#solid silva imagines

[bowandcurtsey]

AINEEE are you doing well i hope u are? can i pls request solid, nozel and fuegoleon with an s/o who has an overprotective brother and yns brother didnt really approve they boys unless they show how worthy they are even if they are royalty?thank you and ily your works sm😇🌻

Hello lovely bby! thank you for loving my works hehe and also for a little fun fact: I love sunflowers! so thank you for them!

Sorry that I got to your request sooooo late, but I'm finally finally here <3 Bless you for requesting Solid, doing the less popular characters are usually fun! I hope you enjoy!

Characters: Solid , Nozel, Fuegoleon x f! reader TW: unchecked work

Solid Silva

This boy may look tough and you might think another hard to handle brother might be nothing to him, seeing that he has his own difficult brother as well, but boy oh boy was he on his toes all the time.

This boy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but he never expected to, for the first time in his life, wish that he wasn't a royal. Or at least a royal that your brother didn't know of.

Your brother thought that royals were all good for nothings and did not know how to do anything in life because they had their servants do everything for them. He thinks that Solid wouldn't be able to take good care of you at all.

Solid was determined to prove your brother wrong.

Being with you made him a little more humble and down to earth, even Nozel saw the changes in his little brother and was secretly happy.

Solid also tried his best to spend more time with you and your family, helping out with chores around the house when needed.

Boy even learnt how to do some knitting from his maids just to help your mom with the spoilt clothes.

He helped your brother chop and carry lumber into the house for fire during colder days.

He even helped to catch the mice in the basement. You name it, he'll do it. He was Mr Solid Handyman.

Your brother would always have his doubts about this man, all the way till you get married to him. But maybe one day Solid would finally understand that it was just how your brother shows his love to you.

No worries, your Solid could take it, he's been an obedient younger brother all his life, this Nozel trained him well.

Nozel Silva

This man was having a tough time proving your brother wrong. Because he is a royal and will always be a royal.

He wouldn't want you to change for him and likewise he couldn't drop his royal titles just because your family didn't like it.

Because that is uNbeComInG of A rOyaL

In the very beginning Nozel would answer everything with the most politically correct answer he could come up with.

"To answer your question Mr L/N, we actually do not take any of the tax payers money.. We actually-"

Until you explained to Nozel that it wasn't really about the answer, it was more of your brother really disliking royals.

"Why though..?"

Well, now you had to explain to a royal about how many of them are stuck up, arrogant, rude, a bully, and all the bad shit that you and your brother have been through.

You thought that he would scoff actually, since Nozel was really the type to be proud to be a royal. But instead he said, "I'm sorry."

"I'll be sure to prove that not all royals are evil. Certainly not me."

He would show your brother that you were always well taken care of, you always have a guard and servant with you. Your clothes always kept you warm, you didn't have a single stress in your life because of how well Nozel took care of you.

The only worry you had were what to wear daily because of the crazy amount of clothes Nozel buys for you.

Your brother would admit defeat in the end, seeing that you were really happy with this man.

Fuegoleon Vermillion

He was first faced with your brother's sarcasm when he visited your place. He was really nice about it though, he never lost his cool.

He understood fully why your brother would think this way. He had seen how the other royals took advantage of their statuses and bullied the civilians.

He always took every sarcasm or scolding from your brother without retorting.

Even you felt bad sometimes and would sometimes nag at your brother to not be too harsh.

But Fue still came over to your place every now and then, showing your over protective brother that he was just a normal man just like everyone was.

Fue was not afraid to make mistakes and admit to them. He was okay with making a fool out of himself and laughing along with everyone.

Most importantly, he showed that he respected everyone, from the postman to even the rubbish collector.

He once went out of the way to help a newspaper delivery boy, because his cart was stuck.

Your brother asked Fue later on why did he even bother with that boy when even a normal person would not necessarily lend a helping hand.

"Behave like you're at the bottom, even if you're at the top. We'll learn much more this way."

Your brother was won over on that day.

[yellowgreendinno]

Headcanons on the Silva Siblings

(except Noelle)

The three of them are really affectionate behind closed doors

Let me give u some examples ⊂⁠(⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠*⁠⊂⁠)

Nozel used and still does cuddle Nebra to sleep when she was scared.

Aaand do u remember when Noelle was fighting Vanica and she said Acier webt feral when she captured a few kids?

Well i think those kids were Nozel, Nebra and Solid.

Nozel knows when something's up with his siblings.

"hey Nebra, are you feeling okay? You've been acting strange lately"

"No, i'm perfectly okay, brother"

*sigh* "is It Zora?"

*😲*

Solid and Leo are quite close and Solid was visibly upset when Leo returned from the heart kingdom and was taller than him

The three found a way of cominicating when they didn't want Noelle to know what they were talking about.

Its hilarious. Like imagine Solid and Nebra playing with their noses and their having a full on conversation until Nozel hits them in the head because they're talking shit of all the nobles

[acacia-may]

So, before you hit your romance limit, can I request my two Black Clover OC ships? Solid x Rosette and Fuegoleon x Lital. You probably need to read their profiles first, if you haven't yet. I have a tag My Black Clover OC ☘️, hope it will help you. And to give some platonic bond too, Acier & Nozel and Finral & Gauche too?

Hi there Vilandel, and thank you so much for the ask! I'd be delighted to share some thoughts with you. ��

Solid x Rosette

I am so happy you sent in this ask and told me about Solid x Rosette because this ship is absolutely my cup of tea (and not just because they're not super gooey and romantic. [A/N: Me neither Sosette] though I do have an affinity for more pragmatic couples who are very devoted to each other even if they're not super traditionally romantic and/or are more private about their affections). The big appeal here for me is that I've always had this intense fascination with arranged marriage to lovers. I have no explanation for this, but it's an absolutely fascinating dynamic to me and something I really enjoy exploring. I'll admit that maybe I'm biased because I also chose the arranged marriage to lovers dynamic for my own Black Clover OC x CC ship, but I think it just fits the nobility and strict social order of the Clover Kingdom so perfectly in my opinion and works so incredibly well for the story you've created for Sosette.

I love the idea of Solid entering this arranged marriage because "it's what you do," but then finding himself engaged to someone kind and perceptive enough to see beyond his haughtiness to realize he isn't just a shallow snob. He is moved by the fact she trusts him, and she brings out the best in him by believing it's there. Then he has his little panic moment of "Oh no! I fell in love with my fiancee!" This is the good stuff! Also, Rosette is super cool in her own right, and I adore her (and her friendship with my girl Charmy! YES!!). I love that she's so calm, collected, and perceptive. Also she's a detective? That's so awesome (and the Poirot reference had me squealing). Also, her glass magic sounds super interesting! I'll admit I never really thought of Solid Silva as a romantic being before, but Rosette's profile and your little one shot about them sold me. They're canon now. I don't make the rules.

Lital x Fuegoleon

Lital sounds lovely as well, and her backstory is really compelling (especially the story of her adoption which was so moving and so wholesome). I love the slow burn nature of her relationship with Fuegoleon, their long history with each other, and how they bonded over being on the same magic knights' squad. I'll admit I'm not as feral about it as Sosette (seriously, I just adore that ship now), but it seems like a very sweet pairing and I'd definitely be on board for it too!

Some Platonic Bond Thoughts Too? I'm So Spoiled! 😁 Thank you so much for this! Platonic relationships are truly my real passion, so it means a lot to me to be indulged to ramble about them as well.

Mother and Son: Acier and Nozel Silva

The bond between Nozel and Acier is so incredibly compelling to me. It's nice to see such a healthy and wholesome mother and son relationship, and the series does such an incredible job of showing just how much Nozel's love for his mom and his desire to make her proud and live up to her legacy has motivated and affected him. I adore them.

Finral and Gauche Friendship

I don't think I've ever really thought about this one before, but as soon as I read your ask, I had this very vivid thought of them bonding over gushing about how much love their younger siblings (I'm sure Langris would hate that...but luckily he's not there 😂😅). That said, it's a little hard for me personally to imagine that Finral wouldn't get on Gauche's nerves, so I'm not sure I can see them as besties in the same way as Gauche and Gordon for instance, but I do like the concept of an unlikely friendship between them and them bonding over their roles as big brothers. 😊

[kcuf-ad]

Glamour world aka Family Therapy.

I can imagine them both at the end being like.

If we can't be family just yet, maybe we can be friends.

Nozel: Hello, I'm Nozel Silva. I'm the Captain of the Silver Eagles. I have a brother called Solid and a sister called Nebera.

Noelle: Hi, I'm Noelle. I'm apart of the Black Bulls squad. I have a brother called Finral and a sister called Vanessa.

Nozel: It's nice to meet you, Noelle.

Noelle: It's nice to meet you, Nozel.

They shake hands.

Asta: watching them with a smile.

.

.

Also... No one tell Nozel how many war crimes/crimes Noelle's committed.

She never got caught, obviously Zora isn't letting his little sis be an amateur.

Nozel gets properly threathned by every Black Bull including Yami afterwards.

The best type of therapy is when you are in a world thanks to a no magic boy and a woman that goes to sleep every hour.

I can see this happening, with both Nozel and Noelle talking about Megicula and Acier.

How it hurt Nozel to see his baby sister grow up into an almost Mirror of his mother, the mother that fought until her dying breath to Save her kids, and how he had to endure the pain of not telling anyone about the Curse of Megicula, for the risk of dying.

To how hurt and deperesing for Noelle at how she was treated the entire as a kid, and as a teenager, how it destroyed her that Asta was accepted, but not her, how she needed Finral, and the rest of the Black Bulls, to move on as she grew to a different woman, a stronger one.

As they talk why, when and how.

As they knew that if they can't be family just yet, maybe that they could be friends.

Asta smiles for his Captain and friend.

Noelle learned what not to do when you commit crimes, how to escape the police and how to escape from prison.

I feel like if he did, he would freak out, but then he says "You know, after all of the shit that we put you through, you deserve it as long as you don't get caught."

Nozel takes it all like a champ and whenever those two are alone, either by just drinking Tea or having lunch, there is at least one Black Bull watching at all Times

Also by Yuno because it is fun.

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Hello Laura! I hope you are enjoying your break from school (congratulations on finishing your exams as well too!) I’m sorry for sending in an additional ask. I’m not sure if you’re still taking them. If not please disregard, but they’re still open can you answer #20 for Henry, Finesse, and Langris please? I can’t believe I completely missed out on the friendship question the first time. Thank you so much dear! Wishing you well and a happy winter break. Cheers!! 💖

Hiya Acacia (again) sorry for taking a while with this! But here it is ^^'

Wishing you healthy and happy 2024!

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn’t matter?

Henry has been done with the other BBs!

Henry

Finesse

Since we haven't seen Finesse a lot, and when we've seen her, it has (at least mostly) been in connection to the Space Brothers, who might be her friend in canon is up for debate. But I think someone like Fragil might be the kind of a person, who'd be an ideal friend to her. Because Finesse doesn't strike me as a particularly weak person. As in, sure, she's sick and due to it she can't just go outside and walk around or take trips, but when we're talking about the strength of a person, there's so much more to be taken into consideration that just physical strength. And similarly, Fragil isn't a weak person either.

But as Fragil is a knight, I imagine that she'd have all kinds of stories that she could tell to Finesse, who is more or less confined into her home, and who can only experience such adventures or places through books and stories. They'd both have noble upbringing, and would understand that aspect of each other's lives, and would so be able to engage in some idle gossip (which everyone does).

And, they're both, or they seem like, gentle people. Which I think would allow them to find a common tune even better

Langris

Langris is a bit difficult for me, because he seems like a "lone wolf" most of the time. So I think that someone like that would perhaps suit him the best. Or then someone who's the complete opposite in most traits, but Langris likes because they understand him well. Or something else that they have in common. Overall I believe that people need to have something in common, interests, personality traits, or alike, in order for them to be friends, not just aquiantances.

But as I try to think of every character that has the lone wolf -thing going on, I can only see it going into a "two alley cats fighting" -type of a scenario. So maybe someone who's a bit older, and has seen things, who could spare some advice to Langris from time to time?

Hmm... This is harder than I thought. Because Vanessa would be more of a big sister figure than a friend, and Zora.... Zora wouldn't spare words around him, which would most likely tick Langris off.

Y'know what? After a lot of character development from both parties, Solid might be able to connect with Langris. This is one of those things that one might need to write out, for it to be understandable, but both of them have shown willingness to change and be kinder towards their siblings, as well as own up to their mistakes. Bot have suffered because of their parents (though for Solid it's more Papa Silva and the loss of Acier, than being lead onto a certain path by both parents like with Langris). They both seem like, deep down, insecure people, who don't know what to do with themselves. And I think that if they sat down, and got to talking, like really talking, they might hit it off.

But as said, it's probably one of those things that would be needed to see in writing for it to make sense.

[kalolasfantasyworld]

Chapter Four a.k.a. the chapter the Silvas (part of the focus of the fic) actually enter the story!/lh

Ahh... Helena's optimism as she rises from bed... I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. I'm sorry but I was actually snickering to myself in anticipation for how things would go wrong. I know I'm mean for doing that but I couldn't help it.

Collar: high. Shoulders: exposed. She's falling in line with Silva fashion already, I see.

Okay Solid, gonna pull out a derogatory "foreigner" the second you meet Helena? Man, imagine if she wasn't a nice lady and took your attitude personally, decided to head back to Diamond, and fueled the war between Clover and Diamond even further?! Ever think of that, Solid?/lh+j

Nozel's mouth says "welcome" but his eyes say "get lost." Yeah that tracks.

‘Hopefully it will get better with time.’

Now isn't that the point of the fic? Not that Helena knows but you and I know, Lola, and that's what matters, right? Right...

Man... Now I feel bad for laughing earlier in the chapter because I laughed harder during the dinner scene. As quick as it is and despite it meant to be a tense show of the early negativity between Helena and the Silvas, I cannot help but find it funny how petulant the Silvas are being. Literally, none of them got etiquette training since they're heads are stuck so far up their rear ends that they can't even pretend to be cordial. Not even nice but professional and cordial. I'm just kjahfghasriuthart BAFFLED!

Well colored me surprised when Helena shows a bit of a sour side when dealing with the receptionist. That's what one gets when you don't pull rank or status of some kind, you're treated as nothing special, even if you approach an interaction respectfully. Some people don't immediately respond in kind when treated nicely. Unfortunately... She does show a bit of reflection on this lack of special treatment when she wonders if her true status would've made the hospital more open to hiring her. But if there's going to be more than that, I'll just have to find out.

Hah yes it took over 9000 words to actually get to meet the main characters 😂 I officially stated that it's a slow burn.

You're not mean for laughing at her if this story was meant to be funny, and you were totally meant to do that 😂 Helena's hopeless optimism is adorable.

She does fall in line with the Silva fashion. I came up with her Silva clothes first, so here I was just kind of trying to figure out Helena's own style...

She is a foreigner and it's such a Silva thing to point that out and be mean about it. Solid doesn't think much. 'm really showing the canon assholes the siblings were during the attack of the war merits ceremony.

Yeah... it will get better in time. I also couldn't stop myself with writing a bit of m favorite enemies to lovers trope.

The dinner scene is once again supposed to be really funny 😂 I mean I made a daddy joke there. They're all so stuck up and so much themselves. I told you I'm not taking the assholery away.

I was trying to show there, that she's still a princess and yes her views have changed, but through her whole life she's been perceived as a Royal. She's not used to people treating her differently. So she's not like the Silvas, but in a way she is like them. She's not perfect. However I admit that at that point of the story I was still getting the feel for her, so she's a bit clumsy. I tried to show her approach to the hierarchy and social standings.

[just-a-little-fan-1793]

Hi, for the character ask game could I ask 5, 8, 11 and 14 for Solid? 💕

Hello and thank you for your ask 💕

5. What is one thing you would change with this character (it can be their appearance, arc, personality, etc;)? Hm, for Solid, this is a very good question. He is not very likeable and my least favourite Silva. But I wouldn't change his jerk personality altogether, at least if it's to change it from the start completely, to make a different person out of him. But for a redemption arc, for Solid to make amends towards Noelle, then maybe yes, then I would change his personality.

I would change his behiavor towards Noelle when they were children. Even though since he was just a little boy, losing his mother and without a proper adult to guide him, his grief lead him to search for a scapegoat. I don't excuse him, but I know what the root is. Maybe he could have been less crueler towards Noelle? It is just that with this kind of thoughts, I always wonder how the Silva siblings could have been if they had a proper adult helping them when they lost their mother.

For the appearance, maybe I would give Solid long hair, because he is not only the sole Silva whose name doesn't start with a N, but also he's the only one of his siblings with short hair. I wonder how he would look like if he had long hair like his siblings.

8. Is there a ship that makes the most sense for this character (can be romantic or platonic)? Another good question, Solid is somehow the least shippable out of his siblings, at least for me XD

If we exclude potential OCs, I saw Alecdora being shipped with him and I can see where it comes from. I also saw Langris once and in a fic (practically a Black Clover version of Bridgerton, you can read it here if you're interested), he was even paired with Fragil. I think the Alecdora ship is the one that makes somehow the must sense to me, but Solid is still a bit unexplored territory when it comes to ship.

11. What has been this characters most defining moment? Or have they not had it yet? His defeat to Noelle during the Royal Knights Selection exam was certainly satisfying. But I think the moment that actually impressed me the most was when Solid openly recognized Noelle during the attack of the Elves, before she and the others went into the Shadow Palace. Of course, it doesn't seem like much, but when we consider who Solid is, what his past with Noelle was... it is actually big coming from him and I loved that moment. A redeeming moment for Solid, his start of being a better person in my books.

14. What trait do they find most admirable and how often do they find it? Solid certainly takes a lot of pride that he is a royal. Otherwise I'm not sure. But in the future, I'd like to think that he could take some pride of learning a bit of humility.

Oh, that's a headcanon I had sometimes, it's something innocent and stupid, but I imagine that Solid secretly loves to play guitar (a secret, because a guitar might not be an considered instrument fit for a royal) and that he is actually good at it. (This mostly comes due to a headcanon about how each Silvas is good with at least one instrument to play... Even Noelle, despite the fact that she is the worst singer, but that doesn't mean that she can't play, right?)

[animusiem]

Billboard USA Exclusion Zone Episode 21 (01/13/2024)

Now that all the Christmas stuff is gone, what do we have to replace all of the Christmas songs? Well seems like we are still stuck with what 2023 had to offered. Regional Mexican, J-Pop, old songs that went viral on TikTok, and some legacy songs just debuted. And yet looking at the chart reset I think showed a bigger picture that I will get to on my blog, stay tuned. Enough stalling let's get into these meaty lists of new arrival

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

49. "Goat" by Number_I

You know the year hasn't even started yet and we might have a contender for the worst song of the year. Like imagine if Fleeting Lullaby by Ado was remixed by a B-tier boyband and the productions sounded like the backwash of Gen 3 boyband group sound...you get this.

51. "Rompe La Dompe" by Peso Pluma, Junior H, Oscar Maydon

This is probably the most well produced Peso Pluma song in corridos scene. I love how chill the song is. Definitely needed after...that car crash the size of opening lap of Belgian GP in 1998 proportion.

64. "Wherever u r" by UMI ft. V from BTS

Seems like V beside making solid RnB album, also want to platform small RnB artist as well. And it's a great song to boot as well. I'm instantly hooked by UMI's voice with the melodic guitar, spacious production, and just immaculate atmosphere which is perfect for the sort of cut about long distance longing. I do think the percussion is a bit loud. But hey it's still a high recommendation

114. "Poco A Poco" by Xavi ft. Los Dareyes de La Sierra

Seems like the train of regional Mexican sound is still rolling because we have a newcomer by the name of Xavi. He's not Spanish by the way he's from Arizona. But, he has been going up on the chart with La Diabla which is a good song. And this one might be better due to the fact that there's a slap bass in it.

132. "Maria Mariah" by Silva MC, DJ F7, C NO BEAT & MC Meno Dani

10/10 would Brazilian funk again.

154. "Modo DND" by Xavi & Tony Aguirre

I feel like the reason why I've been positive with Xavi because in terms of corridos tumbados, his sounds are very full and competently produced for once. I love the horn lines here the most because it's kinda like all over the place.

161. "Murder On The Dancefloor" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

TikTok strikes again and this time it might be their best find yet. Coming from the Saltburn ending where Barry Keoghan "dancing" to this song, we have quite possible the reason why Future Nostalgia existed in the first place. I'm glad that Americans are listening to this two decades later. The lush nu-disco production that didn't aged a day with the liquid guitar, tight bass, and the strings. Every seconds of this song is just tight and controlled which could be attributed to Gregg Alexander aka the bald guy with the bucket hat from New Radicals. The guitar solo is just an icing on the cake on otherwise fantastic tune.

162. "Husn" by Anuv Jain

Never thought I would hear a song from India like this to be honest. But hey it's a nice surprised to hear this type of sounds in other languages that I am not familiar with.

170. "Overdrive" by Ofenbach ft. Norma Jean Martine

It's kinda cool how dance genre has probably its stronger year in 2023. This is the first one I'm listening to this year and yeah the streak keep on going here. Never have I heard more beautiful piano house since...shit probably Hold My Hand.

172. "Alucin" by Eugenio Esquivel X Grupo Marca Registrada X Sebastian Esquivel

This is probably the best "Edm mixed with regional mexican" song I've heard. Though when your competition is a song by Fuerza Regida featuring Marshmello...yeah

186. "Let Me Love You" by DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber

Not gonna lie, the sound of DJ Snake just didn't hold up so well with time. This song in 2024 sounds so empty and devoid of anything interesting.

190. "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Meanwhile this song is timeless and could be played at any time where you are feeling down or just sick of the bullshit get thrown at you.

191. "Livin On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi

Just listening to this one song and you will get why hair metal was at one point the biggest genre in the world in the mid 80s.

193. "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga

Meanwhile just listened to this song and you'll get why Lady Gaga is an icon and deserved her acolades.

197. "Be A Flower" by Ryokuoushoku Shakai

Wait so this is the song that became an opening for an anime about ancient China? Why does this bang so hard????

199. "One Dance" by Drake ft. Wizkid & Nyla

One Dance is a good song but this song marked the exact point where Drake stopped trying most of the times because his status as #1 hit makers has been sealed.

200. "Lean On" by Major Lazer ft. DJ Snake & MO

It's a good even great EDM song but it's pale in comparison to its competition at that time.

I highly recommend everyone listening to these songs

[lyranova]

It's still 30th of November were I live, so I maybe I'm still in time. I don't know if it's too much to ask, but wouldn't you mind writing a little something about Vanessa telling Nozel that she's pregnant? Sorry, but I discovered this ship thanks to the very first fic you wrote about them and you're one of the reasons why they're now in my top 10 Black Clover ships, but you don't need to write it if you don't wanna.

Hiya anon! When I got this ask it was still the 30th for me as well so you sent it in right on time 😁! I try to give everyone a bit of extra time since we all live in different timezones so even if I get a request a little bit late I’ll let it slide 😅! Agwjwjwhbwejwh thank you I’m so glad you enjoyed my Vanzel oneshots 🥺😭, luckily you’ll be well fed for a while (as will other Vanzel shippers) since I have quite a few requests for them recently 😁! But anyway I hope you enjoy this oneshot, it actually came out longer than I had expected it to be 😂!

Word Count: 1,641

Warnings: Pregnancy

———

Vanessa let out a soft sigh as she left Owen’s office, she hadn’t been feeling very well the past few days and had assumed it was a stomach virus or some other type of illness that had been going around recently. But what Owen told her was not what she had been expecting to hear.

“ It looks like you're pregnant Vanessa.”

Those words repeated over and over in her head, it was quite a shock, but not a bad one if she were being honest. She had imagined becoming a mom one day, although she wasn’t expecting it to be so soon.

She sighed as she quickly walked towards her broom, she knew she would have to tell her husband. But she also knew he was busy right now with the Magic Knight entrance exams and would probably be busier the next few days as the squad welcomed the new members.

As Vanessa reached out to grab her broom she heard a couple of familiar voices approach.

“ If it isn’t our older brothers girlfriend, what brings you to the castle?” Solid Silva, Nozel’s brother asked as he and Nebra Silva, Nozel’s sister, walked up to her.

“ Isn’t it obvious? She’s probably here to see dear Nozel.” Nebra said with a soft giggle, and Vanessa laughed awkwardly. She didn’t want to tell them the real reason she was at the castle, so she would let the two believe what they wanted.

“ Ah, is that so? Well our eldest brother just went back to his office, we have 4 new recruits from the Entrance exam so he’s finishing up some of the paperwork and room assignments.” Solid said as he jerked his thumb towards the Silver Eagles base.

“ But I’m sure he’d love to see you though, especially since you two won’t see much of each other for a while.” Nebra told her with a warm smile, The pink haired mage nodded and decided to go visit him since she was in the area anyway.

“ I think I’ll do that. I’ll see you two later.” Vanessa told them with a cheerful smile, trying to act as she usually did. She quickly walked past the two and headed straight for Nozel’s office.

——

The walk seemed to take a lot longer than it usually did. Maybe it was because she had so much on her mind? She shrugged a bit. Vanessa was debating whether or not she should tell Nozel now or wait until his work was finished with the new recruits. On the one hand if she told him now she was worried he’d be distracted, but on the other hand she worried he would be upset that she didn’t tell him the day she found out.

She shook her head, she really had no idea what to do.

Vanessa stopped as she stood outside her boyfriend’s office door, it felt like her heart was beating right out of her chest. She quickly took a deep breath, put her usual smile on her face, and knocked on the door.

“ Come in.” She heard her husband say on the other side, she slowly opened the door and poked her head around.

“ Is this a bad time?” Vanessa asked casually as she crossed her arms and leaned against the door, she watched as Nozel looked up from his papers and looked at her in surprise.

“ Of course not,” Nozel started, but after Vanessa cut him a knowing look he sighed. “ Alright maybe it is a bit of a bad time, but I was just about to take a break anyway.” He added with an exhausted sigh.

Vanessa chuckled before she walked inside and gently closed the door behind her. She walked over to his desk and sat on the edge of it.

“ You deserve the break, especially since you’ll be busier than usual with four new recruits.” Vanessa said with a small smirk, Nozel sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“ As happy as I am to have squad members, I can’t help but be a little irritated as that means a lot more paperwork.” He muttered and Vanessa laughed again, it seemed that her procrastination had slightly rubbed off on the Captain.

“ Ah well, you could also forget the paperwork and just spend time with me instead.” She teased as she leaned towards him, she watched as a very faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

“ As much as I would love to, I can’t right now. I have too much work to do.” He told her as he quickly cleared his throat.

“ But,” Nozel continued, his voice a bit softer. “ Maybe once I finish all this work, we can spend some time together…” he added as he gave her a knowing look, Vanessa chuckled as she leaned away and crossed her arms.

“ Aah, so you want a ‘reward’ for completing your work?” She asked teasingly, she watched as his blush deepened and he cleared his throat again. She shook her head as a smile appeared on her face, she leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “ Alright. Once you finish your work I’ll give you a reward.”

Vanessa moved and sat down in the soft chair that was on the other side of the desk. She watched in amusement as Nozel seemed to fly through all his paperwork.

As she listened to his quill scratch against the paper and the papers rustling together as he placed them to the side, the pink haired witch’s mind began to wander.

She was going to be a mom, and Nozel was going to be a dad. She tilted her head slightly as she tried to imagine it. She had a feeling he would be a pretty good one, he’d be stern, but would love his kids unconditionally. He would treat them the way they were supposed to be treated, and he would try not to make the same mistakes he made with Noelle when she was young.

“ Something on your mind? You’ve been staring at me for a while.” He asked while not looking up from his papers, Vanessa shook her head.

“ It’s nothing. I was just thinking about how you'd make a good father someday.” She told him, she watched as he suddenly paused his writing.

“ ‘A good dad’? You think…I’d be a good dad? I’m not so sure.” He admitted softly, Vanessa frowned as Nozel’s tone grew serious.

“ I wasn’t a good older brother, I wasn’t a good son, so how am I going to be a good father? Especially when you consider how terrible my own father was.” Nozel muttered, still not looking up from his desk. Vanessa could see that there was self doubt and uncertainty in his voice and on his face.

It was an unusual look.

“ That-.” Vanessa tried to argue but Nozel held up a hand to stop her.

“ You know it’s true, so please don’t try to argue. Yes it’s true that I’ve changed and that I’m trying to make up for the wrongs that I’ve done, but it doesn’t cancel out the bad that I’ve done.” He told her softly, Nozel watched as Vanessa stood up and walked over to him. She sat down on the edge of his desk again, turned his chair to face her, and she placed her hands on either side of his face to make him look at her.

“ You’re right that it doesn’t cancel out the bad that you’ve done. But if people were able to forgive Captain Vangeance for what he did, why can’t your siblings forgive you? More importantly, why can’t you forgive yourself?” She asked with a raised brow. “ You’ve atoned and made up for what you did. So don’t you think it’s time you forgave yourself?”

She watched as Nozel’s purple eyes searched hers, what she said was true. That it was time to forgive himself, especially since now Noelle had forgiven him. But still…it would take some time.

“ As far as the ‘becoming a good dad’ thing, it takes time to be a good dad. Just like it takes time to be a good mom. But luckily for us,” She paused for a minute before continuing. “ We have nine or ten months to figure out how to be good parents.”

Vanessa watched as a confused look crossed the Captain’s face. It started out as confusion and then, once her words sunk in, she watched his face change and it became almost unreadable.

“ ‘We have nine or ten months’? Then…does that mean…?” He asked softly, and Vanessa nodded. She clenched the edge of Nozel’s desk as her nerves took over, she couldn’t recall the last time she had been so nervous about someone's reaction.

Nozel suddenly stood up and just…stared at her. She quickly looked away as it made her nerves even worse. Was he angry? Or was he upset? She knew the situation wasn’t ideal. They would probably be talked about due to him being a royal and her a witch, and there’d be terrible rumors about them since the two weren’t married.

Vanessa didn’t care about any of that, but she knew Nozel had no other choice but to care about it, since he was a royal and was a potential candidate for Wizard King.

Nozel suddenly leaned towards her and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug, Vanessa was a bit taken aback by the action, but at the same time she felt this wave of relief wash over her.

“ I’m…going to be a father?” He asked her softly, and when she nodded she felt his grip around her tighten slightly.

The two sat together quietly, neither one saying a word. Instead they just let the news sink in, news that they were going to be parents. It was something neither of them expected, but they welcomed it wholeheartedly regardless.

———

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[picavecalyx-a]

Does Silva think about the idea of an afterlife? If so, what does she imagine it's like?

honestly this depends on the verse. as opposed to normal, in her birdcage verse where she IS raised in Anistar, there is the belief that everyone will eventually return to the Sundial, as it holds all memory, all soul, all life, that has been, is, and ever will be. in comparison to her normal pokemon verses, she simply believes the dead wanders, becomes pokemon, or otherwise fade away. she has no solid beliefs on the matter, the dead are dead, but can be reached at times. she has literally talked to ghosts so! she isn't sure if there's an afterlife at all, or people simply fade.

[fleurladari-a]

[CONT.] [next]

The most troubling part, it seemed. Lysandre stood in the doorway to the outside, staring down at the little thing from a distance.

She sat alone, face in her knees and hands on her head. She was shaking, trembling, he could imagine why. Taken from her home, to a mysterious place she's likely never seen, now finally back outside after perhaps days of multiple blackouts--asleep. He would expect any child to be rather dishiveled after that course of action.

Sure, it was most definitely sad, worrying even. Though beneficial in it's own way, she was a little too tired to even try to run, and he was sure she had given up on the idea of going back to that forest.

" silva? "

Her name. He remembered it distinctly, he could, by all means, change it. Though he took her home, he wouldn't be so cruel as to take her name as well. It was a curious thing, and an amazing memory at that for her to remember it. Was it the pokemon that remembered it for her or was it her? Given the records that they found--and what trouble it was to find anything on this child without a single solid lead--it suggested that the last time she heard her name was one of her first times.

It was. Strange, yet undeniably fascinating. That, and many other factors about her.

When he called her name--not too loud, he had thought--she nearly jumped, before so quickly recoiling back into herself. Any sound seemed to set her off a bit, clear by his steps from pavement to grass to then next to her trembling little sit.

" i know it's hard. "

Voice a low rumble, soon sitting right beside her, still dwarfing her in size, at least not in a threatening way. Even if her trembling increased just a little bit. Lysandre wasn't even sure if she understood his words at all. Though the warmth should be enough, in time.

" it will get easier, i promise, this is your new home. where you belong. "

A slight slouch to his back, an attempt to make himself smaller for her. All he heard in a response was something so similar to an espurr's whimper.

It would get easier.

[loosesodamarble]

Ahaha. Due to some weird glitch, anonymous asks didn't automatically activate when I opened my inbox (which it usually does so what happened Tumblr?). Apologies for that. But the issue should be resolved now.

As requested, I have only taken the most important part of their recent message as reference for this post.

Hello it's 🖤 anon. For the ask game can you answer 9,23,24

And here are the answers to your questions 🖤 anon~!

..........

9) with characters i love

Ooooooh! Hee hee hee~! I've said it before but I do love all the Silva siblings. They get hated on so much but I adore how messy all of them are. And one fic that involves them is the Silva reconciliation fic I wrote.

“You redirected a spell that large?!” Noelle exclaimed as she leaned forward in her seat. “Don’t pretend to sound impressed!” Solid snapped back. “I bet you think you could’ve stopped it altogether!” “I’m not pretending though!” Noelle said, a bit more forcefully than she meant to. “Just take a compliment, why don’t you?” Solid made a “ngh” sound and his face started to burn red. “What you said was hardly a compliment! Besides, how do I know that you’re not just mocking me, huh?” “Oh how pathetic that’d be,” Nebra muttered behind her hand. She leaned in Noelle’s direction. “Though if you want pointers on how to get on Solid’s nerves, I can share.” She winked at her sister. “Yeah, no thanks.” Noelle hid a mildly disgusted look behind a sip of tea. And here I thought Nebra and Solid were as close as can be. Guess they’ll even turn on each other if it amuses them. Her heart felt heavy at that idea. She’d always felt like she alone was pushed away and knocked down. But the cruel, cutthroat nature of House Silva could target her siblings too it seemed. It really had been for the best that Noelle never fit into that environment, that she wound up in the Black Bulls and became who she was in the present. Had she been a fool for ever wanting to fit in with her family? Noelle lowered her cup. No. She wasn’t a fool for wanting to be close to her family. Rather, she was short-sighted for wanting to fit into a dynamic that tore down the weak instead of encouraging growing into the strength. Noelle glanced to her side to Nebra and in front of her to Solid. Their presence carried with them painful memories but… There was also a relief in knowing that they were okay after all was said and done.

This snippet leaves out Nozel but 3/4 ain't bad. I just love how Noelle, Solid, and Nebra kind of struggle to interact with one another. Nebra is the most at ease but she's being a bit of a bully to Solid and thinking Noelle would want to irritate him similarly, which is her still not really connecting with Noelle on her level.

They are a messy family. A very broken family. But I won't ever let go of the idea that they can find some way to reconnect with each other.

23) that was inspired by a work from another medium (music, visual art, dance, etc.)

This snippet here is from a very short fic where I imagined Nacht denying after the battle in Spade and reuniting with Morgen in the afterlife. It was inspired by a scene from the series Demon Slayer where siblings Daki and Gyuutarou have a moment declaring their love and loyalty to each other as siblings before descending into Hell for their sins.

In the void between life and death, there was no way to tell how long the embrace had lasted. The brothers eventually parted. Morgen wiped away the last of his tears. Nacht looked down at his feet. “Have you been waiting here this whole time?” “Yes. I couldn’t bring myself to move on without making sure you’d be alright.” “I’m sorry I let you down.” Morgen placed a hand on Nacht’s shoulder and Nacht looked up to meet his eyes. “You fought to protect Clover and the other countries. You used the power of devils for good. I couldn’t be more proud.” His smile turned sad. “My only regret is that you didn’t live any longer. But at least we’re reunited.” “Not for long.” Nacht squeezed his eyes shut to keep himself from crying. “You’re probably going to heaven now and I…” “You’ve worked for repentance,” Morgen assured. “And if heaven still doesn’t take you, I’ll gladly go to hell with you. We’re family, no matter what.” Nacht gave a bitter smile. He removed Morgen’s hand from his shoulder but kept it in his grip. “If you’re really okay with that…”

SIBLING LOYALTY! FAUST BROTHER REUNION (in a way that's different from canon)! AAAHHHHHHH!

24) that makes me go "huh...i wrote that?!"

This is less of a "huh?! I wrote something this incredible?!" shock at my own work and more of a "huh?! I wrote something that's kinda pretty horny?!" embarrassing shock. Like, akhsgaiurh! It's the closest I'll ever come to write, you know, smut and it's lowkey embarrassing for me to look back on. I of course love what I wrote, but I'm shocked by it still! I wrote this?!

Josele said nothing, instead moving in to kiss Morgen which he happily accepted. And this kiss, it felt like something more. More strength and heat. Morgen was sure that his whole body was shaking as he dared to press further. He let go of Josele’s hand but only to caress her face, to hold and reassure her. Josele parted her lips and let him deepen the kiss. It felt clumsy, messy even, but he could not hold back any of his fervor. And neither could Josele by the feel of her hands balling up around the fabric of his tunic. Want. Yearning. Desire. Whatever it was called, Morgen gave into it. The warm affection he felt increased, bordering on a burning passion. He leaned in closer, pressed more firmly. Caught up in the moment, Morgen ended up pushing Josele down onto the couch. Or perhaps Josele had pulled Morgen on top of her. Either way, Morgen now hovered over Josele on the couch. Their kiss broke, eyes locking in that breath, only for them to go in for another. Josele’s hands moved up to Morgen’s shoulders before her arms loosely wrapped around his neck. She undid the tie in his hair and tangled her hands in his locks. The sensation, her fingers combing through his hair and leaving a ghost of her touch, sent a shiver down Morgen’s spine. Morgen enjoyed moments of simple intimacy, ones that were innocent and tentative. That was for certain. But this raw yet divine passion… He hadn’t realized how much he craved it. Please, let me have all of you, Josele, he thought, hoping the heat of his lips on hers conveyed the words. Let me give all of myself to you.

AAAAAAHHHHHH! I don't know how my brain came up with this kind of steamy content! But I did!

[yellowgreendinno]

Just like old times:

I was thinking about all of the things I imagine at like, 3am, so here it goes! It's when they're young... I saw a small scene of these characters together at some point and thought, how did they meet?

(I highly recommend listening to the said songs of Taylor Swift)

Nozel: 14

Jack: 13

Charlotte: 12 (Luck: 2)

☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾

Song: exile

I think I've seen this film before, so I'm leaving out the side door...

Charlotte woke up to the sound of a child crying. She looked around her room, dimly lit by a candle, confused. This wasn't the Roselei mannor... was it?

Oh, right..., she thought, this is Yvon, she remembered when she looked at her step-mother's sleeping form beside her.

She had been staying with Adua and her son, Luck, for a while. To be more specific, since she found out her Father had cheated, so, about three months. And over those three months, she saw Adua was not meant to be a mother.

She slowly lifted the old duvet from her small frame, and tip toed around the room to find Luck's crib. His cries ceased as his sister came into sight. Charlotte's eyes lit up and she smiled, as the little blonde boy reached his arms out for her to pick him up.

As she cradled Luck in her arms, Charlotte walked outside the room and sat him on the table while she went back to the room to get a bag, and packed some essentials: her clothes, Luck's, their coats, and Adua's blue old sleep shirt (she surely wouldn't miss it), Luck would always cling to its sleeves. She closed the door in hopes of not waking the woman up, and walked back to the living room.

She picked Luck up, and, with her bags, walked put of the house, into the night. She was headed for the closest beach.

They were on their own now.

☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾

Song: Willow

Life was a willow and it banged right to your window...

Nozel was outside the Silva Estate, deep into the forest, a normal thing to happen late at night, or early in the morning. Acier knew of his whereabouts, she would often see him walking outside the castle, or coming back mid-morning.

But she was no longer there...

So, it wasn't surprising that he ended up in the dark heart of the woods. He wasn't scared, he had his magic to protect him.

As he walked through the woods, he looked at the trees he knew so well. Dark bark, strong branches and dark leaves were dull compared to his save heaven. He made his way through the mist to a big willow tree. Its leaves were a light green, almost golden, hanging down like tears from the branches. The mist had left behind a trail of dampness and droplets on the leaves and trunk, making it easier to imagine the tree was shedding tears.

As if it understood Nozel's pain.

The silver-haired boy climbed the tree, in a route he had memorised long ago, leaning on branches and small holes to reach that one branch that accompanied him so many times in his sorrow. He finally sat down on the branch, other small ones making it easier to lean back.

He overlooked the misty forest, the moon shining dimly through the fog. He could still see the Silva Castle over a distant hill. Was the Weeping Willow that far away from home? he asked himself. He started to shake. He put his head between his hands and started to cry,

Over his mother,

over his absent father,

over his jealousy of stupid Fuegoleon and his stupid perfect family,

over how Solid hated Noelle,

over how he heard Nebra's muffled sobs at night,

over how unfair life was to his family.

Then, he heard it.

"Are you okay?"

☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾

Song: cardigan

You drew stars around my scars, but now I'm bleeding...

Jack didn't know what to feel. He was confused, scared, sad, angry.

Confused; why did they do it? scared; did they feel that way about me? sad; I thought they cared about me... angry; do they really think I would do it on purpose?

It slowly came to his senses that his home was not his home anymore. The beach side town he used to call home didn't want him anymore. All because of that small accident.

Okay, maybe it wasn't that small, but still.

As he walked beside the shore, he looked at the view. The waves were soft, and the sky was tainted peach pink, signalling the rising of the sun. He looked down to his wet feet on the sand, little droplets of blood falling onto it.

He had to get to a hospital, quickly. It was that, or loosing his eye. His strength was running out, and the gush on his face was pretty bad.

Was he really that bad?

As he was about to fall on the sand, two pairs of arms caught him, and lay him on a warm blanket placed on the grass. He could hear their voices talk, and a child cry as well. Probably scared of the deep wound.

"We need to take him to a hospital. Now." a female voice said with urgency.

"He wouldn't make it to the closest hospital. I can treat him." Said a calm, deeper voice. "Hey, this is going to hurt" Jack could faintly recognise the boy's accent as a way higher class. Royalty, maybe?

He heard the girl speak again, to calm down the baby, and then spoke to him.

"What's your name? I'm Charlotte, he's Nozel" In between the pain of the needle piercing his skin to close the wound, he managed to let out a faint whisper of his name.

The boy, who he assumed was Nozel, asked him again; "Jack what?"

He hesitated. He actually didn't know. He had been called "Ripper" all his life, so he answered carefully. "I don't know. They always called me Jack the Ripper because of my slash magic. How about you?"

"I'm Charlotte Ro- Voltia". Jack decided he would ask her about that slip later. "I'm Nozel Silva" So, he was right. A royal snob.

When Nozel was done, he and his companion asked him if he wanted to go with them.

Obviously, he said yes.

☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☽☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾

(Thirteen years later)

Song: happiness

There'll be happiness after me, but there was happiness because of me...

It was the magic knights exam, and a certain candidate had awoken the interest of a crowd. He was a strange mage, it was like he only wanted to fight. Most teenagers found him scary.

Now known as the Cheery Berserker, Luck Voltia had come out as a strange boy; and the eyes of three captains never left him during the exam. However, when the time came, neither of them rose their hand.

"The Black Bulls"

Charlotte looked at Yami, a tint of blush on her face, though her heart swelled with sadness.

When the exam was over, she walked out the first, followed closely behind by Nozel and Jack. The streets were empty, the wetness of the rain from a few hours ago was still on the stone floor. The streetlights were dimly lit by candles, and almost every pub was closed. She fell on the edge of the pavement, her head buried in between her hands.

Nozel and Jack came shortly after. Nozel was the first one to sit down with her, and pulled Charlotte in a deep hug. Jack had sat down as well. He muttered the words able to put a small smile on Nozel's face.

"The kid did grow up"

As they all smiled, they heard a faint voice, loud but distant.

"Captain Yami, hold on a second, please! I have to say goodbye to someone!" A boy said. The three turned around to the sound of the boy's close voice.

"Hi, Charlie"

"Hi, Luck"

[blowflyfag]

the Wrestler: Volume 25, 2009

POINT:

A TV-PG RATING IS WWE’S BEST CHANCE FOR GROWTH

BY MICHAEL MOORE

THREE LETTERS BEST justify Vince McMahon’s decision to make his product more family-friendly: UFC.

Mixed Martial arts promotions today are what WWF, WCW, and professional wrestling in general were 10 years ago. The same crowd that identified with “Stone-Cold” Steve Austin’s anti-authoritarianism a decade ago is now more interested in seeing if an opponent can make it past the second round with Anderson Silva. 

The testosterone-driven 18- to 35-year-old male demographic craves blood and violence, and these days they’re going to find more of the real thing inside an octagon, not an Elimination Chamber. 

WWE has a very loyal wrestling fan base, however, which is proven by Raw’s weekly 3.0-plus TV rating. But McMahon craves more. He wants to convince casual viewers that WWE is more than a wrestling troupe … and he just might do it, thanks to the new rating.

[The feud between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho has featured injuries and blood, but Contributing Writer Michael Moore says that, one balance, solid, competitive wrestling has carried the feud. As WWE moves to a TV-PGH rating, Moore feels deemphasizing crass content will serve WWE well.]

During the peak of the Monday Night Wars, Raw alone was popping ratings above 6.0. Add WCW Monday’s Nitro’s gaudy numbers and professional wrestling was approaching a 12.0 rating on a weekly basis. That means at one point, approximately four times as many fans were watching wrestling on Monday nights then than are watching now. 

Where did the fans go? More importantly, how can wrestling get them back? Late-1990s type of success may not be a reality today, but there are far more potential wrestling fans out there. Sure, McMahon isn’t going to keep them away from UFC, but he can prove to the parents of young fans that Raw, Smackdown, and live WWE events are fun for the whole family. 

Here’s why he can and will do it. The PG rating forces WWE’s creative team to be more, well, creative. They won’t be able to fall back on shock tactics like HLA or Edge and Lita’s live sex shows. THey’re going to have to find a way to attract viewers without resorting to Springer-esque tactics. 

Recent programming shows it can be done. For example: The Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho feud has been a highlight of WWE over the past several months. Why? Because, excluding one pay-per-view, there hasn’t been any bloodbaths, attempts at toilet humor, or half-naked women to distract from it. True, the feud has included Jericho slamming Michaels through a TV screen and decking his wife, but those were the only deviations from what has been a rather conservative program. 

WWE’s switch to a PH-rated product won’t be a smooth one, and it won’t happen overnight. Fans that were turned off by Mae Young giving birth to a hand or Vince McMahon’s “fatal” limousine explosion last year may be difficult to win back. 

But WWE’s best chance to succeed is to finally move away from the Attitude Era and toward a more traditional, family-friendly product again. Today’s core demographic may be inclined toward MMA, but there are plenty of other fans waiting to be seduced. 

Michael Moore is a contributing writer for THE WRESTLER. 

COUNTERPOINT:

PRO WRESTLING IS NOT A TV-PG SPORT

BY BRADY HICKS 

THE LAST TIME Vince McMahon was selling a PG product, wrestling fans were subjected to Doink the Clown, T.L. Hopper, and The Goon. Do we really want to return to those days?

Wrestling, by its very nature, is not a PG-rated sport. In fact, wrestling is at its best when two competitors are entangled in a bitter, violent feud. The idea of two grown men like Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels trying to settle their dispute on a family-friendly show just doesn’t work. Imagine how flat this feud would have been if Rawviewers were unable to see the gruesome eye injury Y2J inflicted on Michaels at The Great American Bash. 

Pro wrestling had its PG period in the 1980s. In the midst of the Cold War, fans wanted an all-American hero to stand up to the bad guys. For a generation that grew up on Luke Skywalker, He-Man, and G.I. Joe, a flesh and blood superhero was the order of the day.

But times have changed. Society is different from what it was when Hulkamania was born. Wrestling fans just won't accept a goody two-shoes that tells them to train, say their prayers, and take their vitamins. 

Besides that, wrestling fans are much more in tune with real life. They realize that nobody is as squeaky clean as Hulk Hogan and the Von Erichs pretended to be.

That isn’t to say the extreme violence and smut–edgy content, some might call it–that infiltrated our great sport should be the norm. But we should never forget that the excesses of the Attitude Era generated some much-needed fan interest at a critical time. 

Putting the T&A aside, professional wrestling is still a fundamentally violent sport, and the TV-14 rating WWE abandoned was much more appropriate for shows like Raw and Smackdown. The designation allowed the sport to be itself for better or worse, and freed WWE from the shackles of the network suits. 

Asking the NFL or professional boxing to tone down their style of play would be ludicrous. So why then. Would McMahon want to change WWE’s formula for success–a formula that has succeeded with sex and violence as its driving forces. 

Lingerie matches, for example, may not evoke memories of Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt, but let’s face it: Few viewers change the channel when the Divas start shedding their clothes. Nor do you hear the fans in attendance booing when these matches take place. 

In deviating from the proven formula, McMahon runs the risk of sabotaging his own product. As all wrestling fans know, his idea of PG is much different from that of most parents and TV execs. 

By switching the rating, McMahon is telling parents it’s okay to sit down with their kids for one of his shows, yet in the first few weeks after the switch to PG, Raw alone included Jerry Lawler talking about how far Katie Lea will go on the first date, old clips of Chris Jericho mocking Stephanie McMahon’s breast implants, and Kane and Batista attempting to bash each oth3r’s skills in with a steel chair. 

It should also be noted that McMahon is drawn to controversy. It’s only a matter of time before the next incest, necrophilia, or attempted murder angle is played out. If McMahon leads parents to believe his product is appropriate for families, and presents something that isn’t he runs the risk of listing many more fans that he will attract.

[Thanks to WWE’s new TV-PG rating, the “Rated R Superstar” may be forced to tone down his act. Contributing Writer Brady Hicks says that abandoning the edgy material that has kept WWE relevant for so many years will make the task all the harder.]

WWE is trying to save a ship that isn’t sinking. By lowering its rating, WWE hopes to lure fans under false pretenses–something that, in the end, is only going to hurt the business as a whole. It’s time for McMahon to embrace what he’s known all along: Professional wrestling just isn’t a PG-rated sport. 

Brady Hicks is a contributing writer for THE WRESTLER.

[businessorzozen]

Showcasing Successful Woodbridge Startups' Funding Journeys

In the bustling city of Woodbridge, Ontario, a burgeoning startup scene is capturing the imaginations of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs alike. This isn't just Canada's hidden gem; it’s a hotbed of innovation and growth, where small business owners are breaking the mold, defying expectations, and securing the funding they need to turn their dreams into realities.

This blog post dives into the inspiring stories of three Woodbridge startups, sharing their funding journeys, and the invaluable lessons they've learned along the way. Whether you're an aspiring business owner with a sketch on a napkin or a seasoned entrepreneur charting your latest venture, you'll discover insights that can propel your startup forward.

Mills & Mead: Legacy Innovated

Mills & Mead began with a love for the craft of woodworking and a desire to preserve heritage amidst modern trends. Co-founders Johnathan Mills and Kevin Mead met at a local workshop, bonding over their woodworking projects and family stories. Their vision was clear: to merge the time-honored art of woodturning with cutting-edge design, producing heirloom-quality pieces for the contemporary market.

Funding these dreams presented a challenge. Conventional lenders were wary of the niche market and the duo's lack of business experience. Nevertheless, undeterred, they turned to crowd funding. Through a carefully curated campaign that married captivating storytelling with social media buzz, they not only surpassed their funding goal but also grew a passionate community.

The success of their Kick starter campaign didn't just fund their startup; it validated their concept. Investors took notice, and soon, Mills & Mead closed its seed round with a combination of angel investment and venture capital. Johnathan and Kevin stand as living proof that when tradition meets innovation, and persistence meets creativity, funding success is within reach.

Grind & Grounds: The Rise of Ethical Espresso

Grind & Grounds is more than a coffee shop; it's an ethos. Founder Lisa Chen saw a need for a third wave coffeehouse that not only served exceptional single-origin coffees but also championed ethical sourcing and sustainability. Her vision extended to fostering community and providing a platform for local artists and musicians.

Funding a brick-and-mortar establishment proved a different beast than digital ventures. Lisa's unwavering dedication to her mission, however, was her strongest asset. She leveraged this, building a business plan that resonated with the ethical consumer movement. Grants and small business loans were essential starter fuel, but Lisa's understanding of her target audience and her commitment to local community involvement piqued the interest of impact investors.

Upon opening, Grind & Grounds wasn't just another coffee shop; it was a hub for conscious living and ethical consumerism. With a solid customer base and a thriving business model, she confidently took on a series A round and expanded her enterprise. Lisa's journey to funding proved that aligning your passion with your purpose can be a powerful magnet for financial backing.

Verdia Robotics: Automating Industry Excellence

When it comes to industrial automation, Verdia Robotics is redefining the status quo. Co-founders Maria Silva and Paul Nguyen had spent years in the field, honing their skills and identifying pain points. Their vision was to create a modular robotics platform that could adapt to the needs of various industries, providing efficiency and cost savings while improving workplace safety.

Securing funding for the development and scaling of a hardware-intensive product was a complex puzzle. Bootstrapping took them from concept to prototype, but to scale, they needed significant funds. Combining government grants with industry partnerships, Maria and Paul built credibility and a strong case for further investment.

Their commitment to R&D and a relentless pursuit of innovation caught the attention of traditional investors who were eager to support businesses at the forefront of technology. Their success tells the story of patience and strategic collaboration, proving that even the most capital-intensive startups can find the backing they need through tenacity and the right strategic moves.

The Common Thread

These Woodbridge startups each followed a unique path to funding success, but they share common threads: a tenacious spirit, a clear vision, and an unwavering commitment to their business mission. Amid the hustle and bustle of Woodbridge's startup landscape, these stories serve as testaments to the fact that with the right blend of innovation and determination, small businesses can secure the funding necessary to thrive.

As you embark on your startup's funding journey, take heart in these tales. Craft your story authentically, know your market, and demonstrate how your business solves a real-world problem or meets an unmet need. Funding isn't just about the numbers; it's about the narrative and the impact your business can make. When that resonates, doors – and funds – will open. Your Woodbridge success story could be the next to inspire the world. Click here to know more about Funding Solutions Woodbridge.     

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Prompt: “Waking up next to them” Pairing: Solid Silva x gn!reader Genre: fluff Fanfic type: Oneshot Length: ~0.5k

You cracked your eyelids open.

No thoughts… just a warm, soft bed. A pillow that cradled your head. A blanket that wrapped around you, soft as a cloud. The twilight zone of the early morning when no nothing ran through your mind. No worries, responsibilities, just the blissful state of near sleep.

Was it too early to get out of bed? You really hoped that it was. Because this… was so warm and snuggly, and cozy and… Couldn’t you just stay for a moment longer?

There was an arm that wrapped around you, pulling you closer.

A lock of curly, silver hair tickled your cheek, making you let out a faint giggle. But all it did, was make his hold of you grow stronger. His chest was pressed against your back, and his breath, glided over your neck, as if he didn’t want to wake up either.

An alarm went off, which made the man who had wrapped himself around you let out a grown, from which you could practically taste the frown on his brows.

His hold of you loosened, and her rolled onto the other side to turn the alarm off, only to roll back to you. His arms wrapped back around you, but along with it, he threw one of his legs over yours too, in an effort to tangle himself to you even more.

“Shouldn’t we be getting up?” You asked, more to tease him than anything else, since you weren’t eager in getting out of the bed either.

“We can stay for a while longer,” he uttered, barely awake.

“Won’t your brother be mad if we miss breakfast?”

His hold of you grew stronger, as he nuzzled into the crook of your neck. “Nozel-oniisama will understand,” he insisted.

“Good to know,” you whispered back, settling in to his embrace.

The pillow was still soft and fluffy under your head, and the blankets were as if a cloud. But this time warmth was brought by Solid’s embrace, and tranquillity came with the way you felt his chest rising and falling against your back, along with the sound of his steady breathing.

His hold of you seemed imploring, like he was asking you to never leave. His mere hold of you, pleaded, nearly begged, you to stay by his side.

It seemed like this time of the day, these sacred passing moments, were when he dared to be vulnerable. Something you didn’t imagine him to be. But. You supposed that even the proud Solid Silva, could be vulnerable with the right person.

There was something satisfyingly amusing in it, in the disbelief of being there, and in that moment. But you wouldn’t have traded it for anything, that disbelief. Because that moment, was perfect.