#otp: you were singing from your heart

[mymitochondriaforpresident]

Me searching for Wilmon endgame like

#it NEEDS to happen #and none of this ‘open-ended’ shit #i’m sorry but that isn’t edgy that’s just stupid #especially in this case #wilmon #young royals #simon eriksson #prince wilhelm #otp #otp: you were singing from your heart #omar rudberg #edvin ryding #electric chemistry #i am WAITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #💜💜

[cowandcalf]

Feeback Fest 2024: H50 Fic Recs

For International Fanworks Day, February 15 (for more information see this post by @transformativeworks)

Thank you, babe @stephmcx because of your great fic rec list I noticed this amazing Fic Rec Day! I'm not often on Tumblr anymore scrolling and discovering interesting things and I miss the interaction with other fandom folks. And here you are, posting a great fic rec list of the most epic OTP ever: Steve and Danny.

I have my McDanno 'go-to' fics I love dearly but for this list I put together a different number of McDanno stories from my bookmarks. I hope some of you haven't read them already. Maybe there's a chance you find an unknown great McDanno story. All of my recommanded stories always act like a large safety net of love I let myself fall into when I need those special, unique, and most magic McDanno vibes.

1.Blue Shorts and Gloves by WeirdoOfTheCentury - Summary: Danny... well Danny is Danny. Stella is a protective Sister and both Steve and herself wanna commit a crime when it comes to Danno. @shadowhunterdownworlderhybrid

2.Touch My World With Your Fingertips by kristen999 - Summary: Danny has plans for Steve when he returns home from his reserve drill.

3.More Than Words, Part One by Candy_A - Summary: The first chapter in a series based on the events that follow Danny's rescue from Colombia (Episode 5.17). In this installment, Danny returns to Hawaii and he and Steve begin to cope with the reality of Danny's ordeal there. (Nine parts belong to this outstanding series)

4.See You Tomorrow by bgharison - Summary: "When we were leaving the office, I said, ‘see you tomorrow’ to Chin and Kono, and they said, ‘yeah, see you tomorrow'. I said, ‘see you tomorrow’ to you, and you said, ‘goodnight’, And 'goodnight' sounded like 'goodbye', okay?""I wasn't saying goodbye," he said, finally. But he kept his eyes fixed on the water.

5.Why don't you try me? by azziria - Summary: Steve and Danny both want the same thing, they just don't know it yet.

6.Back To Back (They Faced Each Other) by harrycrewe - Summary: Danny didn’t even realize that Steve was a sentinel when they first met. That probably said a lot right there about what kind of a guide Danny was.

7.Like Death and Taxes by ariadnes_string - Summary: "One of these days," Steve growled, voice low and rough and filthy, "I'm gonna rip this thing off you and gag you with it." (That's my very first McDanno fanfic I read.)

8.Moments In The Skript by joannereads - Summary: Hello all! So, over the last few years I have dreamed of a few scenarios before, during and after the events of The Script. I wanted to add to it, but never found the time, so now I'm making a point of doing it. I'll add to this as and when I have time or the muse is singing. Some of the stories will be teen and up, some explicit. Hope you enjoy! (RPF)

9.Close To Me by joannereads - Summary: Danny Williams is 17. Steve McGarrett is 26. They all live in Hawaii. And their lives are about to get really, really messy. Because Steve? Steve's his brother's best friend.

10.Sock Monkey by Cattraine - Summary: He’s late; he’s running late when the call comes in. One minute he’s sitting at a traffic light on a perfect day on his way to work, bemoaning his lack of coffee and the next he’s screeching the Camaro’s tires towards the accident, heart pounding, keeping perfect time with the chant in his head. No, no, no. It can’t be.

#international fanworks day #h50 #fic rec #mcanno fic rec #feedback fest #ifd 2024 #hawaii five 0 #steve mcgarrett #danny williams

[polutrope]

Throwback Thursday

Rec one of your fics written at least a week year ago and tag other writers.

Thanks for the tag @zealouswerewolfcollector!

Love the idea of this tag game but a week old fic being considered a throwback is sad to me (I usually take longer than that to get to an update and continue to hope people will get to mine long beyond a week).

ANYWAY, I got a lovely comment on A Secret Chord earlier this week. This fic is near and dear to me. The first smut I shared with the world, and an outpouring of love for my OTP, Daeron/Maglor.

Rated: E, 6.7k.

When the world goes silent, my heart breaks. In Doriath, they blamed me for their fear when the nightingales ceased their singing; when the trees no longer hummed to one another; when my pipes no longer made beauty of disorder; when my stories no longer lent meaning to their confused thoughts. True – I have a gift for music and for tales, but I am not so great as that. I am nothing without love to awaken me to Song.  Lúthien’s Song kept mine alive, but from the beginning our love was imbalanced, at times even discordant, though few would have known it to hear us together.  I would not have known it if fate had not led me to find another – he still called himself Macalaurë then – in a swirl of heady celebration, to discover in the joining of our Songs and bodies a height of ecstasy we did not know was possible. We had been accounted great among our people even before, but after that night, and the nights that followed one upon the other in a haze of desire, we were peerless.

Read the rest.

Tagging @melestasflight @cuarthol @ettelene @meadowlarkx @jouissants @imakemywings @swanmaids @swanhild @gwaedhannen @camille-lachenille @elevenelvenswords to share a "throwback", however you want to define that, if you like!

#tag game #throwback thursday #daeron #maglor #daemags

[ma1dita]

Even though Luke doesn’t cheat on Trouble, I listen to Burn from Hamilton and imagine these two post tlt bc yes i like the pain,, no i don’t need therapy, officer 😀

girl the way this is probably canon anyway bc in the trouble!verse luke is a Hamilton Hater ™ and trouble was known to be singing songs from the musical with her ex-bf

im DYINGGGG but damn if you go to therapy hop in we can carpool

sidenote there's still a lot that can relate in the lyrics and im bored rn so lets feed into the delusion for a bit (guys I'm a fic writer who peaked in the 2010s in the age of bad youtube fan recreations of songs to fit their otps... i know how to work with scraps)

She said, "Be careful with that one, love , "He will do what it takes to survive" // You and your words flooded my senses, Your sentences left me defenseless, You built me palaces out of paragraphs, You built cathedrals // I'm re-reading the letters you wrote me, I'm searching and scanning for answers in every line, For some kind of sign, And when you were mine // The world seemed to burn, Burn

Mr. D warned her from the beginning about Luke, even silently in 'play pretend' because she was becoming more like her old self (reckless and crazy, just like him) when she was falling in love with Luke, and it isn't a bad thing but definitely takes away fro what her and Luke have been working at as THE counselors of CHB. Luke's always been good with words as a son of Hermes to the point that it even fools Trouble to some extent, there comes a point where her as an amazing actress can't tell when he's lying---and he learned that from her...

You published the letters she wrote you, You told the whole world, How you brought this girl into our bed, In clearing your name, You have ruined our lives // Do you know what Angelica said, When she read what you'd done?, She said, "You've married an Icarus, "He has flown too close to the sun" // You and your words obsessed with your legacy, Your sentences border on senseless, And you are paranoid in every paragraph, How they perceive you, You, you, you!

this made me giggle OKAY HEAR ME OUT LMFAOOOO ever since they got together (in the span of a little over a year before his betrayal), they always sleep in the same bed when they can as mentioned in 'now that we're older' because they barely have time to themselves in the day....when 'when the chaos is through' is posted, that's when Luke agrees to side with Kronos in his ultimate belief to protect Trouble from impending war and eventually give her a better life outside of CHB. (imagine kronos dressed as eliza schuyler and we're set because luke essentially brings him to bed with them for half of their relationship and she doesn't know LMFAOOOOO) and well yeah yall know his decline after TLT but he's in too deep to fall back

I'm erasing myself from the narrative, Let future historians wonder how Eliza reacted, When you broke her heart, You have torn it all apart // I'm watching it burn, Watching it burn, The world has no right to my heart, The world has no place in our bed, They don't get to know what I said, I'm burning the memories, Burning the letters that might have redeemed you // You forfeit all rights to my heart, You forfeit the place in our bed, You'll sleep in your office instead, With only the memories of when you were mine //I hope that you burn

The beginning part reminds me of the confrontation scene in 'love is a blister' where the counselors put Trouble on trial for loving Luke---the reality of it is they and everyone at camp only know what Luke & Trouble have shown them, but everything between them is private and their own. They didn't expect him to leave her behind. There are a lot of references throughout the series and especially in 'solipsism' where his last time alive as his waning sense of self he goes to visit Trouble who's fresh from visiting Annie in 'love is a blister' and he literally is burning through his old self as kronos overtakes his body. He couldn't imagine not being able to say goodbye before becoming true vessel and well in TLO, teeeechnically what happens and what i plan to write i--[GUNSHOTS]

me saying scraps and then copy pasting almost the whole damn song... ive said too much. this was entertaining, how'd I do?

#trouble!verse #pls yap to me more about trouble!verse #જ⁀➴ jo answers ! #mooties: laeserath ! (˶ ˘ ³˘)ˆᵕ ˆ˶)

[i-did-not-mean-to]

YOTP - March

Ah! I might be crawling on my hands and knees, but I shall give you the monthly OTP nevertheless.

I love you all very much, and I hope you can forgive me for being so absent (and absent-minded) lately. Life is getting a bit much for me...

Either way, have two grumpy singers!

Pairing: Daeron x Maglor

Prompts: Fresh starts, Road Trip, Getting back together/mutual pining, "make me", acceptance, fairy tale AU (of sorts)

Words: 2515

Warnings: Sadness, unprocessed grief, a kiss, Modern AU

“Princess,” Daeron singsonged, irony dripping like acid from his melodious voice. “Your carriage awaits!”

“Fuck off,” Maglor replied in an uncharacteristically gruff hiss and swept past the unfairly tall, light-haired nuisance with what he envisioned as regal equanimity.

Glaring at the small, frantically blinking light at the far end of the luxurious caravan, he wedged himself behind the steering wheel and suppressed a shivering sigh.

After millennia of resentful solitude, his boredom had finally gotten the better of him, and—dusting off his long-forgotten impish streak—the last surviving son of Fëanor had ultimately given in to the temptation of singing again.

The world around him had, of course, changed drastically, and so he had found himself in an endless, milling queue for what was generally known as a “casting show”. Oh! The indignity!

With the rise and fall of one-hit-wonders and the increasing popularity of self-produced clips on various platforms, the format was ailing, and he had felt strangely touched by the faded glory of a dying genre—the dramatic flair of bittersweet nostalgia had always appealed to him, after all.

Never could he have predicted the shock and amazement that had washed through him upon discovering a familiar face amongst the sea of strangers, all of them impatiently waiting to get their fleeting moment in the sun.

Daeron of Doriath had grinned wistfully. “Alive, yeah?”

Even now, as his knuckles were white and tense around the cheap imitation of black leather, Maglor was overcome with helpless ire as he recalled that callous greeting.

His own heart had given a painful lurch, and his tongue had felt heavy and unwieldy in his dry mouth.

In truth, he resented Daeron for having had the readiness of mind to quip however feebly and half-heartedly when he had been struggling to even draw breath.

Evidently, Maglor had heard rumours about Daeron’s disappearance, and—while the world was in the throes of the Black Death—he had even attempted to do some discreet investigations, but he had never expected to behold that sharp-featured, unbearably impassive face in person again.

Once upon a time, they had shared a few torrid nights of illicit pleasure, and Maglor had always liked to think that they would have made for good long-term lovers, had things been different.

As history had played out, though, too many grievous deeds of treason and murder had ultimately fallen like unforgiving scythes between Daeron’s people and his own, and they had been torn apart before their fragile bond had ever truly knitted.

Many a time, Maglor—overcome with loneliness and longing—had assured himself that it had been for the best, despite the nagging sting of persistent doubt at the back of his mind.

“Do you ever think of the fairy tale ending we didn’t get?”

Maglor’s eyes widened as the sharp jerk of Daeron’s head made him realise that he had spoken these words aloud.

In his former life, he had been known to love causing a stir, but he now resented himself for having betrayed his own resolution not to give the vultures of the TV show any material they could cut and mangle into some melodramatic narrative of mutual pining and inevitable heartbreak.

As was to be expected of two musical heroes of another time, Daeron and he had passed the initial try-outs with flying colours, and the producer—who seemed more interested in a marketable storyline than in actual skill—had promptly decided that they were to share a camping car to a yet undisclosed location where the first “challenge” would be held.

Having performed in desolate war camps and in front of highly spoiled, complacent audiences alike, Maglor was fundamentally unafraid of the potential discontentment of a few blatantly unarmed mortals which, quite naturally, only contributed to his popularity with the viewers of the sensationalist show.

His frantically cheery demeanour, especially in juxtaposition with Daeron’s almost hostile aloofness, had thus immediately captured the hearts and minds of the faceless, nameless spectators behind innumerable screens all across the world.

Unfortunately, neither one of them, having always been reasonably popular, had had the good sense to refuse this arrangement, which meant that they were now perched together in a structurally unsound box of laughably thin metal that was hurtling down bumpy streets towards an undoubtedly underwhelming destination.

After a long moment of silently toying with the grotesque collection of porcelain dolls, plush toys, and ragdolls Maglor seemed to carry around like talismans or voodoo dolls, Daeron scoffed.

“Why, Káno, don’t write us off just yet. Returned from oblivion and obsolescence, here we are, competing once more,” he rasped. Maglor took his eyes off the road to witness the mocking twinkle in those enchantingly unfathomable eyes.

Oh, Daeron had always loved speaking in riddles, and nothing amused him more than to harp on the subtext of a situation until its thrumming strings screamed their protest.

Bowing his head in a poor imitation of gratitude, Maglor narrowed his eyes to flashing slivers of bared steel.

“Isn’t that how these tales go?” Daeron chortled. “The princess, singing mournful songs by the raging sea, and the lost knight finding her at the very last moment. I seem to remember a story of a daring prince who found his paramour—captured and detained by dragons and evil monsters—by singing to his lost love. Are you familiar with it?”

This time, Maglor gave an audible grunt. The naked pain vibrating in the sound made Daeron press his lips together as if he could recall the hasty, cruel words he had just unleashed.

“Forget I’ve said anything,” he hissed. “The years have not been kind to my mind.”

Again, Daeron tapped his fingertip against the pale cheek of an antique figurine of a flame-haired angel. “Nelyafinwë Maitimo,” he whispered as if to call one who could no longer hear neither curses nor praise.

With a choked sound of raw emotion, Maglor wrenched around the steering wheel dangerously. “I haven’t heard their names for so long, spoken by a voice that isn’t mine. Forgive me…”

“I have bought your paintings, by the way,*” Daeron confessed, drawn into the depthless pool of the other’s unexpected vulnerability as easily now as that first time they had met under a new moon. “It took me centuries to find them all, but they’re safe with me.”

“Sometimes,” he then disjointedly answered that involuntary question, hanging like a raincloud between them, in a sober, startlingly beautiful whisper. “At times, when the night is oppressive and starless, and the wind sings dirges of another era, yes, then I think of you and of all that might have been.”

Maglor had expected mockery and scalding disdain, but Daeron’s candid reply, drenched in blood and unshed tears, left him speechless as he stared sightlessly at the road unwinding like a drab, greyish ribbon before him.

For what felt like an eternity, they just sat in silence as the empty, barren landscape flew past them.

In their former life, there would have been loud, competitive singing, but they seemed to agree that whatever they shared was too fragile and precious to drag it out into the open under the dispassionate, greedy eye of a soulless camera.

“Maybe we should take a break,” Daeron said suddenly, almost making Maglor veer off the road again with shock as that old-familiar, powerful voice rattled him like a shockwave.

He nodded shakily—usually, he was better at observing and emulating the little weaknesses of the incarnates amongst which they were hiding, but his mind had been obsessively dissecting every minute detail of Daeron’s confession.

Indubitably, a mere human would need to stretch their legs and rest their eyes after hours of driving! Maglor resented himself for not having thought of it himself, and—never one to forego a challenge—he added cheerily that he could indeed do with a snack.

A tiny twitch passed over Daeron’s face—was it exasperated disbelief or earnest amusement?—but he, in turn, nodded as if he did not know that the blessed and cursed prince of the Ñoldor could have covered the distance their rickety caravan had just crossed without resting or eating. “Sure, we can go for a walk.”

They chuckled quietly in unison, remembering with heartbroken melancholy how mercilessly they had once been berated for their half-hearted dissembling and open petulance.

Again, they seemed to concur that they’d bear much worse than the tasteless, guileless prying of a ruthless producer if it meant that they could weather the devastatingly deserved displeasure of their lost loved ones once more.

Alas, they were alone in this world, and thus they could be as dishonest in their demeanour as they wanted.

The playful duplicity and leisurely prevarication that had once been a harmless affectation had seemingly turned into a dire necessity throughout the ages, though, and Daeron rubbed his thumb distractedly across the pendant—old, golden wood, engraved in a language few could read nowadays—as Maglor pulled into a near-empty parking lot.

They moved slowly and clumsily as they exited the parked trailer, masterfully emulating the signs of fatigue and stiffness they’d observed in friends and foes countless times.

“Do you really want to walk?” Maglor asked. Haven’t we walked enough? Even though that second, slightly bitter question never made it past his lips, Daeron could easily discern it between the lines.

“Yes—didn’t you say that you were hungry?” He looked famished, Daeron thought with a pang of agonising nostalgia and resentful pity.

He remembered the soft, full silhouette of Kanafinwë, blessed song of Fëanáro’s and Nerdanel’s love, and he shivered with dismay at the sight of the unbecomingly gaunt, hollow-cheeked creature stalking past him.

This fading shadow of a once glorious prince looked like something cut out of a cheap fashion magazine, paper-thin and oddly flat, which undoubtedly impressed foolish girls and shallow youngsters who, of course, had no way of knowing that Maglor had once possessed the kind of beauty neither song nor hefty tome might ever have captured or encompassed.

“Let me buy you a sandwich,” he said with a forced grin and elbowed Maglor in the ribs. “You look like you need it!”

“A soggy sandwich from a vending machine?” Maglor made a face. “I remember the amazing feasts you used to prepare for me. Do you?”

Clenching his teeth to keep the wailing dirge of lost love—bewept and interred so many ages ago—from bursting from his lips in a hailstorm of fire and blood, Daeron nodded tersely. “You called me ‘nightingale’ then, and you loved the bittersweet taste of the pale berries that only grew in our shadowy meadows,” he whispered. “I remember.”

A barking, unsteady laugh escaped Maglor. “They were like you—complex, acrid, and delicious. I—”

They had reached the edge of the bare, bleak cement desert and sat down under a gnarled, greyish tree that had lost all its colour and vitality in the constant haze of exhaust fumes and empty souls.

“Should I go check whether they have a fresh sandwich for you?” Daeron broke the silence that thrummed like a single chord vibrating endlessly between them. “You don’t look much like the lark I once loved anymore, but you still sound the same.”

Maglor’s head snapped up in a sharp jerk. He had not thought of that silly nickname in a literal eternity—at least as far as everyone around him was concerned—and hearing it spoken so tenderly pierced his heart.

“Lark,” he repeated slowly. “Because I was so loud and annoying.”

“Because you were the herald of dawn, of light, of hope!” Daeron contradicted gruffly.

“Who brought death and destruction, never you forget.” Averting his eyes from the shining hero of his unfinished fairy tale, Maglor felt a surge of that age-old despair and weariness crawling up his clogged throat.

“We did that quite well on our own.” Shrugging lopsidedly—a little too fast to fully hide the lingering echoes of unprocessed feelings of resentment and desire—Daeron gave a long-drawn, distinctly miserable sigh. “Either way, it’s done and over. Your kings and mine, the fair maidens we disappointed and deserted, the kin we betrayed…they’re all gone and won’t come back any time soon. Might as well eat that sandwich, what say you? I want you to eat something—I’ve always loved watching you eat!”

“Make me!” The right corner of Maglor’s mouth twitched, and just as Daeron decided that he’d accept this as consent and wanted to jog back to the small, rancid store they’d passed by on their way to the lonely tree, all the air was knocked out of his lungs.

“You said…you said I loved Doriath’s berries and…that you’d loved me,” Maglor whispered tremulously.

Maybe it was the rare quality of his voice or perhaps it was Daeron’s exceptional hearing, but these words seemed to swell into a deafening crescendo, underscored by the roaring of the blood in his temples and ears.

He had stupidly let this slip, hadn’t he?

“I admit that the past tense, no matter how deserved, wounds me,” the fallen prince admitted in a low, trembling voice.

“No—” Daeron took a deep, audible breath. “That was a long time ago, and many things have changed, haven’t they?”

Crestfallen, the other—still so beautiful underneath the tarnished patina of faded glory—nodded. “I guess all things must change. Nevertheless, your voice still makes my heart skip a beat, so I guess some precious fragments of our previous lives stay blessedly untouched by the ravages of war and the unrelenting destruction of time.”

Daeron could have said a million things—he wanted to object and argue—but, instead, he simply closed his cool palms around Maglor’s drawn face and pulled him in a soft, tender kiss.

As their eyes closed, lids fluttering wildly, they could almost feel the gentle, fragrant winds of a faraway verdant forest caress their clammy brow, and echoes of songs that had not been played in millennia filled the cool air.

That first kiss was as delicate as butterfly wings, but it shifted the world off its axis irrevocably, nevertheless.

“We’re no longer who we once were…and that might be for the better,” Daeron breathed against those sweet, poisonous lips. “But—as that greasy executive didn’t tire of pointing out—we each have a compellingly tragic backstory, fraught with mystery and misery, that only we know about. Let me recite the names of your brothers to you while we hold on to what is left of us.”

“Sandwiches and sad songs?” Maglor teased feebly. “How the mighty have fallen!”

“Whatever you want, princess. It’s just you and me, left stranded in this decrepit, dying world. At the edge of time, afloat in the everlasting darkness of self-imposed isolation, we remain.”

“Are you saying that it is time to go home? Together?” Reluctance and longing wrought a complex melody that echoed through their souls, reviving old grievances and immortal affection.

“Not yet, darling. Let’s give them a show…” Daeron whispered. “One last encore before the final curtain, what say you, my lark?”

* If you want the spin-off story of Daeron travelling around to find and purchase (steal, blackmail, and do crime in general) Maglor's paintings, let me know!

Thank you for bearing with me! Lots of love!

-> Masterlist

#og post #Fanfiction #writing #IDNMT writes #jrrt #Tolkien fanfiction #YOTP #yotp 2023 prompts #DaeMags #Daeron #Maglor #March #Fresh Starts #Road Trip #Fairy tale AU #Getting back together #Mutual pining #Make me #Acceptance

[jerzwriter]

A Quite Carrick Halloween

FICTOBER 2022 - DAY 1 - "I CHOSE YOU."

Fic Type:             Fanfic

Fandom:             Choices – Open Heart (Post Series)

Pairing:                Tobias Carrick x F!MC (Casey MacTavish)

Rating:                 Teen

Category:            Holiday Fluff

Summary:           It's their first Halloween with baby Samantha, and they're wrapped in sugary sweet domestic bliss - but with these two, there's always a side of something extra. 🎃

Words:                1465

A/N:                     This was based on a prompt ask from this list.  “imagine your OTP handing out candies in amusing couple costumes.” I think I went a little “cuter” than amusing, but Tobias & Casey pack their own amusement into every event, as you’ll see 😊 I am participating in @choicesmonthlychallenge Spooktober - Candy / @fictober-event - day 1 - "I choose you" - and @choicesficwriterscreations Naugty & Nice Event - "Want to see what I turn into at midnight."

CHARACTERS BELONG TO PIXELBERRY STUDIOS

It was the perfect Halloween day. The sun was shining brightly in a clear blue sky, and the air was crisp, though not yet cold. There may have been more leaves on the Boston streets than on its trees, but those that remained scattered on branches helped paint a beautiful fall scene.  

Casey stepped outside and paused on their townhome’s top step. Tossing her head back and shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath until the cool autumn air filled her lungs. A genuine, joyful smile spread on her lips as memories of Halloweens from her younger days flooded her mind. The memories were precious, but the future was even more dear. A new mother herself, she was about to create new ones with her own baby girl, and she couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to start. 

She sat on the steps, smoothing her royal blue dress and placing the large bowl of candy on top of her lap. It wasn't her first choice of costume. But not having a family costume on their first Halloween as a family was not an option. Tobias had been calling Samantha pumpkin practically since conception, so her costume was a given, but her parent’s choice was not so simple.

"I got it!" He ran into the kitchen exuberantly. "Peanuts! Charlie Brown. Lucy. DONE! Sammy is the Great Pumpkin. It's perfect!"

"Sammy is a generic pumpkin, honey, not the Great Pumpkin. Besides, Lucy was so… mean in that show. Do you think I'm mean?"

"Well…” he smirked, “you do have your days."  He pulled away before she smacked his shoulder. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and lavished her neck with ticklish kisses. The rest of the night was spent doing things they had to be careful about if they didn't want Sammy's sibling on the way.

Casey never came up with a better idea, and that’s how she ended up sitting here in her blue dress and Mary Janes, eagerly awaiting her husband and daughter’s arrival.

Tobias was simply bubbling over, more animated than the character he was supposed to be. Decked out in his bright yellow shirt with a black zig-zag and matching shorts, he beamed from ear to ear as he spoke jibberish to the bouncing baby pumpkin on his hip. Casey's heart filled with joy watching them, but she couldn't help but chuckle.

"What?" he queried, quickly turning back to Sammy with a sing-song voice. "What? What's Mommy laughing at Sammy? Do you think she's laughing at you or me?"

"Oh, you," she assured. "A thousand times you!"

"Gee, thanks, babe!”

"It's not bad. I'm just thinking it wasn't too long ago that you were this playboy doctor. Mr. Non-Commitment and never settling down,” she joked. “Halloween activities were probably far more naughty than nice then… but now look at you. You're a natural. It's like you were born for this life."

"Well, maybe that's because I was," he said, sitting next to her and meeting her lips with a warm, tender kiss. "I just needed to find the one who could make it feel like a gift instead of a prison. I knew it was you the moment you came along and, well… when deciding between my old life and you, it was a no-brainer. I chose you."

"Awww," she giggled, snuggling close to his side. "That is so sweet. I'd say you were trying to butter me up for those naughty favors later… but then again, you know I'm a sure thing."

"Casey!" He exclaimed with feigned anger. "In front of the baby?"

"She doesn't understand us yet," she winked as her husband shook his head in bemusement.

"And this is just one reason I love you. But while Sammy may not understand yet," he pointed a few doors away, "those kids will. Now let's behave, baby girl; it's time to hand out some candy!"

Within minutes their steps were overtaken by neighborhood children. Sammy clung to her Daddy’s t-shirt, thoroughly unimpressed with the strange children, but her parents were another story. Tobias & Casey excitedly greeted each child, inquiring about their costumes as they dropped candy into their sacks. Witches, ghosts, a princess, a baseball player or two, the Carricks made a fuss over each and every one. 

The day was winding down when a little girl showed up with her mother.

“Trick or treat,” she said with a soft voice. 

Casey beamed as Tobias informed her that he knew she was Casey’s favorite costume of the day. Blue scrubs, a white lab coat, and a stethoscope on her neck. 

"Oh my goodness!" Casey squealed. "You’re a doctor! Do you want to be a doctor when you grow up?”

The girl's dark curls bounced around her face as she nodded. Shyness getting the better of her, she moved against her mother’s leg.

“That’s all she talks about,” her mom grinned. “I used to think it was a passing phase, but now I’m starting to think I should save up for med school!”

“That’s not the worst idea,” Casey smiled, squatting down to talk to the child at her level. “Hey, you know I’m a doctor, and my husband here is a doctor, too. I think you will make a wonderful doctor one day.” 

Pleased with the little girl's bright smile, Casey turned to Tobias. “Hon, give her a little extra candy. She deserves it for all that studying she will need to do.”

“You got it! But if you want, I’ll run inside and get my stationery. We can drop a letter of recommendation in there.”

“Oh, we may take you up on that in another fourteen years!” Her mom laughed.

Tobias looked at the little girl. “I went to Hopkins, the best med school in the country. They love when they get letters from people who went there. I’ve got your back.”

Casey turned to him, unamused. “The best! You were ranked fourth last year!”

“Still better than Perelman's sixth,” he winked.

Casey turned around and placed the candy in the child’s bag. “Sweetheart, when you are a doctor, you might want to think twice before marrying another doctor.”

“HEY!” Tobias yelled, sending little Sammy into a litany of babbling. “See, our daughter isn’t happy with that statement either!”  

Standing up with a chuckle, Casey wished the little girl and her mom well before reclaiming her place at her husband’s side. She took Samantha in her arms and snuggled her close. A warmth he never thought he’d experience filled Tobias’s chest as he wrapped them both in his arms. They sat in silence and let the moment linger, each sharing the same thought. This was pretty much perfection.

“I was only joking,” Casey finally spoke. “Marrying my doctor was probably the best thing I ever did.”

“Probably!” He sneered. “I know marrying you was the best thing I ever did, and if I forget, I always have my mother to remind me. But you go ahead and think about it.”

Casey silenced him with another tender kiss while Samantha began falling asleep in her arms. 

“We should get her inside. I don’t think we’ll be getting more trick-or-treaters today.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, “and Sammy is tuckered out. Besides, I want to pull those med school rankings up to prove you wrong.”

“Are you kidding me?” Casey laughed.

“Second in my class!” He said, picking the empty candy bowl up from the steps. “From the best med school in America. Where were you, dear? Sixth? Seventh?”

“FIFTH! And you know it! That’s from an Ivy League med school. Is Hopkins an Ivy?” she placed her pointer on her chin in mock confusion. “Hmm. No, it’s not.”

“Ivy Schmivy!” He said, opening the door, “did I tell you I was the most published student in Hopkins history?”

“Only seven dozen times… by our second date. But, Tobias?”

“Yes? Samantha is going to be out for the count any minute now. Is this really how you want to spend the first alone time we’ve had all day?”

“Heh,” he snickered. “Screw Hopkins. It was overrated. Now, the important questions. Do you have that other little Halloween costume we picked out?”

“Yes,” she smirked. “Operative word being little.”

“That’s the one! Why don’t you go put that on, and we’ll see what I turn into at midnight?”

“Sweetheart,” Casey teased. “Samantha can hear you….”

“It’s OK. She doesn’t understand us yet.”

“What are we going to do when she does?”  

“Got me,” he shrugged.  “But my Mom already has a trust fund set up specifically for therapy bills. She said with us as parents, Sammy’s bound to need it.”

“No arguments here,” she laughed.

“Good…” he winked, “now go get changed. I’ll put Sammy to bed, then we’re about to have an extra Happy Halloween!”

Perma Tags: @a-crepusculo @aishwarya26 @animesuck3r @annfg8 @annoyingmillenialnewbie @bex-la-get @binny1985 @bluebelle08 @bluerosesbloom @cariantha @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @danijimenezv @different4strawberry @differenttyphoonwerewolf @doriopenheart @fayeswiftie @forallthatitsworth @genevievemd @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lilypills @lucy-268 @mainstreetreader @mysticalgalaxysstuff @ofmischiefandmedicine @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @peonierose @peonyblossom @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @schnitzelbutterfingers @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @toadfrog26 @trappedinfanfiction @uneravine @youlookappropriate @zahrachoices @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

#choices fanfic #tobias carrick #open heart fanfic #tobias carrick x mc #fictober2022 #choices monthly challenge #cfwc naughty & nice #cfwc fics of the week #tobias x casey #open heart choices #playchoices fanfi

[tveitertotwrites]

For the otp questions, can you answer

4, 5, 6, 8, 14, and 30

Hey! Thanks for the questions! From this list

4). Favorite Non Sexual Activity

Brooklyn: Reading on the couch together. Whether it be scripts or books or whatever, Brooklyn will be on one end of the couch while Thomas is on the other end.

Claire: Cooking/Baking while the other stands there watching. Claire will do breakfast and the baking while Ethan does lunch and dinner.

Adelaide: Making crafts with the kids. An example would be a something with their handprints.

Charlie: Playing each other's favorite games. it makes the other one happy and a way for Charlie and Derek to spend time with each other.

5). Who is most likely to carry each other?

Brooklyn: Thomas is more likely to carry Brooklyn

Claire: Ethan is more likely to carry Claire

Adelaide: It's about 50/50

Charlie: Charlie is more likely to carry Derek.

6). What is their favorite feature of their partners?

Brooklyn: His hair.

Claire: His eyes.

Adelaide: His personality.

Charlie: His smile.

8). Nicknames? And if so, How did they Originate?

Brooklyn: Brooke and Brookie were nicknames that were started by her family, while Little Moore was started at school due to most of the teachers she had as a student, also had her sister and brother as students.

Claire: Grace is her middle name and she started going by Grace in HS for a little bit, which made the nickname Gracie. While some people would call her Evans sometimes, Ethan was the first person to use it all the time. And the nickname Air was made by Adelaide when they were in elementary.

Adelaide: Addie was used by friends and family. Adele was because she loves to sing. Add was just because she was the math kid of the family. Little Barnes because of having an older brother and sister. And Sunshine because she smiles as much as possible.

Charlie: Charlie is technically her nickname (since her actual name is Catherine) but she prefers to go by it and it was her oldest sister's idea. Cathy and Kate were childhood alter egos that she made up with her siblings. Catie was a nickname made up by one of her childhood best friends.

14). Who kisses the hardest?

Brooklyn: Brooklyn > Thomas

Claire: Ethan > Claire

Adelaide: Adelaide > Tobias

Charlie: Equal

30). What is one hc about this otp that mends your heart?

Brooklyn: In their older years (after they have retired), Thomas surprises her with a garden of her own.

Claire: They decide to open up a coffee shop when Claire is 60 and Ethan is 70.

Adelaide: Tobias buys her a new set of flowers when the last one is about to die so that she always has flowers until he dies and then it gets taken over by their kids.

Charlie: During every trip together they always listen to their first dance song which is "I won't give up by Jason Mraz".

Any other questions?

#choices #open heart #red carpet diaries #america's most eligible #brooklyn moore #claire evans #adelaide barnes #catherine “charlie” howard

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: Kermit the Frog

Favorite thing about them: How kind, friendly, and idealistic he is, and how he usually serves as the stable "eye of the hurricane" among the craziness of the Muppets. Yet at the same time, how relatably (and humorously) stressed and angry he becomes when his patience is tested too far. Then there's his dry humor and sarcasm (which was more pronounced in the Tales from Muppetland and early Muppet Show era than in more recent years – in those days he could be a real smart aleck!), and his poetic dreamer quality, which probably stands out the most in his signature song, "Rainbow Connection." Because he's such a famous pop culture icon, it's easy to forget just how three-dimensional and (for want to a better word) human he is as a character, but he really is.

Least favorite thing about them: He can sometimes be a little mean when he loses his temper.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I love music and performing.

*Like both Kermit and @ariel-seagull-wings, I want to make people happy through the arts.

*I can be quiet and thoughtful sometimes, fun-loving and exuberant at other times.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I couldn't handle the stress of being the Muppets' leader.

*I don't have any desire to date a pig.

*I'm not green.

Favorite line:

From The Muppet Show:

Me, not crazy? I hired the others!"

From his showdown with Doc Hopper in The Muppet Movie:

"Yeah, well, I've got a dream, too. But it's about singing and dancing and making people happy. That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. And, well, I've found a whole bunch of friends who have the same dream... And it kind of makes us like a family. Do you have anybody like that, Hopper? I mean, once you get all those restaurants, who are you gonna share it with? Who are your friends, Doc? Those guys?... I don't think you're a bad man, Doc. And I think if you look in your heart, you'll find you really wanna let me and my friends go to follow our dreams. But if that's not the kind of man you are, or what I'm saying doesn't make any sense to you, well, then, go ahead and kill me."

brOTP: The other Muppets, especially Fozzie, Gonzo, and his nephew Robin.

OTP: Miss Piggy, with reservations (see below).

nOTP: Any human.

Random headcanon: The original script for 1969's Hey, Cinderella! called for the Fairy Godmother to turn him into a coachman. But he had too much pride in his frog heritage to want such a thing – and besides, none of the human actors who auditioned for the part of Coachman-Kermit could imitate his voice well enough – so the script was changed to have him refuse to be turned human and drive the coach as a frog.

Unpopular opinion: I'm not particularly invested in shipping him with Miss Piggy. Their having broken up (again) in the 2015 ABC series doesn't outrage me, and to be honest, I wouldn't have minded if they had never "officially" gotten together at all, but had kept their old Muppet Show dynamic of Piggy pursuing Kermit unrequitedly. (Although a part of me is glad they moved past that, because dragging it out for decades might have made Piggy seem pathetic.) Maybe it's because I'm not a fan of "on-and-off" pairings, maybe it's because of Piggy's tendency to be violent when Kermit offends her, or maybe it's just because my introduction to the Muppets was Muppet Babies, which solidified "Kermit and Piggy are friends and Piggy just wishes they were a couple" as their default relationship in my mind. But while they've had nice romantic moments over the years, I'm content to see them be good friends instead of lovers.

Song I associate with them:

"Bein' Green"

"Rainbow Connection"

Favorite picture of them:

Some of these are borrowed from @ariel-seagull-wings

In his "Sesame Street News Flash" outfit:

As a baby:

With Jim Henson:

This poignant cartoon drawn by a Disney artist in 1990:

(I'd like to think Mickey came to visit and console him after Jim Henson died because he remembered going through the same pain when Walt Disney died.)

And with Miss Piggy:

#character ask #kermit the frog #the muppets #ask game #fictional characters

[cozy-possum]

Zombies 3

Liveblog with all my thoughts under the cut

-Would have loved to have seen the comic style of narration for an actual prequel/ movie translated comic book

-Why did they just gloss over the whole second movie moonstone issue in the narration??

-Why are they letting a highschooler intern at a megacorp; without any college education??

-Why would you just walk up to someone and attempt to paint their face???

-I feel like if Eliza had been there it would have been solved in like an hour (I know her actress was pregnant so she wasn’t available)

-What’s with them trying to make side plot romances a thing all the time; like have the main couple and then the friends stay friends

-I can’t believe we got no narration from Bucky, a crime really, plus it could have fit well, with him narrating to make himself look better and then Zed cutting in to explain what ‘really happened’

-I do love Zed hyping Wynter up

- Wait do all the werewolves have pointed ears and I never noticed??

-I love the dance off but like the aliens are outnumbered

-I do hate the ‘miscommunication’ as a plot device trope; even if its as a whole they looked angry so we can’t say anything instead of listening to what they have to say; like you said yourselfs your arrival caused a disturbance, wouldn’t anyone be put off by that.

-Wait they can read each others minds all the time??? That must be a nightmare

-Why would you sing a song about how you hope you don’t break up; that was one of the reasons I loved zombies 1+2 they showed Zed and Addison communicating really well, but it seems like it’s been thrown out

-Couldn’t any of the other zombies have applied for the exceptional student scholarship? Or any other scholarships the college offers; I’m sure there were some that didn’t prohibit werewolves considering how they were only found out like last year

-Once again the were wolves having the best songs “don’t wanna freak you out be we’re monsters”

-”I’m in harmony in a super hostile way” is such a mood

-Not surprised they went with a climate disaster; but love the implication nothing was done because nobody wanted to disturb the status quo instead of- oh wait...

-Okay I enjoyed A-spen breaking up with Zed, that was a good trope subversion

-Wait why do they have to win it? Can’t they just scan it and have the coordinates on their ship?? like a GPS?? do they have to bring the trophy with them?

-Okay but the whole town hyping Zed up??? My heart 🥺

-”It’s a dead language like Latin” Bless

-I love the upbeat tune to “Exceptional Zed” it’s a nice juxtaposition to the lyrics

-”Progress for you is progress for us all.”

-shrimpy and eely are my otp

-Wait is Seabrook the only highschool/town with zombies??

-The werewolves have little ‘claws’ painted on their nails?!?!

-Wow look it’s more miscommunication by omission; how wonderful (sarcasm)

-Zoey Zombie-ing out to help her brother is so cute

-Do zombies ‘zombie out’ at a certain age? do they always have a z-band??

-I’m sorry the coordinates are in her DNA??? like an orphan black kidna thing or???

-Are you telling me baby addison never like pulled her moms wig off, or found it when she was showering or something?? Did her dad assume it was some weird age thing??

-Also how does the mom feel with her own mother bypassing her as “the most precious thing” for it to be her granddaughter?

-Addison is a part of our pack forever 🥺

-They’re going to use Addison as a ground source????

-Okay but the concept of Utopia being where Addison/her grandmother feels the safest would have been way better

-I love the fact they basically came back for the graduation party

-So where’s the vampire movie??? Where they find out Bucky is a vampire; and everyone thinks the vampires are stealing blood but they’re just disposing of blood that’s diseased?? like everyone in seabrook has anemia??

-Where’s the one where Bree is a Mermaid???? And Bonzo has to learn to swim???

-So does the alien gene skip a generation? Or can the mom use a lens too?

-Where is the movie about Bucky getting lost in space/bringing cheer everywhere and everyone else trying to convince him to come back to seabrook?

#zombies #zombies 3 #zed necrodopolis #zed #addison #addison wells #wynter barkowitz #willa zombies #wyatt zombies #a-lan #a-lan zombies #a-li #a-li zombies #a-spen #a-spen zombies #willa

[27emailsicantsend]

for the hsmtmts ask, jet!

**I started this project pre-season 4, so all answers are for season 3 and earlier**

Favorite thing about them: Honestly I love how much of a menace he was. He would be brooding at trees or calling ricky out with no remorse and it was the funniest thing ever (let's be real ricky deserved the gina lashings lmao). But then we get these two second glances of him being soft- especially with ricky- that really reflect the kristoff/sven dynamic and it just made Jet have a special place in your heart. I love characters like that: the hard shell but there is still good somewhere deep down that is shown in fragments (draco malfoy, anyone?)

Least favorite thing about them: I know it's not Jet's fault totally for outting Maddox, but I still don't love that he said something about her dating someone in the first place. Yes, they started to grow apart seemingly before this, but there is this trust they had established and Jet doing that because he was mad at his parents (and couldn't get his way) was low.

Favorite line(s):

(this is technically Kourtney but the line delivery and Jet's expression k*lled me) "he's staring at a tree, right?"

*Jet dissociating on the bunk bed while Carlos and Ricky talk openly about him*

"Basically, I, like, raised myself on YouTube" (I love this because Ricky had this connection to Jet and I can't help but wonder if this kind of reminded him of Gina)

"Are you actually this upset that I took off or is really about Gina?"

Jet: "Right. You guy are 'friends'" Ricky: "I can hear the air quotes" Jet: "Good"

Ricky: "Dude, what are you doing with your voice?" Jet: "I don't know, but it hurts"

Ricky: "I just can't believe I let Color War slip through my fingers" Jet: "you mean Gina?"

"I'm in love with the girl playing Elsa and it's eating me alive"

OTP: Jetney! 💛 (and yes because of color war their color is yellow in my head)

nOTP: Carlos’ imaginary pairing of jet and maddox (again… yikes)

brOTP: Jet and Ricky! I mentioned this earlier, but I love the fact that they resemble kristoff/sven's dynamic. The reindeer who knows too much and calls out kristoff's crap when kristoff is in denial? The reindeer who is a little aloof but tags along everywhere kristoff goes? They're perfect :')

Something I expect from them season 4 (if applicable): Before s4 came out, I fully anticipated Jet to be like Zeke... fawning over Kourtney (Sharpay). Like we did get some moments of him making a total fool of himself, but I really thought we were going to get that multiplied by 3. I was also hoping for at least a Jetney cheek kiss (tbh I thought they would kiss and Madlyn wouldn't), but they were just slower moving than the rest of the couples in the show. However, when all was said and done, I was still really happy with the content we got!

Random Headcanon: In my mind Jetney, Rina, and Madlyn go on triple dates all the time. They found a way to spend a lot of time together before Kourtney and Ricky graduated, but after graduation, Jet flies out to visit Kourtney frequently (and vice-versa).

Unpopular Opinion: Oof... this one is definitely unpopular. I guess it's an old unpopular opinion since it was technically before s4, but I remember not really caring if Jet and Maddox came back for s4. 😬 I know a lot of people liked them and wanted them back super badly, but I was neutral. I was happy if they came back but wasn't heartbroken if they didn't. Tim tried to keep it a surprise but the last scene in s3 made it obvious they were coming back. Once I started writing with them in my fics I was a lot more excited to have them back but I definitely wasn't emotionally tied to them when the season ended.

Song I associate with them: "I'm Still Standing"... but the version from Sing. I already said this once and I am so sorry for this, but Jet singing "Right Place" reminds me so much of Johnny at the piano. I really think it's the leather jacket idk. 😭 (the funny part is EJ's name is Elton John and Elton John is one of the singers in the og "I'm Still Standing")

Favorite picture of them:

Side note: has anyone decided wtf his and Maddox's last names are?!?

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #jet #jetney #ricky bowen

[mymitochondriaforpresident]

S3 Wilmon height difference my beloved 💜

Now Wille’s eyes are at like……curl level.

………jfc they look so good together.

#i’ll never be over it #i’ve been staring at this photo practically nonstop since yesterday #wilmon #young royals #otp: you were singing from your heart #otp #prince wilhelm #simon eriksson #electric chemistry #omar rudberg #edvin ryding #yrs3 #yr3 #young royals season 3 #young royals s3 #young royals season three #all the season three tags #ALL OF IT #the prince and the schoolboy #a queer swedish prince and the love of his life #a story of two swedish (and a bit venezuelan) #wilmon the interracial interclass ship of my dreams 🥹 #height difference….. #AND both brown eyes? #jfc is right #i said what i said #i said what i meant #and i meant what i said!!!!!!! #👑💜🎶

[fantastic-rambles]

Fandom: Sk8 the Infinity

Characters: Ainosuke Shindo, Tadashi Kikuchi, Kaoru Sakurayashiki (minor), Nanjo Kojiro (minor), Langa Hasegawa (minor), Reki Kyan (minor)

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3k

Summary: The popular idol Adam always demands attention and acts of affection from his manager, Tadashi, who thinks nothing of it. So Ai finally loses patience and confronts him directly. [Year of the OTP 2023 @yearoftheotpevent. August: AU of your choice (Idols AU)]

- - - - - - - - - -

“And that’s all for tonight! Thank you all so much for your support!”

High-pitched screams answered Adam, who blew a kiss to the packed crowd before exiting the stage along with the rest of his group. A moment later, Tadashi was in the midst of all of them, handing out towels and cold drinks to help the young men cool down after their performance. He was careful to give each of them some personalized attention to help them keep their spirits up: a few words of praise for Reki’s performance, a fresh hamburger for Langa, and a shoulder massage for Ai.

Kaoru and Kojiro had moved a little away from the others to chat quietly with each other, as usual. It was a relief that they could take care of themselves for the most part—or, rather, that Kojiro could take care of Kaoru—but Tadashi kept an eye on them anyway in case their conversation escalated into an argument. If that happened, he’d need to step in before Kaoru decided that he wouldn’t do events with Kojiro for at least a week, requiring Tadashi to rearrange both of their schedules and make apologies to the studios. They were popular to book together, just like the younger duo, but Kaoru’s temper often complicated things… though Tadashi was careful to do what he could to protect the younger man’s image.

After all, being idols meant playing a role: their fans had their own expectations for their heroes, and it was up to each of the young men to cater to those fantasies—at least, if they wanted to remain popular. They sold dreams, not reality. And if all of the girls out there found out that their beloved Cherry Blossom was a foul-mouthed punk rather than some delicate, wilting flower in need of the revitalizing effects of love, his career probably wouldn’t survive the fallout.

Honestly, Tadashi thought it all sounded exhausting and he was more than satisfied with being a mere manager, but the group seemed to enjoy their work well enough. The most authentic of them tended to be Langa and—

“Ahhhh, ‘dashi, were you watching me? Did you see me nail the encore?”

“Of course. I always watch all of your shows. You all performed exceptionally tonight.”

“Oh, who cares about the others? What about me? Praise me more!”

“You were incredible,” Tadashi hastened to reassure Ai, recognizing the start of one of his petulant moods. “You were truly dazzling. It’s no surprise that you were unanimously chosen to be the lead singer of this group. You’ve shut up all of your doubters to become one of the fastest-rising stars in the industry.”

He felt Ai straighten up beneath his hands, his chest puffing out slightly as he took in the praise. As ridiculously effusive as it was, though, Tadashi did mean it: he’d been one of those doubters before, believing that he’d simply been assigned to babysit a spoiled brat who thought he could make it in the highly competitive industry just because his father was the head of Shindo Entertainment. He’d assumed this was a dead-end job, a sort of vanity project like when wealthy husbands paid for their wives’ hobbies and boutiques that sank ever steadily into the red. Even when he’d actually met Ai, he’d thought that the young man was frivolous and immature, someone who would give up after a week of half-hearted training, if not sooner.

Instead, Ai had surprised him.

Despite hours of dance practice and singing lessons, he’d never complained once, throwing himself into it until he passed out from exhaustion. More than once, Tadashi had woken him up from a short nap before his next lesson, but Ai had never displayed any of his fatigue publicly, remaining as enthusiastic and upbeat as he’d been from the first day. He was passionate about his work, and his feelings were always transmitted directly to his fans, making him the most popular member of the group.

He’d been the one to bring Kaoru and Kojiro on board, as well. They’d been less certain about joining the entertainment industry, but what had started out as a favor to their friend had grown into a career. Then, two new, promising prospects who had been scouted by Shindo Entertainment had been added on, rounding out the group and the personalities to create the final form of their idol group. And at the center of it, as expected, was Ai.

“Tadashi, my phone’s not working.”

Tadashi looked up at Langa, the “airhead” of the group, and held a hand out, accepting his phone while his other hand moved to massage the back of Ai’s neck. Indeed, when he pressed the power button, nothing happened, though there didn’t seem to be any damage to the phone itself. Still, this wasn’t the first time that this had happened.

“When was the last time you charged it?”

“I don’t remember.”

“I should have a portable charger in my bag, over there.” Tadashi tilted his chin toward the corner, where he’d set down all of their bags, out of the way. “Can you bring it over to me?”

“Okay.”

Tadashi watched him walk away, and he sighed softly. For a while, they’d considered casting Langa as an “ice prince”-like character—and his stage name had been a product of that—but that really hadn’t worked out since he had practically no acting ability. His natural personality was popular with a subset of the group's fans, though, and he was easygoing, which was nice when Tadashi had to manage high-strung personalities like Ai and Kaoru.

“Hey Tadashi, we’re ready to go.”

Tadashi looked up at Kojiro, who had led Kaoru over, and nodded.

“Just give me another minute. But you should put on a jacket first: it’s starting to get chilly outside. It’s hot in here, but outside is a different story.”

“‘kay. C’mon, Kaoru.”

As they headed over to their bags, they crossed paths with Langa, who was coming back with Tadashi’s, and they exchanged a few words before Langa stopped in front of their manager again.

“Here.”

Tadashi accepted the bag, quickly locating the charger and plugging it into Langa’s phone. The screen flickered, and then the charging icon appeared, and Tadashi handed them both over to the young man.

“Wait five minutes, then try powering it on again. And will you ask Reki to get ready to leave?”

Langa nodded, heading over to his friend who was on his own phone, earbuds in and probably studying up on their performance or watching some other idol group. The redhead reminded Tadashi of Ai, in some ways: he was equally as passionate and hard-working as the face of the group, though he lacked Ai’s innate talent in showmanship. But he made up for it by studying hard and doing his best to keep up with the others.

“‘da-shi~~~”

“What is it, Ai?”

“Stop paying so much attention to the others. What about me?”

Tadashi wanted to point out that he’d been with Ai for almost the entirety of the time since their show had ended, but he held his tongue. It had never helped before, and it was always just easier to apologize and placate the diva.

“I’m sorry. Is there something that I can do for you, too?”

“A kiss!”

He was startled when Ai suddenly reached up and wrapped his arms around his neck, tugging him down slightly.

“If you give me a kiss—a proper kiss—then I’ll forgive you.”

Internally, Tadashi sighed. Ai would often tease him like this, though he didn’t understand why. Perhaps he enjoyed the thrill of it, the feeling of an illicit relationship. Their agency didn’t have strict rules against their talents dating unlike some others, but all of them did understand the potential complications it might bring—not only for themselves, but also their partners, when the paparazzi found out about it. Tadashi, though, was a “safe” option: he wouldn’t take it seriously and cause trouble for Ai, and Ai could play these little love games where nobody else would see and spread rumors.

Or maybe he was simply a glutton for attention. It was why he’d gotten into the industry, after all. He loved meeting his fans, performing for them, drinking in their adulation… but behind the scenes, Tadashi was the only one who would cater to his whims.

“Let me go, then?” he asked. Ai pouted, but he obeyed, letting Tadashi move around to face him before kneeling in front of him and taking his face between his hands. Carefully, he leaned in until he could press their lips together, kissing him long and slow while Kojiro whistled and Kaoru groaned.

As he drew back, Tadashi took in Ai’s expression: his face was flushed, lips slightly parted, while his eyes took on a dreamy, far-off look. Tadashi couldn’t help feeling a little proud of himself: he’d done a good job, it seemed, which would make Ai more compliant for a while. A few hours, if he was lucky.

“So are you ready to head out now?” Tadashi asked.

“Mm-hmm.”

Taking Ai’s hand in his own, Tadashi picked up his bag and led him over to where the others were waiting. The rest of them looked variously amused or exasperated by what had happened, though they'd seen it often enough that they didn’t comment on it as Tadashi slung Ai’s own bag over his shoulder and led them out through the back.

After driving them all back to the hotel and settling them into their rooms, Tadashi returned to his own room, dropping into a chair by the window and loosening his shirt collar. After he’d poured out a glass of whiskey for himself, he sipped at it slowly while he reviewed their schedules. They had an early flight out tomorrow to the next stop in their tour: as long as the plane landed on time, there’d be an hour for lunch before he had to bring Langa and Reki to their variety show appearance. After that—

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and he got up to check who it was. Ai stood just outside the door, wrapped in a flimsy bathrobe, his hair down and still wet from his shower, and Tadashi hastened to open the door to let him in before someone spotted him.

“Ai? Is something wrong?” he asked as he closed the door behind the young man, and Ai shook his head, his gaze on the floor.

“You should get to bed, then. We need to be up early tomorrow: you need the rest. Well, after we dry your hair. Give me a moment.”

Tadashi ducked into his bathroom to grab a towel, returning to the entryway and leading Ai over to the bed so he could sit down while Tadashi tousled his hair dry. Really, he was such a spoiled brat: Tadashi knew that the young man was more than capable of handling a task this simple, even given his upbringing, but this wasn’t the first time he’d come by Tadashi’s room to be pampered. As he worked, Ai spoke up.

“You like me, right, ‘dashi?”

“Hmm? Yes, of course,” he replied absentmindedly.

“What do you like about me?”

“What do I…? Oh, well, you work very hard even though you have innate talent, you’re genuine in almost all aspects of your life, and your appearance is quite attractive. You—”

Tadashi was startled when Ai suddenly grabbed his wrist, tugging him closer so he could plant a firm kiss on his lips while his arms wrapped around Tadashi’s neck, preventing him from pulling back.

“I love you too, Tadashi! I love how you’re always so serious about your work and everything that you do to take care of us! I love the little wrinkle on your forehead when you’re thinking, and the way you write is so elegant. And I think that you’re beautiful, too! I’ve never seen anyone with eyes as clear as yours, and your hair is so soft, and your skin is so smooth… but I don’t want anyone else to see you, which is why I never asked you to be an idol, too. You’re so smart and kind and…”

Ai continued to drone on while Tadashi stared at him, his mind trying to catch up to what the younger man was saying. Even though he was talking excitedly, almost too fast, he couldn't smell any alcohol on his breath, and he was sure that Ai didn't do any drugs: he kept a close eye on all of his charges. Was this more of his love game? Should he speak to Aiichiro about finding a girlfriend for Ai? They had more than a few girls under contract who Ai might like, and having a partner who was also in the industry would make it easier for them to get along, since they both would understand what it was like. If they arranged it properly, it could help to push up both of their careers, as well, with the free publicity that they would undoubtedly get.

“... so will you be my boyfriend, ‘dashi?”

“I understand. You’re certainly of an age that you would be interested in finding a partner. Would you like me to speak with your father to see if we can find a suitable target for your affections? Of course, if you would like a practice partner, I would be happy to offer my services, if you think it would be helpful.”

Ai’s face fell, and Tadashi observed him with some concern. He must have said something wrong, so he reviewed his words in his head, trying to identify where he’d made the mistake.

“Ah, or is it that you’ve already set your sights on someone? Or you would like to search for a partner on your own? Your schedule is quite full for the next couple weeks, but once we’ve finished with your upcoming events, I can look into social events that you might be interested in attending. There, you would have the opportunity to meet others in the entertainment industries—”

“I know who I want,” Ai interrupted, and Tadashi nodded.

“I see. Would you mind sharing her name with me? I could send her some flowers or some other small gift on your behalf. If she’s in this line of work, I’d also be happy to reach out to her manager to see if we could arrange a meeting: just a casual one first, of course, to give you the opportunity to get to know each other better so you can make sure of your compatibility. Or if there’s anything else that I can do to assist you—”

“Tadashi.”

“Yes?”

“It’s you, Tadashi. I want you.”

Ai flopped down onto the bed, dragging Tadashi after him, and rolled over until he was straddling the older man, frowning as his still-damp hair framed his face.

“I’m serious. I want you. It’s not a joke or a game or anything. I love you, ‘dashi. I’ve tried telling you this so many times, but you never understand. I want you to stop treating me like a child and see me as a man. What do I need to do to make that happen?”

Tadashi’s mind had gone blank. It was true: he’d never thought of Ai that way. How could he? He was their manager. It wouldn’t have been ethical for him to enter a relationship with any of them, even if he was interested in them romantically. Which he wasn’t. It was just a job. Certainly, he showed Ai some favoritism, but that was only to be expected given that he was the CEO’s son and the highest-earning star in the company. That was all there was to it.

But Ai’s weight shifted as he leaned forward to kiss him again, staring into his eyes, and it was like Tadashi was seeing him for the first time. He was beautiful and talented and oh-so-dazzling. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as Ai’s weight shifted back, sliding a little lower down Tadashi’s body, and then Ai pressed their lips together again.

“I love you, Tadashi,” he repeated, his breath whispering against Tadashi’s skin. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

The words seemed to drip into him like water, wearing down his resolve as he lay trapped beneath the beautiful young man. Once he’d gotten past his initial reluctance with regard to this job, he’d quickly grown to admire Ai. When the idol was on stage, even with the rest of his group, Tadashi often found his eyes being drawn to him alone. Ai was always charming, sometimes petulant, and occasionally a real headache… but he also glowed with youthful vitality in everything that he did.

Hesitantly, Tadashi raised a hand and laid it over Ai’s, swallowing to try to bring some moisture to his dry mouth.

“You’re sure about this, Ai? Of course, you’re free to end it whenever you like, but you want to… start a relationship with me?”

“I won’t end it,” Ai promised, lacing his fingers between Tadashi’s. “And I won’t let you, either. You’re mine, ‘dashi, do you understand that? You’re not allowed to leave me, ever. Even if you quit your job someday, or get fired, you need to stay by my side. We’ll be together forever.”

There was something almost childish about his proclamation, but he sounded sincerely earnest, just like he was at every event he showed up at. Tadashi couldn’t help smiling slightly, his lips trembling, as he nodded.

Ai’s own smile was blinding as he swooped down again for another kiss, pressing their lips together more insistently, and Tadashi finally yielded. Gently, he kissed the other man back, his free hand rising to rest against Ai’s cheek to guide him as he slowly deepened the kiss. They remained tangled together until Ai finally broke away, panting, a flush spreading over his own cheeks, and Tadashi smiled at him.

“I love you, too.”

#yotp #yotp 2023 #sk8 the infinity #skate the infinity #sk8 #fan fic #fanfic #sk8 adam #ainosuke shindo #shindo ainosuke #sk8 tadashi #sk8 snake #tadashi kikuchi #kikuchi tadashi #sk8 cherry #sk8 cherry blossom #kaoru sakurayashiki #sakurayashiki kaoru #sk8 joe #nanjo kojiro #kojiro nanjo #sk8 langa #sk8 snow #langa hasegawa #hasegawa langa #sk8 reki #reki kyan #kyan reki #mine

[grapecaseschoices]

hope your head stops hurting soon! <3 for the otp asks: 22 + 58 for kendis x ava? (or whomever you might prefer!)

<3 ty! and ty, it does :-D!

22) What reminds each of their partner?

Answered Here

It was late. So late in spring that summer was beginning to bully the more temperate season into submission, and it was so late into the afternoon that the trees were tucking the sun deep into their embrace. It was the kind of late where haziness predominated. Slow, quietly rumbling, warm kind of haziness.

Tina felt warm and slow as well at the moment -- hazy. A sense of easing comfort caused by a walk after a filling dinner and the quiet rumble of chatter of friends, both new and old.

It was probably why Tina felt a little disoriented when Kendis' voice jolted from behind her and cut through her staring into the warmth of Nat's panty melting brown eyes.

"Pants." Kendis stated - rather, ordered - suddenly.

Disoriented, but not startled. Tina, after all, was used to Kendis' sing songy voiced guilloting a moment. What did startle her was Felix's hand eagerly stopping her short to draw attention to a scene happening behind them.

Tina would've tripped if not for his quick reflexes. That didn't stop her from glaring, "What?"

"Watch this!", He insisted ... cleary unbothered by the might of said glare.

Following Felix's bright gaze, Tina's landed on the slurlier, quieter agents of Unit Bravo in a hushed conversation. However, surprising part wasn't Mason muttering more than two words at a time -- instead the shock lied in how Kendis' impatiently, affectionately, smacked the back of her hand against Ava's beefy arm and ordered, "No. Other pocket." And Ava followed without flinching.

The way the typically off-putting, cold - but so hot - Commander slid her hands from one pocket in her cargo pants to the other was almost Pavlonian. She didn't even pause her conversation with Mason, either!

At the distance, it was hard to see what she handed over to Kendis. But it was definitely enough to cause Kendis' entire face to brighten --- and that caused the already fond smirk that had lifted Mason's typically bored expression to spread ... slightly.

"What do you say, Detective?" Ava teased.

Tina's heart didn't think she could take much more of this [and Felix's chuckle made it obvious that he could tell].

"Mine!" Kendis chirpped. Tina huffed, because as strange as that entire exchange might have been at least some things would aways stay the same.

58) Who’s more likely to hold a grudge after an argument?

Kendis. Kendis all day and everyday. I don't care what the game stat says. It is Kendis in the morning, Kendis in the night. Kendis in the storms and Kendis in the light. Because, see -- Kendis is not only STUBBORN, Kendis PETTY. Kendis would literally cut off their nose to spite their face. And I mean actually knife carving face literally. Kendis would rather die than say die.

THAT SAID, it really depends on a few things. 1) They type of argument 2) How Ava handles it 3) Anything that happened to Kendis before hand that might damper/uplift mood or mindset.

Obligatory OTP Asks

#thee morrigan #grapecase answers #kendis x ava #mee my ships #i was going to do a drabble for the argument but i dnt have it in me -- especially that first isnt a drabble #tada here is a fic no one asked for #but thewayhavenchronicle inspired me with her little snippets #and ive been yearning to write #twc fanfic #I GUESS

[13eyond13]

Sidoh and Ryuk (not necessarily in a romantic sense)? I thought they could be fun xD

Hahaha nice

SIDOHxRYUK:

Who is the most affectionate?

They're fairly evenly non-affectionate, but Ryuk brought Sidoh back a chocolate bar from the human realm once. And Sidoh can sometimes be convinced to help Ryuk scratch the harder-to-reach itches on his body with his long insect leg things 😅

Big spoon/Little spoon?

Sidoh would be the big spoon, because these arms were made for grabbing ♡

Most common argument?

Ryuk is constantly bewildered by Sidoh's lack of self-preservation, Sidoh is constantly disapproving of Ryuk's recklessness

Favorite non-sexual activity?

Cruisin' around the city together lookin' fly

Who is most likely to carry the other?

Ryuk would carry Sidoh somewhere, possibly out of exasperation

What is their favorite feature of their partner’s?

Hahaha good question! I suppose maybe they both appreciate that each other have wings so they can fly around easily together?

What’s the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other?

They actually start remembering each other's names

Nicknames? & if so, how did they originate?

Nah

Who worries the most?

Oh, definitely Sidoh

Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

Sidoh is way too absent-minded for that. Ryuk remembers Sidoh's, but it doesn't mean he will willingly ever order it for him

Who tops?

Sorry for this, but Ryuk probably would... he's usually the one taking charge, haha

Who initiates kisses?

Uh. Ryuk, because he actually has lips

Who reaches for the other’s hand first?

Sidoh

Who kisses the hardest?

Sidoh is a bit of a lip biter, if that counts as kissing hard

Who wakes up first?

Ryuk. He doesn't like to stay still for very long

Who wants to stay in bed just a little longer?

Sidoh, that's his favourite place to be

Who says I love you first?

Neither of them ever say it, haha

Who leaves little notes in the other’s one lunch? (Bonus: what does it usually say?)

Sidoh sticks one of his handmade fliers to Ryuk's lunch one day when he is looking for something he lost (that Ryuk probably stole)

Who tells their family/friends about their relationship first?

Sidoh does. He pretends Nu is his friend anyway, and likes to vent about his problems and tell her all about his life sometimes (maybe because she doesn't have any mouth to tell him to leave her alone). Ryuk never tells anybody, especially not Light

What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

The other shinigami are probably just like, weird... Ryuk must be trying to get that notebook from him again somehow

Who is more likely to start dancing with the other?

Well, if the shinigami realm ever had dances then I suppose Sidoh's long arms would be great for reaching above Ryuk's head and giving him a nice little twirl

Who cooks more/who is better at cooking?

Sidoh learned about making chocolate fondue at some point, and gets that going in a shinigami realm cauldron sometimes so he and Ryuk can dip some apple slices in it

Who comes up with cheesy pick up lines?

Ryuk, though Sidoh doesn't usually understand them most times

Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear during inappropriate times?

Sidoh, and his whispers are ridiculously loud, so Ryuk is always like:

Who needs more assurance?

Sidoh

What would be their theme song?

Uhh... [Two Time by Jack Stauber]

Who would sing to their child back to sleep?

Sidoh

What do they do when they’re away from each other?

Kinda forget each other exist

One headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart

If Sidoh was just a tad more vigilant about protecting his property then like a million human lives could have been spared 😔

One headcanon about this OTP that mends it

...but at least he got to learn about the wonders of chocolate along the way?

#haha thx #longagoitwastuesday #sidoh #ryuk #ask #p

[endless-ineffabilities]

How do you feel about Aemond x Daemon? I personally love them as a ship and since Ewan's fave character is Daemon if I'm not mistaken my heart sings every time<3 (SPOILER TERRITORY!)

I think their duel will be absolutely heartbreaking and epic at the same time (that is if the writers don't butcher it..) both because I love these characters and because I love their actors! Ewan and Matt have some cute and wholesome bts interactions from what I've seen and it makes me so happy because I've been a Doctor Who fan ever since it came out and I'd watched World on Fire before HotD was even announced. I just. I never expected such an incredible cast to come together for HotD yknow? So I'm very excited but also kinda scared.. but mostly excited! Daemon x Aemond is my OTP you could say (it's been so long since I've used that term I feel old) but a close second is HelAemond (platonic, romantic, familial, all of the loves!!!) So I hope that in the show they make a point to show us that Helaena and Aemond died on the same day, regardless of whether they had romantic feelings for one another.

As for Alys, I'm mostly indifferent toward her but I hope that they treat her and her story well! I look nothing like her (I'd look like Laena or maybe Rhaena maybe if I had white locs lol) so I can't relate to the sentiment of us all being Alys lol but I'm glad you guys can! I'm also excited for Nettles! I like to think she's Daemon's bastard or someone he thinks of as his adopted child maybe (while fully ignoring the claims that they had illicit relations lol)

Is there another character or story arc you're excited about? And I'm sure you've answered sth similar before but I can't remember- would you prefer a more manipulative Alys? I think I would bc homegirl is probably too old to play wit her heart on her sleeve but I'd like to see her and Aemond actually develop genuine feelings for one another! Which actually reminds me of another point (so sorry for this massive ask btw 😭) being what will Borros Baratheon do? Will he allow one of his daughters to marry Aemond? If so, who and would Aemond really keep a mistress in Alys? How ironic that he may or may not have fathered a bastard with Alys when he detests his nephews (even before Luke took his eye) but anyway that's enough of my ramblings 🙅🏿‍♀️ I just got carried away cuz you seem like a really pleasant person and your stories are beautiful haha bye🏃🏿‍♀️

Ps take care of yourself!

Lovely long message there! 🥺 I'll structure my answer in bullet points so I can make sure I cover everything:

Personally, I can't view Aemond and Daemon together, as a ship. Nothing from season one (or the book) has given me reason to view them as one. Aemond is clearly intrigued by Daemon's relentlessness, and if there were anyone he would want to emulate, it may be Daemon? As Ewan said, they both stand to inherit nothing, and who have to carve their own way out in the world. But anything romantic? Nope. 1000% especially not after what Aemond caused. I love them as rivals, cause they're quite similar in fire that their fight would just be frickin amazing.

I'm on the same boat with you about Helaemond. There's just something so beautifully tragic and yet soft at the same time when it comes to those two. I know I'm reaching but if Alys does manipulate Aemond, and it turns out he was in love with Helaena all along? And they die on the same day?? (You're so right, they need to make a point of this in the show) *buckets of tears incoming*

They truly did an amazing job with the cast. I know they don't all look book-accurate but the performances are so good that it's really not a big deal. Plus, it's so nice that you can see yourself in characters like Laena or Rhaena. And about Nettles? (I'm still not in that part of the book, so I don't know about her and Daemon) But then again, if he does cheat on Rhaenyra with her, it's really just the word of an Archmaester or Mushroom or whoever, so it's all up for interpretation. It kinda frustrates me that the book is written that way, cause I just want to know what actually happened, y'know? I want to know the true motivations and thoughts of the characters - not the perspective of a bunch of men 😂 ughhhh

I still don't know what to feel about Aemond and Alys. One thing that does give me the ick is that he was taken advantage of by an older woman when he was a child (13 yrs old!), and this may have distorted his romantic/sexual perceptions. I believe there was something said about Aemond preferring older women, and I hope this did not stem from childhood trauma. If he is actually, purely, interested in Alys, then that's fine. But you're right, she is meant to be 40-ish, while he's 19/20, so that's another issue. (But then again - Daemyra 🙃) But at least, far as we know, Rhae was not taken advantage of by Daemon (she was 18, in ep 4, which is still painfully young) but she seemed to have engaged with him willingly (and Daemon was the one to pull back and stop) But then again, age gaps are treated very lightly in this series - ANYWAY - no matter what, I hope the whole Alys/Aemond thing is portrayed well.

I think that whole Baratheon betrothal is done for. Plus, the poor girl watched Aemond chase a child with a knife 😂 minus points hahaha

I hope I answered everything? It's been so nice to read your insights, and though my closest pals would describe me as more Daemon-like than pleasant, thanks for calling me the latter 😉🖤

#answered #house of the dragon #aemond targaryen #daemon targaryen #rhaenyra targaryen

[dujour13]

Thanks to the OTP asks I thought it would be fun to go back and write the fateful meeting in the basement of the Defender's Heart instead of just having it as a flashback. Too iconic a moment to gloss over. Best pickup line in the game and he wasn't even romanceable.

The Lark and the Crow on AO3

“Hey Delvan.”

The guard didn’t even look up.

“Hey Delvan, it’s awful damp down here. We’re both gonna catch our death. Whaddya say you chain me up upstairs instead? Save us both gettin’ the chills. I mean, you’ll have to take the chains off my feet so’s I can walk up the stairs, but after that I’ll sit still and let you put ‘em back on me, honest.”

“Shut up, Woljif.”

The tiefling sat quietly for a few moments, his tail swiping back and forth on the mildewy floor of the tavern basement. He sniffled pointedly a couple of times.

“Ooh, I’m startin’ to feel a little light-headed,” he wheedled, crawling into the lamplight. “I’m shiverin’, got hot and cold sweats. Itchy palms. I think I got a fever.”

“Shut up, you damn guttertief!” The guard finally looked his way, but only to shoot daggers. “Can’t you see I’m trying to read?”

“Whatcha readin’?” Woljif asked, scooting as far as the chains would allow. “Got any raunchy bits? Why don’t you read it aloud?”

“Ah Holy Inheritor and the Host of Heaven will you give a man some peace?”

Woljif sat back and sighed. A tiefling just couldn’t get a break in this city. Maybe he wasn’t coming down with fever, but he really was shivering, and his joints ached from trying to sleep on the cold stone floor, and the cuffs on his wrists and ankles were biting into his skin something ferocious. The worst thing, really, was knowing that the light and warmth coming from the stairwell were being denied him, not because of anything he did (honestly, what was breaking into some rich gnome’s shop, other than redistributing wealth to the poor—namely himself?), but because of the accident of his birth, the pair of demonic horns spiraling from his temples.

His yellow eyes darted to Delvan. Them righteous Crusaders, holdin’ it over everybody, when they’re just as petty as the lowest Thiefling, and I got it on authority.

A malicious smirk played at the corners of his mouth.

He coiled, and then with a sudden mental push he leapt forward, chains jangling, and a sinister blue flame shot up around him as a looming shadow sprang forth, reaching its talons towards the guard.

“Surrender thy soul, Delvan!” he roared in his very biggest demon voice.

It was perfect. The guard half-jumped out of his chair, fumbling his book and nearly toppling over backwards. The look on his face was absolutely worth what followed.

He lunged at Woljif, who scrambled back into his dark corner, the grin on his face rapidly fading.

“One more time and I’m gonna kick your teeth in, all the gods damn you!” Delvan yelled.

Woljif flinched. Delvan hadn’t hit him yet, but this wasn’t the first time in his life he’d found himself staring up into a fist.

“Come on, where’s your sense a’ humor?”

Delvan backed down, shaking his head and muttering as he collected his book.

Woljif crouched in the shadows in silence for a while, beginning to lose hope. His wistful gaze went to the cheerful glow at the top of stairwell again, and then, tantalizingly, as if to remind him of his sorry lot, someone up there started singing.

With a simple lute for accompaniment, the singer had a good, rich voice with rough edges that resonated in your breastbone in a way that made you feel funny. Woljif couldn’t make out the words, but the melody was sweet and a little bit sad, swelling with hope, then flowing into bitter regret in each chorus. It was the sound of a distant world Woljif had only ever dreamed of. One day, when he finally came into his fortune, he would hire a bard like this guy, and he would sit on his throne in his palace and just listen. And eat snacks. He became aware his eyes were watering and turned his face away from Delvan. It’s just damp down here, he told himself.

When the song ended he waited, but apparently that was all. “Hey Delvan, is that a new bard up there?”

Delvan marked his place in his book with a finger. “Yeah, it’s this Andoren fellow.”

“Oh, from the Ambassador’s caravan that got attacked? I heard about that. Heard he was the only survivor. How’s that for luck? They send folks to go clean up by now, or is all their stuff still lying around out there on the road? Be a shame if—”

“Woljif, will you shut up.”

A little while later another guard came down the stairs.

“Where in the nine hells have you been?” Delvan cried. “I’ve been down here with this gods-damned spawn of the Abyss for what feels like weeks. I’m at the end of my rope.”

The other guard just shrugged as he pulled up a chair and reached for a deck of cards. “Got caught up in the strategizing. Captain’s planning an attack on the Gray Garrison, try and stop the demons pissing all over the Wardstone.”

“Aha! A little offense is the best defense, I always say,” said Delvan. “State of my nerves, I’ll lead the charge if I get a chance to smash a few horned heads.”

“Yeah, well, a frontal siege with little more than the Eagle Watch and a few stray Crusaders is more likely to get smashed than do the smashing. And we don’t have time to wait for the Queen’s troops from Nerosyan. So you just go right up there and volunteer for the front lines, ‘cause nobody else is real keen.”

“Hey, uh, sounds to me like you Crusaders could use a secret way past the Gray Garrison’s defenses,” interjected Woljif, eagerly moving into the lamplight again.

The two guards spared him nothing but an annoyed glance.

“We’ve got a fighting chance,” Delvan said. “With Irabeth and that—”

“I know a way into the Gray Garrison,” said Woljif.

“—Andoren and his band, we can give ‘em a run for their money, I’ll wager. I don’t see as we have any choice. You know what they were—”

“Hello? The solution to all your troubles is standin’ right here!”

“—saying yesterday? That the demons found a way to corrupt the Wardstones, make ‘em all explode, blow holes in every major city in Men—”

“Don’t make me summon my shadow again,” Woljif warned.

Both of the guards turned on him. “Gods, will you quit running your mouth?”

“It’s true! I know a secret way into the Gray Garrison. Smuggler’s passage. Crusaders gotta live, right? Moonshine, love potions, books with naughty pictures. We’ve been runnin’ stuff through there for years. I can get you in.”

The two guards looked at one another. “So where is it?”

“Well, that’s confidential. Can’t go spillin’ Thiefling secrets right and left or I could end up floatin’ down the Sellen. Tell you what: you unchain me, and I’ll take you right to it.”

Delvan shook his head. “Yeah, right. Another one of your schemes. Shut up, Woljif.”

“Fine! Get your arses bashed in. See if I care. Bunch a’ blowhards. Less sense than a kobold with a concussion.”

“Maybe we should tell Irabeth,” said the other guard.

“Yeah, you do that! Go tell her Woljif can save all your sorry arses, and all I ask in exchange is a little freedom. Is that too much?”

Delvan sighed. “Irabeth is a very busy, and very scary, woman. I wouldn’t waste her time.”

The other guard scratched his head. “You sure he’s lying?”

Delvan looked at Woljif and ran his hand over his brow. “Every other word out of his constantly flapping mouth.”

“Now that ain’t fair,” Woljif protested. “I been straight with you. Most of the time. The thing about the puppy—ok, that was a little fib. Just testin’ the waters.”

“And the chest of gold hidden where only you could find it? Split it fifty-fifty?”

“You’ll never know.”

“And the fever? Feeling chipper all of a sudden?”

Woljif coughed.

The other guard looked skeptical now too.

“Aright, listen, I’m not lyin’ this time, I swear on my old Gran’s dear, sweet head. Anyway if Irabeth is sore at somebody for wastin’ her time, it’ll be me. Just go get her.”

Delvan nudged his companion. “Go on. It was your idea. You tell her.” Then he turned to Woljif with a malevolent grin. “Looks like either way, I win. If you’re not lying, we get a secret passage into the Gray Garrison, and if you are, I get to sit back and enjoy the show when Irabeth realizes you’ve played her.”

“You are a sad, sorry little man, Delvan.” Woljif tried to fold his arms across his chest in triumph, forgetting they were chained.

The other guard shrugged and headed up the stairs.

It took some time. Delvan went back to his book, and Woljif shrank back into the shadows, his heart racing. Finally, escape! Fresh air in my lungs and cobbles under my boots, he thought. And a quick trip back to the shop, and then his foot would be on the road to fortune.

Except that Kenabres was burning. Didn’t seem real safe out there at the moment. Well, one thing at a time, he told himself.

A few minutes later, there were voices on the stairs. Woljif leaned forward to get a look. There was the guard, but he was not bringing Irabeth after all. Instead, Woljif realized, it was the bard.

He was a handsome, tawny-headed half-elf, not very tall for his race, dressed in warm colors (lots of different warm colors, from a soft blue tunic and a wine-colored jerkin to a pair of forest-green trousers and a doe-brown cloak), laughing about something with the guard as they came down the stairs. He had a kind, friendly look to him. Probably a lot easier to run circles around than Irabeth.

Woljif looked him up and down, ignoring the strange sensation the bard’s voice produced in his stomach. If he played it right, this guy was his ticket to freedom.

“Hey dreamboat.”

#pathfinder: wrath of the righteous #woljif jefto #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #messed around with canon a little bit