#one of my friends started playing TGC and we both love it

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

ok but WHAT IF there WAS a Foul Legacy card in TGC Genius Invocation because some of the cards are of enemies y'know? there's a Mirror Maiden and a Fatui Agent and even Maguu Kenki, so pretend for a second that somehow a Foul Legacy card was made. everyone else thinks it's just a cool character card- hard to find though, since only a few were made (people thought it'd be too scary for the kids and wouldn't sell well)- and one day, as thanks for paying whenever he forgot his wallet and just being a good friend in general, Zhongli gifts you one of the special few holographic Foul Legacy cards. you've got such a huge smile on your face when you see it, since you didn't even know it existed due to just recently learning how to play TGC, fingers gently tracing over the beautifully drawn features of your secret Abyssal lover. you bid Zhongli goodbye and thank him again before rushing home, the card safely bundled in your pocket- you haven't even looked at Foul Legacy's moveset but you *know* you're going to add him to your deck, even if you have to rework everything else in it. you burst through the door and quickly yank off your shoes, running upstairs to your room where Childe's buried under the blankets. you gently nudge him awake, cooing at the way he mrrps sleepily and blinks up at you, perking up when he sees the excitement glittering in your eyes. you perch yourself on the bed and tell him to close his eye- no peeking!- before setting the card into his outstretched hand. Childe stares at the card, mouth slightly open in shock, and you lean in to plant a kiss on the edge, carefully avoiding his fangs. this seems to kickstart his brain out of short circuiting and immediately he chirps in sheer delight, holding the card with the tips of his claws and delicately turning it over to examine it from every angle. he loves the way it shines, like rainbow fractals, and the artistry imbued in the picture- although in your humble opinion it's nowhere near as pretty as the real thing, and Childe feels himself blush, crimson upon crimson. he carefully hands it back to you, watching as you take out your deck and spread the rest of your cards onto the bed, intent on building a new deck centered around Foul Legacy. there's a little tug on your shirt and you turn, making room for Childe to snuggle his head into your lap, beginning to purr when you scritch between his horns. there's comfortable silence as you sort out your cards, occasionally asking for Childe advice to be met with clicks and trills until your new, better deck is ready. so now whenever you play a round of TGC, it's like you have Childe here with you in the form of a card :)

[abyssal-debonair]

so here’s what’s been going on:

a couple days ago on July 2nd, TGC, again, retweeted fanart featuring whitewashed characters, this time white skykids. now, I’m not on Twitter much anymore, but I was that day. I was among others who commented how offensive it was for TGC to be promoting artwork that utilized this racist practice. 

at first came the usual opposition, I gave my piece, then the convo died down. thought that was the end of it. by the next day, it picked up again with an incredibly mean-spirited tone — insults, bad faith takes, attempts to shame my friends and I. it was pretty disgusting.

eventually another Twitter user reached out to me and shared a Reddit link. someone had reposted a few of our tweets without censoring our usernames to r/skychildrenoflight (an unofficial subreddit not affiliated with TGC) with full intent to mock and deride us. that post currently sits on the subreddit with over 250 upvotes and over 200 comments, the vast majority of which are so stupid, asinine, and unsurprisingly racist. it explains how the discussion picked up again — the thread had been brigaded, my friends and I were being harassed.

I’m not here to talk about why this is an instance of whitewashing and why it is bad — I have already done that, though it’s overdue for me to make a more comprehensive, eloquent write-up.

Sky is a wonderful game. I love Sky, I love the world, I have invested so much creative energy into it. I love playing music on the game. I have multiple fics in the works. I used to engage with lorechat in Skycord on the regular, enjoying sharing my thoughts and discussing theories with others there. I am always fascinated by the artwork the community produces, even started trying to draw myself. the fanart TGC retweeted the other day isn’t even that bad compositionally — the artist is incredibly talented — the problem is the whitewashing that is all too common here.

I have never been in a fandom where a disgustingly racist practice, among others, was so accepted. I have never been in a fandom that harbored bigots who were so hateful towards the kinds of people Sky normalized, that they were playing as and interacted with. this community frequently proclaims itself as welcoming, diverse, and wholesome, but those words are hollow when many perpetuate bigotry then attack those who call it out, saying “it doesn’t exist here” and “you’re making shit up to get mad at” and “your ancestors would be ashamed of you.”

on that last one, I should mention that the commentary got disgustingly personal. I stated that I was Black in the Twitter thread, which many latched on to. they said I was entitled, never faced real racism, was a child, was pulling the race card, was “the real racist,” was why Black people are not taken seriously in discourse.

I shouldn’t have to mention that I have faced racism irl, including violence, including followed by a police officer on campus in the dark that could have ended poorly. I shouldn’t have to mention the racist harassment I have faced both online and offline. I play Sky and engage with its community because the game gave me the idea that I could escape the world that hated me for one where I felt seen and welcomed. if someone was being hateful, adding more to pile of bigotry I have to fucking live with, I thought I would have the backing of the community to support me when I fought back. I was wrong.

what happened over the last couple of days exposed me to some of the worst the Sky community has to offer and it didn’t even surprise me.

it is well documented how people of color like myself are mistreated in white-dominated spaces. our discomfort is viciously denied as false or exaggerated. we are told to suck it up because fandom is supposed to be enjoyed, an escape, “don’t bring politics in here.” except fandom perpetuates the same problems we are trying to escape from. we are not given a damn break.

[artificialqueens]

The Goode Case, 14/14 (Multi) - Juno

Chapter Summary: Jaida, Brita and Jackie try to plan for the three of them to go bowling. Of course, that might not work out quite as planned!

(A/N: So ….. this is the end of TGC! It’s the epilogue, and I wanted to give them all an ending, so here it is. I’ve been so blown away by the support I’ve received for this fic, even though it’s completely insane and no one asked for it! Thank you to everyone who has left me a like, kudos, comment, or just read it and enjoyed it. It really does mean the world! xo Juno)

Tuesday 14thNovember

7.09PM

Brita:Do u want to go bowling this Friday? Xx

Jackie:The three of us??

Jaida:I don’t think three is quite enough sis. Not for a good game. We’ll be done in half an hour!

Brita:LOL if that’s a hint then yes u can ask Jan xx

Jaida smiled to herself. If she hadn’t been thinking it before, she definitely was now. She was having a great time getting to know who Jan was, and what made her tick, these past ten days or so. Hearing Jan’s unbelievable singing voice at full pelt in Jan’s little Fiat 500. Playing around doing lay-ups at the basketball court and normally losing to Jan, even thought she was the shorter of the two. Getting their legs tangled in the sheets at the end of the day …

Oh yes. Jaida had enjoyed every minute.

Jackie:Ok, I don’t need to read minds to see how this will go……..

Jaida: lmao really? X

Brita:Enlighten us Jacqueline xx

Jackie:Obvs we three want to go

Jackie:Jai invites Jan

Jackie:Brita wants to invite a gf if Jai is inviting one

Jackie:So now Aiden is coming

Jackie:Aiden always brings Crystal

Jackie:Crystal always brings Gigi

Brita:Aiden isn’t my gf

Jaida:and Im Oprah

Jackie:LOL!

Brita:shush Jai xx

Brita:we just had a couple dates so far thats all xx

Jackie:Ok so I actually laughed

Jackie:Heidi & Nicky heard me

Jackie:So they invited themselves

Jaida:oh that’s cool no problem x

Jackie seemed to see more of Heidi than Jaida did right now. Jaida might have felt strange before, the thought of her friend and her colleague mingling, no careful divide in her mind; but that was fading fast. Nicky had started teaching Heidi some useful French, rather than just more swearing, and now they were organising for Nicky to come into Heidi’s kindergarten class with some basic French for the kids.

As for Brita … well, if there was one thing Jaida had learned about her through the Goode case, it was that she often had a slightly devious ulterior motive in these innocent suggestions. And although Jaida still didn’t feel as if she knew Aiden very well yet, she’d noticed that Brita had never spent more time daydreaming in the office; prompting a few pens being thrown at her by Jackie all last week.

Brita:How many is that? I suck at math lmao

Jackie:is that nine?

Jackie:one more to make it even??

Jaida: Dahlia, I said I would organise something with her

Brita: sis u cant invite Dahl without Rock xx

Jackie:Ok look

Jackie:We can’t have eleven

Jackie:That’s an even weirder number than 3!!

Jackie:Maybe we should stick to us 3

Jackie:No friends

Jackie:no gfs

Jackie:No psychics

Brita:no psychics? So we not going either?? LOL

“Hey, Jaida.” Widow came out of her room, waving to Jaida on the couch, as she walked past to the kitchen. Jaida gave her a smile and a wave back.

Widow was still walking a little slower than usual, but finally getting back into a routine. She’d flown back from KC on Sunday night, but even the week before that, she’d seemingly made some progress. She had even started coming to talk to Jaida, feeling a bit more comfortable sharing things with her.

Jaida was struck with inspiration.

Brita:also Jackie why cant u just type a message in one line Xx

Jaida:I got it, my housemate Widow to make it 12 x

Jackie: Who?

Brita:yeah u may not have met her yet

Brita:Jai I thought u said she doesn’t like big crowds xx

Jaida: something tells me things may change x

Friday 17thNovember

7.25PM

“Child, I still don’t get why it’s called football.” Jaida teased Jan, as they sat waiting for their turns to come back round. Heidi was lining up her shot in the distance, but neither Jaida nor Jan knew the scores at this moment. “They don’t even use their feet! They use their hands! And it’s not a ball! It’s an egg! Hand-egg!”

“Jai, if you insult my precious Patriots one more time, I’ll –“

“Jan! Focus!” Heidi was calling her. “Your shot, boo!”

“Be right back after I hit a strike!” Jan reached over to kiss Jaida gently on the lips.

“Oh, so you’re not coming back?” Jaida tutted, unable to stop the grin spreading across her face. Jan playfully slapped her arm and grinned back at her.

The aisles were only good for six people each, so they’d booked two beside each other, and it looked like couples’ night in the opposite lane. Brita’s impressive round of strikes and spares was almost matched by a few strikes from Crystal, all of which she claimed were flukes. She hadn’t stopped laughing all evening, clinging to Gigi, who smiled coolly and pushed her hair out of her eyes whenever Crystal did so. Gigi herself was making a respectable score behind the two of them, claiming to just have a magic touch.

Dahlia, however, kept sinking almost every ball into the drain and sulking as she did so, going into the sixth round with only seven points on the board. Aiden, whose twelve points were almost as bad, ended up insisting on the fences being raised after her third straight round of hitting nothing, prompting Rock to hit trick shots for the rest of the evening, bouncing her bowling balls between the fences and making her turns take twice as long.

It was Widow who came to sit in Jan’s empty seat, the mischievous glint in her eyes slowly returning as the days went on. Jaida returned her smile, and Widow reached and rubbed Jaida’s forearm.

“Thanks for inviting me, sis,” she muttered. “It’s – it’s a good night.”

When Jaida had asked, Widow had hesitated in coming out as part of a large group. Following Tori’s funeral the previous weekend, Widow had insisted on a quiet time all week. But the crowd brought her straight in, particularly Heidi and Brita, who she had already met. She even seemed to click with Jackie almost immediately, both of them shrieking with glee at discovering a mutual love of Overwatch and swapping Xbox names to link up later.

But Jackie and Widow were already competing. On the scoreboard in their lane, Widow was leading the team, but only by two points, with Jackie right behind her, almost matching every single strike. Jaida was enjoying seeing them show competitive sides that they rarely did, both of them playing up the competition by pointing menacingly at each other after each turn. Jaida, Jan, Heidi and Nicky were all lagging behind them, all in a cluster, but none of them minded; they were far too amused by Jackie and Widow to care.

Jaida looked at all their names altogether on the scoreboard, and the other names on the other lane. It still felt a little weird, but Jaida was actively trying to focus on it, and tell herself that it was all good. The separation she’d held onto for so long had crumbled, and here they all were – friends, colleagues, housemates, girlfriends – all in the same space.

And bringing her friends together, into one space in her life, made Jaida feel a lot more complete.

She grinned at Widow and turned to watch Jan, who was picking up every spare bowling ball and testing their weights, before commenting on the balls all being too big and settling on the lowest weight. Jackie, next to her, was giggling at her comment.

“You like them, now that you met them?”

“I hate to admit it, but yeah,” Widow chuckled. “They’re all really, uhm –“

“Exuberant? Energetic?”

“Loud,” Widow chuckled again. “I’m getting a headache. But – they’re all so nice as well.”

They were interrupted by a whoop of joy and a leap in the air; Jan had somehow managed a strike with her tiny ball and was twirling on the spot, her blonde hair spinning a whirlwind round her face and shoulders.

“Your girlfriend – Jan – is she your colleague as well?” Widow motioned to Jan.

“No, I met her through Brita.”

“And the three students? Sorry, I can’t remember their names.”

“I can’t discuss the case, but I met them through work.”

“And the girl with blue hair?”

“That’s Dahlia’s girlfriend, Rock.”

“Rock?” Widow repeated. “As in, rock solid? Rock ‘n’ roll?”

“Yeah,”

Widow’s eyes moved between them all on the opposite lane. Gigi was lazily twirling a finger through one of Crystal’s curls, while Crystal gazed enraptured at the scoreboard, for once still and silent; Gigi seeming to be the only person able to quieten her. Aiden, whose turn it was, held a bowling ball to her torso and was trying to keep a straight face as Brita, stood next to her, held another ball and was somewhat innocently demonstrating which fingers were best to use for the holes.

In their own lane, Jan and Jackie were calling to Nicky, whose turn it was; but Nicky was curled under Heidi’s arm in the booth next to them, her long legs swung over Heidi’s lap, holding her phone and scrolling down while they both stopped for a few seconds, chuckling at whatever was on the webpage they were going through.

Jaida smiled at Widow’s bemused expression. “You’ll get used to them.”

——

THE END

[perksofbeingatallpotato]

Saturday Night’s Alright

Harry Hart x Reader

Warning: Smut

A/N: A little late for Valentine’s Day, I watched The Golden Circle last night and I got the idea for the story when Harry asked Elton for two tickets to his concert. But this doesn’t mean this story is canon to TGC. And I realized half-way through that my second work on Harry Hart is again inspired with a song and is kind of titled after a song. Sorry, I’ll do better next time. Also, this was supposed to be short but things got out of hand. I hope you’ll enjoy reading. ;)

“I gotta take off now. Tilde and I are going to go to dinner tonight.” Eggsy said after the debrief.

“Bye Eggsy.” You replied before he took off.

“Agent Percival, Agent Galahad.” Merlin said to you and Harry with a nod before retreating back to his office.

You stood up to leave but Harry approached you. “(Y/N), what are you doing on Saturday night?” He asked.

“Uh, I’m probably just at my flat with (your Kingsman dog’s name) watching something from Netflix.”

“I’d like to ask if you would like to join me this Saturday for Elton John’s concert? I have two tickets and no one to go with.”

You felt pity for the guy, you wonder what is Merlin or Eggsy up to this weekend because you’re pretty sure you’re the last person on Harry’s list. As the newest Kingsman agent, you two are friends but you aren’t as close to Harry like Merlin or Eggsy.

“Sure, I’d love to. I love going to concerts.” And that’s true. You love going to concerts and you’d love to go with Harry, but it’s best to leave that last part out.

“Great, then I shall see you on Saturday.”

After that, you and Harry talked a little bit before parting on the streets of Savile Row.

SATURDAY

You’ve been to concerts of your favorite bands, but tonight’s a bit different from your usual scene. So, you’re not sure how to dress. You decided to wear a nude colored wrap-front romper with sleeves that come up to your elbow.

Harry picked you up from your flat that night. Once you saw him, butterflies fluttered on your stomach. 

‘Oh no,’ your secret little crush on your colleague has once again surfaced. You did your best to bury those feelings before, but it’s nearly impossible.

Harry’s wearing a black bomber jacket over an unbuttoned black polo shirt. Yes, he’s on his fifties but damn, he still looks so freaking good.

“Looking good, Harry.” You complimented him. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself. Shall we?”

Throughout the concert, you were swaying to the music, singing along, dancing to the upbeat songs. You let yourself loose, which is not exactly ideal for a spy. But what the heck, it’s the weekend and you’re here to have fun.

You’re very much enjoying yourself that you failed to notice Harry staring at you, smiling at you and your little antics.

When Elton started playing 'Your Song’, you turned to look at Harry to see if he’s enjoying the concert as much as you do. 

You found that he’s already looking at you. You smiled at him but he’s got this serious look on his face. You frowned as if to ask what’s wrong. But none of you spoke, you just stared back at him, searching for answers.

'And you can tell everybody, this is your song It may be quite simple but now that it’s done I hope you don’t mind I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words How wonderful life is while you’re in the world’

You felt his hand gently touch your chin to tilt it up to meet his face.

He started to lean in but stopped midway.

“May I?” he asked.

You didn’t answer. Instead, you gave him a small smile, and you began to close the distance. You closed your eyes and the next thing you felt was his lips meeting yours. The kiss was gentle, and slow but as it continues, you began to deepen the kiss. Harry smiled in between the kiss at your urgency.

When the two of you pulled away, the people standing around the two of you cheered. You felt embarrassed, so you buried your face in Harry’s chest, which earned a laugh from him. He held you in an embrace, swaying to the song.

Elton ended the encore with 'Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, where you and Harry sang along and danced together. And in that moment, you felt so alive.

Once the concert finished, you two walked to the car park hand in hand. You wanted to pinch your cheeks.

Am I dreaming? Is this real? Because it seemed to be too good to be true. You would have never guessed that Harry felt the same way about you.

Harry drove you home and walked you to the front steps of your flat.  “I had a great time tonight, (Y/N).” “I did too, Harry.”  You stood on your tip toes to reach him, you wrapped your arms around his neck and gave him a kiss which he gladly returned.

When you pulled away, you asked him. “Do you want to come in for some tea?” He agreed.

Once inside, (your Kingsman dog’s name) started barreling towards you.  “Hi (dog’s name), I missed you too.” 

You crouched down and scratched his head while he tried to lick your face. “I think you may remember Harry.” You added.

Harry then moved to where you are, he let your dog sniff his hand and once (dog’s name) recognized Harry, he wagged his tail like crazy. Once they got acquainted, and (dog’s name) felt like he’s got enough rubs from the two of you, he went back to whatever he was doing before you arrived.

You and Harry moved to the kitchen and you start to prepare the kettle when Harry spoke. “I guess I have to thank Merlin and Eggsy for not going with me tonight.”

You turned to your back to look at him and he was smiling. Suddenly, your phone pinged.

Eggsy So how was the concert?

“Speak of the devil. Eggsy just texted me to ask how was the concert.” Harry chuckled before saying “let him wonder.” 

Harry moved closer to you, he placed a hand on your hips and leaned in for a kiss. The kiss was interrupted with the sound of the kettle boiling.

Harry carried the mugs to the living room. You two sat on the couch, snuggled up on each other and you two talked about your relationship. You both agreed to keep it a secret. Kingsman agents aren’t supposed to be in a relationship, much more to be in a relationship with a fellow agent.

It was after midnight. Harry gave you a quick peck before standing up to pick up the mugs and wash them. You followed him and leaned against the kitchen doorway to admire this tall, handsome man. 

“Well, aren’t you a sight?” The badass Kingsman agent is here in your kitchen doing dishes and being adorable, what more could you ask for. Harry didn’t respond, instead he just smiled at you. You yawned.

“Go get some rest love, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Harry asked. “Of course, good night Harry.” “Good night, dear.” With one last kiss for the night, Harry left.

Once you’re in bed, your phone pinged again.

Eggsy Tell me everything, spare no details

Sometimes, Eggsy can be like a real girl.

You replied Dude, what hell are you talking about? Are you drunk? By the way, Elton was great as always.

Eggsy Oh (Y/N), you know what I’m on about

You Seriously, Eggsy. Are you pissed?

But instead of getting another reply, Eggsy called.

“Eggsy, come on just go to sleep.” “Oh shit, wait, is he there?” “Who?” You did your best to be nonchalant. You’re starting to think that Eggsy and Merlin declined Harry’s invitation on purpose. 

“Who else, bruv? Harry of course!” “Huh? Why would he be here?” “(Y/N), come on, I know about your crush on Harry.” “That is absurd.” You tried to suppress your smile. Busted.  “Luv, sometimes you should see the way you look at him.”  “Look, it’s late Eggsy, I need to go to sleep. But nothing happened, we had fun during the concert. He dropped me home. That’s all.” “But why did it took you hours to reply if you were not with him?” You can imagine Eggsy’s wagging his eyebrows.  “I had to clean up the mess (your dog’s name) made, and feed him, Eggsy. Don’t be ridiculous.” Lies. Lies.

But Eggsy continued to pester you about Harry.  “You know, Merlin may have noticed it too.” Eggsy hinted. 

This is never gonna end, isn’t it You yawned, “bye Eggsy. Good night.”  “Oh, this ain’t over bruv.” You can hear the smirk through Eggsy’s voice.

Right after the call, you fell asleep. You woke up in the morning with a buzz from the door. You briefly forgot you’re expecting someone today. You walked to the door straight out of bed, wearing an over sized shirt.

You opened the door to find Harry.  “Long night last night, love?” “Good morning to you too, Harry.” You let him in. “I’ve been outside for about half an hour already. For an agent, you sure sleep like a child.”  “Shut up, (your dog’s name) would’ve barked like crazy already.”

Harry brought breakfast which he cooked himself. How did I get this lucky? You asked yourself.

Who knew Harry was this sweet? He even drew you a bath after breakfast.

Being in the presence of Harry, everything else is a blur. You forgot about the conversation you had with Eggsy last night.

The two of you decided to just spend the rest of the day in your flat, talking about anything and everything, watching some Netflix original series, making out then getting interrupted by your dog, and then laughing about it.

When dusk started to crawl in, you both decided to move to the bedroom. The couch got too cramped after practically spending the whole day in it cuddled with each other.

You started to play the next episode, then Harry spooned you. But instead of staying in that position, you turned to face him and you kissed each other passionately, without interruptions this time.

Your hand started to roam Harry’s body over his clothes while making out, starting from his chest, moving down to his torso and back up. This continued for a while before Harry held your wrist and guided it further down his body, he stopped and let your wrist go when your hand reached the top of his pants.

Even in the midst of heavy petting and making out, Harry’s still a gentleman. He doesn’t want to force you to put your hand on his crotch without your consent.

You continued to move your hand further down, you felt his hard member which made you smile in between the kiss. Things moved quickly after that, you started to undress Harry and he did the same to you.

Swiftly, he moved on top of you. He started to kiss you on the back of your ear down to your neck, he took his time before moving down to your chest. Harry made sure to give equal attention to your breasts, he fondled with the other while his mouth’s working on the other.

He started trailing kisses further down then stopped to look at you before palming your core. Then he started to go down on you. All that can be heard inside the room were your moans. You reach down to tug on his hair as he moved his mouth and tongue skillfully on you. When he combined the works of his mouth with his fingers, you reached your release.

Harry then pulled himself up to meet your eyes. In a whisper, he asked “Do you want to?” Still recovering, you breathed “Yes, Harry.”

He started to kiss you as he positioned himself, you can feel his hard member against your entrance. Slowly, he eased himself into you and you moaned against his lips.

Harry started with gentle thrusts, to let you adjust to his size. Once he starts to build up some speed, he moaned “Oh, (Y/N).” You start to kiss Harry on his neck, which made him thrust harder into you. It was a mess of moans and kisses.

You and Harry continued to make love until he reached his climax, where he pulled himself out of you. He rested his forehead against yours as you both catch your breath.

“(Y/N) you’re so beautiful.” Then he planted another kiss on your lips.

[bunny-rambles]

oh Lord my phone broke down three days ago and it took me hours just to understand how to send asks on pcs lmaoooooo-

anyways, sorry if this answer comes in a lil late, but hey! i am not dead! (i mean, i kind of am from all the studying i should be doing that i am not doing rn but hhhhhhhh life sucks during finals season)

on this note, today's word is biblioteca. it means library in italian! :) (fun fact: we do have the word libreria, which sounds closer to library, but it actually means bookstore :'))

oh cyno oh cyno let's talk about cyno. anubis inspo aside (which is really cool) he sounds so ;;;;;; hot and funny???? why oh why like i am SO in love with him omg i want to hang out with him i want to thread my hands in his soft looking white hair i want us to play dumb tgc games together and he just sounds like the kinda guy you could share random fun facts with, ya know. the kind of person i love hanging out with (also. again. he's hot)

aaaand he's also going to be my first electro character ahah never gotten around to build one of those lol

as per scara - i'm a f2p myself so i really hope i'll be able to get him after picking up cyno. moreover! the thing you said about tighnari is the same for me as well ;; i don't like losing 50-50s, but if i do, i hope it's him - pretty sarcastic man, he's such the type of guy that in italian we'd call "simpatico" (weird word, we never managed to find a translation for it, it's kind of like, fun guy you'd like to be friends with?? idk just someone you really like the vibes of) - tighnari pls come in my 70 standard pulls i have saved

please ;; you know that if you were here i'd actually love to have you hang out with us - even if it's mostly just us watching anime and bitching about our other friends these days lmaoo

going to bed now! goodnight dearest, ti voglio bene

- 🍓

Ahhh berry I’m so sorry-

This was completely buried under my notifs and I only now just saw it ):

ohh, interesting that libreria doesn’t mean library ! both of the words sound very pretty (meaning biblioteca, not library) but besides that

i hope you’re doing well abd I wish you the bestest of luck with your studies - I’m starting studying too this week

AAAAAA CYNO

I’m answering this after the trainer came out THAT VOICE AND THE ANIMATION AND THE AAAAAAAAA HES SO FDTSEDFUVU IM STILL NOT OVER IT

I love him I love him SO MUCH IM SO GLAD I HAVE HIM GUARANTEED AAAAAAA

He is definitely my ideal type irl too personality wise. I love him and his stupid little jokes I will laugh at them and then kiss his cheeks and make jokes myself that he’ll hopefully laugh at I just want to cup his face and mwAH !!

And now with the scara reveal I don’t know when he’s coming, it was suspected to be 3.3 but honestly he could come in 3.2 with the curve balls they’ve been throwing with characters recently. So I would say if you are pulling for Cyno, don’t bother getting cons because Scara might be just around the corner,,, you never know.

I was expecting Eula to be there for reruns but no Albedo just has to throw me through a loop like lol thanks I’m not having primos left after this patch lmfao :,) I will have to become non f2p for Scara;;;;

It sounds really nice <3 who knows, maybe it’ll happen in the late future, if I ever come to Italy I’ll let you know and maybe we can meet up when I know you better 💞

I’m so sorry this was stuck in my inbox for so long, I hope you’re doing well- I know you sent more after this one but I could just leave it there ):

Ti voglio bene fragola <3

[tgcnews]

Scott R Smith Inducted Into TGC Hall of Fame

Scott R Smith has been inducted into The Game Crafter Hall of Fame because his game, Dungeon Drop, won the Game Parts Only Challenge. Congratulations! Their designer interview is below.

Tell us about yourself and how long you've been designing games.

Like many other designers, technically I’ve been designing games since I was a kid. I designed a “mercenary shop” to hire pet monsters for Hero Quest and a Monopoly extension (yes, an extension) that included a hospital for accidents that occurred when two pieces landed on the same space. One summer, my cousins, brother and I completed a fully original space combat game in which each player controlled a fleet of fighters that leveled up with home-baked clay tokens. It was epic. At some point I “grew up” and started turning my energy into creative writing (which I still do), but over the last five years I rediscovered my love of game design. I began teaching a board game design class at my high school, formed a weekly game night with friends, and started churning out my own rough prototypes. This year, I decided to commit more seriously after admiring the work that was happening at The Game Crafter.

Please tell us about Dungeon Drop

Technically, it’s a dungeon crawl, but it takes a uniquely spatial approach to the genre. Players start by selecting characters and dumping a randomized bunch of colored cubes to the tabletop representing a variety of loot and monsters. The game hinges on the “pillar” cubes that players connect to form possible rooms in the dungeon. The idea is simple: find an awesome room and collect what’s inside. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good puzzle.

Where did the idea for this game come from?

For this one, there’s no question the idea came from the contest. I’m a story/theme driven person (I actually have my MA in English), and if I was going to make a game with no printed components, I wanted to be able to infuse the pieces with as much theme as possible. Once I began to imagine a physical dungeon taking shape on the tabletop, I was able to dive into the design.

What makes this game special/unique?

Dungeon Drop’s hook is its visual puzzle. Once players grasp the few rules, they’re able to pour over the possible patterns the pillar cubes present. The best moments come when a player discovers a way to grab a specific slice of loot their opponents missed.

Did you create a design journal for your game? If so, did you publish it somewhere we can link to?

I don’t have a design journal online, though it’s something I’d love to do at some point. I do all my brainstorming on a large graph paper notebook (below is a fragment of some early notes on Dungeon Drop). So much of the design of a game needs to be done on the computer, but I really do enjoy the ease and fluidity of sketching first. Any time I reach a roadblock with a design, I go back to my notebook. It’s home base.

Did you already have the idea for Dungeon Drop in your head before the Game Pieces Only Contest was announced?

When I read the description for the Game Pieces Only Challenge, my reaction was Oh, too bad. Have to wait for the next one. No art? No theme? Just pieces on a table? Not for me. Full abstraction isn’t something I’m usually drawn to, but then again maybe that’s why it was a good contest for me and a good lesson about stretching myself beyond my comfort zone.

What made you decide to enter your game into the contest?

Dungeon Drop was born for the contest. There was no way I was going to miss the deadline!

Would you have been motivated to work on the game as much as you did without the contest?

I can’t thank TGC enough for provided the platform both to self-publish and to create this genuine community of game creators (two incredibly important motivational resources). My first test run was the recent 18 card Hook Box Challenge. I dove into that contest late and learned a lot from the attempt—but one of the big take-aways was discovering the 18 card Facebook group (thanks to Odd Hackwelder for establishing and administrating). That’s something I never would have thought to look for without the contest—I love the micro-communities you come across in the board game world.

Has winning inspired you to enter more contests or design more games?

Of course! Contests are dicey things—the chances of winning are always slim with so many talented people entering and such a wide variety of creative designs. In this one, I really admired the playful energy of Brian LaPorte’s “Ghost,” the unique theming of Aron Emerson’s “Macaw” and the elegance of Gerlach Games’ “Antahpa,” just to name a few. However, the opportunity for real feedback and support from the outside world is worth the risk.

Could you describe any influence The Game Crafter has had on your success as a game designer?

Jumping into the 18 card challenge first helped hit the “design small” concept home for me. Thinking in a compact, limited way first, asking myself just how few elements I need to transmit my core gameplay experience, is enormously helpful. I’d also add that I’m seeing just how important the art of rule design can be. I try to remember that my game is only as good as the version my players understand from the rulebook—the goal is to create a set of rules that is both clear and as fun to read as possible.

What’s next for you?

The only thing more exciting than winning the contest is thinking about what’s next. I’m happy to say that I just signed a contract with Jason Miceli and Darrin Horbal about a future for Dungeon Drop v2.0 with Phase Shift Games. We’re already throwing around some great ideas for new twists on the concept, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with them. In the meantime, I’m playtesting a possible entry in the Solo Game Design Challenge.

Any last words of encouragement or advice to all of the designers reading this?

The deeper I get into game design, the more clearly I see the balance between designing for “me” (meaning designing the kinds of games I would want to play myself) and designing for an audience. Get caught too far in “design for me” mode, and I get lost with an unapproachable product. Get caught too far in designing for an audience, and I lose my creative drive to produce something new. Managing this balance is key and it helps if you have a trustworthy playtesting group that does not involve your own family. My wife is wonderful, creative, critical thinker, but there are real limits to my expectations for her to give me feedback (no game is worth a marriage!). My small game night group at home and larger playtest group in Boston (Game Maker’s Guild) are invaluable resources. Like many designers, I’m an introvert, but finding other people to share the experience with is, after all, what board gaming is all about.

[mad-ramblings]

Remember Me

Anon Request: Harry Hart x wife reader where he doesn’t remember her when he got shot and she tries to jog his memory but it doesn’t work at first but then he falls in love with her anyway the remembers.

A/N: This. This request is what I’ve been waiting for. I have seen so many fics like this and I am ready to join the ranks of authors who have written them. There is one little piece of background information I will give and that is that the reader still lives in what I have dubbed the Galahad house (where Harry lived in the first movie, Eggsy in the second). The reader still lives there and has the room that she and Harry shared while Eggsy and Tilde have the very nice guest room because let’s be honest, I don’t think Eggsy would be comfortable sleeping in his dead mentor’s bed. Well, with that being said, enjoy!

Warnings: Angst?, TGC spoilers, I think that’s it

Word Count: 2,752

“I’ll only be gone a few days, darling. A week at most, I promise.” Harry said holding onto his wife’s hands.

She sighed in defeat knowing there was no way she could get him to give the mission to somebody else. “Alright Harry. Just as long as you come back to me.”

He smiled at her and gently kissed her cheek. “I always do, darling.”

(Y/n) opened her eyes and saw the empty bed beside her. For what felt like the millionth time, her heart sank. Harry never did come back to her. She had watched with Eggsy as Valentine had shot him in the head. She didn’t scream or flail about, she had to keep a stiff upper lip like Harry would have wanted her to. That was until the funeral. Standing there by an empty casket, her wedding ring on a chain with a Kingsman medal beside it, she let the tears pour down her face.

It had been roughly a year since V-Day and (Y/n) tried her hardest to move on, but to no avail. As she looked at the empty side of the bed she sighed. She may feel like her life had lost purpose, but she still had to carry on for that is the Kingsman way. She threw the sheets off of herself and began her morning routine.

As she made her way down the stairs she saw Tilde talking to Eggsy about how her father was very particular about table manners. “I’ve got that shit on lock. I know what every one of them knives and forks are for.” Tilde gave a little laugh as Eggsy turned and saw you. “You can vouch for me, can’t you (Y/n)?” He asked, the smile he gave not reaching his eyes. They both thought back to the day when Harry and herself had taught Eggsy every last thing about proper dining etiquette.

(Y/n) gave a small smile and said, “Yeah. I never would have thought that the royalty bit would have been important.” She blinked a few times, trying to hold back her tears. “Harry would have been chuffed.” She looked away from the both of them and walked out the door to go to work.

(Y/n) shut the door to her vacant home. Eggsy was off having dinner with Tilde’s family so she was alone. She went and made a cup of tea and started to wonder upstairs. Memories of her and Harry was something she had to deal with on a regular basis, but today they seemed hard to deal with. With her mind wandering, she unconsciously wandered all the way to Harry’s, well Eggsy’s office. The door was closed and she couldn’t bear to open it. She finished off her tea and with determination she went to her bedroom. She changed out of her suit, put on a simple t-shirt and jeans, and threw a few necessities into a small bag. She just couldn’t spend the night alone in this house. There were too many memories.

Walking down the stairs, she called out to JB until the both of them were at the front door. Grabbing his leash she said, “Hey JB, want to go visit Hamish? Yeah? Let’s go.” She attached the leash to his collar and made her way out the door.

She sent a quick text to Eggsy through her glasses telling him that she was taking JB over to Hamish’s house and that they’d probably spend the night there. As she was shooting a text off to Hamish letting him know that she was coming over, she heard a peculiar sound getting louder and louder. She looked behind her and saw a flame shooting across the sky going straight for her home. Her eyes went wide as she scooped up JB and started running farther away from where the blast would be. The ground shook beneath her and she was tossed to the ground. She looked behind her and saw her house with so many pictures and memories inside going up in flames.

After finally making her way to Hamish’s, she didn’t stay long. She got to patch herself up from the few scrapes and cuts she got and then got one of Eggsy’s mates to pick up JB. (Y/n) and Hamish made their way down to Saville Row to see the tailor shop in ruins.

On the other side of the now demolished building they saw Eggsy in his bright orange smoking jacket. She started walking towards him until he called out, “Don’t you think it’s a bit of a coincidence that you and Merlin are the only ones still alive?” She stopped in her tracks. The only ones? “Roxy, Arthur, all of them are gone! All but you two.”

She closed the distance between her and Eggsy with Hamish close behind her. “Do you really think that I would burn down my own house? The place that held so many memories and pictures of me and Harry?” She was starting to tear up. “Do you honestly think that I would destroy everything that kept me connected to him?”

As tears started to silently fall down her face, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Hamish gave her a sad, small smile and then returned to his stony expression. “Both of you remember your training. Seeing that all surviving agents are here, we must proceed with the Doomsday protocols.” Eggsy and (Y/n) swallowed down their emotions for the moment and followed Merlin to the winery down the lane.

A bottle of alcohol and a plane flight later, the three of them found themselves in the storage room of dozens of barrels of American made alcohol. Eggsy and Merlin were looking for an entrance to the large underground chamber that Merlin said was right underneath them. (Y/n) was their lookout, making sure that nobody was intruding. They stopped in front of a large barrel that read Statesman Straight Bourbon Whiskey with the year 1963 stamped on in bold typeface. Merlin picked up an axe that was lying near by and swung it at the barrel. Instead of a pathway or hidden entrance becoming exposed like he hopped would happen, a steady stream of golden liquor jetted out.

As Merlin and Eggsy scrambled to plug the leak, (Y/n) heard a pair of footsteps slowly but surely coming up to them. “Guys, we have company.” She readied herself, a hands behind her back ready to pull out the pistols hidden beneath her suit jacket.

“You know my momma,” A voice with a distinctive southern twang started, “she always told me us Southerners get our good manners from the British. I was thinking, ain’t that a pity ya’ll ain’t keep none for yourselves.” A man clad almost head to toe in denim stood before them with a shotgun resting on his shoulder and a stetson on his head. “Ya’ll ain’t never heard of knocking before you entered.” He punctuated the end of his sentence by spitting out the spit from his chewing tobacco.

Eggsy, trying to play it cool while leaning up against the giant barrel, stuttered out “Well, we actually had an invitation, didn’t we?” Turning to Merlin who managed to respond with a quick ‘yeah.’ When the Southern man asked if they really did, Eggsy replied with, “Yeah, yeah it came in the shape of a bottle? We’re from the Kingsman tailor shop in London, maybe you’ve heard of us?”

His stance not changing the Southerner said, “Oh the Kingsman? Huh, that’s where you got them fine suits and them fancy spectacles ya’ll got on.” Merlin and Eggsy nodded and gave affirmative answers while (Y/n) was still very wary. This may be the States, but using biometric security to protect aging liquor? That’s not normal.

“Ya’ll look damn sharp.” The Southerner said, his head giving a slight lean. He continued talking. “Let me see if I got it right here. You want me to believe that it’s normal for a tailor to hack through an advance biometric security system with nothing but a little, bitty, old watch on?” Eggsy and Merlin shared a tense look with each other as (Y/n) prepared for a fight at any moment. “I can promise you,” he cocked his shotgun and twirled it from resting on his shoulder to pointing at the three of them, “that dog don’t hunt. So why don’t you go on, get on your knees, and tell me who you really work for?”

Eggsy and Merlin had a silent exchange until Merlin finally removed hand the hand that had been keeping the alcohol in the barrel. The man across from them quickly spit out his tobacco, launching it at the hole and effectively plugging it. “That was 1963 Statesman reserve. Now you’ve just made it personal.”

The man quickly took out Merlin by running his head into the barrel behind him. Eggsy was soon to follow, being taken out by an knockout dart from his own watch. (Y/n) stood her ground as long as possible. She had spent almost an entire year out of the field. She still trained almost daily and sparred with the other agents, but she hadn’t been in an honest to god to fight in ages. The shotgun gave the man she was up against some extra leverage. It was ready to fire and neither of them really wanted it to go off. After (Y/n) landed several hits giving the man a busted lip and a few bruises, he finally managed to knock her out with a swift shotgun butt to the head.

When she finally woke up, she found herself in a blindingly white room. A woman in a doctor’s coat saw that she was awake. “Ah! Nice to see you up. Don’t worry, your friends are safe and sound. We worked out the little misunderstanding ya’ll had with agent Tequila.” The doctor laughed to herself. “He’s quite a handful when it comes to protecting the base and the bourbon.”

(Y/n) slowly sat up bringing a hand to her head. “Tell me about it...”

The doctor gave her a quick check up, making sure everything was in working order and that Tequila hadn’t given her a concussion or anything. “You seem to be okay for the most part. You have a minor concussion, but if you take it easy for the next few days you should be fine.” The doctor made her way to the door and motioned for (Y/n) to follow. “C’mon I’ll take you to where your friends are.”

The walk down the corridor to where Merlin and Eggsy were was silent at the beginning until (Y/n) decided to break it. “So, what are you guys? You obviously are not just a distillery.”

The doctor gave a small laugh at her comment. “Very observant! Well, you guys are Kingsman, think of us as your American cousins. We do the same stuff you guys do, just, in America. And we’re called Statesman, not Kingsman. That’d be a bit weird if we had the same name.” Both women laughed a bit and were then silently again for a small amount of time. “So,” the doctor started again, “Tequila said you held out a bit longer than your buddies. You an agent?”

(Y/n) gave a tight lipped smile and responded. “I was. I haven’t been active in the field for almost a year. I... I lost somebody very close to me in the line of work.” One of her hands went to the chain around her neck that held her wedding ring. “I couldn’t go back into the field after that.”

The doctor gave a sympathetic look and an understanding nod. “I understand. I lost my spouse my too.”

“I never said-” (Y/n) started.

The doctor cut her off. “You didn’t have to. I know how somebody looks when they lose their spouse.” She looked down for a moment. “Is it alright if I ask how? Talking about things like this normally help, I’m a psychiatrist as well as a doctor.”

(Y/n) took a deep breath before speaking. “He, he was um... He was shot. In the head.” Tears started to slowly fill her eyes. “I watched it all happen and I couldn’t do a thing.” She blinked away her tears as the doctor stiffened.

“What does your husband look like?”

(Y/n) was confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“More than you think.” The doctor took on a very serious look. “Now tell me, what does he look like?”

(Y/n) thought for a moment. “He was fairly tall, had brown hair, brown eyes, and was in his early 50’s. I still don’t see why this matters.”

The doctor took her by the shoulders. “Do you see that door, only a few feet away?” (Y/n) nodded her head. “Behind that door are your friends, the people you came here with. That room is also a holding cell. About a year ago, we found somebody outside of this hate group church only a few miles from here. He had a head shot, right into his left eye. We knew he had to be intelligence, but we didn’t know whose. We used something we just recently developed, this thing called alpha gel that can help us treat headshots.” She stopped to make sure that (Y/n) was understanding what she was saying, and from the look of realization that was starting to dawn in her eyes, she did.

“Are you saying,” (Y/n) started shakily, “that, that my husband, who's been dead for almost a year...” She trailed off as the doctor nodded her head.

“I have a good feeling he might be.” She made the mistake of taking her hands off of (Y/n)’s shoulders. Once the weight of her hands disappeared from them, she quickly closed the distance between herself and the door, flinging it open.

(Y/n) saw Eggsy and Merlin standing opposite of somebody that she had only seen in her dreams as of late. She stood there in the doorway for a few moments, still not believing what she was seeing. She slowly but surely made her way to the final door that separated her from him. As she stepped into the white padded room, all eyes fell on her. Merlin rushed to her side ready to explain what was just told to them but she pushed passed him and tried to fling her arms around Harry for a long awaited embrace. However, Eggsy got right in between them while Harry took a few steps back, a look of confusion in his remaining eye.

“Eggsy what are you doing? Let me go!” She tried worming her way out of his grip, but he held fast.

Eggsy took her by the shoulders as the doctor had not to long ago and looked into her eyes. “(Y/n), he doesn’t remember us. Merlin, Kingsman, me, anything. We even asked if he knew who you were, showed him pictures and everything. He doesn’t remember.”

“What do you mean?” She finally pushed her way out of Eggsy’s arms and looked at Harry. “Harry, you know who I am.” She searched his eyes, well, eye, for any form of recognition but could find none. She furrowed her brows and the corners of her lips turned down slightly. “You do, don’t you?”

He looked at her from what he deemed a safe distance. “I’m sorry, but I don’t.”

What little hope she had left was crushed and it was visible to everybody. She took a few steps backwards and collided into Merlin’s broad chest. He quickly escorted her out of the room before she started crying. Eggsy turned to follow but Harry lightly grabbed his wrist.

“I didn’t mean to upset her. I may not know her, but I would like to.” Harry said, a small smile gracing his features at the end. “Just by looking at her she seems nice. And forgive me for being so forward, but she is rather beautiful as well.”

Eggsy looked from Harry to the mirror, where he knew (Y/n) was on the other side crying into Merlin’s comforting shoulder, then back to Harry. “Don’t worry Harry. She’ll come back to talk to you. Just, just give her a bit of time.” With that Eggsy patted him on the shoulder, turned, and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

OH! WHAT’S THIS? CLIFFHANGER?? YOU BET. WHY? Because I can. But seriously this was a lot of writing for me in a short amount of time. However, I still wanted to give you guys something. Expect the next half of it within the next day or two!

[tomgcsglasses]

The Christmas Party - Part 1 (TGC)

Tagging: @ontheoddoccasioniwritestuff, @glynnecarney and @prettyboytgc

You took one last look in your full-length mirror, ensuring every part of your outfit was perfect. Scanning your outfit from head-to-toe, your dark brown hair loose, cascading past your shoulders and ending with flawless waves just above your chest. Your burgundy, off-the-shoulder-dress hugging your body and accentuating your envious curves as it fell to the floor. The dress was accessorized with long, glittery earrings and black stilettos. To complete the look was your make-up - which you’d spend hours on - smokey glittery eye shadow, contoured to perfection, highlight glowing at every angle and your lips, matte, full and plump. Your earrings, eye shadow and lipstick all matched your dress. You were surprised with how well you cleaned up, you don’t usually spend this much time and effort with events like this, but you’re thankful that you did. You had to admit you looked good.

Once you were satisfied with your appearance, you grabbed your black clutch bag and made your way to the event. 

The atmosphere within the office was electric this time of year, the chaotic and frantic notion of your fellow colleagues seemed to have disappeared as everyone was excitedly chatting at the annual work Christmas party. Your company hired out the local assembly room, which was quite a surprise because that was one of the fanciest venues in the city. They really went all out this year. You scanned the room, surveying the decor, the huge 1920′s chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, the party lights slowly dancing around the room caressing the hundreds of well-dressed adults engaging in riveting conversations. Not bad work. Not bad. The bass was thumping as music was being played in the background, it was way too early to open up the dance floor and people weren’t ready to let themselves dance in front of people they worked with. As you continued to scan the room, you felt your heart come to a halt. Shit. You felt your heart pound underneath your dress. Suddenly, you felt restricted and the urge to cut yourself free was getting all the more enticing. There he was. The man you’ve been silently crushing on since the day he walked through the doors of your building just over a year ago. You noticed a waiter approaching you with a tray full of champagnes, you grabbed two, smiled at him and knocked back one of the glasses.

“Easy tiger, you’ve just arrived.” You felt someone whisper in your ear. You whipped your head around and sighed in relief when you saw your best friend of 9 years. Rory is your right hand man, your go to in every thing. From your first ever date, to choosing your outfit for the first day of work, he was there. 

“Don’t sneak up on me like Rory!” You smacked him on the arm. 

“Well, well, well.” Rory said slowly. “Don’t you look divine tonight?” He said, smirking a little as he gestured to your outfit. 

“Why thank you.” You giggled as you lifted the glass up to your lips and gulped the champagne. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” You glanced over his outfit, he was wearing a white shirt, tucked into dark blue trousers accompanied with the same colour waistcoat and tanned shoes. 

“Go on then. ‘Gis a twirl.” Rory winked. You did so, placing your right foot over your left and slowly twirling. Once you were facing him again, you curtsied. The two of you erupted into laughter, fooling around when someone tapped Rory on the shoulder. You stopped laughing and straightened your posture a little, not really aware of who the person was. 

“Alright mate?” the all to familiar voice said to Rory. Your eyes widened as you figured out who it was, you froze, heart beating faster by the minute. You could feel the blood pumping furiously around your body as you tried to compose yourself. Their voices all but a buzz as they were engrossed in their conversation, you weren’t really paying attention it as you were focusing on not passing out there and then. 

“You know Y/N Tom?” Rory asked, dragging you back to reality where your crush was standing opposite you; looking flawless as usual. You gulped, finishing the rest of your drink whilst you discretely checked Tom out. His short blonde hair quaffed to the side, his blue eyes sparkled with the assistance of the party lights and soft lighting from the chandelier. His white shirt, buttoned all the way up was tucked into his black trousers, matching his black jacket. He completed the suit with a neat bow tie and shiny black shoes. Is this boy trying to kill me with his good looks. I can’t breathe right now. 

“Oh yeah, of course, hey Y/N.” Tom turned his attention to you, his blue eyes glistening as his body faced you. He leaned in wrapped one arm around your waist, gently pulling you in for a hug

“H-hi.” Your voice hoarse, you coughed a little. “Hi.” You repeated and smiled. You returned the hug, a little taken back when you felt a spark run through your body. You felt your knees go slightly weak with the limited space between the two of you. You could feel his hard chest against yours. You melted a little when he tightened his grip on you.

“You look gorgeous Y/N.” Tom whispered in your right ear, sending shivers down your spine when his hand snaked their way down south to your hips.

“Thank you.” You giggled a little, pulling away. “I like your bow tie.” His bow tie? Really?!

Tom chuckled. “’Tis a good bow tie.” You laughed. Tom opened his mouth to say something when he got interrupted. 

“Y/N! You look radiant. Where have you been hiding that bod?” Your boss, who looks like she’s ready to take on the dance floor, stumbles to you. She embraces you into a tight hug, almost suffocating you in the process. You hug back, then pull away. She puts her hands on your shoulders and as she checks you out. “You my friend, look utterly divine.” She slurred out. She stumbled back and Tom caught her before she could fall. “Oh thank you Tom dear.”

Tom looked at you. “I think we should call her a taxi back home.” He chuckled slightly, drew out a chair and carefully placed your boss onto it. He then took out his phone and excused himself. Two minutes later he returns. “Taxi’s coming here in 10.” You nodded. 

You and Rory were in a deep conversation when you heard a groan, you turned your heads to find your boss’s legs in the air and her arm dangling just above the floor. “Oh no.” You said to yourself, you rushed to her left side re-adjusting her so she was sitting firmly on the chair.

“Your hair is s-so soft.” Your boss slurred. “H-h.” She hiccuped. “H-how do you get it-t like that-t?” She asked, shoving her face into yours so you can smell the array of alcoholic beverages she had consumed this evening. You crinkled your nose at the smell. You glanced to Rory who was finding it amusing and laughing with Tom, widening your eyes which was a signal for his help. He just laughed and shook his head. Tom leaned his back and chuckled at the state of his boss annoying you. You rolled your eyes and turned your attention back to your boss. “T-tell me your s-secret Y/N. I-i want to k-know.” She hiccuped in your face, her mouth smelt like a mixture of rum, champagne and gin. You gagged slightly. Your boss’s right arm slipped and she toppled over a little. Your right foot ready to jump to the other side, when you saw Tom go to her other side; setting her straight. You looked up and mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him. He smiled and mouthed back ‘it’s okay’. Thankfully Tom got the text, you knew this because he fished through his pocket and glanced at his phone.

“Taxi’s outside.” You nodded. Tom put your boss’s arm around his shoulder, you doing the same. You both carefully lifted her up, as Rory was behind carrying her clutch bag. You all slowly walked to the taxi, Rory opened the door as Tom went first taking her arm off his shoulder. It was hard work, but you eventually got her in and the taxi driver drove off. You all watched the taxi until it was out of sight. 

“Wasn’t she a handful?” Rory asked laughing. 

“I need a drink.” You said. With that you turned on your heel and made your way back inside to the party. The boys followed.

-----

The more the night went on, the more you drank, the louder the music got and the less everyone cared about their reputation around their work colleagues. Copious amounts of champagne, shots of jager, vodka, tequila, rum and cocktails was consumed, which meant one thing. The more you drank, the less you cared. About anything. Rory dragged you along, which caused you to link hands with Tom, the three of you making yet another trip to the bar. The bartender lined up three shot glasses, expertly pouring the liquor Rory chose for this round. Once it was done, Rory passed the shots to you and Tom. You clinked the shots and downed them, slamming them down on the counter once you were finished with them. 

“Let’s dance!” Rory shouted in your ear. You scrunched your face with disapproval. “C’mon Y/N, you know you want to.” He winked at you, poking you in your ribs playfully. 

You sighed. “Fine. Lead the way then boss.” You waved your hand, letting him go first.

“I love you.” He leaned in and pecked your cheek, grabbed your hand and led you into the dance floor. You took a hold of Tom’s hand as you both let Rory enter you into the jungle of hot, sweaty bodies dancing and grinding to the music. Once you were in the centre of the dance floor, Rory let go of your hand, you let go of Toms and you formed a circle; all of you re-joining with your colleagues. Rory turned you around so your back was facing Tom and away from him, placed his hands on your hips as you started shaking your hips along with the music. You could feel the alcohol getting to you a little - ok, maybe a lot, along with the music being played, you ran your fingers through your hair as you and Rory started dancing like hooligans. Both egging each other on to perform ludicrous moves, which to your surprise grabbed the attention of every male on the dance floor - including one in particular. They all were attracted to you, like a moth to a flame. You didn’t pay much attention to them because you were having too much fun with Rory. Eventually, they got bored and slowly moved away. 

“Rory! I didn’t know you still worked here.” A high-pitched voice came from across the circle. You and Rory both looked up, as his eyes widened in surprise.

“No way?! Holly, what are you doing here?” Rory gasped. He squeezed your hand, then moved across the circle so he was opposite you. You didn’t care much, as you were in your own world, dancing to the music and having a good old time. You felt two strong arms snake around your waist, you turned your head to your right to find Tom dancing next to you. His hands squeezing your hips a little, leaning in to your ear.

“You ok darlin’?” He asked. You nodded and he nodded back. “Good.” You both danced a little, before he leaned back in again. “Did you want to grab a drink?” You nodded.

“Yes please.” He nodded, taking a hold of your hand and began to make his way through the crowd, apologizing to everyone who shot him a dirty look. Eventually you both made it to the bar. Tom leaned across the counter, trying the balance himself as he got the bartender’s attention. He shouted across his order, getting you what you’ve been getting all night. The bartender nodded and went on to make the drinks. Tom turned to you and leaned in to your ear.

“Have I said how gorgeous you’re lookin’ tonight Y/N?” He whispered in your ear, his lips grazing the lobe a little. You shivered slightly, you grabbed the counter to regain your balance. 

“You look rather handsome yourself.” You leaned in closer, giggling as your hands grazed over his bow tie - which was now loose with his top two buttons open - and down his shirt. You looked into eyes and bit your lower lip. You saw something change in his eyes, but you got interrupted.

The bartender gave Tom the drinks, he took one and gave it to you. “Here ya go lovely.” He said. You blushed and took a long sip, sighing deeply when you felt the rum coursing through your veins. You and Tom were having a conversation by the bar, when you felt someone fall into you. You were a bit startled, but saw that it was Rory. He was stumbling around, you finished your drink and placed it on the counter, helping Rory with his balance.

“I think we should get going.” You said to Tom, gesturing to Rory who had his head on your shoulders. Tom nodded and knocked back the rest of his drink too.

“Let’s go.”

-----

You switched on the light, as Tom carried Rory onto the sofa. Rory hunched over on and then titled his head back and opened his eyes. 

“Can I have a cup of coffee?” You nodded, making your way to your kitchen, putting water in the kettle and letting it boil. You then retrieved a cup from your cupboard, filling it with 4 spoons of coffee. Once you stirred the coffee, you cradled it in your hands as you sat down next to Rory. You cautiously gave him the cup, once it had cooled down a little and sat with him until he had finished it. “Thank you love.” Rory turned to you.

You inspected his eyes. “Are you ok? You can stay here if you want?” You asked.

Rory shook his head. “It’s okay, I live down the road, I’ll make it.” 

“Are you sure?” You asked. 

Rory nodded. “I’m positive.”

“Okay. But you’re staying on the phone to me until you’re in your bed!” You insisted. 

“Okay! Deal.” Rory placed the mug down and slowly stood up. He hugged you tightly, giving you a kiss on the cheek. He then hugged Tom.

“Get home safely pal.” Tom said. Rory nodded, fishing through his pockets and retrieved his phone. He dialed a number, you saw your phone flashing in your hands and saw it was Rory. You answered and started speaking to him. You stayed on the phone with him, you were with him throughout the entire journey home, you heard the jangling of his keys, the curses as he tried to find the right key, the celebration when he finally entered his threshold and finally him getting into his bed.

“Okay, I’m in the bed.” Your phone flashed, it was Rory sending you a selfie of him in bed with his suit from the party still on. You giggled a little. 

“Good. Get a good night’s sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow love.” You said, blowing a kiss down the phone you hung up. You sighed happily to yourself.

“Did he get home ok?” Tom asked, who was sitting on the sofa.

You nodded. “Yes he did.” You smiled. 

“Okay.” Tom stood up. “I’ll guess I’ll be going then.”

You thought for a second. “Did you want a cup of coffee, y’know, before you leave?” 

Part 2

[bethshootsbands]

Tarah Who? Interview

“Tarah Who?” was precisely my reaction when first discovering this band but don’t let the name put you off. Consisting of  Tarah G Carpenter (TGC): Vocals and Guitar, Joey Southern (JS): Bass and Backing Vocals, and Coralie Hervé (CH) : Drums and Backing Vocals, these guys are pretty good and you can find out everything you need to know about Tarah Who? from our interview below:

How would you best describe your sound? 

CH : The Tarah Who?’s sound is a mix between rock/punk/grunge but at the same time it’s kind of unique. I like to let people discover it by themselves and see what they think about it :) TGC: We are a rock, grunge female fronted power trio called Tarah Who? . The best way to describe our sound is the way people have described us on the road "If Motörhead was fronted by Alanis Morissette" JS: We play loud, we play hard and we play with a purpose! Every song is like it is our last.

What musical influences do you have i.e – ‘for fans of [insert genre/artist]

CH : I’m a big fan of Nightwish (symphonic metal band). I really love that genre !! I like Classic Rock and Metal in general. TGC: I grew up listening to a lot of Alanis Morissette, until I discovered The Distillers, Motorhead, Pantera, RATM etc... I m a big fan of the 90s rock, grunge ...:) JS: Tarah Who is for fans of rock, punk, and grunge!!!

Why should people care? – What do ‘Tarah Who?’ offer to the scene?

TGC: We don't try to sound like anyone else that we like. We play how we feel. We are authentic and raw. Our energy comes from the music itself, our chemistry together as a band and from the audience who really loves what we do. I agree that it can be a competitive industry for people who try to sound like everyone else, but if you you are true to yourself, you realize quickly that you, and your sound are unique. No one really plays like you unless you want to. I think that's where we stand out. We are not trying to please anyone, or fit in. The reason why we can't really describe our sound is because we are all influenced by different bands and we have a different background. Yet, together, we form and make this unique sound and music. JS: We stay true to ourselves, entertaining and creating a raw mix of rippling energy in any room.

what do you want listeners to take away (if anything) from your music? TGC: I started writing because I had a lot in my mind and in my heart but I didn't feel like I could share this with anyone in particular. Putting it into words, writing it down already made me feel lighter.There are certain things that you want to tell people but you can't tell them to their face. One of the first songs I wrote was to my friend who had a drug addiction. I wanted to let her know that I was there for her for as long as it took her to get off the drugs. It was not something I could tell her to her face because she was not listening. Instead of keeping those type of emotions, I write them down and they become songs. Another song that I wrote is called "Happy" It's a really pop rock"happy" tone but I actually talk about accepting to stay in a relationship that you are not happy in. We usually say " why is he/she staying if she/he is not happy " but how about... if you see that you're supposedly loved one is not happy, you are clearly not making them happy and neither are you, why do you stay? if you see that your partner is not strong enough to leave, why don't you? I performed this song one night and a girl came up to me, tears in her eyes and said "I relate to this song. thank you so much! " Since that day, I realized that we are all the same. I may be writing about my story, but anyone can relate and interpret to their own. I listened to Alanis Morissette because I related to her words and when I didn't i sympathized. I love psychology and behavior. I write a lot about this, I write about love, anger, betrayal.. the usual:) In the end, I hope that people open their hearts and understand also that we are all the same no matter what race, origin, religion or sexual orientation. We all have feelings that need to be felt, owned and explored. There is definitely a message behind everything that we are doing, there are more than one actually, from sharing a simple story, to entertain crowds and make people have a good time!, make people dream, and female musicians dare to play music and be who they want to become. I want to inspire kindness by talking about how people hurt each other on a daily basis, and of course, If we can ever raise money to support animals, we will:) JS: Give and take is important and being able to absorb constructive criticism is ideal in future development. 

So when did you guys first start making music together?

CH : I started playing drums when I was 10, never stop since. I always been in a band and play live but it was just for fun.I’ll say that Tarah Who? is my first serious project and it’s really amazing !!! TGC: Thanks Coralie! I started playing the drums when I was 14. I played drums and bass in different rock bands in high school. When I moved to Kentucky to be an exchange student, I could no longer play the drums so I bought myself an electric guitar and Alanis Morissette songbook! That's how I learned how to play the guitar! lol! I still play the drums and bass in different projects for friends especially. Tarah Who? is my main project. I never really thought about music as a career, it is just what I have always been doing. Any job that I took was to support my music. I don't feel good when I don't play. I need to play a little bit every day. JS: I can remember strumming guitars my dad had laying around but it wasn't until I was about 12 that I began to focus solely on bass. I played in various bands throughout my youth and into my early twenties until I decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue music full time. One of my music professors in Community College made me realize that I was on the fence. One leg in my nine-to-five job at a hospital "normal life" and the other leg playing in bands at night and doing what I love "not normal". I could never be 100% at both so I had to make a choice. I jumped in my car with some clothes my basses and about $3,000 I had saved and I've been in Los Angeles ever since. That was seven years ago and the best risk I ever took.

How does the mixing/ song writing process usually go? TGC: It is usually a burst of emotions. I am usually in tears when it happens because I am either angry or sad. It is like a flash that lasts between 5 and 10 minutes. I am gone. My hand just spills words down on a piece of paper. When it is done I just put a date and time and let it sit for a while. Sometimes a day sometimes a few days.. then I come back to it with my guitar, and the song is already playing in my head. All the instruments are playing. I practice it so that I can track a demo. I don't change the words or anything because I don't want to change the emotions I initially felt. I track the drums, bass and guitar and a few vocal ideas ( backing vocals) I send the tracks to Joey and Coralie with and without their instrument. Since they have a different technique and sound (overall their own personality behind their instrument) I let them explore without the bass or drum tracks. I just send them a version with so that they get the overall feeling and intensity. Then we work on the song together until we are satisfied, then we record it and we play it live and share it to the world! JS: Tarah gives us the intention and story behind the song. Coralie Herve and I then add our personalities into the playing and hours later we have more Tarah Who? Any upcoming releases/shows/ anything to plug?

CH : We are always playing shows, specially in California. You can follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram.. ) to stay tune for any news :)  We are gonna release a video soon for our single ‘’Numb Killer’’ and it will be following by our new EP called ‘’64 Women’’. Really excited about it !!! TGC: Yes like Coralie said, We are always playing shows around southern California. The best way to stay updates is to check our website www.tarahwho.com or to follow us on bandsintown and songkick . We are also on every social media that you can think of including spotify, soundcloud etc.. (just type in TARAH WHO? and you ll find us) but we are mostly super active on our instagram @tarahwho . We love to meet new people so feel free to come and hang out at our shows:) 

What can we expect from you in the near future? TGC: In the near future we will be releasing "Numb Killer" our single. It will be released with a music video. Coming right after that will be the ep "64 Women" . We will be promoting this EP on the road all year of 2019. so make sure that you add us on your bandsintown or songkick to have an updated tour schedule! Head to  youtube.com:tarahwho , bandcamp.tarahwho , spotify/tarahwho Basically type in tarahwho on your favorite platform and you will find us:) Anything else to add, any advice for other breakout bands?

CH : Do what you love, if you believe and work hard for it, you’ll make it !! Everything is possible !! TGC: Thanks for having us! Support each other!! Be yourself! don't worry about what other think or say. You have one life to live, Live it the fullest! Don't waste your time! 

There you have it folks! now you have an answer for when people ask Tarah, who?

[musicgoonmail]

God Gives More Grace

In This Edition

In this week’s edition, I write about a video I made for FCBC Walnut, going LIVE on Instagram, and what I’ve been enjoying in entertainment. As always, I share what’s new with my book reviews and point you to the all of the new free eBooks around the web.

There was a 4.5-magnitude earthquake last Friday night and it was very close to home. This was the first time that Jess and I ran to get both kids out of their cribs. It was definitely an exciting way to start our weekend, and I’m hoping that this one starts a little bit better! Thanks for spending your weekend with me here.

God Gives More Grace

IG LIVE

Free eBooks

Extended Play

Lightning Links

Playlists

Coming Soon

Weekly Review

God Gives More Grace

One church ministry that is important to me is to make sure our various sermons get posted on our church YouTube channel. When I was uploading our youth sermon by Pastor Kevin Quan, I saw a segment that I wanted to highlight as a sermon excerpt. 

To try something new, I created a 3-minute sermon excerpt that also includes a video and music component. I did a quick arrangement of a new worship song I wrote (maybe more on that another time!) and paired it with a photo. We'll see if I can fit it into my workflow to make more sermon excerpts like this. You can watch it on YouTube or IGTV.

IG LIVE

I went LIVE on Instagram with my friend Kristen to talk about her art and our church. I appreciate her openness and honesty - and it was encouraging to hear her perspective and see her perseverance. You can watch our conversation on our church YouTube or IGTV.

My friend Isabel invited me to go LIVE, and we talked about reading, school, and Canada. It was super fun to share some of my new favorite books, including Crossway’s Unfolding Grace which I just received in the mail. I'm so happy we were able to connect! I hope we get to do it again sometime. You can watch our conversation on IGTV.

Book Reviews

I published a total of 7 book reviews this week. The first 4 were new editions of a gospel set by Alabaster that will be released soon. The other 3 were academic titles, including a theology on beauty and diversity, a biblical theology of the Exodus story, and a handbook and guide to tough texts and problem passages.

On Instagram, I started pulling quotes from Twitter to include in my carousel posts. It takes a little bit of work, but I think it’s worth it overall. It’s been fun to try different things, and I am excited to change it up a bit on my feed.

Gospel of Matthew - Alabaster Bible 2nd Ed.

Gospel of Mark - Alabaster Bible 2nd Ed.

Gospel of Luke - Alabaster Bible 2nd Ed.

Gospel of John - Alabaster Bible 2nd Ed.

The Beautiful Community by Irwyn L. Ince Jr.

Exodus Old and New by L. Michael Morales

Navigating Tough Texts by Murray J. Harris

Free eBooks

This week, the Gospel Coalition announced their series of 250 Theological Essays. There’s a lot to take in, but a good place to start would be checking out some favorites from Phil Thompson. He manages strategy and development for TGC’s digital properties. You can see them on his blog.

In case you missed it, Crossway and 9Marks released a free audiobook: How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? For more from Crossway and 9Marks, you can download a free eBook: Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church by John Onwuchekwa. I want you to read more, and there are so many great eBooks you can find for free. Check out the list below for more free recent reads.

The Gospel Coalition: 250 Theological Essays

Crossway and 9 Marks: How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?

Crossway and 9Marks: Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church by John Onwuchekwa

The Gospel Coalition: 9 Free eBooks by D. A. Carson

The Good Book Company: Exodus For You by Tim Chester

Tabletalk Magazine: Time and the Christian Life by Ligonier Ministries

Extended Play

The article that impacted me the most this week was Adoption and the Integrity of the Family by Russell Moore. His boys are now 18, and he reflects what he has learned about becoming a family through adoption. I’m happy that he continues to share about their adoption journey. His book, Adopted for Life, literally changed my life as it planted the idea of adoption in my mind.

I was trying to decide what my favorite Mission: Impossible movie was last weekend. While not as epic as Rogue Nation and not as spectacular as Fallout, Ghost Protocol is fun, memorable, and has an amazing score. 

Throwback: 5 Ways To Lead Worship When You’re Not On Stage

Article: Adoption and the Integrity of the Family by Rusell Moore

Sermon: The Love of Human Praise as the Root of Unbelief by John Piper

Movie: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

TV: Community

Book: Worship and the World to Come by Glenn Packiam

Music: My Anchor by NewStory Church

Lightning Links

These quick hits are exclusive to my newsletter readers. Some struck immediately before writing this newsletter. I don’t necessarily endorse the positions or lives of these authors. Some may contain sensitive language. I find them all extremely interesting.

Journalists Are Leaving the Noisy Internet for Your Email Inbox

TikTok has been saved. But for music, is that a good thing?

Brad Pitt is a master class in how to play the game as a celebrity. Case in point: his Fast Times at Ridgemont High table-read performance.

Kanye West’s War Against Record Contracts Could Actually Work — for Kanye, Anyway

Joe Rigney Is President-Elect of Bethlehem College & Seminary

Playlists

MUSICGOON: 7 songs I enjoyed this week.

SVRGNLA: Jess and I love these songs.

ETJ: Music that inspires my band.

DIDD: A crowd-sourced worship playlist.

TGIF: SOLA Network friends and faves.

This is FCBC Walnut: The songs we sing at church.

Coming Soon

I have several upcoming book reviews from a variety of publishers, and a lot of them have beautiful hardback covers which should make for some better photos. Be on the lookout for books from InterVarsity Press, Lexham Press, Banner of Truth, and Crossway.

We have our small group tonight with other married couples at our church, and we’ll be discussing A Famous and Forgotten Romance: Six Lessons for Marriage and Ministry by Marshall Segal at DesiringGod. And for the first time in 7 months, I'll be leading music at church on Sunday. I asked for prayer in our church newsletter by sharing a 2-minute video that you can watch on YouTube. Would you please pray for me, too?

Weekly Review

SOLA: What We Can Learn from John Chau / What 1 Corinthians 7 Says About Desertion and Divorce / Embodied Creativity: Delighting in God Through Diversity / From Killing Fields to Harvest Fields: Why Christianity Is Growing in Cambodia

TGIF: FCBC Walnut: God Gives More Grace / NewStory Church: The Blessing

Book Review: Navigating Tough Texts by Murray J. Harris

Book Review: Exodus Old and New by L. Michael Morales

Book Review: The Beautiful Community by Irwyn L. Ince Jr.

Book Review: Gospel of John - Alabaster Bible 2nd Ed.

Book Review: Gospel of Luke - Alabaster Bible 2nd Ed.

Book Review: Gospel of Mark - Alabaster Bible 2nd Ed.

Book Review: Gospel of Matthew - Alabaster Bible 2nd Ed.

Recommended Reading: 5 Stumbling Blocks to Pastoral Honesty / The Local Church Was Made To Serve The Christian, Not The Christian The Local Church / Our Job Is Not to Be Jesus: Battling Codependency in Ministry / Secondary Infertility: Awkward Sorrow, Useful Instructor

[tomgcsglasses]

Wedding - Part 1 (TGC)

Written for @wardley10, hope you enjoy it :)

Thank you so much to @bagelblossom and @prettyboytgc for helping with this imagine. 

You and Tom had been dating for three years when he finally proposed to you. Ever since then, time flew. You remembered it as if it was yesterday when you were sat around your dining room table organizing the big day, now you were faced with your reflection. Hair curled to perfection, make-up simple yet classy completed with the deep red lipstick. Taking a deep breath, you looked at your reflection whilst you cocked your head to the left smoothing out your wedding dress at the side. 

This was it. You thought to yourself. Today is the day you marry the love of your life. You glanced at the clock and your stomach started doing somersaults, it was getting closer and closer to the time. 

“Y/N.” Y/B/F/N comes in, she immediately stops what she’s saying and just gawks at you. “Oh my.” Her tone softens as she slowly walks up to you. “You look absolutely gorgeous.” She cupped her hands in her cheeks, tears welling up in her eyes. 

“Y/B/F/N, oh stop it. I can’t cry otherwise my make-up you took hours to do will run.” You said, as you felt tears well up in your eyes as well. You fanned your face, cooling yourself down. 

“Come on then, let’s get you married to the luckiest guy alive.” Y/B/F/N extended her arm out, in which you linked yours too. The two of you making your way to the church. 

-----

“And do you Y/F/N take thee Tom Glynn-Carney to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?” You stood before Tom at the altar, bouquet in hand, smiling through your tears ready to fall. 

“I do.” 

“Do you Tom Glynn-Carney take Y/N to be your wedded wife to live together in marriage?  Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, for as long as you both shall live?” The priest turned to Tom, cradling the bible in his hands. 

Tom looking lovingly into your eyes and nodded. “I do.” He said softly.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” Yours and Tom’s family and friends all cheered and applauded, as you both leaned in. Tom captured your lips and kissed you with all the passion he had in his body.

Though the kiss was chaste in comparison to your previous meetings, you knew he would more than make up for it later in the evening. You both pulled away and turned to your friends and family with Tom wrapping his arm around you. 

-----

His hand was warm as it guided your hand to cut through the simple yet elegant vanilla cake. Your heart flutters nervously as the familiar mischievous grin appears on his face as he holds a piece on a spoon towards you. 

“Don’t even think of it.” You mumble to him quite aware of your large audience. 

The widening of his grin gives you no warning as he pushes the cake onto your mouth catching some on the tip of your nose. The rich moist vanilla fills explodes on your tongue and you quickly swallow hoping to avoid further embarrassment. Amidst the crowds chuckles at his actions you pretend to fix his bow tie and lean towards his ear to whisper. 

“You’ll pay for this later.” 

His answer is to merely wink and utter,  “Oh I’m counting on it love.”

The evening was going great, The food was delicious and the drinks continued to flow. The only issue was the building tension between you and a certain Mr. Glynn-Carney. You tried to keep it PG for the sake of the family, but when the lighting hit that strong jawline and his bright blue eyes you couldn’t keep your eyes off him. You were his. He was yours. You soon ended the conversation with one of your many family members to head to the bar and grabbed a glass of prosecco. As you let your thought trail away, you felt two strong familiar arms snaked around your waist. You felt a warm breath against your ear. 

“You haven’t forgotten about me have you?”

You decided to act coy, this was his punishment for looking so good. You kept your back to him. “I’m sorry, who are you?” You question nonchalantly in a teasing tone. 

Tom’s hands tighten and pull you further into him. “Don’t play this game with me love.” He growls slightly into your ear, as you gulp the rest of your prosecco.   

-----

Unfortunately, the best day of your entire life had to come to an end. You bidded your family members a goodbye, everyone congratulating you both before setting off in their taxis. Once the last of your guests had left, Tom turned to you.

“Shall we do the honours Mrs. Glynn-Carney?” Tom asked, extending his arm out for you. 

“Why, of course you may Mr. Glynn-Carney.” You accepted his invitation, linked your arm with his as you both walked up to the honeymoon suite. 

You both were stood outside of the door. 

“Let me do this properly love.” Tom said. Before you were able to respond, he swept you up bridal style and opened the door. You looked around the room and gasped. The room was dimly lit, the room was decorated with white, Victorian decor. Your eyes lit up as you saw the Queen-sized heart-shaped bed located in the centre of the room. There were rose petals delicately scattered all over the floor, leading up to the bed. You and Tom exchanged glances. This truly was the best day ever. 

Tom slowly makes his way over to the bed and carefully places you onto it. His hands still on your waist. For a minute, you both just stared lovingly into each others eyes, not uttering a single world to each other. You both slowly began to lean in, until your lips finally met. The kiss started off slow and passionate, but you changed the pace. You grabbed the back of Tom’s head and pushed him closer to you, deepening the kiss and stroking Tom’s bottom lip. This earned you a low groan, as Tom granted you access and your tongues battled each other. Eventually, with a lot of power and persuasion, you won.  Your eyes widened a little when you felt two fingers rub you over your panties. You looked into Tom’s eyes, which were dark and full of lust. 

You pulled away from the kiss, getting some oxygen back in those lungs. Whilst you were doing that, Tom placed kisses on your jawline, leaving small bites down to your neck. He paused for a brief moment before attacking your neck, making your tilt your head back as you pulled Tom’s hair hard. He stopped, adjusting his position so that his knees were at the foot of the bed in between your legs. He looking at you, lovingly stroking your face as he kissed you passionately. 

For a split second, you saw the bright blue return in his irises, but they quickly shifted into dark orbs as his eyes raked over your body. You reached up and took off his bow tie, chucking it somewhere in the room, maintaining eye contact with him. You slowly undressed him, discarding his three piece suit as he kicked off his shoes, leaving him in his boxers. You bit your bottom lip as you soaked in every inch of your husband. 

He smiled, leaned down and kissed you. He placed his hands on your waist and delicately pushed you up the bed, so that your head was just beneath the headboard. Tom stood up and carefully climbed on top of you, both of his arms on either side of your body. He lifted your back up, unzipping your dress and pulling it down your body. Tom carefully placed the dress to one side and admired your body. He smirked as he took in how beautiful you looked in white lingerie, with a garter on your right leg. You peeked up at him through your eyelashes and bit your bottom lip, feeling flushed at the way he was looking at you. 

“So beautiful Mrs. Glynn-Carney.” Tom said in a low, husky voice. He unhooked your bra and tossed it to the side, cupping your breasts and massaging them. This enticed a soft moan from you. Tom’s lips found their way back onto your body, kissing down your stomach until he was near your white, lace panties. He hovered over your pants for a moment, then went further down your leg. You felt his teeth scrape against your thigh, as he took your garter in between them and skillfully pulled them down. You couldn’t stand it, you ran your hands through your hair as you closed your eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, Tom made his way back up to your pants, looking up to you, ensuring you were making eye contact. 

“Baby, open your eyes.” Tom pleaded. Your eyes fluttered open, meeting Tom’s beautiful blue eyes. His mouth on your pants as he takes the waistband between his teeth and pulls them down painfully slow. You groaned in frustration, as you felt the pace in your breath quicken, the pants becoming faster. You needed him inside of you. You bucked up your hips in one swift moment, begging for him to stop teasing. 

“Hey, Mrs. Glynn-Carney. You have to be patient my dear.” Tom teased, his right arm pushing your hips down to the bed, restraining you. “Good things come to those who wait.” 

You were so caught up in loosing your mind, that you didn’t notice Tom had taken off your pants. You gasped slightly when you felt his hot tongue slip into you, he quickened his pace as your right hand grabbed a fistful of Tom’s hair tugging at it. His index finger rubbing circles on you, just to drive you all the more closer to the edge.

“Babe.” Was all you could manage, before you reached your climax. Tom slowed down his pace, removing his fingers but slowly licking you as you came down from your high. He rose up,licking his lips, before his lips captured yours. You placed your hands on his waist and flipped yourself in one fluid motion. You were straddling him, as Tom was beneath you. His body glistening with sweat, his hair messed up from you tugging and pulling at it, his hands above his head as he too was taking in your beauty. You pulled down his boxers and chucked them in a direction. You pecked him on the lips, worked your way down to his jawline, then moved down to his neck. You slowly started biting and sucking at it, leaving soft kisses to help with the stinging. Once you were satisfied with the purple bruise, you then proceeded down to his chest, running your hands up and down his sculpted abs. 

“Y/N.” Tom breathlessly said. He groaned a little, you watched his as he titled his back against the pillow and closed his eyes, enjoying your touch. It was a matter of time before your lips were hovering over his large member. You licked once teasingly, causing Tom to buck his hips up. You pushed his hips down and smirked against him.

“Good things come to those who wait Mr. Glynn-Carney.” You mumbled. You heard his mutter a ‘fuck’, his hands pulling at your hair. You started pumping slowly, as you took him in your mouth. As you could hear him panting a little quicker, you too quickened your pace, until you heard him grunt and release himself into you. You swallowed him, enjoying each drop. You waited until he was finished, pulled away and traced kisses up his body. Your lips hovered over Tom’s, you waited a second then crashed your lips against his.

Tom placed his hands on your waist and flipped you over, so that he was on top. “I love you so much Mrs. Glynn-Carney.” 

“I love you too Mr. Glynn-Carney.”  He placed your hands on either side of you and intertwined his fingers. He looked into your eyes, as he adjusted his position on top you. 

“Are you ready my love?” He asks, kissing you softly. 

You pulled away and rested your foreheads together, looking into his ocean blue eyes. “As ready as I’ll be my dear.” He smiled and slowly entered you, enticing a simultaneous moan from you both. As Tom established a rhythm, he picked it up. He loosed his hands on yours, making it’s way to caress your body as he thrusted into you. Your hands on his butt, pushing him deeper (if that was possible) into you.  Your foreheads pressed together, still maintaining eye contact as you both made love to each other. You pushed your hips up, riding him as he pounded into you. The pleasure penetrating through you, consuming you, but it felt so good. 

You both moved as one, your breathes becoming all the more raspier as you were close to the edge. His breath hitched slowly, grunting.

“Love, I’m so close.” He whispers inaudibly.

“Me too.” You whispered back. Your hands wrapped around his neck as he thrusted into you deeper, savoring your wedding night. 

“Fuck.” He cursed, as he took your lips and kissed you deeply and passionately. You tightened your grips around his neck as you reached your climax, Tom quickening the pace causing the bed to bang against the door and rock furiously. Your moans, grunts and groans filled the vast room, the two of you releasing at the same time in one another. Tom placed his head on your chest, as he catches his breath. You came down from your high, placing soft kisses on top of his head and stroking his hair. He too placed kisses on your chest whilst humming softly. 

“That was incredible Mrs. Glynn- Carney.” He lifted his head up to meet your eyes. 

“It was really something.” You giggled, as he pecked your lips and returned his head on your chest. 

“I love you so much Y/N.” He mumbled against your chest.

“I love you too Tom.” You replied, stroking his hair.

The day you both just had and the eventful evening both left you exhausted, you felt Tom’s wrap his limp arms around your waist. You both slowly falling asleep into each others arms. 

Part 2