#the kens in the back to ballet

[fashiun-killa]

greta gerwig i love you

this scene is literally the intro to barbie and the 12 dancing princesses but with ken

[skepticskeksis]

My favorite part of Barbie was the full on dream ballet sequence

[tranquil-ivy]

The Prettiest Fairy Princess

ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ʜᴏɴᴇꜱᴛʟʏ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴅᴏᴍᴇꜱᴛɪᴄ ʟᴇᴏɴ ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ. ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴍʏꜱᴇʟꜰ.

"C'mon mommy!" Your little girl drags you to the living room, just having finished set up a "stage", 2 dining room chairs, an old pink sheet and construction paper with a background of a castle on a hill drawn in markers and crayons taped just above the sheet. It's for one of her performances she likes putting on now and again after writing her funny little stories.

Soon you're sat in the middle of the couch between her stuffed animals. Strawbeary, her large pink bear, to your right and her Bluey toy to your left. Soon a folded pieces of paper is put into the audiences hands, a crudely drawing fairy with a crown on it's head and a jumbled mess of 'The Fairy Princess' in sparkly gel pen. With enough glitter glue around the edges to choke someone to death.

"What's this?" You ask, your little one turning, now wearing what looks like mascara as a fake mustache. That old makeup you gave her really made her plays costume department thrive by the looks of it.

"It's a paybill!" She happily squeals, handing Bluey her paper.

"Playbill." You hear your husband correct her from the other room, you look into the hall wondering why he isn't being subjected to the audience like usual.

"A playbill!" She corrects herself, looking at you then back to the stage. Walking over she pushing her box of toys behind the curtain and grabs her fathers work jacket from the armchair near by. Putting it on and pushing the sleeves up to her little elbows as it swallows her. Crawling back behind the curtain her arm comes up, using Leon's flashlight and flicking it.

That's usually intermission... but God she really thought of everything.

Soon the room is filled with the sound of her ballet practice music from her room.

Ahhh, Leon must be a stage technician this time.

You hear your little one clear her throat, her tiny hand peaking above the sheet with a stuffed bunny in her hand.

"There once was a family of fairies that ruled a kingdom!" The bunny bounces slightly, fluffy ears wiggling as he's tousled around, her voice stretching with exaggeration. "In a kingdom of magical creatures! All happily living their lives as they could."

The bunny disappears, a Ken doll on a flip flop with a cotton ball pillow and tissue blanket appearing.

"But sadly, not everyone in the kingdom was doing well. The king was sick and the next heir needed to take the throne quickly before the king died. Because every marriage in the kingdom needed a royals blessing." Ken gets dropped to the floor with a clatter as the bunny appears again, the smile on your face only growing wider. Stifling a laugh as she continues.

"But there was a problem. No one in the kingdom wanted to marry the princess in line for the throne because she was different than any of the other fairy princesses..." Silence falls over the room for a few seconds. You hear shuffling, your daughters head poking out from behind the curtain towards the hall.

"Daddy, that's where you come in!" She harshly whispers before moving back into place.

"Sorry!" Settling in she repeats her line again.

"But there was a problem. No one in the kingdom wanted to marry the princess in line for the throne because she was different than any of the other fairy princesses."

You hear foot steps as your attention turns to the hall doorway as your husband steps through. You swallow your bottom lip, covering your mouth with your hand as you lean on your knees.

"oh my god..."

There Leon stood, your daughters bright white fairy wings on his back, straps stretched out way too far on him, the brightest pink lipstick you use to own smeared across his mouth and her princess tiara from a tea set she was given as a gift on his head. You desperately want to laugh at him but you can't. It would upset your daughter or worse... Make her cry.

You don't want to make your daughter cry.

"She was too tall for the other fairies to want to marry her!" You pull your hand from your mouth, gaining your control again. You mouth an 'I love you ' to Leon as he crosses his arms, not irritated but unamused, making the straps somehow stretch more against his shoulders. Your attention turns back to the bunny narrating the play.

"So the princess was sad and everyday she'd go to the pond not far from her castle. And sit with her only friend." The bunny dips down, being replaced by a frog plush, starting to bounce as your daughter spoke.

"Oh princess, why are you so sad?" Leon turns towards the frog, trying to put on his most delicate voice possible.

"No one wants to marry me frog. I just want someone to love me and... Help me protect my kingdom!" You let out a tiny giggle at his line stumble. He definitely wouldn't be winning a Tony anytime soon.

"I know what you need!" The frog sways energetically as he looks around. "I know of a place where you can have your wish granted."

The frog disappears and the bunnies back.

"So the fairy princess followed the frogs instructions to a wishing well in the middle of the woods. There she took out a coin, held it tight and threw it into the well while wishing for what she wanted most." Leon fished into his jeans and pulled out what looked like a button, tossing it behind the curtain.

"As she threw the coin a short handsome man came from the trees." Your daughter moves, fixing her fathers jacket back in place as she came to the front of the curtain.

"Who are you?" Says the very pretty fairy princess. Your daughter look up at Leon, face scrunched in what you guessed was supposed to be an angry expression.

"I'm the giant of this forest! What're you doing near my home!? Aren't you the kings daughter?" She asserts her voice to try sounding like a grown man but just ends up sounding like she's choking on something. You can't help but let out a tiny laugh and thankfully she's too busy with line delivery she doesn't seem to notice.

"I am the kings daughter! And you're a giant? But you're so small?" Leon glances down at his daughter, covering his own mouth as he tries keeping composure. She stomps her feet, readying herself to deliver her next line.

"Everyone says that I'm too small! I wish I could be bigger and show everyone home good I am."

"But I think you're perfectly fine the way you are. You're actually very handsome." Leon crouches down to her level, smiling at him as her eyes gleamed.

"And you're very beautiful madam. Would you like to be my wife?" Leon gasps excitedly, playing along with her enthusiasm. He always loved seeing his little girl look so excited.

"I'm not too tall for you?" The giant wraps his arms around the princess, hugging her tightly as he's hoisted into her arms. Leon carries her into the hallway and you raise your hands, about to clap when she rushes back in behind the curtain. Hoisting the bunny up.

"And so the giant and the fairy princess got married. Saving her kingdom and getting her fathers approval. Everyone lived happily ever after until the king died. The End!"

You start clapping as you stand up from the couch, your daughter coming out to take a bow, Leon coming back around the corner. He takes a little bow even before you get to your kids level.

"Honey, that was so good! Thank you for front row seats." She's jumping excitedly and smiles even wider when there's a knock at the door.

"Uncle Chris!" She screams running out of the living room. Leon freezes, staring at you while you stand.

"Chris is here?!" You look at him with a smirk.

"The boys are sleeping over tonight... Did you not remember?" Leon shakes his head starting to make a break for the hall.

"Uh, uh! I already texted Chris and he wants to see his nieces show... I didn't know you were gonna be in it though." You snort, covering your mouth as Leon looks at the hallway mirror and seems himself.

"Oh my God..." He looks mortified, knowing he's never gonna hear the end of this.

"Don't be so upset. At least you're the prettiest fairy princess in the whole house~"

[succcession]

We're gonna have a fucking baby

Kendall Roy x f!reader (Smut) 3.2k word count

Summary: After spending the day with Kendall and his two kids, Kendall admits he frequently fantasizes about having another baby with you. This conversation quickly leads to an intimate night of him trying to make that happen.

“I mean, is this all my life is y/n? Forty years of fucking up”.

“Ken, your life is forty years of being an amazing older brother, a hardworking son, and a great dad! Maybe with a few hiccups along the way but…who's counting?” you exclaimed as you placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of your emotionless boyfriend. His large eyes staring back at his reflection in the black liquid.

“The press is counting, my family is fucking counting. And you don’t have to lie y/n, I know I am neglectful in all those relationships. Especially with my kids” he roughly remarked.

For weeks you had been pushing the idea of Kendall spending more time with his kids. Whenever he had a day off you would throw out suggestions like, “Hey Ken, the weathers great! Maybe we should bring Sophia and Iverson to Central Park.” Or “NYC has so many museums, we should take Sophia to the ballet, and Iverson to the Hall of Science”. Never intending to make Kendall feel like a deadbeat dad. You knew how he admired his kids. Occasionally he just needed a little push to be there for them. 

Due to Kendall’s lackluster attitude you figured today wasn’t the day to ask kendall if he wanted to make plans with his kids. Maybe it was the warm Saturday morning air flooding the usually chilling apartment, or the fact that Kendall was finally not in the office on a weekend but you just had to throw out the idea one more time. “Ken, I know you're having a rough day” you said softly as you reached out to squeeze his open hand. “But maybe not being cooped up in the office or your apartment will make you feel better-”

“Look, I know where you're going with this y/n and I’m not going to another one of your fucking pilates classes.” Kendall directly cutting off your sentence before you could finish. You couldn’t help but laugh at your boyfriend's consistent apathy.

“Damn, but I just love seeing you so worked up and sweaty” you retort. “No Ken, I was going to say, why don't we take Sophia and Iverson to the zoo today?” you cheerfully presented. To your surprise Kendalls eyes nearly seemed to light up at the word “zoo” as if something clicked inside of him, almost breaking his depressive state. Kendall responded with a quick “let me call Rava”.

You watched the rows of skyscrapers pass as you and Kendall sat in suffocating silence on the way to Rava’s apartment. Kendall fidgeted in his seat, pulling on his t-shirt, mindlessly switching between apps on his phone before eventually letting out a quiet “you know, you don't have to come if you don't want to y/n, I can pick them up by myself if it makes you more comfortable.” You placed your hand gently on his upper thigh giving a light squeeze as you explained. “Ken, it's really okay. I mean she's the mother of your children! We can't exactly avoid each other forever.” you said, showing a soft smile to assure Kendall of your confidence. Honestly, you and Rava got along fine. Although she was slow to warm up to you, you never took it personally. Who wouldn't be cautious of their drug addict, ex husbands, new girlfriend. Over time her cold demeanor shifted as you two began having small conversations whenever she would pick the kids up. You almost admired Rava in a way. She was beautiful, always looked elegantly put together, successful in her career, and she was an amazing mother. Everything you secretly hoped to one day be for Kendall.

 As the car pulled up to Rava’s apartment you mind began to picture how your future might look with Kendall if things continued at the pace they were. Of course, Kendall had joked many times about getting you pregnant and running away together to get married. But you two never had a real discussion about what you saw for your future. You couldn't help but occasionally daydream of you and Kendall standing in an empty room deciding between sage green or soft peach, paint swatches for a nursery. Or rocking your baby to sleep as Kendall softly wrapped his arms around your waist, humming gently in your ear. 

Your mind wandered further into your maternal daydream as your day at the zoo went on. Observing how patient and gentle Kendall was Iverson and how lovingly he doted on Sophia, had your heart skipping beats every minute. Making sure to capture hundreds of photos of all the adorable moments. Kendall typically only showed his love in undisclosed ways but with his children it was on full display. 

As you and Iverson stared into a tank of swimming otters counting each one that passed, Kendall realized for the first time in weeks he didn’t feel like the world was collapsing in on him. There was something reassuring about watching you point out different frog species with Iverson and hold hands with Sophia, skipping together to each animal. Everytime he heard one of his kids yell “Dad, come look!” served as a reminder that he still had people in his life who cared about him. Who needed him. 

Kendalls wandering thoughts were interrupted by a small tug on his sleeve and he looked down to find his daughter sweetly beaming up at him.

“What's up Princess? Are you having a good time?”

 “Dad! y/n is so cool and you’re always happier when you're with her!” The young girl exclaimed.

Kendalls entire demeanor softened, and he kneeled down to wrap his arms around Sophia. Hearing those words nearly broke his heart. He was highly aware he wasn’t always at his best when around his kids, but he always tried to fake it for Sophia and Iverson. The fact that his kids could see past the facade made him sick. Just another reminder of the ways he was becoming like his father. 

Kendall attempted to hide his shame from Sophia, responding smoothly “Yeah Soph, I guess you’re right about that. Lucky for us, I think y/n is here to stay.” In spite of her fathers hopefully tone, Sophia was hardly a young kid anymore and she could still see the fragment of sadness Kendall felt. She pleaded further “Please dad! y/n is the best! I want her around forever!”. After his divorce Kendall decided remarrying was out of the question for him. The thought of being like his dad; multiple wives with kids he ignored from each, practically gave him nightmares. However, Kendall couldn’t deny that when he met you, his mindset instantly changed. Within only a few months the thought of you having his child definitely crossed his mind more than once. He would catch himself picturing moments like you handing him a pregnancy test with a bright ‘+’ result. Staring up at him with your soft eyes anticipating his reaction. How he would scoop you up in his arms and yell “we're having a baby!” kissing you all over and reminding you how he would take care of you forever. Nonetheless, he always pushed those thoughts aside and never revealed how he really dreamed of you two ending up. The press already had a field day with your age gap, you were really starting to build momentum in your career and the last thing he ever wanted to do was make you feel trapped.

That night you and Kendall sat snuggling on the couch, scrolling through all of the silly photos taken throughout the day. You felt especially safe wrapped in Kendall's arms tonight. Assuming it was just the effects of getting to see Kendalls paternal instincts. He left gentle pecks along your forehead while giggling at every photo of Iverson and Sophia posing with the animals. The effortless time with his kids paired now with your warm body cuddled on top of him reliving the memories was already filling him with a mellow nostalgia. 

As you scrolled past a selfie of you kissing Kendall on the cheek you giggled “we would make such cute babies.” Instantly Kendalls ears perked up seeing as he was the one usually joking about making babies. 

“Are you kidding? Our kids would be like the next super model, techno DJ, fucking ultra geniuses!” 

You expected Kendall to have to have such a teasing reaction but honestly you were being serious. 

“Fuck yeah they would!” you joked back, pressing a peck to your boyfriend's lips. Kendall quickly deepened the kiss before pulling back to look at you.

“Did I ever tell you how sexy I think you would look pregnant?” Kendall whispered. “What? Omg Kendall no! You have never told me that” you laughed.

“Come on. What do you think… I think about after I cum in you?” he said with a large grin. 

“Ken I- are you serious? Do you really think about you?”

 Despite the giggle you let out as you asked, you knew Kendall caught on to the trace of hopefulness behind your question. 

“Uh of course, I think about how fucking beautiful my girlfriend would be with my child, yeah.” Kendall assured. 

Your heart was nearly pounding out of your chest. Despite being unsure if Kendall was being honest or simply pulling your heartstrings hearing him say those words was making you melt deeper into his arms.

“Mm really? How often?” you teased, hoping to gather more confirmation that Kendall wasn’t just joking.

“Um okay, you want me to be honest?” he asked.

“One hundred percent.” you said.

“Like. Everyday.”

Stunned by his answer, your mouth fell open and stumbled to come up with a response. 

“Seeing you with Sophia and Iverson, waking up to you every morning, fuck y/n, you have no idea how bad I want to come home to you and our family.” Kendall continued.

“Our family?” you questioned.

 You could sense Kendalls discomfort with your reaction. You hadn’t intended to say that thought aloud but you were speechless. It felt as if the delusional world in your head and reality were swapping places. 

Kendalls large eyes were staring into your eyes, anxiety flooding his body, praying you say something else. 

“Ken I-” you began, before being interrupted by a distressing Kendall.

“Look y/n its just a thought, I mean I’m definitely not trying to push for something you’re not ready for, like I know your young and-”

Crashing your lips into Kendalls was the only way you knew to shut him up from his fearful rambling.

“But…I want you, Kendall.” you said.

 Your hands holding his face to look directly into his dark eyes. “I want all of you. All of your bad habits. All of your ex-wife, Roy family drama baggage. And especially…to have your babies.” you drew out slowly, letting a devilish smile creep onto your face. 

That was all the reassurance Kendall needed before he was kissing you deeply , moving to positioning himself in between your thighs, hovering above you.  

“Is that really what you want y/n? You want me to make you mine?” His previously trembling voice was now confident and nearly patronizing.

“Mhm baby, only yours” you replied sweetly while attempting to grind your hips up to Kendalls. That slight bit of friction was met with a repressed grunt from Kendall, his hands moving to tightly grip your hips, halting any movement. You could tell Kendall was already craving you. You could feel his dick growing harder as it pressed firmly against your clothed center. The truth was Kendall was hard since the conversation had begun. Even when you had simply joked earlier about making cute babies Kendall couldn’t help the blood that instantly rushed to his cock, causing it to throb against his sweats.

Kendall moved slowly to remove the soft sweater you were wearing, gently helping you to pull out each arm before lifting it over your head. His lips softly connected to your neck. Leaving light pecks, stopping occasionally to gently suck on the skin and admire the small blemishes he was leaving behind. His large hands softly massaging your breasts before his tongue swiftly moved to draw light circles around your nipples. Taking the small bud between his lips and sucking tenderly, making sure to give each nipple equal attention. Your body pushed your chest forward desperately giving in to his delicate touch. His ability to instantly turn you into a moaning mess never failed. 

You squirmed beneath him searching for something to grind against, desperate to stimulate the area he was ignoring. 

“This is what you’ve been waiting for isn’t it? For me to fuck you and make you mine? Already so eager for my fucking cum in you. My pretty girl” Kendall taunted softy. Watching you gasp as your back arched into him. 

“Please Ken” you pleaded.

His fingers trace slowly down your body, finally making contact with your touch deprived center. Using two fingers to rub soft circles on your clit and slide them through your slick folds pressing firmly against your slit. His fingers were instantly covered in your wetness before he even dipped them into your pussy. 

Kendall stared into your eyes as he brought the first finger he used to spread your pussy to his lips. Sliding the digit slowly into his mouth, “Fuck! You taste so good”. Bringing his second finger to your mouth with a commanding “suck”. You gladly accepted and softly sucked on the flesh tasting yourself before Kendall removed the finger with a loud popping sound. 

He quickly moved from between your thighs to kneeling at the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms firmly around your thighs and pulling your dripping pussy level to his mouth. You cried out as his lips connected directly to your exposed clit. Kendall hummed into your pussy as he tongued the sensitive bundle of nerves. Your hands grasped desperately searching for something to hold onto as you felt your orgasm building in your stomach. Kendall removed his firm grasp from around your hips and found your hands, interlocking his fingers with yours. “Fuck Ken! You’re gonna- make me cum! Please- please don't stop!” You cried out, squeezing his hands harder feeling your eyes close shut. On nights when Kendall was feeling especially dominating, now is when he would completely pull away. Always trying to see how many times he could bring you to the edge before he finally gave you permission to cum. However, tonight was different. Kendall was on a mission to prove just how good he could make you feel, how bad he wanted to give you everything, that he would truly take care of you. His cock was leaking with precum appreciating every sound that left your body as he continued working your pussy. Rapidly licking at your slit and sucking on your clit until finally the knot building in your stomach released. You couldn't stop the dramatic stream of moans that left your body.

“Oh my God Ken!” 

 “Good girl” Kendall hummed as you attempted to catch your breath feeling your sensitive pussy throbbing inside. 

You yelped, as you felt Kendalls mouth return to your overstimulated clit leaving light kisses while he worked to remove his sweatpants and boxers. 

Kendall gently lifted you in both arms and softly laid you back down in the center of the bed. Taking his time to kiss you deeply as he wrapped his arms tightly around you. His chest heaving against yours as he lowered his waist. His dick finally making contact where you had been craving it most, smoothly grinding his tip in between your folds. 

He buried his head in the crook of your neck, his dark voice whispering lowly into your ear “You’re my fucking girl.”

“I’m all yours Ken.”

“And this.” Kendall moved his hands to lightly slap his dripping head against your clit, “is my fucking pussy.” His aggressive words muttered with affection and tenderness.

“It’s your pussy Kendall. Forever”

Gradually Kendall began pushing his tip into your soaking entrance, taking his time to guide his cock deeper. Halting his movements frequently to feel you stretch around him.

 “Fuck! I love you.” He grunted when his cock finally bottomed out. Dropping all his weight onto your hips, rocking deeply into you. His body was pressed so tightly against yours making you feel especially small and protected. His pelvic bone brushing against your clit with every thrust as he smoothly gained aggression.  

Breathy mumbles of “I love you too Kendall, I love you so much” left your lips. His powerful thrust sending electricity straight from your brain to your pussy and through every inch of your body. The sound of your wet pussy dripping around Kendalls cock, his warm breath brushing your neck as he moaned deeply instinctively made you wrap your legs tightly around his hips. Although Kendall had intended to be soft with you tonight he couldn't stop himself from pounding into you ruthlessly. He could feel your pussy tightening around his cock with each thrust signaling you were close to cumming once again. 

“Fuck baby! Why are you so fucking wet for me huh? Does it turn you on knowing I’m gonna cum in that fucking pussy? My pretty girl, gonna have my baby?” 

He wasn’t expecting a real answer, only seeking to push you closer to cumming on his cock. He was using everything in him not to cum before you and you could feel his smooth pace become more erratic as he snapped his hips harshly against yours.

 Letting go of his tight grasp around your body to balance with his forearms on either side of your head. Holding your face with his hands, pressing his forehead lightly atop yours. 

“You want my fucking cum?” He questioned, doing his best to maintain a firm tone as he held back his orgasm.

“Yes Ken! I want your cum, baby! Please!” you cried out.

“Tell me where you want it. Tell me where you want me to cum baby”. He was fucking into you at a brutual pace watching as tears began forming in the corners of your eyes.

“Fuck! In my pussy Ken, please cum inside me!” you pleaded as his words drew you to your second orgasm. That was all Kendall needed to hear before he was releasing deep inside you with a powerful thrust. It felt as if you could feel his cum hitting your cervix as he maintained his rough pace, fucking his cum deeper into you. Kendall could feel his orgasm rushing through his entire body, his cock throbbing inside of you, twitching, as he felt your nails drag down his back and your pussy squeezing around him. Milking every ounce of pleasure. 

Kendall slowly pulled out you with a deep sigh. The loss of contact, already causing you to feel empty. You were yearning for him to reach out his arms again and pull you into a deep hug. Kendall traced his fingers lightly over your stomach, remaining silent as he studied every inch of your body before dropping to lay down on his back next to you. “Is he already regretting this?” You thought to yourself as Kendall laid silently staring up at the ceiling. You could feel you heart slowly sinking, letting out a soft sigh as you sat up and began shuffling off the bed. Your movements, quickly interrupted by Kendall reaching to pull your body into his lap. Straddling him, his toned arms pulled you into him tightly. Your chests rose and fell in sync as you both breathe in deeply. You feel Kendalls chests begin to vibrate beneath you and he lets out a loud chuckle, brightly exclaiming “We’re gonna have a fucking baby!”

[getinthefuckingjaeger]

“There’s lots you don’t know about me, Gale.” Gale can hear the smile in Bucky’s voice but he can't find the humor in it.

(Gale, John, and forks in the road)

The moonless night is dark. 

It is only by the grace of the bicycle’s lights that they can see where they’re going at all. Gale focuses on his pedalling, feet going round and round, steady as a metronome. He sees Bucky in his peripherals, the light from his own bicycle intersects occasionally with the light from Gale’s - the way they cross fascinates Gale enough that he almost cycled into a little dip in the dirt road.

“Alright, Gale?”

There. 

The name his mother gave him. The sound of it tumbles almost awkwardly from Bucky’s mouth and Gale’s own curls slightly in distaste even as he hums non-committedly to Bucky’s question. 

“Just fine, Bucky, just fine.”  

The sounds of revelry start to disappear into the ether of the night the further they cycle from base. The silvery brightness of the bicycle light is occasionally interrupted by red and green flashes from Ken’s flares despite the distance but that, too, eventually disappear the deeper they travel on the small, worn path through the forest of Thorpe Abbotts. 

Wordlessly, they make a right turn into a tiny opening in the trees, off the beaten path, and right into a little alcove of trees surrounding a mist-covered lake - the group’s worst kept secret. The modest body of water has seen its fair share of shenanigans from the Bloody Hundredth. There’s no telling how many zippos and silver buttons were lost in the mud, buried and forming part of the land’s history.

The sharp light of their bicycle dims and finally dies as they get off their bikes, leaving them in the near pitch darkness. Wind blows gently through the leaves and the reeds, disturbing the mist on the lake’s surface.

“Like swan lake.” Bucky’s voice cuts through the silence. He drops his bicycle carelessly to the ground and brushes past Gale to sit right onto the damp grass. He stretches his legs as far as it would go, toes teasing the reeds cropping up at the edge of the lake. “You know - the ballet?”

Gale quirks a smile. He props his bicycle against a tree and grabs Bucky’s from the ground to do the same. “Didn’t know you liked ballets.” 

“There’s lots you don’t know about me, Gale.” Gale can hear the smile in Bucky’s voice but he can't find the humor in the situation. He pushes the irrational feeling far, far down his psyche and sits cross-legged beside Bucky. Their knees knock against each other but Bucky pulls away almost at the first brush.

The loss was so sudden and foreign that it took Gale a second to register. Something ugly rears its head and it pushes Gale to chase Bucky’s retreat - he moves stubbornly closer and presses the crest of his knee into the side of Bucky’s thigh.

“Yeah? Like what?” Gale asks, casual as anything. 

He pretends he doesn’t see the way Bucky squirms at their contact, pretends his heart is not cracking and he’s not sick with anxiety. Somewhere along the way, between his escape and their reunion, Gale Cleven was careless with John Egan and had let him slip between his fingers. 

Bucky shrugs. He unbuttons his jacket and leans back, hands supporting his weight as he casts his eyes to look up at the night sky.

Gale does not hide the way he studies Bucky’s profile, the way he lets his eyes trace the lines and curves of his face, the way he studies the way his curls sway slightly in the cool night air. Gale tilts his body towards Bucky and wills Bucky to look at him, too. 

“Tell me a secret, John.” Gale whispers into the night. His left hand inches through the grass to touch Bucky’s warm thigh. Bucky does not move away and Gale exhales in gratitude. 

“I read Austen.” Bucky answers after a minute of silence.

“I know,” Gale murmurs. 

His hand moves from the ground to rest on Bucky’s knee, fingers splayed casually over the crest and thumb rubbing softly against his uniform. He feels Bucky tense under his hands like he’s seconds from sprinting. 

“Your favorite is Persuasion.” Gale sighs and lifts his hand, posture mirroring Bucky’s now. He tries to make out the constellation through the gaps in the leaves. 

“How did you know?” Bucky’s voice is careful, guarded. “I never said anything.”

“You didn’t have to - you got a battered copy that you hide under your pillow. I tucked it back under a few times when you weren’t careful.” Gale shakes his head in amusement. “Ain’t nothing to be ashamed of, Bucky.”

Gale smiles as he recalls the first time he saw a corner of that paperback peeking from under Bucky’s pillow, years ago in Texas. He didn't know what to make of his roommate back then - the life of a party, a little too attached to his vices, a little too loud and audacious, but -

But kind and considerate, generous with his affections, an admirable leader, thinks so fast on his feet that it gives Gale whiplash on just how fast his plans adapt to the most insane situations. Heart so big it fits all of their boys with room to spare. Heart too big that it makes him vulnerable to so much hurt.

Case in point: he gave Gale his name. 

“What else?” Gale cranes his neck to look at Bucky. Clouds part above them and the light of the stars spills over Bucky’s skin like silver gauze. He still won't look at Gale. 

“I got a favorite quote,” he pauses, his head turned just a fraction to throw a hesitant look at Gale. Pink tongue darts to lick at dry lips and the movement distracts Gale from his eyes. “From - from the book, I mean. You wanna-”

“Of course.” Gale’s quick to answer. “Course’ I do.” 

Bucky’s nervous, Gale realized. His body seems to thrum with it - almost vibrating where he sits beside Gale, but tense at same time. Like before, Gale gets the impression that Bucky is mere seconds from making a run for it, away from Gale and this time, if Gale is not fast enough, he knows that he can never catch Bucky.

Bucky’s fortifying breath reminds Gale of a man facing the gallows. He opens his mouth, and then-

“‘There could have never been two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved’” Bucky’s voice is low, soft as a whisper despite the largeness of breath it took to form the words. Gale knows what follows, intimately. “‘Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement.’”

It's Gale’s turn to look away from Bucky. 

“That’s awfully sad,” he clears his throat, eyes blinking rapidly. “I wouldn’t have picked that one as my favorite.” 

“Yeah, well, it’s mine.” Bucky’s voice is faint. “Feels relatable, I guess.” 

Gales doesn't say anything in response. He feels disembodied - like his soul lost its tether to his body and now he’s split into the spirit and the man, one floating above them to observe the slow decay of him and Bucky while the other sits empty on wet grass where vines will eventually grow over the empty vessel like an abandoned cathedral. 

It’s like one of Blakely’s riddles - there is a fork in the road, each one with a goblin to demand different measures of toll, but both come with an inevitable ending that Gale has to live with. The core question, Gale thinks, is whether the road he chooses will converge with the road Bucky chose - or are they destined to run in two parallel lines from this point on. 

Gale licks his lips. 

The wind picks up just enough to cause ripples on the lake’s surface.

Clearing his throat, Gale lets himself fall back gently on the grass, ignoring the way the back of his uniform soaks up the evening dew. He folds his arms behind his head and turns to look up at Bucky who’s watching him with something like fear and bewilderment in his eyes. 

“You wanna hear mine?” He asks, gaze steady. “Was wonderin’ why you liked that book so much, so I read it when they sent you ahead in 43’.” That he read it because he missed Bucky all those weeks of separation goes unsaid. “I got a favorite quote too.” 

He feels the assault of Bucky’s assessing gaze on his skin like pinpricks of thousands of needles. The suspicion and hesitancy bleeds like ink under his skin and Gale knows he will wear the tattoo of Bucky’s distrust all his life as penance. 

Finally, finally, Bucky nods. 

Gale watches him for a few more seconds. He wonders if this will be the last time. He closes his eyes and hopes to preserve Bucky’s image like amber in his mind, in case Bucky never looks at him ever again after this.

“‘You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever’,” He recites, slow and steady, each word enunciated with care and precision. He tries to soak them with the honey of his emotions, hoping that it will stick. “‘I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant.’”

The words ring between them.

When Gale had to bail all those months ago, there was a split second of peace in the midst of the heart stopping chaos. The moment came and was suspended between the time he scrambled out of his seat in the cockpit as the plane was going down, and the time he perched at the mouth of an open hatch, body poised to jump. For that miniscule splice of a second, everything and nothing seemed to matter to Gale. All his worries, his fears, his joys, his love, and all the minutes and seconds he spent alive, the sum of his entire existence ceased to matter and all he had was peace. 

Then he jumped and the world as he knew it crashed with his fort.

This silence from Bucky feels exactly the same. Gale breathes through the borrowed peace and braces for the fall.

“You and Marge talked about the wedding yet?” 

A fork in the road.

“Yeah,” Gale exhales. He tucks away the amber encapsulating his Bucky, this Bucky, deep in the recess of his mind. “Spring wedding - this coming one.” 

Two parallel paths.

“That sounds really nice, Gale.” Bucky stands, his movement languid. He pats the seat of his pants to dislodge dried grass. “You still want me as your best man?” 

This is the bail.

“Always, Major.” Gale watches Bucky from the ground - no longer within Gale’s reach, just like the stars behind him. “Always.”

The world as Gale knew it crashes a second time.

-

(that's the same lake from this drabble, by the way)

[atarathegreat]

TR Boys Crackhead Headcanons

Kazutora Hanemiya

Man spreads because why should you have space on the train

shoves puzzle pieces together that don't match because "this part fits, see!"

broke his own finger just to feel what it was like

moves furniture so people bump into it on purpose

crops everyone else out of photos he's in and doesn't even use the photos for anything

sometimes wears shoes on the opposite feet just to see who will notice

has and will break granola bars on anyone's bed

Mitsuya Takashi

learned to bake so he could put laxatives in cake (fuck around and find out)

hates who his sisters hate

definitely shit talks kindergarteners with Luna

wore a matching dress with his sisters to the movies, pummeled the guy that tried laughing at him

doesn't stop the conversation when he enters the public restrooms

Nahoya Kawata

walks down the upward escalator

smacks everyone in the back of the head because he feels like it

had court once, laughed on his way out because he was falsely found not guilty

has and will drink milk from cereal bowls without having cereal

sits and stares at Souya without blinking until Souya gets uncomfortable

knocked out a guy's teeth and kept them to send back to him via mail

Souya Kawata

Prefers to sleep in a pile of stuffed animals

the bed hasn't been slept in for three years

actually writes poems and hangs them around the city, ended up on the news for it

Cries to ASPCA commercials

Gets angry when Nahoya falls asleep on the couch, drags him back to bed by his feet

completely believes he could solve true crime

Keisuke Baji

Sharpens his teeth with a nail file

tried wearing contacts once but didn't soak them in contact solution so he only dried his eyes out

calls everyone babe platonically

if he can't find both shoes he only wears one

has a scrunchy collection

thought he was spiderman once and jumped off a roof

will shake his ass when standing still (mad tango skillz)

Kokonoi Hajime

Has a book of rare coins

has a button collection

uses chalk hairdye

plucks his eyebrows too thin

can ballet dance

TikTok feind

Manjiro Sano

Calls in sick to places he doesn't work

Got fired from three places he didn't work at

always orders kids meals

has a tantrum until Kenny cuts his hair

uses clear nail polish regularly

has debated getting a trampstamp

does his hair straight up before fixing it so he can look like a unicorn

Ken Ryuguji

has gone bald, does not work for him

draws in tattoos on the side of his head

has a collection of fake earrings that he tried once (Howls Moving Castle theme)

keeps flavored lube in his room just so he can taste it when he wants something sweet

Taiju Shiba

Thinks he can pull of orange (makes him feel like a baddy)

carries an eyebrow pencil everywhere

fights random females for fun

punches himself in the face for being late to things

had frosted tips in middle school

has staring contests with himself

Hanma Shuji

eats ice cream with a fork

eats soup off a plate

has a closet full of plaid clothing, irons it before wearing because "who tf fights with wrinkles in their clothes"

swears by hair gel

tried hairspray once, didn't taste nice so he threw it out a window

after being dubbed the Reaper, he wore a grim reaper outfit

will kiss and the homies and say no homo

Chifuyu Matsuno

plans to name his first child after his cat

has a Baji shrine next to his Peke J shrine

reads his Yaoi books in public and has outburst when things don't go how he wants them to

locked himself in a pet store and threatened to kill himself if he didn't get a cat, his mom beat the shit out of him for it

screams "real or cake" before biting literally anything

Tetta Kisake

puts milk before cereal

writes cursive only to annoy others

once slept on the roof of his house to make his mom feel bad for yelling at him

has a dog name Roscoe (it's a female)

definitely has little man syndrome

thinks girls are into his "mysterious" vibe (literally just doesn't speak to anyone and has RBF)

once pretended to be gay thinking he would get into a girls slumber party

Hakkai Shiba

the only girl he can talk to is his sister (that's just a fact)

moves the family photos around to see if Yuzuha will notice

is regularly on discord but he pretends to be a girl so he can troll guys

swings from trees like hes a monkey because he thinks its faster than running

worked at a haunted house and crawled across the floor like some messed up spider, he was playing as a scarecrow, it was a childrens haunted house

Takamichi Hanagaki

tries to scale buildings by the fire escapes

copies the others fighting styles hoping to look just as cool

eats a raw egg every morning

crops himself out of photos so no one can find him

unironically calls Hina his little princess

colors in the boxes to crossword puzzles

[marybeatriceofmodena]

How did Phantom ruin ALW and Sarah Brightman's marriage?

That's a sadder story than the Sunset Boulevard drama, unfortunately.

So, Sarah Brightman started out on the disco scene as a teen, where she was part of a group who had... this single. That was back when Star Wars: A New Hope had just come out, so you had a lot of space-inspired... stuff floating around. Yeah, let's put it that way.

Eventually, since disco was on its way out by the end of the 70s, she switched the musical theatre, and auditioned for a little musical called Cats.

(WHY DOES IT ALWAYS COME BACK TO CATS. OMG. NEXT THING I'LL KNOW I'LL FIND OUT JAMES CORDEN'S MOTHER GAVE BIRTH TO HIM DURING A CATS PERFORMANCE OR SOMETHING.)

So, ALW did not notice her during her time in Cats - it was later, in 1984, when she was in a production of a children's opera called Nightingale, which he saw because it was getting very good reviews. At the time, ALW was already considering making a musical based on The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux... but here's the thing. There were actually a few attempts at making a musical about Phantom. The most recent one at that time was Ken Hill's, which was playing in London in 1984. It was doing well-enough, to the point ALW went to see it with Cameron Mackintosh (for those who don't know, he's the producer for Les Mis and Phantom, and also Satan), they met up with Ken Hill, and they were allegedly impressed enough by it that they wanted to revamp the show and put it on a bigger stage.

EXCEPT THAT NEVER HAPPENED, AND ALW JUST WENT AHEAD AND WROTE HIS OWN THING, AND KEN HILL NEVER HEARD OF HIM EVER AGAIN.

(Side note: I've also seen a story going around that Sarah herself was approached for Ken Hill's musical, but I'd have to confirm that.)

Anyway, what happened is that ALW and Sarah really hit off, and when their relationship became public, it was all over the tabloids because they were both married at the time. So they left their respective spouses for each other, and got married not long after, and that's when the preparation for Phantom really started picking up.

If you read the novel and seen the musical, Christine does undergo a personality and appearance change: she's blonde in the novel, but she's brunette in the musical because Sarah is a brunette, and they made her a lot shyer and meek to fit her personality (and limited acting range according to some) better. What ALW wanted to do was to present his wife as a triple threat - she could sing and she had a classically trained soprano voice, she could dance (she was a trained ballet dancer and could go en pointe), and she could act (YMMV on that).

They presented the musical for the first time at the Sydmonton festival in 1985. For those who don't know, it's basically a vanity festival ALW hosts at his place where he presents his projects. It was VERY different from what it was going to be later. If you're ever curious, this is what it looked like (sorry for the terrible quality, it was a bootleg after all).

But all was not well in paradise, because making Phantom was a very grueling process for both of them. ALW was convinced the musical was going to flop, they'd argue, and Sarah would end up in tears more often than not. (And that's without mentioning the drama that happened with the lyrics, and with Hal Prince, and with Steve Harley who was supposed to play the Phantom before Michael Crawford came in, and how some people in the crew nicknamed Michael Crawford "Joan Crawford" because he was a bit of a diva, and I'm skipping a bunch lmao)

So Phantom opened in London in 1986 to great success, and even greater success on Broadway in 1988, but by then, the marriage was virtually over. Sarah and ALW separated in 1990, and her "goodbye gift" was starring in his follow-up musical, Aspects of Love... which flopped. And it's kind of a shame because her acting got a lot better in that (probably because of her own lived experiences lol).

Sarah has been doing pretty fine since, she had a successful solo singing career, and she almost went in space but had to cancel (still sad about that). As I mentioned before, I think ALW is not really over it (despite having re-married since, lmao) and LND is a result of that.

While I'm at it, that reminds me that LND came very close to never coming to the light, because in 2007, ALW's new kitten, Otto (WHICH IS THE BEST NAME FOR A KITTEN EVER), basically pawed around his electronic piano and deleted all of the music he had written for LND. I wish I was making this up, but I'm not.

I told you. It always comes back to cats.

[goldenteaset]

Stampede!Legato's Charm Points

...A not-comprehensive list of blatant squee for the @tristampparty.

I enjoy every version of Legato (which feels like saying "water is wet"), but Stampede's version in particular feels dazzling, like looking into the sun for too long. And if you couldn't tell from that description and looking at other people's reactions, especially toward his looks, this is very much me "proselytizing" in his favor. (Or finding like-minded people!)

Under the cut because I couldn't contain myself. XD

Charm Point the First: How He's Framed (...Mostly)

(The big zipper on his coat is also cute by the way)

Studio ORANGE made a fascinating choice with Legato for Stampede s1: his face is either in shadow, or at various angles that highlight how striking he is, usually as seen from below. This forces us to either a) look deeper at what expressions we do see, or b) focus our gaze on everything else about him. So a win either way, really.

On the other hand, though: please let us see more of his face in S2 PLEASE

Charm Point the Second: His Hands

Self-explanatory, I know. But hands are an absolute pain to draw and I'm forever impressed with the sheer, insane detail the animators get across with Legato's. Look at this gif, you can actually see where he laughs when his wrist tilts! There's something so erotic and dangerous about how they're portrayed. Very very good.

Charm Point the Third: His Laugh

This Legato is a downright jolly fellow in some ways compared to the previous ones! His laughter is lovely, often low and soft and wicked. It makes every scene with him more fun for the viewer, because he's having fun.

Charm Point the Fourth: His Plantlike Complexion

One might even call it a "ceramic-like pallor". It has to be because of the Plant genetics Stampede's writer mentioned. It makes him even more Fair Folk-like and otherworldly, almost ethereal; it adds another creepy, "don't make that deal" layer to his scene with Wolfwood.

Charm Point the Fifth: His Legs

I could've picked a different shot, but no. This one illustrates the point rather well, I think. (In general, besides his stomach he's on his way to a male ballet dancer physique, which is a wonderful thing.)

Charm Point 5.9: Safety First!

Something about Legato doing nefarious deeds and still wearing a seatbelt is just...peak moe for some reason. 10/10.

Charm Point the Sixth and Seventh: His Nape/Hair

I love this shot so much uuuuuuu look at the lighting

Sometimes the sheer floppiness of his haircut in some screenshots undersells how neatly managed it actually is. Legato may not want people to talk about his hair, but he does take good care of it. It's sleek, it's out of his way (mostly), and I can't help but wonder if it's cut as short as it is in the back to avoid touching his skin... :(

Charm Point 7.5: His Waist

It's the part everybody critiques! Yes, he looks like a Ken doll with it being that narrow. Yes, I 100% think that's the point and Studio Orange will make us sad about it in S2. Moving on quickly so as not to dwell on it!

Charm Point the Eighth: His Voice

I'll be talking about his dialogue right after this, but really, that dialogue wouldn't land right without the perfect voices to match. Whether subbed or dubbed, Stampede!Legato manages to slide between cold elegance and zealous desperation with ease. (Also, again, That Laugh *happy shivers*)

Charm Point the Ninth: His Dialogue

While we sadly only see Legato in two episodes, I think they're still a great introduction to him. We're given just enough to understand why he conflicts with Vash and co., what his motives are (which he might explain too much, but anyway), and who he is as person. He's a human who fundamentally doesn't understand humans, least of all himself. I think he's drawn to Wolfwood and Livio's relationship specifically because he himself doesn't have a reference point for it. It fascinates him even as he hates it. And speaking of that...

Charm Point the Tenth: His Confusion About Love

I left this one for last because unlike the above, which are mostly fixed states, this one really could go in any direction. At the end of episode 6, Legato explains how he doesn't understand love and thinks it should "give way to devotion". This is interesting, to say the least, because past Legatos don't just lay things out that clearly, and neither do most characters in Stampede. There's practically a big neon sign blaring over this!

From my very biased standpoint, there's nothing more fun than when a character who looks like this *points at the above* disdains love that openly. That means that either a) Legato is being set up to never understand love ever, which is less interesting, or b) discover what love means to him. Will that end well? Poorly? Will Studio Orange give us enough string to make a cats cradle out of for our own entertainment? Who knows! It's all up in the air for now.

I just think that there's nothing more narratively thrilling than limitless possibilities and slowly winnowing them down, is all. :D

[maitanii]

ABOUT TIARAS AND BIKES [inui seishu]

inui seishu and his daughter!

He had raised her well.

Between motorcycles and tiaras. Always placing a piece of broccoli on her plate even though he gagged when he saw that vegetable. Buying the same heels that he owned but in miniature and with glitter. He had raised her well, but it hadn't been easy.

Akane did ballet when she was little. Inui remembered when his uncles gave her the first dancing shoes. The passion for dance lasted for a year before moving on to other hobbies. But Seishu remembered those afternoons where his mother tied her hair into a bow and made sure that no hair was left out of the hairstyle. It seemed easy back then. Now, with the small body nestled between his legs, he realized how difficult it was for a little girl to maintain a proper hairstyle.

Her daughter's mother had asked her to be ready when she came to pick her up. But it was not easy. It wasn't easy because Akari insisted on having a crown in her hair until she got to the auditorium. It's not like it was his fault either. Draken bought her a different crown from the shop across the street every time the girl came to hang out at the shop. At just 5 years old, she had a collection she could wear until he was 30 (although Seishu would have to get over the fact that her little head wouldn't stay the size of a football forever).

"That's it." Turning her head, she came face to face with her father. Seishu smiled before brushing away the cupcake crumbs that decorated the corners of her lips.

"Am I pretty?" she asked smiling.

"Precious," he replied, returning the smile.

The girl jumped from his legs and ran to the other end of the workshop.

“Uncle Ken, Uncle Ken, look!" Draken set the wrench aside and turned. "I look like a princess!"

Ken Ryuuji was once one of the most feared men in Tokyo, but to Akari, he was nothing more than the coolest guy in the world.

"Oh!" Nailing his knees to the ground and putting a hand to his chest, Draken closed his eyes "My eyes… my eyes cannot see with such beauty". Akari's laughter echoed off the dirty walls of the workshop.

Her mother had always hated that place, despite it being there where she met Seishu. She just wanted to exchange a bill for coins to buy tobacco and she ended up meeting the father of her daughter. They didn't have a bad relationship. They just didn't get along. His only relationship was Akari. And their only conversations were about what Akari had in her backpack. It was enough. And Seishu was happy about it. They had both had had a few partners after Akari was born, but never anything serious.

His dream was not to be a single father. The thought of being a father hadn't even crossed his mind. But being 24 and taking some foolish decisions made a permanent responsibility appear in his life and that woman's. He did not hesitate for a second to accept his role as a father and sign joint custody. When he first held Akari, he didn't even want to touch her face. Perhaps his calloused fingers would scare her. Now he let her get on his motorcycle from time to time (always while still being supported by his arms).

The sound of the entrance bell brought him out of his thoughts. She watched her daughter's eyes light up before rushing to grab her backpack. She ran into her mother's arms and hugged her tight. Draken smiled at the scene before greeting the newcomer and getting back to work.

Seishu slowly approached the entrance watching how the two interacted.

"Did you get the tutu?" he crouched down so that he was level with Akari. The girl turned to leave her backpack ajar so that her father could see inside it. Among the thousands of stuffed animals she was carrying, a small piece of pink cloth was peeking out. Seishu made a satisfied noise before giving the girl's small shoulder a squeeze.

"Sei, you'd better put yourself in a conspicuous place next time." Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, the woman took her daughter by the hand. "Last time she didn't stop crying until she saw you at the end of the room" Giving her a thumbs up, he left the door open so the two of them could get out. As they said their goodbyes, Seishu watched as the two figures walked away when the shorter one turned and ran towards him again.

"I love you so much dad"

He had raised her well.

-

And he was late. He was very late.

The shirt he thought he had ironed had grease stains on the sleeves, so he had to borrow one from Draken that was too big on his shoulders. He thought he had enough gas in the car but it didn't make it to the auditorium on the other side of town. Parking the bike in an off-limits parking lot, he removed his helmet and combed his hair as best he could in the rearview mirror.

The clock said 4pm, and it would take two minutes to get to the place.

Running as far as her legs would carry him, he pushed open the glass door to the auditorium and rushed inside. The parents were still looking for a seat. He saw his daughter's mother accompanied by a friend in the first row. He decided to sit in the corner of the third row, having to fight a bit with some grandparents to let him pass.

When he finally sat down, he noticed a huge figure next to him. Looking up, he saw his coworker and friend looking at him with a lopsided smile. Holding a cell phone in his hands, Seishu felt like he had a guardian angel. Moving a seat to the side, Draken sat down.

"The last time I missed a recital she kept reminding me of it for a month," Ken commented. "Besides, I don't like to see her angry".

Seishu nodded, watching as tiny people began to fill the stage as the lights went out.

Between those white leotards and pieces of pink fabric, he saw the blonde bow with some strands of hair sticking out. The pout on her lips was visible as her little neck stretched and moved from side to side. Seishu thought about raising his hand, but the last time he did it almost caused a fight with other parents (and would have punched them if they weren't with little kids). Draken saw how Akari was on the verge of tears and decided to act.

Was there a sound more audible than a father sneeze? Yes, a cough from Ken Ryuuji.

Seishu noticed how all the bodies on the chairs turned their heads and tried to hide the smile that appeared on his face. Akari went from surprise to happiness in a matter of seconds, her small green eyes disappearing behind cheeks that rose as she smiled.

He took out his phone and looked at his wallpaper for a few seconds. Akari dressed in his work overalls was an image that would always be his weak point. The photo was blurry because the camera on his mobile was not of much quality back then. But his memories were sharp, so he didn't care too much about the graphic picture. Unlocking the phone, he hit the camera app, rested his elbow on the armrest, and started recording.

From time to time he would meet his daughter's eyes and nod to tell her to pay attention to the dance. And Akari always smiled.

One day she would get tired of tutus. And pizza Fridays. And Barbie movies. And the eternal afternoons in the workshop. And who was he going to lie to, one day she would get tired of him.

But she still enjoyed motorcycles. And to dance. And listening stories about aunt Akane. And school. And the color pink. And of him.

He had raised her well. And he would continue to do so forever.

tag: my dear @6-022-10-23 🤍

[smashing-teacups]

A Breath of Snow and Christmas, Chapter Two

A/N: Only a bit delayed, now that it’s, you know, February... 😅

“No she did not!”

“Aye, she did.” Even in the dim lighting of the bar, I could see Jamie blush straight to the tips of his ears. Shaking his head, he brought his tumbler to his lips and took a healthy swallow. “Fair certain the whole campus saw ‘fore I got wind of it.”

Despite the dire warnings from Google that the holiday might impact business hours, it had been surprisingly easy to find a pub that was open at 9:30 PM on Christmas Eve. Even more surprisingly, we found that the place was packed by the time we arrived: middle-aged couples dressed in their finery, out for a nightcap after the symphony or ballet; clusters of raucous university students clutching pint glasses as they chatted and laughed; a handful of lone patrons hunched over their cups.

Willing to take whatever space was available, we’d gratefully accepted a pair of stools at the far end of the counter, huddled quite close together by virtue of necessity. Given our unorthodox day back at the hospital, though, what might otherwise have been an awkward proximity for a first date felt surprisingly comfortable — natural, even — between the two of us. And with the addition of alcohol, the last of my social inhibitions had all but dissolved, my head pleasantly light, my belly warm with whisky, and my knee tucked intimately between Jamie’s.

He was a born storyteller, and I found myself completely enraptured as he spoke about his childhood in the Scottish Highlands, his embarrassing trials and tribulations at uni (I simply couldn’t get over the fact that he’d been a frat boy, and had teased him until he finally relented and told me about it), and his bumbling romances all throughout. I couldn’t help my initial skepticism when he mentioned that he hadn’t been in many relationships — one look at him, and I thought he must have slept with half of Massachusetts. But the more he talked, the more apparent it became that he actually found his appearance to be a hindrance; he was frustratingly noticeable, always drawing the wrong sort of attention at the wrong time. He’d just finished telling me about a girl at uni who’d printed out his pictures from Facebook and pasted them over the faces of naked men in a Hot Scot calendar, then pinned it up on the community board with a sticky note that said You’re welcome, ladies!  

“I hope you got a bloody restraining order!” I fumed.

“Nah.” His mouth twitched, not quite a smile. “She was only a lass, a freshman. Didna mean any harm by it, jes’ thought she was bein’ funny.” He tipped his tumbler back, draining the dregs, then spun the empty glass between his hands for a moment before shrugging dismissively. “But that was, uh… that was the end of my love life at uni. Most everyone thought I was the one who’d put it up, and ye can imagine what sort of impression that left on the women I was interested in.”

I nodded slowly, well aware of what I would have thought — assumed — had I been in school with him. “I’m so sorry.”

At long last, he raised his lashes to look at me, and not for the first time, I was struck by how kind his eyes were, how soulful. “I’m not,” he said softly, setting his glass down on the bartop with a dull clink. “Probably better that way, in hindsight. Meant that I was able tae put all my focus into my studies. Dinna ken that I would have ever gotten into nursing school otherwise.”

I smiled, watching him over the rim of my glass as I took a long, pleasantly burning sip of my own whisky. Following the segue onto common ground, I asked after I’d swallowed, “So what made you decide to go into nursing?”

Keep reading...

[rosewood-writes-and-reviews]

Street Fighter 6 Roster Character Ages:

Because the game never made it clear how old certain characters are, these are my personal headcanons that are straight up just guesses. I’m going from who I think is the oldest to the youngest. I am also basing the ages around dialogue, behavior, and of course, the year the game takes place, which I’m gonna assume is either mid 2010’s or late 2010’s because of how the smartphones look, and a bit of appearance. I say a bit, because like in real life, characters can be much older than they look. The asterisk next to the ages has more to the guess. (I also project a lot towards the end)

My personal guesses:

Oldest Fighters (Oldest to Youngest)

JP: Mid 60’s

Dhalsim: Mid 60’s (dude has the bushiest and whitest beard imaginable and acts like a grandpa)

Akuma: Early 60’s (He’s not out yet, but that ain’t gonna stop me from guessing that he’s a demon grandpa)

Zangief: Mid to Late 50’s (think about the oldest wrestlers form any wrestling company who have retired and have aged like the finest wines)

Blanka: Mid 50’s (considering that he’s a beast that lived in the Brazilian forest for a very long time while hiding from tourists, I’d like to think that his DNA gave him the best genes that just barely age him)

E. Honda: Late 40’s*

Guile: Late 40’s*

Ryu and Ken: Late 40’s*

Chun-li: Mid 40’s

Deejay: Early 40’s

Youngest Fighters (Oldest to Youngest)

Cammy: Late 30’s to Early 40’s

Juri: Early 30’s (she calls Chun Li an old lady in different ways in World Tour mode, so I’d like to think that specifically, she’s 30-33)

Rashid: Late 20’s (the closest to being 30)

Marisa: Late 20’s*

Ed: Mid to late 20’s (I’d like to think that he is close to being 30, considering that he calls Luke a “Kid” despite looking like he’s in the same age range as him, not to mention that he is shown in the Fighting Ground selection screen very clearly drinking beer, so he’s above the legal drinking age)

Manon: Mid 20’s*

Luke and Jamie: Early 20’s*

A.K.I: Early 20’s (Specifically, she is the last character in the group of characters who are in their 20’s to turn 21)

Kimberly: 18 or 19 years old*

Lily: 18 years old*

Further explanations (The HCs with the asterisks):

Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li: They’ve been fighting for a long time. Ken and Chun-Li are both parents with kids that are now in their late teens or early twenties now, and Ryu has witnessed both Ken and Chun-Li grow. Specific ages are 49 and 48 for Ryu and Ken and 45 for Chun-Li since it was officially stated that Ryu is 4 years older than her.

Guile: He gives me the vibes of a brother that is only one year older than him. 49 specifically. I ran into a lot more people with siblings who either have a one or two year age gap. I’ve yet to run into someone who’s age gap between their siblings is significantly larger than me and my sister’s (I’m eight years older than my sister)

Marisa: Again, just going off of vibes here, I’d like to think at her age (27-28) she would be seeking out relationships and wanting to have a life long partner, and seems like the type of woman that is into older men like Zangeif. Could be projection, who knows, but with how young she looks? Definitely late 20’s.

Manon: The fashion industry loves to mostly hire women who are 18-25, and considering how young Manon also looks, I’d say she’s 25. I mean, she’s already a master at her craft at her age considering she started judo and ballet training as a child.

Luke and Jamie: To me, they both act like typical college aged men in their early 20’s. Jamie is the frat boy who is a heavy drinker and gets into fights the most, and Luke is the laid back former soldier boy who gets into a fight with drunk frat boy. I can say this, I have heard many stories about college aged men that have personalities similar to Luke and Jamie (hence why I’m not attracted to either of them, sorry to anyone who simps for these two)

Kimberly and Lily: These two a lot of people speculated a lot. People have guessed that Lily is 14-16, for Kimberly, 17 to 19. My personal guess? I think they are in their late teenage years. I have four reasons for this. One, people can be older than they look, especially from Asian media. If you look up literally any Asian celebrity, they look younger than what their actual age is. Japan has depicted characters who are just as young lookin as Kimberly or Lily but they are much older in canon. Two, there are real life young adult women who have body types like Kimberly’s and Lily’s. ESPECIALLY Lily’s. I am 5”0, and I’m 25 years old. I’ve been told I looked 19 at a job I left, in High School, I was mistaken as a freshman when I was actually a senior, when I went with my sister to her middle school registration, there were middle school kids who were taller than I am, and I had to show a cashier my ID at a grocery store (I was looking after a shopping cart which had beer (which was my dad’s and he went to get something at the last minute) to verify that I am over 21 years old. And three, Kimberly and Lily’s outfits would not be age appropriate if they were underage. Finally four, Capcom is not that type of entertainment company that sexualizes underage characters (unless there were before and Capcom just did a good job hiding it) or puts them in revealing outfits despite being underage. Even back then, they never did that.

More explanation on Kimberly: Guile, Juri, and Cammy refer to her as a kid both directly and indirectly. Not to mention how she acts too. She acts like any 18-19 year old who are a little too curious about certain things to the point where they take so many risks. I mean, think about it. Even at 18 or 19, a teenager will still think they are invincible or super tough even though they’ve been through a few typical middle school and high school moments that you can think of. Kimberly went further into the rabbit hole about the death of her uncle and has fought JP in her story. So it’s safe to say that she is a late teenager who takes risks despite the fact that it puts her in danger. Chun-Li also jokingly says that Kimberly’s youth is somewhat “blinding” to her.

More explanation in Lily: She displays some curiosity most 18 year olds would show, especially since she travels the most out of everyone on the roster. Not to mention that most 18 year olds don’t just magically grow out of most their childlike behavior. Plus, there’s the whole mistaken-as-underage-because-of-her-height situation she has. And if she was underage, again, going back to Capcom not sexualizing underage characters or putting them in outfits that are too revealing, she wouldn’t have the booty shorts that show a peek of her buttcheeks. I have worn short shorts (not the ones with my big butt out). Then again, I could be projecting since I am petite like she is, except she has the petite body type and I’m a shortstack (because boobs and butt).

Edit: A weird edit because Tumblr needs to fix this issue with my comment being eaten every time I want to respond to a comment on here (like seriously Tumblr actually fix this). I was informed by @sunkern-plus (thank you very much for the information) that Cammy is younger than Chun-Li and is closer to Sakura’s age with Sakura being a few months (I’m guessing two to three months) older than Cammy, so possibly 38-40. Pretty much one of the very few times in any Capcom canon there has been a more clear answer on a character’s age.

Edit 2: I forgot to list Rashid, so he has been added.

[fatherfigurefusion]

CAN YOU TALK ABT UOUR ORHER OPPOSIYE UNITS IM IN LOVE WITH YR AU

It took some time to come up with, but here you go!

PJSEKAI Opposite AU!

(Note: I've talked about Opposite!Niigo before in these two posts.)

Regulus/Alpha (Leo/Need): An optimistic and acoustics-dominated light music club formed by four complete strangers at Miya Girl's High. Consists of the perpetually-cheerful social butterfly and hardcore Miku stan Ichika Hoshino, the lazy and sullen wannabe-emo Saki Tenma, the notoriously unhelpful (except towards dogs) and rebellious loner Honami Mochizuki, and the cheerful and popular (if fake) preppy girl Shiho Hinomori. Their SEKAI is the Tour SEKAI, with terrain resembling a grassy field and a massive tour bus/RV right in the center. Has a motif of looking towards the future as opposed to the past.

DIG! DIG! DOWN! (More! More! Jump!): A grungy underground music group formed by three novice idols and one experienced idol, bonding over their shared love of idols. Consists of the cynical and defeatist ex-idol Minori Hanasato (Minorinrin), the immature and clumsy idol and penguin fanatic Haruka Kiritani (Challenger-chan), the laid-back proud tomboy Airi Momoi (FAiri), and the stoic and logical Shizuku Hinomori (Silence). Their SEKAI is the Clubhouse SEKAI, resembling an underground nightclub/rave group.

Blossoming Parliament (Vivid Bad Squad): An uppercrust and prestigious group that specializes in orchestral music and ballet-esque choreography, who seek to emulate the works of famous composer Ken Shiraishi. Consists of the outgoing and gregarious flutist Kohane Asuzawa, the timid and unconfident violinist An Shiraishi, the seemingly-savage gentleman cellist Akito Shinonome, and the wild and rebellious pianist Touya Aoyagi. Their SEKAI is the Castle SEKAI, with a massive banquet hall and a greenhouse full of many different types of flowers.

Dystopic Finale (Wonderlands X Showtime): A sullen and melancholic group made out of the four remaining staff members of the long-abandoned Pheonix Wonderland. Consists of the shy and self-deprecating former thespian Tsukasa Tenma, the strict and cold scion of Phoenix Wonderland Emu Otori, the outgoing and highly-popular streamer/cover artist turned main diva Nene Kusanagi, and the physically-strong yet unintelligent stage crew member Rui Kamishiro. Their SEKAI is the Apocalypse SEKAI, basically a wrecked-up version of the Wonderland SEKAI.

[memoriesofmidnight]

there's a house across the street. people have come and gone.

i knew a girl once. she had long hair, a favourite dress, and nine barbies. she didn't have a ken, and i remember her saying she didn't want one because then all her dolls couldn't share clothes. she'd feel bad for ken, sitting there in one shirt and pants and shoes.

she used to be clumsy. she came home every evening with scraped knees and torn leggings, and hair pulled out of ponytails with the rubber band nowhere to be found.

she used to dance, putting on music on her mother's old ipod and hopping around the room. there were videos of her dancing like that, grinning widely and laughing loud. nobody ever told her it wasn't okay to be weird. because it wasn't.

she did ballet for some months. she made friends in class, knew other pretty girls with their tutus and perfect plies. she dropped the class later. maybe she didn't like the teacher, or the lost time, or the pressure. maybe she just wasn't a fan of the colour pink.

she wasn't a big fan of wasted space, either. ...i wonder what she'd think of me now.

we lost touch, over the years. she moved away when i was a teen, but she still comes here sometimes on holidays. we catch up, and she tells me about the girls she thinks are pretty and the way her best friend's eyes light up when she watches a show she likes.

she's still got long hair, but now it's long enough to reach her back. if she cut off an inch, nobody would even notice, that's how long it is. she asks me to style it sometimes, and all i do is braid it out of habit. it looks pretty, but the other day when i looked at a picture of her i had to pause a second before i recognised who it was.

if she never visited again, i think i could forget her.

i don't think i'd ever forgive myself if i did. forget her, that is.

i know a boy. he only moved here recently, taking the house the girl left behind. he says he used to read but he stopped. he says he has a lot of friends, but i've never seen them at his door. i think he's full of shit.

one day, i let the girl and the boy meet. the boy accidentally ran off with her. at least, i think it was by mistake. i'm sure they never meant to leave me here.

this boy, he has short hair and wears pink shirts sometimes. his favourite colour is green, like the grass in his garden. he wears jeans and trims his hair every few months, when it starts to skate at his shoulders.

sometimes, i think i know him, whom i have known for a much shorter time, more than the girl. i think she'd be mad at me for that.

sometimes, the boy is angry. i don't know at what. i think he's angry at me. i get angry at him, too, so it's fine. i wish he would leave like the girl did, but lets the girl come back. i wish he stays forever and bars the girl from ever returning.

if i could, i'd forget him. i think he would want me to forget him, too. but i can't. he lives in the house i see every day, and i know he's there.

it's fine. i don't think i could ever forget him. if i did, i don't think the girl would forgive me for that, either. she's always been too kind for her own good.

sometimes i think she's known him for longer than i have. maybe they were friends, pen-pals. maybe they were cosmically connected because they lived in the same house across the street.

[thebarbiecinematicexperience]

Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001)

Hoooh boy. My first foray into this overly analytical marathon isn't off to a good start. Even as a child I don't think I could turn my brain off to enjoy this terribly animated, overly cheesy, generically animated drivel. I’ve never actually used the word drivel in any of my writings, but I couldn’t find a better word. 

Animation: 

The animation was like a bad video game from the early 2000s. I will give them props for the use of color (I’m reaching for positives here), but sometimes the lines weren’t clear, and Barbie also had a weird glow all around her. Sometimes the colors were way too bright and looked…well, plastic. There was also a weird fade out of Barbie/Clara’s hair…like she had split ends that faded into nothingness. 

Hair, fabric, and bodies just don’t move the way they should in real life. I didn’t expect Frozen level animation - or even Monster High-level - but this was painful on the eyes. I noticed that one of the side characters had a permanent wedgie. Yikes. 

A Strong Point:

Featuring choreography by Peter Martins as performed for Animation by Dancers from the New York City Ballet.

Featuring the music of Tchaikovsky as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. 

They studied Ballerinas in the NYC ballet and used them as models to animate the actual dancing? That’s kind of awesome. The dancing part of the animation was honestly the best and strongest part because of this, and the use of the actual Tchaikovsky music, which is as always, glorious.

Sidekicks: 

The horrific rat and bat sidekicks are big yikes. But oh god, speaking of sidekicks, let’s go back to the beginning. In the opening credits I have to mention the absolutely terrifying Kelly/Chelsea doll fairies that look like CGI animated DOLLS. I mean I guess that’s what they are but their grins are in a permanent freaky-as-fuck freeze on their plastic-looking faces. 

Also, the PINK HORSE. How very Barbie of this movie.

Voice acting: 

Let’s also talk about the voice acting. I will say that Barbie’s voice is exactly as I imagined, so I guess that’s a positive thought. (Well done Kelly Sheridan.) I was also surprised by the special guest voice acting by Tim Curry. I also noticed that some of the lines are delayed with a slightly too long pause between exchanges. This may have been an issue in editing the dialogue together, or the filmmakers animated it too slow. 

Storyline:

The way the story transitioned from Barbie and Kelly in the ballet studio and Barbie starts telling her the story of Clara and the Nutcracker to encourage her is pretty solid. Then everything fell to shit once the nutcracker adventure was introduced. I don’t even know what I’m watching anymore. 

SWEET BABY JESUS I STILL HAVE 10 MINUTES LEFT?

Prince Eric is a Ken, obviously. And of course Barbie is the Sugar Plum Princess. But they don’t end up together. Because Clara has to go back to real life. But Eric is a real person too! So all is well in the world, Barbie and Ken end up together. 

Once again I ask, what have I gotten myself into? 

Yours truly, 

K

[skz-suki]

☆….MORE FACTS !

abilities and skill !

suki is the second fastest female idol rapper

her rap tone is a bit nasally, and strained; something she perfected in order to stand out

she is really good at freestyle especially with hiphop

she’s trying to get back into other genres of dance, more specifically ballet

she’s very good at snowboarding

she can sew! She also sometimes posts her work on Instagram! She's made pieces for the members that the stylist has used on stage.

she has a really pretty and unique vocal tone that people fawn over

interest and habits !

she collects all kinds of stuff but her biggest collection has to be her Bratz Doll, sanrio, and Kirby collections.

shes likes reading manga and watching anime, her favorite mangas are Nana and Paradise Kiss and her favorite anime is Soul Eater.

she’s very very interested in fashion and keeps up with it. she wants to walk in fashion week at least once before she retires.

shes a silver jewelry girl for sure.

suki is a marvel fanatic and often talks about her love for spiderman (she’s obsessed truly)

she does pilates with hyunjin in order to stay in shape and she’s learning pole dancing as another form of exercise!

she is an extremely deep sleeper and usually has to be woken up with force

she says “bruh” a lot, it’s basically a natural reaction for her

suki loves loves loves the sims and even has a segment in vlive where she’ll go live for like 2+ hours and play

she can draw really well and has some of her own characters and oc’s, she started a cool comic as well that she wants to release later on down the line

she is a HUGEEEE fan of ru paul’s drag race having watched all the seasons including all stars! her favorite queens are alyssa edwards and violet chachki!!

misc !

if she wasn’t an idol, she’d be a stylist or fashion designer

she did a lot of modeling work predebut and even has a picture with gigi hadid!

her dad is a famous tattoo artist and her mom is a chef

she has a new york accent when she speaks english (the members often poke fun at her about it)

she has an obsession with the character Kirby (hence the nickname ) stays even compare her to him a lot

she lives with 3racha-hyun

although she is very cheerful, she’s also very strong-minded and refuses to let go of her morals to please anyone.

she’s in love with everything 2000s from fashion, to music. She loves it all and you can often see her love for it in her style.

her favorite singers are Lee Hyori, Namie Amuro, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, and Deftones! She's also been into the artists from the opium label (Playboi Carti, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonley, etc.) and Yeat these days.

her inspirations are CL, Lee Hyori, NaNA Devon Aoki and Rihanna

she takes a lot of fashion inspo from bella hadid and rihanna

she has a bad potty mouth and is often caught swearing on camera (much to chans demise even though he’s just like her)

she and hyunjeonglix are shopping buddies and give each other tips on fashion and whatnot

[marybeatriceofmodena]

Ok but. Meg Giry would be the most excited person on the planet about the Barbie movie. She'd convince all of the corps de ballet to cosplay as Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses. Piangi tags along because he knows an incredible amount of Barbie trivia for whatever reason. Also there's this weird guy covered in black from head to toe who just grunts whenever someone talks to him and Meg says it's her cousin Richard who's a big Barbie fan and who's definitely not the Phantom of the Opera. But Richard definitely does a throwing up sound when Raoul and Christine who are sitting a little back and cuddling go all "You're my Barbie" "Aw, you're my Ken" "Aaaaw"