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contentloadingandstuff · 10 months

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Hanging out with them - Platonic!Tall Genshin Men x Male!Reader

A/N: Due to the upsetting lack of platonic requests with the male characters, I have decided to take immediate action. Sorry for how slow things are now, but the heat boils out my very soul daily.

Diluc is an introvert by nature. With most people he is lukewarm, no matter how kind or affectionate they might be. But you are different. You just feel right, or at least that's how he would put it. You're respectful of him and his way of handling social matters. Most of your time will be spent inside, visiting art displays or chilling inside the mansion with a cup of grape juice and a board game, or outside, fighting human scum and monsters in the dead of night. He never rests with his training, so he'll ask you to spar with him fairly often. Seriously, this man needs someone to have his back and teach him to lay back more, else he inevitably burns out.

Hitting the many taverns in Mondstadt in a duo is Kaeya's favorite. There's so much to pick up from the other visitors, aside from the obvious delicacy of alcohol. Sometimes the evening ends in following a shady individual and jailing them, other times you just enjoy a quiet drink, talking about everything and nothing. Maybe you'll even get yourselves hot dates, or even just one-night stands? With Kaeya's silver tongue and both of your charming looks, everything is possible…

Childe loves looking for trouble with you. Outside of Liyue Harbor, of course. Some stray Hilichurls, minding their own business? That's a good excuse to beat them up. You know, for public benefit! Treasure Hoarders in the wilderness? Well, too bad you two were passing by. Sometimes Childe wants to go undercover and have a drink, especially in the shadiest of taverns. The chances of a good old unarmed barfight are very high, and those of a Milelith patrol coming in - very low. Or, if you're not keen on real violence, you can always just spar, maybe even with the new recruits. They could use a good, humbling beating.

"Osmanthus wine tastes the same as I remember, but where are those that share the memory?" just became outdated. With Zhongli you won't be only reliving the memories, but making new ones as well. He sometimes can't believe you're real. It's been so long since he talked to someone of a similar mindset. Over countless pots of tea and bottles of wine you will spend your tireless nights talking about the world, how it changed, how it once was. Most people will find your high-level discussion unintelligible at best, unable to imagine the vast knowledge you two possess. And how about you invite old friends over? Especially Venti - drinking with him is never boring, you two know that best.

Due to his condition, any sort of physical exercise is out of the question with Baizhu. He tends to be very busy as well, so there's few moments where you can enjoy some spare time. Aside from work, he doesn't have many hobbies. Sometimes he'll play cards or board games with you, sometimes you'll down some shots (a reasonable amount of course), or play with Qiqi. The little zombie is such an amusing person to be around.

Beetle fights and messing around are both fun, yes, but those divine muscles don't maintain themselves, do they? As his Numero Dos, you're more welcome to tag along on Arataki Itto's gym trips. He'll spot you and give you any sort of advice you need, as well as keep you as motivated as youkaily possible. His incredible enthusiasm is virally infectious, so you'll get those abs in no time when he's around! He might be a silly oni most of the time, but he has an admirable discipline when it comes to staying in shape. He'll help you along the way as much as he can. But do join Shinobu's efforts to remind him that not every day is leg day.

Thoma is a soft guy, and he enjoys simpler and quieter activities. It would be hard for him to pick a favorite, however. He only does what he likes doing, and you make things hundreds of times better. Tending to the stray animal population is certainly one of his best picks - and it shows! The fluffy guys know you by look, sound, smell and feel by this point, that's for sure. If you've got some spare Mora, why not go out to eat? Or maybe just play some hotpot in the residence? Ayaka and Ayato certainly won't be against him using some leftover food to enjoy with his pal.

Despite engaging in entertainment and social events a lot, in reality Ayato doesn't like them. He needs to watch his every step, keep tabs on all of his fellow partygoers and keep his guard up. Things like chess are fun, sure, but they are quite taxing on the mind. Sometimes, Ayato just wants to get a few drinks in and play card games for money. Unrefined pleasures for sure, but don't judge him. It doesn't require that much focus, and he can devote most of his attention to a pleasant conversation with you. Thoma won't let his baby sister find the bottles or catch you in the act of gambling, don't worry.

Despite Sumeru being the land of wisdom, Alhaitham finds that there’s no shortage of fools and cretins in its society. Aside from the Akademiya, but even within its walls there are certain misplaced ‘individuals’. Hanging out with you brings a breeze of fresh air into his days. You’re not a fool, not by any means, you’re not as up-your-own-ass as the scholars he works along, and you’re not nearly as annoying as his roommate. He doesn’t want to read books with you, since it would be just wasting your time, sitting in silence. Instead, Alhaitham wants to discuss them. Your opinions are always fascinating, and your ability to explain them in depth is truly exceptional in a casual environment. In truth, you’re probably the only person he actively wants to be around.

Arts, literature, music… Kaveh enjoys them, yes, but there is something else - engineering. Not only architecture, but also mechanics. You’re great because you don’t ridicule him for even the craziest ideas he has. You laugh along with him, you help him build his inventions, and you never get tired of sticking new eyebrows on his face. Perhaps one of your designs will one day get popular? You’ll be rich in your thirties, that Kaveh promises every day. It’s also nice to have someone to lend a few thousand Mora when he’s in need… Don’t worry, he always is on point with the deadlines.

Thanks for reading!

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nevertheless-moving · 1 month

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Stormlight Archive AU Number 9, Words of Radiance

In an attempt to ruin the reputation of the only kholin with decent social standing, illai sadeas manufactures a rumor that adolin is fucking the new dark eyed slave captain of the guard.

Double social whammy for a) getting with someone filthy and beneath his station and b) dishonorably taking advantage of poor slave boy

At this point adolin and kaladin straight up don't like each other but the sideye can be read many ways and any attempts to discourage rumors only make them stronger. Brightlady Sadeas got 20 ex girlfriends swearing that adolin has a fetish for dark eyed men. She's got 40 different people prepared to take a vow that they walked in on the two together. The evidence is so compelling that adolin is starting to be convinced.

By the time the first assassin in white fight rolls around adolin's pretty much given up on denial and started trying to get bridgeboy to at least dress better. Bridgeboy is still fighting the accusations and wardrobe with the dignity and demeanor of a feral axecat.

Shallan rolls in, still very much desperate to make the causal happen. Ok. She can work with this.

Starts laying down hints like she can't entirely fault his taste, she just prefers her woman less grumpy. Oh, did I say women? Talks very dreamily about working under - working with Jasnah, how beautiful she was in the bath - (this is a shockingly easy lie. Pattern complains there's too much truth mixed in, whatever that means).

Adolin is somewhat left with the impression that Jasnah and her had a... dalliance, which wasn't quite Shallan's intent.

Adolin does not know what to do with this information.

He makes one solid, nearly successful effort to convince her that the rumors were manufactured, bridgeboy and him don't even like one another. Then the whitespine uncaged fight happens and people are like damn.

Kaladin out there discrediting anyone who thinks there's some unwillingness on his end while simultaneously raising the bar for boyfriends everywhere. You wish you had a man who would fight four SHARDBARERS unarmed for you.

Opinion around camp flips from 'nasty affair' to 'glorious warbond.' Sure it's with a jumped up darkeyes, but...

Alethi storming love a glorious warbond.

General opinion on the amaram boon thing was that it was a bungled attempt to get another set of shards

Adolin's Prison Solidarity is really the nail in the coffin. He figures he'll try and convince Shallan after they're married and he is decidedly still not sleeping with bridgeboy. Assuming that doesn't happen. Not that he wants it to! Though if Kaladin were interested, haha jk. Unless...

Adolin: He was really hot during the duel. And well, he has to at least like me, right? Why would he jump in the arena if he didn't like me even a little.

Renarin: It's all going to end...

Adolin: you know what, you're right! Life is too short for regrets! And shallan's practically given us her blessing! I should at the very least try, right?

Renarin: a storm is coming

Adolin: thanks Renarin, I'll talk with him after this expedition. There really is...something about him.

Then the expedition! It Does not go well! Adolin genuinely thinking he's cursed, watched two whole love interests plummet to their deaths. Next several days are Not Good.

Meanwhile in the chasms:

Shallan: I mean his pectorals are...I suppose you've seen them closer up than I have. Do you think you could describe them in better detail? Does his sweat taste different when it runs down his back as opposed to his chest?

Kaladin: this. This is hell, right? I'm in hell.

#stormlight archive #words of radiance #stormlight au #stormlight fanfiction #adolin kholin #my au #stormlight au no 9 #Adolin x kaladin #cosmere #nevertheless cosmere

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deathmetalunicorn1 · 8 days

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Soji and Raiden giving forgotten queen guide around the Japan area of Valhalla as both guide and guard as she is wearing best silk dress and adorn with gold jewelry as she told them some people who are Japanese start appearing in her area and she just wanted to make sure that there is no culture misshapen

-You ignored the stares, not bothered by them, as you were walking alongside Raiden and Soji in the Shinto pantheon. You knew that you stuck out, wearing a rather revealing black gown made of silk, adorned with gold jewelry draping along your body.

-To you, you looked normal, this were the types of clothes you wore in your homeland and in your area of Valhalla, but for those in the Shinto pantheon, it was a little jarring, as you looked so exotic.

-Raiden was elated when you asked him to show you around, and Soji joined shortly after, offering to be your bodyguard, as there had been a slight uptick in crime, and you were a walking target, or so they thought.

-They both knew that you could handle yourself, knowing that you are a powerful warrior in your own right, even when unarmed, but others around you didn’t know that.

-You told them that you had been getting more visitors to your side of Valhalla, people from various pantheons, with the most being from the Shinto pantheon, as they were curious about your culture, wanting to know more.

-You welcomed the visitors, making sure anyone who came felt like they were not strangers, welcoming them with kindness, food, and friendship.

-This is what drove you to go to the Shinto pantheon, as you wanted to know more about their culture, to learn about them, that way you could make sure there were no social or cultural incidents that could offend the visitors.

-Raiden loved the idea of people traveling to the different pantheons, as it was a good way to meet knew friends, and in his case with the Hindu pantheon, finding strong opponents, like Shiva.

-You got to speak with many merchants, many who looked a little intimidated speaking with you, mainly because you were stunning and you seemed to radiate with regal aura, they could easily tell you were someone of power, even without knowing who you were.

-Those who had bad intentions who had seen you when you first arrived, quickly backed off, seeing not only one of the strongest and most well-known rikishi in the world, but one of the deadliest swordsmen as well.

-They would be foolish to try anything with those two around you, despite the two of them grinning and acting goofy while you were trying mochi, finding it not only very chewy, but stretchy as well, thinking it was cute.

-You appreciated seeing this side of things, seeing the home of those who were visiting you, and you learned some things about their culture that made you realize that despite the cultural differences, it was easy to make friends and make others feel welcome.

-You were looking at an artisan’s booth of blown glass when Soji shouted, “Y/N!” you heard him draw his sword and you instantly turned, seeing a thief lunging at you, trying to grab any of the jewelry hanging on your body.

-Your hand shot out, catching him by his face, stopping his approach instantly as your eyes felt like they were drilling ice into his body, “Don’t touch me.”

-When he tried to get away from you, you let him go, but when he charged again, you grabbed his arm and threw him over your shoulder, making it look easy as you slammed him into the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

-Soji was quick to put himself in front of you as you stood, defending you while Raiden spoke, “Are you okay Y/N?” you were trying to control your breathing, the adrenaline slowing as you nodded, “I am.” Soji apologized for not reacting more quickly, but you weren’t bothered as the would-be thief was taken away.

-The merchant had been impressed with your skills and strength, gifting you a small blown figurine of a rabbit, which you thanked him for, when he refused to let you refuse, it was a cute gift, and so unique.

-As you got ready to head home, you turned to your two escorts, “Thank you for indulging my request for today, and thank you for both for walking around with me. If you two would like to come to my pantheon, I will treat you both to a tour and a meal.”

-Raiden immediately agreed, looking a bit excited to spend more time with you, which did surprise Soji a bit, but he agreed after a moment as well, looking forward to seeing a new pantheon and culture.

-They couldn’t wait to visit and you were looking forward to their visit as well, wanting them to enjoy themselves.

#record of ragnarok #ror x reader #ror raiden #ror okita

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punk4ndisorderly · 11 months

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light on

The one where Y/N is the daughter of a legendary Team USA coach and used to attend the development program with the boys. 8 years after they last saw each other in person, a reunion brings Jack and Y/N back into each other’s lives... and hearts.

if you keep the light on, i'll keep the light on

XXII XXIII - rewind XXIV

“Jack Hughes started dating my mom when I was five. He watched movies with me, he gave me an Elsa dress, he helped me with my drawings and paintings and he was the best cook ever. He always made different voices for every character when he read to me. I knew he was the one for my mommy. Back then I didn’t know...”

Y/N was supposed to be listening to her daughter, who was reading out her school assignment to her, but ended up zoning out, her mind travelling back to that fateful day, precisely three years prior.

It was always a hard day in the Y/L/N household. It was overcharged with lots of different emotions. Mainly anger and sadness. But also hope. Hope for a better, brighter future. There is a fine line between both sides of the coin. Either way, it was a difficult day to remember and go through.

Most days, she barely remembered the details of that night. Y/N remembered the indescribable pain she felt, River's arms around her at the hospital as she sobbed uncontrollably into her shirt. Ellen Hughes' face. The media frenzy. But she didn’t remember specifics. Most days.

Some days it all came back to her, making her struggle to breathe. When it hit her, it hit her hard. But she was never alone when it did, and for that she was extremely grateful.

The doctor glanced at her daughter, now eight, her long hair almost reaching the bottom of her back. She looked like an angel. She was her angel.

Charlie had been locked up and the judge didn’t go easy on him. After a long, extenuating trial, it was proven that he was abusive and his intention, which originally was to take his daughter and disappear, only carrying the gun to use if faced with resistance, took a turn from evil to extremely evil when he shot two rounds at an unarmed Jack Hughes.

Joey was still going to a therapist every month, just to check in on how she was handling everything. She made peace with it, while Y/N needed weekly visits to cope and keep herself in check. The doctor's anxiety was always over the roof, even though she knew he wouldn’t be able to come back and hurt her. Even though he already did.

Today, she was getting flashbacks to the candlelight vigil his fans had organized. Everyone was wearing white, speeches were being made, there wasn’t a dry eye present. Of course she wasn’t able to make it, but she had seen everything on social media. Trevor and Cole had been there and till this very day describe it as one of the hardest things they went through. Everything was so painful. The world was a little less bright. Y/N wasn’t eating, she wasn’t sleeping. She wasn’t living. The first week was the worst, but the group of friends helped keep each other stay strong. They held each other tight when it would’ve been easier to let go. That’s family.

He was their everything. And they were his everything as well. A friend, a father, a boyfriend, a son, a beloved hockey player. Kind, loving, funny, talented, the best one out there. Y/N smiled at the memory of his and Joey's tickletackle that day and how he was always able to make everyone’s day better. That’s Jack Hughes.

“And that’s why he’s my hero, second only to my mom.”

Y/N stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes quickly as she ran to hug her daughter.

“This is beautiful, bug!” she screeched, holding her daughter tightly.

“You think so?” Joey beamed, showing her mother her missing front tooth, the very last one to come out, in the process.

“Yeah, of course!”

“I hope he likes it!” the girl confessed, letting go of her mother to close her notebook and putting it in her backpack.

“You hope who likes what?” Jack inquired, coming from another room, carrying his guitar case on his shoulder.

Y/N and Joey exchanged looks, the girl asking her mother to keep quiet by placing a finger in front of her lips.

“It’s nothing.” Y/N waved him off.

“If this is about Oliver...”

“Dad! Stop” Joey groaned, getting a chuckle from her parents.

“Go brush your teeth, young lady. Dad is dropping you off at school.”

“Fine! But no gossiping about Ollie behind my back!” Y/N's daughter demanded, pointing a finger at both adults, who were struggling to keep their composure.

“Okay, little otter, go. I won’t ask your mom for boy updates.” the brunette man assured her.

The eight-year-old left the kitchen, followed closely by her companion, Finn, who, so many years later, was still by her side at all times.

Jack turned to look at his girlfriend, noticing her eyes were slightly red and puffy.

“Y/N... were you crying?” he asked in a hushed tone, his hands gently cupping her face. “Did Oliver do something to her? I swear to god -“

“No... it’s just... It’s the twentieth.” she gulped, her eyes finding his torso.

She knew exactly where the scar was. Just below his twelfth rib, on his left side. Barely an inch away from his spleen and, most likely, death. The time he had spent in a coma, connected to all sorts of machines, proved it. The days and nights she had spent by his side, holding his hand, were engraved on her brain.

“Y/N...”

“I know... You’re here. He isn’t coming back. Jo's doing great. I don’t need to be acting like this every year. I don’t need to play it in my head over and over again, I - “

“That was not what I was going to say. Babe, it was fucking traumatic. I got the bullet, but you were the one that was there fighting for me, day in and day out, not knowing if I was going to make it past the night. Watching people mourn me as if I were dead. The candlelight vigils. Media clocking down your every move. That leaves wounds, it leaves scars. And you’re getting help and doing much better. Just... Don’t overthink your progress. You’re the strongest person I know. You got this. And if you don’t, I do. I got you. Forever.”

“God, when is Ashton Kutcher making his big entrance and telling me I just got Punk’d? Because you cannot be real.” Y/N groaned, wrapping her arms around him and reveling on the way his sweater smelled like favorite perfume. It smelled like love.

She could feel his chest vibrate against her cheek as he laughed loudly, making her smile even harder. The coach's daughter couldn’t believe she had gotten so lucky. When the Universe had a chance to take everything away from her it had decided not to. And for that, she was eternally grateful.

Jack looked down at her, safe and sound in his arms, her frame fitting perfectly with is. He wished he could freeze that moment in time and go back to it every time he wanted to. Her smile, their daughter, their home. Perfect. Too good to be true.

The hardest part of the last three years had been coming to terms with the fact that what happened wasn’t going to happen again. His rational side tried convincing him that it was true, but late at night he had found himself getting up and checking repeatedly if the doors were locked, the windows shut and the alarms on. Charloe wasn’t coming back to finish the job, though. Jack wasn’t going to lose Y/N and Joey. Everything was going to be okay. He knew it. But at the same time, his brain demanded proof at all times. So, when it did, he held on to his girlfriend. His safe haven. Sometimes she’d look at him funny, wondering what had gotten into him, but she never complained. Being able to be together would never again be taken for granted.

“Hey.” he almost whispered, making her look up at him, a soft smile adorning her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.” Y/N cooed, standing on her tippy toes to kiss him.

Jack's hands immediately pulled her closer to him, not ever wanting to let go.

“I’m ready!” Joey announced, coming downstairs showing off her pearly whites. “Ew! Stop! That’s gross.”

“Very gross.” the hockey player agreed, hugging his girlfriend tightly.

“We’re the grossest. Sorry, bug. You’re stuck with us.” her mother chuckled, untangling herself from Jack's embrace to be able to crouch down to her height. “Have a great day at school, Jo. Be nice. Wait for your turn...”

“Don’t pull pranks on Ms. Miller. I know, mom.” the eight-year-old sighed.

“Okay, okay. You’re a big girl. You got it.”

“Let’s go, little otter. No tardiness allowed on Hugheship.” Jack reminded them, picking up Joey's backpack, ushering her outside.

Y/N raised an eyebrow, looking amused.

“Hugheship?”

“Hughes' spaceship!” her daughter replied before Jack could.

“What she said!” he laughed, checking if she had fastened her seatbelt before getting inside. “See you later, beautiful.”

“Is the blindfold really necessary?” Y/N asked, raising her hands to touch the fabric covering her eyes.

“Yes. And stop trying to take it off!” he scolded his girlfriend, chuckling, his eyes moving back to the road ahead of him.

“Jack, I swear to god, if this is another attempt to get me to get my wisdom teeth removed...”

“No, no. I’m not making that mistake again... Not even if your teeth get all crooked.” the Devils' plajer shook his head.

“Will you still love me when my teeth get crooked?”

“I would love you even if you had no teeth.” he smiled, even though he knew she couldn’t see him.

The drive was a little over an hour long, with Y/N singing along to every single song on the radio. Jack was always astounded by her capacity to memorise lyrics when he could barely remember the National Anthem. He couldn’t stop stealing glances at the gorgeous woman sat beside him, who couldn’t stop fidgeting in her seat, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Y/N eventually drifted off to sleep, having stayed up late the night before and getting up very early in the morning to get Joey ready for school.

Jack pulled up by the entrance of the natural park, waiting a few more minutes before waking her up. He knew how much she needed to rest and couldn’t bring himself to do it until he got a text from her mother, letting him know she had picked up their little girl and was on her way.

He took a deep breath, reaching to softly shake her awake.

“No, mom. I’ll be up in five.” she mumbled swatting his hand away.

The brunette man let out a loud laugh, deciding to get out and run to her side, opening the door carefully, not wanting her to fall. He gently picked her up and the doctor instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tight.

“Mom! You’re so strong.” the petite woman sighed, nuzzling into his chest, the scent of his cologne filling up her nostrils and waking her up. “Hey baby.”

She could feel his chest vibrating while he laughed, instantly making her smile.

“Hi, babe. How was the nap?”

“Great... Can I take the blindfold off now? And walk on my own?”

“Ten more minutes and you’ll be skipping around.”

“And seeing?”

“And seeing.” he chuckled, walking along the trail.

“Good. Also, it smells heavenly here. Are we in the woods or something?”

“Or something.” Jack smirked.

“Jack Hughes, is this your way of getting rid of me? Are you going to leave me in the middle of nowhere and drive off into the sunset?”

“Y/N, you’ve been watching way too many episodes of Criminal Minds in a row.”

“I can’t help it, I’ve got a huge crush on...”

“Morgan, I know.” the brunette man rolled his eyes playfully, now huffing and puffing from carrying her for so long. “Alright, Ms. Y/L/N. I’m letting you down. Ready?”

“Ready.” she chirped, letting out a screech when he dropped her, landing on a pile of pillows. “What the hell, Rowdy?”

Her boyfriend dropped down on one knee, taking off her blindfold.

“As promised.” he winked, smoothing out her hair and laughing at how disheveled she looked.

“Shut up, I bet I look crazy!”

“You do not.”

Y/N leaned in to kiss him, cupping both sides of his face with her dainty hands. Losing his balance, Jack fell back on the blanket he had laid out earlier that morning, after dropping Joey off at school, bringing his girlfriend down with him, making her land on his chest.

The couple burst out laughing, the doctor finally taking in her surroundings as she got back to her initial position. They were sitting in the middle of a beautiful clearing, tall trees surrounding them, the sun rays coming through treetops, enveloping them in a golden haze. She glanced around her, seeing the pile of pillows she had fallen on and a checkered red blanket, a small basket set close by.

“What is this?” Y/N inquired, motioning towards the romantic setting. “Am I missing something? Jack, I told you monthversaries aren’t a thing...”

“It’s a romantic picnic. Do I have to have a reason to set a romantic picnic up for my beautiful girlfriend?”

“Is this about Trevor's whole Vegas birthday extravaganza thing? I told you I’m fine with it, but please don’t go all Hangover trilogy on me. Oh and don’t let Alex get a face tattoo, because that would -“

The Devils' player crashed his lips against hers, gently guiding her towards the soft pillows behind her. After a minute or two, he pulled away, trying to catch his breath and being met with Y/N's quizzical facial expression.

“It’s a romantic getaway...But shorter. I wanted to do something nice for you today.”

“Is it because of...hu...”

“Well, kind of. I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s happening because of the date but the date is specific for a reason... It’s just -“

“A beautiful gesture from my amazing boyfriend. Got it, baby.” she beamed up at him, sitting back up. “Thank you.”

Y/N couldn’t believe how lucky she was Coke had knocked some sense into her three years before and made her throw caution to the wind, choosing the man who had, over and over again, chosen her.

He looked at her adoringly, before reaching for the basket and dragging it closer to him.

“So what did you cook for us?” the coach's daughter asked, rubbing her hands together.

“I didn’t cook anything... But...” he began, pulling out two greasy cheeseburgers and waving them in front of her.

“I love you, I love you, I love you!” the brunette squealed, wrapping her arms around Jack's neck before stealing a burger from him. “Did you get -“

“Fries? Of course I did, who do you think I am?” the brunette man feigned hurt, handing her a pack of cheese fries.

“Man, I could marry you right here. On this very spot. Right now. This is so good.” she moaned as she took bite after bite of her favorite junk food.

Jack almost choked on his food, coughing out a large chunk of bread, his face as red as it could get.

“Oh my god! Rowdy! Are you okay? I didn’t mean to... We don’t need to... I don’t want to pressure you, please...”

“Sunshine...” he managed to get out, his voice still hoarse. “I want to marry you. I do. Trust me.” he smiled, seeing her worried expression be replaced by a relieved one.

“You almost choked when I mentioned marriage so I think we’re sitting this one out for a while, hu?” Y/N teased him, eating happily.

“So... Are you ready to go?” Jack said, getting up and storing the trash in the basket.

“Go where? I thought we were just having a picnic?” Y/N raised an eyebrow, confused.

“I need to move so I can digest all this food, you know... And a romantic walk doesn’t sound bad, right?” he winked, waiting for her to get on her feet. “We’ll get this on our way back.”

“Okay?” the doctor chuckled, holding on to his forearm and treading by his side.

They stayed silent for a little while, exchanging a few loving looks along the way. Jack's palms were sweating like crazy and Y/N couldn’t help but think it was endearing how, after all those years, he still got so nervous around her. She held on to his arm tighter, her chin resting on his shoulder as she looked up at him.

“Jack Hughes, you are the love of my life. Did you know that?”

“I figured that if you haven’t kicked me out by now I must be doing something right... Being called the love of your life sounds good to me. I just don’t know what I did to deserve you...”

“Your charm totally stems from your badass scar, not going to lie.”

“But you were dating me way before that...”

“Ehh, it was kinda fizzling out by then...” she joked.

“You’re the love of my life as well, sunshine. Don’t doubt it.” he stated, completely sure of himself for one of the very few times in his life.

“I could never, babe. Now...Where are we?”

Jack smiled softly, leading her towards yet another clearing, this one with a very particular set of familiar trees right in the middle of it. He looked down on his girlfriend, completely mesmerized by the beauty of their current location, and he took her hand in his, taking her up to the second one from the left.

The teacher furrowed her eyebrows, not getting the point and glancing at him with nothing but utter confusion on her face.

“These are beautiful, but I am lost.” she confessed.

“Doesn’t this place look oddly familiar?” the Devils' player inquired, motioning towards the log trellis behind the trees.

Suddenly, realization hit her. They were at David and River's wedding venue. Memories of their weekend in the house the couple had rented, skinny dipping, foosball, talking under the stars and a love confession came flooding back. She let go of Jack's hand and ran to the first one on the right, finding their friend’s names carved on the tree they had chosen three years prior.

“The foursome of love? Holy shit, Rowdy! How did you even manage to get here without getting us both lost? Your sense of orientation is literally nonexistent!” Y/N walked up to him, her hands on her hips.

“I did this quite a few times before today.” the brunette man chuckled. “I’ve had time to practice and find the right direction.” he shrugged. “But check this out... Right over... Here.”

The doctor looked at what he was pointing to and she let out a gasp, reading Y/NY/L/N+JH right on top of every other combination of letters.

“Oh my god. When did you - ?” she almost yelled, trying to touch the bark around her and Jack's initials, standing on her tippy toes.

“The same night I told you I liked you. After I went looking for you, I came back to the reception and decided we were too good to not be given a chance. So I carved our initials right here in hopes of one day coming back and my dream having come true.” he reached out to caress her cheek, wiping away a single tear with his thumb. “Because that’s what you are, Y/N. You’re my dream come true. And I thought, if I’m gonna do this, I better do it in the exact same spot where I poured my feelings out to the woman who has had my heart ever since I first met her. Full circle, baby.”

“What? What do you mean do this?”

“Oh honey, you cannot be this dense.” Y/M/N rolled her eyes, coming from the log trellis bellow them.

Behind her were Dan, with his phone in his hand, and her father, who walked hand in hand with Joey, who was looking around like she was waltzing into one of her dreams. When she finally spotted her mother, she ran to hug her, not letting go of her waist as Jack inched closer to both of them.

“What the -“

“Will you shut up for once and let the man speak?” Coach huffed, joining his ex-wife by one of the trees. “Love you, honey. Carry on, Hughes.”

“Thanks, Coach.” the Devils' player chuckled.

“Okay. Sorry, sorry.” Y/N said, shaking her head and turning back to Jack. “I have a tendency to talk a lot and interrupt people when I’m nervous.”

He leaned in placing a hand on her cheek, stroking it gently.

“I know, babe. I know you like the palm of my hand. You put way too much sugar in your morning coffee, you get up extra early to make this huge breakfast we never finish eating, you’re terrible with washing machines so you sometimes end up accidentally mixing my underwear and Joey's ballet gear and consequently dying it all pink.” he stopped himself when he heard a quiet sniffle coming from behind him. “You good, Y/M/N?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good. Thank you. Carry on.” the older woman waved him off, prompting him to turn his attention back to his girlfriend.

“As I was saying...” he continued, making everyone else to laugh at how emotional his mother-in-law was. “Mess, you write songs about everything and anything, you have a terrible road rage problem, you make time to give back and help others, you’re an incredible mom to our little girl. Being with you made me a better man. I knew you were the one for me from the minute you checked me against the plexiglass for the very first time, I’m sorry it took me so long to actually do something about it... When we were here the last time my life changed forever because when you kissed me back I knew I was getting a second chance with the girl of my dreams. That night, three years ago, when I was about to pass out, all I could think about was how much I wanted to live my life with you and Joey, how much I needed to be around to see you smile and help her get through life. I knew how deep my love for you actually was. You make me so happy and I hope I can make you just as happy for the rest of our lives. I chose to do this today because that awful memory that has been haunting us for so long is overdue to be replaced by an amazing one. So, without further due and with Joey and your parents’ permission...” he said, getting down on one knee and opening a black velvet box, revealing a beautiful oval-shaped diamond ring inside. “Y/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?”

Y/N let out a gasp, her hands flying up to her mouth as Joey jumped up and down, still holding on to her waist and giggling. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she took in what was happening and how perfect that moment was.

“Mommy, say yes!” the eight-year-old begged, glancing up at her mom.

The doctor took him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up, her lips meeting his in a sweet, make-your-heart-burst-with-happiness kiss. She pulled away, her face glowing with pure glee, making his heart beat faster and faster inside his ribcage. After all those years, she still had the power to make him go weak in the knees. One kiss and everything was okay, no matter what. Y/N joined their foreheads, breathless as she stared deep into his warm onyx eyes.

“Is that a yes?” Jack asked, hesitantly.

“Yes. Da. Oui. Sí. Whatever language you want me to say it in. Be mine, Jack Hughes. Forever.”

Jack let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in, a nervous chuckle coming out of his mouth as he ran his hands through his hair, never dropping the black velvet box, and proceeding to grab her face, peppering small pecks all over her nose, cheeks, lips and forehead, making her laugh as the four people present watched them happily.

“So, do I get to wear the ring now or are you going to carry that around a little bit longer?” Y/N teased him, pointing towards the box.

“Oh, yeah, of course. Wait, okay.” he stuttered, his hands shaking as he pulled the ring out.

He effortlessly slid the ring onto her finger, earning claps and cheers from Coach and Y/M/N, while Dan took pictures, trying to refrain from crying his heart out right then and there.

“Do you like it?” he whispered in her ear when she pulled him into a tight embrace.

“I love it. And I love you.” she spoke in a hushed tone, pressing her lips just bellow his ear lobe.

“I love you too, Mess. Thank you for choosing me.” the brunette man smiled, putting a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Not choosing you could never be an option, Gretz.” the doctor assured him, looking straight into his eyes and leaning back in for another kiss.

“Okay, kids! Too much PDA is actually a thing.” Coach clapped his hands loudly, to bring them back down to planet Earth. “Hughes, wasn’t there something else you wanted to ask?”

“Oh! Yes! Oh my god, yes. I wanted to...” he began, letting go of his fiancée and crouching down in front of Joey, who looked overjoyed by the recent turn of events, taking her two hands in his and signaling for Y/N to join them with his head. “Well, I want to...Hmmm... Okay let me start again... I love you, Jo. You’ve been my daughter in my head and in my heart for three years now... I read you your bedtime stories, I stay up late at night worrying about your future, my heart breaks when you cry... I already call you my kid and I already brag about you to everyone around me but... I would like to make it official... I mean, if you want to and if your mother will allow me to... I would like to adopt you and be legally known as Josephine Y/L/N's dad. What do you say, girls?”

Y/N looked at him with tears in her eyes, mimicking Joey as she stared at the man she had grown to love as her father figure in shock. Having Jack as her dad was something she never took for granted and she knew he was the best man around. It was all true. He was already hers to keep. And she sure wanted him to be recognized as the father he had been to her ever since she was five years old. Joey turned her head to look at her mother, who was struggling to keep her emotions in check, but still managed to nod silently at her, inching closer so she could kiss her temple.

“Does that mean you are breaking the law if you don’t watch Disney movies with me?” the little girl inquired in a joking manner, raising her eyebrow.

“I think that can be one interpretation of it, sure.” Jack laughed.

“I love you, daddy.” she squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I love you too, sweet girl.”

And just like that, all the pieces in the puzzle were finally assembled. They fit. And the picture was exactly like the one on the box. He was sure of it.

#jack hughes x reader #jack hughes blurb #trevor zegras #team usa #hockey boys #alex turcotte #jack hughes #cole caufield #luke hughes #hockey #jack hughes fanfiction #fanfiction #hockey blurb #jack hughes x you #y/n x jack hughes #quinn hughes

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samijami · 2 days

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They're arresting students, teachers, and everyone who is protesting against Israel's occupation via peaceful protesting and justifying it as 'they're spitting on Jewish students, threatening them, beating them up, and being antisemitic in a manner that makes them feel unsafe in our school building'.

Highlighting few instances where antisemitic statements were said, and claiming everyone who was protesting on the Pro-Palestinian side was partaking in saying the same antisemitic nonsense. Claiming TikTok 'strangely only has the Pro-Palestinian view' present in the platform, 'indoctrinating the younger generation'.

News reporters go up on camera with a straight face and say with certainty that 'the lack of humanitarian aid being sent to Gazan citizens is not Israel's fault, it is Hamas' fault.' And, 'Israel is infiltrating the 100+ Hamas members hiding in Rafah'. Even saying so much as Israel soldiers are supplying citizens in Rafah with tents and trying to protect them from the violence occurring.

Let me just remind you:

People are peacefully protesting and causing no actual disturbance, yet being assaulted/arrested by police, which is in defiance of their Constitutional Rights.

There may be some antisemitic Pro-Palestinian protesters, but I guarantee you, barely any protests actually have any. Pro-Israelis are purposefully highlighting the few rotten apples amongst the bunch to widespread propaganda.

There are notably more antisemitic Pro-Israeli activists, who associate Zionism to Judiasm. These people also align themselves amongst Nazis, wishing ill to Pro-Palestinian Jews. An instance that Pro-Israelis love to ignore being one where somebody yelled at a Pro-Palestinian Jew that they 'wish Hitler would've killed them in the gas chambers'.

Zionism is not Judiasm. Judaism is not Zionism. Judaism is not contained only within Israel. Israel does not speak for the entire Jewish population. Anti-Zionism is not antisemitism.

Israeli soldiers are posting themselves on the internet posing with the dead people of Palestine's possessions, bragging about killing children, 'inhaling dead children's shoes', amongst various other things that all constitute war crimes. Serious war crimes. Some also post videos/photos dehumanising these people, or just straight up killing them. These same soldiers rape, torture, and humiliate Palestinian adults and even young children.

Hamas has been provingly opposing against Israel's occupation, even killing the man who claimed to be 'inhaling children's shoes' after he killed them for sport.

Israel are the ones who proposed and passed the lists of banned humanitarian imports to Palestinians. Of those being food of any sort, baby formula, most medical supplies (+women's menstrual products), and many other things the people of Palestine need to have any hope of surviving. Basic human necessities, the only way to feed babies, the only way to stay alive, are what Israel is banning from being sent to these innocent people.

Israel claimed Rafah was a safe place for the Palestinian citizens to go and not be murdered. Right when the world was distracted with the Oscar's, Israel invaded Rafah under the same guise of 'Hamas is there'. Instead of hunting actual 'Hamas terrorists', Israel stripped down innocent Palestinian citizens and made them do various humiliating things to 'prove they are not Hamas'. Amongst these stripped down and humiliated were young children, unarmed adults, and elderly people.

The 'safe space' (Rafah), was made into a blood bath upon Israel invasion. I guarantee you the thousands of children, men, and women murdered in Rafah, living in tents and half-starved, were not 'Hamas terrorists'.

TikTok, nor does any other social media, take up a 'mainly Pro-Palestinian view'. There are plenty of stupid Pro-Israelis here and everywhere else. The problem you're having is that there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that equates Israel to a substantial amount of war crimes and genocide, and there's such a large quantity of it, that it's impossible to not find it everywhere.

Israel soldiers cannot even approach a Palestinian citizen, or even a Pro-Palestinian journalist, protestor, or reporter, without attempting to kill, harm, or commit an otherwise ill action upon them. They definitely cannot approach them to, and would never willingly, give them aid or supply them with tents.

Israel is committing an atrocious genocide against Palestinian citizens, and even attacked other countries with the same intent. Israel is undoubtedly targeting these people with the full intent to eradicate them all from the face of the Earth, and they will continue to do so with the aid the U.S provides them.

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myheartismadeofstars · 2 months

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TGCF pokemon teams: made x

Xianle Quartet version

Xie Lian

Absol:

Pretty self explanatory. Absol is the Bad Luck pokemon and appears before disasters. No doubt XL encounters a lot of them. Absol would also keep an eye out for BWX.

Calyrex: a pokemon who used to be a king but has lost everything, even his friends...sound familiar? Also it can make plants grow and I love the unused Flower God!XL concept. Also I think XL deserves a legendary.

Hisuian Liligant: an elegant fighter and a beautiful flower. Revered in ancient times but almost forgotten in the modern era. Also I see H!Liligant as very nice and polite.

Mienshao: an unarmed fighter that fights with "ribbons" that remind me of Ruoye. Mienfoo are also mentioned to seclude themselves in the mountains to train.

Garbodor: our favourite trash collector needed a trash pokemon, okay? But also a joking reference to his terrible cooking lmao. (I think Garbodor could eat XL's cooking like HC can, but that's the same as calling it garbage lmao)

Dusclops: THIS is Ruoye. It wraps and binds people in the cloth bandages hanging off of it. It does hold a Reaper Cloth but XL hasn't been able to find someone to help it evolve.

Liligant, Calyrex and Mienshao have been on the team the longest. I think the newest member is Garbodor, but he has had several other pokemon over his lifetime that he lost due to his luck.

Hua Cheng

Ceruledge: allow me to quote the pokemon Scarlet Dex Entry "The fiery blades on its arms burn fiercely with the lingering resentment of a sword wielder who fell before accomplishing their goal." That's honestly enough for me, but also, wartime!HongHong-Er having a Charcadet and also it's a ghost/fire type lmao.

Inteleon: Inteleon can learn Rain Dance. But also the transition from a bullied kid to an emo teen and finally a cool and suave (seeming) adult who still has signs of being that scared kid at heart?

Houndoom: HC needed a dog. Also the fact that just HEARING Houndoom's howl can send people fleeing in terror and the burns hurting FOREVER. (Reminds me a bit of E-Ming's curse, though not perfect)

Absol: Pokemon believed to cause disasters and hated for it, even though it was innocent and was actually trying to warn them... Also Absol has red eyes! Unlike XL's Absol, HC's has Super Luck!

Honchkrow: Murkrow are supposed to bring bad luck but Honchkrow are the bosses of Murkrow and said to be merciless towards them, much how HC is with Ghost City.

Honedge (Shiny): E-Ming! The shiny form has red eyes on its hilt and the blade seems forged in blood. It's literally a cursed sword with red eyes.

I would say that Inteleon and Ceruledge and MAYBE Honchkrow are the only pokemon he has from when he was alive, though none of them were fully evolved (Inteleon was a Drizzile). Ceruledge evolved first.

Feng Xin

Hisuian Decidueye: hisuian Decidueye is based on a ronin. He's an archer wandering the earth without a master.

Mabostiff: Mabostiff are LITERALLY the Guard dog pokemon!! Of course our favourite bodyguard has to have one! Also supposedly has a "scary face" like our grumpy boy

Lucario: Protective and loyal and I've now seen several people say that FX is good at tracking and I would say Lucario is perfect for trying to track someone (aka: XL) by their aura.

Espeon: Loyal but also the Sun Pokemon! FX is the "Southern Sun" after all! I also have a headcanon about FX having a spoiled cat and I think Espeon is the most similar to the cat I have for him

Zangoose: Obviously a reference to his fighting with Mu Qing. (I also think Zangoose has Toxic Boost rather than Immunity. Because FX isn't immune to MQ's words and actions, just angered by them, ergo: Toxic Boost)

Male Pyroar: It's a noble and intimidating pokemon and I would consider them a very masculine pokemon that would suit his title quite well and also...since it's revealed that Pyroar do have similar social structures to real lions... Males have nothing to do with child rearing I'm so sorry FX I'm sure you'd be a good dad if given the chance idk if I'll give Jian Lan a team but a female Pyroar would definitely be on it.

Most of his teammates have been around for a long time. Decidueye didn't fully evolve until he ascended on his own, and I would say Lucario and Espeon are the newest members. But his "starter" was probably Litleo, and he got Maschiff when he became XL's bodyguard when he was 14.

Mu Qing

Umbreon (Shiny): counterpart to FX'S Espeon, and I think it fits "Enigmatic Truth" almost as well as Espeon suits "Southern Sun". MQ's is shiny mostly because I feel the blue rings suit him better lmao. Also MQ deserves something special dammit!

Seviper: Rivals FX's Zangoose. The poison typing brings to mind his own toxicity (🤟) and the bladed tail reminds me of his Zhanmadao and Seviper is just a bit longer than most Zhanmadao are.

Persian: Considered beautiful and elegant but fickle, just like our boy!

Leavanny: Leavanny reminds me of the fact that his mother was a seamstress. But also: they are kind to children (but can also learn Sword's Dance and have wicked bladed arms) Mama's boy cannot forget her.

Midday Lycanroc: Cautious and extremely loyal to those who treated them well. Considered Dusk Form considering how hot headed MQ is, but slightly prefer the Midday form for him because it emphasizes the loyalty while Dusk is notably difficult to raise I also headcanon him with a yellow coloured dog so midday suits that better

Empoleon: Proud in all evolutions, but still live in groups as Piplup and Empoleon, though solitary as Prinplup. Sounds like pushing people away and then realizing that you wanted them in your life after all.

While he doesn't keep it with him, he also has a Male Indeedee who has been with him since his servant days. He mostly stays in his Palace and manages things. MQ doesn't like to be reminded of those days, but it did introduce him to his friends.

The oldest teammate is Leavanny by quite a bit. Leavanny was with him before he went to Mount Taicang (though maybe not fully evolved) Lycanroc is the newest member, but I don't think Empoleon is fully evolved until he reconciles with XL and FX.

#tgcf #xie lian #hua cheng #feng xin #mu qing #tgcf au #pokemon au #pokemon fan teams #I'm currently working on sqx and actually having a hard time

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lorata · 1 year

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I’m now just imagining Lyme and Brutus comparing stats and mocking each other over how many capitolites think they could take them in a fight. Misha definitely fans the flames somehow

re: this post

I wanted to get this done before the holidays, but my brain took a vacation, so. here's a late gift for everyone. enjoy!

It starts, as with so many things, with an envelope. Delivered with the monthly mail, wrapped in a crimson ribbon, containing a scant few sheafs of paper. Ronan, designated handler of unassigned packages deemed safe by the VA, slides his bone-handled knife along the top edge and removes the contents. He pauses while everyone in the room pretends they’re not trying to peek.

Misha has gotten better at her poker face. Not that she was ever bad at lying — she won her Games with the best damn grift the Arena had seen in a decade — but for a dedicated con artist who can, and has, literally fooled everyone around her to save her life, a ridiculous urge to gloat passes over her when the stakes are low. Devon will catch her peeking around corners or spying from the windows or cackling like a cartoon villain from behind the sofa just because it’s funny.

“You could get away with it if you didn’t do this,” he said once, when her wide grinning over a prank on Callista got her resigned to cat-box duty for an entire week. “I watched your Games in Residential. You even had the trainers fooled. Do you want to get caught?”

“Yes,” Misha said with exaggerated patience. “It’s half the fun. Some tricks are good when they’re anonymous, but most of them are better when they know who played them.” Then she snapped the top of the garbage bag open and closed so the scent of cat turds wafted up into Devon’s face, and he kicked her in the shin.

They agreed ahead of time, though. This one is only funny if it’s organic, and he made Misha swear. No gloating, no grinning, not a hint that they’re involved.

“Uh, okay, sure, but you’re the one who confesses to Daddy any time you think you’ll get in trouble,” Misha scoffed. “So maybe worry less about me.”

Sometimes he thinks Misha hit her head in the Arena.

But for now, Misha’s sneaking glances like the rest of them but also using the distraction to nick one of Callista’s brandy chocolates (which are also … BDSM-themed? one of them has handcuff-shaped drizzle, and that one is, okay well that’s just a buttplug). Devon definitely stares at Misha too long, which would usually be a tell, but this time it’s because she took the strawberry vibrator truffle and his brain refuses to process the entire scenario.

(Earlier Emory ate the vanilla clitoris Callista offered her without even blinking, and he knows he and Misha will be debating whether she recognized it for the next three days.)

“Fascinating,” Ronan says, blank-faced to the end, and passes the envelope to his left without another word. Devon wants to be him when he grows up.

Brutus, next in line — perfect, excellent, thank you Ronan — stares at the paper for a long time. Turns it over, holds it close to squint at it (he will never get glasses, but probably should have five years ago), before finally recoiling like a wet cat and exploding: “Well this is some bullshit!”

Devon loves his mentor so much.

“Give me that.” Lyme snatches the paper away, then reads aloud in an incredulous voice: “‘Which of the following Victors, if any, do you think you could beat in a fight if you were unarmed?’ … What the fuck?”

“It’s a Capitol poll.” Ronan, placidly signing a stack of photographs, adds. “They aggregated the data. You can see the full methodology on the last page. It’s quite fascinating.”

“Social science,” Adessa sniffs dismissively.

“7% of Capitol citizens think they could beat you barehanded,” Ronan continues in the same helpful tone, to which Adessa sits bolt upright and hisses out I beg your fucking pardon in a tone of such icy poison that everyone in the room reflexively sits back.

Devon does not make eye contact with Misha — if he does they’re made, they’re done for, it’s the end of the fucking line — but she has to know. They cannot get caught now. Adessa will skin them and use their hide for tasteful sofa cushion covers. It’s the most fun he’s had in months.

“Poor Seeder is at the bottom,” Lyme says, which, yeah, okay. There are older Victors, but she’s the only one who never made a single kill. “Respect to the 33% who think they couldn’t take her, though. Some decent self-reflection there.”

Brutus has his thundercloud face on, and Misha cocks her head to the side. “Who’s at the top?”

Lyme’s grin turns sharp. Claudius, not an idiot, catches on. “Oh, hey, yeah, boss, who’s at the top? Who’s the one nobody says they can fight?”

“Nobody, technically.” Lyme tosses the envelope to Claudius. “2% of Capitol citizens think they can win a fight against me.” She pauses long enough to give it significant weight. “Without weapons. But five percent think they can take the big guy over there.”

Misha lets out a laugh so startled and delighted it’s obvious she didn’t fix the numbers. Devon watches as Brutus squints at her, then huffs in irritation, satisfied at her genuine reaction.

And he’s right, is the thing. Misha didn’t sabotage Brutus’ numbers — Devon did.

Each of them agreed to a limit of one interference, and made a pact not to boost their own mentor in the ranks, as that would be far too obvious. What Misha clearly did not understand, but Devon does, is that as much as he idolizes his mentor, killing Brutus’ results is far, far funnier.

And now it’s Claudius’ turn to frown at the results. “Huh,” he says slowly. “More people think they can fight me than —“

To his credit, he stops, but nobody in this room was Reaped yesterday. Petra pushes herself off her chair and snatches the papers out of his hands without a word. “Interesting,” she says crisply. “Innnnteresting. 45% for Claudius, 38% for me.”

Huh indeed. Petra is very much a badass, but Devon would swear that nobody in the Capitol remembers the girl with the mace, covered with blood and screaming for survival —

Misha catches his eye and twitches her eyelid in the briefest of winks before turning back to her autographs.

Huh. Looks like both of them did something unexpected with their given sabotage.

“Okay look.” Claudius holds up both hands. “You are a stone-cold badass. You hold the kill record, I am not arguing your numbers. But forty-five? Half? Half the Capitol thinks they could take me?”

“Perhaps they read the question incorrectly,” Callista suggests. Lyme chokes on her brandy and gives her an absolutely murderous glare, but Claudius only blinks at her. And yeah, the day Claudius gets a sex joke on the first try is the day Lyme dances ballet in a tutu. “Never mind, darling.”

Petra scans the rest of the page, nose wrinkled. “23% think they could defeat Odair. It’s an even spread of 30% for the One siblings. Did they even watch the Games, or just buy the fashion spreads?”

A shared look flickers across the gathering, quick as lightning, before Petra glances up. “The people remember what they want to remember,” Odin says, an understatement for the century, but Petra screws up her face in distaste and does not argue. He glances over her shoulder, eyebrows creeping into his hair. “And we must assume there is something of the ego, as well. 12% for me, my goodness.”

The packet makes it around the circle with mostly predictable results, a few outliers — far too many people think they could fight Emory, a fact she takes with good grace and Petra with outrage, and Johanna Mason apparently has the Capitol unduly terrified for a woman her size. There’s a tense moment when Enobaria learns she’s second on the list to Lyme and everyone braces for a scrap, but she only scoffs.

“They’re afraid of carbs.” Enobaria rolls her eyes. “They think a seven-minute workout will give them muscles like Nero. They don’t know anything. If we really want to know who’s stronger we can take it outside anytime.” Lyme raises her glass in salute, a rare moment of camaraderie.

“So,” Devon says that night, curled around Misha under the quilt. They’ve cracked the window for air, and crickets sing in the grass below. “Did you tank Claudius, or boost Petra?”

Her cheek stretches in a smile against his forehead. “I’m not telling.”

“I can’t believe people actually think they can beat any of us in a fight, though. Even Caleb, or Woof. Have you seen him when he’s sleeping?” Devon yawns. “You walk past his chair and he’ll crack your kneecap with that truncheon he keeps in his cupholder.”

“Eh. It was good fun. Plus it’s nice to remind everyone we’re dangerous.” Misha runs her fingers through Devon’s hair, nails dragging lightly across his scalp. “We could kill them all, if we wanted. We just choose not to. That’s why they pretend like they could fight us.”

There’s something about that, Devon thinks, something Brutus wouldn’t like, but Misha’s hand is soothing and his blanket cocoon is warm, and he sinks into sleep before the thought can fully form. If he forgets in the morning it can’t be that important, anyway.

#lorata answers #anonymous #we must be killers: tales from district 2 #my writing #prompt fill

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ausetkmt · 3 months

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I first saw Bamboozled as a 15-year-old, in April 2001, at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, south-west London, and it threw me for a loop. Written and directed by Spike Lee, the film is an intense satire about a frustrated African American TV executive, Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans), who creates a contemporary version of a minstrel show in order to purposefully get himself fired, and expose the commissioning network as a racist and retrograde outfit. However, the show, which features its black stars wearing blackface, becomes a huge hit, prompting Delacroix’s mental collapse, and an explosion of catastrophic violence, the effects of which are felt far and wide.

In a fraught contemporary climate where the mediation of the black image in American society is at a crucial juncture, Bamboozled’s trenchant commentary on the importance, complexity and lasting effects of media representation could hardly feel more urgent. Each time an unarmed black person is killed, then hurriedly repositioned in death as a thug, a brute, or a layabout by mainstream media outlets – as has happened recently to Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Samuel DuBose and countless others – we are seeing the perpetuation of old anti-black stereotypes, forged in the crucible of mass American art, reconfigured for our time.

Lee’s film traces a grim continuum between stereotypes old and new, connected by knotty skeins of institutional racism. Many critics at the time of the film’s release suggested that Lee had needlessly reopened old wounds; that the dark days of minstrelsy were comfortably behind us, and that we should move on. Yet Lee’s vision was not only necessary, it proved remarkably prescient. During the course of writing this book, I rewatched episodes of garish reality TV shows like Flavor of Love (2006-8), starring the clock-wearing rapper-cum-jester Flavor Flav, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta (2008-). I had to concede that Bamboozled’s nightmarish New Millennium Minstrel Show didn’t look so far-fetched after all. I sat gape-mouthed in front of Lee Daniels and Danny Strong’s musical soap opera Empire (2014-) – a wildly entertaining but exceedingly dubious carnival of black pathologies – and couldn’t help but wonder if it was the type of show that would get Bamboozled’s master-wigger network boss Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport) hot under the collar at proposal stage.

When, in October 2014, I saw footage of freshly signed rapper Bobby Shmurda literally dancing on a table in front of a group of executives, exactly like performer Manray (Savion Glover) does in Bamboozled, I began to wonder whether Lee was in fact a secret soothsayer. Not even he, however, could have predicted the transcendentally weird tale of Rachel Dolezal, the NAACP leader in Spokane, Washington, who was revealed to have been white, and posing as African American all along. At the time of the incident, many wags on social media suggested that Lee would be the ideal man to direct Bamboozled 2: The Rachel Dolezal Story.

Bamboozled’s shrewd commentary on the lack of behind-the-scenes diversity in mainstream entertainment is also especially relevant today. The presence of figures like Robin Thede – head writer on The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore, and the first black woman to hold that position on a late-night network comedy show – and Shonda Rhimes, the powerful showrunner behind Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder, is heartening. Yet a report released in March 2015 by the Writer’s Guild of America West revealed that minority writers accounted for just 13.7% of employment: a dismal statistic. Moreover, Rhimes’s success didn’t insulate her from being disrespectfully branded as an “Angry Black Woman” – that most pernicious of stereotypes – in a rancid, supposedly flattering article by Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times

While most of us can cheer the incrementally increasing diversity on our film and television screens, Bamboozled forces us to question the quality and progressiveness of these roles. Ostensibly it’s great that talented actors such as Mo’Nique (Precious, 2009), Octavia Spencer (The Help, 2011) and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, 2013) are winning Oscars, but isn’t the shine taken off somewhat by the fact they were rewarded by the establishment for playing, respectively, a psychotic “welfare queen”, a neo-Mammy in a white savior period picture, and a chronically abused slave? Why don’t black women win Oscars for playing complex heroines or crotchety geniuses like their white male counterparts? Because old stereotypes die hard within an industry that prefers stasis over change. Perhaps even more disturbingly, there’s something inherently soothing about such stereotypes for mass audiences – a point particularly relevant to the wild popularity of Bamboozled’s own minstrel show.

And how far have we come, really? Ridley Scott cast a host of white actors (including a fake tan-enhanced Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton) in his Middle Eastern epic/flop Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), but his response to complaints was both flippant, and distressingly matter-of-fact: “I can’t mount a film of this budget, where I have to rely on tax rebates in Spain, and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such. I’m just not going to get it financed. So the question doesn’t even come up.” The best riposte to Scott and his film came from independent black film-maker Terence Nance, who wrote that “[l]ike The Birth of a Nation before it, [Exodus] traffics in absurd cultural appropriation and brown-faced minstrel casting/makeup techniques to rewrite African history as European history, and in so doing propagates the idea that European cultural centrality is more important than historical fact and the ever-evolving self-image of African-descended people as it is influenced by popular representations of people of color in Western media distributed worldwide.”

Nance, however, is just one talented black film-maker among many (Dee Rees, Tina Mabry, Haile Gerima, Julie Dash, Barry Jenkins et al) who have struggled to attract funding to tell artistic and personal stories outside of the monolithic, corporate world of mainstream entertainment which Bamboozled so acidly depicts (even if it is set in the world of TV rather than film.) Lee has long been vocal about the struggles he’s faced in raising funds to tell black-focused stories, and even he had to go cap in hand to fans on Kickstarter to crowd-fund his idiosyncratic, low-budget vampire movie Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014). Da Sweet Blood is his most excessive, least easily readable work since Bamboozled, but it can’t match his earlier film for sheer visceral impact.

Bamboozled, then, is a genuine one-off, but I can detect traces of its relentless, irritable, questioning approach in a variety of contemporary art. I see it in Justin Simien’s excellent college-set satire Dear White People (2014), which was inspired by horrific, real-life blackface parties at universities across America. I see it in the antic situational comedy of Key & Peele, whose best sketch, musical spoof “Negrotown”, compresses the madness, pathos and insight of Lee’s film into four-and-a-half harrowingly hilarious minutes. I see it in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins thrillingly audacious play An Octoroon (2013), which reconfigures blackface tropes in daring ways. Most of all I see it coursing through the veins of Paul Beatty’s scabrous satirical novel The Sellout (2015), about a shiftless young black Angeleno who hatches a plot to reintroduce racial segregation, and takes an elderly slave – a disturbed former “pickaninny” star of Little Rascals films – while he’s at it. Like Lee’s film, it plays as a shotgun blast to the face of formal convention, it’s stubbornly resistant to a single concrete interpretation, and it has a lot of very painful things to say about America today.

ABC’s enjoyably gentle sitcom Black-ish (2014-), meanwhile, simultaneously echoes Delacroix’s crisis – with its premise of a middle-class black ad executive (Anthony Anderson) jockeying for position in a white corporate space – and feels like the kind of show Delacroix, free of Dunwitty’s pressure, might have concocted himself.

Lastly, I couldn’t help but think of Bamboozled while poring over Ta-Nehisi Coates’s epic essay in the Atlantic, The Case for Reparations, which uncovers, in forensic detail, the institutional plunder of black Americans from slavery to redlining to mass incarceration and its destructive impact on families. Coates’s fury is more controlled than Lee’s, but it’s equally sincere, and his essay shares with Bamboozled the central imperative to look directly into the heart of past racial sins in order to plot a productive way forward.

It is time, then, to take a close look at Bamboozled, which deserves to be respected as much more than a mid-career oddity in Lee’s filmography. It is a vital work that’s equal parts crystal ball and cannonball: glittering and prophetic, heavy and dangerous.

#Bamboozled: Spike Lee's masterpiece on race in America is as relevant as ever #Bamboozled #Spike Lee #Black Film #Black Movies #Black Actors #The Wayans Brothers #Black and White Comedy

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moo-blogging · 2 years

Text

Late night (halloween + suggestive) thoughts #81:

Just some halloween + Demon Levi to spice up the festival :)

It came as a shock that Halloween is Demon Levi's worst day during the year. "The devils will hide among people and it's more difficult to spot and eliminate them because it's hard to identify them out of dressed up humans," Levi told you when you invited him to your friend's Halloween party across town.

Levi told you he would have to work throughout the day to ensure no major "accidents" happen. You signed in disappointment but you understand his situation so you didn't press further. 2 days before Halloween, Levi came to kiss you goodbye as he knew he would be gone for a couple of days.

"Wear this," he slid a necklace over your head.

"What's this?" you asked, studying the old bottle in your palm.

"Serpent's eye. To keep you safe," Levi pressed his lips to your forehead, leaving a mark of his lips between your brow. "Stay safe 'til I get back, okay?"

"I will, don't worry." You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him in and kissing his soft lips. "You take care, my love."

"Are you sure you're leaving now? The party's just getting lit!" It's only 10.30pm and your friend is already drunk. Random strangers are starting to crash the party and your friend doesn't seem to mind, but your social battery is running low and the loud music hurt you ears, so you decide to leave early.

"Yea, I have work tomorrow. I'll see you around." you wave goodbye and escape onto the chilly street. Dressing up as a witch, you wear a dark robe over a knee length black lacy dress and a small pumpkin hairpin. Levi's necklace complimented your look, making you look more spooky and mysterious. You love how the robe trail behind you as you walk. The street is almost deserted as people are going home to call it a day. You exhale in relief, glad that you are having some peace again.

As you turn into a quiet corner, the hair on the back on your neck stands up. Instantly, you know something's off. You hold Levi's necklace in your palm and speed up your pace, desperate to take another turn into your street. You keep your head down, fearing that you might see something scary.

"Treat or trick." A deep voice mutters by your ear.

'ARGGGG!" you fall onto the floor and your heart palpitates vigorously, only to find Levi chuckling as he watches you from above.

"LEVI!" you shoot him an angry look.

"I didn't know you were such a scaredy cat," Levi's eyes are curved into half moons, gleaming like stars. He kneels down to help you up. "I thought a witch loves spooky things."

You shove at him and pat your dress, "aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I am. I'm protecting an unarmed human."

"I'm a witch. I don't need your protection." You turn and walk away from him.

Amused, Levi flies toward you, floating by your side. "So, witch.. what can you do? Potions? Curses?" He tilts his head to the side.

Smirking, you whisper "Why don't you find out in my chamber?"

Levi bites his lower lip as he looks at you up and down, taking every inch of you in. "Don't tempt me, witch..."

"Oh, so you're not interested?" You raise your eyebrow, challenging him.

"Hell yeah, I'm interested!" Levi pulls you onto his arms, carrying you bridal style and speeds toward the direction of your home. You know tonight would be a hell of a Halloween ;)

#halloween fanfic #levi ackerman x reader #levi x you #demon levi #levi x reader #levi ackerman #captain levi #midnight thoughts #levi fanfics #aot fanfiction #snk levi #snk fanfiction

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odinsblog · 1 year

Note

Ilhan omar openly supports a "boycott" movement started by terrorists with crocodile tears and on more then one occasion retweeted or liked shit spouting the racist "from the river to the sea" genocidal slogan. She sucks.

[re: this post]

I’m guessing that you’re talking about the Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) movement against Israel? Yeah, I support that too. Criticizing Israel isn’t in and of itself, antisemitic.

Many Jewish people also support the BDS movement. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Look, here’s something you gotta learn, anon: Simply supporting Palestine isn’t antisemitic, and conversely, you can be—and absolutely should be—firmly against all forms of antisemitism, and still be able to support both the Palestinian people and Jewish people, okay? This is not hard.

As I said in the earlier post: I don’t have to agree 100% with politicians on their every stance. Domestically speaking, as long as they’re solidly against racism, support living wages, aren’t trying to kill Medicaid & Social Security, and are pro-choice, and pro-free education, well then I can get along with them as long as we agree on more than 70% of the other issues. And their past history matters too. I’ll never trust anyone who was basically a Republican for 40yrs, and then suddenly became a “progressive” overnight. Obviously, things get significantly trickier when we’re talking international politics…

That all said, my sole international political position does not begin or end with blindly supporting Israel. The Israeli government is getting progressively right-wing, and they are murdering innocent Palestinian protesters who are armed with next to nothing, and murdered an innocent unarmed Palestinian news reporter. And while we’re here, Benjamin Netanyahu is a straight up, GOP-loving thug. I won’t be sad when he dies.

I don’t give a single solitary shit about Jimmy Dore. Obviously it’s a sensitive spot for you, though. Look, I don’t know anything about Omar tweeting “from the river to the sea,” but if she pulls a Kanye West and becomes a raging antisemite, then I’ll cancel her too. This is where we differ—I have no problem with doing that. I am NOT married to her or any politician, get it? This cult like devotion people have to political figures and certain rightwing “movements” is fucking scary. And the warped fanaticism I see with Republicans + “Christianity” is the same kind of fanaticism I see with Hillbots + capitalism, and with tankies + “communism”: the specific cult/addiction of choice may differ, but the fanaticism itself is the exactly same. It’s blind adherence; it’s cultish.

So in conclusion, anon: Are you really really sure it isn’t YOU and Jimmy Dore who suck?

#anon #ask #answered #politics #jimmy dore #ilhan omar #bds #boycott divest sanction #tankies #israel #palestine

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writersmilex · 1 year

Note

The main madness four with an S/O that's in a band that looks shy and quiet but then they get on stage and it's like the Sunday FNF Mod's first song [If you look it up TW: a lot of flashing images that could trigger epilepsy, view at your own risk. ]

(Art Belong to rightful owner)

I've had a solid 6 hours of sleep and I feel refreshed and productive. Let's finish this!

_______________________________________________

Hank:

- He is quiet also. But he is more intimidating and Quite, rather than shy and quiet.

- The quiet ones are the most observant, that's what your relationship is built upon mostly. Both you and he picked up on the little things and habits. You can communicate without speaking, y'know? Quiet to quiet communication.

- As he observes. Of course, he picks up on these musical habits you have. Such as; humming a tune while working, or tapping your fingers to a rhythm that only you can hear. He caught you singing softly when you thought you were alone.

- He became more intrigued when he saw you play the guitar in your room. Hank signed up for guitar lessons once upon a time ago, but sadly never got the chance to follow those lessons.

- He likes it when you play music or sing, it gives him an odd sense of calm. A calm Hank is rare, how the hell did you do that?

- Hank likes to just listen to you play or sing, he will sit by you completely silent while listening to your melodic tunes. There have been multiple times that Hank has fallen asleep during these strumming sessions.

- Eventually, you shyly confessed that you're in cute minor band that plays in a nearby club. THis intrigued Hank, simply because you don't act like the type to be social enough to find bandmates. Immediatly he starts to ask questions about your bandmates. A simply band of four; A drummer, Bassist, guitarist and you; the singer.

- He asked why you didn't invite him to watch your show, and you give him this knowing look that tells him enough. Last time he went to a club he killed everyone.

- so... Hank went to the club without you knowing, hidden through the crouch luckily unarmed this time. He watched you performance with your band.

- Your performance was the most amazing thing that Hank has ever witnessed. That's when he became aware of his real love for you. ~~~~

Sanford:

- Shy is a very broad term, you have timid when meeting new people and straight-up anti-social. Which one is it?

- Turns out you're just timid around strangers and people you don't know all that well. Which is better than anti-social.

- Sanford actually appreciates your calmness. He spends a lot of time with his best friend Deimos is talkative and energetic. Then spending time with the calm and quiet you is a nice change of pace that helps Sanford collect his own thoughts. Your calm presence helps him to calm down.

- He has seen you strum guitar before, and from what he's heard you've been doing it for some time. Random tunes that he has never heard before, he starts to believe that you're a songwriter.

- He notices your behaviour chance when you're playing music. More confident, and more talkative rather when you're doing other things.

- While he was sitting with you and he calms down with your music. You start chatting; that is when you mentioned that you are in a band.

-Sanford is intrigued and asks you about the band, you answer honestly; a humble little band that plays at this club every weekend.

- He is surprise you don't look like the club goer type, but he has underestimated you before as you keep on surprising him.

- You agreed to take him to the club and show him what you do with your band. Clubs is not really his certain scene, but it was a nice little break from the usually violence just to please you and watching your performance.

- He loves it that you really do something that you love and makes you feel good. The only thing he doesn't want is you going in tour with your band. He wants you to stay close to him so he can protect you. ~~~~

Deimos:

- He speaks for you a lot. Deimos is the polar opposite compared to you, and he speaks loud and often enough to speak for both of you.

- He has seen you strum on a guitar before, but never really questioned it or asked you about it before.

- He loves to hear you hum a random song he doesn't know. By that, he made a game out of it. You quietly hum a song to yourself, and then Deimos tries to guess what song it is.

- When he catches you playing the guitar he got really interested. He entered the room rather casually while you were on your cot strumming away. But it took a moment for him to realize that you really do pursue this musical talent you appear to have.

- He likes to do his computer work while listening to you play your music. It's a nice background noise since he's not really a fan of silence. And he can chat you up while you're in the same room as him.

- While chatting you mentioned the club you play at which caught his attention. Intersted, he started to ask questions about what you do at that club.

- Yoooo! You're in a band?! You just became ten times cooler in Deimos' eyes!

- He begs you to take him to this club that you perform at. Please! Please! Take him to the club. You were reluctant at first, not sure how Deimos would react in such a busy enviourement. Then again you can handle that busy enviourement just fine when performing, so eventually you agreed and he cheered in joy.

- He was over excited when the day of clubbing finally came, he was nearly bouncing in his carseat. He explores the club while you get ready for your show with the band.

- YOOOOO!!!! You're the coolest person on earth in Deimos' eyes!!!! ~~~~

2Bdamned:

- Doc often tries to train you to become more social, just like how you'd tame a timid dog. He just sometimes forces you to go on missions with him, and you can't say no because you get paid for it.

- You often take an assistant role for him and help him with his work. He does notice your progress in social interaction as you get comfortable conversing with him. He is very understanding and in tune with your behaviour and allows you to take breaks when not on missions.

- On one of these breaks he discovered your musical talents. And eventually, when working for him he did. Your soft humming and quiet singing can be heard from across the room you know?

- Music seems to be your element, according to his recent discoveries. You appear more confident when making music, and he liked seeing that.

- You have a real talent for music he has noticed. He has seen you play guitar and has heard you play and his is impressed, you just keep on surprising him.

- You're always away on the weekend, and Doc wonders where you go. unless you have something to hide, he thinks he has nothing to worry about when it comes to you.

- Once you confessed that you're in a band, 2Bdamned is slightly relieved to hear that it was just a club where you went to every weekend. He was overthinking your reason for absence after all.

- You were surprised to hear that Doc wants so see a performance. The idea of him watching one of your show made you nervous. However he assures you that you'll be fine and that he'll love you either way.

- It was strange to see 2Bdamned in a club, his posture and his attire makes him stand out like a crooked nail.

- 2Bdamned is really impressed with your performance and you're really in your element when on stage. He did applaud when the show ends and he hasn't stopped smiling since the show started. ~~~~ _______________________________________________ Another stereotypical shy reader b#tch. Thanks for reading. - Smilex🙂

#madness combat #madness combat x reader #reader insert #madness combat reader insert #madness combat headcanons #headcanons #x reader #request

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dailycharacteroption · 10 months

Text

Pop Culture Builds 12: David Xanatos (Gargoyles)

Woof, sorry about the late entry, folks. Got caught up in some real-life stuff last night. Expect this entry and today’s entry both today!

David Xanatos, ah yes. A man who not only embodies the “Magnificent Bastard” archetype, but inspired the coining of another trope term, the “Xanatos Gambit”, i.e. a plan in which even failing the plan’s primary goal will result in either some objectives being fulfilled, or an entirely separate but valuable goal succeeding.

But who is he, and how can we replicate him in an RPG? Well, for this, let’s make him a Starfinder build.

Born to a humble fisherman, David Xanatos seemed like nobody special. That is, until the day he received a mysterious letter with a coin minted in the 10th century inside. This coin was worth a veritable mint to collectors, allowing David to quickly establish a financial base from which he could play the stock market and found a massive corporate conglomerate. However, the mysterious nature of that letter sparked his father’s disapproval.

Despite his wealth, Xanatos still wanted to prove to his father that he was a self-made man, and so constantly labored to improve himself and do things no other man could do.

Which is where he learned of the legend of Castle Wyvern and the gargoyles which were supposedly more than statues, cursed to remain bound in stone “until the Castle rose above the clouds”. No doubt meant to keep the curse in place forever with a seemingly impossible task.

But such curses have a way of getting fulfilled anyway, especially when a billionaire creates a money-sink project of literally moving the entire castle, brick by brick, on top of one of his skyscrapers. That must have been a hell of a boardroom meeting.

It did, however, work! The titular Gargoyles awoke from their curse for the first time in centuries, and found themselves in an unfamiliar world. David set himself up as their friend, but manipulated them into stealing technology from a competitor and betraying them, becoming their nemesis.

However, despite his unscrupulous ways, David Xanatos was not a man without principles. Sure, he was a manipulator who would lie and steal, not to mention creating an army of robot drones in the shape of the Gargoyle leader Goliath as well as a suit of power armor in a similar shape, but he would never stoop to murder or genocide, and would often side with the Gargoyles whenever a villain with such goals would arise.

Eventually, Xanatos relented in his vendetta against the Gargoyles and his more villainous pursuits. Turns out your greatest enemies saving your skin and those of your loved ones several times puts things in perspective. But a crafty man he remained.

David is human, but it’s not super integral to his build.

For this sci-fi build, we will be using the Envoy class with the Aspis Mastermind archetype. Xanatos rarely get’s his hands dirty directly, though he can when he must. However, his plans require a lot of coordination with his minions, so being able to grant planning-based buffs to allies that follow the plan is perfect for him.

As an envoy, Xanatos has both skill expertise and improvisation abilities. Among the former, Analyst, Convincing Liar, Gregarious Mien, Reasonable Excuse, Slick Customer, Stone-Faced Liar, Well-Informed, and You Don’t Say. Basically anything that can give him a social edge and get others doing his work for him.

Meanwhile, his improvisations are more for when he is forced to do things himself, such as Clever Feint, Get Em, Sow Discontent, Clever Attack, Exactly As I Would Have Done, False Flanking, Take ‘Em Alive, Hidden Agenda, and Seize the Advantage. Basically anything that improves his chances in a fight while also making him that much more cunning.

Despite being a fabulously wealthy manipulator, assuming that David Xanatos can’t put up a fight on his own is foolishness. As such, he has several feats to shore up his combat abilities, such as Improved Unarmed Strike and others to make him a competent martial artist, as well as various proficiency feats to let him use a wider range of armaments, most particularly Powered Armor Proficiency for the Steel Clan bodysuit.

Xanatos is willing to use any equipment, be it technological or magical, to get an edge, but if there is one piece of signature equipment that he has, it would be the Steel Clan bodysuit, a flight-capable set of power armor modeled after the Steel Clan drones, which were in turn modeled after Goliath. Said drones would most likely just be reskinned or homebrew robots if he is used as an NPC, or perhaps as robotic creature companions in the case of a PC build.

But maybe you’d prefer a different build? Perhaps if you want to play up Xanatos’ various technological toys, you could go mechanic (with a Steel Clan combat drone) or technomancer. Alternatively, if you want a build for Pathfinder 1st or 2nd Edition, consider the rogue, bard, or investigator classes, as well as prestige classes that offer a lot of social and economic power, such as Noble Scion.

Fabulously wealthy villains that spend their money on high-tech toys and manipulate others are fairly common, so don’t feel like you have to use this build for replicating David Xanatos.

That does it for today, but look forward to today’s actual entry later tonight!

#starfinder #pop culture #pop culture builds #pop culture characters #david xanatos #envoy #aspis mastermind

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piltover-sharpshooter · 3 months

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"The Small Details"- A Caitlyn/Leblanc Valentine Drabble

Caitlyn walked confidently through the streets of High Piltover, it’s passageways and stalls filled with people celebrating the date with their loved ones, and the former sheriff was on her way to do the same. The prospect of seeing her fiancé again was always enough to put a spring in her step.

On some occasions that meant official Black Rose business and a few favors being asked of her (That she’d always accept on the spot), but this time Leblanc assured her lover that the invitation was purely a social one. A Black Letter with the group’s symbol, written with gold ink and punctuated with her lovely matron’s lipstick invited her to one of the most expensive hotels in the city, and the heir of the Kiramman family had dropped everything she was doing or planned to do to meet her there.

Before coming in, she spotted a vendor selling a bouquets of Roses, which she promptly bought and overpaid for, and the moment she stepped in with flowers in hand one of the staff approached her to let her know she had been expected, promptly guiding her to the hotel’s suite where ‘Her Excellency’ was staying.

The name she had been told to ask for was one of Leblanc’s favorite faux identities, a minor noble from a distant continent across the seas, too far away to confirm in any meaningful way if she was telling the truth, but with enough clear power and riches to make sure all doubts were dashed. Though Emilia had assured her that such subterfuge was necessary when one was so powerful and had so many enemies, Caitlyn suspected that her fiancé simply enjoyed the play-acting.

The woman who opened the door was one of the Black Matron’s many maids, who gave a courteous bow, a welcoming smile and moved aside, allowing her to enter. The detective noted that she was dressed in casual ware, most likely ready to go out with the other maids as their mistress gave them the day off so the two of them could spend some time alone. Even then, when the maid informed her that ‘Her Mistress’ was still in the shower, she saw a dagger hidden on the woman’s cape, no proper servant of the Matron would find herself unarmed. As if coordinated, the moment the young lady left after explaining the food was on the way, the detective heard a surprised gasp from behind her, turning to see her lover emerge from the bathroom swayed in a towel, which looked distinctively like an angel coming down from heaven in her lover’s eyes.

“Roses! You shouldn’t have” Which meant she should have, of course. Something Caitlyn had learnt about gunfights, which applied equally well to romance, was that it was the Small Details which mattered the most. For example, whether landing a shot above an enemy’s cover to shower them with debris, or buying a lady her favorite flowers, weak points were always great targets.

“Well I know how fond you are of them” The sniper replied handing the flowers with a confident grin, earning herself a smile back, which boded well for the rest of the evening. Before they could embrace and enjoy a kiss, a loud knock came from the door, causing the Fae to raise an eyebrow.

“Impatient waiter…I better put something on, you know how the help often like to gossip.” She’d sigh and walk back to the bathroom with the flowers in hand, to the dismay of the former sheriff who almost had the love of her life in her arms, and was ready to discharge her disappointment at the man who had just knocked on the door loudly a second time…that was odd, she thought, that was too much of an uncouth behavior for such a refined establishment, where politeness and making one seem invisible to the guests were favored.

As she opens the door she notices that the uniform barely fits the man, a bit too big in some places, and a bit too small in others, not to mention the noticeable small reddish stain on his shoulder and the trolley of food he was carrying was in disarray instead of being properly set up for a guest, all making alarm bells ring on Caitlyn’s head, doubly so when the man seemed to stare at her for an impolite number of seconds. “Is there a problem?”

“Oh! Your pardon, madam. Your face seemed familiar!” He said recovering his wits at once, his voice doing its best to fake a piltovian accent and failing, and of course if her were truly from the City of Progress, he’d know who she was in a heartbeat, her face had appeared in newspapers and posters more than a few times in the last couple of yours. It was the last mistake which sealed the deal, his intent to try and play off the situation. “Have I served you before?”

“I doubt that…” She’d move a hand to her back, taking out the baton she kept hidden there. “You’ve only been a waiter for the last 10 minutes.”

He reacted as she had expected, shoving the food trolley forward to trample her, which she moved away from with practiced perfection before landing a solid smash to his jaw, knocking him out in a second. As more thugs dressed in zaunite gear came in through the door, it crossed her mind to draw her handgun too, but she’d rather avoid making a mess of her lover’s room, after all decorating a lady’s suite with viscera and grey matter was one of those small details guaranteed to annoy them.

The first thug approached with her arms open, hoping to catch her and wrestle her down to the ground with her superior augmented muscles, to which she was rewarded with a baton smashing down on the woman’s solar plexus and shattering her ribcage, resulting in her falling to the floor to clutch her chest, trying to scream in pain and finding only shrills escaping her mouth. The second had a chem-blade aiming for her neck, she dodged her attacker’s swing and landed a strike on his groin, and when he fell to the ground to clutch his broken jewels, she hit the back of the neck, with a satisfying CRACK of the spine.

That left a single man, the leader most likely, aiming his chemblaster directly at her, and before either could react ,the man found himself with two sets of chains tightening around his body, one gold, one purple. A dripping fuming Leblanc at the end of the chains yanked hard, causing his body to twist in an unnatural way, and as he dropped to the floor lifeless, Caitlyn reflecting that at least his last sight had been a memorable one. If it was one of fear or adoration at this devil-looking woman ending his life, the sniper didn’t care for, since in hers only the second one had place in her eyes, even in the moments of Leblanc’s brutality.

“Were they after you or me?” The matron asked, rearranging the towel that had fallen to the floor as she rushed to the lover’s aid around her body once more, to said lover’s vague disappointment.

“Your cover, from the look of it…” Caitlyn responded, after having searched the pockets of the supposed leader, finding a ransom note written to her family clearly meant to be left behind after she had been kidnapped, which she handed to the witch. "Seems they've been trailing you for a while, so most likely an outsider bandit group"

“Could be real…” She shrugged, which Cait noted did interesting things to the towel’s stability. “Or it might have been a blind and my cover is blown. Shame, I liked high Magistrate Carmilla, she was a wonderful character and a raging bitch. Oh well, we’ll find out more after I ‘interrogate’ them.”

Leblanc wondered off to fetch her staff, which she could use to contact her servants to come clean the room of the corpses and soon to be corpses, and arrange for the survivors to be taken away and have the information tortured out of them. Caitlyn, for her part, started to lay out the dinner that the would-be-assassins had provided on a nearby table, humming along as if nothing of importance had just happened. After all, whenever her love was done, she would be hungry indeed, and the food would be ready for her when she came back.

Small Details. They matter the most.

(Drabble featuring @angelicxlly 's wonderful Leblanc)

#ic #drabble #long post #valentine

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thelostdreamsthings · 11 months

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Today is June 4, the day of mourning for the CIA & capitalism. 1989 was the year when the USSR started to collapse. If only China could be swept under that wave, the globalists’ dream of world domination would come to fruition! Hence the Tiananmen Square protests!

Just like any Color Revolution, all the usual suspects were involved — George Soros, CIA, Western media propaganda, and some pro-US leadership within China. On the ground were mostly innocent students and workers, who had no idea what was happening. They wanted economic and political reforms but not Western-style democracy. They were mostly pro-Mao, pro-socialism, pro-police, pro-military etc. The police were unarmed -- didn't even have batons. Because nobody expected any trouble.

By the way, the gathering wouldn't even have happened. But fate would deal China a bad card. A famous reformer, Hu Yaobang -- Chairman & General Secretary of the CCP -- died on April 15, 1989. He was loved by young Chinese people, who then gathered at the Tiananmen Square to mourn his death. That was the perfect opportunity the USA was waiting for! Thus, on April 20, 1989 – five days after Yaobang’s death – James Lilley was appointed as the US Ambassador to China. He was a 30-year veteran from the CIA. But you can't start a revolution in a week. Since 1986, George Soros had already spent over $1 million cultivating a sizeable number of young radicals. Now, these useful idiots infiltrated the mourning crowd at the Tiananmen Square and transformed it into an American movement.

It took the Chinese government one month to realize that shenanigans were happening. For example, BBC and Voice of America (CIA outlet) were broadcasting all kinds of anti-communist propaganda from Taiwan and Hong Kong. So, a martial law was passed on May 20, asking the people to end the gathering. That's when the provocateurs started the violence. They kept escalating.

Armed with guns, Molotov cocktails etc., the saboteurs violently attacked and killed 100+ police and soldiers. Chinese police, at the time, had no crowd-control tools like tear gas. They didn't even have guns. Thus, the police got beaten up by the mobs. This is why Beijing had to send in military gear, whose sole purpose was to scare people. The military let the people destroy tanks, armored vehicles etc. If the communist party were so tyrannical, none of this would have happened.

Here is the crux of the matter: There was no "Tiananmen Square massacre"! All the Western Presstitutes who were later forced/bribed to lie had different narratives for a long time: Like, Miles from BBC, Kristof from the NY Times, and Roth from CBS News:

"I was one of the foreign journalists who witnessed the events that night. There was no massacre on Tiananmen Square" — BBC

"State television has even shown film of students marching peacefully away from the [Tiananmen] square shortly after dawn as proof that they [protesters] were not slaughtered” — NY Times

"The military came, negotiated with the students and made everyone (including himself) leave peacefully; and that nobody died in the square" — Reuters

"We saw no bodies, injured people, ambulances or medical personnel — in short, nothing to even suggest, let alone prove, that a “massacre” had occurred in Tiananmen Square" — CBS

And then the globalists who control all the Western media decided to rewrite the story to demonize China.

Did people die on the night of June 3? Yeah, absolutely. There was mayhem in parts of Beijing. Equal number of protesters & law enforcement died that night. Total deaths: 200-300. America's goal was a bloody massacre, which could be exploited for regime change in China. (Tiananmen Square on the morning of June 4)⬇️

When there was no bloodshed, the US invented a massacre. This is typical American atrocity propaganda. Crazy stories were made up: Like Chinese soldiers on top of buildings mowing down citizens with machine guns; or tanks deliberately crushing people in Tiananmen Square. Psychopaths of the United States of America. And all the young Chinese leaders (stooges) of the protests were able to escape China few days before June 4 and fly to the USA. This clandestine plan was called "Operation Yellowbird." Even the CIA operation had to have a racist overtone.

Like this crazy student leader -- Chai Ling -- who admitted in an interview: “I wanted to tell them [students] that we were expecting bloodshed, that it would take a massacre, which would spill blood like a river through Tiananmen Square, to awaken the people. But how could I tell them this? How could I tell them that their lives would have to be sacrificed in order to win?” She went to Princeton and Harvard... and even got nominated for Nobel prize!! of the American Empire.

But the United States of America is a big fukkking liar. Every Western narrative about China is a lie -- Tiananmen Square massacre, 60 million people killed by Mao's Great leap Forward, Uyghur genocide blah blah.. And there are so many sociopaths at all levels of the US establishment, they can't now figure out what's a woman or a man. The country has turned into the monster that it ascribed to its geopolitical competitors. This is the price you pay for imperialism and colonialism.

The famous "Tank Man" video was cut short by Western propagandists. Why? Because the man leaves unharmed. Doesn't quite fit the narrative of "brutal communist party." Also, it happened on June 4... AFTER the Tiananmen Square was evacuated and peace was restored.

youtube

Tiananmen Square “massacre” turned out to be a big flat lie.

#Youtube

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