#pld could be promising though

[nonbinaryurianger]

I'm actually really glad for this cloud test because it's giving me the opportunity to try classes I haven't leveled yet and learn which ones are actually fun at high levels.

so far I could take or leave black mage but bard and samurai are both fun so they'll probably be new foci of mine on live

[wonwoosthetic]

Hi Maddie! Hope you are also keeping happy and healthy! Not sure how caught up you are on this week's going seventeen special, but I watched 'I want to see you do this' and totally thought that DK could have written that wish for Wonwoo in your Minnie fic. I imagine that instead of Hoshi, Minnie gets it, and chaos ensues even before they play that hat game. Her wish is maybe for someone to go to a ballet class or an aerial yoga class with her? Anyway, this isn't a request for you to write, I just wanted to let you know that I'm sometimes thinking of this imaginary world when I watch seventeen content now too. Take care! -boo's pld anon

HIIIII☺️ I know writing this took quite some time, I‘m so sorry!!!!🫶🏼🥺 I truly wasn’t very well caught up with GoSe sadly but let me just tell you: you sometimes thinking about my little fictional world on here when you watch Going Seventeen means so freaking much to me!!! Like… I can’t even believe it😭😭😭 you actually think about this?!?!? That’s insane and a massive compliment!!!!!

I absolutely loved this request and I had a lot of fun writing it, I hope you enjoy it!!!🫶🏼🤍Thank you again for being such a wonderful reader and anon and I can’t even put into words how much it means to me how emerged you are in this story🥺🥺🥺

< series masterlist

word count – 5k

pairing – minnie x svt

[GOING SEVENTEEN SPECIAL] ETC: I Want To See You Do This 🌷 Minnie

'I Want To See You Do This' was the title of the next game the group would play in the long list of what Minnie liked to call 'random games we once mentioned or kinda played and now get to do again'. She was sitting between Dino and Joshua when Minghao introduced the start of the video as he would be the MC for that game.

After a bracket of the idol group had their short jittery moment, the '97 Liner got to finally present the rules of what was to follow.

"You just need to write down something you don't want to do, but you want someone else to do," Minghao explained. "And then we're going to sit here," he pointed to the open space right in front of the couches they were occupying, "and play the hat game."

Minnie smirked to herself before she even opened her mouth to speak. "So like sending Mingyu skydiving?" Earning her a gentle elbow to her side by the '95 Liner to her left and a snarl from the other end of the line.

"Ha ha!" Her fellow '97 Liner called out in clear sarcasm while the rest couldn't help but chuckle.

The girl leaned forward, an annoyingly wide grin on her lips, and turned to the side. She stuck out her tongue in between her lips, getting another annoyed huff in return before Mingyu just copied her facial expression.

[we promise, SEVENTEEN really loves each other]

Before she could react, a soft hand on her arm pulled her back - at least the vice leader could keep one of the members in line.

"But didn't you say, you wanted to go skydiving?" The maknae suddenly wondered at the female member.

Woozi could only frown, mumbling quietly, "Who wants to go skydiving?"

"I do," Minnie nodded, falling back against the cushion behind her as she crossed her arms, "But Mingyu's being mean to me today, so I wanted to mention it." To which Dino could only shake his head with his signature laughter. The other '97 Liner held himself back with a scoff.

[another normal day in the life of roommates]

The producer of the group decided to change the topic. "You could write something you want to do on the chance that you get your own though."

"But the chance of that happening is one in 14," Mingyu clarified, getting corrected that for that day's shoot, it would actually be one in twelve as the two oldest of the group were missing due to their injuries.

"You could be really smart about this," Seungkwan started, "and write something that a member will find really difficult." Before changing his idea again. "Or, you write something that will be heartwarming and beautiful."

Getting a "That's right," in agreement.

Minnie perked up again, straightening her back to move her body forward, eyeing the members to her left that had just spoken. "And what about things you'd want to do with the members?"

"What would you want to do with others?" The '98 Liners nagged her with a smile, but the girl just shrugged.

"Don't we spend enough time together already?" The girl heard from the very end of the line, her gaze meeting Vernon's, who was clearly judging her question, based on his reaction.

"No, we don't!" She defended herself quickly. "At least not all of us."

"Who do you not spend enough time with, Minnie?" Dokyeom's kind voice rang through the room, getting a moment of silence from the girl as she glanced around at each member, thinking to herself.

"Mmmm," she hummed out loud, chuckling once she saw how some of them had started to avoid her gaze. "Junnie-hyung!"

"We just went out to eat together!" The '96 Liner replied, making her head snap towards him.

"And?"

"That was recently! We do spend time together." But that only got a frown out of the female member before she went on to the next one.

[not enough]

"Woozi-hyung!"

"We spend more than enough time together," he stopped her quickly, his palm facing her, putting a little sass to his words.

Minnie scoffed, "In the studio! That's hardly spending real time together."

But he ended the discussion promptly. "It's enough for me." Getting a round of laughter from every member, but her.

[today is a hard day for some people]

While the other ten of them were hardly able to control their chuckles, Minnie threw her hands up in desperation, "Do all of you not want to spend time with me?!"

"Noona," Dino put one hand on her arm and one on her back, comforting her as his lips stayed curled up. "I'll spend some time with you."

[maknae coming to the rescue]

With a big smile, she let her head drop to his shoulder, just as a,

"I'll spend more time with you too," came from her left - a voice she knew all too well. 

[suddenly spending time together is popular]

She didn't even try to hide her grin as she looked past Joshua and found Wonwoo's eyes fixed on her, sending him a nudge with her head,

"Thank you," followed by a sweet grin.

Minghao continued to lay out the rules of the game, letting everyone know that the person who would lose, aka have the red hat in their grip by the end of the round, would have to post a picture or video as evidence of them executing their penalty.

"Wait, but I don't get this-" Seungkwan interrupted. "Are you writing this for a specific member?"

"No, no, no." Before anyone else could even open their mouths, Mingyu beat them to it, "You just write, 'I want to see you do this'. And whoever picks it has to do it."

"But what if I want a specific member to do it?" Minnie wondered, mostly hoping that only the members right next to her had caught it, but her voice seemed to have been loud enough as her fellow '97 Liner continued to run his mouth.

"Well, that's not what this program is about," he told her monotonously. A clear frown formed on her forehead as she turned to glance over at the slightly older member. Shooting her brows up, Minnie nodded at him in annoyance,

"Sorry for asking," slightly rolling her eyes before sulking back into her seat. The members could only chuckle at their antics again, deciding to move on, not commenting on their behaviour even more.

Minghao, being the good and well-prepared MC he was, had started ripping apart the notebook, to hand out exactly 12 sheets of paper. Once everyone had gotten one and Mingyu finally passed around the remaining pens, each member got down to writing. They mostly kept to themselves, some clearly grinning as they put down the penalty they had come up with. The clear box in the middle of the room was slowly filled up by the crumbled-up pieces of paper.

"I probably won't get mine," Dokyeom commented as he stood, strutting over to the box.

Minnie smiled, "I hope I get mine." But Minghao was already shaking his head,

"If you get yours, we'll go again."

"Then I won't say that I pulled my own penalty," she sheepishly grinned at him, to which he could only shake his head with a chuckle.

[keeping secrets]

Finally, it got to the point of the lucky draw. The MC followed the line of the members, letting each pull out one piece of paper after the other. They were ordered to keep them folded, yet, of course, not everyone had gotten that message.

Dino's million-dollar cackle made the girl turn her head, her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Did you look at it already?" She asked him as if she didn't already know.

He nodded, continuing his chuckles. "Who wrote this?" Making Minnie's nosiness spike up. "It's nice. It's very nice," he kept on saying to himself.

"Oh-" Minnie laughed, "Then it's not mine."

The youngest turned towards her. "Why, what did you write?"

"I'll tell you once the member reads it," she assured him.

They decided to go down the same line in which they pulled their penalties, starting with Vernon and ending with Minghao. The '98 Liner didn't seem all too excited about possibly having to become TWS' manager for one day but took it without any complaints before they moved on to Jun. 

"Write a sincere letter to a member and buy them a gift."

As soon as he had finished reading it out loud, the group already had an idea of who this could've been written by.

"Members? All 13?" Dino misunderstood.

"It doesn't say 'all 13'," Jun showed them the piece of paper. But as soon as Minnie's seat neighbour spoke up, she had made up her mind about who could've possibly written that 'penalty'.

"Just one member," Joshua let him know, to which the girl glanced at the '95 Liner with a cheeky smile. She got a chuckle out of him before he shoved her slightly, making her lean into his side and wrap her hands around his biceps. Another hint was a slight misspelling, but even without it, the group knew it could've only been him.

"Hey," Hoshi suddenly started, gaining the attention of the room. "But at least that one had a set person. Mine says, 'I want to see you pole dancing'."

The entire room erupted in loud laughter and almost immediately, Minnie felt a smack to her upper arm - the maknae couldn't control himself - but she tried to not react as best as she could. Failing. Hard.

"What?" Mingyu chuckled, throwing his head back against the couch.

"Minnie, who do you want to see pole dancing?" Seungkwan's sudden accusation made her shoot up.

"What?! Why me?"

"As if this could've been written by anyone else!" The '98 Liner threw at her.

For a second, the girl fell silent, letting the members' laughter die down before she snapped back.

"So what?!" Getting another round of chuckles in response. She shook her head and turned towards Hoshi, grinning at him as he met her eye. "Let's do a class together."

"Together?!" He stopped her with a cackle, the members joining him only a second later.

"Ah- no- wait-," Minnie tried to explain, but interrupted herself with her own laughter. Quickly, she hid behind the oldest member's shoulder, gripping onto them with her life. Suddenly the situation felt a lot different than what she had wanted it to be like. "That sounded weird," she sulked. "Please cut that out," smiling shyly at the producers, who had been laughing just as much as the members.

"That's not what I meant..." she quietly said, but no one was believing her, still insanely amused at the scene.

Woozi shook his head in disbelief, "Mh, sure."

"I don't know what sounds worse. You wanting to see someone pole dance or wanting to do a class with them," Joshua added, earning him a sharp smack to his arm.

"Don't make it weird!" She complained, still whining.

"Did you have someone specific in mind?" Dokyeom continued teasing her, only grinning even harder once he saw her eyes glaring at him.

"No!" She defended herself, even though the question had caught her off-guard.

He continued to push her further, "Who did you want to get the card?"

"You have to be honest, you can't lie!" Seungkwan added, making her roll her eyes.

"I didn't have anyone specific in mind!"

"Are you sure?" Seungkwan made his eyebrows wiggle, continuing to stare at the girl, who was already glaring at him.

"Yes!" She snarled at him, "I told you, I want to spend more time with you." Mumbling to herself, "Idiots..." which only the audio technician caught as he started to chuckle. Her lips curled up at his reaction.

"Spending time together in a pole dancing class?" Mingyu jumped into the conversation, but Minnie only sent a warning finger straight at him.

"Minnie," Hoshi started again. "I would do this happily. Alone or together 

with you." His comment made the female member smile. "Even though it sounds weird." And with that, it faded just as quickly, getting a chuckle from the members surrounding her. A comforting hand found its way onto her knee. Joshua had noticed the slight heat that had come up to her cheeks, making him smile even more as she shook her head in embarrassment, crossing her arms in defence.

-

If Mingyu were to lose, he'd have to write a book report, which they agreed on, would never see the light of day or take multiple years to finish. Minnie couldn't help but smile to herself, not remembering the last time she had seen him even pick up a book out of a reason other than cleaning hers and Wonwoo's up from the living or dining room.

Woozi drew having to go to a workshop retreat alone - which, even he himself, admitted to never wanting to do completely on his own.

And then came Dino, who read out loud,

"I want to see you climb to the top of Halla Mountain and shout 'Hooray'," getting the entire room to laugh and gasp in synch. It wouldn't take him forever, only about 4.5 hours, but still, it was regarded as the highest point in the entire country, altitude-wise.

"Wow," Jun exclaimed, "who wrote that? That's good!"

Considering, the place was in Jeju, Minnie's glance immediately fell on the '98 Liner on her left. And Minghao seemed to have had the same thought as he pointed at the younger member,

"Seungkwan! Because it's in Jeju-" but he was already brushing off the accusation.

"What do you mean, no? Of course, it was you," Minnie threw at him, getting a side-eye in return.

"Not everyone writes so obviously that everyone immediately knows it's you." She was ready to fight back, but also knew that today's shoot already had a few too many bickerings probably and God knows, where this could lead to more, so she decided to retreat.

The discussion immediately switched to the right gear you'd have to own if you were to climb Halla Mountain, making you almost think Dino had already lost and was preparing for the execution of his penalty.

"Alright," Hoshi moved on. "Now, Minnie."

Letting her finally unfold the piece of paper she had been holding onto. At first, she let her eyes look over the characters quickly, followed by a frown making its way to her brows. Only then, did she read it out loud,

"I want to see you sincerely p-pro...pose? Propose?" Once she said the word out loud, Minnie realised what she had just read, "OH-," repeating it in English, "Propose?"

But the members were already giggling left and right. Dino's well-known cackles filled the room while Joshua nodded at her question, shaking his head with a chuckle.

Minnie laughed along with them, glimpsing around the space in confusion, "What?" She was watching the members being clearly entertained by the penalty she had pulled. Her eyes locked on Wonwoo, who was already looking over in her direction, his lips parting,

"Who-... Who wrote that? What?" He tried to find the gaze of one of the others, but they were too occupied by still chuckling at what they had just heard.

"Does it mean like really propose? Or like propose an idea?" Minnie wondered out loud, still looking over at the left side. No answer, just laughter.

"I don't think anyone thinks about proposing an idea in this context," Minghao let his comment slide into the moment, slightly mumbling, but still loud and clear enough for everyone to hear.

The female member shrugged, "I don't know... it could be. Why would-"

"You don't actually believe that!" From the other end, Vernon's voice rang through the room as he pointed at the girl, his smile still wide as he had just calmed down from his laughing fit.

With wide eyes, Minnie snapped, "How would I know?!" Her exclaim got another round of laughter. "I don't know what they meant by that!"

"But this is perfect for you," Woozi's remark surprised her.

"For me?!" She exclaimed maybe just a little too loud as the members grinned at her. "Why for me?!" Chuckling nervously as she shifted in her seat.

Dokyeom decided to take the next word, all heads then fixed on him. "Isn't it because they want to see what you would be like if you were proposing to the person you love?"

Minnie was already opening her mouth to speak, but the maknae behind her beat her to it, pointing a finger at the main vocalist. "You wrote this, huh?"

"That's right." With no hesitation, DK raised his hand in defence, getting another round of laughter from all of them including their female member.

"Why would you want to see that?" Minnie giggled at him in slight confusion while the youngest member next to her had a hard time holding himself together once more.

"Because it's cute!" He defended himself.

Before anyone could say anything more to that, Hoshi jumped in.

"But... but isn't it a bit weird if Minnie does it?"

Her head immediately turned towards the '96 Liner. "Why?"

"Don't you think someone else should do it?" 

While everyone else seemed to have understood the implementation of his question, some smirking to themselves, others opening their mouths, ready to stop the discussion immediately, the female member glared at him.

"Why?! It's 2024, I could propose as well!" Taking clear offence in his statement. The members glanced at her in slight confusion before they realised that she had misunderstood him.

"Oh- no," he stuttered, "that's not what I-" Hoshi tried to explain, but was cut off by Mingyu's arm in front of him and a slight shake of his head. He understood. "Ah, yeah... sorry, you're right, Minnie," nodding at her. "Then please, propose."

A short second of silence passed before she opened her mouth again. 

"That's crazy..." She chuckled, looking around, trying not to let her eyes land on a specific person, knowing it would gain unwanted attention.

"You can decide to who," Dokyeom declared. "But it has to be romantic. Very romantic."

"OH, yes!"

"That's right!"

"It has to be genuine!"

Different loud hollers filled the room. Minnie sent a quick surprised facial expression into the camera, putting a piece of hair behind her ear while she waited for the voices to die down.

"It has to be?" She wondered, making her fellow '97 Liner nod, along with the other members, who were grinning widely.

Suddenly, Mingyu's voice reached their ears. "Ya... Isn't that a bit much?" Tilting his head with a somewhat smile at the guys who were now looking at him.

"But she gets to choose the member she does it to," Seungkwan replied. "So it won't be weird." Hoping to end the topic of conversation right there.

"Okay, I can do that. I think...," she giggled, "but you guys are weird." Getting a soft chuckle from the members next to her in response.

Joshua was next to reveal his possible penalty.

"I want to see you reveal your abs at our concert." The reactions came immediately.

Throwing her head bag together with Dino, Minnie couldn't hide her amusement, laughing loudly together with the maknae as they held onto each other.

Hoshi let out a loud "Woooo!" Getting even more chuckles out of the other members.

"I want to see that too!" Minnie's comment earned her a slap on the shoulder, making her lean into Joshua's side, laughing against his shoulder as he tried to brush her off.

An arm reached over her before snatching the piece of paper out of the oldest's grip.

"It's so obvious that it's Hoshi!" Dino pointed out the handwriting that clearly indicated who it came from. And the '96 Liner didn't even try to deny it, continuing to smile proudly.

-

Wonwoo had already taken a sneak peek at the folded paper before he revealed it to the room.

"For me," he started. "This is so Jun," getting a few chuckles in return. "I want to see you go skydiving."

But that thought was quickly denied as Jun spoke up from the other side,

"It's not me."

"Oh-," Dokyeom glanced over, "It's not you?" Making the other member shake his head.

Dino grinned. "If Minnie's wasn't already revealed, I would've thought it might be from her."

The girl stopped mid-sip she was about to take from her iced coffee, her eyebrows scrunched up immediately. But before she could say anything, Wonwoo replied,

"But this isn't her handwriting."

"And!" She exclaimed, looking over to her left, "I wouldn't do that to you."

"But to me?!" Mingyu shouted, earning himself a sarcastic smile and nod from the female member. With a scoff and shake of his head, he decided to quiet down again, getting a soft smack to his upper arm from Hoshi, who was grinning at the duo.

"Isn't it Hao maybe?" Minnie wondered after taking a closer look at the paper Wonwoo was holding up.

"Is it?" He asked himself out loud before turning to the member in question, "Is it you?"

Minghao was already smiling from ear to ear, nodding his head excitedly.

-

They moved on quickly, going through Dokyeom, who was challenged to eat 10,000 calories in a day, over to Seungkwan, who would have to buy hotpot for all the members of Seventeen - that was immediately debunked to come from Jun. He had even drawn a small picture of a hotpot serving, making the members chuckle in awe. Minghao's penalty was revealed to be a fitness photoshoot. The culprit was first to be thought to be Mingyu, but he quickly denied it, leaving the answer to remain anonymous.

After going through each member, they were finally able to move on to the game that would determine who would have to actually execute the penalty given to them. The production crew opted for a hat game the group had never played before, giving them a new challenge to face. Even after all these years and videos with the same crew members, they were still able to keep the idol group on their tippy toes.

Sitting in a circle on the floor, each of them was given a white hat, with one of them, at the beginning Wonwoo, wearing a red one. They would be singing the chorus of the all-so-beloved trot version of their newest title track 'God of Music' while moving the heads from the members in front of them onto their own ones, moving to the beat of the song. Whoever ended up with the hat by the end of the round, that either being by the end of the song or a mess-up from one of the members, would lose and eventually have to go through with the penalty they had pulled.

It started out smoothly, with Dokyeom starting to count the beat before everyone else joined in. But only after a few seconds, they had already run into their first mess-up, making them have to start from the top. And that was only the warm-up. For the second round, they decided to start by singing the chorus already, hoping it wouldn't mess up the rhythm all too much. But that was too much to hope for.

"Ya Mingyu-ya!" Jun exclaimed with a smile on his face. The '97 Liner giggled to himself, three hats stacked on his head, clearly showing who was to blame for another round they had to stop.

Minnie, sitting between Wonwoo and Woozi, turned around to snarl at the rapper, but couldn't hide her grin as she saw the amusement on his face.

"Get it together!" She giggled at him.

"Seriously!"

"Hey!" Joshua called out. He pointed at Hoshi, who not only had one white hat on top of his head but the red one as well.

"It's him!" The leader defended himself, straightening his back and turning around, taking off both hats before he shouted at the younger member. It was only then that he realised he was holding onto the red hat, a look of shock coming to his face in an instant.

As he at first started to blame Mingyu, all eyes were now on Hoshi, pointing fingers and shouting at him.

"No, no," he tried to defend himself, "this isn't it! This isn't right!"

"You're holding the red hat!" Minnie threw at him, followed by a chuckle that made her lean forward, resting her forehead on the 58cm shoulders in front of her.

"B-But I-" Mingyu stuttered as he explained himself, "I was doing it normally like 'one, two, one, two'," counting the beat out loud when he pointed at Joshua behind him, "But you weren't taking them! So I kept on putting more and more hats on." Amid his rant, Hoshi placed the hats he had worn just merely seconds ago, onto the '97 Liner's head.

"No!" He took them off, "It's not my fault!"

He continued to try to explain his side of the situation, only getting giggles and chuckles from the other members in return as they continued to find nothing but humour in the moment. Hoshi was nodding along to his words, completely dismissing the fact that he had technically lost the round, and pretended to agree with everything the younger member was saying.

In true Seventeen fashion, the members had started to randomly stand up, making a bigger scene of their exclaims. After Mingyu was finished with the details of his story, Joshua tried to explain himself while the others seemed to have already been on Mingyu's side.

Finally, everyone agreed, that TECHNICALLY, Hoshi would've lost the round, but due to the circumstances and confusion, they opted to play another round, hoping for the best. They couldn't just let the video end without getting the entire chorus right at least once. With big gestures, Dokyeom and Seungkwan clarified the rules one last time, clearing up most of the confusion that was left in the room, before they sat down in a circle again.

"Woah...," Minnie sighed out loud, "This is so much fun." Drumming with her hands on Wonwoo's back.

"Right?" Joshua nodded at her excitedly.

"But now I'm nervous that I'm gonna mess it up," she whined with a chuckle, suddenly feeling a comforting palm on her leg. Wonwoo had reached behind him,

"It's okay," giving her knee a few pats before he retreated his hand to get back in position to start the next and final round.

-

Only a few seconds after the producers had put on the song, the hat order was already messed up. Hastily, the members threw around the ones they had too much to the others that didn't have one anymore, quickly wanting to get back to finish the chorus in unity. Starting again, they were forced to break it up after two seconds, coming to the realisation that lifting the hats and shaking them was throwing off most of the members, causing a chain reaction of issues to happen within the circle. Minghao asked to just let out that one move, but Dokyeom was too motivated to get it right. He whined out loud, begging for everyone to finally get it right so they could move on.

Deciding that it might be easier if they sang the song themselves instead of listening to it through the speakers, the game started for the last and final time. Singing at a slower BPM than the original, they found it much easier to keep up with the hat switch. That was until Minnie was trying to grab the white hat from Wonwoo, but couldn't quite get it off at the right time. He moved the red hat from Dino onto his own head, stacking it on top of the white one that Minnie was still holding as she was about to take it off.

"IT'S WONWOO!" The members clapped in glee. With a loud laughter, the girl fell forward, her hands and forehead resting on Wonwoo's back.

"I'm sorry!" She called out as the rapper turned around to glance at her, his lips curved up to an amused smile. "I'm sorry," she patted his shoulder, still giggling, so her excuse was hard to take seriously.

"WONWOO, WONWOO," Seungkwan continued to chant.

"What was Wonwoo's?" Dokyeom wanted to know.

The rapper held up the red hat proudly. "Skydiving," getting a louder round of claps and hollers in response.

"I wrote that!" Minghao announced with a big smile, taking the '96 Liner's hand into his.

While some members wondered whether or not it was fun to send him skydiving, Minnie felt a poke to her back, making her turn around.

"He lost because of you, right?" Woozi sneakily grinned at her.

With a shy smile, she nodded, running a hand through her hair, "But I didn't do it on purpose. I couldn't get the hat off." She explained while demonstrating the situation.

"At least he won't hold a grudge against you," the producer told her, but Minnie shook her head with wide eyes,

"I wouldn't say that," getting a chuckle out of him. "I'm serious!" She exclaimed as Woozi had pushed himself up to stand. At that same moment, Mingyu passed the duo, coming to a halt to hold a hand out for her to take and to pull her up on her feet. Just as she reached out and was about to place her palm into his, he suddenly pulled his hand away. A giggle escaped Minnie's lips as she leaned forward, smacking his legs with an exclaim. Her fellow '97 Liner joined her chuckles, getting a hold on her elbow to actually pull her up.

Just before the two went to their designated places, Mingyu brushed a hand over her head, earning him a slight nudge to his side.

Taglist: @waosobii @chaebb @lunarxsun @hoe4wonwoo @kimhyejin3108 @soobzao @billboard-singer @cosmicwintr @zwiehe @alixnsuperstxr @angie-x3 @smooore @allthings-fandoms @lllucere

[puckpocketed]

as promised here is my follow up ask on PLD and the caps!! (this time...as a doctor 😎)

first of all thank you so much for the detailed response you gave my first ask. it confirmed a lot of suspicions i had about his supposed character issues and his usage in LA. obviously he's not a perfect player (few are) (except nicklas backstrom, my beloved), but seems like there's a disconnect between the way the media/fan narrative paints him and what's actually happening on the ice and in the locker room.

second of all!! just some kinda ramble-y thoughts based on some of the things you said in the first ask. this is not organized well and i'm sorry (but hopefully it's helpful info to you as you come over to caps land for a bit this season)

(1) Takings Shifts Off. totally agree with you that pld is and always will be viewed through the lens of The Shift. there are definitely players that regularly take shifts off and don't get dogpiled for it, esp. during the regular season (...see Ovechkin, Alex...especially in his old man era! gotta conserve energy). i am very curious to see if pld is like ovi in that he takes shifts off sometimes during the regular season but never the playoffs. from the little we've seen of pld in the playoffs my impression (esp when he played for CBJ) is that he elevates his game. i'm curious to see if he's really got that second gear...but caps gotta make the playoffs first.

(2) A Driver of One's Own. very interesting that in the answer to the last ask you said pld is not exactly the kind of player who drives his own line. this caught my eye bc it's a bit part of the problem w/ finding a center for ovi with backy gone...nowadays, O can't fully drive his own line anymore. he's just not fast enough, regularly (though he can turn it on in key moments). the legs just aren't there as much anymore, he can't really carry the puck in the way he used to, etc. BUT!!! he still has the best shot in the game (sorry auston), so absolutely ELITE triggerman. i'm wondering if pld could like...meet him halfway, i guess. like if TOGETHER they could drive the line. Hmmmm...

(3) Power Play!! everything you said about pld on the PP is promising. if he thrives most net front, then i genuinely think that position is there for the taking. i'm sure they'll try him in the old backstrom/kuznetsov QB spot on the right halfwall but there is a 0% chance our coach doesn't try a few things with the PP, including putting pld in different spots. i wouldn't be surprised if we started off having a weak PP that found its groove as the season went on.

(4) HCSC. our head coach is going to do literally everything in his power to make pld succeed. very communicative coach. last season he started out with an up-tempo system, and then switched to slower defense-first once he realized his personnel was just too slow/old to really pull all that off. with 1/3 of our roster now turned over and filled with players in their 20s, we're gonna see a VERY different capitals team from last year. i'm sure there will be growing pains but...they mystery is exciting, instead of terrifying, for once!!!

third of all!! just wanted to say thanks again for the detailed response to the third ask, and welcome to caps-land. it's a fun time over here. hope you're really looking forward to seeing what the hell our chaotic gremlins are going to do (as long as it makes penguins fans rage and cry, i am happy!!)!!! :)

okay this reply is getting crowded so ill just stick it all under the cut. here is a fun preview:

the media+fan narrative disconnect is SO real!!! i knowww with the amount of players the league has to cover, the sheer length of a regular season and all that happens during, plus the whole....society-wide erosion of journalism as a field... it can be hard for media to keep up, but it's been pretty startling to see their fallibility so... plainly? don't think i have the One Final Truth about Dubois but i think we're likely closer to it than anything the mainstream narratives are saying. i do get that their profits and clicks per/ are greatly increased via if they have a bent toward sensationalism... podcasters, youtube creators, people tweeting... they kinda have to operate like this because thats what the (gags) market and algorithm and audiences crave. does NOT mean i like it. ugh.

bleak reflections on journalism aside, im sitting here and gorging myself on this ask ouhhh thank uuu (for those playing along at home here are manifesto 1 and manifesto 2) and nodding along SO vigorously to all of these... we're having GALAXY brained discussions on here the likes of which spittin chiclets could never even dream of....................

(1) agreed agreed. he MUST be horse-bonded to his team i truly believe this with my whole heart (as in, he's gotta know his role + be comfy). otherwise, no other comment. I DID make that meme though because i was having a laff about Ovechkin conserving energy lkajsdkljajkl

(2) SUPER inchresting that you mention Ovi's lack of footspeed... i know a failhorse who can provide this 👀 we may be cooking something here... more than the sum of their parts kind of vibe?? Dubois has the youth and speed and muscle... he's just been hamstrung by quality of wingers.... and if as you say Ovi needs a hand carrying the puck; well.... 👀👀👀 don't want to put all my eggs in that basket though, I think it would be unfair of us to demand that of him... BUT if it works... oughhhhh i AM hopeful. SO hopeful.

(3) obsessed with this faith in your power play coaches (<- voice of a guy who watched ducks hockey) and their willingness to change things up is soooo nice to hear. NOT a fan of teams bashing their heads against a wall when their special teams clearly aren't working.

(4) and finally, I'm loving everything I hear about Spencer Carbery. i think Dubois has the allure of an wounded animal in the wild (a horse, even) or perhaps a moody teen girl with a hidden darkness in her heart <3 what im saying is, if he doesn't work it out now he's probably always gonna be one of those players every coach looks at and thinks "I could fix him". Carbs on record saying he could tame this wild creature??

link, archive link

hooting, hollering, etc.

Thank you for such a wonderful, warm welcome!! Everyone in caps land has been so lovely... the vibes.. the VIBES!!! peace and love for pens followers but i did in fact choose a side in your Foreverwar ... (my hockey girlbestie actually likes both teams which i find SO fun. the pens are my babygirl-in-laws!) anyway my heart does not divide.... it only swells.... much like the beaugtiful and noble salary of any 30 y/o RHD going into free agency <3 i have enjoyed chatting to caps fans like yourself immensely, and i look forward to hitting the trenches with everyone during regular season !!!

[hookingminor]

“if you called just to get off on my voice, i’m hanging up. “ with pld please

“If you called just to get off on my voice, I'm hanging up.”

for a split second i wanted to make this a cheating fic what is it about pld that screams cheater idk idk (i didn’t bc i know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea)

(18+) phone sex, masturbation

-

It was a rare occasion that anyone called you on the phone nowadays, but it was even more rare to receive a call in the middle of the workday and from your regular bootycall nonetheless.

“Hello?” You answered your phone curiously. You could only assume it was a matter of life and death if Pierre was calling you at three in the afternoon.

“Hey, baby,” he greeted huskily. “You at work?”

“It’s three o’clock on a Tuesday, so yes,” you chuckled. “What’s up? Aren’t you in Pittsburgh right now?” It was just a little past four where he was.

“I missed you…” His voice trailed off for a moment, and you could hear the low rumble of the TV on in the background. “Are you alone right now?”

“Yeah, I’m in my office finishing up some paperwork,” you chuckled. “Isn’t the game soon?”

“We’re heading to the arena in half an hour,” he confirmed. “Can you spare me a few minutes of your time?”

It took a minute for the gears to click into place in your head, and mixed with the slightly ragged breathing and deep voice on Pierre’s end, you pieced it together.

“If you called just to get off on my voice, I'm hanging up.”

He protested immediately, and you expected nothing less, but he didn’t have to know you were already closing your door and locking it while he begged you to not hang up.

“Baby, just ten minutes please,” he whined across the line. “It’s been a week since I fucked you, and I’m dying here. You don’t even have to dirty talk me. Just tell me about your day and I’ll get there.”

“Really?” You teased. “Would telling you about my plans for running errands later get you hard?”

“I was hard the second you said hello,” Pierre admitted. “What are you running errands for?”

A faint rustle let you know he was shifting around, most likely to sneak a hand into his pants to stroke his cock.

Wanting to test his theory, you kept the facade up. “Grocery shopping for starters,” you said. “I need to get more cereal since someone eats all my Froot Loops when they come over. Probably get some milk, coffee, and bread. You know, the usual stuff. Quick trip to the post office after that before it closes at five to send out some packages to my family.”

“Any plans for tonight?” His voice was strained.

“Maybe watch the game while I make dinner…”

“Maybe?” He asked. “Not sure if you wanna watch us beat the Penguins?”

“You know I’m always going to root for Crosby over you,” you teased him.

“You’re killing me, you know that?” 

“Of course I will be watching the game,” you said. “I stand by rooting for Crosby though, but I guess I can spare some support for you. I’ll probably make some pasta for dinner and have some wine… maybe I’ll call you after the game so you can get me off when I’m in bed.”

“I’d love to, baby, but I don’t know if Lowry will appreciate me asking how wet you are.”

“I don’t mind him listening in. It’ll take more than that to dissuade me,” you added.

Pierre let out a moan of approval at your words, and you could tell his hand was picking up the pace. “Careful before I actually extend that invitation to him,” he warned.

“Come on, Luc, we both know you’re not the type to share…” Pierre was uniquely jealous even when it came to you. Not that you were together exclusively or anything, but he always made sure to mark you up whenever you had sex and kept a firm grip on your waist whenever you went out. 

“No one else would know how to handle you like I know how,” Pierre grunted. “And no one else could fill you up like me.”

“Mmm… You’re probably right,” you agreed. “Maybe I’ll get myself off tonight thinking about that…”

“When I get back in a few days, I’m going to fuck you sideways, I swear,” Pierre promised.

“Threat or promise? Either way, I’ve got a new mirror in my room to show you when you do.” Maybe you’d show it to him early and send him some pictures during intermission.

“Yeah?” He said, his breathing becoming more labored by the second.

“Mhm,” you hummed. “It reflects the end of my bed and is about eight feet tall. I can send you a picture later if you want. Maybe you can show it to Adam while you’re at it and see what he thinks about it.”

His groans increased in volume throughout your words, and by the end of your sentence you knew he was finishing across his stomach. A few more seconds of his heavy breathing went on before slowing down, and you couldn’t help but clench your thighs together as you listened to him work through his orgasm.

“I have to say,” you started after giving him a few moments to recover. “I didn’t think grocery shop talk would actually get you there.”

A deep laugh sounded across the line. “Only you could make me come talking about bread and mail.”

“We’ll have to see what other boring things I can come up with to say in bed,” you joked. “I hate to cut this off, but your ten minutes are up, bud. And you’ve got a bus to catch soon.” 

“Mood killer,” he stated, and you could imagine the smirk on his face. “I’ll call you later tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” you agreed. “Good luck tonight.”

Pierre said his goodbyes before you hung up. Only thirty seconds passed before your phone was lighting up with a new text message from Pierre, and in that message contained a picture of his softening cock with white ropes of cum decorating his stomach.

You bit your lip examining the image, sending a quick text back over to Pierre. Trying to focus on your work after that was useless, especially with the image of his cock burning in your mind, so you clocked out early and headed home. Maybe you’d have to make a quick pit stop at home before heading to the store…

[davidpastrsnack]

“I could just pull your bikini bottoms to the side, no one will notice.” with pld... or whomever u want 👀

“i could just pull your bottoms to the side, no one will notice.”

After almost four months of the season, it was finally time for the All-Star Break, which for you and Pierre meant a trip to the Bahamas. You were joined by several of the guys and their partners, the long weekend filled with lots of alcohol and laughs. With the playoff push just on the horizon for the team, this was their last chance to truly relax before the stress began.

You were in the pool with some of the other girlfriends, watching the boys attempt to play beach volleyball in the distance. You couldn’t deny that your eyes lingered on Pierre for a little too long, but you couldn’t help it: vacation looked good on him. His skin had turned golden in just a matter of days, the ripples of his thighs and arms now even more defined. His hair was a mess, the salty waves so overgrown they were starting to curl at the ends. He promised you he was getting a haircut once you got home, but now you weren’t so convinced you wanted him to.

“Y/N?” One of the girls questioned, her face lighting up in a grin when she followed your line of sight.

“Sorry, I just zoned out,” you replied, turning away from the boys to face her.

“Mhmm,” she laughed, finishing what she was saying before.

Almost an hour later your attention was stolen from the girls again, but this time by Pierre himself. You felt the water move around you, shifting your body to see that devilish smile staring down at you.

“Mind if I steal her?” He asked, smiling when the girls nodded.

“Hi, Luc,” you sighed, wrapping your arms around his neck as he pulled you towards the opposite end of the pool.

“Hi, babygirl,” he grinned, his hands slipping underneath your thighs to swing them around his waist. He leaned down to meet his lips with yours, the tension between your bodies rising immediately.

Despite still very much so being in public, the kiss got heated fast. You were full on making out at this point, your tongues tangled with each other in the cool water. Pierre’s back was pressed against the tile wall, his arms holding you up as he moved to trail kisses down your neck.

“Luc,” you warned, a soft giggle escaping your lips at his actions.

“Hmm?” he mumbled, playing dumb. But it was clear he knew exactly what he was doing as soon as he shifted his body, slotting his thigh in between your legs so you were resting right on top of it.

A whimper escaped your lips at the sudden contact, the thickness of his thigh giving you just the right amount of stimulation. Pierre chuckled against your throat, slowly sinking his hands down to your ass so he could gently slide you back and forth.

“Luc,” you breathed out, “Luc, let’s go inside, now.”

He knew just how to rile you up and you didn’t know how much longer you could go without him really doing something about itt.

“I could just pull your bikini bottoms to the side, no one will notice,” he spoke in your ear, his words sending chills down your spine.

Even though every fiber within your body was telling you this was wrong, you needed him.  

“Hurry up,” you responded, your mouth dropping open as he suddenly shifted in the water, your body now pressed up against the wall and mostly hidden by his.

“Shhh, babygirl, I got you.”

Pierre did just what he said he would, sliding the material of your bottoms to the side and running his fingers through your folds. He wasted no time, slipping two fingers inside you right away.

“Fuck,” you whined, your head falling forward onto his shoulder as he began to move in and out under the water.

It wasn’t going to take much to push you over the edge at this point. Pierre held you steady with one arm while he added another finger, his thumb moving to circle your clit.

“Just like that, baby,” he encouraged, feeling you start to clench around him.

Your high crashed over you just like the waves you heard in the distance, your teeth sinking into Pierres shoulder as you tried to stay quiet.

“Fuck,” he winced at your bite, continuing to curl his fingers until you were completely weak in his grasp.

“I cannot believe I just let you do that,” you giggled after gathering yourself, looking around to make sure nobody picked up on anything.

Pierre’s head fell back in laughter, his hand that was still underwater moving your bottoms back in place.

“Come on, let’s give you the real thing now,” he smirked, pulling you towards the stairs before practically sprinting to your room.

[wisteriafield]

Ciel Myste

Race: Raen Au Ra

Age: 23

Birthplace: Werlyt

Job History: GLA->PLD (CNJ minor)->DRK->GNB

Early Life

Though Ciel has never seen it for herself, her family's legacy begins in the village of Dagluk in Southern Nagxia. While the Raen had sought to leave their nomadic roots behind them, misfortune dogged at their heels leading to an exodus of Raen that spanned years in search of lands free of war. The Garlemald Empire’s expansion seemed without end, and the Nagxian Resistance had no choice but to submit to imperial rule after their guerilla tactics prompted the Empire to respond in the indiscriminate destruction of the land.

At this point, Ciel’s parents had already begun seeking refuge beyond the village they had called home for twenty summers in a journey marked by tragedy, yet lined with fortuitous graces. They had narrowly avoided the Garlean massacre of Dagluk, but that was only the beginning. The journey would take them across the southern edge of Ilsabard on the fringes of Garlean territory, passing through the now-conquered city of Bozja.

At great risk to herself, Ciel’s mother could not help but extend her clinical ministrations beyond her traveling company to those in need, such as one imperial Hrothgar soldier, wounded by Bozjan wildlife on patrol. He asked why she would help an imperial, knowing Au Ra in particular rarely ever regard an imperial’s life worth saving, but they both knew: an imperial is an imperial, but an imperial is not always a Garlean. With a stern detachment in her voice, she simply responded “A man should not die unremembered.” Flabbergasted, he could only promise her, “A conscript’s life is worth little, but I am not wont to leave my debts unpaid.” They would never see each other again, and he would forget that promise following the destruction of Bozja years later. He would not repay that debt until some time after joining the Bozjan Resistance.

By the time Ciel’s parents had reached Werlyt on the border of Eorzea, their original traveling company had greatly diminished each with passing summer. The native populace had eventually come to embrace the Raen, yet this would not last either. Ciel had been born far from her original home, yet not even one summer would Garlemald’s reach loom over them. Word of a plague spread, driving them further inland towards Coerthas and the Holy See of Ishgard, but Ishgardian hostility towards the Au Ra would leave them to fend for themselves in the highlands, let alone trying to avoid the Holy See's wrath.

When the Calamity struck, those of the former Nagxians who had miraculously survived found themselves unable to withstand the extreme climate change that transformed Coerthas having lived their whole lives in hot and humid jungles, and many did not make it, Ciel's parents included. Before they passed, a trader's caravan heading for the Brume happened upon them huddled up and on the verge of succumbing to the cold. The blowing winds and heavy cloaks obscured their auri features, and holding an infant Ciel close to their chest and entrusting their warmth to her, reached out to the strangers.

Unable to turn down their dying request, she was nursed back to health in a section of a minor commune within the Brume, where they discovered her growing scales. Yet these children had not yet learned the hatred for them. If she proved she could not be too heavy a burden to them, she would stay, though hidden. She was spared, if only because a child thought to be of a heretical dragon would bring little glory to those who sought to join the warrior caste.

Her heretical guardians in the Brume knew nothing about her nature, her name, or her home, thus she was granted the surname Myste, as all Brume orphans, and given the name Ciel in regards to hair resembling the sky in Elezen tongue.

Many of the friends Ciel had made could only imagine themselves bettering their lot in life for their loved ones by becoming Temple Knights, even if it meant dying. Ciel's Auri lineage made that path an impossibility, but independent traders had brought word of mouth to the existence of one Bloodsands, where she might ply her sword free from political hostility.

Into Adulthood

While her success saw her scouted by the Sultansworn to join the Paladin ranks, she quickly found the routine to be little of what she imagined it to be. Ciel thought herself fortunate to circumvent having to join the Brass Blades altogether given a number of run ins with them in the years she settled down in Ul'dah. And yet the Paladins were often bogged down having to play to the Syndicate's internal politics and many avenues of action barred with bureaucratic tape. Unable to bear being forced into inaction, she resigned and turned her thoughts back to the only home she knew. Ciel had thought to repay those who had raised her with her success in the Arena.

When she returned she was met with a cold rejection, remembering that she had stowed both in and out of Ishgard beneath official notice. Not helping matters was the continued escalation of the Dragonsong War. The elders who still recognize her from her youth warmly welcomed her back. There she learned a number of her childhood acquaintances had earned positions as Halonic Inquisitors. In the socio-political upheaval, she placed her lot in with Hilda and the commonfolk, putting her at odds with her now-distant childhood friends. She had spilled blood just to remain in Ishgard, but her conscience would not let her abide and stay. Though she vowed to return once again, it would be many summers before she would return to care for her foster elders.

Wandering Home

There was still good coin to be made with her sword arm, but after the Dragonsong War, Ciel desired a time where raising a blade was one's last resort rather than one's first. To that end, Eorzean ships engaging in trade with Hingashi needed private arms like her's to fend off fiends of the ocean, and the occasional pirate crew who refuses to uphold the Lominsan pirate code, but it was still a largely peaceful, if fleeting time.

To step foot in Kugane for the first time, Ciel could not keep her eyes from staring at other Raen. She had never imagined to find others who looked like her till now. A curiosity suddenly bursting with desire to sate, collecting the stories of strangers while working at teahouses. She had a new goal to reach the Othard mainland and see for herself to learn more.

Even with Doma recently liberated, much of Othard was still under grips of Garlemald. Information networks still kept Doma's fighting force in contact with the struggling Bozjan Resistance. To move further inland, she would reach an impasse on her own eventually.

At first, working with the Eastern Alliance was simply a matter of mutual benefit for Ciel. One joint meeting between the Eastern Alliance and the Bozjan Resistance, in liaison with Lente's Tears of Dalmasca, a dark Hrothgar man approached her, eyes wide.

His name was Rostik, escaped imperial conscript and one of the last generation of gunbreakers. Ciel's blue hair and amber eyes reminded him of that stranger who healed him over 20 years ago. Though she had no memory of her birth mother, the likeness was unmistakable to him, and she clung to his every word about the brief encounter.

If either of them were devout in any of the Twelve, one would say fate reunited them. To repay the debt at long last, he would impart to her the techniques of Gunnhildr's Blades, and mastery of their enduring weapon: the gunblade. Even if the old masters were still alive to remind him that passing such knowledge to outsiders was forbidden, he would still impart Ciel with this legacy. Watching Bajsaljen make plans for the rebuilt Bozja reminded him ever more not to be bound by ancient tradition for its own sake. She would formally join the Bozjan Resistance after. With the Resistance, she will carve a bloody path back to the home she is a stranger to.

Ciel had only been taught basic numbers back with her foster parents for the sake of having her run tasks for them in her childhood, and for when she would live on her own in Ul'dah, but only verbally and counting gil, she still lacked the ability to read and write. Many of the Bozjan Resistance were either scions of the Bozjan royal class, or were chosen to receive garlean education post-occupation prior to joining. Bajsaljen had drafted social policy and education programs well before the sight of reclaiming Bozja seemed within reach, aspects of these policies which were borrowed from the 4th Legion's occupation itself. Education in particular had been put into motion on a smaller scale in calmer times. Ciel learned little by little to read and write, and one of the new generation of Gunnhildr's Blades, Isolde Covey, had taught Ciel singing and dancing Bozjan folk tunes and other songs of the resistance.

Since the start of her journey in Bloodsands, her combat instincts were guided by the Echo, though she still remains oblivious to its name or its true nature. Ciel's Echo in particular is attuned memories and emotions of the deceased in the moments leading to their death, and warning Ciel of immediate danger. Though she can channel somewhat more willingly than others possessed of the Echo, she winces at the enveloping sensation of death that is bound to occur.

Ciel fought alongside the Blades into steel-forged camaraderie. Her crowning act of valor due to earn her a place among them had been holding off Lyon rem Helsos, the dreaded Beast Tamer to secure an escape for the wounded. Though she barely escaped with her own life without knowing how reckless it was to face him, let it be said that she survived to tell the tale.

Nobody could have forseen the tragedy that would soon befall the Blades soon after she was inducted.

[dubersbutt]

66 w pld

66) “If you leave the house wearing that then the second you get back home I’m going to bend you over that bed.”

Pl is sitting on the couch when you walk out. You look good, you know it. Your dress hugged you in all the right places, the colour popped on the melanin. You felt good.

“How do I look,” you ask as you strap on your heels. When they’re both on you do a little twirl.

Pl nearly drops his glass, “You’re going to go out like that?”

“No I spent 3 hours getting ready so I could get back into sweats with you,” you say as he walks over to you. He’s pulling you close to him and kissing you hard.

“If you leave the house wearing that, then the second you get back home I’m going to bend you over that bed,” His voice his dropped a pitch or two and your half tempted to stay home.

But your best friend only turns 21 once, “Promise?”

“Leave now before I fuck you against that door.” 

~~~

By the time you make your way back to the appartement, it’s late. The night was mostly very fun, there was an incident in which a man felt the need to tell you he wanted to “Break off a piece of that chocolate,” but all in all, a great 21st birthday. 

You fumble with the keys on the way home, eager to see Pl. On your way home from dropping off your friend you checked your phone to see a very...interesting voice mail. 

Pierre had gotten impatient and decided to leave a message detailing all the things he wanted to do to you. His deep voiced sent tingles straight to your core and you may or may not have run through a few red lights in your haste. It had ended with him calling out your name as he came. 

“Pierre,” you called as soon as you made it through the door, throwing your keys on the counter and rip your jacket off.

“Are you drunk?” He asks, rounding the corner. 

“No,” you say as you run up and throw yourself into his arms, “I’m really fucking horny though.”

“Good,” he says, picking you up and carrying you to the bedroom, “I want you to remember this.”

[domesticmail]

Pld meeting your parents and he's so worried to mess up and they end up hating him but they LOVE him 🥺 (I mean, how could you not love him ?)

omg just picture him in yoru apartment beforehand, nervously picking out outfits, and you’re like “pierre, they don’t care - it’s a barbecue, you can’t wear a suit”

“i’m not going to look homeless the first time i meet your parents!”

“you won’t look homeless in jeans and a long sleeve!”

he relents, but only after you talk him down with promises of tons of kisses and a homemade dessert afterwards.

you get to the barbecue and basically your entire extended family is there. aunts, uncles, cousins, great-cousins-aunts-uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, that one part of the family you’re pretty sure you’re not related to, the whole nine yards. you kiss him and go off to find your parents, and when you lead them back to the backyard, you’re greeted by the sight of pierre playing with all of your baby nieces and nephews. he’s got Lily on his shoulders, Max hanging off his left bicep, Dani clinging to his right calf, and his right arm is extended, hand hanging limply. he’s pretending to be a zombie, slowly chasing around young children while being used as a jungle gym by your sister’s kids.

your parents love him from the moment they set eyes on him. your dad invites him to sit next to him instead of you when it comes time to eat, and even though he’s nervous, he does. it turns out he and your dad, a big-time hockey fan, get along remarkably well, and they spend the whole rest of the barbecue talking with each other in the living room. 

when you go home hand-in-hand, he keeps you as close as possible and never stops touching you, from the moment you get home to the moment you pass out in your bed. 

[pl-dubois]

New Year’s - Pierre-Luc Dubois

A/N: wow it has been a hot minute and double wow! i'm back with yet another pld fic! crazy!! so i have actually had this written since nye last year and it kinda sorta had ties to their game nye last year as well uhhhh sooo lmao pls forgive me if it’s not the caliber i usually write at but yes! pls just enjoy some cute soft boy! :)

Word Count: 1241

New Year’s Eve; it was the last and arguably best day of the year and you should’ve been out partying.  Instead, you were stuck at home doing a pile of work that your professor had unfairly dumped on you last minute--all of which was due the next day.  Unfortunately, your predicament also meant that you weren’t able to go watch the Blue Jackets play their final game of the year.  Much to your dismay, your situation led to a very disheartening conversation with your boyfriend a few hours earlier, before he left for his game. 

“What do you mean, you can’t come?” Pierre asked, his voice giving away his disappointment.

“Luc, I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” You took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I know it’s your last game before the new year, but my professor’s a dick and I- I just have to get this stuff turned in… I wish I could be there...”

“But what about after?  Are you coming out with us after the game?”  

The sad shake of your head was answer enough.

He sighed and nodded in understanding, pulling you into a tight embrace where you two stayed until he had to leave.

That left you where you sat now; on the couch, a glass of wine in your hand with the game on, upset about being away from Pierre and angry at your professor.  You worked diligently, intent on finishing by the time the game ended so you could still spend New Year’s out with your friends. However, your plans were ultimately foiled when the boys noticeably kicked their game into high gear.  Pausing your homework endeavors to watch the game a little closer, frankly impressed at how well the boys were playing, especially Pierre, made you even more sad you had missed it.  At the end of the game, you were pretty sure had your neighbors had been home, they would’ve called in a noise complaint about your yelling.  After the three stars of the game were announced, you sent Pierre a series of texts congratulating him on such a great game and getting the first star:  “First star of the game and first star in my HEART” your favorite of all the sent messages read, followed by a massive string of heart emojis.  You were immensely proud of him, but catching a glance of the time on your phone display prompted you to dejectedly return to your mound of work.  Originally, you had told yourself that you’d only watch the boys for a few minutes and then resume your assignments, but you had gotten a little carried away.  It was later than you thought and the due date was approaching faster than you had anticipated.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 

As the sudden beeping of your alarm for 11:50 shook you out of your homework trance, a feeling of relief washed over you; a break was definitely needed.  Setting the insufferable task aside, you made your way to the kitchen to pour yourself a glass of celebratory champagne.

“Here’s to spending New Year’s alone,” you sighed to yourself, completely miserable.  But before you could toast to your sadness, your phone rang with an incoming FaceTime call.  Answering, you were met with the smiling face of your boyfriend.

“Hi baby,” Pierre half-shouted over the cacophony resonating from the background.  “You didn’t really think you’d be toasting alone, did you?”

The biggest smile stretched across your face and you could’ve sworn your heart melted right then and there; you really did have the greatest boyfriend in the world.

“I love you so much,” you laughed, flipping your TV on to the channel showing the ball drop.

Champagne in your hand and Pierre on FaceTime, you were content.  Still, it would have been better to actually be with him, but it would do.  Counting down together, you reached the end of the year with a smile that made your cheeks hurt.  Since you couldn’t have an actual New Year’s kiss, you blew you boyfriend one through your screen.  Pierre laughed and returned the gesture as you took a sip of your drink.

“Happy New Year, mon ange.” His smile warmed your heart, a look of love upon his face that more than likely matched yours exactly.

“Happy New Year, baby,” you returned lovingly.  “Thank you for calling me.”

“I wasn’t going to let you be alone on New Year’s, you mean too much to me.”

“And you’re not a self-centered dick,” you added, joking with a smile.

Pierre laughed and a comfortable pause settled between the two of you, though the chaos sounding in the background of the call didn’t do much to help the moment.

“As soon as I get home, I’ll give you a proper New Year’s kiss,” he promised, his tone sincere and adoring.  “I have to go but I’ll text you when I leave, okay? I love you.”

“Sounds perfect. I love you, go have fun. Oh, and give Cam a kiss for me!”

With a laugh and a fond shake of his head, your call was ended and you were once again left with the daunting pile of work due sooner than you’d like.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  

By the time you had finally finished all the assigned work, Pierre had texted you that he was on his way back.  Glancing at your clock, you realized how late it actually was.  You set aside your computer and attempted to tidy up the mess of blankets you had made in the living room.  Soon enough however, you heard the door to your apartment open.  You were greeted with strong arms picking you up and the little noise you made in surprise was muffled by Pierre’s lips against your own.

“What was that for?” you laughed, once he set you back down.  He kept you close, his hands resting on the small of your back.

“I told you I would give you a proper New Year’s kiss when I got home,” he grinned, leaning down to capture your lips in another kiss.  Wrapping your arms around his neck, you pulled him closer and deepened the kiss, his mouth hot against your own.  Despite the passion however, he kissed you like he had all the time in the world; there was no desperation or urgency to it.  It made your heart soar.

Pulling away slightly, a little breathless and light headed, Pierre rested his forehead against your own.

“Happy New Year, Pierre,” you whispered, meeting his soft gaze.

“Happy New Year, (Y/N).”  He leaned down slightly to gently press his lips against yours in a kiss that was so soft and meaningful, it could only be described as love itself.  He spoke again when the two of you pulled apart, “I have good feelings about this year, for us especially.  This is going to be our year.”

You couldn’t help but beam at his words.  He was right, you could feel it too; the next year with Pierre was going to be a great one, along with the many others to come.  “I have a good feeling about this year too, Lou Lou.”

He chuckled at your use of the nickname and pulled you into a tight embrace.  The vibrations of his laughter resonated through you from where your head was resting on his chest; just being in his presence was comforting.  While standing encircled by his strong arms, you finally understood the meaning of someone feeling like home.

[going-full-shmoo]

HI!!! Can you do one for pld where the reader is josh Anderson’s little sister and dating pld in secret until one day they are kissing and josh sees them and gets mad and you can finish however you want. THANK YOU!!!!

Okay anon! I’m gonna see what I can do with this. And thank YOU! (also I have no excuse for the Josh gif i used…its just too cute to ignore)

REQUEST HERE

NOTE: i do prefer writing gender neutral things, so instead i am going to try and make sure that this works out for any reader, not just female specific

the two of you had met at a family skate that Josh had brought you to

he had introduced you to the team and the family that they had there, even though he was a bit apprehensive about some of them

he was one of those protective older brothers who you had to constantly remind that you could make your own choices, yknow

but, you would always be his younger sibling, which meant he would always be looking after you no matter what

when he introduced you to Pierre, you could see him tense up a bit

you and Pierre were about the same age, so he knew that introducing you to him could backfire on him

he saw the smile that Pierre gave you, and you returned, and his older brother senses immediately fired up

when you had skated off to talk to some of the other members of the team, Josh turned back to Pierre with an almost threatening glare

“Don’t even think about it”

Pierre held his hands up in surrender, and Josh skated away to rejoin you

this intimidation tactic, however, did not stop you from slipping Pierre your number towards the end of the family skate

without Josh’s knowledge

the two of you began texting and calling each other regularly, mostly without Josh’s knowledge

every now and again, he would ask Josh about how you were, just to “check up on you”

and every time he could see Josh squirm a little bit

behind the scenes, you and Pierre had gotten even closer, even going as far as having dates whenever you were in town

also, without Josh’s knowledge

this one time you visit, you two are feeling a bit more confident, and a bit more risky

you were visiting Pierre’s apartment, and naturally things had heated up quite a bit

he was on top of you on the couch, having quite a steamy makeout session that had started right after you walked into the door

long distance will do that to you

you two were minding your own business when the door opened

“hey man, I hope you don’t mind, i just - WHAT THE FUCK?”

the two of you sat up, eyes wide, knowing you just got caught by the one person who would not hesitate to throw hands

your brother

“Josh, please, don’t get angry -” you tried

“ANGRY? ANGRY?? (Y/N) ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW? THAT’S MY TEAMMATE” he yelled, “AND YOU! THAT’S MY SISTER”

“I’m really sorry, man, I just-” Pierre tried to reason, both of you getting off the couch slowly

“DON’T” 

“JOSH” you yelled, making your way towards him. “YOU listen now”

Josh still held a furious look, but shut his mouth and stared right at you

“I get that you are trying to protect me, and I appreciate that. But, this was MY choice. MY idea. I gave HIM my number. This was a choice I made for MYSELF. And you need to understand that you can protect me all you want, but I can still make my own choices, and I CHOSE him. And no amount of anger or yelling can change that”

Josh wanted to stay angry

he wanted to punch Pierre in the face

but he just couldn’t, not with the determined look on your face

“Okay…okay. I’m not happy about it, but it’s your choice…” he mumbled to you before looking back up at Pierre “You do ANYTHING to hurt them, I will not hesitate next time. You know what I can do. Don’t try it”

Pierre nodded quietly, still frozen in the same spot that he was when he got up

Josh sighed, said a quiet goodbye to you, and walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind him

“Well, that was a mood killer,” you joked, not even an ounce of fear in your voice

Pierre, however, still looked like a deer in the headlights

“Oh, babe. Believe me, he won’t do anything unless I say so, I promise. You don’t need to be afraid”

“Yeah…okay…mhm” Pierre still stared at the door where your brother just left

“hey, look at me,” you tilted his face to look at you. “I meant what I said. I chose you, and I trust you. He won’t kill you, I promise.”

you gave him a kiss, and he nodded in response

“I don’t think catching us making out on the couch helped my case a whole lot, but if you say so, I trust you”

the two of you kissed again, things beginning to heat back up like they had before your interruption

even though he was still a bit afraid of what was coming to him the next time he had practice, Pierre trusted that you had good judgement

and that as long as you were around, your protective brother couldn’t hurt him

you chose him, and you trusted him, and that was all he needed

[badstoriesaboutgoodpeople]

“Come on, you know we’d have beautiful kids.” cute lil fluffy pregnancy/baby prompt with PLD?

You always made fun of PL for the lack of photos he posted oh his dog Phillip.

“Luc he is your son, show him off!! Post more pictures of him, people will love it.” you said, poking him in the shoulder to get his attention.

“My son??” he asked, visibly confused.

“Yeah. He’s your fur baby, because as far as I know you don’t have any children yet, so he’s the closest thing you’ve got.”

“Hm,” said PL, still confused but starting to understand it all a little bit.

After that Luc started calling Phillip his son constantly. But he didn’t just say “my son”, nooooooo, he said “our son”, which was a lot. You’d always wanted kids and you knew Luc did too, and now your traitorous brain was supplying you with thoughts of what your family could be like. Pierre was constantly sending you pictures of Phillip at the park saying “our son made a new friend today” or “our son needs to learn to share his toys better” or “our son went down the slide today, he’s so smart”. It came to a climax when you were at the pet store in the toy aisle and Pierre was trying to get Phillip to choose between two toys.

“Luc just get him both, he doesn’t need to choose.”

“No we can’t spoil our son, we gotta practice for when we have real kids.”

“Real kids huh?” you asked, a small smile on your face.

“Of course. Come on, you know we’d have beautiful kids. Is that...not something you want?” he asked, looking awfully sheepish.

“No I do it’s just, we’ve never had this conversation before.”

“Well we are now.”

“In the middle of a Pet Smart? Nice try. Let’s go home,” you said, gently taking both toys from PL and putting them in the basket.

“Y/N we aren’t getting him both toys,” said Luc, as though Phillip wasn’t already spoiled as is.

“Well he’s my son too and I say he deserves both,” you said as you leaned down to pick up Phillip. You held him in Luc’s face, showing off the puppy dog eyes he was sporting.

“Say please daddy pleeeeeease can I get both?? Please?? I’ll be good I promise!!” you said, and Luc chuckled as he took him from your arms.

“Fine, we’ll get him both, but we are not gonna spoil our human children.”

[saint-patrice]

it’s time for another one, friends!! today we are loving and appreciating mr charles patrick mcavoy (i, personally, do this every day). this one is for @softboybradenholtby/@cheeksavoy​, thank you for encouraging my nonsense!

Note: a few people have said they like these posts, so i’m happy to take requests if there’s a particular player you’d like to see! see this page for details, and a list of ones i’ve done so far :)

is a young charlie mcavoy attacking his usa teammate with a hug not the best thing you have seen all day? perhaps not, but it has to rank pretty high, because it’s adorable. also makes for a good meme template, for example i would label charlie as “me” and colin white as “the bruins,” “my mutuals,” or even “charlie mcavoy”

(gif via @gaudreau) quick!! someone arrest him for Too Handsome crimes

(gif via @davidpastrnak) the only thing better than charlie mcavoy is charlie mcavoy with glasses!!! and that is a scientific fact. i’m not sure i can cope with how much i love him

there are so many pictures of our boys with pups and i appreciate that to no end. this one in particular

(gif via @werenski) this is the first gif of charlie i have saved on my phone and i think that’s very valid of me. are there any pictures of the rest of this suit anywhere? because it looks amazing - i love the blue on him!! he is positively radiant here, and that single loose corl improved my quality of life by 250%

(gif via @phillymyers) how can you not love him???? he’s just laughing his life away after his first career fight (against none other than pld), and then when he got out of the box he proceeded to provide an assist to get a gordie howe hat trick!!! fucking legend and a half right here. oh, and he was 19 at the time

“This kid's fucking jacked. Thick, dense, built whatever you wanna call him he's got it. Legs thicker than my chest, and shoulders wider than my wingspan. Making full use of his frame and with the golden flow to top it off. He dwarfed us all. Bonafide stallion.”  (if you’re currently wondering what sort of crack i smoked before making this post, just click the link)

if these 2 aren’t your favoruite d-pair you may need to re-evaluate your life choices. i just love them so much, and i love that every clip of cmac hugging zee just has him looking like he’s clinging onto a tree for dear life. heavy father-son vibes,, very adorable

how does he actually do it...how does he look this good all of the goddamn time. if i didn’t love him i would hate him for it yknow

every single photo and piece of video from charlie at world juniors is so premium - and he won gold!!! i’m very proud. i want to kiss his face so bad okay

don’t let his sweet face deceive you though, this is a “big boy” we are dealing with, to use hockey terms. and looking at this it is immediately obvious that he could kill me with extreme ease, so i am slightly afraid. luckily he only uses his v strong arms for good, like holding dogs and beating the living shit out of p*narin!!

this is such a mess of a photo and i love it. what the fuck is he doing. i showed this to a friend (non-hockey literate) and asked her to guess what height both of them were. i forget her answer but when i told her charlie was 6′ she had an existential crisis that only got worse when i told her how tall zee actually was. basically charlie is just our 6 foot baby long beach dman

LOOK AT THIS SHIT!!! HE HASN’T CHANGED A BIT

i went from learning that charlie had a tattoo, with a dodgy quality picture where it was barely visible, to then seeing this video and this photo in the space of 2 days and i think it’s going to take me a long time to recover from that having those revelations at such breakneck speed. this man is a mf Machine

(gif via @chuckersbean) okay i promise this is my last slightly self-indulgent inclusion of proof that this man is Lorge. i mean jesus christ just run me over already, i’m begging you

when i said earlier that the only thing better than charlie mcavoy was charlie mcavoy in glasses, i may have failed to take charlie mcavoy in glasses with a santa hat holding a 4ft teddy bear into consideration - my bad. this is very endearing and i am kin with whoever put the heart stickers on this photo 

bahhhhh look at this ridiculous man. who gave him the right to be this handsome in his coat and his glasses and his beanie?? he’s nothing short of amazing and i will not be taking questions on that opinion

(gif via @marchnds) baby! baby boy!!!! if you don’t cherish him i will appear in your room at 4am holding a large wordsearch book which i will use to beat some sense into you

(gif via @davidpastrnut) i included this gif in my top 5 chuckie post, but i love it to the moon and back, and this is my blog dammit, so i’m putting it in again. i cannot explain why but something about this is so goddamn cute it makes my heart do things and i just adore this boy and his backward cap and shitty beard so fuckin much okay

this is the cryptid i see in the corner of my room when i wake up with sleep paralysis in the middle of the night

looks like he has no idea what’s going on here and like,, me the fuck neither charlie

(this is an elusive gif that i can find no real source for despite trawling through tumblr for 20 minutes. google just says it’s from giphy. if it’s yours please hmu)

there it is folks!! the smile that brightens my day no matter what!!!! charlie really does have the most infectious of smiles though, you just love to see it (at least, i do) i am desperately hoping we make a move to keep him in boston this offseason. because, even with my emotional attachments aside, i think he is going to go on to do incredible things with his career, and i totally agree with people saying they think he’ll be wearing the C someday. i mean just look at what he’s already achieved by the age of 21 for christ sakes 

lmao 

(gif via @i-hate-hockey) i literally never want to see chuckie sad. ever. he is perfect in every way always. also what’s his skincare routine holy moly

(gif via @gaudreau) stunning!!!! magical!!!! ravishing!!!!! handsome!!!! gorgeous!!!! divine!!!!! and so much more! this whole interview with him is just delightful, tbh i always find his media stuff v enjoyable. he gives really genuine answers (not that other people don’t but like,, maybe he’s just young enough to not have had to revert to cliches constantly because he’s answered every question before idk), and i think his personality comes across well. he seems like a very fine young man

#ISaidYes

this is literally just every hockey player trying to use all 3 of their brain cells to come up with a sentence that doesn’t include ‘chip it in’ or ‘get pucks deep’. not that i can hold it against any of them, i only have 2 brain cells, and i use both of them for loving charlie mcavoy. his expression makes me laugh but i mostly included this because that suit he wore to the nhl media day is my favourite thing on the planet, and i’m glad there is so much content of him wearing it

tl;dr - op loves charlie mcavoy. thank you once again to @softboybradenholtby :)) as mentioned, i am taking requests for more of these, although i’m currently sitting on 5 or 6 in my inbox so it might take a while - feel free to keep em coming though! 

[hookingminor]

Could you do 62 with pld?

a/n: who doesn't love a little enemies to friends and wow this got really long really fast oops

62. “Do you have a ride home?”

-

The last place you wanted to be was in a crowded apartment for a party.

Sadly for you, it was Josh’s birthday and you promised him you would be here. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was your best friend’s party, you would be in your own apartment having a quiet night in and not stuck with the most insufferable person you knew.

But you were a good friend, so if enduring Pierre for a night was all it took for Josh to have a good time, you’d have to go through with it.

You didn’t understand the hype around him. When Josh had first introduced you, Pierre came off as an arrogant asshole. As if you should be so lucky to be graced with his presence. He was hot shit, and he knew it. And that made you hate him instantly. The way he walked around taking up so much space with his bulging arms and gorgeous beard, it infuriated you.

You weren’t blind. You knew he was attractive, and you’d be lying if you said your stare didn’t linger on his tattoos from time to time. That was all contradicted, however, by the awful way he acted around you.

You tried pleasantries. You tried being nice. But all that resulted from that was overzealous flirting as if he was just waiting for the moment you’d go home with him.

“Hey there, babycakes, I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” Pierre greeted you with his signature cocky smirk.

You rolled your eyes as he placed a hand beside your head on the wall and leaned against it. Just your luck, you only got ten minutes to yourself before you were finally spotted.

“It’s Josh’s birthday, why wouldn’t I be here?” You retorted, meeting his smirk with an annoyed look. It was so like him to start a conversation with a dumb remark. Of course you’d be here tonight.

“It’s good to see you again, babycakes,” he said, ignoring your retort, “You should come by more often.”

“There isn’t enough alcohol in the world that would make me enjoy your company, Pierre,” you replied, taking another swig of whatever Josh had mixed you earlier. Normally, you’d never accept a drink from him since he made them way too strong, but tonight you were thankful for it.

“You hurt my feelings, babe,” Pierre clutched his chest in mock offense, “And I told you to call me Luc.”

“Ah, but that would assume we are friends, Pierre,” you said.

“You love me. I know you do,” he replied with a grin. You rolled your eyes again at his presumptuousness. It seemed you were constantly rolling them whenever you were around him.

“As much as I’d love to stay and chat, your fan club is getting a little anxious,” you nodded your head towards a small cluster of girls who kept sneaking glances in his direction your entire conversation, “I’ll see you later.”

Not giving him a chance to reply, you stalked off to the kitchen to refill your drink. You turned your back away from him, but Pierre’s eyes followed you the whole way to your destination, only breaking his stare when he saw you engage in conversation with Cam.

The rest of the night flew by in a drunken haze, and you were considerably tipsy by the end of it. You’d only seen Pierre in passing throughout the evening, and he hadn’t bothered you since your initial interaction. You spent most of your time around Josh and his girlfriend, and you were happy to report that the night wasn’t as terrible as you thought it’d be.

The crowd dwindled down to a small group over the hours. You were one of the last remaining people when you decided to call it a night.

“I think I’m going to head out now, guys,” you said finally. You were met with a few ‘boo’s, mainly from Josh’s girlfriend who didn’t want to be the only girl left.

Josh walked you to the door and gave you one last hug before you exited. You only got about fifteen steps down the hall, though, before you heard the door open and close again.

“Hey, Y/N, wait up,” a familiar voice called out.

You turned around to face Pierre, stumbling a bit. Your hand shot out to steady yourself on the wall, and Pierre was at your side in an instant to offer support.

“Do you have a ride home?” He asked, placing a hand on your hip.

“I was just going to order an Uber or something,” you answered. The alcohol must’ve seriously lowered your inhibitions because you were clutching onto Pierre’s arm as he led you down the hall.

“I can drive you,” he suggested when you entered the elevator.

“It’s fine, Pierre. I don’t want to bother you,” you said.

“You never bother me,” he insisted, “I’m not letting you take a car home when you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk,” you said, but even you could hear the way it slurred together.

Pierre laughed as he guided you out to his parked car.

“Yeah, babycakes, you are drunk,” he replied when you were seated in the passenger side.

“Why do you call me that?” You asked, “It’s never my name, always babycakes.”

“You hated it when I first said it, so I kept saying it,” Pierre explained casually. You doubted he would be telling you this right now if it weren’t for your inebriated state, “I kind of like it now, though.”

“It doesn’t bother me as much as it used to,” you admitted, “I kind of like it, too.”

Your head fell to rest on the window as Pierre drove you home, and you let your eyes fall shut for the brief ride. The corners of his lips quirked up in a smile at your admission, and he found himself glancing over occasionally to check on you.

When you arrived at your complex, Pierre gently shook your shoulders to wake you from your nap. He helped you out of the car and into the building, all the way to your apartment.

“Thank you for the ride,” you said as you fumbled your key into the lock, “You’re not so bad when you’re being nice and not an unbearable ass.”

“I’m always nice,” he defended, though his voice didn’t carry the lilted tone you were expecting.

“Never around me,” you chuckled, kicking off your shoes in the doorway.

“You make me a little nervous,” Pierre said quietly with a blush, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“I doubt that. You’re confident all the time,” you scoffed.

“I’m not,” he said quickly, “I try to be around you, but you don’t seem to like it.”

“So then why do you keep doing it?” You inquired.

“I guess I’m a dumbass and don’t know how to act around you,” he sighed.

“Have you ever tried just being yourself?” You offered.

“That probably would’ve been a good idea. Pretty girls don't usually make me this nervous,” he chuckled awkwardly.

You’d never seen Pierre look as uncomfortable as he did now. In all the times you’ve seen him, he always radiated confidence. People gravitated towards him, they always have, and he always welcomed it.

“How about we start over then?” You asked, stepping closer to him and sticking out your hand for him to shake, “I’m Y/N, not babycakes.” You added that second part with a light laugh.

Pierre’s face broke out in a warm smile, and he took your hand in his.

“I’m Pierre, but my friends call me Luc,” he said.

“Nice to meet you, Luc.”

“You too, Y/N.”

[djgamek1ng]

PLD LEVEL 80 STORY RAGE [FFXIV] RANT

So it has been a while since ShB came out. I’ve gotten all my tanks to level 80, did all of the job quests and oh boy I have some stuff to talk about. Since this is a rant post as you can see by the title, I’m just gonna put this out there: I’m gonna be swearing in this post. I’m probably gonna be swearing a lot. If you don’t like that or don’t like anger/negativity in general, you should probably skip this post (aka, don’t click “Read more”) even though I will be raising some more legitimate criticisms and how to improve one of the tank’s stories... no shuddup, the title totally doesn’t give it away.

Also, on another note, I will be posting my impressions of each of the tanks later. Hopefully somewhere this weekend, but no promises. I have a lot to talk about and I wanna cover it well.

Also also, spoiler warning. I will probably spoil some stuff though I will try to be vague about it.

Okay, let’s start with some positivity first. Some happiness if you will and so we shall start with what in my opinion is undoubtably the best level 80 story of the tanks: Dark Knight. All of the 80 job quests are really short, but still give a decent story. I hope next expac we do get a bit more, even if they decide to just go with the one job quest route again.

Anyway, DRK’s level 80 story quest... holy fuck. I was not prepared. This only re-affirms it for me: the DRK story has no right to be only just a job quest story. It honestly feels like it should be part of the MSQ. So TL;DR for this quest: you go to Sidurgu to check in on him and Rielle. Sidurgu hands you a letter from an unknown sender. You go to find out who the letter is from through a slightly long fetch quest, though you do get to re-meet people from the DRK quest of the previous expacs. Eventually you come by the person who send it, the person that ridiculed you for ruining the wares he asked you to return to him. He feels sorry about it and wanted to thank you (which is what the letter was about btw) and tells you the story of how life went for him after that (not well until recently). He hands you a flower to give to someone, though it is more suiting for a funeral or a farewell. You go off to be brooding and there appears your darkside. You exchange some words with them and then return back to Sidurgu. This honestly felt really powerful and in fact, was the second time I had to wipe away a tear or two from my face this expansion. I have done it no justice and I implore you to at least look it up on YouTube, but preferably you do it yourself. Even though it was just 1 pretty short quest, this was hands down the best tank job story this expac. Even the entirety of the GNB story doesn’t come close.

Onwards to second place: WAR. The WAR story this time around was pretty nice. Not as deep or feeling provoking, but just... nice.

TL;DR: Curious Gorge can’t take it anymore and wants to know if Dorgono (the female Auri WAR from the SB story) loves him the same way he does with her. He wants to travel to the Far East. Coincidentally, Dorgono and her dad come to Eorzea. Drogono’s dad, Luvsan, wants to repay us for helping Dorgono control her inner beast. He repays us by making a medicine (which is a placebo) which allows Broken Mountain to train as a WAR once more. Afterwards, Luvsan returns to the Azim Steppe but leaves Dorgono behind to train more (and fall in love, which was his first intent in Eorzea to begin with). Oh and Curious Gorge freaks out and thinks that the WoL and Dorgono are in love with each other because they smiled at each other. Dorgono knocks some sense into him, since she isn’t in love with us but someone else (no points if you guess right).

And that was WAR’s story. Simple, funny, effective and heartwarming. I actually really liked it and it was my favorite tank job story before I leveled DRK. Overal, pretty good! GNB. Well, probably the 2nd weakest tank job story but even then, this is honestly pretty good. I will only summarize the 80 story to the others. TL;DR: after having trained under the last Gunbreaker out there, Radovan, and having saved the First, you return to him. You tell him your story, especially about another Gunbreaker being out there named Thancred. He’s confused since he doesn’t know Thancred and he didn’t train him. You go on a fetch quest on a trail for someone that looks a lot like Radovan and uses the same kind of weapon. It turns out, Radovan isn’t the last Gunbreaker out there as others of his home place have survived and the trail we picked up was of Rostik, another Gunbreaker. After it, you return back to Mor Dhona and are happy to know that the art of Gunbreaking isn’t about to be lost. Again, like the DRK story, I didn’t do it much justice and with the context of the 60-70 GNB quests it becomes a lot more interesting. Still very nice. I would personally say it is a bit weaker than WAR, but that is because I have grown to care about the people in the WAR quest for longer. PLD... UGH. TL;D-FUCKING-R; You go to Jenlyns. Jenlyns is worried about Mylla, the head of the gladiator guild. You got to Mylla. She is worried about Aldis, the wandering bum. Speaking of him, he walks inside the gladiators guild to show of his samurai skills. He challenges you to a duel. You get ready to fight and he sees how much strong you have become. You say it is because of you have things to protect. The duel ends with Aldis giving up before it began. You and Mylla go back to the gladiator guild. Aldis steps in and asks if he can stay. Mylla goes all tsundere (ugh) and allows him to stay. You fuck off and do literally anything else.

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. WHY. THERE WAS ONE REALLY COOL THING. ALDIS SEEING HOW STRONG YOU GOT BY SEEING AN AURA AROUND YOU. THIS HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL BUT NOOOOOOOOOOO. FUCK THAT, WE NEED TO HAVE THIS ROMANCE PLOT BETWEEN TWO CHARACTERS OF THE FUCKING GLADIATOR STORYLINE. YEAH, THAT IS SO MUCH BETTER. NO NEED TO EXPLAIN HOW THE PLD POWERS ARE EVEN A THING OUTSIDE OF TRAINING (WHICH LITERALLY EVERY FUCKING JOB HAS TO DO BTW), NO NEED TO SHOW US THAT WE SAVE PEOPLE AND DO ALL THIS KNIGHTLY/PALADINY SHIT OUTSIDE OF THE GODDAMN MSQ. NOOOOOOOO, THAT WOULD MAKE FOR AN ACTUAL GOOD FUCKING STORY LINE INSTEAD OF THIS BULLSHIT. GOD FUCKING DAMMIIIIIIT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA- *insert static screen here* sigh As you can no doubt tell by everything that I just typed, I am slightly upset at the PLD story. It had one really neat thing going for it, something that could make it feel more like a Paladin/Knight story (need I remind you, in JP PLD is called Knight). Instead however, anything interesting gets brushed aside because “well, the MSQ covers it already. Nevermind that the fucking WAR, DRK and GNB stories do show us protecting stuff in their respective quests”. Hell, wanna know the biggest slap in the face? We got a really good PLD story. It just wasn’t part of the PLD story. Instead it was inside of the tank role quests where we got to see more of Branden (the PLD inside the Warriors of Darkness group) and his past. It was amazing and honestly heartbreaking, since it didn’t have a great ending for Branden but he still did what he had to do. The biggest problem for me since SB is that the PLD story has just become a continuation of the Gladiator storyline and I’m happy for the people that really like Aldis and Mylla, but I’m so fucking bored of those two. At least with Curious Gorge and Dorgono you know that the two are actually in love with each other and that they will finally be able to be together, even if for now it is only to train together. With Mylla and Aldis... Aldis just does not give off that he has any interest in Mylla while Mylla is obviously in love with him but doesn’t want to admit it since “oooh, let’s have a tsundere character”. SERIOUSLY. DO ANYTHING WITH THEM. Aldis comes to the conclusion to ask if he can stay with the gladiator’s guild because of us admitting that we have something to protect now (WHICH BTW, IT ISN’T STATED EXPLICITLY WHAT WE HAVE TO PROTECT NOW AND HAS TO BE GAINED OUT OF THE FUCKING MSQ) and that is why we became that strong. Okay, so how would I rank them? DRK >>> WAR => GNB (WAR overal was better, but GNB is pretty close to it) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PLD. 

Now, since I don’t want to be only negative, how about some ways to improve the PLD story? Honestly, it is very simple: make it similar to the DRK one, only with a brighter, more optimistic tone compared to the DRK’s more somber and pessimistic tone. Think of Superman and Batman: one is about needing to save the world while being a beacon of hope for the world, the other is about dragging the world back from the brink and being pessimistic/realistic about everything. An example: let’s say someone important to the job story dies in a battle. The PLD would mourn them, but still continue to fight the good fight and rally their (potentially) allies. The DRK would mourn them and instead go fucking nuts on whoever killed their ally. Either would be able to go for vengeance, but it wouldn’t be on the PLD’s to-do list while it becomes the only thing on the DRK’s to-do list.

That’s just my idea on it though. Could obviously be better written than I could ever do, but it would work honestly. Anyway, I think I’ll wrap it up here. I’m glad that 3 out of the 4 tank stories was good, but I’m really pissed of at that 1 out of the 4 that isn’t good. Thank you for reading. Sorry for the swearing, but I had to get it off my chest.

[davidpastrsnack]

hi! idk if u take requests but pld calling you after the 5 ot game and he’s just so drained, frustrated and exhausted and all he wants is for u to be there but you can’t so you just talk over facetime until he falls asleep

i absolutely love this and it’s straight where my mind went after yesterday

To say you were in shock was an understatement. Your nerves were already so high even before puck drop, but here you were now, seven periods later still on the edge of your seat. The hockey fan inside of you was loving it, but your heart dropped every time the camera panned to Pierre, his face riddled with frustration and exhaustion. 

The series against Toronto was such an emotional roller coaster and the guys barely had time to process their series victory before they were thrown into another. And of course it was the Lightning, so the pressure was on for them to continue to prove themselves. Your thoughts were interrupted with the sound of the buzzer as both teams headed back into the locker rooms yet again. 

You doubted Pierre was checking his phone during these many intermissions but you couldn’t help sending him a message. If anything it was to make you feel better. 

hi baby. i’m so proud of you. keep it going, i know you can! 

It felt cheesy, but you didn’t know what to say so you pressed send anyway. You settled back into the couch, pulling the hood of one of the many sweatshirts he left behind for you over your head. The warm fabric gave you so much comfort, still smelling like a mix of his detergent and cologne. 

Before you knew it they were back on the ice for the eighth time. All things considered they looked pretty good, the adrenaline keeping their legs going, but there was no hiding the emotion on Pierre’s face. He wanted to win so badly, and you knew he would happily play all night if that’s what it took. 

And that’s when it happened. You looked down at your phone for a second to reply to your friend when you heard the announcers yelling. Your heart sank as you saw the Lightning clear the bench and huddle on the ice, celebrating an oh so sweet win. The Blue Jackets didn’t linger, heading right down the tunnel before you could even catch a glimpse of Pierre. 

You texted him again, doing whatever you could to make him feel better.. 

i’m still so so so proud of you luc. i love you. 

You knew exactly what he needed. Pierre was the definition of a gentle giant, always wanting to be as close to you as possible. After a rough loss, the night never failed to end with his big body laying on top of yours, your hands running through his curls as he drifted asleep.  

But you couldn’t give that to him right now.

You switched the channel to the show you were watching before, nearly six hours ago by now. You knew it would take him a while to call you, so you started getting ready for bed as you waited. 

Just as you were about to get up from the couch you heard your phone ping. 

Luc: thank you babygirl. media will probably be a while but i’ll be there soon. 

You smiled down at the screen, your face still turning pink at the pet name even after so long together. It was his go to since the day you met and never failed to make your heart flutter. 

It was nearly an hour later and you were finally tucked into bed, the mental fatigue of watching the game hitting you. Your eyes were slipping shut and your head was getting heavy against the pillow, but you were startled awake by the buzzing of your phone. You quickly sat up, answering his facetime call right away. 

“There’s my girl,” he smiled. 

“Hi Luc,” you murmured back. “How are you?”

He chuckled at your words, clearly having been better. He was back in his hotel room alone, laying in bed like you were. He had no shirt on and his many tattoos were peeking out from beneath the white comforter. 

“I’m alright, you know, just another game over here,” he deflected. 

“Luc,” you whispered. “Are you okay?”

He gave you a soft smile, sighing before he spoke, “I’m okay. It just fucking blows that we lost after that,” he mumbled. 

“I know baby. You guys looked great though, next game is all yours.”

He gave you a soft smile, but no words. There was no denying that your usually cheery boyfriend was defeated, and your heart broke as you watched him in front of you. 

“Your legs feel alright?” you asked. 

“Yeah, I honestly feel pretty good. I’ll let you know in the morning though,” he laughed, a small victory for you, but his tone quickly took another turn. 

“I really wish you were here,” he mumbled. “I need you.”

“Luc,” you whispered, not trusting your voice as you felt your eyes sting with tears. 

“Fuck, no baby, it’s okay,” he cooed, not wanting to make you cry. He didn’t know if he could hold it together if you lost it. 

You took a deep breath, gathering yourself before speaking. 

“It’s absolutely killing me not being there with you,” you muttered. 

Pierre sighed, “We’re gonna make it, okay? I’ll be back before you know it, I promise.”

You nodded, putting on your best smile as you held eye contact through the screen. 

“Stay on? Sleeping without you is the hardest part,” he trailed off. 

“Of course,” you reassured. 

It didn’t take long for Pierre to succumb to the physical and mental exhaustion of the night. The sound of his soft snores filled your room, quickly sending you off as well. Despite not being together, Pierre knew he was never really alone as long as you were a phone call away.  

[autumnslance]

A Lore Nerd’s Analysis of Oaths and Warriors of Light in D&D and FFXIV

This is @wearepaladin‘s fault. Kinda. Actually, I’ve been planning on doing something for awhile, and the idea began to solidify more in a r/ffxiv thread where someone asked “Anyone notice Dark Knight is more like a traditional Paladin lore wise?” My own comment can be found here, where I say I’ve been long thinking of the ways the Dark Knights and Paladins of Eorzea match up to the various Paladin Sacred Oaths of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. I figured I ought to expand on that sooner or later.

So yeah, “I’m your host LynMars/Dark Autumn, you can go below the cut for my TEDTalk on the Warrior of Light, Dark Knights, Paladins, and the Sacred Oaths of D&D 5e”:

Now, as a disclaimer, I have not completed the Paladin quest chains yet. I am nearly to the end of the original lvl 30-50 A Realm Reborn (ARR) chain, though, and since I usually don’t care too much about spoilers, already know what’s going to happen. Partially because I could easily guess and so just looked over the chain info. Anyway.

Paladin (PLD) is a traditional sword-and-shield wielding class of holy light users in Final Fantasy, like in most settings. In FFXIV, the primary group of paladins is the Sultansworn. As the class trainer, Captain Jenlyns Aesc, explains when you first approach him:

“A paladin swears allegiance to the sultanate. A paladin shall be the sword and shield of the sultanate. A paladin defends the people of the realm. Sellswords and gladiators and others of their ilk wield their blades for themselves, but a paladin serves the greater good. Do you understand me?

“The battle arts that the paladin learns have been held secret, nurtured, and perfected within the ranks of the Sultansworn elite for nigh on these six hundred years. Of all those sworn to protect the sultanate--the soldiers, the mounted guards, and the knights--we are the elite of the elite. Our conviction unwavering, our hearts true, our sword skills without peer.

“But the glory of the Sultansworn...Well, much of it is buried in the past now. Our brotherhood grows smaller by the year, we are a shadow of what we once were, and the sultana turns to sellswords to defend her palace. All this, because of one traitor--no, because of a blot of dishonor left by one who shall not be named...And because of him, we have been forced to seek the help of able-bodied adventurers.

“And here you are. We shall instruct you in the paladin military arts. You will not be inducted into the Sultansworn, but serve as a free paladin. However, first you will show us that both your sword and heart have mettle, and you are worthy of the honor.”

So how does this relate to the best-known traditional tabletop RPG? In 5th edition (5e), the traditional classes are handled a little differently than before. To add customization, early in leveling (mostly lvl 3, though a few classes start off right at lvl 1), players can choose a type of their class they want to be; what Bard College they study, what Cleric Domain they know, what Druid Circle they are attuned to, etc. For paladins, they choose a Sacred Oath to swear. This gives them their moral code to follow in the service of their deity or ideal that grants them their divine abilities, while also loosening some of the constraints of the old alignment system, and gives both players and game masters a framework for what the paladin’s behavior should follow, lest they stray and lose their divine favor.

The Sultansworn would fit best into the Oath of the Crown:

Law: The law is paramount. It is the mortar that holds the stones of civilization together, and it must be respected. Loyalty: Your word is your bond. Without loyalty, oaths and laws are meaningless. Courage: You must be willing to do what needs to be done for the sake of order, even in the face of overwhelming odds. If you don't act, then who will? Responsibility: You must deal with the consequences of your actions, and you are responsible for fulfilling your duties and obligations.

This oath is for those paladins “sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign, or service to a deity of law and rulership.” (Sword Coast Adventurer Guide, pg 132). As the name implies, the Sultansworn are dedicated to Ul’dah and the Sultan(a) sitting on the throne. As the Sultansworn train free paladins, however, the Oath of the Crown doesn’t apply. A free paladin, Solkzagyl Keltnaglsyn, challenges the player:

“Simply learning paladin swordplay does not make you a paladin--nor does the armor you wear, or the status you claim...Strike off the shackles that bind your spirit, lift the visor that blinds, and find the true path of the paladin.”

Free paladins would fit better under the more traditional Oath of Devotion, from the Player’s Handbook (PHB):

Honesty: Don't lie or cheat. Let your word be your promise. Courage: Never fear to act, though caution is wise. Compassion: Aid others, protect the weak, and punish those who threaten them. Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom. Honor: Treat others with fairness, and let your honorable deeds be an example to them. Do as much good as possible while causing the least amount of harm. Duty: Be responsible for your actions and their consequences, protect those entrusted to your care, and obey those who have just authority over you.

All the things the Sultansworn strive for, but without the strictures of devoted service to the sultanate. The Knights of Ishgard (often called Temple Knights if part of their military), though not called paladins in game, can also fall into one of these two oaths. In fact, let’s turn to the Holy See of Ishgard now...

(Aside: “But LynMars,” you might say. “My Warrior of Light doesn’t fit either of those Oaths.” Hold that thought for the end, fam.)

So where do Dark Knights fit in? Why consider them “paladins” in all but name?

Dark Knights (DRK) are from Ishgard, like the Temple Knights; most knights of the Holy See should fit into Crown or Devotion, especially with the emphasis on the worship of Halone the Fury, one of Eorzea’s Twelve gods. But, sometimes...holy men aren’t so holy, especially when so many are younger sons sent to the Church because there’s just no other place for them in the noble household structure. When many are orphaned poor joining out of desperation--and finding they’re still given short shrift over their nobleborn brethren. When sometimes, those in power are corrupted by power, or were corrupted to begin with. What then?

I already have a post about the historical origins of Dark Knights in Eorzea, from the Encyclopaedia Eorzea lore book and the official website. In summary, a lowborn knight, Ser Tryphaniel, solid and true and everything a knight ought to be, saw a priest doing unspeakably evil things to a child. Tryphaniel killed the priest on the spot in rage, and as a result--and thanks to Tryphaniel’s unpopularity among the elite due to his staunch beliefs--the knight was stripped of his rank for killing a “holy man.” Tryphaniel gave up his shield, with its crest and symbology, and used only a great sword.

“A heart bleeds, a man weeps, a soul burns. Thence comes the darkness, to consume…Yet even in the depths, the flame endures…Submit to the flame and harness the abyss…” - Ser Ompagne Deepblack

The Dark Knights appear as heretical monsters to the pious of Ishgard. Their abilities are given names such as “Souleater”, “Abyssal Drain”, “Salted Earth,” “Bloodspiller”, “Shadow Wall,” “Living Dead.” They glow with red and black energy. Ser Tryphaniel decided to fight using “any means necessary” in his crusade to protect those the Church could/would not, the great swords of those few Dark Knights acting as beacons in the dark. Those he trained, those also disaffected by the Church and the corruption in its heart (the plot of Heavensward addresses that), followed in his bloody footsteps.

Dark Knights fit perfectly into the framework of the Oath of Vengeance:

Fight the Greater Evil: Faced with a choice of fighting sworn foes or combating a lesser evil, I choose the greater evil. No Mercy for the Wicked: Ordinary foes might win my mercy, but my sworn enemies do not. By Any Means Necessary: My qualms can't get in the way of exterminating my foes. Restitution: If my foes wreak ruin on the world, it is because I failed to stop them. I must help those harmed by their misdeeds.

This is still a paladin oath from the PHB. The Oath of Vengeance is described as “a solemn commitment to punish those who have committed a grievous sin.” The PHB even says Vengeance Paladins are “sometimes called avengers or dark knights--their own purity is not as important as delivering justice.”

“To walk the path is to suffer. To sacrifice. Justice demands no less. But we must never lose sight of why we chose to walk it.” - Sidurgu Orl

I rather like @castthemintotheabyss’ low-spoiler summaries of the DRK quest chains. Identity and duty to yourself vs others; family and justice vs vengeance and mercy; to guilt and grief and acceptance of self.

Dark Knights are considered “edge lords” and “emo” and “gothy” and sure, some of that is true to an extent! But this is a class where the capstone lvl 70 ability, “The Blackest Night”, is a protection cooldown based on love. The “flame in the abyss” is the love the DRK feels for those dearest to their heart, their friends and found family--that is what fuels their darkly named and appearing powers.

If you’ve done the DRK quests, and/or don’t mind some spoilers, I highly recommend @haillenarte‘s translations (part 1, part 2) of the original Japanese text for the ARR DRK quests; the English version is rather different, though I think there’s room for both interpretations of Fray to inform each other. I’m also eager to see translations of later quests in this chain (and how the Stormblood NPC matches up).

I also have a Dark Knight tag where I link some of these resources, thoughts, art, and summarize several of the DRK story quests to be minimally spoilery and showcase how the WoL progresses through the self-reflection these quest enforce (kinda amazing for a MMO, actually). I originally completed the lvl 30-70 quests between October-November 2017, if you check the archive.

“They say the war’s over now, but it never ends for people like you, does it?” - Lowdy

There is one more oath I would like to touch on, due to the unique nature of the player character--the Warrior of Light (WoL)--in ANY of the FFXIV jobs, and how the game’s canon generally tends to assume they’ll roughly behave:

Oath of the Ancients: Kindle the Light: Through your acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness, kindle the light of hope in the world, beating back despair. Shelter the Light: Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, stand against the wickedness that would swallow it. Where life flourishes, stand against the forces that would render it barren. Preserve Your Own Light: Delight in song and laughter, in beauty and art. If you allow the light to die in your own heart, you can't preserve it in the world. Be the Light: Be a glorious beacon for all who live in despair. Let the light of your joy and courage shine forth in all your deeds.

I think FFXIV players see how it fits. In D&D 5e, the Oath of Ancients has naturalistic/Fey origins. The PHB describes Oath of the Ancients as:

“...paladins who swear this oath cast their lot with the side of the light in the cosmic struggle against darkness because they love the beautiful and life-giving things of the world, not necessarily because they believe in the principles of honor, courage, and justice.” (pg 86)

The WoL is Chosen of Hydaelyn, the World Crystal Herself. Certain enemies call them the “Bringer of Light.” To other NPCs in the storylines, they are the “Weapon of Light.”

If your Warrior of Light fits Crown, Devotion, or Vengeance, awesome! I hope you find some inspiration in roleplay and/or writing from seeing those oaths and how they can interact with the FFXIV lore. These aren’t even all of the Sacred Oaths, either! There are others out there, some official and some homebrew, and some even for evil characters (traditionally anti-paladins or blackguards).

A big part of me, though, feels like the Warriors of Light in general due to the storyline, are on the path set by the Oath of the Ancients; the WoL goes through the main story as a beacon for others, struggling to preserve the light in others, in themselves--and, in the case of the Dark Knights, in the depths of the abyss.

Still, it’s up to each player, and this is just some personal analysis on how the classes presented in FFXIV coincide with elements in D&D. In the end, it’s something that can be used, or not, as one likes (or not). I’ve just found the comparisons neat and wanted to get it down, and fate kept conspiring to push me to do that until I finally wrote all this. So thanks for reading my rambling on about nerdy things.