#literally who has ever looked at a roster and said

[lettersofgold]

-> play no games | trent alexander arnold

genre: flirty, smut | authors note: me trying to distract yall from the lack of updates from my jules fic…bare with me, also very loosely proofed

summary: trent thought he was a player on and off the field but he comes to realize he’s met his match with you, a socialite with an unwavering stubbornness.

faceclaim: lori harvey

“you know what your problem is? you don’t ever see the big picture. i want you to take me serious.”

youruser: diamonds are a girls best friend

frienduser: 🥵

frienduser: tell a friend to tell a friend! she’s baaaack

lanceuser: obsessed with you

lanceuser: how you want your eggs in the morning?

youruser: scrambled & in mykonos

Trent heard the rumors very early on when he joined the main squad at Liverpool - there was this girl and she was untouchable, she was the step daughter of one of the board members and she rarely gave anyone the time of day. Trent scoffed at the idea of her because he knew he could pull her if he had the opportunity. He couldn’t lie to himself and say he didn’t like the idea of a challenge. If there was one thing Trent was known to do it was win - on the pitch, off the pitch, mind games and in games that didn’t even matter. Your attitude was bratty and you had a smart mouth on purpose - if a man couldn’t keep up he got cut off. Trent could keep up and you wanted to push until he pushed back. You gave him an inch and he took a mile: one date, a little fooling around and suddenly, he was feeling himself. Trent kept expecting you to come back around, to reach and ask for his attention because he never texted first. He thought you were waiting for him. It never crossed his mind that you were entertaining someone else because in his mind, it was only him and he had the upper hand. But what Trent didn’t know was that there were plenty of men who wanted you and wanted to treat you right.

Trent sucked his teeth and rubbed his mouth with his finger tips. He literally sat upright from his laid back position on the couch, putting his elbows on his thighs. He stared at the comments for far too long. Who the fuck was Lance? Why the fuck were you dating a guy named Lance? Surely the two of you were just friends but Trent had no way to find out because the other man’s page was entirely private. The two of them shared a few mutual friends but that’s all Trent could find out.

After few days, Trent was fine with it. He wasn’t stressed over you and your whereabouts…not outwardly at least. He spent few nights on vacation in London, partying and entertaining pretty girls who were chasing him down for attention. It was in the middle of the club that he got a notification that you posted and he felt a certain satisfaction finding out what you were up to - he clicked on your profile as quickly as he could. He was taken aback by two things: you in that tiny ass bikini and lance scrambling you fucking eggs, in fucking Mykonos.

youruser: the grass is greener wherever i’m at

frienduser: not you being in mykonos fr lmao

frienduser2: frienduser it’s the way she can go to another country but not liverpool

youruser: you know i would never miss derby with my girls

lanceuser: what about my scrambled eggs 😔

youruser: best part of the trip, chef

“What a fucking joke.” Trent seethed and the girl next to him leaned in to get a look at his phone which he promptly locked. Never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing - rule number one that the veterans told him. He was on a roster and he has roster - it’s what guys his age did. You clearly hadn’t learn that rule as you flirted with a man all over your social media. There was one thing you told him that he kept in the back of his head: “You think I’m worried over you? You’re out of your mind.” He finally saw what everyone had warned him of all along. You got what you wanted and you toed the line of confidence and cockiness. Once upon a time, someone said the same about Trent. The boy was determined to get your attention, to get back into the game you were obviously playing. Trent sent a text he knew you would respond to.

Trent: I’ve seen the post. You can delete it now.

You: Stay out of my business.

Trent: You are my business.

You: You wish.

Trent: Anyone ever told you that you’re a brat?

Trent: I’ll see you in Liverpool

Derby day was fun for a multitude of reasons but this year was going to exceptionally fun. There was a part of you that looked forward to actually watching the match for once. You had one player on your mind. Your step-dad got you, your stepbrother, and all your friends a suite filled with drinks and food galore, pulling out all the stops and sparing nothing. Although he wasn’t the one who raised you, he made sure to take care of you as if he did. It’s exactly where your “high” standards came from, as told by your friends and men who approached you. It wasn’t lost on you that the Liverpool vintage jumper that landed on your doorstep was from Trent. You didn’t wear the jumper. Instead you opted for a Van Dijk jersey: it was the only one you had and it would make him angry. It worked out in your favor while you were hosting in the suite - a young business man named Emmanuel struck up a conversation and was beside you the entire match.

Your eyes were trailing Trent. He was such a man when it came to competing - no holds barred, a loud mouth, an instigator, and a full on menace. You enjoyed every second and each glass of champagne sent you spiraling into the idea of him being back in your bed once more, having you bent over and being bossed around. It would be inevitable that he would be coming back to your place at the end of the night but it was all about who caved first. You found yourself wanting to cave halfway through the game after an altercation where Trent was head to head with an Everton player, shoving him and ripping him a new one all in front of the referee, who could barely pull them apart. It was quite possibly the hottest thing you’d ever seen. After the win, you and your friends milled about the suite making plans for the night out. You all agreed on heading back and changing before meeting up for pre-drinks at Lance’s house. You made it back to your room and argued with yourself about being the one to send a text before you decided to stand your ground. You wanted him. But if he wanted you, he would have to work for it. Talk was cheap, you told him multiple times and you wanted action.

youruser posted on their story! captioned: super busy, don’t call

trentalexanderarnold66 replied to your story: wya

youruser: you wanna see me or something?

trentalexanderarnold66: or something

trentalexander66: got a section in london tonight bring your friends.

youruser: what part of super busy did you not get?

trentalexander66: text me when you’re outside, brat

You arrived on your own timing as Trent had come to learn over the past month casually dating you, and had grown to find sexy. You never let on to what your next step was which kept every man watching, waiting, to see where you would land. The funniest part of the night was that for once, Trent knew you would be coming back with him. Until he saw you walking to his section with Lance in tow. He stood up to greet you at the front but you walked past him and promptly to the section next to his before acknowledging him. Trent walked up the short wall that divided the two sections and crossed his arms ass you detached yourself from Lance who was talking in your ear. Dick, Trent thought.

“Do you think the world revolves around you or something?” All you did was laugh before turning your attention to the waiter who asked what you wanted a bottle of. “You’re not in my section. Why?”

Trent leaned his elbows down on the divider to be eye to eye with you. You tilted your head in the same way you did that night in your room, your eyes trailing down his face and pausing on his lips for a long moment before snappingback to his.

“I wanted my own.” You said as if it was obvious. Trent beckoned you closer with his fingers and you obliged much to his surprise and crossed your arms at your wrist behind your back. Your head was still tilted and Trent dropped his head into the open space before speaking low in your ear.

“Don’t start with me.” Your eyes flicked to the side and saw the section of men and women pretending to not notice the interaction unfolding - specifically the bottle blonde who tried to look unbothered. She was failing. You giggled in the most unphased manner but the truth was him in your ear hit your core like a lighting rod. You needed that drink. You grabbed his jaw softly with a smile he knew to be sarcastic, “Start what?” You puckered you lips and blew an air kiss towards him, then turning your attention to the bottle blonde sat across the way. “I love your hair!” Your hand finally left his jaw and you wiggled your fingers at him mouthing a “she’s cute”. Check mate. Lance shook his head as he handed you a drink and tsked at you. “You are awful.”

You were brushing your teeth in his bathroom, extra thankful he had extra brushes in there. He noticed what products you had at your own place and made sure you had the same at his house. He was done talking, he showing you he wanted this. But you couldn’t be so vulnerable. As you walked through your night routine, your body ached in the best way. Trent’s arms snaked around your abdomen to cradle you from behind as he always did when you were getting ready to go to sleep after a night with him. It was a routine at this point, one that you both knew well. His body towering over you as he would slip his hands onto your abdomen, letting his fingers caress your stomach. Your breathing hitched at the softness but you stood rooted in your spot. He stared at you in the mirror and asked, “What do you want?” You knew that Trent drank a considerable amount but you didn’t think that it would bring out this conversation. You wanted him but need him to want you too, so instead you simply replied “Hermés.”

“I’m being serious, what do you want.” He straightened up and placed a hand on each side of you.

“What are you going on about now, Trent. I don’t want anything….well, I actually do want Hermes.”

youruser: bad gyal never run from nobody

frienduser1: moving different these days

frienduser2: can your man fight pookie?

youruser: if you want me just say that but lemme ask him

Trent knew you could buy the bag yourself but he bought it and sent it to you, anyways. You made no comment on it but seeing you wear it was enough confirmation that you loved it. Trent laughed outwardly at your friends comment but noticed your reply and smirked to himself - her man? Interesting. You cleared the air about Lance weeks ago and Trent felt secure about what you two had. You rarely saw any other man these days. Usually you would be out every weekend on a dinner date or jetting off to meet a new person in another city. Trent was magnetic and you decided that you didn’t want what was out there - he was proving to be the best you could ever had. He knew it and so did you. Trent fooled himself because the next time he saw you, after a few nights of pure banter and great sex, you were cozy and close with a man in the family area after a game. Your step-dad was near and smiling at the two of you, while the two of you talked over one another, arguing with playful energy. The energy that took weeks for Trent to unlock out of you. Trent dapped up his friend and decided now was a good time to introduce himself to the executive board member but most importantly, your step-dad.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, heard nothing but great things from you son.” Your dad beamed and you were tight lipped as you looked at the scouse grinning devilishly. “Listen, sweetheart,” your dad wrapped his arm around Trent. Trent went from grinning to beaming his bright, cocky smile, “Without him, we’d fall apart.”

“Nah nah, I wouldn’t say tha’.” “Oh don’t be humble. I’m being rude, this is Trent.” and your stupid fuck-thing offered you a handshake.

“Trent, nice to meet you.” You took his hand and squeezed it tight which he returned. His eyes were challenging but showed disapproval.

“Ditto, heard so much about you, too. You know Emmanuel was telling me all about your stats this season.”

You were playing with fire but you didn’t care. The audacity he had was beyond you and you should have seen it coming from a mile away. It seemed that no amount of reassurance was getting through his thick skull - if he saw you with a man, he was questioning you. Trent wanted to mentally spar with you and measure up the man simultaneously. He was a jealous little thing but unlike the other men, he didn’t just talk about it, he was about it. It was all of five minutes when he arrived at your place before he started his tangent.

“You know what your problem is?” He goaded. “No but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” You rolled your eyes and it seemed to tick him off more.

“You aren’t serious! One minute your smiling me face then the next, your with some guy named Emmanuel at my game who’s chatting you up about my stats.” “Why is that when a man even breathes the same air as me or strikes up a conversation it’s my fault? You think I just sleep around?”

You couldn’t stifle the laugh you let out as pushed his way past you and into your room. His hand ran down his face and he scanned the lavish room. Trent knew you were well off but it still surprised him at times.“Why are you letting a guy chat to you?” He said with a cross of his arms. He looked cozy in Nike Tech despite the frown on his features.

“Why are you worried? You aren’t my boyfriend.”

“I’m your man and it seems everyone knows except you.”

“We aren’t doing this right now. I have to get ready to go out.”

“We are. Sit down, y/n.” He said confidently. He closed the space between you two. If it was any other man you wouldn’t have been bothered but with Trent, you were turned on. He was jealous. You knew Trent saw you hugging and laughing with Emmanuel when you walked down to the pitch briefly. Emmanuel reveled in your attention and you gave it to him to pacify your stepdad. It didn’t matter that he or any other man wanted you - you wouldn’t cross that line. He was sweet but you two were strictly friends. You stepped closer to the tall and broad man with a tilt of your head, refusing to do what he wanted. Trent eyed you for a moment and you could smell the gum he was chewing mixed with his cologne. His smile was arrogant as always. Him being jealous was so delicious, you wanted to devour every bit of him.

“Make me.”

Before you knew it, you were straddling him on your bed as he palmed every bit of your body he could grab. His hands were rough but felt so right in your hair as he kissed you. He was vocal with his kisses, mumbling how beautiful he thought you were and how badly he wanted you. His kisses trailed from your lips down your neck and to your collarbone, finding the exposed skin in the dip of your top. Your spot straddling his body wasn’t enough for him. “I need these off,” he commanded. He peeled your top off and made a swift move for your pants, wrapping one arm around your waist to hold you steady.

“You’re needy,” you replied but obliged to balance your weight to take off your shorts.

“Shut up.” Trent’s tone was deep and serious.

Trent was driven by the idea of being better than than any man who had ever touched you, truthfully. He found himself giving the same energy he would give to a match, being attentive and receptive to all your sweet moans. He took his time devouring you and unraveling any tension in your body that he could find. The way you whispered his name out, gasping for breath with each stroke he thrust into you. He was amazed by how perfect it all felt. You felt like everything he ever needed. The feeling of you around him was unlike any woman he has ever been with. Your body melted into his as he gripped the headboard steadying himself into a rhythm, making you beg for him. His chain dangled low against your skin and you found yourself fingering it and pulling it, bringing your lips up to his ear. His skin was smooth against yours and you clung to him with the same amount of urgency he was using to pound into you.

“God, you’re right there.” You told him in between desperate gulps of air, the sound so sweet in his ear and it took all the willpower he possessed to not combust in an instant. His eyes found yours and for a moment you could hardly breathe - not because of the way it felt like he was looking right into you.

“You’re unreal,” Trent spoke, finally breaking the way-too-intimate eye contact. He grunted with aggressive strokes. His eyes were trained on the sight of his cock going in and out of you, the wetness glistening off his skin. “I know.” You moaned, refusing to compliment him back but you knew he was getting off on you and your slick mouth. It wasn’t until a two hours later that that the two of untangled yourselves from one another and fell asleep.Trent did things that took you by surprise and had you struggling to hold back your screams. He egged you on, telling you to be loud, he didn’t care who heard. And by the time you woke up your voice was incredibly sore. You had multiple missed calls from your friends and from Lance. You rushed into the bathroom to assess how you looked and called them, letting them know you were going to be a little late. You ran the shower and mentally prepared yourself for going out after having the kind of sex that made you want to not leave bed at all.

“I fell asleep but won’t be long,” you spoke as you rummaged through your toiletry bag. “I’ll text you once I’m in the Uber.” “Sounds good.” Lance replied. “Lance, save me a shot will you? I need one. Bad.” He chucked and it brought a smile to your face.

“Anything for you. See you soon, love.”

“There’s no way you’re going to see another guy after tha’” Trent grumbled from the doorframe and the roll of your eyes was almost immediate. You made no comment and moved to grab your shampoo but Trent beat you to the counter and stood in front of you stuff. “Move.” You demanded.

“Make me.” He smirked.

“Bite me.” And it was his turn to roll his eyes. Your tone was snappy and it shocked him how quickly you reverted back to bratty attitude after sleeping with him. Trent’s stare was fierce - it was the same one he used on his opposition, baiting them with a look before toying around with them but you weren’t new to these games. You were playing too. So there the two of you stood in the steamy bathroom, eyes locked at as if you despised each other. As if you were just chest to chest and moaning each other’s name.

“I can do this all night.” You stated.

“I think there’s better things you could do all night, doll.”

youruser: he’s obsessed with me

frienduser: a scouse? a red??! i’ve lost my girl smh

frienduser2: y’all go together!

youruser replied: real bad

trentalexanderarnold66: 🤫

youruser replied: love you honey

lanceuser: only took forever

trentalexanderarnold66 replied: blame it on the brat

lanceuser replied: thank you for taking her off my exhausted gay hands

#football fanfic #football fic #football one shot #football x reader #trent alexander arnold social media au #trent alexander x you #trent alexander arnold x y/n #trent alexander arnold blurb #trent alexander arnold x reader #trent alexander imagines #trent alexander arnold imagines #trent alexander arnold imagine #trent alexander arnold

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

have you ever tried (or considered trying) drawing more suggestive/intimate art? not trying to convince you to do it or anything, i'm just curious. your understanding of anatomy and expressions would probably work pretty well for it. i totally understand why you wouldn't, though. there's a Lot of reasons Not to. just curious to hear your thoughts on it

i think it's great. In terms of just suggestiveness it's a simple matter of me drawing to my preferences, but in terms of intimacy, it's more a matter of what I think my audience is expecting. Considering a chunk of my roster are literally weird toy-folk, I do quite literally enjoy smashing their faces together like dolls to make them kiss.

that said. this

might not be what the majority of my audience would like to see. but if you do want to see it. you know what to do.

if you're curious about Vance here i'll just throw in some details under the cut. why not.

Vance the Fox-guy is an ex-human like Az, and fits the "designated human" trope of the one character in the non-human friend group who can pass as human and do things like drive and pick up food and stuff for everyone else. In contrast, Victor has a human form but for all his bravado he's a wreck in most social situations

easiest way to describe Vance is that he's to star fox and zelda what Vinny Vinesauce is to mario, so that's why he looks like that. deals with Victor's fruity shenanigans

they're roommates. I kinda wanna draw a story about how they met

#Victor #Vance #FAQ #I guess. #Character Design #sure. #Merch Mimic #anthro #furry #kemono

[withwritersblock]

Small Talk

~Small Talk by Niall Horan~

Author's Note: this is my favorite Niall Song, so of course I had to write something inspired by it tehe Summary: Kirby's flying high on adrenaline after a win against his former team. Word Count: 1,243 Warnings: Implied smut Kirby Dach x fm!reader

It was past midnight and it was easy to say the team was drunk. The team was in Chicago after a shootout win against the Blackhawks.

Kirby was on cloud nine, winning the shootout for the Canadiens against his former team. He hasn’t wiped off the smug grin off of his face any time someone looks at him. He knew his celebration after the goal was cocky, that was the point. It felt good to silence the boos and the loud obnoxious cheering. 

It felt good.

He wanted to continue to feel good, hence the majority of the roster in the hotel bar, plastered. They didn’t have a game for a few days, travel day tomorrow gave them enough permission to get drunk. The everlasting cameras made sure they weren’t sloppy, just drunk.

His gaze lingered on the TV screen watching the ESPN highlight reel that replayed his shootout goal win, for the third time. The smiles on the reporters' faces was enough for him to know it was good. 

His teammates erupted into cheers as they rewatched the clip. His experience with the Canadiens has been a completely new and better experience than he could’ve ever imagined. They were closer to his age, competitive, and more fun to be around.

Sure, the season hasn’t gone remotely the way they’ve wanted but the chemistry was growing fast. The goal was in a few years time, they’d be contenders for the cup.

His eyes shifted to the girl across the bar, admiring the soft smile on her lips as she spoke to her friend. He pressed his lips together as he continued to keep his gaze on her admiring every last inch of her. 

To be fair, the pair were quite literally the only two girls in the whole bar who didn’t come up and try to flirt with him. He liked that.

He always preferred the chase, the eagerness to seek out and get the girl he wants. Not the girls that tend to beg for his attention. He wanted to beg for her attention. She was stunning and in a hotel bar. Which means she’s not local and also maybe looking for a one off.

He dropped his gaze to the beer in his hand as Cole slapped his hand against Kirby’s arm.

“You could go talk to her,” Cole said with a teasing smirk on his lips. Kirby rolled his eyes. “Her friend is pretty, I can be your wingman,”

“I don’t need a wingman,” he expressed as he brought the glass to his lips and took a long sip.

“Then go talk to her,” Cole nudged him as he spoke. Kirby rolled his eyes as he looked towards the pair again, shocked to see the two walking towards the bar top. Kirby meets her gaze and watches her eyes squint slightly as they wandered towards the other side of the bar top. At least four seats away from Cole and Kirby. “I’m talking to her friend,” he muttered before finishing his small glass of vodka and lemonade. He saunters towards the pair, leaning against the bar top. Instantly and easily striking a conversation with the girl. 

Kirby chugs the rest of the beer as he looks towards her again. Her eyes are already burning a hole into the side of his head, a small smirk toying her lips. Kirby pulled his lips between his teeth as he scanned her features, imagining her in many different positions.

He clenched his jaw as he turned around towards the bartender, “Can I get another one?” He asked, tipping the glass towards him. He nodded before pouring more orange liquid into the cup. He shifted his gaze towards the girl who’s now actually walking towards him. He straightened his body as he planted both of his hands on the bar top.

She leaned her body against the bar top, meeting the bartenders eye. “Can I get a rum and coke, please,” she asked him with a smile. He nodded

“What room is it under?” The bartender asked as he began pouring the alcohol into the short glass.

“You can put under mine,” Kirby interjected, the girl looked towards him and smiled.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, as she met his blue eyes. They stare towards each other, smiling towards one another before she turns her gaze towards her glass.

“So is this your play?” She asked before taking a small sip from it. He furrowed his eyebrows, pulling his head back. “Stare at a girl for so long it’s almost creepy. Then send your friend to flirt with my friend, so I’m forced to come chat up the seemingly very popular pretty boy in the bar,” she explained, maintaining eye contact the whole time.

“I was going to talk to you after this beer,” he offered as he dropped his gaze to the half drunk beer in his hand.

“Needed liquid courage? Am I really that scary?” She mumbled. He shrugged.

Their eyes remained connected as they took long sips of their drinks, it was as if their minds were connected. Each thought seemed to be read instantly as their eyes were communicating for them. 

“You from Chicago?” He asked before licking his lips, she shook her head. Perfect.

“Seattle,” she mumbled, tilting her head to the side offering him the same question.

“Montreal,” he said. Confusion contorted her features, he chuckled. “I play hockey for the Canadiens.”

She nodded politely as she turned her gaze towards the TV hanging above her head towards the same clip that was playing earlier, “You?” She offered pointing towards it. He nodded, a smug grin on his face.

“I’m Y/N,” she let out as she took a step towards him.

“Kirby,” he offered her as he looked her body up and down, picturing her pinned to her mattress.

It was almost as if her mind was thinking the same thing as she placed her glass on the bar top and delicately placed her hand on his chest. His cheeks flushed for a moment. 

She leaned towards him, delicately brushing her lips against his lips. She felt him inch towards her.

“I leave for the airport at 9 tomorrow,” she muttered against his lips. 

“I’ll be gone before then,” he whispered back. She smirked before she teasingly grazed her fingertips along his chest before she slowly began to walk away from him. She turned around hoping to find him following her. He was.

She smiled to herself as his hands found her waist, bunching up the fabric of her dress. She bit her bottom lip as she continued towards the elevator, pressing the button multiple times. Turning around, her eyes met his blue eyes that became darker as they progressed from the hotel bar to the lobby elevators. She turned around and leaned her body against the wall, he looked deeply into her eyes.

“Why are you in Chi-” he began to question but she interrupted by placing a finger against his lips, shushing him. He smirked as he took a hold of her hand, interlocking their fingers as the elevator doors opened, revealing an empty elevator.

They quickly scramble into the elevator, his hands quickly lowering from her waist to her thighs, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist, she presses her lips against his briefly before pressing the tenth floor to her hotel room. She looks towards him leaning down and kissing him once more.

#nhl imagines #montreal canadiens #montreal canadiens imagines #kirby dach #kirby dach x reader #kirby dach imagines #nhl #nhl x reader #hockey #hockey x reader #hockey imagines #nhl fic

[writingonleaves]

things you never said (things you'll never say to me) - nico hischier

pairing: nico hischier x original female character

warnings: swearing, sadness, angst, not my traditional fluff folks, very little dialogue, kinda a ramble disguised into a piece lol, google translated german, projection?? is that a valid warning

inspired by + title: "things i wish you said" by sabrina carpenter

word count: 2.8k

author's note: got into my feels randomly for this (incredible) song and decided to write something with it. also a part of @wyattjohnston 's lowkey loverfest 2k24!! hope you all enjoy this melancholy ride and please let me know what you think <3

*****

Nico Hischier has always been a leader. 

You ask anyone in Naters or Bern who knew him growing up and they would say the same thing — he’s a polite, young boy with so much talent and a sensible mind. He may be the youngest of three, but everyone’s always turned to Nico for guidance. With a calming voice paired with a warm smile, it’s rare for Nico to steer anyone wrong. 

And he sees it in himself too. Even when he was a rookie, when the C stitched into his jersey was only a blurred dream, he still felt like he had to lead by example. No one was expecting that of him, he knows that now, but he was a first overall pick, the weight of a losing team’s hopes on his shoulders. If he crumbled, those supporters’ hopes fell with him. His own hope would fall with him. 

It took a few years, a pandemic, another first overall pick, a shit ton of roster changes, a new coach and other things to walk into a locker room that wasn’t used to losing. And Nico prides himself as being a leader in that transition. C on his jersey or not, he would’ve done it. Because he doesn’t know how not to.

Leanna always said he didn’t know how to turn it off. 

When Nico had first met Leanna Spritz, it honestly was one of the worst first impressions he’s ever given. It was the morning after a brutal 6-1 loss against the fucking Flyers. The final score itself was bad, but the fact that it was against the Flyers rubbed more salt into the wound. He knew Lindy was gonna bag skate them all to hell and back the morning after and he just really wanted his cappuccino before to take away some of the bitterness. 

All up in his head, he had crashed literally into Leanna. Before they both could comprehend, her cold brew had spilled. Somehow, Nico got away with an unnoticeable splash on his hoodie and no spillage from his own drink. But Leanna wasn’t so lucky. Her brown sweater wasn’t dark enough to hide the fact that half of her cold brew was on it while the other spilled to the ground. 

“Fuck,” Nico had exclaimed, eyes widening and darting between her now coffee stained sweater, the empty cup on the ground and her red hair that only glistened with the sun rays. “Shit! I am so sorry. That’s totally my fault.”

Leanna had waved him away with a small chuckle as she dug into her purse for stray napkins. Far too nice for someone who now had coffee all over them because of him. “It’s okay. Mistakes happen.”

Nico looked at his watch and grimaced. Shit. He was going to be late to practice. And that would be even worse than usual with their horrible performance the night before. “Listen. I really want to buy you a coffee to make up for my clumsiness, but I’m gonna be late to work and-”

Leanna had nodded in understanding, lips quirked up. “Don’t worry about it. Promise. Go. Don’t be late for work.”

He had been so frazzled that all he remembered doing was blurting out another apology before practically running away, partially from embarrassment but also because he really did have to go. 

A week later, Nico went back to the coffee shop. In the back of his mind was the redhead who he still owed a coffee to. But Nico’s also realistic and he knew he’d probably never see her again. 

While he was patiently waiting in the long line, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He braced himself to interact with a fan, but turned around and was pleasantly surprised by who he did see. 

“I thought that was you,” she had said, pink beanie over her hair and a twinkle in her eye. “Not going to spill coffee again on me, are you? I’m wearing white today.”

Nico swallowed before his brain turned back on and he grinned. “Good eye. And no. I promise I’ll be less clumsy today. And I’m less in a rush.” They were next in line to order and he ordered first before turning to her. She had tried to deny him but he just raised an eyebrow until she gave the barista her order. 

“I’m really sorry again,” Nico said as they had shuffled out of line to wait for their drinks. “I hope the sweater didn’t stain.”

Leanna waved him off with her bright smile. “That sweater has been through too much for some coffee to ruin it. You don’t need to worry, Captain.”

Nico had been shocked that she knew who he was, which, in hindsight, is dumb. He’s not Jack, but he gets recognized a good amount around New Jersey still.

He cleared his throat. “Nico is fine.”

She smiled. “Okay, Nico. Well, I’m Leanna. Thank you for paying for my coffee. You didn’t have to, by the way, especially to clear your conscience.”

“That’s not why-well, it is. But I also, uh, are you in a rush?”

Nico remembers that day so well still, his English failing him despite living in North America for over five years as he basically asked Leanna on their first date right there and then. He remembers being thankful that she took some pity on him with her sweet smile and led them to a table. He probably would’ve stood there stuttering like a fool if she didn’t cut in.

“Nico?”

Nico blinks himself out of his memories as Jack walks into his living room. Sometimes he questions if he should’ve given Jack a key. 

“Hey. What’s up?”

“We have skate,” Jack gives him a look. “Dude, take a shower. Quickly. Or we’ll be late.”

“Right,” Nico says, stumbling over to the shower. As the water’s warming up, his eyes stop at a purple bottle tucked in the corner of the sink. Hair oil. Leanna always joked that she couldn’t live without it. His hands twitch to reach for the bottle just so he can smell the grapefruit scent, but he forces himself into the shower instead. 

He can hear Nina’s voice so clearly. Throw it away, she’d say in their mother-tongue that realistically Nico will never not be fluent in but sometimes is scared will slip away. Nina liked Leanna a lot, actually, the one time they met when she came to Jersey to visit last year. But Nina is also Nico’s sister, and cursed her name many times when Nico called her crying, waking her up in the middle of the night. She had stayed on the phone with him for three hours, letting him cry.

He forces himself to take a shower. To wake up a bit and shift his focus to the upcoming skate and game tonight. They’re playing the Rangers, which is just always a grind. He needs to be all in.

Nico keeps to himself while getting ready for practice, putting on his gear quietly while his teammates chatter about something or another around him. He speaks quickly to the equipment team about his skates and smiles in thanks. He catches a whiff of the perfume of their head of PR as she walks past in the hallway, and Nico swallows. 

Realistically, he knows it’s not the same one. But it’s floral and smells like jasmine, so it might as well be. 

As he’s driving home, he has the radio down low. He was never the one to fuss about putting his music on in the car. Because the world just works like that, a song that he doesn’t know the title to comes on. He hums along, because Leanna always played this song.

Instinctively, his fingers twitch to reach out to someone who won’t ever be in his passenger seat ever again. He can hear her voice, her thigh under his palm. It’s not safe to drive with one hand, she’d say with an amused laugh interlaced in her voice. He would always roll his eyes before giving her thigh a squeeze and keeping his hand there for the majority of their journey. 

He remembers that sentence bringing him comfort when they were driving to her sister’s house in upstate New York. He was scared shitless to meet her whole family for the first time to celebrate her cousin’s birthday. It was below freezing point outside, but his hands were so clammy that one would’ve thought it was summer. 

Leanna had put her hand in his hair at the nape of his neck. He had immediately calmed down. 

He swears if he focuses hard enough he can still smell the green tea shampoo Leanna used. It was always interesting to him, because the first thing he would think of when he saw her flaming red hair wasn’t green tea. It deserved something more bold attached to it. Like orange. Or vanilla. Or coconut.

Because Leanna was exactly that. Bold. Bright. Crashing into the lives of everyone in her path with her bright smile, loud laughter and a personality that sucked you in. 

Nico stops at a red light and absentmindedly looks to the right. His breath catches at the sight of a woman walking a beagle. Leanna always said that once she was more settled down, a beagle was the kind of dog she wanted to get, just like the dog she had by her side throughout her whole childhood. 

At one point, Nico had thought she meant settling down in Jersey. Never did she give the indication while they were together that she had meant London. 

He couldn’t force himself to unfollow Leanna on Instagram after the break-up. He catches himself way too often seeing if she still follows him. She does. And she even likes his posts most of the time. He checks.

Nico shouldn’t be surprised. Even though she cried so much when they broke up and he couldn’t handle it, through tears, she wished him nothing but the best. Even as she was actively breaking his heart.

As he pulls into the parking garage for his apartment complex, he kills the engine and just sits there. He should be focusing on the game tonight. Focusing on how they need to stop taking stupid penalties. Focusing on their positioning in the offensive zone. 

You think too much, honey. Leanna would say, kissing his forehead twice, something she started doing to calm him down. You just need to play hockey. Least that’s what you always tell me. Everything else will follow. 

And he would never admit it out loud — especially to Jonas — but he still repeats those words in his head. He’s not sure if it works, but it’s like a mantra. A routine. And hockey players know more than anyone how important routines are and how difficult they are to change. 

It’s been two months and three days. It’s annoying that Nico can still hear her voice in his head, clear as day. He hopes one day he’lll never be able to remember. But he also dreads the day that he’ll forget what she sounds like. 

He walks up into his apartment and pours out a glass of water, downing it in one go. The sun’s out for the first time in two weeks, and a small smile spills on his lips as he admires the sunlight through his glass windows. His eyes shift to a spot on one of the tables by the window on the right, where it seems like something is shining. His curiosity takes over and he walks over, a reminder popping into his brain that he needs to dust his apartment. Why does dust accumulate so quickly anyways? 

His stomach drops. One of her combs placed nonchalantly behind one of his plants. The shine is coming from the light hitting the red hair caught between the bristles. 

What the fuck?

Nico closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before hastily grabbing the comb and tossing it into the trash. She never officially moved in with him, but she was around the apartment enough to leave some things lying around here and there. He thought he had thrown everything out. Or more accurately, he trusted Jesper, Timo and Jack to do it for him during a particularly bad Saturday afternoon two weeks after everything fell to shit. 

He checks the time and sighs. He needs to nap or else everything will be thrown off. Checking his phone to make sure no one needs him, he plugs it in to charge by his bedside, ignoring a text from Nina he’ll answer when he wakes up.

It’s a text she sends a few times a week when she senses that her younger brother’s having a harder day. From almost 4,000 miles, she still knows. Nico’s always loved his sister, but he’s never felt more grateful to have her as he has in these last few months. 

eins zu zehn?? ❤️

One to ten, it translates to. On a scale of one to ten, how shitty or good are you feeling about it today? 

Nico sighs, responds back with a 6, and wills his mind to rest. 

Somehow, he wakes up decently well rested to his alarm. He stays in bed a few extra minutes, getting his mindset ready for gametime. He chooses to wear the gray three piece suit tonight. One of his more fancier fits. It is the Rangers, after all. 

It was Leanna’s favorite suit of his. She always joked he “ruined the look” when he slapped on his beloved white beanie. I love your hair. I wish you’d show it off more, she’d say.

He digs out the beanie from his clean laundry. 

He always leaves an hour or so to himself before he has to go to the rink. He usually spends it tidying up or doing things around his place to clear his head so he can come back after the game and just crash. 

Today, he replays the breakup in his mind. Or what he remembers of it, since he blocked a lot of it out. 

When you picture your future, do you see me in it at all? He had choked out, holding Leanna’s hands in his for what was the last time. 

It hadn’t helped that she had also been crying as she said her next words. Neeks, baby. It’s not you, it’s me. And I hate that I’m pulling that out, but it’s true. Maybe this isn’t the right time for us. 

Why can’t it be? Nico had said. Why can’t we make it work?

Maybe in the future, if things are different. She had said, biting her trembling lip. But even then, Nico knew they were empty promises. She’s too stubborn of a person to not bend the world her way. She just doesn’t want Nico to be a part of that world.

It’s not fair, he knows that realistically, but oftentimes he wonders if she ever loved him at all. That thought especially rode his mind after he saw her post a story on Instagram earlier last week. It was clearly a soft launch, with her hand in the hand of some faceless guy over dinner. Nico ended up scoring two goals that night out of sheer adrenaline and anger. 

Because all he’s ever wanted was for Leanna Spritz to be happy. Even now. Even after all of this. Even if it’s not with him. 

But fuck, she’s clearly moving on. Why can’t he?

He blinks, collapsing on his couch in the living room and staring at the wall. The last time he heard from her was a month ago, when he had gone down after a rough hit during a game against Minnesota. He ended up only being out for the next two games, but the hit hadn’t been pretty. His chest had taken the brunt of the damage. Everyone, including him, had been relieved that it wasn't more serious.

While he was getting checked out by the trainers the next morning, his phone had buzzed and he almost threw up. 

Leanna Spritz✨

I saw the hit last night. Hope you’re okay. Listen to the trainers. 

Nico was angry. What right did she have to text him that? 

But then, he just felt sad. That bottomless pit in his stomach opened up. He felt nothing but emptiness. 

His phone buzzes, this time with a text from Timo, and Nico takes a deep breath. It’s game time. No more crying over his ex-girlfriend. 

As he’s sliding on his beanie in the bathroom, he catches sight of the hair oil again. He picks it up, smells it, before throwing it in the trash. It lands on the bottom of the can with a final thud. He clicks all the lights off, makes sure he has everything he needs, grabs his key off the hook and shuts the door. 

Two hours later, everyone’s getting hyped up. He gives a mini impromptu speech, Jack slaps his back way too hard and Nico smiles, dimples and all.

He takes a deep breath before his blades touch the ice.

#lowkey loverfest 2k24 #k writes #hockey fanfic #hockey writing #hockey blurb #nico hischier #new jersey devils #nico hischier fic #nico hischier blurb #nico hischier writing #nhl #nhl writing #nhl fic #nhl blurb #nico hischier x oc

[sunset-bobby]

9-1-1 rambles pt2 (it’s only 1 am this time)

now that i’m like taking introspective looks into like the 9-1-1 couple’s relationships I think it’s interesting how a lot of the canon couples are bolter x clinger pairings

I mean like the buckleys siblings discussed how maddie’s a bolter and buck is a clinger

chimney is a clinger i mean the whole tatiana thing and then you know boston

i think athena and bobby are a mix of both because in the early stages bobby was bolting and athena was clinging i mean the whole discussion of bobby moving in is an example but as time goes on bobby gets more secure he is a clinger and athena on the cruise and that whole arc was bolter behavior

hen and karen are hard bc they’re both very committed to each other and have had the longest relationship so neither of them are bolting or clinging but in henren begins (idk the actual title ya’ll) we literally see hen leave in the morning post date/hookup but idk if she said goodbye…im not discussing the season 1/2 cheating arc bc that’s just a different scenario but they get mad they reflect they reconcile there’s no one person doing the chasing or the distancing

buck is a clinger who stays dating bolters and even the relationships he ended they were bolters my mans got a type i guess lol…idk i think tommy could be either the restaurant was bolter behavior but once he got the confirmation buck is all in my man stays showing up so i think he has potential to be a clinger but also has self preservation skills and a fear of getting his heartbroken

lastly eddie…ngl i can’t tell u what eddie is doing it really depends on the person (i can make serious points for demisexual/demiromantic eddie diaz) but he’s overall clinging to an idea…i feel like we don’t discuss how like im 75% sure eddie has only ever been in 3 relationships his entire 33 years of life (no judgement in that) so unless he’s had his own slut era the man’s romantic experience is the equivalent of like the youths of today (again no judgement and i am one of those youths) in those 3 1/2 (Kim can be a half) experiences he’s got his idealized life and he’s tryna make it a reality and half way then he’s like wait i like the life but im not really into the person here Ana (my queen i miss you), Marisol and the idea isn’t shannon herself but the family life they almost had

truthfully idk what eddie is bc he’s clinging but bc he’s clinging he’s bolting and right now he’s doing who knows what lmao he’s building a roster i guess

anyway TLDR: everyone’s got their matching pair and eddie’s got the romantic experience of most college students (minus the kid and 1/4 of the trauma)

edit: “he’s attempting to bolt on his relationship with marisol (but not really) because he’s clinging to the idea of his relationship with shannon” my brain finally supplied an example of eddie being both so here

#911 abc #911 show #911 on abc #911 season 7 #911 fandom #evan buckley #eddie diaz #bobby nash #athena grant #hen wilson #karen wilson #chimney han #maddie buckley #tommy kinard #athena x bobby #buck x tommy #maddie x chimney #hen x karen

[dolche-tejada]

I saw your ror post and I just wanted to say

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you–*is slowly pulled away by the fandom police*

Seriously though, it bothered me so much that there weren't any goddesses with actual roles cause you guys show Apollo but not Artemis??? Where's Athena! Or the baddest bitch, Ishtar?? Izanagi or Amaterasu when Susano is there?

WHERE'S PERSEPHONE????????!!!!!!!

ALSO! A good theory regarding Jack the Ripper is that he was actually a WOMAN which is why they were never caught. No woman could possibly be educated or blood-thirsty enough to commit this crime! Of course not!

Marie Curie was a side character, damnit!

What about Cleopatra? Joan of Arc?

There's so many badass women in history and they aren't being highlighted enough!

Sorry for ranting, ROR just frustrates me despite being such an interesting concept. Tbf, a lot of anime and manga have the same issue regarding women, so maybe I should be used to it by now

Thanks ahah and don't apologize, you're totally right !!

Of any fighting manga I've read, RoR has the weakest excuse for its lack of female fighters : The Ragnarok is supposed to feature the most powerful deities/humans that have ever existed but we're supposed to believe that out of over 26 fighters, not even one of them is a woman ?

And here it's just my opinion but there's no way Apollo was a much better choice for the roster than fucking Artemis. Okay he turned out to be a great character (one of my favorites actually) and he's also known in mythology as the god of archery but Artemis is literally the goddess of the hunt.

And even if she doesn't fight, AT LEAST give her some screentime in her brother's backstory or a cameo in the crowd, something ! At what point do you just turn her into some weird-ass statue ? What's the point of talking about myths if you're cutting out half of them ?

Plus like you said, concerning the other female deities it's just as annoying : Athena is never mentioned once ; Persephone and Demeter are just Poseidon and Hades' move names ; Hera is barely referred during Heracles' backstory and only for the writers to imply that she died a long time ago, talk about a waste.

Not to mention that as you pointed out, even on the human side there were plenty of candidates with a lot of potential.

Now I still love RoR don't get me wrong but at this point, I no longer have any expectations from its authors on this aspect. I can already bet that Izanami and Amaterasu will be the names of either Susanoo's swords or his special moves.

That's why if you or anyone else is looking for a manga similar to RoR that does more to showcase historical women, I recommend you to try Majo Taisen.

It has its issues with its lack of poc characters' representation and its portrayal of Cleopatra but it's still really enjoyable and its authors understood that History is full of badass and amazing women who also deserve the spotlight

#record of ragnarok #ror hades #ror poseidon #ror apollo #snv hades #snv poseidon #snv apollo #majo taisen #war of greedy witches #ror #snv #shuumatsu no valkyrie #rant post

[williamrikers]

King of the Cardboard Castle

- thoughts on kanghan after episode 2 -

i just rewatched the episode (because it slaps so hard, i'm fully on board and invested in this show now), and i want to write a little something on kanghan because i see some people in the tag confused by his choices. why did he go to sailom's with a gun? why did he end up comforting sailom? i think it's all very understandable from his character's perspective.

so, to me, that cardboard castle tells us everything we need to know about kanghan: his power is an illusion, built on an unsteady foundation, and could be torn down at any moment. kang is intimately aware of this and does everything he can to try and consolidate the little power and influence he has by any means necessary.

why use a gun to threaten sailom?

but sailom isn't afraid or deferential. he never, EVER is.

kanghan needs to feel dominant. he needs to feel powerful, and literally the only guy at school who keeps defying him is sailom. sailom keeps coming out on top time and time again because he's smarter than kang and never actually starts shit, he just reacts to what's happening, making him basically immune to being ratted out to people in positions of authority. even kang's own grandmother sees through kang's shitty attempts at manipulation and chastises kang in front of the principal.

kanghan's only power is that over the kids at school, truly a king of a very small and incredibly meaningless kingdom. but it is effective in making him feel powerful: all of the other kids defer to kanghan or are openly terrified of him (we saw them all dutifully lining up to have the videos removed from their phones, none of them are ever going to challenge kang).

and kang resents that--has a deep need to put sailom in his place, because he wants that feeling of total power. he wants all of his classmates to defer to him, not just 90% of them. at this point, it's turned into an obsession for him: make sailom afraid just once. make him tremble before kang just once. make him get down on his knees JUST ONCE. (and no, there is no gay subtext at all to kang insisting again and again that sailom should get down on his knees. don't worry about it kanghan your secret gay fantasies are safe with me 😘)

like, he's tried everything else: threatening him physically, trying to get him fired from his job at the car wash, ACTUALLY getting him fired from his job tutoring, hurting his friends, trying to convince his grandmother to cancel his scholarship, taunting him about his home situation and lack of money, actually throwing money in his face/on the ground (from what i understand, a taboo in thailand). and none of it has worked to make sailom treat him with the respect and fear he thinks he deserves. sailom would rather have given up his scholarship than lie about what happened and wrongfully apologize to kang. at this point, i feel like kang is too far gone to be able to back out. he has set this goal for himself (humiliate sailom), and it's been eating his brain. he can't rest until he finally gets what he wants.

can i just put in a quick tangent in here gushing over CHIMON'S MICROEXPRESSIONS!!! god, this man is a joy to watch, just look at the money throwing scene in part 3/4; the depth of emotion chimon manages to convey with just the slightest changes of expression is incredible. i've said this before and i will say it again: chimon is one of the strongest actors on the gmmtv roster right now and i am in awe of his skill.

anyway, kang goes to sailom's house fully intent on humiliating him, but what he finds there is so much worse than any of his own bullying has managed to be. for all his talk, kanghan is not a particularly scary or successful bully: he's the king of the cardboard castle. his power is an illusion, propped up by his family name and his family's money. i don't think he would be capable of taking a hot iron and burning someone with it--the level of violence that sailom is subjected to (ON THE REGULAR, I MIGHT ADD) is completely out of kang's wheelhouse.

and i do think that at this point he genuinely feels for sailom. that he genuinely does feel sorry for him, because you can't be obsessed with someone to the point of going to their house with a gun without caring about them in some way. on the contrary, the kind of obsession kang has with sailom runs bone-deep, and i am absolutely team "kang is going to fall first and fall hard". he's already obsessed with the guy! he values sailom's emotional state in a way he doesn't anyone else's! (sure, initially it's because he wants to make sailom submit but all that obsessive energy has to go SOMEWHERE, right.)

seeing sailom cowering and crying does put things in perspective for kanghan, i think. the way he reaches out to him seems almost involuntary, the way he touches him is hesitant and unsure. but this does read as a very genuine and understandable reaction to me: no matter their differences at school, this is a person who kang knows and, in a twisted way, cares very much about. the normal human reaction at this point is to reach out, to offer comfort, no matter how you feel about the person. it would have been weirder to me if he hadn't, honestly.

also, a note on the use of "friend" by kang in this scene: i've seen people making a big deal out of this but it's absolutely not that deep. please correct me if i'm wrong but as i understand it, "puen" is also frequently used to refer to classmates/people in the same year at uni, no matter whether you're close to them or not. "friend" is just a translation choice which fits imo, because you wouldn't say "get away from my classmate" in english. you'd probably say "get away from my friend" instead, even if you're not really friends, and translation is also about what makes sense in the target language. so him saying that is not some big 180, he's basically just stating that he knows sailom from school.

anyway, where was i going with all of this? to me, kang's choices in this episode are all completely justified from his character's perspective. i neither find it odd that he tried to threaten sailom with a gun, nor that he ended up comforting sailom. because everything he is and claims to be is built on cardboard: the guy doesn't know himself. we know he has some deeply, DEEPLY repressed gay fantasies and that he gets obsessed with the first person to openly defy him because that threatens the stability of his cardboard castle. what if everyone realises that deep down, kanghan is a cringefail loser who is so starved for love and attention he would rather fill the hole in his heart with violence and cruelty than be honest about who he is? what if everyone finds out he's not as scary as he'd like to be?

the cardboard underneath kang is flimsy, and i'm pretty sure his castle is going to collapse pretty soon.

#i might love kang more than i thought. ended up writing an essay about it whoops #dangerous romance #dangerous romance the series #*mine

[romanstheory]

Rage A Solo Sikoa One Shot

Warnings: Smut, Laughing, Roughness (lol), oral sex fem receiving

Word count:863

18+

It’s my time….. finally…… the main roster. I’ve worked what feels like my whole life for this moment, and I have tunnel vision to say the least. My intentions are dead set on getting back at Solo Sikoa. We were tag partners in NXT, and he left me in the midst of a heated rivalry… he threw me to the wolves to go be the henchmen to his meathead cousin.

Nonetheless, I knew what I was about to do and I knew it was risky stepping to anyone in the bloodline. But truthfully… I don’t give a shit. Nobody knows what’s about to happen, I can hear the bloodline cutting a promo. I nod to the sound tech to play my music and I hear the crowd pop. I storm down the ramp and into the ring, eyes locked on solo. For the first time ever a look of concern grows across his face. Jimmy, Jey, and Roman all look over to him, Paul behind them with his head resting in his palms.

I grab a mic “Surprise!” I say with a smug smile “Didn’t think you’d see me again did you?”. Solo flares his nostrils and leans his head back. Roman begins to attempt to speak but I put up a finger stopping him dead in his tracks. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” I continue “oh! I know! Romans got your balls!” The crowd goes wild as solo gets enraged from embarrassment. I let out a loud cackle as Solo snatches the mic from one of his brothers “What the hell are you doing here” He growls

“I’m here for revenge” I growl back “you left me! And for what? To be the heavy for you punk ass cousin who doesn’t even really like any of you?” Roman raises an eyebrow, in shock that I said what everyone else was already thinking. Solo and I get into each others faces, ready to fight right there. “What are you gonna do?” Solo barks at me. I pull back and throw a punch at Solo, landing right on his jaw “fuck around and find out” I cackle as I leave the ring leaving the bloodline embarrassed and infuriated.

A week passed and Solo has blown my phone up. Text message after Text message, call after call all ignored. I didn’t even hear from him this much when we were a tag team. My phone rings again, it’s him and I finally decide to answer. “Meet me at catering” he says and hangs up. I smirk and make my way to catering, it’s just him there everyone else has come and gone by then. “What” I say with an eye roll. “Look I’m sorry” he says.

“Apology not accepted” I reply “Was that it?”. “That was a mean ass right” he chuckles “I deserved that”. I sit down next to him “you deserved a few”. There’s a brief pause…. Neither of us said anything but the silence was loud. “Kinda turned me on a little bit” he says finally looking me in my face. The blind could see that Solo and I had a thing for each other during our tag days, and I tried to bury them after he left but it never quite worked out completely.

“You put me in my place on national tv in front of my family” He continues “that was sexy”. My face begins getting hot, only he could do that to me. “Good… Hopefully you stay in it” I say kicking eyes with him. “Let me show you your place” He says, eyes dark with lust. “Huh?” I say. He grabs me, pulling me onto his lap, gripping my ass tight causing me to gasp. “Solo!” I say just above a whisper “we’re literally in catering someone can just walk in here!”

“You talk too much” Solo says as he pulls me into a kiss. I seemingly melt into him as our lips collided. Is this what I’ve been waiting for? What about my plan? Is he distracting me? So many questions go running through my mind as his hands run down my pants sliding my athletic shorts off. He sits me on the table “don’t be getting obsessed with me after this” he says cockily. He is pushes my legs apart, gently kissing my other lips sending a surge of lightning through my body. He gently licks around my soaked vagina causing me to exhale loudly. Suddenly I didn’t give a shit who might walk in

He begins flicking ans moving his tongue in waves around my clit, I can’t even catch my breath. He looks up at me sort of like a lion drinking water, just watching me melt further and further into him. He continues massaging my clit with his warm tongue as I feel my climax approaching quickly. “I- oh my god” I squeal loudly before squirting my juices onto Solo. He licks his lips and sits up while I collect myself and slide my shorts back on. “do you forgive me now?” He asks wiping his face. “Mmmhhh nah, good head tho” I cackle as I walk away

#solo sikoa #solo Sikoa one shot #wwe #roman reigns #the bloodline

[grantmentis]

are there good journalists on the woho beat you'd recommend?

Sadly a big problem we have is that a lot of very good reporters end up not being able to stay in womens hockey for a long time because a lot of outlets haven’t had a dedicated space for it, and so much is changing, but here is who I think is the best that are consistently on in no order

Here are my recommendations!

Erica Ayala and her outlet Black Rosie Media I think is THE standard in women’s hockey. Ayala had done bylines for women’s hockey in various outlets and also appeared on a few different locked on networks which can be found in muckrack here

The Ice Garden is the longest running women’s hockey blog. It’s a rotating cast and I like some authors way more than others but I think if you’re just looking for start and probably has the most extensive coverage. It’s one of the only sources to get English language coverage of international league play and a lot of times players or former players will guess write. I am also a fan of the analytical work that An Nguyen has done, for example this article. Some stuff is paywalled, some isn’t, some is paywalled then becomes available later.

Kyle Cushman has recently been on the PWHL beat specifically, including some more long form / deeper look articles as well as being at practices with information, and I’ve enjoyed his work. He mainly writes for The Score

Christine Roger of Radio Canada is probably the main French Canadian reporter for the PWHL and team Canada

Hailey Salvian of The Athletic is usually pretty credible, tho it’s very clear that she is very careful not to be critical of her inside sources in the PWHL and I think had sometimes been a little bit of a PR arm she’s not going to say something straight up false or anything and is pretty in line with hockey reporters on that stuff. That said the athletic is usually paywalled and I really do not like the athletic as a paper overall just from a “owned by the New York times who is constantly spreading transphobic misinfo.” But if you just follow her socials and stuff you’ll get the breaking news and she’s usually accurate there.

Not a journalist but if you’re just looking for an aggregate of roster transactions and rumors pwhlreport on most platforms will do that for you, I’d say they’re accurate a solid 85% of the time and it’s little opinions or anything just who what when where and why

More statistical analysis than news but I enjoy Giants in the Crease for all things goaltenders and appreciate that they do a good job with the ncaa and international goalies as well

Women’s sports highlights on twitter will get you literally every single women’s hockey highlight from every tournament ever I swear it rules. Unfortunately am unsure if they’re on other platforms

I don’t think he’ll be writing anytime soon because of his new job, but if you want to get into the data world, the PWHL Montreal director of analytics Mikael Nahabedian has a substack page

EDIT: Karissa Donkin of CBC is a recent addition to the best I’ve enjoyed!

These are just some I like that I think do a good job of keeping it straight. Unfortunately I am limited by my own language barrier and haven’t found really anyone consistently covering the SDHL or other leagues in the English language that I’ve enjoyed, but if any of my followed from other countries have their own writers who I may be missing because of this language barrier please share

#asks

[tobiasdrake]

Here we go with Bamboo Creek.

Literally the only thing Luana knew about this place is that it had a weird statue and a Rainbow Conch. She wrote about her disappointment in never getting to do anything with the statue.

Perhaps this will be a mystery for me to solve!

Sure is pretty, though. If you ignore the turtle demons who want to chew my butt off, but I think we can all take that as a given.

I WILL.

...

Wait, hold on, what did you say? This place is... a... VA-CA-TION!?!? FUCK YES, I'm gonna go spend it with my best pal!

QUARBLE! Look at all this lush greenery! Isn't this place magical?

Man, so much has happened since last I saw you. I successfully completed my voluntary side quest and met a necromancer! Not the necromancer I thought I was meeting but a necromancer all the same. I think we're besties now. Just like Luana and Roro. I dunno, we haven't made plans to hang out but I'm sure he won't mind if I drop in sometime.

Hehe. Drop in. Oh, I am not going to explain to you why that's funny. That is a secret that I take with my to my grave.

...hehe. To my grave. Oh, bestie, we make our own fun!

"I have many regrets about not letting you die."

Ambiguous shopkeeper who I might be legally prohibited from liking, I wanted you to meet my best friend! He's coming with me on my vacation. It's great-- Oh, he left. Probably to go get drinks. ^_^

Anyways, I, uh... I had questions about the Time Shards.

Absolutely. 100%. Was that not clear with the Power Seal fiasco? I broke another one of those, by the way.

Did you create them? Because Luana said Resh'an made them but she was kind of busy bending time and space by sheer power of her own awesomeness so she could rescue the legendary Warrior Cook. At least, that's how she described it. So she didn't get to overhear much.

But if you created the Time Shards then that would confirm whether or not I'm obligated to call you an 'assclown'.

*whine* But I need to know if I'm allowed to peruse your wa~ares!

*sigh*

why are you being difficult about this ._.

...

Anyways, I'll take another upgrade, thanks. These are super helpful.

He's across the pit. Ugh, that is fiendish. I can't hit him from over here, but if I try and make the jump and I fail....

Nah, fuck it. I'm a Lunar Ninja. I'm a bad enough dude to--

Why. Why is my recklessness always punished T-T

Hi, Quarble. Nice to see you again. Did you bring the drin-- You have no drinks in hand. Okay. That's disappointing.

Well, I enjoy your company nonetheless.

Maybe you can help me brainstorm this. He's across. The pit. If I fall in the pit, that's a one-way ticket to hanging out with you. Which is fine, I love hanging out with you, but it doesn't get me any deeper into Bamboo Creek.

So if I can't time this jump precisely, then I'm screwed. This is tactically brilliant. There's just... No options for me to--

...

We never speak of this again. This will be our secret. Forever.

Aha! A true warrior for me to test my steel against. I should warn you; My speed and skill is highly reputed among the, uh, turtles. The turtles are very impressed by how fast I am.

...please ignore how lame that sounds when I say it out loud.

ANYWAYS

A duel! Two rival masters squaring off to--

OW! YOU COCK! A lucky shot, but I will--

BALLS!

PROTRUDING MAN PARTS!

BUT WHY THO. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? WHO EVEN ARE YOU!?

...okay, bye. ._. Thank you for the brand new flesh wounds. I will treasure them dearly.

I just want it on record that he quit, which means I win by default.

Just another proud W to add to my ever-growing roster of glorious triumphs.

#the messenger #drake plays the messenger

[thesupreme316]

lucien price x female reader?? the reader is an nxt vet who lucien has a huge crush on and he finally asks her out!

In Debt (Lucien Price x Fem!Reader):

Word Count: 876

Supreme Speaks: heyyyy sorry for being late (per usual). thanks to @hooks-martin for requesting this, hopefully this meets up to your liking and expectations. please remember that you are loved and appreciated.

Warnings: none i think

You were the star of NXT, since 2019

And you have been for a while, even when you were moved off to the main roster in 2021

You were on the main roster for three years; you won championship after championship

But it didn’t feel like home

You liked the NXT roster and booking way better than the main roster

So after accomplishing many things on Raw and Smackdown, you requested to go back to NXT

Now that you’re back, you’re focused on winning the women’s championship and becoming a role model to the locker room

…Even though you have your eye on someone…Lucien Price

He was foine, he was cool, he was funny, and most importantly he was caring

You had a crush going on him for some months now (it was a moderate crush)

So you made it your goal to make him fold for you

You’ve tried everything: hair flips, asking him to practice with you, asking him to help you put on your necklaces

Literally everything but nothing worked he would continue to “friend zone” you…or so you thought cause this man? THIS MAN?

HE HAS BEEN HOLDING BACK EVERYTHING FOR YOU

Man’s has admired and liked you since before he came into the company

This little crush of his has grown into a severe crush to the point that he cannot go a day without you consuming his mind

He would often fantasize about his life with you as his girlfriend and he would feel waking up to your face

But because he knows how much of a big deal you are, he doesn’t believe that you would ever fall for him

He is literally trying to convince himself that this massive crush on you will pass and that you don’t like him

BUT OLE DUDE WAS WRONG

“Bro, you are a literal idiot,” Bronco said as he looked over at his best friend, who was staring a hole into your head as you were tying your shoes. “I don’t know why you just don’t go up to her and tell her how you feel.”

Lucien sighed, “You don’t understand! Bronco, that woman over there is literally everyone’s dream girl. I’ll be honest, I’m probably the person with the smallest chance.”

“You aren’t and you would see that if you opened your eyes,” Bronco whispered to himself. “Bro, I’m just telling you, if it makes you feel better, confess now before someone else just swoops in and takes her from you.”

“I’m gonna get rejected,” Lucien said, making Bronco groan. It really frustrated Bronco that Lucien does not see the hints that you gave him. All the touchy gestures, hanging out together outside of work, offering to help him in the ring, etc. However, Bronco came to the realization that his best friend is just an idiot.

Looking around, he saw Roxanne Perez, your best friend. He called out to her and she jogged to greet the pair. “Hey guys, what’s up?” 
“If you can, can you tell us Y/N’s ideal type or crush?” Bronco asked as Roxanne looked around, unsure what to say. “Or can you give Lucien some advice on how to approach her?” 
Roxanne’s eyes widened and a smile appear brightly on her face, “You should definitely talk to her! I’m sure she’ll hear you out.” Lucien looked very unsure of himself as he gazed over at your body again. “Go! I heard that Wes Lee was gonna ask her out and between us, he doesn’t have a shot.”

Bronco pushed Lucien toward you. He took a deep breath before his feet carried him the rest of the way. “Y/N!”

You turned around with a smile on your face, “Hi cutie! How are you?”

“I’m good, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Anything, I’m an open book!” You smiled as your heart raced a little bit.

“Well, I’m not sure I’ve been obvious or oblivious but either way, I can’t deny how I feel towards you. I have the biggest crush on you, and…uh…this is harder than I thought.”

Your smile grew even more if that was possible. “Lucien, I’ve had a crush on you since you entered NXT.”
 Lucien’s jaw dropped as he took in the information, “What?”

“Told your dumb ass!” Bronco shouted from a distance, which made Roxanne kick his shin. “Ow, shit!”

“I’ve liked you even before we talked. I just thought you didn’t like me because of you not taking my hints.”

“So all those times..” Lucien started.

You giggled “Yes, I was flirting with you.”

“Well then, this makes conversation way easier.” Lucien chuckled, “Y/N, will you go out with me?”

“Of course.” You said as you went for a hug, wrapping your arms around his torso. Lucien looked at his and your best friends with a cheerful expression as he mouthed the words she said yes. “Also you’re gonna pay for every time you didn���t get my hints.”

“Am I in debt?”

“Hell yeah.”

And from that day forward, Lucien has been repaying his “debt” with dates, gifts, and love for his newfound girlfriend.

#wwe #nxt #nxt imagine #nxt headcanon #lucien price imagine #lucien prince #lucien prince imagine #lucien price

[victoriadallonfan]

Rant Incoming!

I actually did like the storyline, but I think the idea that the Anti-Parahumans needed "valid arguments" is dangerous because it overlooks how bigoted they really are.

Like, this isn't "Anti-supervillains"; that's literally how most normal people and superheroes feel. This is Anti-Parahuman, as in "we want these people gone from existence or subservient to us" and, uh, noooo thank you.

Just as an example: Lets say you or a loved one gained superpowers after a traumatic incident. You are no longer allowed to run for any government position, you are actively feared and distrusted for powers you may or may not have, you cannot profit with your powers unless you submit to intense government oversight. Furthermore, that profit often requires that you have to engage in violent fights against other parahumans for the cameras, and if you don't protect your hometown from a killer kaiju (instead of, say, spending it with your loved ones) then you are seen with scorn and suspicion. And the moment the greatest hero turns evil, everyone looks at you like a ticking time bomb ready to go off.

A few of them, even, think you should be wiped off the face of the Earth or made second class citizens.

That's the parahuman experience.

For context:

Anti-parahumanism existed pre-GM. It was, in fact, established in the legal system. Parahumans were subservient to human Directors (many of whom openly were bigoted to them like Tagg and Piggot), they couldn't unionize for businesses, and - in the cases of Canary and Lustrum - overcharged in crimes. Reminder, Canary was so heavily demonized in court that the Prosecutor made up abilities she could have and she couldn't even defend herself. Her lawyer took days to respond to email, the Judge basically said he was ignoring all precedent to make her an example to other Parahumans because he didn't want Canary to ever be paroled. According to Lustrum, she was charged for a movement she had no control over, and Nailbiter believed her when she said it, because she could tell this woman wasn't built for violence.

Later, in PHO Sundays (which take place before Ward, during the 2 year timeskip with Weaver), we learn that the death of Protectorate cape was heavily downplayed by the PRT in favor of promoting new capes on the scene and that the killed cape had been trying for a long time to remove a drunk and disorderly teammate from her roster... only to be ignored by the PRT.

The Anti-parahuman movement in Ward is not something that just happened. It was always there.

Furthermore, most of humanity is actually under human control anyways, statistically, because of Cheit and Shin. Settlements under parahuman control are, statistically, the minority. There simply aren't enough parahumans for it to be viable.

And Cheit was only compromised by parahumans because they literally chose to trust someone who has a history of backstabbing and assassinating heads of state. Ditto with Shin trusting Amy and Chris, the former which was going to ally with Goddess to conquer Shin willingly.

Furthermore, Anti-Parahumans the mistake of painting a sweeping picture of Villain Control = Parahuman Control, which is just unfair. It's like comparing all past German Emperors with Hitler because both held the majority of the power. The Warden's aren't perfect by any means necessary, and neither is Citrine, but they do support society and protect the masses as best they can (including protecting Bet refugees) and refuse to wage war on people who actively want to wage war on them.

Even worse, Citrine is even stated by foreign governments to be the reason the City will do so well, because she's competent and has a council of civilian/non-parahuman leaders that she communicates with (of which Gary was part of), unless Gary tries to sabotage her (which he does).

Gary, for his part, is literally trying to sell Gimel out to a world conquering Cheit and doesn't even get a slap on the wrist for his crimes (that we know of). Note, his actions helped terrorists murder people. This coming from the guy who left his position of councilman over the City in Gimel out of spite because Jeanne Wynn was a parahuman and because he was tired of hearing about "bad news", who then goes on to complain about how he's not being told anything!

I really cannot stress this enough, that people like Gary cannot be allowed to think they have "valid points", because Gary and his ilk supported domestic terrorism that killed innocent Capes and was supporting supervillains like Love Lost by providing them weapons, and actively allied with Teacher.

Gary went on Television twice to attack a kid being abused by her parents (including lead poisoning) and the hero team who have literally been the sole reason that Gimel wasn't torn to pieces by dozens of portal bombs. He, to their face, called them the worst of the worst.

And yes, I totally understand why some people might initially think Anti-Parahumans have a point. Yes, it's understandable for blame to grow (as Vic says, blame can ruin nations), but I again behoove everyone to remember that humans are not the only victims of GM, as Parahumans were the ones who were facing down Scion constantly and consistently (and Endbringers before that).

And that an often-overlooked fact is simply that Parahumans are the only reason that Gimel exists and isn't a slave state to the religious conquest of Cheit or bigotry of Shin, and are the biggest factors in keeping refugees safe from Bet to Gimel.

They are, quite frankly, the only thing keeping civilization chugging along in the face of a multiversal catastrophe, where they themselves were betrayed by their own representation of the greatest hero of all.

And for 99% of them, it's not a choice. Society, pre-GM, made it very clear that parahumans are seen as less than humans, their only worth beyond merchandizing is to serve as (non)human shields for "real people". Which absolutely sucks when you want to use your powers for something other than fighting, but the government doesn't let you start up competing businesses and that not immediately joining the government as their lapdog makes you less trustworthy.

The anti-parahumans are absolutely believable in formation, but that doesn't negate the fact that it's based on intolerance, ignorance, and that parahumans themselves have been mistreated for far longer.

So no, I don't think they have valid points and I don't want them to.

#wildbow #worm #ward #parahumans

[formulinos]

as Fernando Alonso and my tiger parents all said, "if you're not first then you're not winning" and boy, we have a lot of losers to pick out from this historic silly season. although it's fair to say that this was a W for entertainment, no one in the paddock has left the piasco unscathed, but some had it worse than the other. who, ultimately took the L in this situation? let's take a look at the contestants:

- daniel ricciardo: lost his seat at mclaren after repeatedly stating he was committed to them and humiliatingly making a state of the union at the mtc; reputation as a driver is hanging by a thread due to incompatibilities with the papaya chassis; could be either out of a seat or having to drive for alpine/haas which is lowkey the same thing; still the people's princess somehow and bagged a lotta money in the process tho.

- oscar piastri: invented a copypasta that will remain a staple of the community for years; not only burned all bridges with alpine but also with tons of other ppl in f1 who are now suspicious of him; got called out with peace and love by jenson button on sky sports; still has mark webber as a manager; did manage to get the seat at mclaren (historically an ok to good move for rookies) and is the new Australian Supreme apparently.

- fernando alonso: honestly he wasn't even the architect of the behind the scenes drama but he took advantage of the whole situation in front of him to commit the most hilarious acts of shithousery. only reason he is in here is because he will drive for aston martin next year.

- sebastian vettel: also not directly related to this but his retirement created the environment for the whole chain of shithousery that enabled fernando to have the best time ever. a possible L if AM does well next year but even if they do i think he checked out anyway.

- otmar szafnauer: moved from aston martin to alpine in hopes to have a more serious team, faced with the french admin instead; last one to know about everything that happens there; got ego murdered by fernando multiple times throughout the ordeal; has to be the spokesperson and call piastri out for his lack of integrality while everyone is laughing at him bc the rookie got em. - andreas seidl: has to be mclaren's spokesperson while zak brown is in hiding trying to lure more drivers to the mclaren roster; just wants to be an engineer in peace but is doomed to work for mclaren. - zak brown: american; collecting drivers like infinity stones; while you were reading this he created a mclaren team for the north macedonia f5 championship; will be the person everyone will point at if the piastri/norris link up flops; enemy no1 of the daniel ricciardo nation of fans.

- mclaren's 100 drivers except pato: all believed they could have daniel's seat; highlight for alex palou that lied for this, died for this, sucked and fucked some guy for this. - mick schumacher: somehow in all of the scenarios that doctor strange saw he is out of a seat. literally isn't involved with any of this and out of a seat if haas won't renew him; potentially out of the FDA which is the greatest Ls of them all in my humble yet correct opinion.

- esteban ocon: ignored by the alpine admin when it comes to his preference of nando replacement; potentially forced to drive with his rival (who is also his fathers' archnemesis' son); still in a stable contract though and in ok form so maybe not that bad; also managed to survive through a partnership with fernando alonso after all. - pierre gasly: potentially forced to drive his rival (who is also his fathers' archnemesis' son); might get to leave the red bull mass incarceration complex and catapult himself into french motorsports history for good which is as much as he might get in his career tbh.

- alpine: french; as a whole institution is in shambles; remains intact as an icon of the midfield anyway. - netflicks: might be out of their no1 source of content if daniel doesn't manage to get a seat for 2023; will def see little to no content from piastri's side; zak brown will hand them the script for mclaren's POV episode and it will be very Corporate Cool; might get to do a French Alpine episode in 2023 though which might work for them;  - danielrinas: had to endure a year and a half of this shenanigans; didn't get to enjoy the summer break; are living from daniel's monza win; falling to their knees at walmart.

who do you think took the L? vote here

#long post #we need to get to the bottom of this #piasco

[kindsoulbuddy]

I just have to say, I’m not new to the internet.

But…the internet continues to disappoint me. There I am, I find wholesome content or whatever.

But people on the internet keep trying to ruin everything.

I’ve been watching Squirmy and Grubs videos for a while and I’ve been learning more about Shane and his writing career, his condition. Also his wife Hannah, etc…

….I go to look up more information about them and I see so many videos/reddit posts/Quora posts pop up, claiming that Hannah and Shane have to be faking their relationship.

That Hannah simply can’t be attracted to him, that she’s got other guys on the roster or whatever and/or she’s just in it for the money. Or she’s disgusting because she has a weird fetish. Or just how “something is off”.

My brothers in Christ…

Why is it so hard to imagine that an interabled relationship is real? They literally happen all the time everyday every where.

What has Hannah ever done to make you think she’s just in it for the $$$ and isn’t attracted to Shane? Oh I know, she committed the crime of being beautiful.

If you’ve ever watched Shane, he’s a really funny and interesting dude who has written books and accomplished quite a lot. But he committed the crime of being disabled I guess.

Please stop 🛑 collaborate 🤔 and listen 👂 to people who are disabled and in interabled relationships. People like Shane and Hannah are putting out information for you for free, trying to educate you and honestly they do it in an entertaining way. They don’t have to.

Honestly the main point here is to stop assuming what disabled people want or need and try to listen to those who choose to talk about it.

If you are skeptical or uncomfortable with some of this, I suggest making yourself familiar with spokespeople like Squirmy and Grubs, and checking out the resources they put out into the public.

I also suggest watching Molly Burke’s channel, a Blind woman who has been traveling the world spreading her message about the Blind community.

I’ve learned so much from her. I learned that I assumed a lot that I shouldn’t have assumed. And that’s the point of resources like these. You don’t know what you don’t know.

There’s a lot off innocent assumptions people make but the thing I’ve noticed about certain people that talk about their disabilities…they generally have a good amount of patience and kindness to people who don’t understand yet.

If you feel bad for what you said or did, try to do better and move on, don’t beat yourself up or anything. Just do better.

I just feel like, if you’re going to take the time to go on Reddit or Quora or Youtube and debunk people’s relationships, whom you don’t know and spread assumptions…take that time instead to put away your phone and go touch some grass.

But…before you put the phone away…

great video to start with:

#thank you for coming to my TED talk #squirmy and grubs #spreading awareness #Molly Burke #disabled community #blind community #spinal muscular atrophy #interabled relationship #take advantage of when people try to educate you before they get fed up with it #Youtube

[the-literary-nomad]

Book idea #ive lost count:

So once again, arranged marriage market. There's this young girl who has been thrown into the waves and searching the seas for that illusive fish for _years_ now.

The problem is, somehow god knows how, every time she meets with a guy, he's either A) hung up on someone else B) interested in someone else C) not interested in marriage at all. While she couldn't do anything about group C, she somehow ended up being so helpful when she spoke to groups A and B, that they ended up making _amazing_ matches after meeting with her.

Honestly, she never means to advice them, she started out so clueless as to what to talk about after the preliminary questions regarding lifestyle and future plans she just ended up listening to them rant and then advising them. After which they actually implemented her advice—and managed to marry for love.

She on the other hand has become more and more jaded. More forlorn. She honestly doesn't know if she'll ever find someone who would marry her. She isn't desperate—no, she won't marry just anyone. But she is a bit disheartened.

So when her mum comes to her with proposal number #she's lost count as well, all she thinks about is "I wonder who he's hung up on."

She agrees to meet him, because honestly she can't think of a reason why not.

The first thing she notices when she sees him in the restaurant is that he's one of the better looking guys on the roster that was now her life. She didn't expect that. But instead of excitement or butterflies all she feels is dread. It was going to be a little harder to be all blithe about getting over him if she found him attractive.

She goes up to him and says hello. Their mums sit at another table a little distance away. He gives her a genuine smile, and her heart lifts a little. She crushes the feeling as soon as it blooms.

No, no way. She's not going to get her hopes up until the first interview was over. She sits down and pulls out her list (mental list—lol, because she's not that crazy). They talk about their likes, dislikes, his future plans—hers as well. What they wanted in terms of children and how and where they wanted to live.

With every answer he gave, that little crushed bloom seemed to blossom further. He was _perfect_. Literally everything about him matched her goals for an ideal husband.

Was it too good to be true?

_Probably,_ came the jaded part of her.

"Yeah," he was saying, "I don't feel comfortable in mixed crowds either." His face clouded then, and her rolled his eyes.

"What was that look?" She asked.

He looked a bit surprised at her for noticing, but he quickly said, "Nothing."

She laughed. "I have three younger siblings. I know a guilt-ridden 'nothing' when I hear it."

"No"

"Tell me!"

He kept silent.

"I didn't think cowardly was a quality you so strongly associated with."

He looked annoyed.

Realization dawned upon her, "Oh my god it's a girl isn't it?"

His face completely gave way how he was feeling. Annoyance have way to Shock, and then, finally resignation.

It's just my...oh god, I can't believe I'm telling you this. When we spoke about being uncomfortable hanging around the opposite gender. I kind of thought of one person in particular. My sister's best friend. She's just extremely annoying. The only person who has really ever gotten under my skin."

A sinking feeling enters her stomach. "Ah," she says, forcing herself to be cheerful.

He looks frustrated with himself, "sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. Especially since we're—"

"We're nothing. Not yet anyway. Tell me, tell me about it. Maybe I can help."

He looked at her strangely, "Oh well, alright. Are you sure this is how you want to spend our time?"

"Let me ask you something. How many women have you met since you found this girl irritating."

"A few...why?"

"Have you find them interesting in the least?"

"Not really, no."

"I rest my case."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, it's obvious that you like this girl. That's why you can't get yourself to think about other women."

"Are you joking? Did you not hear me? I hate her."

She smiles sadly, "Enemies to lovers, dude. Best trope in the book."

He scratches his head, "I don't know..."

"Trust me. You find every little thing she does irritating right? She talks back to you, she doesn't listen. She gets on your last nerve. You can't stop thinking about her?"

"Well, yes...but—"

Even as her heart deflates a little more, she slaps on her 'matchmaker' face and says, "You. like. her. Your brain just hasn't got there yet."

He raises his brow, partly frustrated, partly amused " _Really_?"

"Yes. Now, wouldn't it be better if you processed these emotions? Either to help you move on, or so that you can chose to be with the girl who's been sitting right under your nose the whole time?"

He leans forward, "Sure, I guess. If that's what you want to do."

"Lovely," she bites out. "I think I can do this in two meetings. I've done this before, so I've got the experience. This time you're crying off though. I did it last time and if I do it again, they'll think I'm choosy. If it's random, then people will think it's just fate. Which would be better for your future and mine."

"You seem to have it all planned out."

"Not my first time."

"Second time you said that. Care to elaborate?"

She really didn't want to. He was the first of them who'd asked though. So she told him, and as she explained how each person she'd spoken to had some how made a better marriage after speaking to her she realised just how pathetic she sounded. But it also did for an amazing sales pitch. "So you see," she said, half breathless, "All good things lay this down this path."

He laughs. It's a lovely sound, she thinks. Then she pushes those thoughts away. _Nope, this man is someone elses_.

"Come on, I'll tell you how to win her over."

"You will tell me how to make a girl—subjectively speaking of course—want to be with me?"

"Yes,"

"And if I end up realizing she's not the one I want?"

"She is, trust me. I know about these things."

"Yes, from your 'past experiences'". He says, skeptical. He also looks annoyed which was just plain confusing.

"Mhmm. Yep."

He thinks it over. "Okay, let's do it."

She smiles, "Best decision you've made in a while."

"So you say." He responds.

***

#book prompts #book ideas #writers #writers on tumblr #writing inspiration #literature #words #writing prompts #arranged marriage #books

[redwineconversation]

blue skies turn to grey, you fall from the clouds (OL - Juventus Postgame Thoughts)

I was bored during today's game and didn't really recognize my team. But Lyon players said they found themselves again, so maybe we should talk about that instead.

I've said over and over again that this team is a lot more interesting and complex than people give them credit for. Yes, they're incredibly boring on social media. But maybe that's the point. You're not going to learn how Lyon strong-armed Europe into bowing at their feet through a TikTok. They're too, well, complex for that. The way this team's inter dynamics work, how it is constantly changing and evolving and yet at its core remains the same - you're not going to get that from social media. You're going to get it from just watching them play, from taking a step back and trusting them to figure things out even when you don't necessarily trust them.

I would have bypassed this postgame analysis if it hadn't been for Amandine Henry's postgame interview. As I said, I thought this game was boring - so boring, in fact, I couldn't even bring myself to waste a wine pun on them. Anyway, it was a boring game and I was bored. But afterwards, a proper journalist who knows to ask about football and not poll a player on the relationship of two (2) individuals who have zero (0) connection to said player asked Amandine Henry about statistics.

"Bro," you are going to tell me, "for the love of god please don't tell me statistics does something for you."

No, but quoting philosophy does. No, but the way a Lyon player responds does. I liked that Amandine Henry snarled, through gritted teeth, that Lyon's statistics mean something to her because she was the one who lived them. Henry and Lyon's relationship might be complex at best but they are also acutely aware they are tethered to each other. To this day, I am still not sure if Lyon molded Henry into their image or if she molded them into hers.

Henry and Lyon understand each other in a way that other players and clubs simply can't. It's one thing to say a club would do anything for a player. It's another to say the club will follow through with it because they understand the premise of a decent love story.

Anyway, I fear I am getting off track. I was bored watching the game. I was genuinely bored. Nothing happened worth writing about except maybe Bompastor decided to have mercy on me and not start Malard. Lyon still can't score (bad). Lyon has started to remember how to defend (good). Lyon looks gassed, has looked gassed since literally August, and the Rodez game in the Coupe de France sounds more like a threat to Lyon than anything else.

So why, exactly, does Barcelona of all teams seem somewhat apprehensive about drawing Lyon in the quarterfinals? Lyon is literally dead. Lyon has been dead all season. Their right side might flicker back to life in January with the return of Carpenter, Majri and Dabritz are back, but are they really that much of a threat? Hegerberg is not going to be back in January. Macario's return, despite having spent the past few months in Dubai, is not scheduled before February or March at best (weird. I distinctly remember being told that delayed returns were due to Lyon's medical staff).

Anyway, Lyon is hardly a threat if you spend more than 30 seconds looking at their roster, so I was perplexed by Barcelona players sweating somewhat nervously in a postgame about drawing Lyon.

Dude, I want to say, we're dead. What are you so afraid of?

Well, here's the thing. Roll the dice enough times and the odds will eventually land in your favor. Henry said it herself. She's lived through all of those statistics. She was there. She knows Lyon probably better than anyone bar Wendie Renard.

So I get it now. The only thing scarier than Lyon's statistics? The ones writing the statistics and saying they intend on fixing the margin of error.

Lyon is dead, I want to say. You have nothing to be afraid of.

Bro, you might say, haven't you ever heard of ghost stories?

#all good love stories start in the rain