#phoenix edits AGAIN AGAIN!! 1

[ph03n1x-24]

hey

hey guys

......... I made another ddvau edit :3

.............. this time it's mother spore :33

(once again screaming at @kitsuneisi and @xmaruu11 bc this comic is SO COOL go read it NOW)

((glitch/flashing lights tw!!))

(I did infact do some tweening in this but u can barely see it and I can only add one video so uh,,,,,tell me if u wanna see it???)

#phoenix edits AGAIN AGAIN!! 1 #love the effects on this tho OOOH IT'S SO COOL #the tweening was a nightmare but oh so fun too #ddvau mother spore #ddvau #ddvau fanart #ddvau edit??? #mother spore

[concord-and-cliches]

disco attorney! turnabout elysium! some other third possible combination!

(id in alt text and under the cut, sketches also under the cut)

[image ID: Part one of two of a Disco Elysium/Ace Attorney crossover fancomic.

Panel One: Miles Edgeworth, gesturing with one hand and pointing with the other, says, "Witness, your name and occupation, please."

Panel Two: Harry Du Bois, standing at the witness stand, says, "Oh, okay."

Panel Three: A copy of the previous panel, with no dialogue.

Panel Four: Harry looks off to the side with a nervous expression. Text in the panel reads: "ENCYCLOPEDIA [Trivial - Failure] - Uh…"

Panel Five: Harry, with a concerned and worried expression, has a white ring around his head with three thought orbs that are coloured blue, yellow, and red. Text in the panel reads: "HALF LIGHT - YOU GOT AMNESIA AGAIN. YOU'RE FUCKED." "Logic - No, it's just been a while since you've been on the stand. You're nervous, that's all." "COMPOSURE - Better shake off those nerves before going any further."

Part two of two of a Disco Elysium/Ace Attorney crossover fancomic.

Panel One: Kim Kitsuragi is sitting in the gallery, alongside vague depictions of other people, including Dick Gumshoe, Pearl Fey, and Kazuma Asogi. Text in the panel reads: "PERCEPTION (SIGHT) - The lieutenant's looking right at you from the gallery." "AUTHORITY - Uh-oh." "REACTION SPEED - Quick! Just say anything!"

Panel Two: Harry grips the witness stand and shouts with a frantic expression: "MY NAME IS RAPHAEL AMBROSIUS COSTEAU AND I'M A F(asterisks)T."

Panel Three: Edgeworth looks on with an affronted expression.

Panel Four: Maya Fey and Phoenix Wright have shocked expressions.

Panel Five: Kim has one arm leaning against the gallery, and his head in his other hand.

Panel Six: A slightly-edited copy of Panel Two, but Harry has a pensive expression, and text in the panel reads: "DAMAGED MORALE -1", alongside a purple X.

Three separate mini-fancomics involving a Disco Elysium/Ace Attorney crossover.

The first one is two panels, featuring Elizabeth Beaufort. In the first panel, she is crossing her arms and wearing an outfit similar to Apollo Justice's. She is thinking: "(I went to law school for this?)" In the second panel, she is looking at a screen with an annoyed expression, thinking: "(For a man like that to be among my peers?)" On the screen, there is a picture of Phoenix Wright, and text that reads: "Phoenix Wright's Accomplishments: -Ate Glass -Cross-Examined A Bird -Been Tazed -Been Whipped -Been Impersonated -Been Assaulted With Coffee"

The second one is a drawing of Kim Kitsuragi doing Edgeworth's pose in which he grabs his left arm and looks away with a pained expression. In the style of Ace Attorney, there is a text box which reads: "Kitsuragi: Thanks to you, I am saddled with unnecessary… feelings."

The third one is a drawing of Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth standing together, smiling at one another. Text in the image reads: "MILES EDGEWORTH - "Nice suit, by the way. I like the blue. Goes with the burgundy."

A Disco Elysium/Ace Attorney crossover fancomic featuring Dick Gumshoe, Harry Du Bois, Phoenix Wright, and Kim Kitsuragi.

Panel One: Gumshoe, with a determined expression and his hand in a fist, says: "True art has always been a war against oppression."

Panel Two: Harry grabs Gumshoe's shoulder and points at him with his other hand. He says to Gumshoe, who is smiling, "Oh my God. Dude, we are biving so hard right now."

Panel Three: Harry and Gumshoe begin talking to one another with numerous empty speech bubbles indicating so. Phoenix and Kim look on from the background.

Panel Four: A close-up of Phoenix and Kim, who have disconcerted expressions. Together, they think: "(Two of them…)" /end ID]

#welcome again to self indulgence town #turnabout disco #contra art #fanart #disco elysium #ace attorney #comic #harry du bois #miles edgeworth #kim kitsuragi #phoenix wright #maya fey #dick gumshoe #elizabeth beaufort #narumitsu #wrightworth #kimharry #harrykim #disco elysium fanart #de fanart #harrier du bois #f slur

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Middlemen without enshittification

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me next in SALT LAKE CITY (Feb 21, Weller Book Works) and SAN DIEGO (Feb 22, Mysterious Galaxy). After that, it's LA, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and more!

Enshittification describes how platforms go bad, which is also how the internet goes bad, because the internet is made of platforms, which is weird, because platforms are intermediaries and we were promised that the internet would disintermediate the world:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/30/go-nuts-meine-kerle/#ich-bin-ein-bratapfel

The internet did disintermediate a hell of a lot of intermediaries – that is, "middlemen" – but then it created a bunch more of these middlemen, who coalesced into a handful of gatekeepers, or as the EU calls them "VLOPs" (Very Large Online Platforms, the most EU acronym ever).

Which raises two questions: first, why did so many of us end up flocking to these intermediaries' sites, and how did those sites end up with so much power?

To answer the first question, I want you to consider one of my favorite authors: Crad Kilodney (RIP):

https://archive.org/details/thecradkilodneypapers

When I was growing up, Crad was a fixture on the streets of Toronto. All through the day and late into the evening, winter or summer, Crad would stand on the street with a sign around his neck ("Very famous Canadian author, buy my books, $2" or sometimes just "Margaret Atwood, buy my books, $2"). He wrote these deeply weird, often very funny short stories, which he edited, typeset, printed, bound and sold himself, one at a time, to people who approached him on the street.

I had a lot of conversations with Crad – as an aspiring writer, I was endlessly fascinated by him and his books. He was funny, acerbic – and sneaky. Crad wore a wire: he kept a hidden tape recorder rolling in his coat and he secretly recorded conversations with people like me, and then released a series of home-duplicated tapes of the weirdest and funniest ones:

https://archive.org/details/on-the-street-crad-kilodney-vol-1

I love Crad. He deserves more recognition. There's an on-again/off-again documentary about his life and work that I hope gets made some day:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/09/free-sample/#putrid-scum

But – and this is the crucial part – there are writers out there I want to hear from who couldn't do what Crad did. Maybe they can write books, but not edit them. Or edit them, but not typeset them. Or typeset, but not print. Or print, but not spend the rest of their lives standing on a street-corner with a "PUTRID SCUM" sign around their neck.

Which is fine. That's why we have intermediaries. I like booksellers (I was one!). I like publishers. I like distributors. I like their salesforce, who go forth and convince the booksellers of the world to stock books like mine. I have ten million things I want to do before I die, and I'm already 52, and being a sales-rep for a publisher isn't on my bucket list. I am so thankful that someone else wants to do this for me.

That's why we have intermediaries, and why disintermediation always leads to some degree of re-intermediation. There's a lot of explicit and implicit knowledge and specialized skill required to connect buyers and sellers, creators and audiences, and other sides of two-sided markets. Some producers can do some of this stuff for themselves, and a very few – like Crad – can do it all, but most of us need some help, somewhere along the way. In the excellent 2022 book Direct, Kathryn Judge lays out a clear case for all the good that middlemen can do:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/12/direct-the-problem-of-middlemen/

So why were we all so anxious for disintermediation back in the late 1990s? Here's a hint: it wasn't because we hated intermediaries – it was because we hated powerful intermediaries.

The point of an intermediary is to serve as a conduit between producers and consumers, buyers and sellers, audiences and creators. When an intermediary gains power over the audience – say, by locking them inside a walled garden – and then uses that lock-in to screw producers and appropriate an ever larger share of the value going between them, that's when intermediaries become a problem.

The problem isn't that someone will handle ticketing for your gig. The problem is that Ticketmaster has locked down all the ticketing, and the venues, and the promotions, and it uses that power to gouge fans and rip off artists:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/20/anything-that-cant-go-on-forever-will-eventually-stop/

The problem isn't that there's a well-made website that lets you shop for goods sold by many small merchants and producers. It's that Amazon has cornered this market, takes $0.51 out of every dollar you spend there, and clones and destroys any small merchant who succeeds on the platform:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

The problem isn't that there's a website where you can stream most of the music ever recorded. It's that Spotify colludes with the Big Three labels to rip off artists and sneaks crap you don't want to hear into your stream in order to collect payola:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/12/streaming-doesnt-pay/#stunt-publishing

The problem isn't that there's a website where you can buy any audiobook you want. It's that Amazon's Audible locks every book to its platform forever and steals hundreds of millions of dollars from creators:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/25/can-you-hear-me-now/#acx-ripoff

The problem, in other words, isn't intermediation – it's power. The thing that distinguishes a useful intermediary from an enshittified bully is power. Intermediaries gain power when our governments stop enforcing competition law. This lets intermediaries buy each other up and corner markets. Once they've formed cozy cartels, they can capture their regulators and commit rampant labor, privacy and consumer violations with impunity. That capture also lets them harness governments to punish smaller players that want to free workers, creators, audiences and customers from walled gardens. It also hands them a whip-hand over their workers, so that any worker who refuses to aid in these nefarious plans can be easily fired:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/30/go-nuts-meine-kerle/#ich-bin-ein-bratapfel

A world with intermediaries is a better world. As much as I love Crad Kilodney's books, I wouldn't want to live in a world where the only books on my shelves came from people prepared to stand on a street-corner wearing a "FOUL PUS FROM DEAD DOGS" sign.

The problem isn't intermediaries – it's powerful intermediaries. That's why the world's surging antitrust movement is so exciting: by reinstating competition law, we can keep intermediaries small and comparatively weak, so that creators and audiences, drivers and riders, sellers and buyers, and other groups seeking to connect will not find themselves made subservient to middlemen.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/19/crad-kilodney-was-an-outlier/#intermediation

#pluralistic #intermediation #disintermediation #publishing #creative labor #middlemen #distributors #publishers #publicists #enshittification #monopoly #monopsony #crad kilodney #trustbusting #antitrust

[thislovintime]

Remembering David Jones, and sending thoughts to his family and friends.

(Footage in this edit from the Blu-ray set, Getty Images, Australian TV, Extra, the 1990s documentary; audio 1 from Peter's 1999 interview with GOLD 104.5.)

“Genuine, reliable and huggable, Peter is a natural person — really gets off on talent — loves other musicians and can jam along with the best of ‘em. I saw him holding his own with Hendrix, Stills, Young. He encouraged me no end. Bought me my first guitar and my first drum kit. […] He used to walk with a swagger, shining his arms with a confident air. He calmed hysteria, and lifted depression. ‘Dried banana, anybody? Piece of orange?’ — smiling, waving, running his hands through his hair. He knew all the crew by their first names. Kids crying at his feet he lifted and hugged like a father calming a child. […] He’s the most musically talented of us all by a mike. His songs are real. ‘For Pete’s Sake’ — which replaced the Monkees Theme at the end of some of the shows of the second season — is one of my all-time favorite songs by anybody. I’ve joked a lot about Peter giving everything away. But it was true. He was always giving his spare room to someone who needed it for the night — anyone. And he always seemed far away somewhere — in a different space. But I’m glad I know him. Of all the things he gave me, he gave me lots of laughs — and food for thought.” - Davy Jones, They Made A Monkee Out Of Me (1988) “I enjoyed [Micky] the most, respected Mike the most, and loved Davy the most.” - Peter Tork, Hartford Courant, February 26, 1982 “Davy adored performing, and adored meeting and greeting his fans. He was tireless in making himself available to sing a song, do a dance, shake a hand; whatever was asked. I had heart-to-heart moments with him that were among the best in my life. I was blessed to know and work closely with him. He was one in about 6 billion, give or take. We won’t see his like again. He left much too soon. I share your sadness. Thank you again for this chance to contribute. God bless and keep you all.” - Peter Tork in a note for a Pennsylvania memorial event for Davy, also shared via Peter’s official Facebook page, 2012 Peter Tork: “He was a master of many aspects of this kind of thing [entertaining], and, you know, and we had some very wonderful personal connections, and I’m really sad to see all that gone.” Q: “He just seemed to be a fun guy. I know he loved horses.” PT: “Sure did.” Q: “And obviously loved Peter.” PT: “Sure did. Loved him.” - 94.5 FM (Phoenix), 2013 “[Micky] and Mike and I have a very cordial relationship and share a lot of common topics. We go to lunch together when we’re all in town and have a good time. I love and respect each of these guys in their own way, although the real joys that I shared with Davy were special. At one point we had some good hard connections but as the years rolled on, those things faded away. But I am sorry to see Davy go. He was the one member in the group that I had the strongest human connection with. I still have two guys that I love and respect left from the band, but we share a different dynamic.” - Peter Tork, Review Mag, May 27, 2016

#Davy Jones #David Jones #Peter Tork #Micky Dolenz #Michael Nesmith #Tork quotes #Peter and Davy #long read #can you queue it

[theharddeck]

your love is the love I need || chapter 1/4

pairing: javy machado x femme reader (no y/n), callsign Cross

summary: Cross and Javy are very good friends. Javy might've let it slip to his mother that they're more. A little fake dating never hurt anyone, right?

warnings: 18+, minors please DNI – no smut in this chapter (there defs will be in later chapters, and I never want someone to be caught off guard) but there is an attempted roofie-ing in this chapter.

length: 6.2k

A/N: literally the biggest shoutout in the WORLD to @daggerspare-standingbystandingby for talking me off a ledge, and also line editing, and also depth. @bradshawsbitch and @laracrofted thank you for always brainstorming with me 💙

Saturday

“Cross, get in here; I need a stand-in.”

You’d been looking for a glass for your cherry coke in cabinets at the Miramar Family Center, but at Hangman’s call, you grabbed a straw and jogged back over to the pool table. Bob folded a napkin and slid it across the table as you got closer and you smiled at him gratefully before setting the sweating can down on it.

“Tapping out already, Hangman?” Phoenix asked from across the table, where she was wiping chalk over the end of her pool cue. 

“You and Avalone wish,” Jake drawled, smiling wanly at the group. “Nah, I’ve got to pick something up; I’ll be right back.”

He tossed his pool cue at you without looking and you considered letting it clatter to the ground, but you grabbed it out of the air, trying not to read into the gesture too much. 

You were a recent addition to the squad; when Fanboy had decided he wanted to try piloting again, they’d needed a WSO to fly with Payback. Having only been a teammate for a couple months, you were still finding your footing with the group. Everyone had been welcoming, of course, but there were times that you felt the little idioms and questions were a type of test. Tests that you were determined to pass, not just for the sake of assimilation, but because this was a team you were genuinely proud to be a part of, and you wanted them to know it. 

“Am I solid or stripes?” you asked, looking down at the table, confused by the seeming lack of structure on the felt.

“We’re playing cutthroat,” Payback said, looking after Hangman with a grimace, for not giving you any context.

“We’re 11-15,” Coyote said, because of course he and Jake had been a team. He swiped the chalk that Phoenix had been using, and as he dropped it into your palm, his fingertips brushed yours. You tried to ignore it, it was just an accidental brush, but your skin prickled anyway, and you looked away quickly.

“1-5,” Phoenix cut in, pointing between her and Fritz. 

“6-10,” Payback finished, lifting a fist in Bob’s direction, as the WSO held up a clenched hand obediently.

“Cool,” you said, deciding if you wanted to take on the pilot who held your life in his hands any time you got in the back of an F/A-18, or Phoenix. 

Which, honestly, wasn’t even a question.

You surveyed the felt once more, before seeing a clear shot for the 9 ball, walking around the table to take it, and shooting Bob an apologetic look as the ball clattered into the pocket.

“I knew I liked you,” Natasha cooed.

“Yeah, I don’t know why we bother,” Payback sighed to Bob, who shrugged, both of them good-naturedly.

“Atta girl,” Coyote crowed, and Phoenix nodded approvingly and you grinned at her, rather than risk looking at him. Not with the butterflies that erupted in your stomach at his completely platonic praise. You were on the same team, it was nothing more than that, and now was so not the time for your relentless crush to make an appearance.

Pool wasn’t really your game, and you weren’t at all surprised when you botched the next shot, flustered by the nearly six feet of Abercrombie model at your shoulder. You backed away from the table as Billy stepped up, apparently next in order. 

You swiped your soda from the table by Bob, crossing the room to perch on the side of a sofa and wait for your turn again, or Jake’s reappearance, whichever came first. 

Your eyes flitted over to Javy, as they always seemed to, when you weren’t actively trying not to. It wasn’t your fault he was magnetic. 

All easy smiles and broad shoulders, deep protectiveness and unabashed confidence, just as good as Hangman and Rooster and Phoenix, less likely to call attention to it. The way he’d look deep at whoever was talking to him, nodding along as he gave them his full attention. 

At present, that person was Phoenix, and Javy’s shoulders dipped as he hunched his back slightly, to get closer and hear her better. You played with the end of your pool stick, watching as their heads tilted together, quietly commenting on the table as Fritz lined up a shot.

“It’s a statistical impossibility, right?” Halo whispered, appearing next to you on the couch. “For them to be that pretty and that good of pilots?”

You followed her gaze to the trio around the table and shook your head, agreeing. 

“The worst part of it,” you mumbled back, “is that they have the audacity to be decent people, so we can’t even do the easy thing and dislike them for being perfect.”

Halo clicked her tongue against her teeth, fiddling with the plastic cap of a water bottle. 

“That’s why they need us,” she mused. “You, me, and Bob: subverting expectations as gorgeous backseaters.”

You snorted, before Callie’s words registered, and you looked over at her, your voice teasing when you asked, “Bob, huh?”

She shrugged lightly, even as a pretty flush bloomed on her cheeks.

“Completely impartially, of course,” she said, sheepishly. You smiled reassuringly, bumping her shoulder with yours, and she tilted her head as she looked back at the table. 

“How’s that view from your glass house?” she asked, sweetly, making you nearly choke on your soda when you saw she was looking pointedly at Coyote. 

“Is it that obvious?” you asked.

“I mean, it was a guess, but that just confirmed it,” Callie smiled broadly, before sighing again. “I think crushes on other pilots is the particular curse of Wizzos—we know better, but we think we’re smart enough to get around it.”

“I’ll drink to that,” you muttered, bumping your soda can into her water bottle, memory taking you back a couple months to a night just like this one. 

It was your first day in San Diego; you’d caught an early flight and were able to move into your off-base apartment and walk around North Island for a bit, exploring before you’d meet your detachment the following morning. As the sun sank over the Pacific, you walked along the beach, enjoying the warm sand and cooling air. You could hear a piano in the distance, something you assumed was the effect of a bluetooth speaker until you realized it came from a bar a little farther down the beach, and you redirected your footsteps towards it. 

The Hard Deck smelled like sweat and good beer, and you clocked a couple different types of badges as you scanned the room. There was a good chance someone here would recognize you tomorrow, so you asked for a coke from the older man behind the bar, settling on a stool and looking around.

There was a man with a mustache and aviators (Indoors. At night.) at the piano, his head cocked back as he worked through the greatest hits of the 60s. Beside him, a stunning woman in a tight bun stood shoulder-to-shoulder with an impossibly tall man, also with a mustache, both of them singing along enthusiastically. A pool table was nearby, a couple more uniforms draped across it, and two men were playing darts against the wall closest to you.

Well, one of them was playing darts. 

The blond man was clearly in his element, sinking bullseye after bullseye, and the man beside him seemed content enough to let him play it out. It wasn’t so much a competition, as it was one man showboating, and his friend humoring him.

The louder of the two was making jokes about his odds, calling shots before he took them, and every now and then his partner would quietly say something that would make his shoulders laugh enough to miss his shot. Their conversation faded into the noise of the bar as you turned on your stool, looking around you. When you came back to the bartop, you noticed a man sidling up to a younger girl a couple stools down from you. 

She was rebuffing him as gently as she could, and he seemed to be taking it pretty well—until she turned to chat with someone over her shoulder, and he dropped something in her drink while she was preoccupied. 

Your jaw dropped; that’d been clear as day. But the bar was crowded, and she’d been distracted by her friends, and your heart lurched when she reached back for her drink without paying attention. 

“Hey, wait!” you called down the bar, and she turned to look at you. Along with the half of the bar, you assumed, but you slid off the seat rather than check and see how much of an audience you had. The girl frowned at you, an unfamiliar face yelling at her, but whatever she saw in your expression held her attention for the moment it took you to get down to her. 

“Sorry,” you said, quietly as you could, when you got closer to her. “I didn’t want to make a scene, but he definitely put something in your drink.”

“Oh my gosh,” the girl set the drink down on the bar, glaring at the man. “What the hell, you creep!!”

“I didn’t—,” the man’s face flushed, and he looked angrily at you before at the people around him, placatingly. “Hold on, you can’t just go around accusing—”

“It’s not an accusation if it’s true,” you said, turning to the bartender. “Are you the owner?”

He shook his head, looking over your shoulder at some of the other patrons, then set down the tap he was pouring. “I’ll get Penny.”

“Now, hang on Jimmy,” the creep sputtered. “I-I didn’t do anything, you can’t prove I—”

“Drink it, then.”

Everyone turned at the deep voice, as someone else stepped towards the bar. You recognized one of the men from the dartboard, the quiet one, and he crossed his arms as he came up behind you. 

The creep’s expression paled as he took in the tall frame of the pilot behind you. “I mean, it’s her drink, I’m not–”

The girl slid her drink down the bartop, in front of the man. “Go on.”

A door slammed in the back of the bar and a moment later, a slim brunette woman let herself behind the counter. She stalked behind the bar, looking sharply at you. 

“You saw it?” she asked.

You nodded, and her jaw ticked. She planted her hands on the bar, looking the creep clearly in the face, like she was memorizing it, before she covered the drink with saran wrap and handed it behind her to Jimmy. 

“You’re gonna wait in my office until the police get here,” she told the man, her voice level. “And when you leave with them, you will not set foot in this bar again. Understood?”

“Police?” the man echoed, his eyes going wide. “Hold on, this is all getting blown out of proportion, all I did was—”

Penny jerked her head to the side, and you felt a hand on your shoulder for a moment as the quiet pilot brushed by you to reach for the creep. The blond man was with him, suddenly, and they unceremoniously hauled the creep away from the bar.

Penny pursed her lips together, looking meaningfully over at the piano, and a moment later, some Elvis song was playing through the bar. Penny checked in with the girl, pulled some receipt paper out of the printer and had her write down her contact information, in case the police wanted to follow up with her. She waved you down as well, and you came over. 

“Don’t think we’ve met before,” she said brusquely, holding a hand across the bar. “I’m Penny.”

“Nice to meet you,” you said, shaking her extended hand and giving her your name. “You handled that really well.”

Her jaw clenched again, as she shook her head. “Hate that I have to handle it at all. Thanks for saying something; what’re you drinking tonight? It’s on the house.”

“Oh, thanks,” you shook your head, pointing to your abandoned coke, “but I’m not drinking; I have an early day tomorrow.”

Penny hummed, looking you over. You had the uncanny feeling that, even without your uniform, she somehow knew you were Navy, which detachment you were in, and—given another minute or two—she could guess your callsign. 

“Better get your information too,” she said, sliding the receipt paper down the bar, “in case they want a statement from you. Include your CO; I can probably put a good word in edgewise.”

You scribbled your information down, wondering what ties she had to the Navy, but not doubting for a moment that they were strong. Her mouth twitched as she read over what you’d written, blooming into a full smile as she looked up at you.  

“Well, that’ll be easier than I thought,” she said, almost to herself, before walking over to the tap to pour you another coke. “So, what brings you to North Island?”

You chatted with her until the police came and she excused herself to go deal with them. You were finishing your coke when you realized the two pilots were back by the dartboard, the blond one having sunk three bullseyes and performing what appeared to be a victory shimmy.  

He looked like a Ken doll, like someone had manufactured him in a Mattel factory, then turned him to life and told him he could do anything a real boy could do. 

You laughed to yourself at his antics, and watched while the quiet one collected the darts and took his stance for his turn. His first dart landed on double 16—solid, except it couldn’t beat 3 bullseyes.

You’d wanted to thank him for helping out before Penny got there, and this was as good a chance as any, so you hopped off the barstool and crossed towards the darts wall.

“Hey,” you said, inelegant but effective, appearing behind the two of them, turning to look at you in surprise. “May I?”

The blond man made a sound in the back of his throat like he was both shocked and thrilled by your presence, and he nodded like of course you could butt in. You looked over at the quieter one, trying to pretend he wasn’t the most beautiful person you’d seen in your life. 

They’d both looked great from a distance, but up close, he was somehow even prettier, and as you looked at him, the corners of his mouth turned up in a hint of a smile. It was like he liked the weight of your eyes, which was terribly flattering, and you found yourself wanting to smile back. You looked away quickly, back to Ken Doll, thinking about the accent you’d heard in his bragging earlier. 

“Texas?” you asked, to distract yourself.

He raised an eyebrow. “Six generations back.”

You hummed, before holding out a hand to the quiet one. 

“The lady will shoot for her own hand,” Ken Doll said, like he was quoting something, a laugh in his voice as you felt two darts drop into your palm. 

“Pick that up from Medieval Times?” you asked.

“Brave, actually,” he muttered, before smiling sheepishly, “my sister’s kids love that movie.” 

“What do they call you?” you asked, turning the darts over in your hands. It was a guess, but the way his eyebrows raised slightly when he registered the cadence of your question confirmed you were right.

“Hangman,” he said, lifting his chin over your shoulder. “That’s Coyote.”

You looked over at him. “Hey.”

He smiled, slow and easy, and you looked away before you messed up your shot. You focused, let it go, and Coyote whistled. 

“Triple 20,” he said.

“Triple 20,” you agreed, looking back at Hangman. “Want to see it again?”

Hangman’s eyes narrowed as he did the quick mental math, and beside you, Coyote crossed his arms across his chest, laughing quietly. It was a warm sound, and tempted though you were to turn and see it, you let go of the last dart and watched as it landed next to your first. 

“Look at that; Coyote wins,” you wiped your hands on your jeans, smiling at a shocked Hangman.

“Damn,” he said quietly, then grinned. “I like you; you can stay.”

You snorted as he strolled lazily across to the board to pull out the darts, before you turned to look at Coyote, who was watching you already. He had deep brown eyes, eyes that looked kind, like they laughed easy, like they didn’t miss much. 

“Anyways,” you said, apropos of nothing, clearing your throat. “I came over here to say thanks for backing me up at the bar.”

Something like surprise flashed across his face before he could stop it. He shrugged like anyone would’ve done it, like it was nothing special to believe women, to support a stranger the same way he’d supported his friend all evening, and in that moment—before he knew who you were, before you knew his actual name, before you’d spoken more than a dozen words to the man—you fell hard for Javy Machado. 

“Bob, you’re killing me,” Payback groaned, and you jerked out of the memory. Apparently, Fritz’s turn was done, Bob biffed it, and Phoenix lifted her hand in an “after you” gesture as Coyote stepped up to the table. 

He walked slowly, and you tried to be impartial like Callie’d said, but it was damn hard when his shoulders filled out his khakis like that. He walked a slow circle, frowning at the spread and you shifted the pool cue in your own hands, telling yourself to stop staring and continuing to do just that.

“Duckie,” a soft voice called across the room, “if you don’t take the shot already, we’re going to be here all night.” 

Javy dropped the pool cue with a clatter, turning to find the voice. You spotted Jake the same time everybody else did, his chest puffed out proudly as he escorted an older woman on his arm. She wore warm gray senegalese twists, dangling turquoise earrings and a wide smile you’d recognize anywhere.

“Momma?” Javy asked softly, then a grin split his face as he sprinted across the room. His mother opened her arms as Javy rushed into them, carefully bending his tall frame to enfold her, before straightening and spinning her around. Their laughter echoed around the room and a couple claps of applause went up. 

Jake slapped a hand on Javy’s back as he stepped around them, walking over to the pool table to give them a minute together. Phoenix smiled lightly at him, a soft thing that you doubted any of you were meant to see, before she cleared her throat, looking back at you.

“See, this is why we put up with him being an asshole as much as he is,” she told you, shaking her head at Jake. “He’ll leave you out as bait if it gets him a shot at a bandit, but he’ll remember your mother’s birthday, burn his visitor passes, and fly her across the country to surprise you.”

“Take it easy, Nat,” Jake said lightly, resting his knuckles on the pool table and surveying the game’s progress since he’d stepped away. “You’ll ruin my reputation.”

Phoenix shook her head before lining up her next shot, and Jake pushed away from the table to come stand next to where you and Halo were seated on the couch.

You bumped his shoulder with yours as you both looked back across the center, where Javy and his mom were walking arm-and-arm towards your group.

“That was awful sweet of you,” you told him quietly, not wanting to “ruin his reputation” as he put it. 

“The fact that you don’t sound surprised means Phoenix’s lies are taking root,” Jake muttered, but you heard the pride in his voice; he was pleased with himself for pulling this off.

You looked away from the pair over to Jake, who held out a hand for you to hand him his pool cue. You passed it to him, tipping your head, holding onto the other end of it.

“So there was absolutely no altruism involved in reuniting your best friend with his mom?”

“You wound me, Cross,” Jake said drily, but he lifted his chin at Javy’s mother, who was smiling broadly up at her son, her eyes shining as she patted at his uniform proudly. “Give it a sec; let’s see if it pays off.”  

You weren’t sure what that meant, but you felt your expression turn soft at the clear fondness between Javy and his mother; somehow you always knew he’d be a momma’s boy. Her neck was craned at a sharp angle to look up at him, but both of their smiles were wide as they broke into the group. 

“Guys,” Javy said, his voice nearly giddy, “this is my mom. Momma, this is the group. We’ve got Payback, Bob, Phoenix, Fritz—I guess you already know Jake—Halo, and Cross.”

You all smiled and waved as Javy pointed you out to his mother, and her kind eyes followed Javy’s hand around the circle. You thought you might’ve imagined they lingered a little longer on you, but then her smile grew wider as she looked back at Javy. She elbowed him, then looked back at you.

“Now, Javy,” she chided gently, “I know that’s not how you introduce me to your girlfriend.”

The group stilled, and Jake pulled in a deep breath through his nose, his own smile turning decidedly smug as he pushed away from you, taking the cue with him. 

“And there’s your answer, Cross,” he said out of the side of his mouth, going over to the pool table and lining up a shot.

You wet your lips as your eyes darted from Mrs Machado up to Javy. 

His expression was a strange mix of shocked, mortified, and pleading, and you weren’t sure what Jake had done to land the both of you in this predicament, but you knew you weren’t about to spoil this reunion for Javy.

“Mrs. Machado,” you smiled, pushing away from the couch to come and hug her. “I’m so excited to get to meet you.”

Of course, she hugged like an angel. 

She was just a little shorter than you, and she held you like you were something precious she was excited to have in her arms. When you pulled back, her hands settled on your elbows and she beamed up at you. 

“Oh, aren’t you just the loveliest,” she smiled, and her voice sounded like the happiest thing. “You know, I told him, I did, when he started talking about the newest wiz—oh, what is that abbreviation?”

“WSO,” the group chorused.

“WSO,” Mrs. Machado nodded, grateful for the prompt. “Yes, well, when he started talking about you, I asked him if you were a nice young lady, and he insisted that you were just friends, but I just knew, you kept coming up in conversation and, well, I knew it was something more. And then sweet Jacob…”

She broke off to smile kindly at Hangman, and when you looked over your shoulder, Callie and Natasha had cornered him threateningly, but he looked too smug to be intimidated. Under Mrs. Machado’s eyes, they smiled charmingly, but their stance didn’t change. You appreciated them coming to your defense, but it did make you wonder how many people seemed to know about your crush.

“Yeah, sweet Jacob,” Payback deadpanned from the other side of the table, before assuming his role as Resident Adult of the squad. “Mrs. Machado, can we get you something to drink? I know lines at the base access point can be awful, maybe a glass of water?”

“Oh!” Mrs. Machado looked between Reuben and the kitchen, then at you. You smiled reassuringly, pulling your arms free from her. 

“I’ll be here,” you said, then reached over without looking, turning away. “Hey, Jay, can I have a word?”

“Yep, figured,” Javy muttered, as your hand closed on the lapel of his khakis, pulling him after you. 

“You both are doing my push ups after the next of Mav’s drills,” Payback hissed under his breath as your paths crossed.

“Done,” you said quickly.

“For sure,” Javy said, stumbling slightly as he tried to follow your shorter stride as you pulled him to a corner of the Family Center. You figured the group would be watching you so you turned your back to them, pulling Javy to stand in front of you.

“Wait, you’re his backseater,” Javy smoothed down his lapel, frowning over your shoulder in Reuben’s direction. “If he’s doing them, you are too, and 400 pushups isn’t—”

“You’ve got, like, 15 seconds to tell me why your mom thinks I’m your girlfriend.”

You probably could’ve handled it with more finesse, or at least not interrupted him. 

Javy’s hand came up to rub the back of his neck; if you didn’t know better, you’d say he was nervous, but there’s no way that was real, so you just waited on his explanation. 

“Okay, so she means well, my mom, but every time we talked, she’d be asking about if I’d met a nice girl, or telling me how one of her friends had a kid in town, that I should meet up with or—”

“15 seconds,” you reiterated, trusting in Reuben’s vamping ability, but the man was only mortal. 

“Right,” Javy swallowed. “Uh, so it’s just…one day she was just going on and on, and I said I’d asked someone out, and she wanted to know who and you were the first person I thought of.”

You blinked.

“Not like that, not like I’d planned on asking you out or something,” Javy rushed to say, which shouldn’t have stung as much as it did, but damn. He must’ve realized how that sounded, too, because he winced. “I mean, not like that, it was just the easiest lie that she’d believe and she was never supposed to be here and meet you and—”

You crossed your arms over your chest, eyes narrowing as you looked up at him. “How do you think this is going?”

“Yeah, not great,” Javy mumbled, his hand falling to his side.

“Awesome,” you muttered. “So now that we’ve established how it’s just a matter of me being the easiest lie, you didn’t want her to meet me, and you wouldn’t actually ask me out—”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Javy said stubbornly, even though it was what he’d just said. He looked frustrated, and you couldn’t tell if it was towards your reaction or something else but when he opened his mouth, the words got stuck, because he just sighed.

Javy drew in a deep breath, looking over your shoulder. You knew when his eyes landed on his mom, because his whole face softened, and his shoulders drooped slightly. 

“Tell me this,” you said, weighing your words carefully, “is this for her or for you?”

“For her,” he said, with conviction, and when he looked back at you, your heart skipped a beat at the look in his eyes. It was honest and deep, something selfless and that scared him too, and you believed him. 

“She gets worried about me,” he explained. “What she and my dad have is special…when me or my siblings don’t have that, she gets worried. Like, it’s something she prays for. I know she’s proud of me and my career and all that, but I think a part of her will always think something’s missing, unless I’m with someone.”

You looked over your shoulder to find Mrs. Machado in the kitchen, smiling happily at Rueben as he made her some tea. She had this aura of comfort around her, that of being loved and known, and wanting it for everyone around her. It wasn’t an energy you were super familiar with, but you could understand that it would be heavy for someone like Javy to bear.

And this was a terrible idea—you were gonna embarrass yourself at the least, potentially break your own heart at the worst—but you couldn’t say no.

“Okay,” you sighed. “So, how do we do this?”

Javy’s eyes closed for a moment in relief, and for a second you thought he was going to reach for you, but then he held himself steady, his hands clenching at his sides.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. 

You nodded, already regretting this, knowing if you could do it again, you’d choose the same result, every time.

“Yeah,” you said, rubbing at your temples briefly before looking back up at him. “Um, I guess, how much do you want me around? I’m sure you guys want time for just the two of you.”

Javy seemed to think it over. “I’ll probably take her to dinner tonight—she’ll invite you, but I think we can get you out of it. If…do you want to do breakfast tomorrow?”

Somewhere a trickster god was chortling, thrilled by Javy asking a question you’d never expected to hear, and in an entirely different context.

“I can do breakfast,” you said. 

“Great,” Javy said, a full smile growing. “God, thank you. Great.” 

And somewhere that same trickster god rolled their eyes, because you were a simpleton who’d do any number of ridiculous things to see that smile again. 

Javy squeezed your shoulder lightly, moving to go around you before stopping himself and stepping back.  

“You’ve never called me ‘Jay’ before,” he said, his expression curious.

And you hadn’t, never aloud. But in your texts to your girlfriends back home, you referred to him by his initial, just in case someone ever stole your phone.

“Yeah, well," you deferred, "Duckie was taken, so…”

Javy’s nose wrinkled as he tried not to laugh, and there it was, that smile again.  

“I had a stuffed duck, when I was a kid,” he explained. “Took it everywhere with me, like some kids have their blankets…Momma always told me she loved me like I loved that duck, and it kind of stuck.”

“That’s adorable,” you said, honest. 

Javy waved a hand, like it wasn’t anything, and then he looked back at you.

“I like it,” he said, something different in his voice. “Jay.”

You weren’t sure what to say to that, so you pressed your lips together and shrugged. Javy looked at you for a moment, then he tilted his head towards the group. You turned with him, following him back to the group, telling yourself it was going to be fine. 

Of course, that was until Mrs. Machado insisted that they drive you home. 

Thankfully, you were able to convince her to take the passenger seat, so as Mrs. Machado and Javy talked quietly, the soft music on the speakers kept their conversation from reaching you in the backseat. You leaned your head against the glass of the window, trying to recall the cross streets from memory, rather than think too hard about any part of tonight. The car was in park for a minute before you realized it was idling in front of your apartment. 

“Oh, sorry,” you said quickly, sliding off your seatbelt and leaning forward to brush Mrs. Machado’s shoulder lightly, “it was so great to meet you. Thanks for driving me home.”

“Of course,” she beamed over her shoulder at you, reaching back to catch your hand in hers, and squeezing. “I’m so glad we’ll get to visit more tomorrow.”

You smiled back, then let go of her, sliding down to the seat to the door. As you unfolded yourself out of the backseat, Javy’s hand appeared on the car door, holding it open for you as you climbed out. He shut it behind you, walking beside you towards the door of your apartment. 

You looked up at him out of the side of your eye. 

People shouldn’t be pretty from this angle but he was. The moonlight seemed to highlight his long lashes, and the soft shadow they cast over his face.  

“You don’t have to walk me,” you said under your breath, once you were out of hearing range of the car. 

“Nah,” Javy said, his voice lower rather than quieter. “Momma knows I’d walk my girl to the door.”

It wasn’t a long walk up the driveway, but you seemed aware of every step. Or maybe the world just froze when Javy said my girl. 

You glanced over at him again, admiring the way he looked perfectly at ease, his hands tucked into his pockets, steps slow to match your pace. You thought about how sweet his mother was, how excited she’d been at the prospect of spending time with you tomorrow. She was probably watching from the car now, and it did somewhat soothe the guilt in your chest, knowing that someone else had set a precedent for her, and she wouldn’t be too disappointed when her son calmly told her you had broken up.

“That’s good that she’s met others,” you said, climbing the first step to your porch, “it’s less intimidating to know I just have to be an average.”

Javy made a soft sound, something between a hum and an exhale, shoulders rising slightly in a shrug. “Actually, you’re the first since the Academy.”   

You stopped on the step, turning to find Javy watching you closely. With the added height, the two of you were almost eye level, and your stomach flipped. His brown eyes seemed to glitter, something soft like starlight in them.

“But you said…” you trailed off, realizing Javy had said it was how he would be, not how he’d been. “Literally how is that possible?” 

Javy smiled easily, looking back at the car, then back at you as he lifted his chin. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

You smiled back, you couldn’t not, even as you shook your head, despite the heat crawling up your neck because you didn’t realize you’d said that out loud. He was too bright to leave you unaffected, so you stood there on the step, smiling like a fool at a man who somehow had no idea how much of a marvel he was.

Which is when you realized you were staring again.

“Well,” you said, looking away, taking another step up the porch, “thanks again for the ride home. And walking me up here, and I guess…I’m gonna go inside.”

“Oh,” Javy said it quietly, like he hadn’t meant to, like you’d surprised him. He nodded, and you waited for him to say something else, as he looked over his shoulder at the car, but then his easy smile was back again. “Yeah, no worries. Actually, thank you, right?”

You were pretty sure the moonlight was playing tricks on you. 

Because there was something in Javy’s expression that you hadn’t seen before, something that looked like uncertainty, something almost like wondering. The extra step put you almost taller than him, your faces closer than you’d expected. Javy blinked slowly, his gaze darting down to your mouth before he stepped back a half pace, like he’d remembered something. 

It had to be the moonlight, or you were seeing things.

But you were the first person that’d come to mind when he’d needed a lie, and that had to count for something, right, and he’d looked for a moment like he was trying to think of a reason to keep you on the porch.

You reached for him, your fingers curling around the back of his neck and the slightest pull was enough for him to take back that half step, then more, closer, which was enough for you to know it wasn’t just the moon, and you kissed him.

Or you meant to.

The moment your lips brushed against his, Javy’s hands were on your waist, his long fingers spreading across your lower back, his body heat seemingly burning through the thin fabric of your shirt, like he needed to hold onto you. And then you weren’t kissing him, because he was kissing you, something that you couldn’t quite believe was happening. It was slow and soft and absolutely devastating, as unrealistically perfect as only Javy could be.

And then it was over, just as quickly as it had happened.

Javy’s lips lifted from yours, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of your mouth before he pulled back entirely. Still two steps down, you liked how he looked, looking up at you.

“I’ll wait till you get inside,” Javy asked softly, his voice like velvet, and you nodded, very uncertain if you could find words. You rested a hand on his shoulder to lean down to wave at the car, and Mrs. Machado, who was practically beaming back at you, before letting go and walking up to unlock the door. You let yourself in, turning just inside the frame to find Javy still watching you.

“Night, Jay,” you said. 

Javy’s lips parted at the nickname, then he smiled at you, bright as the noonday sun. 

“Night, Cross,” he said. His hands were in his pockets and he took a step back from you, waiting for you to shut the door. You did, leaning your back up against it, and waited for the sounds of the car starting and them driving away. 

Now, what the hell had that been about? And, more importantly, how were you supposed to survive tomorrow?

//

next chapter

taglist: @peakyrogers @mxgyver @princessphilly @hangmanbrainrot @wildbornsiren @roosterforme @blowmymbackout @datemephoenix @fuckyeahhangman @lt-bradshaw @double-j @callsignvalley @sebsxphia @javihoney @jadore-andor @rosiahills22 @andrewrussgarfield @teacupsandtopgun i don't have a coyote list yet bc this is my first writing for him, so if any of you folks would like to be not included, please do let me know!

#javy “coyote” machado #javy machado fic #javy coyote macado #javy machado #javy machado x reader #javy coyote machado x reader #javy machado x you #coyote x you #coyote x reader #misskielwrites #god why is hitting publish so nervewracking??? #i hope y'all like this chapter #i have a lot i want to do in ch 3 and ch 4 but this is necessary for now #a smidge of pining is good for the soul right #coyote x cross

[science-lings]

Elaborations under the cut

1- based off of the official art where half the time he's drinking he's just passed out or he's just smiling at nothing. I can see him becoming a functioning alcoholic who drinks mostly because it helps him sleep but I don't think he would want to be that vulnerable in his daily life, especially when hanging out with Kristoph.

2- He was just as spikey as a baby, but also the style seems intentional rather than just how it grows.

3- PW vs PL reference? idk the vibe that in an alternate timeline where he forgets that he's a lawyer he becomes a baker with Maya is just fun so I think he just likes baking in general. Also, I'm a sucker for those AUs where he's a baker. He seems like the type to get stuck in his head while kneading bread dough and regularly makes those kinds of breads that have to basically be beat up to get his anger out. No therapy, only bread.

4- This feels self-explanatory, he can also dance, at least in the way that he can pick up choreography and bullshit his way through any performance. I also think it would be sweet if he sang lullabies to Trucy while she was growing up.

5- There are multiple instances where he passes out from stress and his internal dialogue mentions that he's 'feeling lightheaded' like GIRL... GO TO THE DOCTOR. And he did but that meant that he can't drive in case he gets too stressed driving and passes out... which would not be good.

6- Again, self-explanatory, this man has an abnormal brain, good for him.

7- I don't exactly know what he has tattooed on him but I can see this guy, who is unaffected by pain and also an art major, having a few designs on him. Maybe a dragon winding around his shoulder or a few little silly things on his legs and arms. He doesn't really flaunt them and everyone gets surprised when its the combined prosecutors office and WAA beach day.

8- The magatama should make him look a little spooky, I think it would be fun. Also, I think he should use it to jumpscare anyone who is around while he is sneaking into his kitchen to eat baby carrots when he wants a midnight snack.

9- I've spoken about this before and I will probably do so again, I just think he needs an awful cat as a pet project when Trucy moves out and he gets lonely. It's a better outlet than trying to fix a person who might fake their death or try to poison him.

10- You cannot tell me that undefeated poker player extraordinaire isn't completely in control of his tells as much as he possibly can be. He can dodge questions and provide perfectly true but vague answers. I just think he can be so incredibly cagey and secretive when he has to be, even though he's typically pretty emotionally open. He learned it from Mia (Ms. 'didn't tell Phoenix she had a sister even though they've known each other for years' Fey)

#lmk if you want me to do this for other characters #i just had to start with the guy of all time #andromedas poll hell #ace attorney #phoenix wright

[stillsaltyaboutmcr]

I will always be here-J.S Part 4

PART 4 WOOO

Find parts 1-3 HERE

Warnings: cursing, pregnancy, jake being adorable and so excited, i’m gonna mess with your feelings a bit

also edit: i forgot my taglist!!!

soooo: @emma8895eb @archetypesoflife @sarahjoestewy-blog @gizmodear

Enjoy!!

You were now 5 months into your pregnancy, officially dating Jake and fully moved in with him. Things were going smooth with your pregnancy. Rooster had been leaving you both alone since the Uranium mission, not having run into him either. 

Jake had been an amazing partner throughout all this. His daily checklist consisted of nothing but taking care of you. He was really a dream come true for you.

You still remember the fear you had when you told Rooster. You feared your child would have no father, and you didn’t want to this alone.

You were currently sitting on the couch, planning your baby shower. You had an envelope containing the gender of your little one and had given it to Phoenix so you and Jake could be surprised. You both had decided to do the shower and gender a ways into your pregnancy so that your bump was very noticeable in the pictures.

All the invites were sent out and it was tomorrow so you were on Facetime with Phoenix to double check everything was ready and it would all go as smooth as possible. To say you were over the moon was an understatement. You couldn’t wait to see if you have a little girl or a little boy. You had baby names lined up for years now, you just hadn’t thought you’d use them so soon.

“Yeah, I have them here. I have everything, stop worrying. Would I let you down??” Phoenix laughed at your constant questions about the decorations and cake.

“I’m sorry, I just want everything to work out. I feel like everything has been going too smooth. I’m waiting for something bad to happen.” She shot you a smile over the camera.

“I know hun, but I got this! All you have to do is show your pretty face and that adorable baby bump.” As you were about to thank her, Jake walked in the door. “Don’t worry, I heard the door. You go enjoy your evening okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiled and you said your goodbyes.

“Hey honey, how was your day?” Jake came over as you set your phone down, kissing you softly.

“I finally had the energy to to get groceries, then I came home and fell asleep.” You grimaced at how bad that sounded out loud. You weren’t real productive, this last couple weeks had kicked your ass. You weren’t even halfway through yet.

“Hey, that sounds like a good day! Why don’t I start cooking while you find us something to watch?” Jake smiled as he started undoing the buttons of his uniform, finally relaxing after his long work day.

“Why don’t I cook for once? I feel you do so much.” He she’d his button up, leaving him in his trousers and white undershirt. He sighed as he sat down next to you and took your hands in his. You turned to face him as he began to speak.

“Darling, you know I do everything I can to keep you relaxed. I need you to get as much rest as you can, I don’t want any stress on you or the little one you got. I only want the best for you both, and we got a big day tomorrow.” His thumbs were rubbing circles on the tops of your hands.

“I just feel bad, you do everything around here on top of your stressful job. Let me do something, anything.”

He sat there for a minute obviously fake thinking. He dramatically tapped his finger on his chin. You smiled and let out a soft laugh at the gesture. “How about you can cook dinner twice a week okay? We’ll see how it affects you and go from there okay?” You smile at him.

“If that’s what you wish.” He kissed you again before heading upstairs. “Plus I was gonna make my famous shrimp alfredo tonight.” He added in before the rest of him disappeared up the steps. You sat back, thinking about that dish. You’ve craved it like crazy lately and his was by far the best you’ve ever had.

He came back down a few minutes later in pajama pants and some tshirt with a band name etched on it. You stared in awe at him. You find yourself questioning the universe often on how lucky you got with him. He stepped up with no hesitation, helped you move in with him, gave you everything you needed. He was your saving grace and you cherished him.

You loved the way Jake would always lift your belly up to give you some relief, even though it wasn’t the biggest yet. You knew it would get bigger and he’d need to do it more, but you never asked him to. Yet, somehow every night like clockwork he would give you a couple minutes of peace when he did it.

You adored the way he would always text you or call you throughout the day for little check ins. When you didn’t answer due to your frequent naps, he’s leave you the sweetest voicemails. The one you got today was your favorite by far.

“Hello my love, I know you’re asleep right now, so just shoot me a message when you get up. I’m so glad you’re getting well deserved rest. You deserve every bit of it with all the work you’re doing of carrying a child. I’m so proud of you. You’re going to be such a great mother and I can’t wait to be apart of the little ones life. I’m so ready to be a dad, and I’m so glad I met you. You’re the love of my life and I’m so excited to spend the rest of my life with you. Sleep well darling, rest up.”

When you woke up to that, you were almost in tears, but you blamed your hysteria on the pregnancy hormones.

You really didn’t know what you’d do without him, where you’d be if he hadn’t of stepped up.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Jake broke you out of your thoughts as he took your hands and pulled you off the couch. He pulled you to him and out his hands on your belly.

“Just how lucky I am.” He kissed your forehead before he got on his knees. He kissed your growing belly before speaking to the child you were about to find out the gender of.

“Hey bug, tomorrow we find out if you’re a boy or girl! I hope you’re treating your mom good and not giving her too much trouble while I’m at work. I love you and I can’t wait to meet you.” He kissed the same spot again before coming back up to your face. He did this every night before dinner. It was his routine.

You really loved him.

——

The morning of the shower went off without a hitch. You and Jake were about to head out, all dressed up and matching.

You had picked out this adorable body on dress in this pastel yellow to match your ‘What will it Bee’ theme to your shower. Jake saw the dress and immediately went out to find a yellow button up in that same color. He paired them with khakis to match your sandals. It was really cheesy, but you found it adorable that he so eagerly wanted to match like this.

On arrival to Phoenix’s house, everyone was already gathered in the backyard as they all shouted “congratulations!!” to you and Jake. All of your closest friends were there. Everything looked amazing and then you saw the cake.

It was more than you were hoping for. Whoever she chose for the bakery, they deserve a 5 star rating. Inside that cake contained the gender of your baby.

You couldn’t believe this moment was here.

“Let’s go socialize!” Jake grabbed your hand as you both made your rounds.

You both went around to each and every guest saying your thanks and hellos. Each guest had their own guess of girl or boy. The majority was boy right now.

You knew Jake most likely wanted a boy so he could do the same things his dad did with him. He could play rough and get dirty and maybe follow in his parents’ footsteps and be a fighter pilot in the Navy.

Mostly, Jake wanted a son to carry on the Seresin name. At least that’s what he told everybody.

You knew deep down though, in his heart, he didn’t want a boy. You knew that a girl was his true desire. He wanted a little baby girl to spoil and treat right. He wanted to have a girl so he could set an example of how she deserves to be treated, and he knew she could follow in our footsteps to be a fighter pilot as well.

He wanted a daughter so she could take after me.

It had been awhile and you saw Phoenix heading your way through the crowd to start the cake cutting. That was until Jake squeezed your arm, taking your attention towards the back patio door where Rooster stood with a little bag in hand. He smiled and walked up to you. You hadn’t seen him since his injury.

“Hey, congratulations again. This is for you. I don’t really know what to get someone who’s inspecting, so it’s nothing big.” With that he handed you the small bag and walked away. You stared at him as he walked off to talk to Bob. You didn’t know what to think or how to feel seeing him. It felt weird to be at a baby shower and not be celebrating with the man who helped create the child.

“You okay?” Jake voice broke through.

“Uh, yeah.” You looked down at the small silver bag, opening it up, you pulled out a little onesie that was obviously custom ordered.

It was a small white onesie, big bold print on it stating “My mom is a badass fighter pilot”. You held it in your hands, tears prickling your eyes. Maybe Rooster did have a change of heart. Maybe what he said in the medbay was true. You knew you couldn’t just get back with him and leave Jake, but maybe you could at least let him come see the baby once in awhile. He is the biological father anyways.

“What is it?” Jake took it and when he saw it, his face went white.

“It’s sweet Jake.” You watched his expression carefully as you saw his expression turn into something you couldn’t read.

“Yeah, it is.” He bit his bottom lip as he stared down at it, taking in a deep breath. He opened his mouth again, but Phoenix interrupted telling us it’s gender time.

You both stood behind the small table set up with the cake containing the gender you’ve been so anxious to find out. You and Jake held the knife together, facing everyone. “On 3?” you whispered.

“On 3. 1,2,3…” You both cut into the cake, slowly taking the piece out and there it was.

You broke out into tears, and Jake immediately toon you into his arms, tears coming from his eyes too.

Everyone was cheering, and you were overcome with joy.

You looked at the cake again, then up to Jake. “How do you feel?” You said, quiet enough for you both to hear. You quickly looked around at the party, watching everyone beam with pride for you both, but Rooster caught your eye. He was clapping, smiling and…crying. Rooster was crying.

Jake put his hand on your arm and he wiped one of his tears. “I’m esctastic! We’re having a baby girl! I’m gonna be a girl dad!” His voice was breaking, but he was beaming.

You were having a little baby girl.

#jake seresin #top gun fanfiction #topgun #hangman x reader #top gun rooster #top gun maverick #maverick

[onepiece-polls]

One Piece Crack Ship War - Round 1 Side D

Phoenix Fire edit made by @fivedayslater

Propaganda under the cut.

Muschroom Mates: Uta had to get all those wake shrooms from somewhere.

Phoenix Fire: Yes, one is a Whitebeard Pirate commander and one is a filler captain who we never see again. Do I only ship them because they're both associated with phoenixes? Yes. Did I come up with a whole sordid history between them where Marco hates Puzzle because his stole the name Phoenix Pirates and Puzzle hates Marco because he ate the Phoenix df but after the shock of Vigaro's death they come together and fall in love? Also yes.

#one piece #op crack ship war #musshuru #uta one piece #marco the phoenix #puzzle one piece #tournament poll #round 1 #side d

[littledigest]

⭐️ little digest's master list

STUDY IN PROGRESS 👉 The Long Game. Personal Experiences with Planetary Transits and Returns.

Lesser Known Asteroids for Synastry and Composite Charts:

PART 1 - Helen and Paris - infidelity, epic affair

PART 2 - Apollo and Daphne - unrequited love

PART 3 - Pyramus and Thisbe - Romeo and Juliet, forbidden love

PART 4 - Orpheus and Eurydice - longing, losing faith

PART 5 - Beatrix and Dante - love at first sight, lasting impression

PART 6 - Deucalion and Pyrrha - dutiful to each other and the world

PART 7 - Tristan and Isolde - sudden attraction, forbidden affair

PART 8 - Quasimodo and Agnès/Esmerelda - boundaries between friendship and love, protectiveness

Asteroid Clusters:

Asteroids for Sleep and Dreams - When your subconscious takes over your life... (here)

Asteroids Related to the Mind, Body, and Soul - A Different Perspective of Your Self in Your Birth Chart (here)

Asteroids for Happiness and Humor (here)

Asteroids indicating Activism and the Rebellious Spirit in your Birth Chart - PART 1 / PART 2

Asteroids for Heavenly Places - Your Utopia (here)

Asteroids for Memory - the Power of Recall (here)

Asteroids for Truth, Trust, and Lies - Truthfulness, Deception, Withholding Information (here)

Asteroids for Womanizer vs. Knight in Shining Armor (here)

Asteroids for Eternal Youth and Life - Your Celestial Fountain of Youth (here)

Inescapable Past, Present, and Future - Interpreting the Fates and Norns in Birth Chart (here)

Asteroids for the Rejected and Abandoned Lover (here)

The Muses in Astrology - Inspiration and Creative Talents Personified (here)

The Graces and Charites in Astrology - Charm, Grace, and Beauty Personified (here)

Asteroids for Marriage and Weddings (here)

Asteroids Related to the Night (here)

Asteroid Highlights:

Varuna 20000 (dwarf planet) + Mithra 4486

Orcus 90482 (dwarf planet)

Eros 433 + Anteros 1943

Daedalus 1864 + Perdix 8758 + Talos 5786

Midas 1981

Astro Observations:

Chiron in the Birth Chart - personal experience

What astrological observations are true time and time again? - based on real people in my life

Astro Observations from personal experience

Mixed bag of Astro Observations - based on people in my life

Synastry Edition

Evidence that Astrology is Real Post # 1 , 2

Mini Astrology Studies:

Commonalities in Serial Killer charts

Commonalities in Billionaire charts

Commonalities in Film Director and Auteur charts

Beauty and Attraction: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly - PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3

Commonalities in Well-Known Beauties charts

Astro Lessons & Theories:

"Genetic" Astrology - similarities between family members' charts

Famous People Analysis:

Joaquin Phoenix + Rooney Mara = extremely Martian relationship

Welcome! 🥳

#astrology #astrology community #master list #littledigest #astrology blog #asteroids #natal chart #birth chart #synastry #synastry chart #composite chart

[inkwolvesandcoffee]

Scottish Writing Retreat Update #1 (Snippet)

‘Ello my darlings,

I didn’t think I’d have an update so soon regarding the writing retreat I’m currently on, but apparently I do.🧐😅

I finished the first draft for The Midnight Baker, a Modern AU story with our lovely Papa Solomons.

It’s one of those projects which is long overdue and it’s these WIPs I’m trying to tackle during this retreat. Anyway, here’s a wee snippet from the story. I posted it before, but by now that’s so long ago I might as well share it again to refresh everyone’s memory (including my own).😹😉

*plops it on the pile of works to be edited* Right, another one to work on once I’m back. I think you might be in for a treat this December.

Tag list: @hecatemoon87 @potter-solomons @zablife @vir-tual @liliac-dreamer @hoodeddreams13 @solomons-finest-rum @wandawiccan60 @dreamlandcreations @rose-like-the-phoenix @babaohhhriley @mollybegger-blog @buttercupsandboys

#Alfie Solomons #Alfie Solomons imagine #Peaky Blinders #Peaky Blinders imagine #Alfie Solomons x You #Alfie Solomons x Reader

[diamondcrownacademy]

DCA Info Part 66: Dorm Leader 3rd Edition Redesigns (Part 2)

View Part 1

Much like their Dorm Fairy companions, the girls also got redesigned! The reason being is that Phoenix felt she was making them look to simple. So she chose to once again redesign them, only this time, designing them to cater more to their preferences and personalities, as well as matching the aesthetics of each Disney Princesses' respective movies.

📚 Rozeline Pierrette

Rozeline's new ensemble was created to represent both Belle and Beast. As well as being an ensemble that looks conservative or old school, not caring for aesthetic outfits and just picked an old pattern from the dress book. Her now unkempt hair is dark brown with a single white streak.

Rozeline's ensemble consists of a muted navy blue long puff sleeve bolero jacket with gold trim with the collar having gold circular roses and the sleeves having white cuffs. She also wears a yellow maxi skirt with muted navy blue and gold trim. For footwear, Rozeline wears a pair of black and white heeled Oxford shoes with gray leggings.

Rozeline accessorizes with a black veil that covers her eyes attached to a muted navy blue bonnet with gold trim, pale yellow roses and black horns, a white ruffle tie, a pale yellow rose brooch with a muted yellow gem brooch in the center and pale tan ribbon with gold trim, a gold belt with ribbon detailing, black gloves and a muted gold crown ring with a yellow jewel on her right index finger.

🏝️ Vidya Nazari

Vidya's ensemble is meant to be a fusion of both Aladdin and Jasmine's respective ensembles, with the top portion taking inspiration from Aladdin's Prince Ali persona. The purple sash was a gift from Kalim and not only serves as a reference to the Magic Carpet, but also reference Kalim's hometown.

Vidya's ensemble consists of a black tunic worn underneath a bedlah top with off-the-shoulder straps with gold accents and matching salwar pants with a gold V-shaped waistline with an opening below the knees and gold trim. For footwear, Vidya wears a pair of curled shoes that are muted navy and feature gold soles and accents.

Vidya accessorizes with a pale gold tiara with a blue diamond-shaped jewel in the center, a pair of blue diamond shaped jewel earrings, a gold choker with blue diamonds, gold shoulder pads with hanging gold threads with a blue diamond brooch in the center, a gold bracelet with blue diamond jewels, a purple sash with floral and swirl designs and gold trim, a gold waist chain with blue diamonds, gold rings above her shoes and a pale gold crown ring with a blue jewel on her left index finger.

🐲 Jinlong Esi

Jinlong received a very notable redesign, now resembling more of an eastern dragon while also possessing turquoise horns, off red nails, three pointed toes with red claws, and a red tail with teal spikes and gold underbelly, the tail also has copper colored fluff at the tip. Jinlong's hair is now in a single ponytail.

Jinlong's ensemble consists of a navy blue martial arts tunic with gold trim, a maroon collar with teal circular gems attached to gold tassels and maroon cuffs with gold detailing. Underneath the tunic is a pair of blue-green pants with gold trim. For footwear, Jinlong sports a pair of navy blue sandals with maroon detailing and straps.

Jinlong accessorizes with a teal earring on her left ear, a pair of oversized turquoise bracelets, a maroon belt with gold trim and designs with a large circular gold brooch with a turquoise gem embedded in the center, and a gold crown ring with a maroon jewel on her right index finger.

🐻 Elu Sorrel

Elu has a slightly more muscular physique due to being a hunter while her ensemble looking more modern and much like Allison and Jinlong, offering more mobility. To avoid making her look to similar to Leona, Elu's braids were moved to be around her ears (though not shown in the picture above).

Elu's ensemble consists of a tan sleeveless turtleneck tunic with baggy pants that include fringes worn underneath what appears to be a brown corset with the bottom having fringes and a dark teal corset with various pale red diamond details and pale red threads. For footwear, Elu wears a pair of light tan boots with teal and white straps and fringes near one of the ends.

Elu accessorizes with a brown cloak with a white trimmed fur hood with the bottom featuring a teal and red diamond design and fringes, a pair of gold goggles, pale red arm bands with teal beads, a brown necklace with red and teal beads with a brown brooch with an orange gem embedded inside and teal, white, red feathers with red beads, brown gloves and a pale gold crown ring with an orange jewel on her left index finger.

🐸 Perrine Bousquet

Perrine ensemble bears some resemblance to the flapper dress that Tiana wears at the end of The Princess and the Frog, while also wanting to match the aesthetics of the 1920s. Perrine's hair is now a golden blonde curly bob cut and she now has green eyeshadow.

Perrine's ensemble consists of an off white green tinted blouse worn underneath a pastel green dress with the top portion resembling a blazer, with green lapels and cuffs. For footwear, Perrine wears a pair of green pumps, a style popular with working women in the 1920s as they featured minimal decorations and were less expensive than trendy strap shoes or lattice pumps.

Perrine accessorizes with a green cloche hat with a light green satin ribbon with a yellow flower with green leaves and a green circular gem in the center, a silver necklace with a green gem pendant, a yellow flower brooch with green leaves and a vine as well as a silver circular brooch with floral detailing and a circular green gem in the center, a pair of pastel green gloves and a silver crown ring with a green jewel on her left index finger.

#diamond crown academy #DCA info #bonus information

[ziteyra]

A good soldier

Chapter 2

Chapter 1 and Chapter 3

🐟 Synopsis: You get to meet some other members of Team Phoenix in person but the tension between you and Quaritch still doesn't seem to be gone.

🐟 characters: Quaritch Recom, Walker Recom, Waynfleet and Zdinarsk Recom (🥳)

🐟themes: same as the last chapter. A bit of cursing, roughing around but nothing serious.

🐠Note: heyyyy. Thanks for all the likes in the last chapter ! Didn't expect that (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡ so I just followed the formula of the first one and wrote all fo this in the middle of two night. Ahahah hope you like it. Feel free to suggest any more themes or ideas ! Love y'all 💙

Sorry that's it's so short btw

Enjoy this awesome edit I found on insta which motivated me to continue 😁

Tagging: @babyduk213 💙

"This is Lyle Wainfleet, my second in command. "

You nodd in the general direction of the multiple blue recom soldiers that entered the room after Quaritch. Of course you had read their files and overseen their medical transitions, but seeing them in action and so alive was something quite different.

After the tall and smiling Navi Soldier squeezed through the small door frame, two barely clothed female ones follow him on foot.

"And these two beauties are Walker and Zdinarsk. One lethal with a grenade launcher and the other just with her mouth." Quaritch grinned as he introduces the last two and closed the door behind them. "They'll be holding my hand, while you, little scientist do your beloved tests. If it doesn't bother you of course. "

"Glad to finally meet you" you note "but I believed we would be doing the tests alone. It's quite fragile equipment I've got here anyway."

"And we too have quite fragile equipment" Lyle laughed out loud, "no need to worry about us little one, we just need to give the boss a few quick updates on the Sully situation."

" Still y/n for you Waynfleet. I suppose if you keep this quick we can arrange something." you say judgingly looking up and down the two woman. They both make themselves quite comfortable around Quaritch, nagging him with their tails and playfully hissing.

It was definitely no sting of jealousy you were feeling, that would be embarrassing just after a few days of knowing him. But at last he was one of your textbook idols, come to life again. Not yet as impressive as you made him out to be but still quite fascinating. And at last, your hero.

"Now you got my poor little scientist all railed up Lyle. She's on our side don't forget that, even if you have a hard time remembering sides." Quaritch quickly shifted his attention towards his team and let you start your testing.

While they were talking about ground locations and basic intel you took various samples of both his blood and hair.

While he didn't seem bothered by the tests at all you could see his tail twitching every time you got closer to him. His eyes were pinned onto Waynfleet while he was talking but just out of the corner of your eye you could see his cat like ears turning your direction wherever you went. Almost lost in the mesmerising patterns on his body only a slap on the head brought you back to reality.

" And why the hell should we trust her boss. She's like that Valentine woman back from base. We shouldn't be talking about our intel right in front of her anyway." scoffed the women named Walker while inspecting you from head to toe and showing her exceptionally long teeth.

"She ain't got no other choice Walker. And y/n knows that I'll be her worst nightmare if any of this information leaves our little group, isn't that right." Quaritch menacingly answered as he waved Walker away with his hands and pulling you even closer to him. "Do you understand?"

With a loud metal clunk your tablet fell to the ground while Quaritch face was only a few millimeters away from yours. Again you thought, but this time you weren't planning on being humiliated in front of his other teammates. At last you were supposed to be part of the team. As you knew their body and anatomy, probably better then they did themselves, you just needed one good pull to gain your freedom again.

"Damn that little scientist has claws." laughed the last woman Zdinarsk who up until now, hadn't really spoken at all.

"Lt. Quaritch, Sir , we are all members of this operation here and you shouldn't be questioning any of our loyaltys under any circumstances." you say while picking up your tablet hoping to regain at least a bit of dignity.

You quickly brush past him, as we was still frozen in his place holding his Braid with both of his hands.

"It was a pleasure working with you soldiers but I really must be going now."

#avatar twow #avatar quaritch #quaritch x reader #na'vi quaritch #james cameron avatar #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 #miles quaritch x female reader #colonel miles quaritch #quaritch x y/n #recom quaritch #im thinking about writing something about Ronal and/or Neytiri #hehehe #recom wainfleet #na’vi wainfleet #lyle wainfleet

[missathlete31]

Just A Scratch Part 1- Thoughts

Story link HERE

I NEVER intended to make such a cliffhanger. Honestly this story was meant to be a one shot, Jake gets a little hurt, Nat realizes she actually really cares for the man and they end up holding hands as he gets cleaned up in Pennys office…..

And now we are here in all the Angst and Dramatics that I can NEVER seem to avoid 🙈

I am also a little worried that I pushed Phoenix’s feelings a little too fast about Jake so I made a few edits but just to reiterate because I’m starting to second guess posting:

Natasha hits Jake with some anger at first because he is seeing her so vulnerable and scared. After he gets hurt protecting her, Phoenix realizes that she actually really cares for Hangman and she wants to check on him. Unfortunately right before she gets her chance to talk to the man, Coyote comes running out and calling for an ambulance.

Again I’m sorry for the ending but I hope Part 2 is worth all this unnecessary drama and wait!

Thank you to everyone that’s read the story!!! Feel free to message me if you want to talk (or yell lol) about it!!!

#top gun maverick #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #top gun #natasha phoenix trace #top gun: maverick #dagger squad #just a scratch #just lots and lots of angst #poor hangman #hannix #hannix drabble #hannix fic #hangman x phoenix

[dilfbracket]

102 GENDER UNRESTRICTED DILF ELIMINATION!!!

narrowing the dilfs down to a somewhat workable bracket was, by far, the one of the most nerve-rackings things we've ever done. it has kept us up for nights. bickering in the mods video call over this has ripped this family to shreds. the bracket was longer, shorter, and longer again as we pulled dilfs from the abyss to set them down into the arena. absolutely gutted that we couldn't include everybody, but if your dilf isn't on the main bracket, do not fear. we will not leave a dilf out in the cold to die without honor. they will have their moment.

the dilfs were ranked and seeded based on a very intricate rubric and vibes that included number of nominations so if you see a heavy hitter in a lower bracket than you'd expect, you've nobody but your fellow man to blame.

the first round of dilf death match arena contenders are below the cut. we'll work our way down the bracket with new polls roughly every day. first round seeds like hannibal and bob belcher get a bye week, due to their incredible energy catapulting them into top seed contention, and will not appear until round 2.

happy hunting!

p.s. some of your entries, including those that did not make the cut, shook us to our core and will forever be ingrained into our dna. congrats

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 1

Lord Asriel (His Dark Materials) vs Klaus Mikaelson (The Vampire Diaries/The Originals) WINNER: ASRIEL

Corvo Attano (Dishonored) vs Praxidike Meng (The Expanse) WINNER: CORVO

Hades (Hades the Game) vs Olivier Armstrong (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood) WINNER: OLIVIER

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 2

Iroh (Avatar The Last Airbender) vs Frank Castle (The Punisher) WINNER: IROH

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 3

Iorek Byrnison (His Dark Materials) vs Mick Rory (Legends of Tomorrow) WINNER: IOREK

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 4

FitzChivalry Farseer (Realm of the Elderlings) vs Lawrence Gordon (SAW Franchise) WINNER: LAWRENCE

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 5

Rumplestiltskin (Once Upon a Time) vs Lord August Ruthven (Case Study of Vanitas) WINNER: RUMPLESTILTSKIN

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 5.1

Mortimer Goth (The Sims) vs Loid Forger (Spy x Family) WINNER: LOID

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 6

John Winchester (Supernatural) vs Father Blackwood (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) WINNER: FATHER BLACKWOOD

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 6.1

Lee Dong-sik (Beyond Evil) vs Dexter Morgan (Dexter) WINNER: LEE DONG-SIK

Joel Hammond (Santa Clarita Diet) vs Samuel Vimes (Discworld) WINNER: VIMES

Scott Lang/Ant-Man (MCU) vs Captain Christopher Pike (Star Trek Discovery/New Worlds) WINNER: PIKE

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 7

Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney, Apollo Justice game #4) vs Davos Seaworth (Game of Thrones) WINNER: PHOENIX

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 8

Chris Argent (Teen Wolf) vs Octodad (Octodad) WINNER: OCTODAD

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 9

Rock Lee (Boruto) vs Jean Valjean (Les Miserables) WINNER: ROCK LEE

Norman (Pokemon Advanced Generation) vs Siegfried Farnham (All Creatures Great and Small 2020) WINNER: NORMAN

Waymond Wang (Everything Everywhere All At Once) vs The Mako (Mass Effect) WINNER: WAYMOND

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 11

Carlisle Cullen (Twilight) vs Piotr Rasputin/Colossus (X-Men)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 12

Din Djarin (The Mandolorian) vs Jim Hopper (Stranger Things)

Ted Lasso (Ted Lasso) vs Professor Hershel Layton (Professor Layton game series)

Izzy Hands (Our Flag Means Death) vs James Flint (Black Sails)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 13

Ben Sisko (Star Trek Deep Space Nine) vs Marcus Kane (The 100)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 14

Data (Star Trek) vs Ethan Winters (Resident Evil 8)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 15

Geralt of Rivia (Netflix edition) vs Lan (Wheel of Time)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 16

Columbo (Columbo) vs Kermit (The Muppets)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 16

Aaron Hotchner (Criminal Minds) vs Craig Cahn (Dream Daddies)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 17

Dill (Easy A) vs Mr. Krabs (Spongebob)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 18

Professor Utonium (The Powerpuff Girls) vs Coach Taylor (Friday Night Lights)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 19

Heinz Doofinshmirtz (Phineas and Ferb) vs Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)

Michael Bluth (Arrested Development) vs Ratchet (Transformers)

Thane Krios (Mass Effect) vs Lazslo (What We Do in the Shadows)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 20

Emma Swan (Once Upon a Time) vs Li Haichao (Go Ahead)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 21

Aragorn (Lord of the Rings) vs Hugh Neutron (Jimmy Neutron)

Mufasa (The Lion King) vs Yagi Toshinori (My Hero Academia)

Shrek (Shrek) vs Frontman (Squid Game)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 22

Eddie the Rabbit (Empires SMP season 2) vs Pastramis (Tumblr)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 23

Doctor Octopus (Spider-Man) vs The 12th Doctor (Doctor Who)

ROUND 1 / BRACKET 24

Cliff "Robotman" Steele (Doom Patrol) vs Bowser (Mario)

#dilf bracket #mcu #asoiaf #game of thrones #the untamed #my hero academia #doctor who #dw #once upon a time #star trek #the 100 #mass effect #bioware #his dark materials #stranger things #the last of us #tlou #the witcher #columbo #teen wolf #avatar the last airbender #atla #legends of tomorrow #disney #lord of the rings #lotr #shrek #tumblr bracket #tumblr tournament #tumblr polls

[jariten]

May-July 2023 roundup: Favorite one-shot comps edition

its not over until I get to the one shot collections.

Flight by Minori Kimura is my first one-shot collection by her and immediately I was in love. Smart, sensitive, and very unlike anything I’ve read from her peers or anyone working today. Really looking forward to reading more so I have more to say about her style and talents

Rainy Doori no Niji by Keiko Fukuyama is not a one-shot collection but an anthology of connected stories centered around a painting that keeps changing hands. I only had a vague familiarity of Fukuyama by way of a cover of hers having caught my eye at some point but I hadn't memorized her name so this acquisition was very much something out of the manga itself. Polished and charming character art that reflects her background in anime not to mention fun and creative storytelling reminiscent of the early generations of children’s anime. Once I finished I was pretty embarrassed that I didn’t knowing anything about her at all prior to this.

Suki Desu, Kono Shoujo Manga is a 5 volume anthology that’s very special because it wasn’t curated by a group of editors but Shoujo manga artists who submitted a one-shot either someone else made or from their own career that they’re particularly proud of. And truly there were nooooo misses, it covers a 50 year time span and gave me the chance to read the works of artists I already love, were curious about, or never even heard of before. The covers are also all illustrations Chiki Ooya made specifically for the anthology series. Since a bit more than 10 years I really hope someone does a project like this again I’d love to know what the manga artist currently in the scene would pick as their favorite shoujo manga one-shot. Check its anilist page to see the full table of contents!

“GARO” “COM” is another curated anthology focusing on the very iconic and formative magazines named in the title (if you read Mitsuru Adachi and Rumiko Takahashi’s relay manga from Came The Mirror you may remember them discussing how formative both magazines were for them). Volume 1 covers the established talents who made up the initial all-stars line up in each magazine, Shirato Sampei’s Kamui Den, Tezuka’s Phoenix, Shotaro Ishinomori’s Fantasy World Jun, and Shinji Nagashima’s Fuuten are previewed along with one-shots from other stars. Whereas volume 2 features some of the breakout talents from each magazine. It was a great way to get a taste of what reading these magazines were like, although if you keep up with the alt manga that gets licensed into English you might have read most of the Garo works already (and for Garo it was a rather tame selection). Absolutely another type of anthology series I wish someone would bring back, bc I want moooooore. Check its anilist page for the full lineup!

#recommendation corner #my scans #long post #roundup

[itwasalladreamsblog]

Fight or Flight? (chapter 2)

Jake Seresin x Pilot Reader (+ Maverick's Daughter)

Note: The events of this piece very loosely follow the timeline of Top Gun Maverick, parts have been changed or altered to fit this story.

Another note: OMG!!! Thank you all so much for your warm response to part 1!! It means the world 🥺 I was so inspired that I spent 99% of my day neglecting all other responsibilities and have written 7 new chapters for this piece so far, which I will edit and release throughout the week! Although this next chapter is not my favourite (please bare with me, it's a bit more of a short filler chapter to help set the story), I hope it still delivers. Thank you again! x

P.s. a lovely warm welcome to those on the taglist!! Thank you for your support!!!! If anyone else would like to be added, please comment below x

Warnings: language and innuedenos.

'Well if it ain't, Duke' Hangman smirks, holding onto his pool cue. 'Bagman' you greet, knowing this play on his call sign would get under his skin. 'I thought this mission was reserved for the best of the best, I guess they must have called you in for the backup reserve' he retaliates confidently. Both you and Hangman had finished first in your respective Top Gun graduate classes, it was always a source of competition between the two of you.

Just as you prepare to conjure a quick-witted remark, you welcome an interruption, being the arrival of Phoenix, Payback, and Fanboy. Despite the fact that you hadn't been in the same Top Gun class as Hangman, given your friendships with Phoenix and the rest of his graduate squadron group, you may as well have been. You'd been blessed with meeting Phoenix through various stations over the years, bonding instantly over your shared detest of Jake.

Rooster, on the other hand, you'd known for years. Although a few years older than you, you'd grown up together. You'd supported each other through your single-parent childhoods. Rooster was a friend that you never took for granted. Even through his falling out with your dad in recent years, he never let this impede on your own friendship, and you were grateful for that. As a returned kindness, you made a point of staying out of his and your father's mess, even when it hurt you not to meddle and mediate. He was also the only aviator friend of yours privy to knowing the true meaning behind your call sign.

Phoenix and Hangman engage in their own version of a bantered greeting while you say hello to Payback and Fanboy, before quickly enveloping Phoenix into a tight hug. As you begin to pull away from her, Hangman speaks again 'Ladies, please do not stop on my account. I was very much enjoying the show' signature smirk once again present on his face. 'You repulse me' you fire back quickly, scowling at his comment. 'Oh baby, you can tell me all about how much you repulse me later. Meet back at my place?' he winks at you. Deciding his comment isn't worthy of your time, you make a direct beeline for the bar, turning over your shoulder as you go 'Phoenix, beer? Great.' not even allowing her time to respond, eager to escape the confrontation.

'Hey Pen' you greet Penny as you approach the bar, reaching over to give her a hug. 'Drinks are on the house, courtesy of your dad' she winks in his direction. Your dad lifts his drink in your direction, saluting it to you in a form of defeat. 'Thank you' you wink back to him, 'Although they should be courtesy of Hangman. That man is one sentence away from disrespecting the entire female population of Miramar' you add with a roll of your eyes. 'Want me to give him a talking to?' Penny asks you in all seriousness. You laugh at her protectiveness of you. 'Thank you, but don't worry. I always put him in his place' you reply. Penny laughs, knowing too well that you can hold your own.

You thank Penny and take your drinks and begin to return to the group, giving your dad a small subtle wave on your way back over, still attempting to remain under the radar with your connection. You're elated when you finally see Rooster arrive at the Hard Deck. He has no chance to react before you're in his arms, but he is quick to respond when he realises it's you. Although you hadn't seen him in person for a while, knowing he had been deployed interstate, you both texted and called frequently.

You laugh silently in Rooster's embrace as you hear the bell ring at the bar. You look up over his shoulder and watch as some of your squadron (Hangman included), carry your dad out of the Hard Deck, clearly unsuccessfully footing the bill for the round. You smile to yourself, thinking about tomorrow when they'll come to the realisation of who the man they're currently throwing out is. But for now, you remain grateful that your fellow aviators are currently unaware of his identity.

You could already predict Hangman's response to finding out about your heritage, using it as another chance to remind you that he doesn't think you belong in the Navy, and now also, that you probably didn't make it in on your own merit. Although his finding out was likely inevitable, you still didn't feel the need to endure the consequences any sooner than necessary.

The rest of the night moves quickly and effortlessly, even with the palpable tension between the squadron, and the endless discussion about the possibilities of the upcoming mission. You only manage to receive one sexist comment from Hangman regarding your outfit, and so you deem that a success.

Taglist:

@luckyladycreator2

@clockworkballerina

@dempy

@hotch-meeeeeuppppp

#hangman seresin x reader #jake seresin x reader #hangman #hangman top gun #jake seresin #top gun #top gun maverick #hangman x reader