#yes this is about poi right now

[lilahisntsadanymore]

Engaged to an Italian man and carrying a secret pregnancy, Y/n must decide when and how to reveal the news to her notorious family.

The reader pronouns: she/her

Pairings: the Shelby family x shelby!reader x OC (faceclaim Lorenzo Zurzolo)

Words count: 2.4k

Tw: mentions of death, pregnancy, italian written by me (but there are english translations)

Additional inf.: Y/n's mother, was made up by me as well

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

A Shelby Surprise

Now that the vendetta with Changrettas was over, everyone could take a breath. Finally all the stress was gone and for once the Shelby family wasn't in trouble. They hoped it would stay this way.

The stress was gone, but not for Y/n, Arthur's daughter. What nobody expected coming, she fell in love. What was so unfortunate about this? The man was Italian.

If it happened a few years earlier or a few years later maybe that would have been alright. But not right now when the memory of vendetta was still crystal clear.

The man Y/n fell in love with wasn't a Changretta, but she supposed it wouldn't matter to her family. As long as the vendetta was still a fresh topic, he would be a bad man in their eyes.

As if the problem wasn't big enough, Y/n got pregnant. The man knew about it and wanted to be present in the kid's life, he even proposed to Y/n. But the challange was to tell Y/n's family about it.

So there she was - calling each family member, inviting them for a little 'party'. Y/n had no experience in this stuff, so she considered it the best way, telling everyone at the same time when they're gathered together.

"It'll be fine," Y/n's fiance said, squeezing her hand lightly. "What's the worst that could happen? Will they murder me?" He laughed.

"You really didn't know what you're signing up for when you fucked a Shelby, did you?"

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

"Non voglio dirgli della gravidanza,"* Y/n paced around the living room, waiting for the guests to arrive. "What if we only tell them about our engagement?"

*I don't want to tell them about the pregnancy

"Non possiamo, cara mia. La noteranno prima o poi."**

**we can't, my dear. They'll notice it sooner or later.

Right after those words, the sound of knocking filled the room.

Y/n took a deep breath. "Hide upstairs, Nicco. I'll call for you when it's the right time."

The man walked in the direction she instructed as she herself went to open the door.

The Shelby clan. In front of Y/n's doors. Waiting to be let inside. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell everyone in the same time.

Despite her running heartbeat, Y/n tried to stay calm as she greeted each person that entered her house.

Something was off when Y/n hugged aunt Polly. The woman eyed her up and down. Did she know? Most likely. She sensed it when Lizzie was pregnant, so why wouldn't she now?

"You probably wonder why we've gathered here today." Y/n spoke, her gesturing more intense than ever. She tried to make her voice sound as light and free of stress as possible, but it was a difficult thing to do due to the anxious feeling in her stomach. Either the stress or the baby inside was making Y/n want to puke right there.

"Yes, we'd love to know." Polly said, a faint smile on her face.

Everyone had their eyes glued to Y/n. Ada watched the girl with worry, as well as Linda who treated Y/n as her own, Polly was fighting the smile from completely ruling on her face, Finn looked extremely confused, Tommy lit up a cigarette.

"Are you in trouble?" Arthur asked eventually.

"Yes and no." That answer didn't clear up anything.

"What do you mean?"

A nervous laugh escaped Y/n's mouth. "Do you remember mum? My mum, your wife, who died many years ago?"

Arthur nodded confusedly. How could he not remember her? He would never forget that amazing woman, who gave him love, hope and a beautiful daughter and then passed away too soon.

"I remember Georgia." Arthur didn't want to talk about her. Years passed and now he had Linda, but the wound caused by his first wife's death was still open.

"Dad, her name was Giorgia. She was Italian, don't try to rewrite that story. The reason why I'm reminding you about it is..." Y/n hesitated fr the last time, "I hope you'll understand my situation."

The times were different back when Arthur and Giorgia were together. Back then, she was just a simple girl who moved to England from Italy and fell in love with a man from Birmingham. There wasn't any vendetta, so their relationship wasn't such a sensitive topic, but nevertheless Y/n hoped her father would understand.

"Can you stop the charade?" Tommy chimed in impatiently.

Y/n nodded. "Niccolò, come here!"

The tall, brownhaired man walked down into the living room. He was dressed in a white shirt, black trousers and elegant black shoes.

"Everyone, this is Niccolò. Niccolò, this is my family."

Everyone eyed the man. Tommy and Arthur were especially suspicious about him.

Niccolò shook hands with each Shelby, taking the time to introduce himself better and get to know everyone.

When the man lastly got to Arthur and Tommy, they refused to shake hands with him, their arms remaining crossed on his chest.

Arthur looked at his daughter. "Why are you introducing him to us?"

"Seriously?" Y/n sighed. "Dad, are you this clueless?"

"Yes, Arthur, are you this clueless?" Polly asked with a full smile on her face now.

Arthur wasn't clueless. He suspected, he knew, but he didn't want it to be the truth.

"Niccolò is my fiance."

The room fell almost silent, if it wasn't for Finn's coughing. He choked on the air and smoke, he was lighting up a cigarette when Y/n broke the news. Finn was her uncle, but they were rather like siblings to each other, because Y/n was even a few years older than Finn.

"He's your what?" Arthur asked.

"Fiance. I'm sorry I haven't told you before, but I was afraid of your reaction."

"An Italian, eh?" Tommy interrogated, shifting his gaze to Niccolò. "Who are your parents? What do they do?"

Y/n added, "O digli il tuo cognome e lo scoprirà entro domani."***

***or say your last name and he'll find it all out by tomorrow

Niccolò smirked and the girl's comment, but then turned back to being serious. "They moved to this country before I was born. My father died in the war, but my mother has a flower shop in London."

"A flower shop?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting."

"I see what you're doing," Y/n said, "Nicco has nothing to do with the Changrettas."

"It's just funny how he appears in your life exactly when-"

"Yes, vendetta, I know. Can we talk in private, dad?"

Arthur and his daughter walked out of the room into a small kitchen. Y/n leaned on the kitchen counter.

"Can you stop?"

"Stop what?" Arthur asked. "I'm just trying to get to know my future son-in-law."

"Can you do it without making it seem like you're looking for a correlation between him and the Changrettas?"

"I don't want him to hurt you. Or any of us. Isn't it any suspicious to you?"

"It's a stupid coincidence!"

Arthur sighed, looking at his daughter with a mixture of concern and skepticism. "Y/n, you know how things are around here. We've been through hell with the Changrettas, and now you bring an Italian man into our lives. You can't expect me not to be cautious."

"I understand, but he's not connected to the Changrettas in any way. I wouldn't put our family in danger like that," Y/n pleaded.

Arthur rubbed his forehead, contemplating the situation. "You could have at least given us a heads up. This is a lot to take in all at once."

He was trying his best to remain calm. The old Arthur would've bursted out of the house a long time ago, but now he was in control of his emotions.

A lot to take at once. Prepare for more, then, Y/n thought.

"I know, dad, but I was scared. Exactly because of that. I'm sorry, but we really do love each other."

"Just promise me, if anything feels wrong, you'll let me know. I don't want you keeping secrets."

"I promise, dad. I won't keep secrets. I want us to be a family, including Niccolò."

Arthur forced a smile. "Alright, let's go back out there. I'll try my best to keep an open mind, for your sake."

Poor Niccolò was left alone with the Shelbys. It was a weight off his shoulders when Y/n was back in the room.

Everyone looked at Arthur curiously. He spoke. "We'll give it a chance. But you," he pointed at Niccolò, "hurt her, and there won't be a place on earth you can hide from us."

Niccolò nodded respectfully. "I understand, sir."

"Can we all just enjoy the evening and celebrate this occasion that is our engagement?" Y/n asked cheerfully.

The atmosphere felt lighter, the family peacefully continued the gathering. Most of them wanted to trust Niccolò and give him a chance.

Arthur and Thomas kept a close eye on Niccolò throughout the night. Their suspicions weren't easy to put to rest, but for Y/n's sake they chose to keep their mouths shut this one time.

After dinner Y/n and Niccolò managed to talk to Finn alone. Y/n decided that the pregnancy would be too much for just one evening and all her fiance could do was accept it. However, they trusted Finn with this information.

"Finn, we have to tell you something." Y/n said after she made sure everyone else is busy.

"Oh no, another big news?" Finn whined. "I don't know if this family can handle more tonight."

"That's why we wanted to talk to you alone," Niccolò pointed out, "it's a secret."

Y/n added, "A secret just for you, Finn. The mission is to keep it until we can tell the others. You understand, soldier?"

"Alright, I guess." Finn agreed with a curious expression on his face. "You didn't kill anybody, did you?"

"No, of course we didn't."

"Quite the opposite," Niccolò added with a chuckle. "Y/n is pregnant."

Finn raised his eyebrow and joked. ""Engaged and having a baby... You didn't waste any time, did you?"

"Proposing is the right action to make once you knock somebody up," Nicco chuckled, "but seriously, it was actually planned."

Y/n giggled, "Life comes at you fast, Finn. Engaged and having a baby. We wanted to share the news with you first."

"Besides it'd be a lot to handle in one evening." Niccolò grinned. "We'll make the announcement in the right time."

Finn shook his head in disbelief, "I can't believe you decided to put so much pressure on me!" He laughed. "Am I supposed to lie to Tommy and Arthur?"

"Like you haven't lied to them before." Y/n pointed out sarcastically. "They aren't going to ask you any questions."

As they headed back to join the family, Finn couldn't help but wear a mischievous grin. The rest of the Shelbys continued their celebration oblivious to the news.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

A few days later, aunt Polly paid a visit to Y/n and Niccolò, surprising the both of them. Despite the surprise, they couldn't not let her inside.

"I need to talk to Y/n," the woman said, "it's a ladies business. Be so kind, Niccolò, and find something to do for the next... half an hour."

Niccolò raised an eyebrow at the request but decided not to push it. "Alright, take your time, ladies." He grabbed his coat, a pack of cigarettes and walked outside.

Polly and Y/n settled into the living room, the air heavy with curiosity. Polly took a moment, eyeing Y/n.

"I know you're hiding something," the woman said, lighting up a cigarette, "and I wanna hear it from you. I'm giving you a chance here."

"Am I hiding anything?" Y/n tried to convinvnce Polly that she was wrong. But she knew the woman has been a little different recently.

Tommy and Michael thought she's starting to go crazy or maybe it's the alcohol that she seemed to be drinking a bit more often, but Polly knew she had been blessed. Blessed with the gift of contacting spirits, predicting certain things.

"Let's start from here. Are you keeping it?"

Y/n's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not gonna tell your father if you don't want me to. I was in your shoes once. I know a place, we will go there and-"

"Yes, I'm keeping it."

Polly smiled widely. "That's wonderful. Would you like to know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"We want it to be a surprise. Besides I don't think it's safe to do... whatever magic you do on a pregnant woman."

"It's not magic, my dear. You can't read cards or tea leaves for a pregnant woman, but I just sense it's a-"

"A surprise. Please, please, please, I really don't wanna find out yet."

"Alright... and now, why didn't you tell us? Any of us?"

"Wasn't that a little bit too much in too little time?" Y/n scratched the back of her neck nervously. "Didn't wanna add to the chaos."

Y/n decided to not mention the fact that Finn actually knew about it.

Aunt Polly studied Y/n for a moment before nodding approvingly. "Well, love, you've made your bed, now you have to lie in it. But I'm not here to scold you. I just want to make sure you're ready for what's coming."

"I know it won't be easy, but I'm ready. I have a husband, almost. I have a house. We can make it."

"Remember, you also have us. Me and Ada can certainly help you with the baby. I'm sure Linda will also love this new little Shelby."

"The baby isn't going to be a Shelby... I'll go with Nicco's last name."

Polly leaned back, taking a thoughtful drag from her cigarette. "Fair enough. But remember, secrets have a way of coming out, especially in this family. And when they do, it's usually in the most dramatic way possible."

"I'll tell the rest of the family soon... can you come with me to dad and Tommy? I'm a bit scared to tell them..."

"Of course, love. There's nothing you should be afraid of, you're a grown woman. When your mother was your age, you were running barefoot in my backyard."

Y/n smiled at the comment. "Thank you, Aunt Polly. I appreciate your support."

Polly stood up, stubbing out her cigarette. She gave Y/n a hug before heading to the door. "Now, take care of yourself and that little surprise of yours. And let me know when you're ready for me to do whatever 'magic' you think I do."

As Polly left, Y/n couldn't help but be grateful for the unexpected ally in her corner. She suddenly felt much more confident.

[pitchsidestories]

Blue Hearts II Kerstin Casparij x Reader

masterlist I word count: 2020

A/N: based off this request. Let us know what you think. 🩵

Y/N 🩵

laiaalexandri 💪🏻

womenfootballfan Caption 10/10 🔥

The Manchester City squad was taking their lunch together in the club’s cafeteria. A very excited Kerstin Casparij just told her teammates about the great conversation she had with you through social media. Playfully shocked Jill Roord placed one hand on her chest: “I can’t believe you started chatting with a stranger via Instagram, Kerstin.”

Unimpressed by the dramatics of her fellow Dutch friend the defender shrugged it off:” What’s the big deal?” “Ignore her, tell us will you meet her in a real life?”, Esme Morgan waved it off. Hesitant Kerstin bit her lip:” I don’t know yet. She seems nice on her Instagram profile.” “She seems nice, huh?”, Lauren Hemp wiggled with her eyebrows.

Equally teasing Jill asked her:  “What if it’s a serial killer?” “Only if books count as weapons, Jill. I agree with Kerstin she looks adorable.”, Esme shook her head after taking a look at your Instagram profile.  The tall blonde Dutch forward snotted:” You know there could be anyone behind that profile, Esme. You’re just so gullible.”

“Oh, shut up, you’re way too cynical for the fact that you’re in a relationship.”, the English defender shot back with a crooked smile on her lips. Amused the former Wolfsburg player corrected her:” I’m not cynical, I’m Dutch.” “So is Kerstin.”, Lauren observed, it was obvious that they shared their nationality but were very different personalities. That’s why Jill quickly responded:” She doesn’t behave like a Dutchie.”

“Oh my god, she just asked if we want to meet at a bookshop!”, Kerstin exclaimed. Grinning Laura Coombs replied:” Well, there are enough people that would probably notice a murder there.”  “True, so it’s a relatively safe meeting point from her side but I’d get suspicious if she wants to go the crime section.”, Alex Greenwood winked at the Dutch defender.

Smirking Kerstin reassured the older blondes: “I’ll text you SOS If she does that.” “Okay, good.”, Alex nodded satisfied with her answer. Curious Laura glanced at her:” That means you’re going?” “Yes, I’m starving for some new literature.”, she joked. This costed her an eyeroll of her national teammate:” No, you’re starving because you’ve not touched much of your food yet.”

“No, she’s starving for a meaningful emotional bond with someone.”, with these words Alanna Kennedy stole smiling the food off Kerstins plate. Weakly the owner of that dinner protested:” Hey!” “Cheeky chica.”, Leila Ouahabi commented. The Australian player tried to defend her actions in front of her fellow friends: “I was hoping she would go right now and leave her food here.”

“You know what? I’ll.”, motivated Kerstin jumped off her chair. Motherly Laura advised her: “Take that food with you!” “Hey.”, Alanna pouted.  Beaming the Dutch defender said goodbye: “See you tomorrow guys!” “Have fun. And call us if something’s off.”, the English forward reminded her. Groaning Jill hid the face in her hands:” This will end terrible.”

“Or it’s just the beginning of a wonderful story.“, Esme mused, watching Kerstin leave. Alanna shook her head in disappointment; “And she still didn’t leave me any of her food.“ “You can have some of mine. The English food can’t keep up with the spanish.“, Leila laughed, pushing her plate towards the Australian. With a shrug, she dug in; “I’m happy as long as there’s food.“

Meanwhile, you were so distracted looking at literature in the bookshop that you barely noticed someone approaching you. “Hi, y/n?“ You turned around to find Kerstin smiling at you. “Yes, hello, Kerstin.“, you replied politely. Your gaze got caught on the book she was holding in her hands; “Your book pick?“ Kerstin nodded, handing you her book so you could read the synopsis on the back; “Yes.“

“Great choice.“, you smiled at her, impressed by her taste already. Carefully, the football player pointed to the book you were holding; “Can I see yours?“ “Sure.“ “Thanks.“ While Kerstin examine the book, you explained; “I thought Conversations with friends seemed very appropriate for the chats we already had online.“ “I like that.“, Kerstin agreed with a laugh.

Relieved about the fact that you two were getting on as well in real life as you did online, you suggested; “They have a coffee shop here too. Do you want one? Please say you like coffee.“ “Who doesn’t like coffee?“, the dutch football player replied with a laugh. “I heard some do but I never came across that species in the literature department.“, you joked as you both started to make your way to the café.

Grinning, Kerstin admitted; “I’m no exception to that.“ “So you would like a cup?“, you asked. “Yes, sure.“ “Okay, great.“ You ordered for the two of you and sat down at a table next to a window. The smell of coffee filled the air between you two. “Wow, this coffee is really good.“, Kerstin commented right after her first sip. You wrapped your hands around your cup, happily nodding; “Yes, right? It’s one of my favourite places in Manchester?“ “It is?“, Kerstin asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

“Yes, it’s more lively than the uni library and I like that. Do you have a favourite place here?“, you answered truthfully. Kerstin took another sip of her coffee, thinking about the question for a bit; “Actually I do.“ “Apart from the football stadium?“, you grinned, hinting at your shared love for the beautiful game.

“Do you think we football players just spend our entire lives in the stadium? We also go out for coffee or dinner?“, she jokingly rolled her eyes at you. Impatiently, you leaned forward; “No, of course not. So is it a coffee shop or a restaurant?“ A fond smile appeared on the football players face; “It’s Jill Scotts coffee shop. It was the first place the girls took me to when I joined City.“

“That sounds really sweet.”, you answered. Confidently Kerstin thought out loud: “Maybe, I’ll take you there too some time.” “Yes, I’d like that.”, you told her beaming at the prospect of seeing her again. The defender looked deeply interested at you: “So, tell me something about yourself. My teammates thought you might be a serial killer.”

“I can assure you I’m not a serial killer as you know I’m a literature student who does enjoy watching women’s football with her friends in her free time.”, you replied with a crooked smile on your lips. Grinning Kerstin had to admit: “That doesn’t sound so scary.”  

“So yes, I love reading, spending time with friends, love if coffee involved in those meetings and I do own a cat.”, you added. As you mentioned your pet the Dutch player’s face lit up: “You own a cat?” Later you’d get to know that she was a cat owner aswell, making her in your eyes even more lovable. “Yes, she’s called Virginia after you probably guessed it Virginia Woolf but most of the time, we call her Ginny.”, you nodded enthusiastically.

Taking another sip of her coffee, Kerstin said: “Ginny, that’s cute.” “What about you? What do you like besides football?”, you wanted to know from her, playing with a loose string of your hair. The defender’s answer made you fall for her even more when you were already about to: “Reading and photography.” “And writing witty Instagram captions.”, you winked at her.

A warm laugh escaped Kerstin’s mouth, it seemed to have come straight from her belly: “Yeah, that too.” After the nerves of a first meeting have calmed down you two spend a pleasant time at the bookshop chatting about everything and nothing at the same time.

Right before you had to depart you handed her a book with the title Love in the Time of Serial Killers, you couldn’t help but to smirk: “Maybe you should give your teammates that book.” “Maybe, I’ll.”, the Dutch woman told you. Her brain was already busy thinking how to ask you out for another date, she wanted it to be clever and funny like you. But for now, she gave you a kiss on your cheek, whispering a hopeful goodbye and hoped for another hello soon.

On the next day Jill congratulated Kerstin chuckling:” Congrats for not getting murdered.” “Thank you. I even brought you something.”, the younger Dutch player replied with an innocent smile on her face. The blonde who was known to always have a book in her suitcase when she travelled but never read them, threw her eyebrows up at the sight of the gift:” A book?” “You’re welcome.”, Kerstin chirmed.

With a look at the present Alex remarked giggling:” I’m a big fan of the title.” “More important, how was it and will you see her again?” , Esme demanded impatiently. Turning red Kerstin mumbled: “She was very nice and I enjoyed it so yeah, I’ll probably see her again.”

Esmes face lit up with delight; “See, Jill. I was right!“ “About the fact that she wasn’t murdered? Congratulations.“, Jill rolled her eyes. “No, you know what I mean.“, the defender protested. Jill acknowledged her with a dismissive gesture; “Yeah, fine. Love won and all that.“ “It did!“, Esme nodded determinedly. “Sweet.“, Jill commented with a small smile.

Kerstin let out a sigh, giving her teammates a disapproving look; “Girls.“ But even she failed to hide a grin. “We’re happy for you, Kerstin.“, Laura said, putting a gentle hand on Kerstins arm. Impatiently, Lauren asked instead; “Will she come to our next game?“ “Maybe.“, the dutch football player replied with an innocent shrug.

Esme concluded quickly; “So, yes.“ “But I don’t want to introduce her to you.“, Kerstin added, giving each of her team mates a stern look. Esmes eyes went wide in a mixture of surprise and offense; “Why not?!“ “You guys are embarrassing.“, Kerstin laughed. “Us?“, Lauren replied, feigning shock. “Who else?“ The English midfielder shook her head in disappointment; “Rude.“ Alex Greenwood looked less than impressed as she told her teammates; “Don’t worry. Sooner or later we’ll meet her.“

Of course, Alex was right. As soon as the final whistle blew at Manchester Citys next home game, Jill pointed in the direction of the stands; “There’s blue heart!“ “Who’s blue heart?“, you asked surprised as Kerstin came over to quickly give you a kiss. “You are.“, she admitted with an innocent grin.

A smile spread on your face as you remembered the blue heart emoji you sent to Kerstin in response to her Instagram story. The blue heart that started your chatting. “Oh.“, was the only thing you could say to that before Lauren pulled you into a tight hug; “Great to finally meet you.“ “Hi, girls. Nice to meet you all too.“, you smiled at the group of football players that had accumulated around you. “We’ve heard a lot about you already.“, Alex smiled.

Jill added with a smirk; “Yes, Kerstin never shuts up about you.“ “Oh really?“, you replied, catching your girlfriends cheeks turning pink. “That is a lie.“, she protested weakly. “Nah, it’s the truth.“, Chloe Kelly disagreed. Kerstin gave you a pained look; “That’s why I didn’t want them to meet you.“ “But we wanted to meet her.“, Esme interrupted. Kerstin gesticulated towards you; “You did now. You can leave.“ “Oh no, we’ll celebrate that win with a team dinner, remember?“, their captain reminded Kerstin.

Wary, she squinted at Alex; “That was never planned.“ “Yes, it was. Let’s go, girls.“, Chloe yelled. Innocently, you gave your girlfriend a kiss on her cheek; “Sorry, love. I guess we have to join them.“ A sigh escaped her while she interlaced her fingers with yours; “I hate that you’re on their side. But I guess we do.“ “I’m just curious, you know? It’s your team after all.“, you shrugged. “Fine.“

While her teammates slowly retreated to the dressing room, you winked at her; “Don’t worry, I’ll make up for it when we’re back home.“ “That sounds like we have a deal.“, she smiled back at you. “Cuddling with the cats and reading out loud to each other?“, you suggested. Another voice interrupted your conversation; “Sounds disgustingly romantic.“ Jill grimaced in disgust while Esme rolled her eyes at her; “Jill!“

[formulapookie]

:)

Under the cut to read on tumblr, here to read on Ao3 <3

I'll commit your every scar to my memory rosquez, 6k words

(set 2025)

Marc has been looking at himself in the mirror for twenty minutes now.

Inspecting for every micro feature which signaled he was getting older.

He doesn’t want to get older, he can’t.

All his career, his success had come when he was a kid and he had been nicknamed “alien” for it goddamnit.

youngest pole sitter, youngest podium finisher, youngest winner, youngest champion.

key word being young. 

he doesn't feel old, but older, god yes. Everyday.

A new source of pain coming out, an old one resurfacing, the fear of falling behind, of not fitting in anymore and of running out of time.

All present and heavy on his body, which took the hit every time.

Why he thinks that, he isn’t  sure.

But he feels like he must get everything now or it will all have been useless.

It’s been one year now since he and Vale reconciled, and nine months since they made their relationship official, but only to intimate friends and their families, since Marc was still a target in the paddock, and they both knew that having a gay relationship wasn’t exactly the greatest thing to share in a sport like theirs.

And while the respective families had reacted well (except for a bit of skepticism on Alex’s side) the Academy had been more bitter, especially Uccio, but it was to be expected since he is so obviously in love with Vale since the dawn of time.

The mirror in their room at the Ranch keeps reflecting his toned and muscled body, along with his freshly shaved face and regrowing curls.

If he has to be honest he isn’t the one who brought up the aging thing.

First Vale, at his birthday, after he was officially a Ducati factory rider for that year, telling him he was “growing up”, getting closer to 35.

And it terrified Marc.

Then his brother, joking about him retiring so that he could be the only Marquez on the grid “haste que tu y Mr doctor creéis un hijo con magia y aterroricen a MotoGP” (Until you and Mr Doctor will create a son with magic and terrorize MotoGP) 

And finally Bezzecchi two weeks ago.

He was talking to Celestino, to which he seemed glued to the hip, almost symbiotic, as if they only existed one attached to the other.

“Sta invecchiando comunque, magari Vale con i gusti per i più piccoli che ha se ne trova uno più giovane e meno sfasciato” (He’s aging by the way, maybe Vale with his taste for younger people will find a younger and less broken one) 

“Sei un coglione Marco dai” (Marco you’re a dickhead come on)

“Dico la verità, magari tra una settimana ci porta un ragazzetto di 20 anni che lo guarda con gli occhi a cuoricino e che non sia mezzo pieno di cicatrici” (I’m saying the truth, maybe in a week the he’ll come to us with a 20 year old boy who looks at him heart-eyed and who’s not half covered in scars)

“Immagini? Tanta fatica e poi se ne sbatte un altro”

(Can you imagine? So much trouble and he ends up fucking another guy)

“Sarebbe karma” (Would be karma)

Marc had been hidden behind the door throughout the whole conversation, and a wave of nausea and vomit overwhelmed him, causing him to rush silently to the toilet and throw up.

Maybe they were right. 

He was getting older, Vale had said that himself, joking about his smile lines.

He had started exercising even more, buying more products for skincare and trying to act like he was 20 again.

And suddenly he didn’t feel pretty anymore, he just wanted to ride a couple laps on the dirt track and forget about it.

He looks at himself one last time, not failing to notice the faint line of a wrinkle in the corner of his eyes staring right back at him, menacing.

He puts on his gear, ignoring everyone in the kitchen and heading straight for the track, grabbing the bike with the bright orange “93” plastered on front.

It’s the best way to shut his mind off, it’s just him and the track, the bike being a direct extension of his body.

He completes ten, twelve, fifteen laps then he slips, bike flying out of his hands and his body tumbling down in the dirt.

His arm hurts, but his brain aches more.

Finished finished finished.

He goes to grab the bike to climb on it again when he feels a pair of arms around his body. Vale.

“Are you ok Marc? Do I need to grab your painkillers? I’ll help you back on the bike if-” the older one gets cut off harshly by Marc, who has pain in his eyes

“I can still do things Valentino you know?”

He's angry, his tone bitter and his words harsh.

He’s not like that and Vale knows, he’s tender when they speak, they’ve hurt each other way too much already to be cruel to one another now.

Vale has a concerned expression painted on his face, his eyes quickly running to Marc’s right arm, then to his face again.

“Let me get up”

“Ok but-“

“I want to do some other laps let me do them” 

it’s not a plea, or a begging, his voice is resolute and firm.

Vale is visibly worried, but lets him.

He looks as Marc gets back on the bike and restarts, the corner of his eyes caught by Bezz and Celin giggling between themselves.

Marc gets off the bike after one hour, when his body cannot take it anymore and his brain is foggy enough with thoughts about breaking, turning, speeding.

He leaves the bike in the garage, stripping out of his leathers, the only clothing underneath a sleeveless adherent black top, half dirty from soil and grass.

And just when he was convinced to have sedated the thoughts for at least a good few hours his eyes trace the outline of his scar, dead tissue on his arm.

He goes to their bedroom bathroom quickly, to avoid more sensations to overwhelm him, getting into the shower and turning the hot water on, letting it rinse away scenarios where he’s not present in Vale’s future. He spends at least twenty minutes under the water, washing himself carefully and almost trying to clean away the scars littering his body, obviously without succeeding.

As he gets out of the bathroom he’s only wearing a towel around his hips, and he inevitably meets his reflection staring back at him from the mirror.

He wants so desperately to see the 20 year old wonderkid he used to be, but that’s his past. Marc knows time passes for everyone, it takes from you, sometimes more than it should, sometimes it’s harsher on your body and sometimes on your soul.

He isn’t fucking eighty he knows that but still. He’s grown. He’s not the starstruck kid Vale first met and with whom shared many nights during their rivalry.

He’s a grown man now, he looks different, he can see the tiredness in his own eyes, pain sometimes so much it eats his body whole, the same pain which has him stay awake some nights.

And he knows Vale is older than him but Vale is also Vale and no one in their right mind would ever question his capacities or greatness, not even if he was 90.

And like Bezzecchi said he had a taste for youngsters, full of life and ready to do whatever he said as if it was a command.

He used to be one of those, but now…

He hears his name getting called downstairs for dinner, yells back he’s getting dressed and will soon be there.

He avoids the mirror while changing, his body feels wrong every time he tries to look at it, his face transpires the worry sleeping in his chest.

They all eat together, Pecco is there too, he’s getting used to sharing spaces with his future teammate which is good, but Bezzecchi is there too, casting funny glances at his best friend making them both giggle while sometimes looking over at Marc. He speaks maybe four words during the whole dinner, his brain feeling like it’s underwater and needs to be saved from drowning into the abyss.

As they finish eating he helps clean up the table and when he’s proposed to stay and watch a movie he fakes a headache, heading upstairs and leaving the academy to enjoy their time. 

Not even two minutes later he’s in his boxers under the sheets, back turned to the glassy hell his mirror has become.

He hears the door opening and quiet steps making their way to him.

“Ei amore, everything ok?”

Vale’s tone is tender and caring, something which only surfaced once they reconciled, a side of Vale making him humane, not the cold and distant concept of a God Marc still had in the back of his mind.

It was good in a way, but on the other hand it made him feel weak, like he needed to be spoken softly otherwise he would’ve broken like glass. 

“Si, I’m a bit tired and have a headache, can we just…can we just sleep?”

It was the most obvious of the answers, the fakest one, and yet the only one he could give him at that moment.

Valentino nods, taking off his shirt and pants and climbing into bed, Marc laying his head on Vale’s stomach, feeling the man’s hand stroke his curls gently.

Valentino is tired too, he had to follow an event all day and close a contract for VR46, he falls asleep in a half hour, while Marc has his eyes wide open in the darkness of a night lightened only by a pale moon in the distant sky.

He hears his mind speaking again, telling him how he’s not himself anymore, he’s not what Vale wants and he’s not the best Vale can have, because afterall he is THE Valentino Rossi and everyone wants a piece of him and Vale could feel entitled to request a piece of every one just because of who he is.

You’re not the one Vale deserves.

He could have them younger, prettier, faster, better.

He could have someone he can be seen with, with someone he could bring to races and shit like it was normal to do.

He could have someone who didn’t try to fight him so hard back then.

A new rookie maybe, fast, magnetic, idolizing him.

Vale would have every right to just let him go to find someone who doesn’t look so broken, who doesn’t risk getting more and more broken every week.

Perhaps he wants children.

And well for how much you can adopt kids maybe, no surely, Vale wants his kid to look and be like him.

Marc doesn’t cry, but just because he’s too afraid of waking Vale up, and surely seeing him acting so pathetic would be the last straw Vale would need to leave him and go find someone else.

So he doesn’t, he cries a lot internally, he tries to trace every mole on Valenitno’s body because he’s so afraid that in a matter of time he’ll be unable to see him like this again.

or feel the heat of his body next to his own.

Afraid to wake up without the smell of his shampoo or go to sleep missing the pair of arms that are holding him at this moment.

He manages to fall asleep after more than an hour, thoughts feasting on his brain like worms on a carcass, the same word echoing endlessly in his mind.

useless

He wakes up to an empty bed, no sign of Valentino in the room whatsoever, and he imagines his life could become like this in a matter of time.

He doesn’t understand how those little comments managed to get under his skin so much, he had never been the one to take those things to heart because…

because he had never actually believed any of that shit talk before.

But now he’s the first one to think that, the first to indulge on it. 

He can feel a sense of inadequacy crawling in bed with him, wrapping his hands around his throat and slowly depriving him of the chance to breathe.

It’s burning and it hurts like hell, it’s ugly.

He scrambles to the bathroom, throwing up bent over the toilet, coughing and sniffing like during the worst hangover of his life.

He can make out rushed steps coming to the door, Valentino crouching down to level himself with Marc, stroking his hair and back, worry painted in his eyes.

“Marc, do you want me to get you something? Are you ok?”

Weak, undeserving, not enough

That fuckin voice doesn’t shut up goddamnit, it haunts his mind and poisons everything coming in close contact with him.

What if it can poison Vale?

What if by standing so close to Marc he’ll end up being corrupted by this voice?

No no no, he’d rather suffer alone and watch Vale be happy with someone else rather than seeing him hurting.

Because that’s what Marc is when it comes to who he loves.

Selfless, adoring and ready to let go, because he knows he’s not an easy person to put up with so he never pushes.

“No I’m ok I just didn’t digest dinner well that’s all”

“Marc”

“I told you it was yesterday’s dinner Vale, I’m already feeling better, see?”

And he smiles, the fake PR smile Vale has seen hundreds of times, he could recognise Marc’s true smile in a crowd full of people, his laugh in a room filled with clowns and most of all he could recognise Marc hurting in a massacre.

His eyes are lifeless, a veil of something trapping the joy and happiness inside, not letting them see the sun.

“Marc tell me what’s going on because you’re not ok and I am not letting you leave the room until you’ve told me what’s happening”

“I decide if I can get out of the room or not Vale, you’re not my mom, I told you i’m ok so let me go thank you”

Vale wants to stop him but he knows it would be worse, Marc would shut down and respond robotically to questions he dreads to know the real answer to.

“Marc. I won’t force you ok? But please tell me what’s going on, you look-”

“I know what I look like there’s no need to tell me”

Marc thinks of old, spent, expired, outdated. 

All different words to mean only one thing.

undesirable.

And weak.

He fucking threw up in front of Vale, he almost had tears in his eyes, he had to come up with his fake smile he knew Vale would recognise, he’s so fucking stupid god how can he act like that and hope to still have a chance in keeping Vale.

He gets past him, putting on a pair of joggers and a short sleeved shirt of his and walks out the room, grabbing his biker boots and protective jacket by the entrance and putting them on, ignoring the boys sitting in the living room looking at him with curiosity.

Probably he yelled before, and they heard him.

Amazing.

He slams the door shut behind him and goes to grab his street bike.

Once he’s put the helmet on he’s alone. 

Truly alone.

No other voices or sounds, not even the one in his head.

It’s quiet, like one of the earliest nights he remembers sharing with Valentino, the one in Aragon perhaps, or the many in between races when they could wander off in one of Vale’s secret spots and share everything, even the silence.

He starts the bike and goes for a ride, a long one, he didn’t bring his phone with him so he doesn't know how long precisely.

He comes back home once he’s hungry and beginning to feel tired.

Once again he doesn’t dwell on the academy boys watching him, he can only imagine what they’re saying.

He doesn’t let the thoughts come to him this time though, he just heads straight for the shower and gets ready for lunch.

Vale is an amazing cook, he prepared something that smells delicious, but Marc can’t eat more than half a plate before already feeling nauseous.

He eats everything anyway, he doesn’t want to upset Vale more, so he forces every fork until he clears the plate.

“Vale” it’s Bezzecchi’s voice, he has a strange tone to it “how’s Pedro? didn’t you say he should come to the ranch soon? To see what he’s capable of off track?”

Marc doesn’t want to suppose things, but the way he says the last sentence sends shivers down his spine

20, fast, starstruck by Vale, not half covered in scars.

Check, check, check, check.

The qualities Bezzecchi talked about a few weeks prior are all part of Pedro.

Marc excuses himself from the table for the second time in a row, feeling bad about doubting Vale but also not holding him responsible if that came up to be the case.

He had said it himself he was now the past of MotoGP, and Pedro the future.

Bezzecchi cackles from the table, Celestino elbows him in his ribcage, earning a harsh stare from his friend.

Vale just sits at the table, looking in the direction Marc had disappeared to, trying to understand what was going on with his boyfriend, because he truly has no idea and is scared something had happened outside of the peace of the Ranch, maybe someone finding out about them and threatening Marc to reveal their relationship to the public.

He decides to leave him alone for a while, maybe he’s just not used to having all these people around all the time and needs his space, a moment alone to quiet down his brain.

He spends the afternoon with the boys, racing around the track, checking and analyzing data and talking about Bezz’s newfound harmony with Aprilia.

The clock hits eight pm and they’re all hungry as hell, so the boys quickly make their way to the bedrooms to take their showers and change, since they also decided to go out tonight for a party held by one of Bezz’s DJ friends.

Meanwhile Marc had stayed in the room the whole time, spending half of it crying his eyes out because he couldn’t stop thinking about what if Valentino actually decided to break up with him again and the feeling of emptiness he would feel eventually.

The other half he spent it trying to understand how to make himself look younger for Vale, which clothes to wear, how to act, to talk, to lie when his arm hurt while they were having sex.

Fucking pathetic

He wishes he could tear his brain outside of his skull, anything not to hear that sharp voice commenting his every move and look, he just wants the world inside his mind to shut the hell up and leave him be, at least for a few hours, just that.

A few hours where he doesn’t have to worry about being abandoned by the one person he loves more than life.

A few hours where he can love himself again.

But his brain doesn’t concede him neither those few hours, it’s a machine programmed to drive him insane, unstoppable.

Vale knocks on the door, he recognises their passcode, never changed during all those years spent together.

“Dinner is in five minutes, are you coming?”

“Yes yes, just let me get dressed and I’ll be there”

“Ok, see you downstairs amore”

It cuts deep, the bug whispering in his ear the word amore is just a way to keep him close for need, not driven by real feelings.

He comes down two minutes later, a simple pair of shorts and a t-shirt he stole from Vale not so long ago, still smelling like him.

He smiles softly at the man, sitting beside him, across Pecco, who greets him with a nod.

The boys eat in a rush, not speaking a word, apparently they were supposed to meet some other guys by nine and they’re never going to make it on time.

They practically absorb their food and are out the door in twenty minutes, in Luca’s car off to the bar they set as a rendez-vous point.

And so he and Vale are left alone.

He doesn't know how long it’s been since the last time they were completely alone, not even that annoying guard dog of Uccio staining the environment.

“You’re really beautiful tonight amore”

Lie

“My shirt looks really pretty on you, makes you look smaller”

He doesn’t actually like it

“Want to go upstairs?”

He just needs a release, not you.

“Yeah sure” he’s convincing, Vale doesn’t seem to notice his body twitching when his fingers touch his arm.

They reach their bedroom, Vale guiding Marc towards the bed, hands running under the stolen shirt to go catch on his abs, fingers looking for a strong grip.

They share a sweet kiss, nothing like the ones shared after their battles on track, quick, charged and filled with need.

 Marc knows Vale wants those back, not these ones, too plain and domestic for him to ever like.

So he tries to pull the switch, biting at Vale’s lip, pressing himself against him, backing up until his body is caged between the wall and Valentino, who looks rather surprised at the sudden change of attitude.

“Fuck me Vale come on” it feels dirty, demanding, but that was exactly like he was back then, and he so desperately needs to feel like that again.

Vale’s lips are on his neck, biting and sucking hard, matching Marc’s tone.

It’s not what he wants, it’s what Vale wants.

And that is enough for him, he’ll just try to enjoy what was probably going to be one of the last nights together, and he didn’t want Valentino to resent him for it too.

He’ll just have to relax, think about Vale’s happiness and take it.

After one particularly harsh bite he winces, but so quickly Vale cannot register it while dragging him to bed.

The grip on his wrist is strong, possessive, needy.

It’s what Vale wants, stop being fucking selfish and let him have it.

The voice is right, he cannot be selfish and wish for Vale to stick around out of pity.

He needs to earn his lover back, who cares if he has to do things he doesn’t want to do?

In the end it’s all for love.

He lets Valentino undress him, sharp teeth attacking his nipple, making him moan loudly, he’s exaggerating a bit his actions but it’s for a good cause. 

He keeps repeating to himself this is ok to do, he really wants to please Vale, it’s not bad, he used to like the sharpness and rush of adrenaline that came with battling on track so why should this be different?

He feels Vale’s hand cupping him through his boxers and he thrusts his hips up, eyes closed and hands gripping both on Vale’s hair and back, keeping him there.

“You smell so good Marc, never going to let you go”

And that’s where Marc loses his battle with himself.

He tries to keep it in but a sob comes out anyway, a tear rolling out of his eye and ending up on the pillow underneath his head.

And Vale knows Marc. He knows the difference between a sob due to pleasure and this.

This is not Marc enjoying it so much he cries, this is Marc not enjoying it at all.

He stops, getting up and sitting in front of Marc who has his eyes closed, hands balled into fists and his mouth shut in a rigid and thin line.

He’s fucked it up, he let his own feelings ruin everything again.

He doesn’t want to look at Vale, to see the disappointment and displeasure which surely the older has in his eyes right now.

He can’t bear to see how pathetic he is in Valentino’s eyes.

You ruined it for him, good job.

His head echoes with this thought, he was almost there, so close to faking it perfectly but he had to fucking cry.

He didn’t even cry in front of Vale when he told the world he hated him and he should be off the sport, but he cries for this.

“Marc?” Valentino’s voice is filled with something, it sounds like concern, fear almost.

“Marc, would you open your eyes?” no he can’t he fucking can’t because they’re filled with tears that are just going to spill out if he does, he doesn’t want that, he doesn’t want Vale to see him weak and scarred and broken.

“Amore please, what’s going on? Did I hurt you? I’m sorry if I did just please open your eyes and tell me”

There, now Vale even thinks it’s his own fault, amazing, really fucking amazing, another step towards separation.

Vale is so fucking worried right now, Marc is practically crying in front of him, trying to hold his tears in to seem tough but his body is shivering and his lips already trembling.

If he seriously went overboard and hurt him he’s going to punch himself in the face, he would never want to wound Marc.

“Amore?” It sounds like a plea, and it is, he’s begging for an answer, because he has to know what he’s done wrong.

Was he too harsh? Too demanding? Did he hurt his arm? How many possible things may he have done wrong? 

Marc gathers what little forces he has left and props himself up, sitting on the bed and opening his eyes, but he doesn’t look at Vale.

He wouldn’t be able to see him even if he wanted to, tears clouding his vision and falling on the bed.

Vale grabs the shirt he discarded earlier on the bed, the one with a wrinkled 46 printed in front in a now not so bright yellow font.

“You’re shivering Marc put this on, you’ll get sick if you don’t” he lets Vale dress him, he feels like he doesn’t have control on his body and it makes him go insane.

He always needs to have control, otherwise how can he handle reality?

He finally manages to look up at Vale, and the man can see the pain rooted deep into his stare, and he aches.

He aches because how could he not notice how much Marc was truly hurting? His eyes look like the ones he had back in 2014, after the press conference where he first broke his heart.

God that stare, the haunted gaze he had that day, it will haunt him forever.

A kid, he was a kid and he managed to kill him.

And now he looks like that kid again. Confused, hurt, crushed and dead.

“I-I’m sorry I ruined it Vale, I didn’t mean to I-” he stops, a hiccup interrupting his words “I can’t I’m not what you need right now and I get it” What was he saying? What does he mean not what Vale needed? He is everything Vale needs and way more than what he deserves.

“I just…I thought I could at least still let you have this but I can’t even fucking bring myself to ignore myself for this while”

Vale is so confused right now, because he doesn’t understand. Why is Marc talking like he’s going to fucking die in a minute? Why should he ignore himself? 

He has so many questions but he cannot even pose one, his lips sealed by incredulity.

And Marc on the other hand feels like he isn’t even deserving of an answer, he wants to scream and cry and beg Vale for a chance, but he doesn’t.

Finally Vale manages to speak up, the feeling of instability being suppressed by the need to understand what was killing Marc’s mind.

“Marc, what are you saying? let me have what? you didn’t ruin everything and what’s with the 'I'm not what you need’ thing?”

It looks so real to Marc now, the concern and the preoccupation radiating from Vale.

You failed him, you just had to shut up and endured and you fai-

For the first time this week he manages to shut the voice up, sending it back to the hell it came from long enough to be aware of the fact Vale really cares about him.

He breaks down, crying in front of the man he loves for the first time.

It’s ugly and messy, and he’s fuckinging exhausted, he wants to hold Vale, he wants to be held by him, he needs to feel at home.

And even if he doesn’t say that explicitly Vale gets it, he throws his arms around the boy, keeping him there for a while, not bothering to check how long, he places him on his lap, Marc’s ruffled hair tickling his neck as he continues sobbing into his collarbone, shoulders shivering at every sound.

He gets his head up from Vale’s neck, and fixes his gaze on Vale’s.

“Please Vale promise me you won’t leave me for someone younger and prettier, because I know you could do that anytime if you wanted because you deserve it but please don’t, I know I’m not beautiful like before and that I’m broken now and that you should be with someone who doesn’t hurt himself every week and I know I can’t do what I did before in bed but I swear I’ll try to do it again, and and I get it you could have anyone because you’re you but I only want you please please I love you I can’t let you go I need to be with you I know it’s so pathetic and dumb but I beg of you don’t leave me”

He rushes his words out, one attached to the other not caring anymore if he sounds weak, his face is now completely wet with tears and Vale’s shirt is soaked as well, but he doesn’t care, it feels like he let go of an enormous weight and is finally free.

Vale's answer comes like a helping hand to a drowning person, the hand that grabs yours and drags you out of the angry waves keeping you underwater, your lungs burning.

“Marc I- I don’t even know where to start I mean…why would I ever leave you if you’re the best thing I ever got the chance to have in my life? Why would I need someone younger when I have you and how could I want someone prettier when no one’s more perfect than you?

You’re right you’re not as beautiful as before, you’re far more breathtaking now, and you’re everything but broken, do you think that just because you fell and injured yourself you aren’t attractive to me anymore? Those scars symbolize you never giving up. They are one of the most attractive things you have, amore.

Marc I don’t care if we cannot have that rushed sex we used to have when we raced together, I love what we do now, I adore it, I feel much more connected to you, back then it was adrenaline and desire, now it’s love and need, I wouldn’t trade it for any sum on money in the world you must know this, I would never want to hurt you or force you to have sex with me if it hurts you, ok?

And I don’t fucking care I am who I am, or the fact I could have anyone else because 

I. have. you. 

And you’re the only one I want or need or dream about sharing my life with, you get it?

I love you Marc Marquez and I’ll be damned if I let these thoughts get to you and make you act like that.

I’m never going to leave unless you want me to, because I already left once and I hurt you and myself and I cannot go through it again. 

It was the worst period of my life because I looked for you every night and you weren’t there, because of me.

I should be the on worrying about you leaving me because of what I did, never never never the opposite” 

And now Vale is crying too, his eyes holding onto Marc’s gaze like his life depends on it, like he needs an answer to breathe again, because he too feels like he’s drowning and being brought to safety by his lover.

“You still love me? You swear?” It sounds so feeble and desperate Vale wants to open his chest with his bare hands and gift Marc his heart as proof of his love, because the only way he could doubt his love for him would be Vale not showing it enough, not doing everything the boy needed to feel loved.

“Of course I still love you Marc, I never stopped, and I never will, I want to share my whole life with you, you are my star and I will never let you say those things about yourself again, got it?”

“Even if I’m older now? I’ve got scars and lines and I look-”

“You look perfect. Listen I know I said I don’t believe in therapy and all that shit but I just- it’s just I didn’t like what they told me there and I decided to shit on it, but it actually helped me realize I still loved you and if you need to go there to understand how much I love you I’ll pay for it, I’ll bring you to your appointments and I’ll accept whatever outcome you get from it”

It feels good now, to Marc. It’s like he got dragged out of a stormy ocean onto a tropical beach, sunny, warm, quiet and calm.

Quiet.

No wretched voice demonizing or belittling him, just Vale, the only other presence on his dream beach, so close to him he can feel their hearts beating in unison.

He locks his fingers with Vale’s, a soft smile forming on his lips.

“Yeah I- I want to go, because I don’t want to feel like this again, I need to free my mind. Do you understand me? It’s so full it feels like it’s going to explode”

Yes, Vale knows. He’s gone through it more than he likes to admit, and he just nods, pulling Marc even closer, pressing a sweet kiss on his forehead, feeling the boy relax under his touch.

Marc tilts his head, looking up at Vale, and goes to plant a soft kiss on the man’s lips.

No rush, no lust, nothing except deep love and trust, a feeling of peace hovering over the couple who drifts to sleep together, Marc being able to dream of a beautiful snippet of his life with Vale, them together at the Ranch, not worrying anymore about hiding because Marc is retired and nobody will say anything, Stitch and Shira running after a kid with big blue eyes in the garden, the academy boys discussing who’s the favorite uncle.

Marc and Valentino holding hands, Marc’s head on Vale’s shoulder as they look at the little  girl laughing, playing with the dogs and the grass.

It’s domestic, soft, and quiet.

So quiet.

The only sound being the laughter coming from their friends and families and the dogs panting behind the buzzing girl.

She looks like Vale.

She calls him and Marc picks her up, she smiles, they’re happy.

There’s no need to worry anymore, Vale never left him, Marc neither, they went through Marc’s insecurities together, they didn’t let go of eachother.

In the real world Valentino is smiling, putting Marc to bed, covering him with their sheets, dreaming of the same thing. 

A life, a future with Marc.

[ak319]

Yan G!P Princess x fem reader

Part: VI ➺ Part V

your name is Deniz here

(Your POV)

It’s my wedding day, and yet, I’m the only one who isn’t happy--the new princess. This morning passed in a haze, with so many people around me, preparing me. My mind, however, was fixated on just one thing: getting out of here and meeting my parents. These past two months have been agonising without them, even though I’ve lived alone before. The attendants chattered among themselves, and I couldn’t help but overhear them talking about the crowd gathered outside the palace. I don’t blame the people, of course. It’s not their fault for rejoicing and sending gifts. I would’ve probably fainted from receiving such overwhelming love on any other occasion.

Every moment felt like torture. For the sake of my reputation, I forced a small smile as they sat me in the carriage on the way to the ceremony. That stupid royal and media etiquette finally came in handy, didn’t it, Kade? But I still managed to keep a solemn expression throughout the ceremony, not giving a damn after the vows and when the crown was placed on my head. And thank God, she only kissed me on the forehead, which shocked me considering Kade could have easily taken advantage of the opportunity. Want to know the worst part? Kade’s dreams had come true. For her, it was the happiest day, she got the girl and even had Reece as her best woman. Yay, so happy for her.

"You are not doing that! I swear, if you even invite her, let alone make her your best woman, I’m seriously going to jump off something!" It’s not because I still have feelings for Reece, I just can’t stand the thought of giving those two women the satisfaction of their childhood pact coming true.

"Deniz, love. It's just a day, and you know she's my best friend--"

"NO! You have other friends! Why are you doing this?" My voice cracked, the shriek echoing in the room, but Kade remained calm, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of frustration.

"Look, Deniz," she said, her voice steady, "she's going to be my best woman, and you have to accept it."

"WHY?!"

"BECAUSE IT'S MY WEDDING, AND I GET TO CHOOSE!" Her voice rose, the authority behind it unmistakable.

"WOW! Fuck you to the moon and back! You are such a hypocrite bastard! YOU GET TO CHOOSE EVERYTHING, YET I DON’T, NOT EVEN THE PERSON I’M FUCKING MARRYING!" My chest heaved with anger, my words dripping with bitterness.

Before I could even process what was happening, Kade stormed towards me, her eyes blazing with a mix of anger and desperation. She grabbed my arms tightly, her grip firm yet trembling, her breath hot against my face as her composure finally cracked.

"Listen to me," she hissed, her voice low but full of authority. "She will come to the wedding and be my best woman, and that's final. Why are you so worked up about it? Do you still feel something for her?" I struggled in her grip, but she held on tight, her eyes locked on mine, clearly waiting for me to back down.

"No, you listen to me! Don't turn this on me. I am not like you, obsessing over my childhood crushes," I shot back, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt. "I know exactly why you're doing this. You're just doing it to piss me off, for your satisfaction, to make me suffer!. Don’t act so innocent. I can see through all your craziness now! You are just--trying to rub it in my face or--I don't know-- hers too?! I don't fucking know at this poi-".

"So what if I am, huh? What if I want to?" She took a step closer, her face inches from mine, and the dark look in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine, her grip now borderline painful "Yes, you’re right. I am doing this for mere satisfaction, and I can do it since I deserve to, after everything I’ve gone through to make this wedding happen." Her words dripped with a mix of bitterness and triumph, and for the millionth time, I felt truly cornered by the person I was about to marry.

"I think it was very easy for you. Kidnapping, blackmailing, stalking--aww, the princess really worked hard, didn’t she?" My mocking, baby-like tone made the frustration flare in her eyes as she closed them for a moment, trying to keep her composure.

"Tsk. Well, you know what? Fine, do whatever the fuck you want. It’s not like I’m getting married. This is a funeral for me. A fucking funeral."

"Don’t say that. Take that back."

"Over my dead body," my voice was sharper now as I shoved her chest with all my might, breaking free from her hold.

═════ ◈ ═════

After the "funeral," I was sinking into a whole new level of dread and anxiety. I’m officially this bastard's wife, which means enduring the presence of her every day for the rest of my life, even having her last name, which was a royal tradition. Right now, we were riding back to the palace, flanked by people on both sides of the road. Some held banners with congratulatory messages, while others brandished phones, cameras, or flowers.

Kade sat beside me, her grip on my hand relentless despite my attempts to claw or pull it away. Her thumb rested possessively over the blue diamond ring, a constant reminder of my new reality. All I wanted was to reunite with my parents, who I hoped were already at the palace. My mother seemed a bit happier than my father, but he was almost the same as the last time I saw him. Even as they shed tears among the guests, I knew their emotions weren’t of joy but of the misery they felt for me.

"They love you, clearly," Kade chuckled, her gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"I think they would have the same reaction for anyone at a royal wedding. It’s just the generational monarchism trauma speaking," I retorted. Her laughter grew, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust, keeping my eyes fixed on the bustling scene outside.

"You’re such a buzzkill," she said, her voice laced with amusement. "Or maybe they just love you as they should. But never more than me." She leaned in, her breath warm against my ear. "You look so heavenly, absolutely bewitching. Well, you always have been, but as my wife and a princess, I can’t stop looking at you."

"As you can see, I’m really not in the mood to talk or even look at you," I snapped. I doubted I’d ever be.

"Oh, so cruel. But I still love you. Never forget that." She pressed a soft kiss to my knuckles and the ring, her gaze unwavering. "Ever. I won’t let you."

"Kade, I am serious. I’m really overwhelmed right now--"

"Shhh, relax. It's normal to feel nervous on your wedding day, especially when it's a public event being broadcasted all over the world," she soothed, her hand squeezing mine reassuringly. Her words only make it worse.

"SHUT UP! God-"

"Hey? Deniz?!" Kade rubbed my back soothingly. "Okay, okay, I’m here. Calm down. Deep breaths, deep breaths." She pressed the button to open the partition and asked the driver to lower the window, which helped me calm down a bit as she finally fell silent.

"I don’t want to be on camera again."

"Deniz, just this last time with the family on the balcony, and it’s over. I promise. Just one wave and you're done."

"No!"

"Okay, okay, we’ll delay it. We’ll have lunch first, then the shot. I'll call Father and inform him right now, love. Just keep breathing."

God, it’s all her fault. All of it. Two months isn’t enough for me to process anything. I was still hoping for some miracle to happen, for me to escape this wedding, this life.

Once we reached the palace, I slumped onto the sofa with my head in my hands.

"Um, Hilda, is it? Can you please fetch some chamomile tea in two cups? Hurry. Chop chop." Kade sat down beside me as I heard the door close, though the distant murmur of the family and staff outside could still be heard.

"If it weren't for the protocol, I would have definitely let you rest, especially with our flight to catch, but Father--"

"No, Kade, no." I forced a smile, a brittle facade masking my exhaustion and rage. "You absolutely don’t have to do anything. Anything that goes against your wishes and your sickening dreams, right? As long as you get to enjoy this wedding, everything is fine." My words cut through the air with a sharpness as I very much intended, and I could see the hurt flicker in her eyes and damn, the satisfaction I got was a breath of fresh air.

"You think..." Her lips twisted into a rough chuckle, but there was pain behind it. "Wow, I can’t believe---it fucking hurts me when you say that! When you say it’s my wedding! It’s OURS! It’s fucking painful!" Her voice rose in intensity, the raw emotion causing her to pace around the room. The sunlight, filtering through the windows, caught on the various badges on her chest, casting a reflection that seemed to dance along the walls, a mirror to the turmoil between us.

"You know what, stay here. I'll get it sorted." Kade's voice was edged with frustration as she stormed out of the room, leaving me bewildered and alone. Hilda soon returned with our tea, her presence a small comfort amid the chaos.

"Soothing chamomile tea for our princess, here," she said gently, handing me the cup.

I took it with trembling hands, my fingers wrapping around the warm porcelain as if it could steady my racing heart. "Thank you," I murmured, my voice barely a whisper. I glanced at Hilda, my worry palpable. "What's going on outside? Like, Kade... what is she doing outside?"

"I saw her in a discussion with the King, milady," Hilda replied softly.

The doors creaked open, and my parents entered, their faces etched with concern. It took them a good ten minutes to navigate through the maze of the palace. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of irritation at the delay.

"Everything alright?" Mum asked as she settled beside me, Dad following suit. I looked up at her, my anxiety spilling over.

"Really, Mom? Anything about this screams ‘alright’ to you? I am so scared. So, so scared," I confessed, my voice cracking with the weight of my emotions.

"Hey, bud." Dad wrapped me in a side hug, his hand gently patting my shoulder. "Everything will turn out fine one day. You’ll find peace, okay?"

I chose not to respond to the cliché reassurance that I’d heard for what felt like decades now, a sentiment that had done little to change my reality.

"Do you guys know where Clara and Leo are?"

"Well, they're in one of the guest rooms. They’re not allowing all the guests in here since it’s a bit crowded outside," Mum explained. "The whole family is gathered outside this room. I can’t believe I walked past so many... royals. Any other occasion, I might have been a bit more excited."

Her words barely registered as I sipped the chamomile tea, its warmth offering a fleeting comfort. The noise outside, the grandiosity of it all, felt like a distant echo, muffled by the growing sense of dread that gnawed at me.

Our conversation was interrupted when Kade entered with Richard in tow. "Hello again, Mr. and Ms. (L/N)," she said with a bright smile, though her eyes betrayed a hint of stress. She turned to me, kneeling down in front of me. "So, Deniz, I have good news for you, love."

I raised an eyebrow, wary of the impending announcement.

"So, no balcony appearance for you, okay? Just as you wished. I don’t want you to feel so-" She hesitated, clearly searching for a word that wouldn’t make her sound like a hypocrite. "Pressured. Alright?"

"There it is," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "How nice of you, Kade."

"Don’t mention it, darling," she said, standing up and turning her attention to my parents. They looked slightly out of place amidst the grandeur of the palace. "So, let's get you to your room. You need to rest."

"I’m fine here," I protested, though my voice wavered slightly.

"Come on, Deniz," Kade insisted gently, "you need to be in your room. You’ve had a long day." Richard remained silent, standing in the background, his presence a silent reminder of the ever-watchful eyes of the palace staff. Despite my lingering doubts about her sincerity, the exhaustion from the day weighed heavily on me. With a weary sigh, I stood up, offering a tearful goodbye to my parents.

═════ ◈ ═════

Once we were back in our room, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of disbelief. This was our room now. Kade would be here 24/7, and the space was decorated with delicate garlands, fairy lights, and scented candles--everything designed to create an atmosphere of romance.

"You know, Father is not happy."

"What excuse did you make huh?"

“Excuse? I didn’t make any excuse,” she replied. “I just told him that my wife didn’t want to do the balcony appearance, and that was that. But trust me when I say--” Kade trailed off as she removed her imperial coatee and draped it gently over the sofa before walking over to me.

“He is not easy to convince, just like you,” she continued, her tone a mix of playful and sincere. “Not to mention I broke a royal tradition just for you, my dear wife.”

My jaw tightened as she booped my nose. “I don’t think it’s a tradition,” I said through gritted teeth.

Kade chuckled, shaking her head. “Someone didn’t pay attention in her classes, I see.”

“Okay, can you please stop now?” I said firmly, my patience wearing thin. “I want to make some things clear here,”

“Oooo, already bossy, huh?” Kade teased, mockingly bowing in front of me. “Whatever my wife desires.”

I had to restrain myself from kicking her with my knee.

(Kade's POV)

“Don’t expect me to forget what you did just because we are married. And I am,” You said, backing away a good distance, “warning you, don’t touch me. EVER.”

I was taken aback, a smirk playing on my lips. “Ever?”

“Did I stutter?” I put my hands up in a gesture of surrender and took a few more steps back.

“Deniz, hate to break it to you, but we are married,” I replied calmly. “I think… at least I deserve permission to admire and care for you. I am the only one who gets to do that now, love.” God, you look so ethereal in the dress, I still can't believe you are officially and forever mine. My plan worked magically, perfectly. All of my dreams came true one by one. With my name in front of yours, it feels like it was always meant to be that way--making it sound more perfect, more complete. As if our names were destined to be intertwined from the start.

“I’d rather not. Don't even think about it!” I sighed, feeling the excitement of the wedding turn into frustration.

“What does that- Look, Deniz, I’m all for giving you as much space as you need, but you’ve got to make an effort here.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Did I stutter?” I took a few steps closer, my gaze locked with yours. “Deniz, work with me here. Please. We have to leave for our honeymoon in a few hours, and even after that, it’s not going to end. You are a Princess now, my wife, with duties. Duties to this country. There are numerous events you have to attend, the majority of them, perhaps all, with me. Hand in hand. So don’t, please, don’t disrespect our new sacred bond like this. I will apologize to you daily, every second, every minute if that means you will try to put the past behind us.”

I wasn’t sure if it was my words or your own internal struggle that made your eyes well up with tears. As you threw another tantrum, destroying the delicate garlands in your path, I stood back, letting you express your frustration.

“I’m going to change now, the lunch will be brought here soon too. And as much as I'd adore seeing you in that wedding dress forever, you should change and take a power nap after eating. The flight ahead will be exhausting.” I said though the glimmer of satisfaction in my eyes revealed just how much I intended to exert control over our new life together.

Morocco was our destination and afterwards to Greenough, Montana. I’ve always dreamed of visiting resorts with secluded treehouses, a sanctuary where I could lock you away from the world----just the two of us, in a bubble of our own creation. You don’t know about the Greenough part yet, it’s going to be a surprise. The trip to Morocco is officially necessary, but the Montana getaway is going to be our private paradise.

I need you to strip away the layers of anger and distrust, to let go of your grudges, and to surrender to my love. I want nothing more than for us to be alone, unbothered by anyone else. That place is perfect for us--a realm where no one can invade our space or taint our time together. Afterwards, we’ll move to St. James Palace. I considered staying here in Buckingham, but I think it’s best to keep you away from my family. I don’t want them making things worse, pushing you further away from me. I’ll make sure you understand that you are mine and mine alone, that you have no choice but to accept your place by my side.

[drpoisonoaky]

Training routine

Azula is... a person made by routine. She starts training every day at 5am.

But one day she said said “None of you, menaces to society, can do it too” so they try to prove her wrong.

Azula: Oh you made it. Sokka: Of course. Azula: But you look like shit.

Sokka: Well, I didn't sleep, so I can be awake right now. Azula: You didn’t sleep? How do you pretend to follow my training session? Sokka: To be honest, I didn’t think I’d made it this far and I’m too tired to even care anymore.

Suki: Ok smart-ass let 's begin. Azula: You look awake. Suki: I am. You’re not the only one who usually does this.  Azula: I know it’s not a Kyoshi warrior thing because I know Ty Lee.  Suki: It’s my thing. Believe or not I’m more than a “fan girl”. Azula: And she has humor too. Suki: So? Azula: Honestly, you were the only one in that group that I knew was capable of doing my training. So if you want to go and do your thing, it wouldn't change my mind or what I'm going to say to them. Suki: I’m here for your training. We will do that. Azula: Hmn. Suki: What are you waiting for? Azula: Fine pretty girl. Let’s start meditating.

Toph: I know you’re nuts but this is madness. Why do you have to start to do this so early?! Azula: Good morning to you too. When do you want me to do it? Toph: I don’t know, in the afternoon or after breakfast. Azula: After breakfast, I have to read the scrolls for the meetings that will take place that day. I have two hours to do this, and if I don't need all that time, I do paperwork. Azula: Then the meetings start. Usually everything for the day is set before lunch. Toph: Have lunch later and train there. Azula: After lunch I have to appear in several places in Caldera. You know, publicly blah, blah, blah. Toph: When you finish, you can train there and you can use it to relax. Azula: After that I have to have dinner. Toph: I’m pretty sure you can have dinner later. Azula: Dinner is with Katara. We hardly see each other during the day. Toph: So train after dinner. Azula: No. Toph: Why? Azula: Because that time is usually reserved for Katara and is non-negotiable. Toph: Her words or yours? Azula: Your poi- Don’t you dare to do a whip sound. Toph: Sure, domesticated prissy princess. Azula: Enough of this small talk. We have lost so much time already. Toph: And we don’t want to reduce your Katara time. Azula: Horse stance NOW.

Ty lee: Good Morning. Azula: At least open your eyes first. Ty lee: I train like this. Azula: You train in your pyjamas? Ty lee:  Azula: Go to sleep. Ty lee:  Azula: You tried and you are not a menace. Well, you never were, because you weren't included in that statement. Why are you here? Ty Lee: I'm too tired to shout at you, but in 3-4 hours, be prepared.

(Mai didn’t try it or even talk about it)

Aang: Good morning Azula! Azula: Oh, you look fresh? Aang: Is that a surprise? Azula: Yes. Let’s train. Aang: Sure, but it wouldn't kill you to say good morning too.

…

Azula: We'll see how Zuzu does, but by far you and Suki deserve a bit more respect from me. Aang: Thank you! That's nice, I guess. So if Zuko does well, you would give him more credit? Azula: Of course not.

Zuko: Of all of the things you have done to me, this is the most evil. Azula: Aren’t you a morning person? Zuko: Yes but when it’s morning. THE SUN IS NOT EVEN THERE. Azula: Don't worry, Zuzu, the sun will be there when we're done.

…

Azula: Zuzu, can you please stop throwing up, I want to have a bath and then breakfast. Zuko: I hate you. Azula: Don’t worry, you aren’t the only menace, you should have seen Sokka. Zuko: Aang? Azula: Nah, he did it well. Zuko: Suki? Azula: Don’t do this to yourself Zuko.

Katara, still half asleep in bed: Who’s turn is today? Azual, already up and ready: Yours. Katara: Oh okay let me just…*takes all the bed for herself* Katara: Have a good time. Azula: Don’t you want to prove that you are not a menace to society? Katara, almost asleep: I’m dating you.  Azula: See you point. *kisses her forehead* Sleep well, see you for breakfast. Katara: *snorts*

[thearvariblues]

Hey guys. I really wanted to stay quiet about the whole Build insanity that’s going on right now, but my self-control has always been shit. So here I go, and if you want to block me when I’m done, feel free to.

Please note that I’m not doing any victim blaming,I’m not accusing anyone of anything, and I’m not claiming Build is as pure as a fresh snow, as we say in my country. But I just find it hard to believe Poi.

“Oh, so you’re just a crazy stan–”

No. Shut up and listen to me.

When I woke up this morning to this shitstorm, I didn’t know what to believe. Is she lying? Is she telling the truth? Why is he being silent? I was confused. I looked at twitter and got even more confused.

Then I found Poi’s twitter with its number of tweets posted over several hours - her accusing him of a million of things, her nagging at him for apparently blocking her and deactivating his accounts, her asking him again and again to contact her and complaining she can’t reach him. All in the public eye.

Guys, that’s not the behavior of a victim. That’s the behavior of an abuser. Trust me, I know. I’ve been through it with my mother. I’m still going through it. They will scream and accuse and pull out receipts from years ago, and if you ignore them, they will scream harder just to make you lash out so they can play the victim. Been there, done that. I could tell you a hundred horror stories about it, but I’d rather not.

Again, I’m not saying he’s completely innocent, I’m just saying that now, based on her twitter behavior, I can’t bring myself to trust her, because when I look at her account, all I see is my own abusive mother.

And I’m not gonna lie, the screenshots he tweeted before he deactivated? They had me literally shaking because yes, once again, that was my just my mother, and I know how good my mother is at playing the victim in an argument she unleashed herself.

Again (and again and again) - I’m not claiming she’s definitely made that whole thing up. I’m just saying why I personally can’t bring myself to believe everything she says. The whole thing is a terrible mess, really.

I’m just begging you not to blindly believe her every word just because she’s a woman, because women can be terrible bitches, too. And you know what they say - hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...

[tenebraevesper]

Knuckles (My Thoughts)

So, I have watched Knuckles, the 2024 show that basically came out yesterday, and before watching it, I have heard a lot of mixed opinions, ranging from ''the show is great'' to ''the show is awful, I hate it''. I had figured I might as well add my thoughts to the fray.

There will be spoilers in this review, so if you haven't watched the show, you had your warning.

So, for starters... this show is absolutely bonkers, and I definitely enjoyed watching it! X3

Honestly, I feel like there was a pretty good mix of comedy and action, and while there is some over the top acting, it didn't really take away from my enjoyment. It was a pretty wild ride from start to finish, and I kinda want to know what the writers were smoking during some scenes, because there were moments where things just get a bit surreal.

The show is also peppered with a lot of emotional moments, but I'll get to that bit in a moment. So far, I think people were right when they called this Sonic the Hedgehog, but it's Knuckles and Wade instead of Sonic and Tom.

The main crux of the show is that Knuckles has a bit of a crisis. He has found the Master Emerald, he has found friends in Sonic and Tails... and the only reason he's on Earth is because of that promise to them, as he clearly doesn't feel like he is at home... yet. So, how does he deal with that struggle?

Well, Pachacamac tells him what to do. Not gonna lie, even though I had expected him to appear, I was still baffled, because Pachacamac in this show is basically Oogway, Mufasa and Mr. Miyagi rolled into one. Clearly, Knuckles still holds great admiration for him, but let's remember that this was the guy who hunted down Sonic and Longclaw, leading to the mutual massacre. And now, he's a ghost that Knuckles can talk to, a lá Tikal. Kinda weird, but I think this is also the moment the show doesn't give a damn about being grounded.

Pachacamac suggests Knuckles that he should continue the legacy of the Echidnas, with Wade Whipple becoming his new protégé. Knuckles knows Wade is a loser, but he accepts, especially given Wade's determination to show everyone and their mother that he isn't some kind of loser and will become the bowling champion at the tournament in Reno, Nevada. So, he and Knuckles go on a road trip there while also being hunted down by two rogue G.U.N. agents, who want to deliver Knuckles to The Buyer, a guy who formerly worked for Robotnik and wants to use his quills to power his weapons.

Now, I will first start with the negative stuff that I noticed during the plot. Yes, people were correct, the second half of the show does focus a lot on Wade and his family rather than on Knuckles. Should it focus more on the titular character? Absolutely! Am I disappointed with what we got? Ehh... not really. Not gonna lie, I was actually quite invested in Wade's family drama.

Honestly, I can't really think of any complaint aside from the lack of Knuckles' screentime. Maybe it would've been better if the show focused on Knuckles bonding with Sonic and Tails, but it was always advertised as a Knuckles and Wade road trip, so I can't say I was lied to (not to mention, we had a whole movie of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles bonding). I suppose that another thing to add to it is the abrupt ending, although we do get a post-credits scene with Knuckles and Wade going to their next adventure, and the fact that they just don't address some plot points (like we don't know how the Wachowski family reacted to Knuckles' absence).

Well, that's my negative thoughts on the show, what's the positive stuff?

First of all, Knuckles himself - he is absolutely awesome every moment he gets! His character is on point, and he gets a lot of goofy, but also very wholesome moments. He also works very well with Wade, their personalities bouncing off each other and their interactions can turn from hilarious to absolutely heartwarming, especially when bonding over their respective lives.

I think that's a really strong point of this show - Knuckles helping Wade, in his own way, to overcome his insecurities, while just being his Echidna Warrior self. At the same time, he also learns about simple things in life, like ''what his jam is'' (to no one's surprise, it's the show's theme song, The Warrior by Scandal) or about Wade's family's traditions, as well as finally accepting that Earth is his home.

Also, Knuckles and Wade's mother beating up the bounty hunters was one of the best scenes in the show, hands down.

As I said previously, I also got quite interested in Wade's family life. I really like his mother, but his sister is a bitch, even if she stands by Wade's side. His father, not gonna lie, Pistol Pete gets the same amount of hate from me as Locke... Huh, maybe they did base Wade's father on one of the most hated characters from the Sonic Archie comics? After all, both abandoned their sons for a ''greater purpose''. In any case, it was satisfying seeing Wade beating his father in the bowling tournament and use what he learned during his journey.

Furthermore, this show is peppered with many lore bits, but the most jaw-dropping is this one:

So, if you guys don't know, this is Iblis, one of the Big Bosses of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), alongside Mephiles, and basically the main reason Silver the Hedgehog and Blaze the Cat went back to the past to save the future, with Silver fighting Sonic due to the belief that he was responsible for the apocalyptic wasteland that is Silver's future. Both Iblis and Mephiles are halves of the sun god Solaris, who was defeated by Super Sonic, Super Shadow and Super Silver.

So, in this show, in this story told to us via a rock opera arranged by Pachacamac and starring an... unconscious (dead?) Wade? *shrugs* So, yeah, in this story, apparently, Knuckles defeated Iblis with the Flames of Disaster, aka beating him up with flaming fists.

Not gonna lie, that's metal.

Also, another lore bit that is dropped is how a different alien visited Reno for a bowling tournament in 1974, which tells me either two things:

One possibility is that it was Shadow who appeared at the bowling tournament, which is but funny and pretty awesome, and now I have an image of Shadow, Maria and Gerald Robotnik wearing those bowling T-shirts.

The other possibility is that Black Doom dropped after making his deal with Gerald and decided to sign up the Black Arms for a tournament, which is just plain hilarious.

So, yeah, overall, I liked the show. Is it the best? Not really, but it is something I'd rewatch if I want something fun and wholesome.

#Sonic Cyber Revolution (Masterlist)

[11queensupreme11]

Adoro como Percy é comparado às pérolas, sua beleza e delicadeza são sempre exaltadas lembrando dessa joia preciosa, Apolo a descreveu literalmente como tendo uma aparência moldada diretamente de uma

é ironicamente adorável que sua cama tenha o formato de uma ostra, fazendo alusão a Percy ela mesma sendo uma pérola, pois pérolas só são encontradas dentro de ostras.

Pensando bem, as pérolas devem ser as joias mais raras e preciosas para o ser humano já que é proibido ir ao mar para coletá-las, outras joias como diamantes e esmeraldas podem ser encontradas e até fabricadas artificialmente mas as pérolas não podem pois duvido que Poseidon deixaria pescar uma única ostra, encontrar uma pérola deve ser mais do que raro e o preço de uma deve custar mais do que uma porção de diamantes, rubis e esmeraldas juntos

Na verdade, pensando bem, a falta de acesso ao mar deve ter prejudicado muito a humanidade, a medicina deve ter retrocedido vários anos em relação ao universo PJ porque dezenas de medicamentos e estudos são baseados no mar e nos seus animais

algo que também seria muito afetado seria o setor agrícola já que sem possibilidade de pesca , países, especialmente países como o Japão que devem depender fortemente da pesca para alimentação, teriam que se concentrar na criação de animais e nas plantações, uma grande parte do território do país teria que ser reservada exclusivamente para alimentar sua população e isso poderia fazer com que o país o desenvolvimento fosse prejudicado, uma vez que grande parte dele teria que permanecer intocado sem se deixar evoluir, as terras destinadas à agricultura deveriam estar esgotadas e pobres em nutrientes devido à procura constante.

Seria especialmente pior para um país mais pequeno, uma vez que uma parte considerável dele seria reservado apenas para culturas e pecuária, afetando assim o tamanho da população que não conseguia se reproduzir muito, este seria um bom motivo (além dos óbvios massacres anuais devido ao humor inconstante dos deuses) para o mundo ROR população seja tão pequena em comparação com a população mundial da PJ

google translate froze for a bit when i tried to translate this LMAOO 💀💀💀

here's the translation for anyone curious

OH I LOVE THIS ANALYSIS

did you know that most of the pearl-related jewelry sold at stores are cultured pearls?? as in, pearls grown in pearl farms through human intervention? natural pearls grow in the wild (as in, actually in the seas/oceans) and are EXTREMELY rare and becoming rarer every year. because of this, they are usually 10x more expensive than cultured pearls we see in stores.

^ and that's in OUR universe (or pjo universe), so imagine how much more expensive pearls are in ror verse 💀💀💀💀

which makes apollo's compliment towards percy's beauty 100000x more flattering, not that she's even aware of it cuz she's so used to seeing a bunch of rich ppl walk around new york dripping in pearls. hell, even maria di angelo had one in that flashback scene in tlo 😂😂😂

imagine poseidon finding out that people in her og universe are walking around with PEARL jewelry, he'd be so pissed like "that does NOT belong to you, filthy mortals 😠🔱"

i thought about the agriculture thing (specifically most asian countries that rely on seafood), BUT I HADN'T EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE REPERCUSSIONS ON MEDICINE????

but YES you are so right, now that i'm thinking about it, ror universe population (in midgard at least) is probably sooo small compared to the pjo verse 😭😭😭😭

(but hey, at least there's no overpopulation issue like what we're having)

[mychlapci]

I think I got the main stuff from memory. I lost the more detailed sex scene (RIP, Bulkhead's spike ruined Sentinel pussy), but plot ideas remained. I hope you feel better soon.

Sentinel has been lonely since he got promoted to right under Ultra Magnus. He has no higher to climb until Ultra Magnus dies and with the exception of chasing off an occasional political rival he's now got a lot of free time. Time enough to actually notice the absence of friends and, more easy to process, regular spiking. 

Because Elita and he had sex regularly and she'd made Sentinel even pickier about who he slept with and then promotion and political aspirations further smothered his choices.

None of his current coworkers were options either committed monogamously (Magnus), into vastly different kinks (he and Jazz had tried), or uninterested (Who turns down a celebratory promotion blowjob? Last time Sentinel tries to do something nice for Longarm.).

So Sentinel is desperate at this point and trying to find the right mix of timid enough to be bullied into never mentioning it, big enough to interest him, and lacking in political or personal motivation that could bite him in the aft. Which is when he finds Bulkhead celebrating his dream assignment in the bar Sentinel is scoping out. Sentinel does quick math and figures this is his best shot so goes to chat Bulkhead up and get him a celebratory drink as his “former bootcamp instructor”.

Bulkhead is wary but relaxes as Sentinel remains friendly for him and actually listens for a bit when he talks about Space Bridges and his new position heading off Cybertron for years. Sentinel actually perked up and asked questions letting Bulkhead gush a bit. He didn't mind when Sentinel cut in and his stories were a little mean but also kind of funny and lively with gossip about people Bulkhead never heard of. It was nice and so was the attention Bulkhead was convinced he'd imagined until Sentinel traced a hand down his arm and asked if he'd like to come back to his place.

Bulkhead rushes to say yes.

They both have a good night. Bulkhead is just as big as Sentinel hoped and with a little encouragement is pleasantly rough while still listening to Sentinel's orders until Sentinel got too into it to do much more than rock back and moan. He even cleaned him up, made sure he was in bed, and left food for Sentinel in the morning. It was Sentinel's food but still.

Sentinel was considering it a success until two month later he finds out his birth control had expired when Jazz finally strong armed him into making an appointment and he got the news just in time for Bulkhead to get killed by the Decepticons before Sentinel could shove this off on him. 

The population is too low for him to get approved for termination. If Bulkhead was there as the higher ranked he could shove the parasite off in him and be done with it but without him Sentinel's career was going to stall. He's horrified going through worst case scenarios before he recovers and vows to simply become a working single parent and prove that he is in fact so much the Best he can do this. They can't legally make him leave after all, especially if Sentinel ensures there are arrangements made in advanced given the extended lengths of carrying.

Sentinel, to everyone's surprise, becomes a champion of right to work, reproductive rights, and daycare and parental support in the workplace. Sentinel's surprised to find it actually gets him political allies and a following? Having a distinct political stance instead of dancing around it. He's also actually able to use up any favors, good will, and blackmail up in time to make sure there is a daycare and job security by the time his secret gets out. 

He's been deliberately slowing development by not getting transfluid donations though his parasite clings on. He's fond of it in a distant way and a little prideful about it raking after him. Jazz catches on and at this point he has the Jettwins and has made them attached to the point they are double insurance about the government being unable to get rid of him. He'd even managed to swing Bulkhead being his tragic lost co-creater to his benefit. He's a political darling and reveling.

Sentinel is very, very smug about his success when he works from home after he is forced to post birth and grudgingly fond of his baby. Dion is at least orange and blue even if he is huge. The sex dreams about Bulkhead that had been off and on for years are ignorable.

And then Bulkhead has the audacity to be I've after Sentinel spent years propping him up as an emotional vulnerability to make himself “relatable”. Of course he has to volunteer to go to Earth. Not to reunite like the Jettwins are excited for him to but to pin the bastard down and get stories straight before he ruins anything.

Sentinel is the perfect single mother, media darling success story, and people's Magnus. He is not letting a Space Bridge Tech destroy his carefully maintained card castle of lies. He doesn't care what he's got to do to make sure.

(Apparently dropping the baby bomb was literally the only thing needed to get him to Conjunx and shut his mouth. Sentinel is a little let down after the in depth personalized planned threats. Although he doesn't stay disappointed long given Bulkhead's desire to “celebrate”.)

single mommy Sentinel becoming an icon for working class parents solely as a political strategy to keep his position in elite guard through being in the public eye… he would, wouldn't he? He grows begrudgingly fond of his large baby and everything is just fine until it turns out that the space-bridge crew fucking survived. He can't have Bulkhead running his mouth about how instead of a spark-splitting, secret romance, what they had was a drunken one-night stand that only happened bc Sentinel wanted to take the biggest spike he could find.

Bulkhead 100% turns into mush because holy hell he has a little baby toddler and it's adorable and he loves it already. He doesn't really care about Sentinel's story either way so he just goes along with it. Sentinel likes that he knows when to shut his mouth.

I hope Bulkhead gets him knocked up again. A few too many nights of “celebrating” (Sentinel really missed that giant fucking spike) end up with Sentinel growing a pretty little baby-bump. He's got a large toddler bouncing on his knee while another grows inside of him. Great.

(it's really great for me)

[holodeck-enthusiast]

The Night After

...

*after the episode "All Our Yesterdays"*

...

That night, for obvious reasons, Bones found it hard to sleep. Only 3 earth hours left to the beginning of the alpha shift. Bones had already taken a dose of melatonin and it's not working. He refused to fight the thoughts, and was thinking about that another extreme stressful day three of them have had. He embraced the physical and mental pain, something he's actually very good at.

...

Comm chimed, breaking the monotonous humming of the ship's environmental sound.

"Doctor, please accept my apologies for contacting you at this hour. I assume that you were asleep...and this not an emergency...I just.."

Bones noticed the prominent hesitation in Spock's voice. He almost never hesitates. What's got into him again?

"What is it Spock? You feeling unwell?"

"May I come your cabin, Doctor? I need to say something to you and it shouldn't take long"

Bones smiles. "Literally anytime you wish, Spock, you poi.."

He stopped and closed his eyes.

"Yes, of course!".

...

Bones sat up on his bed and commanded the room computer to put on a light. His room is next to Spock's. It took around 45 seconds till Spock came in.

"What is it Spock"

Spock came closer to Bones's bed. Took a small pause before standing straight with his arms behind.

"Doctor, I came here to formally apologise to you for my behaviours in the cave yesterday."

.

Bones let out a sigh of relief. He was genuinely concerned of it's a healthy emergency; Spock's assurance usually means nothing when his own health is concerned.

"You were clearly affected Spock! You weren't yourself"- Bones smiled.

"You were severaly unwell" Spock continued "I used extreme physical force TWICE, especially when, in reality, you were helping me..."

Bones definitely hadn't needed this apology, but he realised Spock needed to let it out. He didn't interrupt.

"... Although my psyche went back in time, which apparently I had no control over, I should have known best to adapt to the situation. I am ashamed that I failed to do that, and I thank you for taking the responsibility."

"Thank you, Spock. But then you should also recall that it is probably because of you I am alive right now..."

Spock maintained eye contact in silence.

"...see, Spock...it is not news to both of us that these strange new worlds always do strange new things to our minds. That's the part of it. I was never eager to join this mission and now I'm in it for this long..my life is here!.."

Bones stopped for a moment and stood up from his bed. He walked to Spock and stood face to face.

"Plus I do think I deserved a slap back there!" He laughed. "I always call you names. Never realised it could've affected you that much. This human characteristic is very, you know, common among friends. I forget the fact that you do not realise how close and unhinged I feel around Jim and you."

"You always are unhinged around everybody, doctor" Spock let out a microscopic smile.

Bones laughed finally. "Go to your bed, you..." Again he closed his mouth. He'd need to practice for god's sake!

"..pointy-eared Vulcan?... probably I do not like it because that's actually incorrect."

Bones went back to his bed tiredly. "How come?"

"Firstly, to my great sorrow, I am only a half-vulcan; secondly and most importantly, my ears have prominent curvatures here, it's not technically a 'point'."

Bones yelled "Dammit Spock! Just go to you cabin and let me die in peace for...what...2 and a half hours!"

"Good night, doctor.' Spock let out another microscopic smile and left the cabin.

...

Both of them slept like babies afterwards.

.

.

.

.

.

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Iron Man 2: Final Part

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~3.1k

Warnings: canon violence and angst

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

Rhodey is on top of Tony using his gun to shoot at him, but Tony is doing a good job of keeping the barrel away from his body and face.

"Tony!!" you yell.

"Rhodey! Stop!" Tony shouts.

A few seconds later, Rhodey's suit powers down, and he flops over to the side and right into the stream of water. You push yourself to your feet and wobble over to the two men.

"Tony, are you okay?" you ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Are you? You took a pretty rough fall without any armor."

"I'm stronger than you think," you chuckle tiredly.

"You got your best friend back," Natasha's voice appears over the earpiece.

"Natasha? Is that you?" you ask and tap your feed to get the audio clear again.

"Thank you very much, Agent Romanoff."

"Well done on the new chest piece. I am reading significantly higher output, and your vitals all look promising," she praises.

"She doesn't normally praise, so take it when you can," you tease.

"Yes, for the moment, I'm not dying. Thank you."

"What do you mean you're not dying? Did you just say you're dying?" Pepper's voice cuts in.

"Is that you? No, I'm not. Not anymore."

"What's going on?" she demands to know.

You love Pepper but sometimes, she can be a bit dramatic. Well, it's dramatic for you. To her, this is her whole world crumbling down. You were born into this life, she wasn't.

"I was going to tell you. I didn't want to alarm you," Tony sighs.

"You were gonna tell me? You really were dying?"

"You didn't let me!"

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I was gonna make you an omelet and tell you."

"Hey, hey. Save it for the honeymoon. You got incoming Tony and Y/N. Looks like the fight's coming to you."

"Great," you mutter.

"Are you okay now?" Pepper asks.

"I am fine. Don't be mad. I will formally apologize--"

"I am mad!"

"Pepper!" you yell impatiently.

"--when I'm not fending off a Hammeroid attack!!" Tony finishes with a yell.

"Fine."

"Seriously, can we focus here, please?" you ask and turn to Tony. "Can you get him back online?" Tony reaches over and taps Rhodey's helmet and you roll your eyes. "I could have done that."

"Rhodes? Snap out of it buddy. We need you. They're coming. Come on, let's roll. Get up."

Rhodey's helmet opens and he breathes heavily. Tony's opens too so they can actually see each other's faces without the limitations that the helmets bring.

"Oh, man. You can have your suit back," Rhodey chuckles.

"You okay?" you ask and walk over to him just as Tony helps him up.

"Yeah, thanks. Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"Don't be," you shake your head.

"No. I should have trusted you two more."

"We're the ones who put you in this position. Forget it."

"No, it's your fault. I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Okay, thanks," you chuckle. "They're coming in hot any second. What's the play?"

"We want to take the high ground, okay? So, let's put the biggest gun up on that ridge," Rhodey says.

"I can stay down here. I have the water and I can use it to my advantage," you offer.

"Got you. Where do you want to be?" Tony asks and moves to fly into the air as well as Rhodey, and they both stop.

"Where are you going?"

"What're you talking about?"

"I meant me," Rhodey chuckles.

"You have a big gun. You are not the big gun."

"Men," you mutter to yourself with an eye roll.

"Tony, don't be jealous."

"No. It's subtle with all the bells and whistles."

"Yeah. It's called being a badass."

"Boys, can we not do this? Both of you go up and I will stay down here, okay?" you butt in.

"Don't stay down here. This is the worst place to be. It's the kill box, Y/N. Okay, this is where you go to die."

"I will be fine, Rhodey. You forget I'm a thousand-year-old alien, right?"

Just then, drones slam to the ground. You three were so busy talking and arguing that you didn't notice the herd of them rushing at you. There must be about two dozen of them, and they all have their guns pointed at you three. As soon as the last one touches down, you tie your hair back so it's out of your face.

"I go up and you two stay here. Okay? You have a better chance against the bullets."

"I thought you were a thousand-year-old alien."

"Rhodey, not now."

As soon as you blast off into the air, the shooting begins. You use your hydrokinesis to manipulate the water into doing what you want it to do. It shoots out from the stream, and you multiply it so that it's almost like a pond is forming above your head. From that makeshift pond, you create sharp icicles that you use to shoot at the drones. You can create such cold icicles that they will penetrate anything they slice through, so the drones explode as soon as the ice slices through their chests. The rest of the water is evaporated so that it never existed in the first place.

Once they realize that you are up in the air, the ones that aren't trying to fight Tony and Rhodey fly up to you. Your hands burst into flames and you fly behind two of them to place your hands on their heads. They melt at the mere touch of you, and you use their shells as shields against the incoming bullets. The ones you don't touch, you throw fireballs at them and they go down just as easily. 

"Rhodey? Get down," Tony warns.

Rhodey does as he is told, and Tony activates a laser that is inside the suit's wrists. Red lasers that will cut through anything. As soon as Rhodey is out of the way, he slices through the remaining drones so that they are decapitated at the waist. Now that they are all dead, you fly back down with a sigh.

"Wow. I think you should lead with that next time," Rhodey pants.

"Yeah. Sorry boss. I can only use it once. It's a one-off."

"Is that it? They're all dead?" you ask.

"Heads up. You have one more drone incoming. This one looks different. The repulsor signature is significantly higher," Natasha warns over the earpiece.

You look up and see a small object headed your way. The closer it gets, the larger it gets. Before you know it, it touches down a few yards from where you three are. You realize then it's not a what but a who. Ivan has made a new suit with a new arc reactor and brand-new whips.

"Good to be back," Ivan laughs.

"This ain't going to be good," Rhodey sighs. Ivan's whips turn on, and your eyes shine bright blue as the water beneath you starts to swirl. "I got something special for this guy. I'm gonna bust his bunker with the Ex-Wife."

"With the what?" you and Tony ask at the same time.

Rhodey's suit opens by his shoulder and a big bullet protrudes from it. It shoots out of his suit and hits Ivan's, however, it bounces off and falls into the water with a sizzle.

"Hammer tech?" Tony asks.

"Yeah."

"I got this," you say and hover off the ground. 

In a gust of wind, you rush at Ivan while summoning the water at your fingertips. Ivan has prepared to take you on and knows if he is going to destroy Tony, then he has to get rid of you first. He raises his whips and fires them at you. Because they are so much bigger than before, they wrap around your entire body. He uses this to his advantage and tosses you around before slamming your body into one of the foundations of the globe structure you're in. You're thrown at such a high force that you actually dent the frame. Pain shoots through your body, and you're too weak to get up or even see properly.

"Tony," your voice cracks weakly.

Tony looks at you with pained eyes before turning them to Ivan. He uses the rage in him to fight as hard as he can. Tony uses Jarvis to find weak points to fire at him but the bullets don't do shit against Ivan's suit. He flips his whips through the air, landing on the water. Both men jump out of the way and you're forced to watch the events happen since you can't exactly move right now. 

Rhodey starts firing at him with the gun on his shoulder plus the ones in his wrists, but Ivan is having none of it. He strikes his whip at Rhodey's gun that's propped on his shoulder, and you can only imagine Rhodey going pale at this.

Ivan's whips wrap around Rhodey's neck and pull him closer only to punch him right in the face. Tony flies up behind him and knocks his head down with a loud yell, but it does minimal damage. With Rhodey out of the way for a hot second, Ivan turns to Tony and punches him before head-butting his head. They are taking too much damage and you're in too much pain to even move but you have to do something. 

You lift your hand to control the water in the stream. It transforms into a large pitchfork that resembles closely to Poseidon's Trident. It lifts off the ground and turns so that the sharp ends are facing Ivan. He turns and sees this but he doesn't worry about any of it. He snaps his whip at you, and you yell in pain when it strikes your cheek. The water falls to the ground since you're more focused on the pain from your cheek than controlling the water. The whip left behind a burn mark and your powers effectively work to heal the skin. 

With you out of the way, Ivan turns to Tony and raises his whip at him. The whip circles around his neck, and he uses his other end to wrap around Rhodey's neck. Both men's suits are taking exceptional damage, so they have to think of how to get out of this alive. 

"Rhodes. I got an idea. You want to be a hero?"

"What?" Rhodey yells.

"I could really use a sidekick. Put your hand up!"

"This is your idea?"

"Yep."

Both men put their hands up to replicate what happened back at Tony's house. If it blew his house to pieces, then you can only imagine what it is going to do to Ivan. 

"I'm ready. I'm ready. Go, go, go!"

Tony and Rhodey use their hand repulsors on each other like last time, and much like that time, a big ball of power forms in the middle. The ball explodes and Ivan is thrown back from the force. The glass that is holding the globe together shatters, and you shield yourself from the fallen shards using your aerokinesis.

"Y/N!" Tony yells and rushes over to you.

"I'm okay. I'll be fine," you mutter and accept his help.

Your body is still sore but your powers are healing you very quickly from the effects. You wipe the blood from the burn Ivan gave you as you three approach him slowly. He is down but that doesn't mean he is down.

"You lose," Ivan says weakly. 

You don't have Jarvis to read you his vitals to know he is dead. As soon as the light leaves his body, the arc reactor in the middle of his chest starts blinking red. All of the drones around you are doing the same, and your eyes widen when you realize what is happening.

"All these drones are rigged to blow. We gotta get out of here!" you yell.

"Pepper!" Tony yells and shoots straight into the sky.

You and Rhodey blast off into the sky and away from the drones as fast as possible. Just as you two are out of reach, they blow up. As soon as one goes, they all go. Tony left to go find Pepper, and you hope he got to her in time. You can see they are going to be great together. You land on a rooftop nearby and sigh deeply. Your body is still trying to heal, so you take a moment or two to breathe.

Rhodey looks over at you and sees the look on your face.

"What's wrong?"

"Personal demons I'm trying to get over. I've been on Earth for a thousand years, and I have loved three times passionately. One with a man who is a humanoid AI who was hung up on his ex that he spent five thousand years with. Another was with a man who died on my watch. The last one was with a woman who I met on another planet who is no longer here. I don't even know where she is. I don't know why I'm getting like this now when I was fine before. I was fine living here and helping those who need it, but seeing Pepper and Tony together made me realize I crave what they have.

"I tried to move on with Natasha because I really do like her, and she is very beautiful but the demons in my head scream at me constantly to not forget the past. It's exhausting."

"That sounds like a lonely way to live."

"Yeah, it is."

Rhodey doesn't know what to say to this and unfortunately, he doesn't get the chance to. Tony comes rushing in with Pepper in his arms. Pepper shoves Tony away in distress as it looks like she is about to cry.

"Oh my God. I can't take this anymore!" she cries. "My body, literally, cannot handle the stress. I never know if you're gonna kill yourself or wreck the whole company!"

"I think I did okay," Tony shrugs.

"I quit. I'm resigning. That's it."

"What did you just say? You're done? That's surprising. No, it's not surprising. I get it. You don't have to make excuses."

"I'm... I'm... I'm not making any excuses," she stutters.

"You actually were just making excuses, but you don't have to."

"No, I wasn't making an excuse. I'm actually very justified."

"Listen. Hey, you deserve better. You've taken such good care of me. I've been in a tough spot but you got me through it, so... right?"

"Thank you," she whispers. "Thank you for understanding."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's talk clean-up."

"I'll handle the transition. It'll be smooth."

"Okay. What about the press? Because you only had the job for a week. That's gonna seem--"

"Well, with you it's like dog years," Pepper interrupts him.

"I know," he whispers.

"I mean, it's like the Presidency."

They get closer to each other with every word until Tony grabs her and kisses her. Before she can kiss him back, he pulls away.

"Is this weird?"

"No, it's not weird," she shakes her head.

"Run that by me again."

They resume kissing but you and Rhodey are already over it. He clears his throat to let them know you two are here.

"I think it was weird." Tony and Pepper pull away from each other and look to their left to see you and Rhodey. "You guys look like two seals fighting over a grape."

You snicker at his comment but clear your throat awkwardly.

"I had just quit, actually."

"Yeah, so we're not--"

"You don't have to do that. We heard the whole thing," you say.

"You two should get lost."

"We were here first. Get a roof."

"You two kicked ass back there, by the way."

"Thanks, you too."

"Are you going to be okay?" Tony asks you.

"Yeah, I'm already healed from it."

"Listen, my car got taken out in the explosion, so I'm gonna have to hang on to your suit for a minute, okay?" Rhodey says and stands up.

"Not okay. Not okay with that."

"It wasn't a question."

Rhodey's helmet covers his face right before he takes off into the sky. It's now just you, Tony, and Pepper.

"What about you?" Tony asks after a moment.

You think of Natasha and smile to yourself.

"I have a date. You two deserve each other. Don't fuck it up, Tony."

"No promises," he chuckles.

You take off into the night sky and let that rejuvenating feeling wash over you again. It's going to take a long time for people to stop talking about this, but Stark Industries is already working on a plan to get behind them. Justin Hammer and Anton Vanko were arrested for their involvement in what happened, the Expo is shut down for the time being while the investigation is going on, and Tony and Pepper take on Stark Industries together with her as the face and him behind the curtains.

Natasha isn't on Tony's case anymore since everything is out in the open, and Fury has what he needs for the Avengers file. You're free to do whatever you like with her. You want to move on from your past with someone new, and you're hoping she is that someone.

Senator Stern is presenting awards and metals to you, Rhodey, and Tony for saving the world. Only Tony and Rhodey are going to be there. You don't need to spend any more time in the spotlight. Tony made sure that Senator Stern would be the one to hand out the awards since he treated you three so horribly at the Senate meeting.

"So, you didn't want to be at the award ceremony?" Natasha asks as you two walk down the beach.

"No. I was never the one for the spotlight. I don't like attention on me, even as a child. The past twenty years with Tony is enough spotlight for me."

"I still can't get over how old you are."

"Yeah, me either. I've been all around this universe searching for something to give my life meaning, I guess. The universe is a beautiful place. If you'd like, I'd like to show you."

"Me? Go into space?" she chuckles.

"Why not? Wouldn't you want to explore other worlds?"

"I never thought we'd be advanced enough to explore Mars much less the other side of the universe."

"I'll take you anytime you want. We could even be back before dinner," you chuckle. You two stop by the pier and admire the waves crashing onto the shore. "I know this planet a couple of galaxies away that has oceans that shimmer. Literally, it looks like glitter. During the sunsets, it makes you feel like you're somewhere magical."

"Now that is a sight I'd love to see," she smiles.

You look into her eyes and grab her hands gently. She seems to be thinking the same thing you are because she starts to lean in close to you. Just when your lips are about to meet, the ground rumbles suspiciously. You pull away from her by a few steps and look into the sky to see a cloud form. Just then, a rainbow bridge shoots down to Earth, swallowing you up into it. When it disappears, Natasha is standing on the beach alone.

Your head is spinning but all you can see are rainbow colors. Where the hell are you? You're being transported somewhere, that's for sure. A few minutes pass before you're blasted into some kind of golden globe. It takes you a moment to get your vision under control when you spot a man.

He has golden eyes and golden armor that compliments his dark skin. He is standing on a platform with a big sword in the middle of it. Once he sees you, he is immediately on alert.

"Where am I?" you ask groggily.

"You are on Asgard."

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[girl4music]

I’ve had a recommendation for ‘Person Of Interest’. I’ve actually gotten recommendations to watch that a few times now and I’ve already said I’ll check it out but apparently had completely forgotten. Now’s the time.

And you know what? It looks really fucking good. It looks like an in-depth show prioritizing both plot and characterization and those are rare to fucking find.

If ‘Person Of Interest’ was more supernatural/fantasy instead of crime/thriller, it would absolutely be my thing and right up my alley. I mean it’s still classed as a sci-fi TV show regardless so I will still give it a good go. It’s also a long enough show for my watching standards. 5 seasons, 22-23 episodes per season so there’s obviously a lot to it. Seems worth my time. Longer shows are always so much more worth it because you know it’s not cut short by cancellation. And an action drama can still be pretty fun and interesting to watch without supernatural/fantasy.

Not mentioned in the video which is disappointing…

You got this crazy-ass MAIN DYNAMIC between 2 highly intelligent women that have this enemies-to-lovers thing going on between them that’s clearly well-written and portrayed by top writers and actors. It’ll probably be like watching a WLW Mr & Mrs Smith. I mean I really like that movie as it is but I would have really liked it more if it was WLW. POI seems to be that and I’ve been searching for that for quite a long time.

Yes, I am aware that it’s highly regarded as bury your gays but I’ll likely not think of it as that myself due to the fact these lead female characters are in a high stakes profession that puts them in constant danger and so the likelihood of either of them dying is at a much higher percentage than it would be in just watching anything. I mean I don’t even think of Xena that way because of this reason alone: never mind the fact she actually chooses to die and stay dead. Bury your gays is a horrible trope that’s claimed too quickly as far as I’m concerned and there’s many pieces of TV media with queer representation in that’s been accused of that that I severely disagree with because the narrative or endgame for them either is the most appropriate, makes sense or it’s just a hell of a lot more likely that those characters would die anyway and therefore has absolutely nothing to do with them being queer. The bury your gays trope is not about the death. It’s about how and why the death happens. So I think I’ll be perfectly fine with it in ‘Person Of Interest’.

Also the ship name “Shoot” couldn’t be more perfect.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Thank you for joining the game, Mysterious Girl.

It was at this point that your group had turned to the girl, now fully acknowledging her presence.

IZOU: "Ah, shit. I had gotten so caught up in the conversation, I barely even noticed she was here. You're the proprietor of that tea house, right?"

She seemed to jump a bit, as if not expecting to be acknowledged.

KOMA: "No… uhm, yes… I mean... well, I am Koma. It is an honor to make your acquaintance. Koma isn't the owner, Master Rikyu is… I simply had been given the night off before the Bout, so I had decided to come to this gambling parlor…"

DURYODHANA: "I had figured they were twins, or something of the sort. The dark-haired one provides musical entertainment while the white-haired handles the ceremonies and business matters. Still, I've heard good things about their teahouse. Apparently, having a tea ceremony with this 'Rikyu' is a truly enlightening experience. And their wares, while simple, are top quality."

DURYODHANA: "Sitting quietly and drinking tea is far from my style, but I've heard rumor that it provides interesting abilities if the ceremony is performed correctly. Perhaps I should pay it a visit tomorrow morning before the Bout? Or maybe save it for before a big match?"

IZOU: "Right, right. Well, I had written the place off. I mean, sure, good materials are hard to come by, but that tea ceremony stuff seemed so god damn pretentious. It's all about 'simplicity', right? Who the hell likes simple things? What's the god-damn poi--"

IZOU: "Aaaaand I'm suddenly feeling chills. Anyone else feeling that?"

You did, actually.

Nothing happened, but it was if you had briefly felt a pressure that loomed over IZOU like a guillotine blade. A black haze, dense and intense. But…

…It was probably your imagination. It faded as soon as it came, and it may have just been a bit of chill from outside as one of the hotel doors opened and let some of the evening air in.

KOMA: "..."

KOMA: "Well… it's troublesome for Koma to explain everything, so that sort of explanation is serviceable. Master Rikyu would be pleased to hear such praise. Hehe, but... 'twins'... Master Rikyu is more like a 'papa' than a 'sister'… still, we would be honored to have you as part of our clientele. We may not have fancy wares, but we try our best to provide good quality as merchants."

[theminecraftbee]

how does vault hunters work and should I get it

so the answer to "should i get it" from ME is basically always going to be yes because, if you haven't noticed, i'm a LITTLE bit hooked on it, lol. but basically:

vault hunters is a modpack designed by iskall and the iskallia dev team for minecraft java edition, distributed on curseforge. when you see me posting about it, it is the third edition, which is currently in open alpha, and is for minecraft 1.18.2. if for any reason any of those things make you go "oh i can't play that" (for example, you play on bedrock, or your computer is a potato - although to be fair my pc is NOT good at modded minecraft and i play sky vaults... mostly fine don't ask me about my overworld fps and we're good), then you probably can't play.

otherwise, the way vault hunters works is simple. early on, you will either go into the overworld to find vault stone and chromatic iron in order to build a portal, an altar, and your first vault rocks, or you will use the vault portal given to you on your skyblock island and the budding crystal with raw vault crystals, and you will go into "the vault", the main thing the modpack revolves around. inside of the vault, you do not regenerate health, and you have a limited time before you must either complete the objective or escape. the vault itself is a randomly-generated maze of rooms. inside these rooms there are many POIs, which contain chests which you loot for materials, as well as spawners that will drop mobs on you.

using materials you get within the vault, you then begin to progress in other ways. each time you level up, you will get a skill point, which you can choose to allocate into different skills. you will get vault gear, or the materials to craft vault gear, which is special, better armor and weaponry to better equip you in the vaults. eventually, you will build up the materials to craft knowledge points, which you can then use to "buy" different mods to automate your life in the overworld or make looting and navigating vaults easier.

the ultimate "goal", and the way you "win" vault hunters, happens when you complete the objectives in vaults. then, you will have a chance to get an artifact, something that starts as a minuscule chance but gets more likely as you level up. the eventual goal is to collect all of the 25 artifacts, which can then be used to unlock the final vault.

this, however, will take a LOT of time and effort! (for example, i have... no artifacts. although to be fair i don't bother completing vaults right now unless its handed to me in a scav or there aren't many obelisks, or i need to for a bounty.) as a result, in the meantime, your goals will largely be about getting new mods unlocked, getting new items made that cost a lot of materials, beating bounties, getting new gear, buying into the black market... there's a lot to do if you are a big fan of incremental progress!

anyway, it's very fun! the one additional warning i'll give, however, is that it's in open alpha - this means there are bugs, and also that there will occasionally be large-scale balance and mechanical changes, as the game is still highly in-progress. also, if you're like me and easily frustrated, i recommend setting gamerule vaultCasualMode true. it means you don't lose all your gear when you die in a vault (basically, that you get beginner's grace forever, not just for the first ten levels). i also have the vaults set to easy. if there was a baby mode i would do it. however, if you want to play it as they play on the SMP or on iskall's servers, they have vaults set to hard and casual mode off!

anyway yeah play vault hunters. vault hunters fun.

[oh-no-my-hand-slipped]

A Sneezy Season at Santa’s

Chapter 11: A Key to the Mystery

Info About This Choose Your Own Adventure

Cherry seemed to perk up after your response, but she still wasn’t as bright as she usually was.

“Thanks. And you’ve been a huge help too. Hopefully this is all just a big misunderstanding, and we’ll finish the tour and get you checked in before you can say ‘And a happy new year’!”

After saying a red-faced goodbye to Martha, you followed Cherry into the lobby.

“Okay, let’s just check a few of the surrounding departments. We don’t want to get too off-track.”

First, you went back to the room with the pets waiting to be given to good little kids on Christmas. Sure enough, there were several red-nosed elves, who were sneezing up a storm despite never having any allergies to animals before.

Then the brainstorming area. Empty containers filled with used tissues and several elves laying their head on the table told you all you needed to know.

“They were fine just a minute ago!” Cherry exclaimed. “How could they be sneezing already?”

You agreed that it was strange. It couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes when you saw them last.

“Maybe…it’s a virus? Some seasonal bug? Yeah, that’s it! It’s just a cold, and since we’re all working in such close quarters, it just spread quickly, that’s all!”

Cherry ran her hands up and down her overall straps.

“This is just one portion of the workshop. Maybe we could check the other sections, but it would take way too long to go to all of them…oh, wait!”

With a sharp turn, she made her way past the large Christmas tree.

“We might now be able to check every part of the workshop, but I know some elves who can!”

On the far wall, there was a large elevator, with the same shine and pattern as a candy cane. Cherry stepped inside, and you joined her. She pushed second to top button, and the doors closed with a short, soft melody.

“If we can use the central office’s daily records — y’know, calling in sick, complaints, absences — then we can see how far the sneezing has spread, and we can take the appropriate measures.”

Cherry gave you a quick glance, then her signature pacifying smile.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some elevator music, right?”

She hummed nervously along to the tune as the elevator climbed from one floor to the next. Finally, the door opened on the fifth floor, and Cherry hurried you both out.

Before you was the largest room you’d seen on the tour. Rows upon rows of desks, each with a black typewriter, lined every corner of the room.

But, despite its size, it was mostly empty, besides a single elf, who was typing away with the receiver of an old rotary phone between his ear and shoulder.

“Yes, H as in holly…I’m aware. It was my great aunt’s middle name — though that isn’t exactly the point of this call, if you don’t mind…I would, m’am, but I am the only - snf-! - representative available at the moment…just use my ID number…”

The elf noticed the two of you standing at the elevator, and put one finger up.

“What do you mean you don’t take IDs? Koff!Why on Kringle’s white beard would I need both? If you input the number, you’ll get my file, and then you can…hhh’KTCH!”

He turned away from the phone to sneeze, and you saw the elf’s straight, pointed nose, red and rubbed raw. He hurried to put his ear to the phone again. Cherry gave you a worried look.

“Why don’t I…please…you know what? Merry Christmas, m’am. Hopefully next time I call someone more - snf-! - helpful will answer. Goodbye.”

The elf slammed the phone back on the hook, and buried his face into his hands, rubbing his temples.

“And to what do I owe the pleasure, Cherry?” he asked, not looking up. “As if I don’t already have enough to do?”

Cherry leaned over to you, whispering in your ear.

“That’s Niamh. Sorry, he isn’t usually this…um…”

“If I could get a response sometime today, that would be fantastic,” Niamh interrupted. He pointed at you.

“And they need an appointment, Cherry, you know that. You can’t just bring new employees into the central office. There are sensitive documents that must be — hhh’KTSH!”

He let out another painful stifle, then massaged the bridge of his nose.

“And if you need the main key, you can’d just keep coming into my office. Go through the number like everyone else.”

Niamh was certainly more…stern than the others you’d seen. But he was obviously not feeling his best, though that didn’t give him any right to be so nasty.

[nanasgardenisfullofyou]

it's just hitting me now...

found myself crying to sleep last night, and no, i am not trying to be dramatic here. i am a slow person. it takes time for me to been fully aware what's going on around me and allow myself to feel. the only reason i have to write about this is because i feel suffocated and exhausted. i need to let this out.

i remember tweeting "oh build" when i found out about the new accusations poi made against him, i thought "how on earth could he get in trouble again in less than 6 months".

yes, i doubted. i wanted the truth. i was trying to be loyal to what my heart was feeling the moment everything went down. don't misunderstand me. i think it's admirable to take a stand and stick to it without hesitation and no second thoughts. i'm not like that. as a daughter who had to live and grow up seeing his father doing the unthinkable, is unacceptable to me. i don't stand for violence. i wanted to see the other side of the coin even when Poi had done nothing at all to gain my empathy. for me she was, is and will continue to be problematic. however, she is still human and a women. "if she were my mom, or my sister, or my nephew"... probably this is just me being uncapable to be selfish enough for once. it's my trait if you want.

i never had bad feelings towards build, either justified him. when the first scandal came it was the same. and I knew that not rushing to hate him, sending hateful comments and starting a campaign of hate and slander like many people did didn't make me an accomplice or a sinner. i was deeply hurt. and I embraced that pain all this time, the only way i could: waiting. just waiting for an explanation, an statement. while deep down all i wanted while poi started a fire was to that day to come to an end so next day everything was okay. but that day never came, it was the beginning and things just got worse.

days went by and just when I thought it was finally going to come to an end Build shows up again to say he would fight for his right to a defence and to be heard in court, because no matter what he said no one was going to believe him, but in order to do that he would have to resign. he didn't wanted to drag anyone with him. he looked sad, heartbroken and upset. again, i am an slow person. i couldn't process his words. so i didn't cry, felt or said anything. i returned to where i was. i waited, except that there was nothing to wait for.

apparently it was build who was hurting all this time and we didn't know. he was living in fear and we didn't know. he was being isolated, unable to stand for himself. smiling and pretending to be okay in public, being tormented and tortured in private. and none of us knew.

to this day, Build has dissapeared. in every way someone can dissapear. and all i have now are pictures and videos and an empty chat conversation on instagram that i keep coming back to. all i can think is about the words... the same words he once told me, the words that reached me out in a day of darkness, are the words i should have told to him in a day of disspair. 

now i can't stop thinking that somehow i let him down. 

i should have known. i should have listened. 

his tears should have given me a sign. 

it's just hitting me now that build is not here... and it's just hitting me now that i will never see him laughing beside bible, his friends, the people that once became his family, his safe place, and his home.

I once read a mutual say "i should have watched kinnporsche and moved on". but if someone ever ask me why I didn't, it was because I loved the idea of seeing a family start from scratch, I wanted to be a part of it, be there for them and see them grow up. but now I must see one of the 16 go another way, and not knowing when I will see them in one frame makes me feel that something is missing.

a part of me is missing and it's just hitting me now.

lastly to build, if you ever happen to see this:

I love you; I am you. 💙