: Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt [prospect], 1st round pick

Could the Pettersson trade have been:

To CAR: Elias Pettersson, 4th round pick

To VAN: Andrei Svechnikov, Martin Necas, Alexander Nikishin [rights], 1st round pick

Who knows. But what's certain is that it spooked Petey enough to re-sign in Vancouver.

#stereanswers #stereanalysis #elias pettersson #vancouver canucks #carolina hurricanes

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itwasthereaminuteago · 2 years

Note

congrats on 350 it's so deserved! 🎉💃🥳 i'm so happy to have had the opportunity to interact with you a bit more recently ❤️

discipline was sooooo good, we're really blessed to be getting a part 2 - i've noticed that you like your fic titles short and sweet, so how about tension for the title of the second part? i loved the build up and the teasing in the first part, so tension was the word that came to my mind, and it would be great to see matt get some of his own back 👀

i hope i'm not too late for the drabble slots! if you have any space left could i suggest kisses to end a first date with matt murdock from this prompt list? (or any other prompt you prefer, it was a tough choice!)

@mindidjarin here we go bby! I loved writing this, the park thing just popped right into my mind as soon as I finished reading your ask. I hope you enjoy it and thank you!

|| Like Flying ||

Pairing: Matt X Reader

Rating: G

Tags/warnings: Fluff!

Gif by @shedaresthedevil 😍

"That was possibly a contender for the best tiramisu I've ever had." you tell him, humming as you savour the last taste of it in your mouth as you stand outside the restaurant.

"That is quite a claim indeed, but yeah, it was pretty damn amazing!" Matt agreed. "So what would you like to do now? Although I'm not sure what I could suggest that would top that tiramisu..."

You laugh and Matt grins. He's been trying his best to keep you making that sound all night, it was so addictive and he wasn't doing too badly at it.

You shrug and then mentally chastise yourself knowing he couldn't see it. "Um, well, usually I might say a movie but..."

Matt smiled, "I'd be more than happy to go to a movie with you if that's what you want, it's no-"

You touch his arm and stopped him. "No it's okay Matt, I have another idea."

He let you lead him, his hand in yours, a few streets away. You rounded a couple of corners. He heard the panting of a dog, kids bouncing a basketball playing two on two, and then the light twitter of birdsong and the gentle rustle of the breeze through the trees. There was a slight groan of creaking metalwork and the loose chink of old chain.

"Okay, sit down." You said.

Matt couldn't stop smiling, chuckling as he sat down on the swing. "Alright.."

"You ready?"

"Yeah I guess so, what about you?"

"Oh, I'll get my turn don't you worry," you smirked as you gave him a firm push and set him off. You shoved him a couple more times and stepped to the side, laughing as he got into it, swinging higher.

"God, I've not done this for so long..." he says, leaning back as he arced up into the air.

"I think it's like flying," you muse, "well, closest thing you can get to it in Hell's Kitchen anyway!"

Matt laughs but he couldn't disagree. There was something so simple but so pure about it.

"I come here sometimes," you said, watching him soar, "if I've had a crappy day or whatever. It just cheers me up, makes me feel free y'know?"

Matt gradually slows down and hops off the swing, holding it for you to take his place. "Hope this hasn't been a crap day?" he asks you, raising a brow.

You sit down and feel his hands gentle but firm on your waist as he pulls you backwards. "No of course not Matt! I'm having such a great time with you, I really am."

Matt smiles contentedly, letting you go and pushing when you swing back. "Well so am I. Think you can go higher than me?" he challenges.

You tense your legs and core and swing yourself up to dizzying heights in no time with ease, then cracking up at how ridiculous this all seemed. "Maybe we should have gone to a movie after all, this is silly, I'm sorry."

You slow down, scuffing your shoes on the ground to stop yourself and Matt comes round in front of you, hands grasping the chain either side of your face. "No, it's not silly at all sweetheart, im so happy that you brought me here." You look up at him, his expression is so warm and honest. You really want to kiss him.

"Matt, I-" you began, but he moves his hand to the side of your face, stroking his thumb over your cheek before you can finish the words.

"I'm gonna kiss you, is that okay?" he asks softly.

You nod and laugh at yourself again because he can't fucking see but somehow he knows, the corner of his mouth lifting up before he swoops in to capture your lips in his.

Your eyes close as you melt against him. He's slow and patient, his soft lips caressing your own so gently as he slides his fingers in your hair, guiding you a little closer to him. He tastes a little of the wine you shared at dinner, a little of the coffee liqueur of the infamous dessert, and something else that's just... him.

He stops but doesn't move away, a sliver of space between you if you did want to stop but to hell with that, you lean forward teasing your tongue the tiniest bit along his bottom lip. He hums and smiles against you and you squeal as he picks you up, turns around and takes your place on the swing seat, guiding you down to sit sideways on his lap.

"Oh okay, yeah this is better than a movie..." you grin as you wrap your arms around him and he kisses you again. This time it's deeper, a little more heat and passion as his tongue slides against your own.

"Mm, yea... much." he muses as you pause for a moment, his fingers entwining with yours. "can we go to the swingpark after every date?" he asks.

You both laugh and he kisses you breathless until the stars come out.

#350 followers #smewchuals #matt murdock x you #matt murdock x gn!reader #matt murdock fluff #daredevil fluff #daredevil x reader #daredevil x gn!reader #first kiss fic #daredevil fic #matt murdock fic

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abluehappyface · 1 year

Text

It's time for the November Color Palette tally results!

Which color palette won the race and will be used for next year!?

Well folks...

There's been a tie!

Both the Lesbian color palette AND the Genderfluid color palette got 7 votes each!

(Lithosexual was suuuper close, with a total of 6 votes)

This means that a second round of voting is needed to declare a final winner!

Here's the two contenders:

1. Lesbian Flag Colors

2. Genderfluid Flag Colors

Final votes are needed by November 23rd!

Mutuals tagged under the cut!

@motsimages @magicalgirlpropaganda @mango-frog @mayumijoutouguu @nucg5040 @bip-po @caniscreamintoanabyss @castanets @lordterronus @lonelyprinceofthedark @lesserbeans @leafboy-the-shark @k4ndi-c0spl4y3r @kinokomynx @just-a-rainy-child @he-was-beautiful @hecho-a-mano @funkyfrogofficial @sophie-i-guess13 @soulless-paper-bag @siegesquirrel42 @seafoam-blues @semisentient-entity @space-for-dragons @starri-collective @pastelkonpeito @insertusernamethatsnottaken @the-fourty-7th-gamer @the-cinnamon-snail @the-kneesbees @that-bastard-with-all-the-bones @reblogging-corner @rude-occurrence @22ndcenturyschizoidman

wOw that's a lot of mutuals

#my post #my stuff #my art #my photos #my edit #my artwork #photo #bluey's shenanigans #bluey's asking mutuals mostly #but anyone can vote #bluey's open to suggestions #bluey's is open to questions #bluey's edits #abluehappyface

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hollyethecurious · 2 years

Text

CS AU: Conviction (8/?)

Summary: The story had been front page news for months. Scandalous details of a married woman of low birth and with limited means, murdering her husband; hatcheting him to death in order to save her own life and that of her unborn child - or so she claimed. No evidence to support her allegations of abuse had been presented during the trial, but in the end, it was the fact that Mrs. Cassidy was with child that saved her from a verdict of murder in the first degree, a judgment that carried the death penalty for both men and women alike. As an act of mercy, a lesser charge was issued, one that spared her life but now made her Misthaven Penitentiary’s problem to contend with, and more specifically, the Captain of the Guard charged with keeping order within its walls.

A/N: Thanks to my amazing betas, @snowbellewells and @kmomof4. Also, shout out to @sotangledupinit for the assist in defringing Killian for the art.

Rated T-M (for themes, mentions of abuse, murder, and attempted assault) / Available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list

Chapter Eight

March was living up to its reputation - in like a lion - the blistering winds practically blowing Killian through the main prison doors and up the stairs. It was a wonder he’d managed to keep hold of his cap during his trek from the boarding house. Now safely inside, he whisked it off and ran his hand through his hair as he passed cells and reciprocated greetings with a nod.

Henry’s cries echoed through the structure, and the closer he got to the Officers’ Hall, the more strained and weary the addresses from the inmates.

“Glad you’re here, Cap’n,” one of the older prisoners said as he passed, his concerned expression stopping Killian in his tracks. “Nothin’s been able to quiet the lad today. Poor mother has to be at her wit’s end. ‘Oping you might be able to--”

“I know how to stop the racket,” Teach interrupted from the next cell over with a malicious sneer. “Bash the little bugger’s head in, then we might all get some peace and quiet.”

Killian grabbed the man by the shirt and hauled him forward, slamming him against the iron bars as he seethed into the man’s face. “Any more talk like that and the only head that’ll be bashed in, is yours. Do I make myself clear, Teach?”

“Careful, Captain,” the man grunted in disdain and defiance. “Or I might be liable to forget meself the next time a representative from the Board comes ‘round for an inspection. Wouldn’t do for someone to insinuate that certain protocols are being overlooked, or that relations of an unsavory sort might be occurring between a certain murderous wench and the guard staff… or one specific guard, that is. Now would it?”

Killian released the man, but continued to stare him down with contempt. It goaded him that Teach had a point. Knowing he could not give credence to the man’s threat, Killian warred with himself as to how to respond. Silence would be taken as compliance to Teach’s warning, shifting the balance of power between them; however, seeing as the guards - and most especially their captain - were not in the habit of justifying themselves or their actions to the prisoners, any manner of defense would give up similar ground, and Killian could not afford to grant even an inch to a man like Teach.

Shifting his weight, Killian tucked his thumb in his belt, projecting an unaffected air, and opened his mouth with a fresh retort; one that died on his tongue as his brother rounded the corner.

“Ah, Killian,” Liam called out. “Officer Booth said you’d arrived, but I wanted to make sure before I departed.”

Flicking one last steely look towards Teach, Killian turned and joined his brother at the end of the hall, Henry’s squalls now ear-piercing and causing him to wince.

“Did you need something, brother?”

“Uh… no,” Liam replied, glancing over his shoulder towards the cacophony coming from Swan’s cell. “I simply wished to… that is… I wanted to assure myself that things were…”

“One of the prisoners said he’s been like that all day,” Killian informed his brother, wondering how long Liam had been desperate to escape the sound of Henry’s cries while determined to set an example for his officers, acting as though he were completely unaffected by it, no doubt. “Is that so?”

“Aye,” Liam sighed wearily. “See if there’s anything you can do, otherwise I fear mutiny may be on the horizon.”

Clapping him on the shoulder, Liam walked with Killian towards their offices, relaying a few items of note before bidding him a good evening. Though Killian was eager to check in on Emma and see if there was anything he could do to help calm little Henry, he had to first make sure there was nothing of even greater urgency awaiting him on his desk. Satisfied that all the paperwork and correspondence could wait, Killian made his way across the hall and through Swan’s open cell door; one of the protocols Teach had alluded to that was currently being overlooked.

The morning after Henry’s birth…

“You cannot be bloody serious!”

When Elsa had suggested that Emma’s cell door remain open whilst she and Ashley remained at the prison - unable to leave because of the blizzard and committed to staying by the new mother’s side anyway - since their cots, which had been brought up from the barracks, had to be placed in the Officers’ Hall due to the limited space within the cell, Liam had been amenable. However, when she further proposed that such an allowance remain permanent, owing to the fact it would become tedious having her cell unlocked as often as it would be needed now there was an infant to care for, Liam’s reaction had been… well… he at least managed to keep his volume down, so he did not wake the prison which had only just settled back down again.

“It’s either that, or you assign an officer to act as her doorman,” Elsa replied. “Permanently stationed outside her cell for the sole purpose of locking and unlocking her door as we have need.”

Liam sighed and rolled his eyes. “I understand, and I am willing to make certain allowances, but leaving an inmate unsecured flies in the face of every protocol, procedure, and practice the Magistrate requires. How am I to justify it?”

“Perhaps,” Killian suggested. “Her cell could remain open only during daily visiting hours? That way Elsa, and any of the other women who arrive to assist Em, er… Miss Swan, can have access at their convenience. The prison is better staffed during the day, ensuring a suitable amount of eyes and attention can be kept on the situation, and the expectation that Miss Swan herself is not permitted to leave her cell without proper escort, regardless of whether her cell door is locked or not can be firmly set as well.”

Liam scratched through the stubble littering his jaw, its presence a testament to the long night and unorthodox morning they’d all experienced. “I suppose I could make a justification for such a concession.”

“In that case,” Elsa said sweetly, causing her husband’s eyes to narrow in suspicion of her tone. “Might you consider authorizing the ladies use of the side entrance?”

“For what purpose?”

“Well,” she hedged, wetting her lips and flicking her gaze up to Liam’s through her lashes. “If they were permitted to enter through the Officers’ Hall, then your men would not have to take time out of their duties to escort them since they won’t be traversing through any areas where inmates are housed, with the exception of Emma.”

While Liam mulled over the suggestion, Elsa pressed on in an attempt to fully convince him. “Ashley has volunteered to see to the nappies. Either she or Thomas will collect the soiled ones and bring freshly laundered replacements each day. Granny will continue to bring foodstuffs and meals for Emma, ensuring she receives proper nutrition, so she can, in turn, feed Henry. There are a number of ladies who have volunteered to be added to the walking rotation. Some of them have even inquired whether it would be permissible for them to bring along their own babies during their visits, and despite the library that now exists within the prison, Belle still brings volumes from--”

“All right, All right,” Liam conceded. “You’ve made your point.”

“Good! Now let’s discuss which officers are allowed to enter her cell when I am not here to assist her.”

Killian lightly chuckled to himself at the memory, but was then pulled back to the present by another round of Henry’s wails.

“Swan? Is everything all--”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” Emma replied, her tone a disquieting mixture of exhaustion and exasperation. “He’s been fed, burped, bathed, changed, swaddled, rocked, walked, sung to… nothing seems to work. He just won’t stop.”

Agitation and anxiety permeated the cell. It was little wonder the lad could not quiet himself when his mother was so worked up; the two of them feeding off one another’s distress until they were both now in quite a state.

Stepping forward, Killian held out his arms and commanded, “Hand him over, love.”

“What? Why?”

“Because,” he murmured softly, compassion and care crooning through his words. “You are at your wit’s end and are in need of a break.” She tucked her lips between her teeth and tears shone from her eyes as they fell to the fussing babe in her arms. “You’re both exhausted,” he continued. “Let me take him for a bit so you can try and get some rest.”

“But… what if he--”

“You said yourself, love,” he interjected, cutting off her protest. “He’s been fed and changed. All his needs have been met. Perhaps he simply desires a change of scenery.” Reaching forward, Killian gathered Henry and secured him to his chest. “I’ll walk him down the lower Officers’ Hall for a bit so you can rest.” His brows rose and he tilted his head meaningfully to the side, quipping, “You and the rest of the population.”

Emma swallowed and her shoulders sagged. Wearily, she nodded, then stepped forward to place a soft kiss to her son’s cheek. “Be good for Captain Jones,” she told him before offering no further protest and slipping beneath the blankets of her bunk.

“Come on, my boy,” Killian crooned, making his way out of the cell and leaving the door open behind him. “Let’s let your mother rest, aye?” Henry continued to fuss and fight against the blanket that had him swaddled tight as Killian descended the back stairs. “You shouldn’t be so hard on your mother, lad,” Killian murmured, patting the babe’s back as he paced the long corridor. “She’s doing her best in less than ideal conditions. We all are.”

Killian marveled at the way Emma had taken to motherhood, although, admittedly, those first few days had been a struggle. Failure to thrive. That was the fear they all silently contended with as they awaited Emma’s milk to come in. Her tears and whimpers of pain each time she attempted to nurse Henry had broken Killian’s heart, and for five days he had agonized over whether she’d be able to provide for him. Elsa had determined they would have to find a wet nurse, fearing Henry might succumb if they did not intervene, but no suitable candidates had been found, causing them all to prepare for the worst.

He would never forget the night his dread had nearly consumed him, thinking the worst had come to pass.

Whilst on patrol, walking the cell block, he heard Henry’s feeble cry. Making his way back towards Swan’s cell, his stomach fell away when the lad’s cries suddenly stopped, only to be replaced by his mother’s.

No! No, no, no, no! Please, God. No!

Sprinting, he barely made out Swan’s form in the rocking chair, clutching Henry to her chest as she fought back sobs. The time it had taken to get that infernal cell unlocked took years off Killian’s life.

Barely capable of drawing breath, Killian choked out utterances as he made his way to where Emma sat before the fire. “S-Swan. The baby. Is he… He isn’t… Tell me he isn’t…”

When she cast her gaze up at him, he could not reconcile the tears clinging to her cheeks with the smile stretching over her lips.

“He’s eating,” she told him in a whisper. “My milk came in and he’s…”

Killian glanced down and saw Henry contentedly sucking from his mother’s breast, his eyes wide and alert for the first time in days. Knees giving out, Killian managed to control his descent by bracing himself against the rocking chair, a watery chuckle falling from his lips as he continued to stare in awe and relief. The feel of Emma’s fingers carding through his hair sent a ripple of wonder down his spine and he shivered.

“He’s going to be okay,” she quietly imparted.

Flicking his gaze up to hers, his breath caught and his pulse quickened. Not from any rush of lust or desire, but from the sheer beauty of the moment. Emma’s long, soft curls framed her and Henry as the baby continued to nurse, and her sea glass eyes fell to him, filled with loving adoration as she cooed and hummed at him. When she switched him to her other breast, Killian caught a glimpse of the raw, red nipple that lay beneath her nightgown; a testament to her resilience and determination over the past few days.

Never giving up.

Fighting for her child’s survival with all she had.

Not for the first time, and quite possibly not for last, either. Unfortunately.

Which was why her cell door would remain open, even at night. Ensuring that Killian would never again be delayed in joining her in that fight.

Killian shifted Henry further up his shoulder so he could reach the next item awaiting his attention on his desk. The lad had finally fallen asleep, but Killian was loath to return him to his cradle, lest the movement awaken him and begin the entire, awful affair over again. Better to let the babe rest peacefully against Killian’s chest whilst he picked through the correspondence and reports he’d been neglecting, even if he was assured a drool stain on his waistcoat that Granny would be certain to tsk over later.

Lifting up a page of visitor requests, Killian stifled a yawn, his chest stuttering upward and jostling Henry. The lad, in turn, yawned, letting go a soft squeak as he nestled his little face against Killian’s neck. Shushing him softly, Killian waited until he was certain Henry remained fast asleep before turning his attention back to the requests.

Perusing the page, Killian noted that Mr. Hopper was expected for a visit in early April, hoping to have a report on the on-going investigation against Emma’s former solicitor, Mr. Glass. A smile lifted the corner of his lips when he saw Graham Humbert’s name down for an early May visit.

A former officer and long time mate, Graham had transferred to Glowerhaven a few years back after wedding Granny Lucas’ granddaughter, Ruby. With the impending retirement of the current warden, Graham had already been selected to act as the man’s successor (which had opened the captaincy spot for Walsh). No doubt the May visit would be so he could glean all he could from his mentor and former warden before fully taking on the mantle himself come June. Killian made a mental note to discuss a few things with him whilst he was there, then carried on with his tasks, even as his eyes began to hang heavy.

The last thing he remembered was thinking how he needed to follow-up with Mother Superior about having her round for a visit when the feel of a hand brushed through his hair before tentatively shaking him awake.

“Shhh, it’s only me,” Emma soothed, placing a hand on Henry’s back to steady him when Killian jolted awake.

“Swan?” Killian croaked, his tongue dry and throat parched, no doubt from sleeping with his mouth open. “What are you--”

“I know I’m not supposed to leave my cell, but when I woke up and couldn’t find Henry, I…”

“I’m sorry, love,” he said, clearing his throat. “I didn’t want to disturb you once I had gotten him settled.”

“No, it’s all right,” she assured him. “I appreciate you stepping in so I could rest, but now,” she reached out and lifted Henry off his chest, shushing him softly when he whimpered, “it’s my turn to relieve you so that you might get back to your duties.”

“If you must,” Killian sighed dramatically, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, then running his hand down his face as he turned his attention back to his desk. “Booth will see to the patrols tonight, so if you need anything I’ll be…” he gestured at the haphazard piles before him and let out another long suffering sigh, “here.”

“I will leave you to it, then,” she said, offering him a commiserating look of pity. “When you find yourself in need of a break, you know where I’ll be.”

“Aye,” he replied with a chuckle at both her tone and impudent smirk, watching her exit his office as Henry began to suck on his fists, making his protests of hunger known by the time she returned to her cell.

Killian sat and listened to the softly hummed melody and creaking of the rocking chair as it drifted in from across the hall, almost lulled back to sleep by the soothing sounds. Shaking off the stupor, he straightened his posture and forced himself to focus on the work before him, promising himself he’d take that offered break at Henry’s next rousing.

~/~

“I am pleased to report the Board has found Sydney Glass guilty of negligence regarding the way your case was handled, Miss Swan.”

Emma’s jaw dropped open, and Killian could scarcely believe his hearing. He had to temper his emotions, though, knowing it was most likely too soon to celebrate such a victory just yet.

“What does that mean for me going forward?” Swan inquired of her solicitor, clutching Elsa’s hand.

When Mr. Hopper had arrived for his scheduled visitation, Elsa, Emma, and Killian had been making their way back into the prison from their morning stroll with Henry. Emma had asked if Elsa could stay to hear what the solicitor had to say, so after she’d fed, changed, and put the baby down for his morning nap, the ladies had joined the men in Liam’s office for the report.

“The case against him will be handed off for prosecution, and efforts will be made to bring Mr. Glass back here to stand trial. In the meantime, the Board does plan to consider the rest of the petitions made on your behalf.”

“When?” Killian pressed, forcing himself to remain at Liam’s side and not wander over to Emma’s, wanting nothing more than to take her other hand, yet knowing he had to remain at his station.

Hopper sighed. “It’s tough to say.” Removing his spectacles, he pinched the brow of his nose, then removed a handkerchief from his pocket so he could clean his lenses. “They might rule on each petition individually, which could mean addressing one issue at a time at individual board meetings, or they might rule on them all at once. We won’t really know until next month’s gathering.”

“So what can we do to help you prepare for the Board’s next meeting?”

The sincerity in Liam’s question, the earnestness with which he had been listening and weighing in on Swan’s case, made Killian’s chest constrict with brotherly affection and gratitude. He could not say for certain when the shift had occurred, but his brother was now every bit as much an advocate for Emma and her baby as the rest of them.

Hopper put his glasses back into place and began to gather his things. “Another round of letters would not be a bad idea. Perhaps you can beseech some of the more prominent townspeople to join in the campaign?”

“I know Granny would certainly write to the Board on Emma’s behalf. She’s been a fixture of wisdom and respect in this community for as long as I can remember,” Killian suggested.

“And Belle,” Elsa added. “She would happily write one as well, and as town librarian she does hold a mantle of prominence.”

“I can ask Mother Superior when she visits from Glowerhaven in the next few weeks,” Emma said, though they all knew the woman would not need asking.

“And I’ll invite any of the guards who wish, to add a letter of support with my own.” Liam’s declaration of support hung in the room for a moment, earning him warm smiles and grateful nods.

“Excellent. I will be sure to keep you all informed should anything more come to mind. Until then…” Hopper stood and held out his hand towards Swan. “Take care of yourself and your little one, Miss Swan.”

“I will,” she replied, shaking his hand. “And thank you again for everything.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The sound of Henry stirring from across the hall echoed through the corridor, prompting Swan to turn her attention towards Liam. “If you’ll excuse me, Warden?”

“Of course,” Liam said, gesturing that she take her leave. “Go and see to Master Henry.”

Elsa told her she’d be there to assist her shortly, wishing to see Mr. Hopper out first. After Emma withdrew, Elsa turned to pose a question to the solicitor, but it never made it past her lips before a blood-curdling scream left Emma’s.

“Swan!”

Killian raced past the others, making his way to Emma’s cell in time to see her wrench a screaming Henry from his cradle.

“Rat!” she cried out, clutching Henry to her chest. “There’s a rat in his cradle!”

Lunging for the rodent, Killian was unable to grab it before it scurried out of the cradle, between the cell bars, and down the corridor towards the greater cell block.

“Bloody…”

“Is he all right?” Elsa’s concerned question, as well as Henry’s startled cries, pulled Killian’s attention from the corridor where the varmint had disappeared and back to his distraught Swan.

“I-I think so?”

Killian straightened and started towards them, wishing to reassure himself that was truly the case, when he was halted by Mr. Hopper, who rounded on both him and his brother.

“This is outrageous! Have you no measures in place to curb the rodent population? Surely, there must be something you can--”

“We have a number of cats that act as mousers within the prison,” Liam told him. “However, the number of vermin always increases in the spring and fall.”

“Moreover, we lost a fair few of them during the winter, and those that remain are sometimes lured to the barracks, ensuring the officers’ quarters are better guarded against the pests,” Killian added while mentally attempting to calculate how many cats they currently had on hand to combat the ever increasing problem.

“Well, perhaps it is time to acquire a few more?” Hopper suggested with a tone of censure before taking in a deep breath to calm himself. “I do not wish to appear ungrateful for all you both have done in caring for and making allowances for my client’s comforts and needs, and the last thing I want to do is to disparage either of you, or the way you operate this prison, but I will not hesitate to use this incident as a means of making my case with the Board.”

“Mr. Hopper, you must understand that we are--”

“We’ll get more cats,” Killian said, interrupting his brother. “And additional traps, like those we employ in our offices and barracks, will be commissioned for Miss Swan’s cell. I’ll see to the matter myself.”

“See that you do,” Hopper replied before making his way to Emma, offering her words of support and encouragement as she continued to try and comfort her son.

“When, exactly, do you plan to find the time, much less the funds, to accomplish such an endeavor?” Liam inquired under his breath.

“The local farmers have always been generous with their litters,” Killian responded. “I’m sure they can each be persuaded to donate a barn cat or two.”

Hopper nodded his farewell to the ladies, then gestured for Liam to lead the way as escort so he might take his leave. Before his brother could depart, Killian added, “The cost of the traps is a small price to pay for her peace of mind and Henry’s safety, so if it comes down to it, I’ll pay for them myself.”

Liam gave him an assessing look, but made no further comment now the solicitor was back in earshot. As the two made their way out of the cell, Killian approached Emma, who was still doing all she could to settle Henry whilst tears burned in her eyes.

“I can't do this,” she said, choking on a sob. “I can’t do this to him. I know being locked away in here is what I deserve, but he doesn’t. He deserves better than this.”

“Neither of you are deserving of this, Swan.”

“Killian is right,” Elsa said, finally able to coax Henry from Swan’s arms so she could look him over. “Neither of you deserve to live in such conditions, which is why both your captain and warden will be implementing some sort of--”

“The issue has been discussed and decided upon,” Killian said, recognizing Elsa’s tone and knowing he needed to reassure her a plan was already in place before she worked herself up into a tongue lashing for both him and his brother. “Is Henry all right?” he asked, turning all their attentions back to the most important matter at hand.

“A small scratch on his cheek, but no evidence of bites or any other injury,” Elsa assured them. “I think it best to bathe him and change out the bedding. Maybe do a thorough cleaning of the cradle as well.”

Elsa handed Henry back to Emma, then began heating water for his bath before turning her sights on the cradle. Clearly still distraught, Emma bounced the baby in her arms, placing soothing kisses to his forehead as she sniffled and fought back against her emotions.

“Swan,” Killian began, though he was unsure of what to say. His own emotions, which he’d managed to keep at bay so his objective and rational side could formulate a solution, were beginning to bubble to the surface. “I swear to you, I’ll--”

“Don’t,” she said, raising her hand to stay his words even as she clutched Henry tighter to her chest. “Please. Don’t tell me everything will be alright. Don’t tell me you’ll fix this when there is no fixing this. Please just… don’t.”

Brushing past him, she joined Elsa, who was filling the basin with the kettle, now heated by the fire. The two began to undress Henry, the baby thankfully cooperative now that he’d settled down from his ordeal. As the women cooed and indulged their charge, Killian felt his chest constrict.

Swan was right.

While additional cats and traps might fix the issue of the rats, it did not fix the circumstances Emma faced in raising her son in such an environment where other vermin and pests were prevalent. It would not change the fact that it was he, and not her, who was free to leave the prison in order to make the necessary provisions to ensure her son’s safety from the rodents. Nothing he could say or do would provide them with what they did deserve, unless he…

A plan began to form in his mind, and he was powerless to stop it. Contingencies that could be put into place in case the Board did not rule in her favor. It was not the first time he’d had such thoughts. Ever since Hopper had made him aware of the dire consequences that could befall Emma should a retrial find her guilty once more, he had indulged in the occasional musing, but never to this degree.

Shaking himself, Killian did not bother to even bid the ladies farewell before rushing back to his office. Raising a shaky hand to his mouth, he leaned against his closed door and considered whether he could actually do it. Could he orchestrate, and potentially implement, the means of her escape if it meant saving her from the gallows, or even having to endure another four and half years of unjust incarceration? Were there any lengths to which he would not go to ensure her freedom, by whatever means necessary?

A soft knock at his door pulled him from having to face the conclusion of his deliberations, and he hoped none of his treachery was evident on his face when opening the door revealed Robin on the other side.

“I thought you might have already left,” his second said. “I was hoping to get the armaments ledger from you before you go, so I can begin the inventory.”

“Of course,” Killian replied, procuring the item from his desk. Handing it off to Robin, he made himself busy by donning his coat and hat, then gathered his satchel.

“Are you all right, mate?” Robin inquired. “I heard about the rat in Miss Swan’s cell. Imagine it shook everyone up?”

“Aye,” he said, hoping any perceived uneasiness in Killian’s demeanor would be attributed to the abhorrent event in question and not the grievous plot continuing to formulate in his mind. “Fortunately, Henry was unharmed. I’ll be acquiring a few more mousers, as well as commissioning some traps for Swan’s cell.”

“You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do?”

“Aye. Thank you, mate,” Killian said, even as he held his tongue against the desire to unburden himself. After a moment’s pause, during which Robin’s eyes began to narrow, perhaps sensing there was more going on with his captain than he’d first considered, Killian cleared his throat. “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”

Scrutinizing his captain a moment longer, Robin relented, “No, there’s nothing else. Go get some rest. You look like hell.”

Blowing out a breath he’d been unintentionally holding, Killian gave Robin an unamused look before making his way out.

~/~

Killian’s boot falls were heavy against the side hall stairs when he made his way back into the prison later that evening. Boots that were covered with a layer of muck from the miles he’d walked and the farms he’d visited. His entire body ached and cried out for rest, but that was a luxury he would not be able to provide himself.

Liam’s office was dark, and the sound of the evening roll could be heard from the catwalk at the center of the prison, even though the days were now becoming longer and nightfall had not quite settled over them. Securing the basket he carried with him under his arm, Killian removed his coat and hat, stowing them away in his office, then waited for the roll call to end before making his way towards Swan’s cell.

His nose crinkled at the smell of vinegar. If he’d had to hazard a guess, Killian would say the entire cell had been scrubbed from floor to ceiling, which made him pause at the threshold and look down at his mud-caked boots.

“Captain?” Swan’s voice grabbed his attention, and he straightened his posture as she laid a soundly sleeping Henry down in his cradle before approaching him. “Are you… all right?”

Her eyes swept over him, and it was only then he considered how the rest of him might look. No doubt he was as unkempt as his boots.

“Aye, I just…” the bundle beneath his arm wriggled, shifting the balance of the basket as its occupant let out a petulant meow, causing Emma’s eyes to widen.

“Is that… a cat?”

Setting the basket down, Killian opened it to reveal an adolescent, black cat with piercing blue eyes. “I know they’re typically seen as unlucky, but back in England, sailors believed a black cat on board would ensure good fortune whilst at sea, so I thought--”

“He’s lovely!” Emma exclaimed, picking up the creature and giving it an affectionate scratch behind its ears.

“Farmers will be by later this week with whatever others they manage to round up, but one of them gave me this little one in the meantime.” Killian stroked his hand down its glossy back, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips at the way it purred in Emma’s arms. “He’s still young,” Killian pointed out. “But I’m hoping that will allow him to bond with you and the lad, and perhaps come to see this cell as his domain, prioritizing its sanctity against the vermin.”

His eyes followed her as she took a spare blanket from her wardrobe and laid it beside the hearth before lowering the creature onto it. Sniffing and scratching, he circled a few times, then made himself comfortable in front of the fire, licking at his paws and swiping them behind his ears as he took ownership of his new surroundings. Killian chuckled at the way the cat took immediate command of the cell, then met Emma’s gaze which was filled with perplexity over the fact he was still hovering in her doorway. When her eyes fell to his boots, comprehension dawned and she sighed as she stood and made her way back over to him.

“Did you spend your entire day tracking down cats from the local farms?”

“No,” he replied while sheepishly raising his hand to scratch behind his ear. “I actually started at the docks. There’s a man there, Mr. Smee, who supposedly makes the best rodent traps in the county. I commissioned a few for your cell. They’ll also be delivered in a day or two.”

“Killian,” she sighed, and as it was wont to do whenever she used his given name, his heart stuttered in his chest and his breath caught. “You cannot spend your days exhausting yourself on my behalf. You need sleep.”

“You get very little sleep these days,” he countered. “Exhausting yourself on Henry’s behalf. How is this different?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she arched a brow at him. “For one, I receive a fair amount of help. And two, Henry is my responsibility.”

“Aye, and both of you are mine.”

“But--”

“No ‘buts’, Swan,” he said, cutting her off. “What’s done is done. I could not bring myself to bed down in the comfort and security of my room knowing you and Henry were still vulnerable. I know I cannot fix what happened earlier today, but do not admonish me for wanting to do something in an effort to try.”

Chagrined, Emma licked her lips and dropped her arms back down to her sides. “I shouldn’t have said that earlier. I was upset and… I know you’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to make my circumstances as bearable as they can be, and I am so grateful, I just…”

“What?”

“I don’t want you to… you don’t have to… I’m not…” A frustrated sigh rushed over her lips, and her teeth sank into the tender flesh of the lower one as she continued to struggle to find the right words. Again, her eyes fell to his boots and she released the grip on her lip, flicking her gaze back up to his with an amused glint.

“I suppose the least I can do to thank you for the cat and traps is to clean those for you.”

“There’s no need to--”

“Shut up and give me your boots, Captain.”

Killian’s brows shot up his forehead, even as he obeyed. Taking a step forward, he sat down on her bunk so he could remove the soiled boots, all the while maintaining eye contact with her. Over the past several months, they’d almost developed a bit of a shorthand with one another, able to convey so much to the other with a simple look or expression. As Killian unlaced his boots, he knew there was no further need for either of them to make apologies or amends. All had been forgiven, and no more would be said regarding her words or his actions.

“Leave them there,” she instructed before making her way to her bathing corner to gather supplies. “I’m sure you have important matters awaiting you in your office that will keep you busy whilst I work on these. Rest assured, I’ll have them ready by the time you start patrols. Wouldn’t do to have to make your rounds in your stocking feet, now would it?”

Killian smiled up at her, and it only broadened at the sight of the smirk that matched her cheek. “I dare say,” he replied, setting the boots aside and standing so they were once more eye to eye. “Imagine the mocking I’d receive from Scarlet.”

Emma tilted her head to one side, as though giving that thought some consideration. “On second thought…”

Chapter Nine

#cs ff #csff #cs fic #cs au #captain swan #cs 1800s prison au #conviction #words by hollye

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