#team Antoinette

[karihighman]

Full reel below ft. BTS Feds cast photos!! 😎⬇️

[laurapetrie]

- she is a perfect rosebud.

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782)

[girl-intrigued]

Just watched Marie Antoinette and noticed the parallels between Marie Antoinette and Alicent Hightower:

1. Both of them are the youngest daughters.

2. Got married at a young age .

3.Both were queens as teenagers (Marie Antoinette was 18 and Book!Alicent was 18 and Show!Alicent 14)

4. Their respective husbands inherited the crown from their grandfathers.

5. Their husbands family (&realm) never accepted them as their own ( Both were a foreign queen under their husbands domain).

6. Were renowned for their dressing style and fashion.

7. As a young bride there was constant pressure of producing an heir.

8. Both the Queens had 4 children.

9. For both the mothers their firstborn child was also the last surviving child.

10. Had to face a Civil War.

11. Both the Queens died in their late 30s.

12. Their bloodlines did not continue for long before eventually ending.

[mikelsboys]

Wendie Renard, Kadidiatou Diani, and Marie-Antoinette Katoto announcing their retirement from the French National Team due to mismanagement and disrespect, months before the World Cup.

[darklinaforever]

The day before yesterday, this video was released :

With a note from the editor :

She honestly deserved much better than the fate she got, and the one she will have in the future. And she certainly deserves better than this gave hatred by the fandom.

So, this is for my green Queen. Much more powerful and badass than people think.

I mean...

I love Olivia Cooke. She's a terrific actress, and she does a great job with the little she's been given. But this collective delirium to see the Alicent of HOTD as badass, powerful and complex, while his fucking counterpart of the book exists... Book Alicent would spit on the Alicent of the series without hesitation (or give her a hell of a slap) to make her so ashamed.

In all honesty, people who think HOTD's Alicent is more badass than we think, let me introduce you to a few other fictional/reality queens/empresses, who have been REALLY badass, all despite living under the patriarchy :

Look at these women and dare to tell me that Alicent is so complex and interesting, being so unhappy to be a woman in a man's world that leaves her no choice when she is the fucking QUEEN.

[sudden-stops-kill]

antoinette

[kroashent]

Return to the Tavern - Guard(dog) Duty

"Ooh another Damona's Boon!" Gwae said with a giggle as her cheeks flushed "You know Kathalia, its called something else in other bars… Do ye want to know what it is…?"

"Everyone knows what a Milkmaid's Teat is Gwae." Kathalia replied "You can see the Forest from the Ash and Hazel. Morgiana here doesn't even drink and she can tell you the dirty name for every drink that Haizea tries to class up."

Morgiana nodded, twirling strands of steam-like foyson rising from her buckwheat tea into little spirals around her fingers like a thread. "She does make it a challenge. Right now, she's given up on trying to rename 'Sex on the Sand', but she's got them stumped with "Tempest in a Teacup'. Personally, I'm more impressed that she manages to get the peaches in the middle of winterrule."

"I've learned not to question how Haizea does anything in the kitchen or behind the bar." Kathalia responded "Its much, much safer that way. This place is nice though."

"You're nice though." Gwae muttered with a drunken smile before remembering herself and fumbling the correction "I mean, it's nice. Its a fine local. Its not the Ash and Hazel, but it'll do. Whazzit called again?"

"The Silver Wheel." Marie chimed in "Apparently the local Druid circle here in Ker-Ahes was dedicated to Aranrhod. Poher and Pontivi were among the last holdouts of the old Druids! Even as late as Prince Conomor's conquest, there was an active Nemeton from the days of Konan Meriadoc. Of course, Budig II set fire to it after he returned to the throne, but…"

Morgiana, sensing that Marie was just getting started, excused herself, heading towards the washroom.

-------

"That wasn't very polite of that mean old witch." Antoinette puffed as she circled the room in an exaggerated patrolman's style once again. "After Lady Enora went out and caught this brigand for her, she won't let us keep her in the castle!"

Seated on a large crate, Azelma watched the little squire continue her tireless pacing with the eye of a patient cat waiting for a kitten to tire itself out, though she knew it was a lost causewith Antoinette's limitless energy.

"Its true, that the Biskontez was not a very pleasant person, but I am sure she had her reasons. House de Chinon has many enemies."

"Nonsense." Antoinette scoffed, twirling in place, her brass buttons shining in the store-rooms lanterns "How could anyone hate Lady Enora. Don't be silly Azelma. Maybe the Biskontez is in league with brigands like this one." She gestured at the cage in the corner.

"Wave that in front of me again and I'll bite it off." Growled the figure inside the cage, the tattoos on her face seeming to glow in the shadows. The squire jumped back, surprised by the suddenness and directness of their heretofore silent guest.

"That will be all of that." Azelma said calmly. When Azelma spoke, it wasn't a threat or a posture, merely a statement of fact, like the colour of the sky at a given moment. The fact that she could outpull the average farmer's horse merely backed her up.

"As for your theory, Annaig, I sincerely doubt that." Azelma replied "The Biskontez did authorize the arrest after all. She's probably not a secret bandit queen."

"Yeah, but some of the cooler brigands probably have nobles backing them." Antoinette, forgetting her patrol, hopped up on the bench opposite the Fomorian. Her face lit up. "Or ARE the brigands. I bet La Louve de Frehel has their own secret lair, beneath a castle or something! With a secret passage beneath a waterfall and a cool horse!"

"I think your imagination may be taking you for a ride."

"How else could they constantly escape Lady Enora? No, they definitely have a secret lair." Antoinette replied, ". . . Or. . . Maybe they are not Bediz. Maybe they're something cool like a dragon in disguise or a mermaid princess or a fierce garwaf! That would be cool for Lady Enora to fight."

"I am not sure Lady Enora would be excited to fight any of those things."

"Pfft. A dragon is nothing compared to Lady Enora." Antoinette turned her attention to the prisoner, taking in her dimly glowing tattoos framed by her sleek black hair. "Do you have a cool moniker? What's all over your face? Have you ever met a dragon?!"

"I've had quite a few monikers" The bandit stood up inside her cage, rotating her neck and shoulders to work out a cramp. "They're the holy symbols of the Veiðimaður." She smiled, sharp teeth glistening as they seemed to grow sharper "And I've never met a dragon… But I have met a garwaf…"

Her fang-filled grin seemed to widen as her face began to stretch out, Her tattoos flaring with blue light to give the black fur spreading over her body a shimmering quality. Feet became paws as the garwaf rose upwards, towering over the wide-eyed squire. Azelma stood quickly, tensing herself to prepare for the inevitable attack. Instead, the jet-black garwaf merely stretched, glaring down at the pair on the other side of the bars.

"And now little girl." the garwaf said in a low, menacing growl, leaning in close to the bars "so have you…"

"Ooh, how dramatic!" A delighted clap and a new voice caused Azelma's head to jerk around, as Antoinette stood transfixed in momentary fear by the werewolf before her.

Atop the cage, there was a ripple in the air and suddenly a slender, pale woman in a short maroon dress and a cape that seemed to shimmer with starlight had appeared. A pair of pointed fox ears sprouted from her head, a bushy tail swishing idly behind her as she smirked at the trio below.

"You'll have to excuse my friend. She comes from an insufferable line of bards and witches with a flair for such thing." The fox-eared woman remarked, as if the lupine beast within the cage was merely an eccentric dinner guest and not an unstopabble killing machine.

Antoinette found her bravado, puffing herself up.

"You'll need to step away from Lady Enora's prisoner."

The poulpiquet tilted her head and within the blink of an eye, had reappeared in front of the squire, who blinked with surprise.

"No, she's my guest," she purred as she leaned in towards Antoinette. "As are you."

"She's a garwaf!" Antoinette protested, as if such reasoning would sway the fox-eared korrigan into compliance. The figure merely responded with a smile.

"Oh? I hadn't noticed. At what's so bad about that? Tell me, girl, what do you know about Garwaf? Tell me three things and you get a prize."

"Back away from the girl." Azelma growled.

The korrigan shot her a venomous glare "We're having a conversation. Wait your turn."

"They… are people who become wolf-monsters." Antoinette said, her confidence returning once again as she was put on the spot. "They transform under the blood moon and they… hunt in packs."

"That's right, they do tend to travel in packs." The Korrigan said with a laugh. "And its possible, that they can be anyone. Our friend in the cage. The big green oaf. Even…" she leaned forward, poking Antoinette in the nose with her black-clawed hand "you."

The squire blinked at the small black pad on the tip of her nose, following the laughing fox-woman's finger as she pulled it away, stretching into a muzzle, brown fur spreading over it. She raised her disbeleiving hands to feel it for herself, thick packs forming on her fingers as she did, the fur spreading along her arms

Azelma rushed forward, but slammed to a sudden stop as if hitting a wall as the sorceress held up a hand.

"Of course…" She said, her mouth set into a wicked grin, "You were with them both all this time. It would make sense that you were also garwaf, don't you agree?"

Azelma's eyes widened as she, still arrested mid-charge, felt fur spread over her body. Antoinette's skin was completely covered in brown fur, a tail poking out behind her uniform as it strained against the changes. The sorceress dropped her hand and with the motion, Azelma dropped to the floor, hands and feet becoming paws as her teeth grew sharper, filling out a lupine muzzle.

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

Morgiana stood in shock, back to the hallway wall as she saw the two guards transform before her. She tried to control her rapid breathing and focus. She moved slowly, pulling glamour from the air and beginning to wrap it around her. Through the doorway, Acrasia smiled as Azelma and Antoinette writhed on the floor, becoming more wolf-like with every passing moment.

"Of course" she said, turning to where Morgiana hid, "I didn't forget about you, little spy…"

-------

Val's Notes: You may have noticed that these stories are not quite in "order". I wanted to challenge myself with an unorthodox system changing vantage points as the story unfolds, slowly revelaing more in the past and future from a general starting point. This one is probably the earliest, but I hope that one can see the connections where the stories intersect.

I went through a few versions of this picture and am pretty happy with the ultimate results, especially Garwaf Azelma and Morgiana in the foreground. Since Azelma is not "human", I wanted to give her a slightly different design, with the horns and her tusks. I wonder is other non-human characters like Gwae should have slightly different wolf forms in sets like this…

------

Others in this set:

Gwae: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/41653629/

Kathalia and Gwae: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/53054379/

Kathalia: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/53064592/

Marie: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/53142276/

--------

If you're enjoying these pieced, please check out the full length Kroashent story, Kroashent: Bal Des Loups. I'd love to hear people's take on the story as I continue to work on it!

If you would like to support my art help the world of Kroashent come to life, as well as receive other rewards like sneak-peaks, exclusive versions and sketches, please visit my Patreon page, with a wide array of tiers for all budgets: www.patreon.com/Kroashent Check out the full story of Kroashent: Bal des Loups, on Archive of Our Own or in this gallery: https://archiveofourown.org/series/3141606 Want to chat Kroashent or Val's art in general? Drop in on Kroashent on Discord: discord.gg/MZjc3Gg Learn more about the world of Kroashent on our official Wiki: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/alvez-kroashent

[daily-dutch]

Marijke Groenewoud, Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong & Irene Schouten of The Netherlands competing on the Women's Team Pursuit during the ISU World Cup Speed Skating at Vår Energi Arena on November 12, 2022 in Stavanger, Norway (Photos by Douwe Bijlsma/Getty Images)

[marcelskittels]

The Jumbo Visma speed (ice) skating suit is so clean 🤩

[autobotsandjoestars]

[wolfylch]

After a bazillion years im posting art of my OCs!!

Here's some Antoinette and @imagionary Alucard! X3 ⭐️💕

[karihighman]

Previously unreleased promo photos from 1x15 of The Rookie Feds “Dead Again” just because I love Brensen. But also Brendon and Antoinette are fun okay. They’re cute I have to admit! ⤵️

Listen I totally get it, it’s natural to turn your head when you hear someone’s name you know, like you’re curious. My Brensen fangirl heart though wants to believe there’s something interesting behind the fact that they showed Brendon 👀 at the flowers Laura got⬇️ also her expressions are priceless!!

THE ROOKIE FEDS 1x16 PROMO is 👇

[yoredoesmore]

Ya will get tired of me- Anyway. Do you know the scene from Marie Antoinette movie when she says 'a boy would be the son of France, but you Marie Thérèse shall be mine'. I've been in love with this. So here's the thing. How about reader x hoshina (I'm sorry, I'm just obsessed with him). Man idk how to describe it. How about Mina agrees to a mini tour for kids from kindergarten? (She probably wouldn't agree but we ignore that) Reader and Hoshina gives them a tour, they see how the weapons look from closer, with a safety distance ofc and etc. Then they go to the training room and they come across Hoshina team training? Like the kids are excited, the team like plays with them yk, Iharu and Izumo would bet (more like Iharu) who could do more push ups with kids on theirs back, overall every kid has a person who would give them attention. BUT. There a shy boy who stays behind. Reader sees it and ask him if he wants to see how strong she is, she asks about his name and she takes him and shows her special moves? Hoshina watches from afar how his team is having fun with theirs little fans and then he notices that reader is talking to a boy and he hears her saying 'the kids can have attention from others but you (kids name) shall receive mine' or smth like that? AND HE SEES THAT SHE'S GOOD WITH KIDS AND IT MAKES HIM FEEL WEIRD IN THE CHEST (they are dating) and he imagines how it would be with their kid? A pure fluff is all I want. 🥹💕

Special | Hoshina Soshiro

a/n: cherry you already have a special place in my heart, your requests are amazing! sorry this took so long, i'm sick ╥﹏╥ anyways, please never stop sending requests in <33

pairing: reader & little sosuke ft. Hoshina

summary: the third division hosts a tour for a small group of kindergarteners so that they can get special insight into the work of the defense force but one little kid seems to be in need of a little bit of extra attention and love.

genre: fluff/ angst/hurt & comfort

[wc: 2,7k]

another a/n: focus here is more on reader and the child than hoshina ^^

enjoy!

“A…tour? And not just any tour, a tour for little children..?” As expected, Captain Ashiro sounded more confused than convinced. Both you and Soshiro stood in front of her desk, eyes focused on your written request which she held in her hand. The Captain has been reading over it multiple times now, without giving much of a comment besides a “hm..” or a raise of her brow. A stern expression sat on her face, making it quite difficult to read her current opinion.

“Our job as Defense Force doesn't just stop once a Kaiju is neutralized. Taking care of the aftermath and trauma caused by the attacks is our responsibility as well.” You started.

“Many children have been affected by the destruction brought by the Kaiju– be it injuries, the loss of their home, friends and family or just mental trauma.” Soshiro continued.

“We want to show these children that we are a force they can trust, the people that will protect them from the terror. We want them to know that the second they see us, their life's will be in good hands.” You moved closer to Ashiro, determination glimmering in your eyes.

For a second her gaze shifted past both you and Hoshina, falling onto an empty space in her office. The woman had allowed her mind to lose itself in memories of the past, but only for a fleeting moment.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she folded her hands together and looked up at you with a serious face.

“I will ask the higher ups for permission to follow through with your..tour program, but don't get your hopes too far up. If we allow this to happen it cannot be a random group of children but rather a selected group of young individuals picked by the board itself.”

And that is how you ended up here.

Both you and Hoshina stood in front of the group of kids, each one more energetic than the other, waiting to show them around. It was a wild mixture of kids, yet they all seemed to look forward to what was to come.

Ashiro had told you that these were all children who came from special families, where at least one member was or still is part of a Defense Force. Meaning, that some or even all of them would be future soldiers.

Your husband's hands suddenly found yours as they pulled you closer, giving your fingers a soft squeeze before he clapped his hands together to address the children and caretakers who came with them.

“Welcome everyone, to Tachikawa Base, home of the Third Decision. I am Vice Captain Hoshina Soshiro and we, my coworker and I, will give you special guests a top secret tour around the base.”

Cheers and chants of joy erupted from the crowd, filling the atmosphere with excitement. Watching the children caused a warm feeling to engulf your stomach. To think that Mina actually agreed to do this, you owed her big time.

“Please make sure to walk in rows of two. If you don't have a partner, my coworker and I will take that role.”

Almost immediately the children started to assemble and divide themselves into pairs, until only one child was left.

“Guess we have a lucky one!” You smiled, reaching out your hand to the young boy.

“What's your name, little one?” The boy's eyes refused to meet yours and neither did an answer find you but you did not mind.

Being in such a huge, unfamiliar place must be quite intimidating..

You thought, hands wrapping around his small fingers.

“Let's begin with the tour, shall we?”

The base had been specially prepared for today's visit. Some more intimidating and top secret projects had been moved to different places of the base (that were more off radar) and all cadets had been asked to be on their best behavior today. Despite it being such a small group, both you and Hoshina made sure to take care of even the smallest details. Everywhere the eyes of the children landed, their gazes were sure to meet with something interesting. Weapon display, old badges and special uniforms, you name it.

“And right here is our control room.” Hoshina announced upon opening the door to the large space. Countless monitors hung on the walls, the light of the panels illuminating the dark space so that the visitors could see the technologies they were unfamiliar with.

The children shone like little balls of joy as they explored the operation room, trying to understand what monitor was used for what.

“This is Konomi Okonogi, the Operations Leader of the Third Division. When out in battle and in need of information about the Kaiju or when we need special permission to unlock our suits' full potential, she is the person we turn to.” The children nodded in amaze and immediately shot their hands up into the air to bomb the woman with questions.

But while she was trying to feed the hunger of their minds, one child remained quiet – the boy from before.

“Is there anything you would like to ask our Operations Leader?” You smiled, hands softly nudging the boy's shoulder. But the child simply shook his head, eyes once again landing on his feet. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but for a second it did look like he wanted to say something but refused to.

Unfortunately, your attention was pulled away as it was needed somewhere else in that moment– by a child that had asked a battle specific question.

The tour soon progressed to the next room. With each new space you visited the children grew more fonder of the place. When lunchtime arrived you all sat down in the cafeteria to enjoy a meal together and around afternoon the group went outside to the training ground to watch some cadets train. Every moment felt magical, well, to most of them.

On your way back inside you noticed one of the children walk on its own, a slight gap between him and his peers. Averting your gaze to Hoshina you were hoping to consult him on the situation, as it was starting to bother you greatly, but he was too busy talking to one of the caretakers. Thus you approached the child by yourself once again.

“And? How are we enjoying the tour so far?” You gave the boy another genuine smile.

“It's good..” He said, yet his words did not match the expression on his face.

Despite his lack of interest you continued to try and build up a conversation with him but your efforts went in vain. The kid was as quiet as they could come, unbothered by your attempts of warming up to him and overall not very excited to be here.

Just when you were about to try again, another child suddenly called out for you, like before, requesting your knowledge on a certain topic. The boy stayed behind the group, his eyes flickering with emotions you were unfamiliar with.

“Excuse me?” Your hands slightly tipped the shoulder of one of the caretakers.

“Who's that boy over there? The little one with the black hair.”

“Oh, him? That is our little Sosuke. Not much of a talker but a very sweet child.”

You nodded your head and sighed. “I see. Do you mind me asking why he seems so..down? Did something happen prior to your arrival or..”

The caretaker shook her head, dismissing your assumptions. “Unlike the other children, Sosuke does not seem to be skilled in any type of way. All these children come, as you already know, from renown clans that are recognized for birthing the next generation's soldiers. It is a hard burden to put on the children but all of them know what they will be once they grow up. But Sosuke..his body is too weak and frail to keep up with the other children, that becomes quiet obvious during the smallest activities like playing catch or during gymnastics hour. We tried many times to explain to him that he might be a late bloomer but the boy is strictly convinced that he isn't as special as the others and therefore deserves less attention from us..”

You felt a strong force pull on your heart while listening to the woman. To think that a child, at such a fragile age, would think so little of itself already..it was awful. Your eyes lingered on Sosuke for a while, trying to think of a way to cheer him up– but nothing came to mind. Therefore you were stuck watching the boy hide away in the bubble he had forced himself into throughout the remainder of the tour..

x

The day came to an end way too fast for anyone's liking. Although you traveled through the entire base, the minds of the children still hadn't been satisfied. They begged to visit one more room, see one more weapon– anything to postpone a goodbye. It warmed your heart, hearing them cheer you and the other cadets on, showing gratitude for all the service you provided. How could anyone resist such sweetness?

“How about we show them the training room?” Hoshina suggested and you immediately agreed. The man led the group to the indoor training area, where some of his squad members were going at it. On your way there you made sure to keep a close eye on Sosuke, still unable to give up on the boy.

“Attention everyone!” Hoshina yelled, immediately gaining everyone's attention.

“We got some visitors.”

Kafka and Reno sat in the back of the room, occupying the lifting machines while Shinomiya sat in front of the mirror to do some post workout stretching. The entire group sat focused on their work, until they heard the voice of their Vice Captain.

That's when sweet chaos broke out.

The children climbed onto everything their little hands and feet could touch, including the cadets. Kafka soon turned into a tree for the children to climb on and so did Reno. Shinomiya found herself being trampled by four of the children, meanwhile Iharu and Izumo found a way to incorporate the kids into their workout by having them sit on their backs while performing push ups. Hoshina immediately bursted in a fit of laughter, amused by the current situation.

You yourself could not hide a smile. But amidst all the laughter and giggling your gaze subconsciously searched for Sosuke. Like before in the monitor room and the training ground, he stood in the back, watching the scene unfold– but this time something was different.

He watched his peers and the cadets with admiration in his eyes, with a tiny spark of amazement that shone like the stars in the firmament. The urge to join the fun grew with every second that passed, you could see it...yet he was still holding himself back for some reason.

“Sosuke was your name, am I right?” You tried to approach him one more time.

The boy, surprised that you knew his name, only managed to nod his head, but that was one of the best reactions you have seen from him all day.

“Wanna see something cool? I got a secret move none of the other cadets can do.” As you spoke those words, you kneeled down to the child's level, now being eye to eye with him.

“But..isn't such a special move meant to be seen by the other children rather than me..”

“No, I want you to see it.” Sosuke gasped lightly as you spoke those words, confused by the overwhelming attention you have been showing him up until now. While the boy was contemplating your intentions, you took off your shoes and placed them aside. Then, he finally nodded.

Almost immediately the boy found himself being yanked up into the air. You had wrapped your legs around his waist to pull him closer and somehow balanced him on your feet– with whom you threw him up into the air, of course not too high, and caught him with your hands. It all happened so fast that little Sosuke had almost no time to react but once he calmed down he was glowing with excitement.

“Again!”

And you threw him up again.

“Again!”

And another time.

“Again!”

You continued to throw the boy into the air just to catch him like a circus ball with your hands. Seeing his eyes glow and gleam with joy was more rewarding than any badge.

As you were both lost in the moment, you failed to notice Hoshina who was now moving closer to the both of you. His feet halted midway as he saw you open your mouth.

“Oh little Sosuke, you may not think that you are desired but you are no less dear to me.”

The boy's eyes froze upon hearing your words. His body softly slipped off your feet and landed onto the ground next to you.

“But..I'm not special..I'm not like the other kids in the group. I appreciate your kindness ma'am but I don't think that you should waste your time on me.."

Sosuke felt a cold wind hush over his skin as he recalled past memories of him trying to catch up with the other children. He suddenly felt lonely and left out, forgotten by the world…until a warm breeze suddenly engulfed him. Your arms wrapped themselves around his body, pulling the child into a long, warm hug.

“The kids can play with the other cadets and get their special attention." You poked his nose. “But you little Sosuke, shall have mine.”

Both Sosuke and Hoshina stood speechless by your words, their hearts feeling emotions they could not comprehend in that moment.

Soshiro suddenly grabbed his chest, the warmth in his heart being too overwhelming to ignore it. Could you hear his heartbeat? It was beating in irregular motions, loud and clear for all to hear. Hoshina knew that you were a good soul but never would he have thought that you were this amazing with children. But that was only to be expected, was it not?

They did not go unnoticed by Hoshina, your attempts of trying to win Sosuke over. He knew that you probably saw yourself in the small, insecure boy and therefore felt a dire need to consult him and let him know that he was already special enough, simply for being born into this world.

“Alright children, it's time to pack up now! One of the caretakers suddenly called.

“Oh my, time is already up? Alright Sosuke, let's-” Upon looking down at the boy, you were met with a view you did not expect to see today. Sosuke sat in your arms, thick tears running down his cheeks and staining his clothes.

“Don't wanna!” The boy yelled out, loud enough to alarm everyone. He was clinging onto you tightly, refusing to let go. As you looked up for help you finally took notice of Hoshina.

“Soshiro..are you seeing this?” You chuckled softly, the feeling of accomplishment washing over your skin.

“I don't wanna leave!” Sosuke continued to protest as Hoshina tried to get the boy off you.

It took your husband ten whole minutes to convince Sosuke to go with the caretakers, but that was only possible after making multiple promises.

“Yes, I will visit your kindergarten every month, I promise.”

“And..and you have to show me your special move again!” The boy cried out, both his hands wrapped around your leg.

“Yes, I will.” You spoke in a gentle voice, your fingers tapping against his shoulder to notify him that your time was up.

“Goodbye Mrs. Hoshina!” Sosuke yelled as his head disappeared behind the bus door.

“Goodbye Sosuke..”

It wasn't until the bus drove off that you felt an overwhelming surge of sadness pull on your heart. Luckily Hoshina stood right next to you to embrace you in a warm hug.

“There there.” He cooed, smiling at your fragile self. You stayed like that for a while, feeling comfort in Hoshina's presence.

The children of this world are faced with hardship and terror from an early age– especially those who come from renown clans like yours and Hoshinas. You remember it all too well, the pressure applied to you by your parents to achieve greatness and make it big in the world of Kaiju fighters. Knowing that you managed to get through to Sosuke and reassure him that he was special despite not being as strong as the others, it made your heart feel just a little lighter.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

The worst opening ceremony ever

That’s because you’re looking at it all wrong. The opening ceremonies are incomparable, for a whole list of reasons:

The economic and financial situations, both in the country that’s hosting and for the entire world.

The country hosts

The creative and production teams involved in putting on the shows.

Geopolitical tensions and issues of the times

The athletes involved

You’re expecting 2008 production value in a 2024 world that’s dealing with different economic crises, two very significant wars with WW3 breakout potential, and a rising far-right/return to dictatorship. It’s incomparable.

You have to look at the opening ceremonies as their own standalone unit. And when you consider last night’s spectacle that way, it was actually a tremendous success:

Arson shut down most of the French trains and there were enormous fears of what it meant for the ceremony, but it went off without a hitch.

It rained the whole time, but all the performers still made good performances, no one was injured, and everyone made it.

Celine Dion made her first major public singing appearance while dealing with a huge medical condition. If you don’t know the significance of Celine Dion to the French or the song that she performed, then just be awed by her commitment to turn up, IN THE FREAKING RAIN, on TOP of the Eiffel Tower to perform. Who cares if she lip-synced? It was raining! She showed up anyway, with every right to demand the performance be relocated to the flat ground under cover.

The athletes all had a good time and were excited.

The cityscapes during the torch relay showed off Paris’s incredible architecture and skyline. Name any other city that can do that and have it be so meaningful.

The bells of Notre Dame rang for the first time in 5 years, they gave credit to all the workers and trades/crafts that have been restoring and repairing the cathedral, and gave an homage to the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

There was a lady in a croissant costume. A CROISSANT costume!

They had a choir of headless Marie Antoinettes accompanying a heavy metal band that was performing AT the very same prison she was held captive at.

They lit a piano on FIRE and floated it down the Seine while performing “Imagine.”

They acknowledged France’s bloody, violent history without it being preachy or sentimental. (Watch the LA 2028 ceremony ignore the US’s bloody history - I guarantee you it’ll highlight our melting pot culture but it won’t even touch on the oppression, slavery, Civil Rights era, or how indigenous peoples were treated, much like the London 2012 ceremony didn’t acknowledge Britain’s bloody history.)

They highlighted all the ways that French culture contributed to the global community; music, literature, love, fashion and Coco Chanel pink, Louis Vuitton, the Eiffel Tower, croissants, the minions, and French people’s contributions to modern sport (as well as foreign success in French sport).

The homage to Assassin’s Creed, the Phantom of the Opera, and other famous masked French figures in the torch relay and flag-bearers.

They had an opera singer dressed as the French flag singing the national anthem from a sloped rooftop over the stadium in the rain. I had literal chills, y’all. It can’t get more patriotic than that.

Organizers made statues of important French women to display during the ceremony and they’re DONATING all of them to Paris after the Olympics! I don’t know if you caught it, but the male-to-female representation in Paris’s statues is 4.5:1 (over 200 male statues, just 40ish female statues). It’s an incredible start towards gender equality in Parisian and French history that a lot of countries could take a note from.

Les Mis! Who doesn’t love a good musical interlude?! Especially one introducing a segment paying tribute to the French Revolution. (And I must admit, I’m now kinda expecting LA 2028 to have a Hamilton nod.)

The image of Assassin’s Creed with the dove wings behind her as she walked up.

All the athletes running together for the final torch relay - more chills! (Usually that doesn’t happen.)

Raising the Olympic cauldron by hot air balloon so everyone could see.

That amazing light show from the Eiffel Tower.

and so much more.

Yeah, the can-can line was sloppy and the audio quality was poor, the parade of nations took forever (they always take forever though) and no one understood the order they were coming in (because it wasn’t explained until *after* the ceremony that the upcoming hosts are also at the end) and there’s a ton people offended by the threesome and the drag queens on the grounds of religious morality (you can see my reaction to that criticism in the earlier post below), but overall, all things considered? Considering the entire 4-5 hour show, in the spectacle that is Paris, with a terrible weather forecast, in the unprecedented geopolitical times we’re in?

It was a kick-ass opening ceremony.

[talesofely]

— Desired Reality - Uno.

A Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader Series

Summary : Six people who claimed to be from another universe arrived at the Avengers Tower out of nowhere. The fact that the group of people—NOVA—are essentially Avengers clones only serves to further complicate matters. The only unmistakable distinction between them is that they are of opposing sexes. How will things play out for the two groups of superhumans?

Word count : 1.5k

Warnings : Nothing that I know of.

Next - Series Masterlist.

"Is this it?" A red headed male asked, looking around the unfamiliar yet familiar building in front of them. Nathaniel.

"If the smarties' calculations are correct, then supposedly, we are where we need to be." The youngest member of the team replied with a small sigh. Stephanie.

"Of course it's right, it's us. When are we ever wrong?" The richest member of the team snarked back, making sure to add a sassy eye roll. Antoinette.

"When you said everyone in our team is straight." The archer responded in a tone so flat that you could mistake it for a serious statement. Clarissa.

A chuckle erupted from the quietest member of the team. "She got you good this time." Brielle.

"Bite back, Ms. Snarky." The group's ray of sunshine egged on, wanting to see drama unfolding in front of her very eyes again. Theodora.

"You guys will seriously argue any chance you get, huh?" A white haired female said with annoyance. Everyone immediately stopped talking as if it was their mom scolding them. Y/n.

"Six people are exiting the building. Two on your right, Steph. Two on your left, Brie. And two directly in front of us." Everyone immediately went into full alert mode, ready to fight if necessary.

Just like you said, six people came out of the building. Surprise was immediately shown on the Avengers faces when they saw the six people standing outside the building.

Steve Rogers, Captain America, was the first to speak up. "Who are you?"

"Luke, I am your father." Antoinette said seriously, making direct eye contact with the super soldier.

"Luke? My name isn't Luke." Steve furrowed his brows in confusion as the group of strangers infront of them tries to stifle a chuckle.

"Idiot, it's 'No, I am your father.'" The archer of the younger team would never pass on an opportunity to piss the young billionaire off.

"No? He says 'Luke', you dumb bitch, not 'No'." Y/n let out a loud sigh once those words left Antoinette's mouth, knowing this will lead to a long fight again.

Thankfully, she wasn't the only one who didn't want to go through the banter between the two girls.

"We're you, from a different reality." Steph answered seriously and truthfully, stepping forward to hide the two girls arguing and ignoring the confused looks on the heroes faces.

Silence immediately enveloped them, the avengers trying to study the unfamiliar faces infront of them. You decided to break the silence, knowing that you all didn't have time for staring contests.

"I believe it's best if we speak about this matter inside." You said with a friendly smile, revealing your dimples on both cheeks. Your london accent also surprised everyone, but no one chose to comment on it.

"And how can we trust that you won't try to kill us?" Steve asked, stepping forward to try and intimidate the group.

"Cuff us then." A chorus of disbelieving 'what?!'s could be heard from the younger group. A raise of your right hand, however, was able to silence them.

That didn't stop the quiet cursing and swearing from your group however.

"So you're saying that, you're us, from a different universe?" Tony asked with furrowed brows. They were in the avengers meeting room, the younger heroes all had cuffs on their hands, much to their displeasure.

"Yeah. I'm you," Annie said as she pointed at Tony. "from another reality, wherein you're a gal."

"Wait, wait, wait. So what are your names then?" Clint asked reluctantly, crossing his arms as he stared at the cuffed heroes.

The Vigilantes all looked at you first, seemingly asking for approval from their 'leader' before revealing important information. When you nodded, Clint's counterpart broke the silence.

"I'm Clarissa Francesca Barton, they call me Claire. I'm you, Hawkeye."

"Stephanie Grace Rogers, Steph." Steve raised his brows in surprise at his supposed female counterpart.

"Roxanne Brielle Banner. Guess you can call me Brie." Bruce nodded at his counterpart who just raised a brow at him in response.

"I'm Theodora Odinson, you can call me Thea. Hi, Thor." Thor waved at the girl who smiled at him in return.

Everyone then looked at Annie, who raised a brow at them once she noticed their gaze. "What? I wanna go last."

She sighed before rolling her eyes. "The name's Antoinette Edelle Stark. It's Annie for short, not Toni, not Nette, not anything else."

Tony smiled in triumph when he confirmed that he looks good in every universe, despite being the opposite gender.

"I'm Nate." The only boy in the team said flatly, earning a huff of annoyance from you.

"He's Nathaniel Alister Romanoff." You finished for him, ignoring the look of betrayal on his face.

"I'm Y/n Dawn Maximoff, according to our research, I'm Pietro Django Maximoff. I also have a twin," Your eyes shifted to Wanda, a look of understanding flashed in both their eyes. "His name was Walker Marco Maximoff."

"Wait— I appreciate knowing your names, but that doesn't prove anything, much more being from another universe." Steve asked, still cautious against them.

You sighed in annoyance, you didn't appreciate being asked multiple questions, especially again and again.

You stared at the keys of the handcuffs on the table away from you. You frowned and shifted your gaze to the cuffs on your hand, and suddenly it disappeared.

The avengers looked at you in shock, immediately going into a fighting position when you stood up. You raised your hands in the air to show you weren't doing anything fishy.

"Care to help us here, Y/N/N?" Annie said sarcastically, raising her hands that are still in cuffs.

You walk over to them and touched each of their cuffs that magically disappear each time. You walked over to Cap who backed away slightly. You scoffed and held out your hand that somehow now had all the cuffs.

"Take it, then I'll explain." You threw the cuffs at him, which he caught easily.

Nathaniel walked over to you and frowned, seeing that your wrist had red marks around them from the cuffs being too tight for you.

"Who placed cuffs on you? They need training or something." He said, adding a soft 'tsk' as he examined your wrists. Steve brows raised in surprise, obviously taking offense from that.

"I'm fine, Nate." You pulled your hands away from him and gave him a subtle glare for touching you.

"Anyways, as I was saying-"

"Are you two dating?" Your words were cut off by Natasha's sudden question. You raised your brows in shock, before smirking in amusement.

"Interested in my dating life, are we, Ms. Romanoff?" You asked, smirking teasingly. You saw a few of your members letting out a huff of annoyance hearing you flirting again. You chose to ignore them.

"No. We just don't appreciate having a couple in the team." She answered flatly. You tried reading her even if you knew very well you couldn't.

"But according to our research, you and Mr. Banner over there, had a small thing going on." You countered, raising a questioning brow at her. You didn't know why you even mentioned that, you and Nate really aren't a couple anyways. Maybe YOU are curious about her dating life.

Bruce cleared his throat awkwardly. You didn't let the obvious awkward tension in the room deter you, instead, you sat on the arm rests of Nathan's chair, crossing your arms as you look at the team boredly.

"Being romantically attached to someone doesn't affect my team's performance in the field, don't worry." You saw Steph and Nate giving you a thankful smile, which you gladly returned as a teasing one once you saw them holding hands underneath the table.

Silence overtook the meeting room. The avengers were trying to read you and your team, while your team were just relishing in the fact that you guys know I'm something that the older heroes don't.

"As much as I like the confusion on your faces, we'll have to tell you why we're here." You paused, looking at Steph, a silent cue for her to explain.

"Our universe is fucked. Someone fucked with us a week ago, they wanted to destroy our reality. Luckily, we were able to somehow freeze the entire timeline there. We need to go back in time to fix this mess, to be able to prepare, to avoid our universe from disappearing."

"So you want to create a time machine in this universe to travel back in time to your universe?" Steve asked, his brows furrowing even more than before.

"Yeah."

"Why us?" Natasha asked, raising a brow— specifically at Y/n.

"Why not?" You answered with a shrug. "We have 2 years to do it."

Next - Series Masterlist

[sudden-stops-kill]

antoinette - jutta