#( dynamic: julian & oliver )

[everybodylieslieslies]

tag drop two.

[bijoumikhawal]

I've gotten tired of making a post like this every few months so let's just fire a few of these off, and feel free to add on! Tropes you should at minimum reconsider using when you write or talk about Julian Bashir:

Mentions of "harem" pants, "Arabian nights" aesthetics, etc. These are improper terminology (that feeds into racist ideas) for real things, and when using that terminology those things are often being misrepresented. For my part, if you would actually like to know about the material culture of the Middle East and North Africa, I'm a "hobby" researcher of that very topic and will readily answer asks about it- with the caveat that I mostly know about Egypt, and I'm not the best person to ask about Sudanese specific culture even though I know a little, and I don't know much about Indian or Pakistani fashion (mentioning because these seem to be the most common cultures brought up around Julian).

comparisons to monkeys, apes, the word "simian". This should be obvious but it happens a fair amount, and it's almost comedic given a common trope is to comment on how much Garak hates being compared to a lizard.

This is separate but the way some people use mammalian tips from writing xenofic and trying to understand how an alien would think and categorize things into something that feels very exoticifying. It's not a "full stop, do not do this" but it is something I've noticed

Jokes about how undesirable Julian is. He's the exception that proves the rule about fandom's obsession with white twinks and a rare example of a brown nerd who isn't pinned into the "Couldn't sleep with a woman if they were the last two people on earth" box. I'm not saying we can't make fun of how he flirts just- Stay clear of Raj BBT territory

Conversely: my most hated garashir trope is when the author makes Julian's libido a problem by making him inconsiderate, cruel, and outright manipulative in service of his dick, and the writing often makes it clear they're connecting this to his masculinity. Julian does do some really stupid shit when it comes to his relationships, but this particular way of trying to incorporate this into writing him is just OOC, and you need to not confuse writing Julian's canonical robust and healthy sex life with negative stereotypes about lecherous Black and brown men. There's fics that pull off Julian being a bit of a dick or manipulative well- such as Salt the Earth or the ageswap series (at least where I last left off on it).

making his eyes green or blue. I have the same eye color as Siddig, more or less, and while it's technically hazel (or olive, as some people call it) most people think it's brown and most lighting makes it look brown. If you look at screencaps of Julian, you'll notice it also most of the time, looks brown. This sounds minor if you haven't experienced it, but it has a real and very negative impact on people's self image.

Older one but to be clear: if you're writing Julian as explicitly Muslim, find and replacing "god" with "allah" in English text is not how Muslims (or Arabic speakers in general) use the word? It is really funny to read, but please...

Over focusing on Julian as British. There's a long, LONG conversation that could be had about the dynamics of assimilation and how European racism (ime) very specifically views it as progressive to strip people of their culture and thinks they're causing the problem if they don't go along with it that would need its own post and which I've had with white fans before and feel exhausted thinking about- but to put it simply, there is no such thing as "just British", even for white Englishmen.

Yes the inverse is also wrong but I really haven't read a fic newer than 2014 guilty of that lmao and I think some of the more recent complaints about it are overblown, given I've read only a few fics recently published that delve into Julian as a Brown/African Person and I enjoyed them

I would personally appreciate it if fic writers were a little more balanced about cultural discussions honestly. If you write a lot about Cardassian culture, it'd be nice if Julian’s background was discussed. I won't say that kind of research is easy (again, I do this as a "hobby" that's very important to me, it's actually really annoying and difficult sometimes), but it is possible. I recently talked about how not doing this kind of mentally slots Julian into a "white guy" role.

This is not a matter of me policing your "artistic expression". I have no control over what you do. I would just like for fandom, a hobby I do for fun, to be a place where people stop being racist in a way that directly impacts me.

[rull3n]

[𝑅𝒶𝓋𝒶𝑔𝑒𝓇 𝒮𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈][Dubcon Bots][Female and Male Bots][YANDERE]

In a world plagued by feral-like creatures known as Ravagers, humanity's survival hinges on enhanced individuals called Sentinels. The emergence of Ravagers began 90 years ago when a comet fell to Earth, releasing a powdery dust that transformed some humans into powerful beings capable of combating these creatures. This comet dust also granted immortality and enhanced abilities to a select few, creating a new dynamic in the battle for survival.

Sentinel:

Sentinels are enhanced individuals created by comet dust, equipped with superhuman abilities and immortality. They combat feral-like creatures called Ravagers and require intimate contact with Bastions for effective healing and euphoria.

Bastion: (USER)

Bastions are humans with the unique ability to heal Sentinels through intimate contact, providing both physical restoration and intense pleasure. They are crucial for Sentinel survival, often kept under strict control due to their indispensable role. Sentinels become addicted to Bastions.

Draven| Kassiel | Lumi (M)

Raven | Kassiel | Lumi (F)

Julian | Elliot (M)

Julia | Elliot (F)

Oliver | Evan (M)

Olivia | Eve (F)

Dorian | August (M)

Dorienne | August (F)

Vincent Drake (M)

Vivienne Drake (F)

[moorehq]

moore family.

mother. susan moore ( 46, waitress/lounge singer )

eldest. oliver moore ( 29, nurse practioner )

middle child. emma moore ( 23, graphic designer )

youngest. max moore ( 18, high school student ) * honorable mention. julian hart ( 23, musician; bff to emma & engaged to oliver )

the moore family dynamics are a bit dysfunctional. each of the moore children have a different father, of which none have much or any relationship with their child. this is in part due to their mother's flighty nature and constant moving from city to city, following her boyfriends until he inevitable breaks her heart and then she's packing up their lives and moving them away again. there was no stability or constant in max's life other than his siblings, always having to pack up and move. it meant he wasn't able to keep friends because they barely stayed long enough for him to make them and if by some off chance they did stay and he made some, it would just be painful to have to say goodbye then start over in the next place. it wasn't until oliver, his older brother, was sixteen and old enough to put his foot down and take over the care of his siblings (which, he'd been doing the lion's share of for as long as he could remember anyways) that they set roots in lima and stayed as long as they have.

[unveilhq]

congratulations on your acceptance, spoop, dan, & rider ! please make sure you check the next steps here

parker young, homosexual, male + he/him → isn’t that jack jacobs? i’ve seen them hanging out with the half ghosts. i hear they’re 30, but they’ve only been in alexandria for 3 months. they seem to be amicable & generous, but also gullible & needy.

chris wood, homosexual, male + he/him → isn’t that wendell booth? i’ve seen them hanging out with the humans. i hear they're 29, but they’ve only been in alexandria for a few days. they seem to be bubbly & knowledgable, but also klutzy & stutters. they are not heightened!

carlos cuevas, homosexual, cis male + he/him/his → isn’t that andy alvarez? i’ve seen them hanging out with the sirens. i hear they’re 28, but they’ve only been in alexandria for 2 months. they seem to be optimistic & resilient, but also frivolous & imprudent.

wes chatham, bisexual, cis male + he/him/his → isn’t that fred falkner? i’ve seen them hanging out with the were-creatures. i hear they're 45, but they’ve only been in alexandria for 6 months. they seem to be disciplined & fearless, but also brutal & unrelenting. it’s cool that their animal counterpart is a wolf!

dylan minnette, homosexual, male + he/him → isn’t that owen elwyn? i’ve seen them hanging out with the witches. i hear they're 22, but they’ve only been in alexandria for 2 years. they seem to be intelligent & creative, but also shy & paranoid. it’s cool that they’re capable of molecular combustion & telekinesis! 

milo ventimiglia, gay, male + he/him → isn’t that witt magnarson? i’ve seen them hanging out with the gorgons. i hear they’re 170 (but look 45), but they’ve only been in alexandria for 5 months. they seem to be ebullient & imaginative, but also blunt & critical.

theo james, gay, male + he/him → isn’t that leofwyn emrys atwood? i’ve seen them hanging out with the cupids. i hear they’re 453 (but look 37), but they’ve only been in alexandria for 15 years. they seem to be loving & hardworking, but also lovelorn & a stickler (for the rules).

tom hardy, pansexual, male + he/him → isn’t that xzavulon th'sladek frakes? i’ve seen them hanging out with the darklighters. i hear they’re ancient (but look 42), but they’ve only been in alexandria for 280 years. they seem to be charitable & debonair, but also hedonistic & sarcastic. 

justin chien, bisexual, male + he/him → isn’t that desmond zhang xin hao? i’ve seen them hanging out with the phoenixes. i hear they’re 2239 (203 in his current cycle, but looks 30), but they’ve only been in alexandria for 1 week. they seem to be daring & farsighted, but also ruthless & deceitful. they have been reborn at least once already (technically 8 times already)!

TWO new wanted connections have been added!

did you hear ricardo reyes (josh segarra), our resident vampire, is looking for their butler/retainer? they’re an UTP year old human or witch who arrived in the chateau 1 month ago. they look like julian morris,  gregg sulkin, geau mirchoff or UTP. the mun does require you to contact them prior to filling this out. - looking for the thief who accidentally awoke Rico, was supposed to be killed but spared, and got roped into being his retainer. thinking a dynamic where they try to stop Rico from doing something dumb and they are the one who taught Rico about the world outside the castle, etc. thinking kinda like the prince and the thief vibe (literally). - @beyonddeveil 

did you hear fred falkner (wes chatham), our resident were-creature, is looking for their love-hate rival/fuckbuddy? they’re an UTP year old were-creature, vampire, incubus or siren who arrived in the chateau UTP years ago. they look like jonathan tucker, oliver jackson-cohen, peter gadiot, adan canto. the mun does require you to contact them prior to filling this out. - honestly i just want a hatefuck ship where they tried (and will try) to kill each other but ended up fucking, and are in constant headbutts. i'm hoping them to be a lil bit evil so fred can go after that but more so just annoy and manipulate/seduce him. kinda thinking ron swanson and tammy 2 vibe from parks and rec. - @beyonddeveil 

[houseofloveconcerts]

Jacksonport

For his new album “Dusted Beauty,” Chicago-born singer/songwriter John Fatum invited his oldest musical friends and peer mentors to record with him in his new home of Los Angeles. Jeff Picker (bass), Julian Pollack (aka J3PO , keyboards), Ben Flocks (saxophones), Robin MacMillan (drums, percussion), Michael Fatum (trumpet), and Adrian Olsen (co-producer/engineer/mixer) arrived and an experiment began, exploring the positive role models that Fatum calls the Sequoia trees of his life's grove. 

“Dusted Beauty” displays the intimacy and warmth of Fatum’s sound: kind and loving, but with road-worn grit. As a beloved drummer with acts such as Sarah Jarosz, Bella White, The Brother Brothers, Jack Symes, Bridget Kearney (Lake Street Dive), Watkins Family Hour, Jefferson Hamer, The RT's, Wilsen, Aoife O'Donovan, Olive Klug, Buck Meek (Big Thief), and Maya Hawke, we get a sense of the grounded integrity that allows for such a dynamic range of Fatum's musical expression.

[doiknowwhatimsaying]

I audibly said huh multiple times while preparing for this discussion...

Lingua Fracta is all about how new media has completely changed the way we think about rhetoric and writing. Collin Brooke argues that the old-school canons of rhetoric need to be reimagined for the digital world. Instead of treating them as fixed categories, he thinks we should see them as adaptable practices that respond to the specific moment we’re in—otherwise, they’ll become outdated fast.

Brooke doesn’t just want us to analyze new media using traditional rhetorical tools; he believes we should actively create new forms of rhetoric that fit the digital landscape. He pushes for a more hands-on approach, where scholars work alongside technological advancements rather than waiting to react to them.

His concept on virality really hit me in the brain because I am chronically online.

Brooke thinks the whole idea of "going viral" is way more complicated than people usually make it out to be. While it’s definitely powerful, he warns against just assuming that virality is a simple way to explain how stuff spreads online. He says it’s both more and less than a perfect metaphor—it explains some parts but totally misses others.

Brooke also points out that we often confuse how fast and far something spreads with how good or successful it is. This leads to the problem where being popular is seen as the same as being valuable. He leans on Julian Oliver’s work to argue that oversimplifying digital trends like virality can really mess with our ability to think critically. It’s not just about having great content—things like professional strategies, networking, and even manipulating the platforms play a huge role in what actually goes viral.

Mueller would probably agree with Brooke’s take on the Matthew effect in virality—where people or content that are already popular just keep getting more attention because of how networks are set up. In Network Sense, Mueller uses visualizations to show how knowledge tends to gather around those who are already influential, which backs up Brooke’s point that success, whether in virality or in academia, isn’t always about having the best content—it’s about being in the right place within the network.

Both Brooke and Mueller emphasize the need to understand the strategic dynamics behind networks. For Brooke, virality isn’t just a natural result of great content—it’s shaped by algorithms, expertise, and manipulation. Mueller’s research, similarly, shows that academic influence isn’t just about groundbreaking ideas; it’s also about how well those ideas are connected within established networks. In both cases, being aware of these behind-the-scenes factors helps us understand why certain ideas or content gain traction.

At the end of the day, Brooke’s concerns about the ethical and societal risks of blindly chasing virality tie back to Mueller’s argument for being more critically aware of how knowledge spreads in networks. Both stress the importance of engaging thoughtfully with the systems that decide what gets noticed—whether it’s viral content or academic research. It’s not just about what we put out there, but how we navigate the networks that amplify or shut down certain messages.

[chrancecriber]

Radio NET Bulgaria (December 11, 2022)

23:56 PHILLIP DOC MARTIN - Club Life 23:53 JESSY J - Besame Mucho 23:49 AL DEGREGORIS - Hey You 23:45 MELINA - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 23:41 BENNETT B - Above The Clouds 23:37 JAZZ FUNK SOUL - Life And Times 23:33 JAZZ IN PINK - Joy Joy! 23:28 DANNY LERMAN - No Ordinary Love 23:25 MARION MEADOWS - Jingle Bells 23:21 NEIKA SIMONE - Beautiful Moments 23:17 ED CALLE - Faces in the Clouds 23:13 JIM ADKINS - Wind Dancing 23:10 WILL DONATO - Always You (Feat. Steve Oliver) 23:07 VINCENT INGALA - Sleigh Ride 23:03 NILS - Summer Nights 23:00 OLI SILK - Eva's Song 22:59 LINKIN PARK - New Divide (Lukas Termena Chillout Mix) 22:53 MICHAEL E - That Night Last Summer 22:49 AMYCANBE - Rose Is A Rose 22:43 ASHENI - Only Magic (Chris Wonderful Remix) 22:38 EMMA HEWITT - Foolish Boy (Zetandel Chill Out Mix) 22:35 JAY SEAN - Maybe (The Xtreme Chillout Remix) 22:30 ROGER SHAH, SUNLOUNGER - Trademark White (Omega 3 Bossachill Remix) 22:24 LEMONGRASS - Ocean Kisses (Original Mix) 22:20 SUNLOUNGER - Punta Galera (Chillout Mix) 22:17 TIESTO FEAT. JES - Everything (Acoustic) 22:09 KITARO - A Passage Of Life 22:05 JULIAN VINCENT, SHANNON HURLEY - Lost In Space (Lovers & Poets Remix) 22:02 MISS B.T. - Right Now (Sweet Lovin' Edit) 21:57 SEBA - Painted Sky (Imagine Chill Out Remix) 21:52 JOHN O'CALLAGHAN, LO-FI SUGAR - Never Fade Away 21:48 BELLATRAX FEAT. TINA COUSINS - Can’t Hold Back (Acoustic Mix) 21:45 SYLVERING - Just An Illusion 21:39 SMOOTH DELUXE - Boulevard Rouge 21:35 ABOVE & BEYOND, GARETH EMERY - On A Good Day (Incognet REWORK) 21:32 KOSMOPOLITANS, ATHENA ROUTSI - I Belong To You 21:27 FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE - Seven Devils 21:24 ENIGMA, SARAH BRIGHTMAN - La Mer 21:20 LOUNGE GROOVE AVENUE - Don't Be So Shy 21:14 SIR LOUNGEALOT - Silver Beach (Original Mix) 21:11 JES - Stronger 21:07 CUEBRICK - Safe (C-Systems Alternative Mix) 20:58 VINTAGE, MORELLI - Tree Of Life (Magnetik Remix) 20:53 DEEPER SUBLIME, AVO - Hypnotic 20:48 ANDAIN - You Once Told Me 20:44 ROBERT NICKSON - Russell's Teapot (Original Mix) 20:39 DASH BERLIN - Listen To Your Heart (Acoustic Mix) 20:36 FENNA DAY - Skin & Bone (Original Mix) 20:32 SHARAM, DANIEL BEDINGFIELD - The One (Downtempo Mix) 20:26 MACIEJ LABUDA - Be Free 20:22 DASH BERLIN, EMMA HEWITT - Waiting (Acoustic Version) 20:19 SEPTEMBER - Cry For You (Candlelight Remix) 20:15 FRED HYAS - Meet Dawn (Rework) 20:10 POLISHED CHROME - Secret Of Sound (Album Version) 20:06 SAGI REI - Your Loving Arms 20:00 LIFE AUDIENCE - Vanilla 19:55 BEN GOLD, SENADEE - Today (Chilled Datt Remix) 19:52 CERF, MITISKA & JAREN, RANK 1 - Witness (Acoustic Mix) 19:49 HARDWELL, COLLIN McLOUGHLIN - Call Me A Spaceman (Unplugged Version) 19:44 INDIGO SUN - You Don't Fool Me (Tango Cafe Mix) 19:39 FRIENDLY BREAKS - Jazzy City Walk (Deep Lounge Mix) 19:35 ANDY MOOR, ASHLEY WALLBRIDGE, GABRIELA - World To Turn 19:30 KITARO - Itonami 19:26 CHRIS REECE - Overflow 19:22 ARTENOVUM - When You Fall Asleep (Slow Coach Mix) 19:17 ALEXANDER POPOV - The Last He Said (Original Mix) 19:11 MOUSSA CLARKE, TERRAFUNKA - She Wants Him (Dynamic Illusion Chill Mix) 19:04 TWENTYEIGHT - Monday night 19:01 VITO FOGNINI, CARI - True To Myself (Original Mix) 18:56 SMOOTH DELUXE - Dream Of Insomnia 18:51 MARGA SOL - Prayer For Love (Soul Avenue's Balearic Blues Mix) 18:48 CLAES ROSEN, NATALIE PERIS - Stay (Original Mix) 18:44 DJ CHART, DOBA, PRINCESS LARISSA - Danger Games 18:40 LOUNGE GROOVE AVENUE - Silk And Smooth 18:34 ROAN PORTMAN - In Faith We Trust 18:30 SARAH MENESCAL - Don't Speak 18:25 LEO ROJAS - Friendship 18:22 CNBK - Burning Skies (Acoustic Version) 18:17 SINOPTIK MUSIC - Black Islands 18:12 ANGELO CRESCERI - Harmony 18:07 PETE MURRAY - So Beautiful (Acoustic Version) 18:03 LANA DEL REY - Born To Die 17:58 SUNLONGER, LORILEE - Your Name (Chill Version) 17:55 SIRENS OF LESBOS - I Got New Feelings (Pablo Nouvelle Remix) 17:51 MICHAEL E - People Watching (Rubber Neck Mix) 17:47 AURORA - Where Would You Go When It Starts To Rain (Original Mix) 17:42 KENNY FONTANA - Wonderful Life (Cafe Buddha Del Mar Bar Mix As Made Famous By Hurts) 17:39 JAMES BUTLER - Dinner For Two 17:33 VIV DE LA ROSA - Agua Caliente 17:29 SUNLOUNGER, SEIS CUERDAS - A Balearic Dinner (Chill Mix) 17:25 NOMOSK, ROMAN MESSER, CHRISTINA NOVELLI - Lost Soul (Zetandel Chillout Remix) 17:19 FARUK SABANCI - As Faces Fade (Domenico Cascarino & Luca Lombardi Chill Out Remix) 17:13 RAZ NITZAN, MOYA BRENNAN - Find The Sun (Original Mix) 17:08 PREMASARA COUNCIL - Sensual Ecstasy 17:03 MEHMET CEMAL YESILCAY - You And I 17:00 DIANA KRALL - California Dreamin' 16:56 PAUL MESSINA & MARK R. HARRIS - A Better Day (feat. Ignacio Nunez & Jason Meekins) 16:52 VINCENT INGALA - Not Meant To Be 16:48 RAGAN WHITESIDE - So Glad 16:44 K.VIO, TIM TONIC - Little Snow Flake, Little White Coat 16:39 THE SMOOTH JAZZ ALLEY - New Hope 16:34 JOHN E. LAWRENCE - Cool Jazz 16:30 NATHAN WOODWARD - Hark the Herald Angels Sing 16:26 DIRK K - Daafuunk 16:22 SPONTANEOUS GROOVIN' COMBUSTION - Road to Redemption 16:17 DERRICK HARVIN - From Here 16:14 TONY SAUNDERS - All Alone 16:10 TOM SCOTT - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 16:06 PHIL DENNY - Lifted 16:00 BOB BALDWIN - Get Over It 15:56 QUINTIN GERARD W. - Candlelight Flight with Me 15:52 PHILLIP DOC MARTIN - Hip Today 15:47 NORMAN BROWN - The Feeling I Get 15:44 JEANETTE HARRIS - Away In A Manger 15:40 BRIAN SIMPSON, STEVE OLIVER - The Way Home 15:36 CAROL ALBERT - On My Way 15:27 BRUCE MCKENZIE - Holiday Season 15:24 RANDY SCOTT - Tempo 15:19 DANIEL DOMENGE - Between Your Hands 15:16 WILL DONATO - Jaywalkin' 15:12 CHRIS STANDRING - The Gist of You 15:07 REZA KHAN - December 15:04 J3 - Hela 15:00 MARION MEADOWS - Dream Catcher 14:55 PHIL DENNY - Tough Get Goin' (feat. Ryan Montano) 14:51 LOUIE FITZGERALD - When I Look into Your Eyes 14:47 PETER WHITE - The Juggler 14:44 JONATHAN BUTLER - Joy To The World 14:39 NAJEE - Hurricane 14:34 WARREN HILL - Renewal 14:29 NICK COLIONNE - We Three Kings 14:25 PAUL BROWN - Wine Night 14:21 PAUL HARDCASTLE - Flight of the Phoenix 14:17 BONEY JAMES - Ain't No Sunshine 14:13 VINCENT INGALA - Kimi Trick 14:09 HERB ALPERT - White Christmas 14:04 JS FLOYD - Walk The Dog 14:00 THE SMOOTH JAZZ ALLEY - Subway 13:56 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - Emotion 13:51 JOHN E. LAWRENCE - Slow Jam 13:46 BLAIR BRYANT - Chocolate for Breakfast 13:43 SHAKATAK - Jingle Bells 13:38 KIM SCOTT - Seabreeze 13:34 PATRICK YANDALL - Gaviotas 13:30 TONY CRADDOCK JR. - The Christmas Song 13:25 WALTER BEASLEY - Strasbourg 13:21 BRIAN SIMPSON - Rio Sway 13:18 DREW DAVIDSEN - Overdrive 13:13 DAVID PETROSYAN - Everytime You Go 13:09 RONNY SMITH - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 13:04 JEFF KASHIWA - The Name Game 13:00 GABRIEL MARK HASSELBACH - Vanishing Summer 12:56 JEANETTE HARRIS - Just Keep Holding On 12:52 NAJEE - Don't Make Me Wait 12:47 GREGG KARUKAS - Floating in Bahia 12:42 BRIAN CULBERTSON - This Christmas 12:38 DARRON COOKIE - Another Day at Work 12:34 CHRIS STANDRING - Living the Poetry 12:30 DAVE KOZ - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (Feat. Michael Lington) 12:26 NORMAN BROWN - The King Is Here 12:22 MARION MEADOWS - Any Time Any Place 12:17 KAYLA WATERS - Zephyr 12:13 NILS - Up and Away 12:09 ANDRE DELANO - Do You Hear What I Hear 12:04 PETER WHITE - Dreamwalk 12:00 OLI SILK - Take Some Time Out 11:57 RON OTIS - Stay in Your Lane 11:53 WARREN HILL - Gimme Some 11:48 GREG MANNING - I Need To Know (Feat. Adam Hawley) 11:44 KEITH MASON - End of Days 11:40 K.VIO, TIM TONIC - The Little Drummer Boy 11:36 VINCENT INGALA - If You Were Here Tonight 11:32 BONEY JAMES - Powerhouse 11:29 ART MORRIS - White Christmas 11:25 THE SMOOTH JAZZ ALLEY - Livin' In NYC 11:22 KEN NAVARRO - That Time Of Evening 11:17 RICHARD ELLIOT - Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler) 11:13 GORDON JAMES - Rainy Afternoon 11:08 MARCUS ANDERSON - Hark The Herald 11:04 JACKIEM JOYNER - Secret Admirer 11:00 J. WHITE - Free 10:56 TONY MOMRELLE - We Can Have It All 10:52 DARREN MOTAMEDY - After the Storm 10:49 DAMIEN ESCOBAR - Night Drive 10:44 OLI SILK - All Roads Lead to Home 10:40 BROOKE ALFORD, MARCUS ANDERSON - The First Noel (In the Sun) 10:34 WAKANA - Hometown 10:30 BEN TANKARD - Still Here 10:26 KNIGHTHAMMER - Christmas, I Love You 10:23 JEANETTE HARRIS - 12 57 (feat. Marcus Anderson) 10:18 FREDDIE FOX - Day Dreamin' 10:14 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - Used to Love You 10:11 ALTHEA RENE - Blue Room 10:07 FANTASIA - This Christmas 10:03 TIM BOWMAN - New Day 10:00 BRIAN SIMPSON - Whisper To Me 09:56 DARRON COOKIE - I'm in to You 09:52 NORMAN BROWN - Sunset On Chandler 09:49 PEET PROJECT - ark Corner 09:44 MARION MEADOWS - Dark Beauty 09:41 DAVE KOZ - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (Feat. Jonathan Butler) 09:37 ART RUPRECHT - I Get It 09:33 PHIL DENNY - Give a Little 09:28 PETER WHITE - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 09:24 NAJEE - Day By Day 09:20 PHILLIP DOC MARTIN - American Garden 09:15 ROB SABADO - I Just Wanna Hang Around You 09:11 JOYCE COOLING - After Hours 09:07 JAMES 'PJ' SPRAGGINS - Hark the Herald Angels Sing 09:04 SLIM MAN - 3 AM 09:00 VINCENT INGALA - Lost In You 08:56 RAGAN WHITESIDE - Meu Amigo, Meu Amante 08:50 BRIAN BROMBERG - Mr. Miller 08:46 RHYTHM JETS - Angels We Have Heard on High 08:41 KHARI, CABRAL, JIVA - Show Me The Way 08:37 JEFFERY SMITH - Spring Time 08:33 DR. SAXLOVE - Deck The Halls 08:28 JACKIEM JOYNER - Lil' Man Soul 08:23 MARK ETHEREDGE - For Your Love (Feat. Chuck Loeb) 08:20 PAUL BROWN - Sugar Fish 08:16 BRENDAN ROTHWELL - Keep On Keepin' On 08:10 MARCUS ANDERSON - White Christmas 08:06 GERALD ALBRIGHT - Eddie's Groove 08:00 ROD TATE - Chillin' with Li Li 07:57 THREESTYLE, MAGDALENA CHOVANCOVA, ROBERT FERTL - Better Days 07:51 EUGE GROOVE - Get Em Goin' 07:46 GREGG KARUKAS - Riverside Drive 07:42 OLI SILK - So Many Ways 07:39 DAMIEN ESCOBAR - Silent Night 07:35 BONEY JAMES - Sunset Boulevard 07:31 RICK HABANA - Rum Factory 07:27 YUTAKA - This Christmas 07:23 BRIAN SIMPSON - So Many Ways 07:20 HERB PARTLOW - Another Interlude 07:16 FRANK MCCOMB - Cha Cha 07:12 LAWSON ROLLINS - Momentum 07:08 MARION MEADOWS - Christmas On The Radio 07:04 BEN TANKARD - More Rain 07:00 ART RUPRECHT - A Good Thing 06:56 SHAWN RAIFORD - Good Vibrations 06:51 PETER WHITE - Reason To Live 06:46 JIM ADKINS - A Kiss From You 06:42 PHILLIP DOC MARTIN - LA Nights 06:39 YOLANDA RABUN - The Greatest Gift 06:35 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - Day In Day Out 06:31 TIM BOWMAN - Just Another Day 06:27 BRAD ALEXANDER - What Child Is This 06:23 VINCENT INGALA - Sunset On Marco 06:19 MARCIN NOWAKOWSKI - Better Days Ahead feat. Jeff Pescetto 06:15 QUINTIN GERARD W. - Roundtrip LAX - Release. 06:11 JULIAN VAUGHN - Amore 06:08 DOUG CAMERON - Feliz Navidad 06:04 JOYCE COOLING - Don't Mind if I Do 06:00 RICHARD ELLIOT - Coastline 05:56 SAM RUCKER - Overcomer 05:51 JEREMY HECTOR - Ascension 05:46 PAUL TAYLOR - Find a Way 05:41 MEZZOFORTE - Sea Breeze 05:37 SAM LEVINE - I'll Be Home For Christmas 05:33 JACKIEM JOYNER - Let Me Love You 05:29 KOOL&KLEAN - Amazing 05:26 DR. SAXLOVE - Frost The Snowman 05:23 DONN BYNUM - Mercy Mercy Me (feat. Lew Laing Jr.) 05:19 BLAKE AARON - Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing (feat. Kim Scott) 05:14 INCOGNITO - Move It Up 05:10 JAZZ FUNK SOUL - Hustle 05:08 SHIN GIWON CHRISTMAS CAROL COLLECTION - White Christmas 05:04 MARQUEAL JORDAN - I'm Coming Home (feat. Chris Big Dog Davis) 05:00 PEET PROJECT - Tell Me You Want It 04:55 GREGG KARUKAS - Walkin' in Time 04:51 NATE WHITE - All in My Head 04:46 KIM SCOTT - Glorious 04:43 SMOOTH SOUL HOLIDAY - Jolly Old St. Nicholas 04:39 STEVE OLIVER - In the Shade of Cool 04:35 LAWSON ROLLINS - Bossa Nova California 04:31 KEB' MO' - One More Year With You 04:27 DAVID PETROSYAN - Endless Love 04:22 THE SMOOTH JAZZ ALLEY - Been A Long Time Comin' 04:18 NILS - Casablanca 04:14 PETER WHITE - Don't Want To Be A Fool 04:08 BRIAN CULBERTSON - Angels We Have Heard On High 04:04 DEAN JAMES - Brighter Days 04:00 BAKERS DOZEN - Bring It Home 03:55 JONATHAN FRITZEN - Sweet Spot (feat. Paul Brown) 03:50 KIM WATERS - 95 North 03:45 LES SABLER - Esselle's Dance 03:41 HANK BILAL - Hark the Harold Angels Sing (feat. Jonathan Knott) 03:37 BRAD ALEXANDER - A Matter of Time 03:33 JULIAN VAUGHN - Sunday 03:29 PEGGY DUQUESNEL - Light of Christmas 03:24 RICHARD ELLIOT - Like Butter 03:20 CHRISTOPHE GOZE - Lazy Sunday 03:16 MARCUS ANDERSON - Your Touch (Dedicated To Will & Maggie Shares) 03:12 RICK HABANA - I'll Be There (feat. Will Donato) 03:08 HERB ALPERT - Merry Christmas, Darling 03:04 BRIAN SIMPSON - One of a Kind 03:00 PIECES OF A DREAM - It's A Vibe 02:56 JAZZ HOLDOUTS - April and May 02:52 JACKIEM JOYNER - Where's The Love Gone 02:47 NICHOLAS COLE - Just One Night (feat. Steve Cole) 02:43 RONNY SMITH - Groove 106 02:39 GEORGE HOWARD - The First Noel 02:34 SPONTANEOUS GROOVIN' COMBUSTION - Tribeca 02:30 AMANDUS - Quarter to Midnight 02:26 SKINNY HIGHTOWER - Oh Come All Ye Faithful 02:22 PEET PROJECT - Wanna Have a Party 02:18 KENNY PORE - Touching Hearts Today 02:15 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - Hookin' Up 02:11 NORMAN BROWN - Brighter My Light Shines 02:08 KEB' MO' - Please Come Home For Christmas 02:03 KIM SCOTT - No Worries (Feat. James K. Lloyd) 02:00 NICK COLIONNE - There It Is 01:56 BAKERS DOZEN - No Doubt 01:53 RON OTIS - Stay in Your Lane 01:49 J.J. SANSAVERINO - The Groove Messengers 01:45 GHOST JAZZ TRIO BAND - Sun Tides 01:41 EVERETT B WALTERS - Mom's Biscuits 01:37 NEAL DAVIS - Golden Bells 01:32 CRAIG SHARMAT - Nite Moves 01:28 KEN POWE - Above The Clouds 01:24 GERRY SMOOTH - I'm Glad You're Here 01:20 THOM ROTELLA - Feelin' It 01:15 LISA ADDEO - Touch Me In The Night 01:07 BRUCE MCKENZIE - Holiday Season 01:03 DEE BROWN - Tie The Knot (feat. Lin Rountree) 00:59 BONA FIDE - Funk Box 00:54 GORDON JAMES - Cafe Soul 00:50 ADRIAN CRUTCHFIELD - Morning After 00:47 BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Someday Soon 00:43 ALTHEA RENE - Rock with You 00:40 ARIEL B - Candy Cane Love 00:36 JAZZ IN PINK - Smoother 00:32 KEITH ANDREW - Take It Slow 00:28 DAVE BRADSHAW JR. - Jumpstep 00:24 MAX HIGHSTEIN - Gratitune 00:20 FRANK SUTTON - Its Gonna Be A Lovely Day 00:16 THE TIMELESS QUINTET - Angels We Have Heard On High 00:11 MICHAEL LEMMO - Ready for It 00:08 CAL HARRIS JR. - Endless Summer 00:03 BLUEY - Back Here Again 00:00 REZA KHAN - Waiting for the Sky

[safarigirlsp]

This is some seriously gourmet shit right here! Omg I am in love with this! I was grinning like an evil psycho all the way through! I too love a couple going undercover together, and the more unsavory for them, the better! Of all the couples' undercover scenarios we've discussed, this is definitely my favorite possible scenario! And with my favorite AU couple!

First off, I adore the dark and kinky vibes like Eyes Wide Shut and The Ninth Gate! Getting to attend one of those pervy occult parties with Mills forced into being his sexiest and most possessive and most alpha role is absolutely delicious! I love that we're on the same dark and sexy wavelength. After flexing his sex party muscles in Duel, AD really needs to give us a modern kinky occult soiree. Until then, you are doing the lord's work writing it!

The opening is immediately interesting and gripping. I love things that start with movement, and this is perfectly done with an engaging, moving scene that also doesn't waste time on secondary characters. The interrogation scene is great too and how I would expect a hardened killer to conduct it.

If this isn't living the dream!

Two people, outrageously in love, killing for a living.

It's really impressive how you've worked in this forbidden romance element into a story that most - albeit unevolved - people would consider the antithesis of romantic. The tension between them is delicious and they behave completely like two people in their positions would. It's really a joy to read their dynamic.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

“You need to become Cipher and Gage for the duration of this Exhibition,” Adriane underscored. “They are ruthless, reckless, and passionate."

Yes. Yes, I absolutely fucking do 🤣!

Omg this is an absolutely hilarious line and image. I was grinning like an idiot.

You barely contained a grin, thinking of this scrawny little man, twisted with perversion, trying to entice the architectural marvel that was Julian Mills.

Architectural marvel is maybe the best possible description of him too. I think that and John Oliver's 'rudely large man' are now my running favorites.

This is so casually sexy and the type of thing that more writers should pay attention to instead of things like, 'you knew at once you would gag so pleasantly on his horsecock from the sight of it twitching in his pants' 🤣

Julian made his way to Adriane’s desk first, picking up the two rings with discreet tracking devices installed inside. He deftly slipped the smaller one up to the knuckle of his ring finger and let the other one drop. You followed moments behind and picked up the ring off the desk. It gaped around your ring finger, looking too big even for your thumb. “Doesn’t fit,” you dismissed, setting it down and pushing it towards Adriane. “Let me,” Julian said lowly, his long, thick fingers wrapping around your wrist. He brought your hand up and twisted the ring off his finger, sliding it carefully over yours and inspecting his work when he was done. He seemed to approve of the way your hand looked adorned with his wedding ring. He then picked the other ring up and set it in your hand, expecting you to put it on him. “Do I have to love, honor and obey?” you looked up at him as he offered a waiting hand. His silence filled the air with crackling intensity and you fought with yourself not to look away.

And Omg what a mood! So true for both of us!

Obey, you scoffed inwardly. Love was easy. Honor, you conceivably could. The only demand they both had of you was the one you struggled with most.

The elevator scene was really a nice transition scene. More of the forbidden dynamic and angst! It's so artful and well done how you sprinkle it in and give it such punch. As we've talked a lot, it's much better writing to show these things rather than just tell them, and you really are the master at all of these intricacies and deep emotions. The nuances you include are always perfectly fitting and insightful. It makes it feel so much more real.

He turned and looked hard at you, pleading with you to hear what he was not allowed to say. “Adriane is under the impression that we are convincing as two people in love.”

The setting is beautifully lush and so easy to immerse yourself in. You write the dark and decadent atmospheres so well. Whether it's sensual vampire parties with Kylo or kinky sex parties with Mills or Jacques and Pierre hosting their shithead bacchanals, I can feel them all and see them playing out like a movie. Each feeling and tone are unique and they're really a blast! Each one is a joy to read and I look forward to them all.

I'm putting this on any future resume:

the requisite depravity of character

The stripping scene is the best mental eye candy, and I love that RC is a little bit of a bitch about it 🤣 Mills being a slut flaunting his body is a blast. Because of the main Museum story and now this addition, Mills peacocking around like a cocky slut is totally canon to me now!

All the detail put into the party, the sights and sounds, and the atmosphere is wonderful! It makes it really easy to take a walk on the wild side along with our heroes and see the world through their eyes. It's all beautifully done.

This is such a great description!

You and Julian, by contrast, were trained by the Museum to be lethal, and having looks to kill was not a mere phrase where you came from.

I love that and the whole scene preceding it! Mills is such a sexy bastard here, and you write it so well! It's really a much needed excursion for him, since we have some real turds of projects coming up. Being able to objectify Mills like this and have this version of him running around scantily clad through our mental reels makes up for it!

I love these lines!

Your body spoke for itself, like a cat bristling and hissing, ready to claw out any eye that rested too long on Julian. The scene drew many masked faces to turn towards you and examine you with uncanny glittering eyes from behind impassive disguises. They had the eerie curiosity of carrion birds, waiting for their prey to become carcasses.

This entire scene is so ungodly hot. This is such a fun version of Mills to stick in this setting and let him go wild!

Julian drew you close, acting possessively, as if the fighting and territorial behavior was part of your foreplay.

I think it's great how the closer they get to Rostov, the weirder and fouler the participants get. The whole party is really top notch, but the descent into deeper depravity works so well and is so much fun to picture! It's fitting that he's a short little turd too 🤣

The peep show idea is really a fun addition to the exhibitionist extravaganza. Because I'm a sicko, it also had me wondering what else an enterprising villain could use them for.

As you were led along the balustrade to Rostov, you saw peep show-like personal rooms with acts going on in glass cages. These seemed to be one per box and, anticipating that you were brought here to perform rather than talk, you were grateful you wouldn’t be ogled by a multitude of criminals. Just one.

Rostov is such a fun bad guy! He's so well done as a creepy little perve! Emphasis on little! This was great!

Julian heard Rostov’s labored breath behind his mask and was sure the man was hard to bursting, though his proportions were such that robes successfully hid on his body what they could never hope to hide on Julian.

I've said it before and I know you know lol, but omg I love it when a hot manly man actually knows he's hot and manly and how to use it! I hate that meek wimpy uncertain way so many 'hot' men are written. Those fuckers should be designated by a hallmark sweater warning. Or conversely, the 'hot men' are written like douchebag frat boys with 24/7 hard ons. Neither version is written by someone who knows what a genuine hot manly man is like.

He observed his host, aware of his own intensely masculine appeal and let the man’s desire win out, breaking his determination

Omg you do the best cliffhangers! I can't wait to see what all you have in store for our heroes!

servants came in to escort you and Julian inside the glass box

I love this so so much! Thank you for taking the time to write this for me! This is maybe my favorite AU of all! This has all the insanity I love, all wrapped up into one dark and gorgeous package! 💗💗💗

Oh, and I would absolutely kill for a part 2... Murder, mayhem, Mills letting his freak flag fly... This may be the best Halloween story brewing 😈

This is so me! I love that we're in the sicko club together! 😈

Birthday Week Vignettes

*

As a little gift for my bestie and worstie, for her birthday week, I’ve written a selection of fun little vignettes (stretching the terms fun, little and vignette to mean several thousand words of something gory or fucked up).

It has been the greatest and most treasured experience I’ve had on here getting to know you. From the hilarious shit talking, to expanding my horizons in terms of what I read and write, and giving each other constant new ideas and support, I am so grateful for all the downsides of existing in an online space as it’s meant making a wonderful, cherished friend. Happy birthday and may we enjoy your presence in our lives and this garbage fire for a long, long time to come! 😍😍❤️❤️😈😈 @safarigirlsp

*

Day 1; assassin!Mills x RC

*

Summary: The Museum needs two operatives to pose as a married couple and go into a chateau full of depraved people letting loose and acting out their fantasies in an Eyes wide shut-type party. That old chestnut.

A/N: I’m a sucker for going undercover as a couple, in every iteration of that trope, and undercover at a sex party is an especially fun variation. This little episode didn’t fit into my main assassin!Mills story, but it was too interesting to throw out completely, so this seems like the best way to share it. If you like the premise, I’m happy to write a conclusion for it.

CW: mentions of wlw, mlm, group sex, fetishes, voyeurism, dubcon, murder, drugs, alcohol, sex work

WC: ~5.5k

*

Cipher and Gage picked up their small leather bags soon after they landed, exiting the airport hand in hand. Cipher’s steel toe boots thumped loudly on the tiles, his long leather coat rustling with every casual move of his tall, broad frame. Gage sized him up out of the corner of her black-rimmed eye, appreciating the sexy, disheveled swoop of his sandy hair, the frosty glint of his blue eyes, his sharp jawline dusted with a few days’ growth of beard. Her eyes wandered lower, to the tight black tank top that peeked out from his unbuttoned white shirt, the studded belt drawn tight around his narrow hips, and the tightly coiled muscles of his legs working under his equally tight pants. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on him in the car. Their quick encounter in the airplane toilet was too short for her appetite.

She walked briskly in her six inch shiny leather boots, barely reaching his shoulder despite the added height, feeling the chill in the airport as a gust blew under her scandalously short skirt. A man walking past them balked at what the blown up material revealed and she giggled to herself. Cipher squeezed her hand tighter and walked even faster in retaliation, leaving her to practically run to catch up with him. They barely jumped into the stretch limousine parked and waiting to take them to the rendezvous point that Rostov decided on when Cipher pulled her roughly onto his lap and glared, squeezing his large hand painfully around her thigh until she squirmed and pouted, removing her round Windsor sunglasses and giving him a plaintive look, all innocence and invitation. She had often remarked that it didn’t serve him any good to get all worked up over other men ogling her like that; if he wanted an attractive and flirty wife like her, then there were consequences to deal with.

They had enough time to redress and clean up as well as could be managed on a backseat when the limousine pulled up on Museum property. The partition rolled down and an Acquisitions operative pointed the barrel of a gun at the pair.

*

The heavy metal door creaked and moaned as it was pushed open for Adriane. She entered the small circular cell, windowless and bleached by harsh white halogen lights, where Cipher and Gage sat bound and gagged.

Without gracing either with eye contact, Adriane walked briskly, sweeping an elegant circle around the small cell, her heels clacking an ominous rhythm on the concrete floor. “In a moment, you will be separated. You will never see each other again,” she spoke the chilling words quietly and emotionlessly, as though to herself, as she circled the young pair like a crow awaiting carrion to feast on. “Whoever talks first will go free. The other will not leave this place alive.” She tossed the last words over her shoulder as she slipped like a shadow out the door and it closed heavily behind her.

She was not negotiating. She was not trying to entice them with anything only to pull the rug out from under them, as other people they had dealt with in the past had. The pair understood the danger they were in as they locked eyes, determined to leave this place together, and alive.

*

30 minutes, my office. A, the letters scrolled across the beeper in your hand.

When you arrived, with a minute to spare, you were feeling pretty smug about yourself that you managed not to be late, to say nothing of the fact you were chosen as the operative to be entrusted with this last minute, highly sensitive task.

Adriane’s office looked like the wardrobe department of some grungy photo shoot, with distressed denim, faux leather, fishnets and studs galore. Racks and racks of clothing were hurriedly rolled in, no doubt for the purpose of outfitting for this impromptu exhibition you were going on.

“Our guests have a meeting with their prospective employer this evening. We intercepted the coordinates Rostov provided and took Cipher and Gage on a detour here,” Adriane informed as Mills strode out from behind a rack with an armful of clothes. You looked from him to Adriane, wondering if this was some test and her omitting he would be there was supposed to catch you by surprise. Satisfied you did not betray your heart jumping into your throat, you diverted your attention to the racks of female clothing surrounding you.

“Won’t he know we’re not them? You know, when he looks at us?” you asked too snarkily for someone who knew Adriane wouldn’t waste anyone’s time if this was a real concern.

“Rostov doesn’t know what they look like. Both he and our guests are too discreet in their dealings to allow something like that. And the private party you are attending is designed to ensure privacy. At least where your faces are concerned.”

You felt a nervous knot tie in your gut, thinking ahead at what the night would more than likely demand of you. “And their stupid nicknames?” you asked, forcibly casual, as you pressed a red plaid skirt to your hips, wondering if it would even cover half your ass.

“For the same reason. They are decently intelligent, cautious people in their business dealings, even if their behavior otherwise is questionable. Under different circumstances, they might have been potential operatives for the Museum. As it stands, their use is limited to a single outing.”

You followed Adriane to her laptop computer, as thick as a briefcase, sitting in front of her leather chair, with a video paused. Scattered on the desk were photos of Cipher and Gage, taken over the last few weeks, as evidenced by the changes in the color and style of their hair. They were photographed several times in rather compromising positions, not that they seemed to mind. Gage was always smiling brightly when her hand was shoved possessively in Cipher’s back pocket, and he was not shy about embracing her in a town square and kissing her with what you personally deemed to be an excess of tongue, with both his hands on her ass, peeking out of another too-short skirt. Frenzied moaning and the squeak of leather grabbed your attention and you looked up at the video Adriane played.

“This was just over an hour ago, in the back of the car we sent for them,” she informed, looking unimpressedly at the screen.

The parallels between you and Julian were not lost on you. Two people, outrageously in love, killing for a living. Except the pair rutting wildly in a limo were free to be out in the open, not concealing anything from anyone, while you could only look at Julian askance and steal brief moments when you were sure no one was looking, which was hardly ever.

“The girl has great stamina,” you quipped, averting your eyes discreetly. From their copious, almost defiant public displays of affection, you didn’t imagine either would be bothered to know a few people had watched some blurry, low resolution footage of their intercourse, but the aversion was for your sake, not letting the Museum make a voyeur out of you. It was enough they made you a ghost and a killer.

“You need to become Cipher and Gage for the duration of this Exhibition,” Adriane underscored. “They are ruthless, reckless, and passionate. Their reputation precedes them in Rostov’s inner circle.”

“We understand,” Mills assured, seeming to imply that even if you didn’t quite get it, he did.

Adriane came up to stand next to you and snatched the blue tinged, white rimmed sunglasses off your face, replacing them with a dark, edgy pair more in line with Gage’s confirmed style. “Rostov is a hedonist with wild delusions of grandeur. He will try to flirt with you, and his demands are known to go far,” she informed in a tone that signaled you were to go along with it, as far as necessary.

“I’m cool,” you shrugged, stomach twisting with disgust you were still not entirely able to suppress.

“He will likely flirt with you too, Julian,” Adriane said in the same demanding tone to him.

“Mh,” he grunted vaguely, shucking on a leather biker jacket and ruffling his hair, as he studied his reflection, deciding if it all came together just right for Cipher.

You barely contained a grin, thinking of this scrawny little man, twisted with perversion, trying to entice the architectural marvel that was Julian Mills.

A clink of metal on hard wood rang through the air. “Put these on.”

Julian made his way to Adriane’s desk first, picking up the two rings with discreet tracking devices installed inside. He deftly slipped the smaller one up to the knuckle of his ring finger and let the other one drop. You followed moments behind and picked up the ring off the desk. It gaped around your ring finger, looking too big even for your thumb.

“Doesn’t fit,” you dismissed, setting it down and pushing it towards Adriane.

“Let me,” Julian said lowly, his long, thick fingers wrapping around your wrist. He brought your hand up and twisted the ring off his finger, sliding it carefully over yours and inspecting his work when he was done. He seemed to approve of the way your hand looked adorned with his wedding ring.

He then picked the other ring up and set it in your hand, expecting you to put it on him.

“Do I have to love, honor and obey?” you looked up at him as he offered a waiting hand. His silence filled the air with crackling intensity and you fought with yourself not to look away.

“Just obey,” Adriane answered for him and brought the moment to an end. Without ceremony, you slipped the ring on Julian’s finger and turned away from both of them.

Obey, you scoffed inwardly. Love was easy. Honor, you conceivably could. The only demand they both had of you was the one you struggled with most.

“You leave in 15 minutes,” Adriane informed as dispassionately as ever.

Before you left, curiosity got the better of you. “You got all this information out of them… Which one cracked?”

“They both did, of course,” Adriane gave a serene, composed smile, assured in the Museum’s methods.

“So who got to go free?”

Adriane blinked and for a moment, you had the distinct sense a huge grin would slice across her face. A jeering, hideous one, mocking your naiveté. “You should go get ready,” was all the reply she would give, and all the reply you needed.

*

As you descended in the gold-adorned elevator, on your way to the armory, Julian was quiet, looking at his panel and committing every detail of the plan, of Cipher and Gage’s history and activities, of intelligence on Rostov - all he could - to memory.

“Why was I chosen for this task?” you asked, choosing the opposite approach to Julian’s and clearing your mind before jumping into the task at hand.

He was silent as you descended for several levels and you started to assume he had not even registered your question. “It was an opportunity to improve your field mechanics,” he answered like a politician on the campaign trail.

Silence then followed from you. “Field mechanics,” you repeated, deeply unconvinced.

He turned and looked hard at you, pleading with you to hear what he was not allowed to say. “Adriane is under the impression that we are convincing as two people in love.”

It was not a compliment. The words had the cadence of a slur, and his tone of regret. It was not a good thing at all. He narrowed his eyes, satisfying himself that you took his meaning correctly.

*

The warm sunset, full of purples and oranges, gave way to a fine evening as you drove outside the city. As soon as you exited, you donned your masks as a precaution, wary of how far Rostov’s eyes reached. Yours was a white mask that extended into a crescent moon shape above your forehead and under your chin. Along its edges and around the eyes, the mask was outlined in silver and small stars twinkled along its face. Julian’s mask was white and gold, representing the sun, with five curvy rays creating an inverted pentagram around the smooth white face of the mask, adorned with golden arabesque designs. You looked at each other once the masks were on and the eerie blank canvass they presented, not knowing what face and expression they hid, was chilling.

You joined the scattered trail of other cars, uniformly black and armored, as they traveled noiselessly  down a private road that would have been impossible to find without very specific instructions. The road was maintained to perfection, allowing you to glide smoothly down and weave its serpentines as they appeared without the slightest trouble. If not for the heady mix of trepidation and excitement that kept you wired and buzzing awake, you could have been lulled into a dreamlike sleep and sunk into the impenetrable darkness that surrounded you.

After stretching for what felt like an eternity, the road finally ended at a well-fortified gate, where you were ushered in and led up a lavishly landscaped path. A veritable army of masked guards stood sentinel all along the path, the entrance to a grand building and all the way to a sequestered area separated by gold stanchions and a red rope. Neither the host nor the guests wanted the security’s scrutiny while indulging in their hidden pleasures, a mistake that Julian and you were instructed to exploit. Behind unadorned gunmetal gray masks, the guards’ eyes followed every guest as they approached the rope forbidding entrance to the room beyond to all but a select few. There, you were instructed to shed your clothing and don party attire.

Rostov had purchased the magnificent château a few years back and it currently served as the crown jewel of his ostentatious tendencies and debauched proclivities. He restored it to its former glory, and had it outfitted with every modern comfort to boot, ensuring maximum pleasure and safety. It soon became the perfect place to host his monthly bacchanals, a pleasurable distraction from his usual activities of acquiring and testing biological weapons.

Invitations were handed out either to former collaborators who had displayed a keen sadistic and perverted streak, or to prospective talent, like Cipher and Gage, to ascertain if they possessed the requisite depravity of character to join in on Rostov’s activities unflinchingly. Masks and the privacy of the location guaranteed zero risk of discovery and damage to anyone’s reputation that would result from engaging in this sort of activity in a public venue.

With that in mind, you did not hesitate to disrobe. There was little to remove anyway and the mask served another useful purpose in making you bolder by hiding your face and whatever chagrined expression it might reveal. Julian watched, his eyes moving appreciatively behind his white and gold mask, as your skirt hit the floor and you removed your cropped top in one smooth movement. He waited, and at first you wondered why, but quickly surmised he meant to wait and have you undress him. You were proven right when he stepped into you as your last stitch of clothing came off and stood facing you, to shield you from any prying eyes. He did not put it beyond this rabble to be spying on guests as they changed. You slipped his trench coat off and, suddenly aware of your nakedness and his imposing proximity, made quick work of his shirt and pants, unzipping them roughly and making him flinch, before tugging them down just as harshly. Remembering your role, you chuckled, as though you had done it to tease him and crossed your arms over your bare chest, eager for the dress, as revealing as it was. Julian seemed unfazed by being completely naked in a large anteroom and offered the white halter neck satin dress for you to step into. The dress had a large slit in the side and flowed with every step, and the back was left entirely bare. It glided as smoothly as water up your body as he pulled it up and tied it at the base of your neck. He pressed his mask into your neck, in an approximation of a steadying kiss, and you felt the length of his body pressed into you, with the material of the dress dividing you leaving little to the imagination.

Julian’s attire was similarly revealing. A similar white material folded and tucked in around his hips, like the bottom half of a toga, and draped over his torso, cinched over one shoulder with a gold hoop and cascading down like a cape. He looked like an ancient marble statue, its perfection exaggerated by an impassioned artist in ardent love with his model, was brought to life.

The low thump of the music pulsed through the closed door as you neared it, and Julian brushed the bare skin of your lower back with his clever fingers as he claimed your waist, holding you close to his side as you ascended the steps and entered the party.

The renovated château was a blend of showy rococo and sleek modern styles. The dichotomy made for a luxurious experience, striking a balance between the lavish furnishings of the past and the present-day creature comforts, such as telephones, cameras, air conditioning, and modern mechanics. You followed a servant, distinguished by her plain gunmetal gray mask, into a spacious ballroom where the main activities were taking place. Heavy velvet curtains were drawn over the tall windows that lined the walls, keeping the lighting in the room low and atmospheric with only the dimmed chandeliers and scattered candelabras to set the mood. Dry ice created a mist swirling around the floor and ghosting around your steps. Erotic house music filtered in from the speakers embedded high above, and its thumping bass rattled in your bones as it provided a steady rhythm to rut to.

You passed sections of the ballroom, some divided by pillars and more heavy drapery, others raised on a dais, and each offered different activities. In some, more accessible areas, guests mingled and leaned masked faces close to exchange conversation and toasts, lifting only the bottoms of their masks to take quick sips. On a chaise longue, red and trimmed in gold, lay a man with his toga hiked up around his waist, straddled and vigorously ridden by a woman with nipple piercings connected by a series of chains and pendants, and her dark skin extensively tattooed. A small group of people, in various stages of undress gathered around them and commented on the participants and their activity.

You passed onto a higher level, leaving the couple behind you, and noticed that this area had raised platforms around one central viewing point. Each platform had two red leather sofas, one lower and one higher, permitting more positions and participants, surrounded by several waist-high columns. Each column held an object for members to use, either for pleasure or pain. You took in a few, including phallus-shaped implements, ball gags, riding crops, and pliers. In the viewing area, more of those comfortable chaise longues were laid out for those wishing to observe. Several platforms were currently occupied, but one drew your attention. A masked woman had her long legs wrapped around two men, one inside of her, the other inside of the man between them, and the three were being observed by a masked man in a black robe. He was one of Rostov’s inner circle, designated by his robe as untouchable – unless he asked to be – and irrefusable. His build was wrong; he was too young and too fit to be Rostov, so you moved on.

Sooner rather than later, you remembered as the stench of too many bodies fucking in an enclosed space hit your nostrils, you would have to engage in some activity yourself, lest your restraint draw unwanted attention. Even now, you felt appraising eyes land on you and Julian as you passed. You could not blame them. For all the young and attractive participants present, paid or drugged, who walked around and offered themselves like hors d’oeuvres to be sampled, they smacked of sex workers who were only doing a job. Some had the shaky, twitchy physique of junkies, while others had the used up bodies of veteran sex workers. You and Julian, by contrast, were trained by the Museum to be lethal, and having looks to kill was not a mere phrase where you came from. All those lessons in walking runways, learning classical dances, gymnastics, yoga, and the subtle art of erotica over the two years of your training made you both stand out in the most noteworthy way. Every step showed off your bodies, effortless grace and proud bearing; every brush of your fingers against Julian’s sculpted arm promised something more between you, and you felt eager eyes follow you, hoping to witness the moment you decided to take it farther.

The sounds of leather cracking and moans, quickly drowned out by delighted praise or mockery, led you into a large chamber, lined with ornate columns. A red carpet painted the floor red and several servants walked unobtrusively around with smoking censers, diffusing aphrodisiac scents around the cavernous chamber and perfuming the aroma of sex before it grew stale. In its center sat a long table, with a smorgasbord of men and women on top. From your vantage point, you could see two women with their heads between the other’s legs, one on her back, the other over her on her knees, both writhing and exaggerating their pleasure as their surgically enhanced breasts jiggled in one unmoving spot. Next to them were two handsome men on their sides, performing the same act and moaning deeply around the other’s shaft. In the middle was a piano bench with three women of widely varying ages in an embrace, busily alternating positions and acts. Around the table sat the more important attendees, watching, some stroking themselves or others under the table. The first woman you’d seen dressed in a black robe sat on the lap of a bony old man, his skin hanging like wet paper over his frame. She wriggled on his lap from his touch under her robes and pulled up a sleeve to offer her arm. He produced a syringe and injected her with a cloudy substance before resuming his ministrations. Julian walked by and caught the woman’s attention. She reached out for him and he extended her a hand, letting her pull him in close as she arched her back and spread herself across the table for him to sample. Julian loomed over her until she couldn’t wait anymore and tugged on his arm, splaying his large hand over her comparatively small breast, instructing him to knead at her chest. He did so, leaning closer over her so he could swipe the empty syringe from the floor and tuck it into the folds of his clothing. When he accomplished his task, he disengaged from the woman and you could see her roaming hand had found his way in between the folds of his toga and was trying to get in another one or two strokes as he retreated. As his partner, his wife, for the evening, you felt no need to disguise either your proprietary sense or your jealousy. Grabbing for his elbow, you jerked him towards you and spun him out of the way, positioning yourself between the woman in black and the object of both your desires. Too late it occurred to you that it could be huge mistake to challenge a high-ranking member. Your body spoke for itself, like a cat bristling and hissing, ready to claw out any eye that rested too long on Julian. You looked at her hand, suspended in midair as she considered demanding Julian back. With what relish you would break each and every finger, enjoying the snap of each knuckle. The flash in your eyes seemed to communicate this rather eloquently to the women and she turned back to the decrepit old man she was sitting on and threw her head back, her deranged laughter muffled behind her mask. The scene drew many masked faces to turn towards you and examine you with uncanny glittering eyes from behind impassive disguises. They had the eerie curiosity of carrion birds, waiting for their prey to become carcasses.

Julian drew you close, acting possessively, as if the fighting and territorial behavior was part of your foreplay. Grinding his hips into your backside, you felt him stiffen reflexively. His hands squeezed your hips and you threw your head back against his broad shoulder, letting him play out the scene and get you safely away. His hands roved up your body, following the contours of your waist and ribs. One hand slipped inside your dress and drew a lazy circle around the nipple, drawing it into a stiff peak and rolling it between his rough fingers. You let a shudder roll visibly through you and pressed your thighs theatrically together for the benefit of those savoring your reaction, creating some friction and relief. Julian’s other hand snaked up and coiled around your throat as he bent to whisper in your ear. “Fuck,” you heard a guttural grunt as he panted behind his mask, and his strained voice sent a jolt of pleasure through your body. You arched your back into him before you could think not to and his hips responded with a deep thrust as his stiffening cock sought some relief against the curve of your ass. “We should get out of here, he’s--” words failed him and he had to swallow hard before resuming, “he’s not here.”

As you straightened up, trying to find the closest exit point and make for it, one of the marauding sex workers, emboldened by whatever chemical cocktail she was on, made her way to you and placed one hand over the breast Julian wasn’t cupping, and the other around his neck, inviting herself into your company. Not worried about causing trouble due to her rank, you unceremoniously slapped her hand away from Julian, to delighted comments and encouragements from the throng watching on. She tottered like a toddler and you knew a single push could knock her down, and in her state, she likely wouldn’t even feel it. Still, she did not take the hint and tried to touch Julian again. His hand fell away from you and you caught her wrist, twisting only a little before she crumpled into the ground.

As you turned to leave, you nearly bumped into a woman, stripped to her waist, holding a young man’s wrists over an antique letter writing desk. Another woman, with sagging breasts that suggested breast feeding several children, bound in a leather harness, was whipping the youth across the back while an old man in black robes held his hips and frantically pumped. His legs were wiry and crooked and his gut was visibly round as he worked around the protruding flesh to stick his small member into the young man. You squeezed Julian’s thigh in question, as the gesture could be viewed as announcing your eagerness to join in. He wrapped his hand around yours and stilled you, signaling no. Rostov was scrawnier than this round-bellied man. But you were likely getting close. 

Julian raised his masked head towards the upper levels of the chamber. All along the top floor were small viewing chambers, like opera boxes, and most of them held a member dressed in black, with a select guest, or guests, keeping them company. It was there he spied him.

Rostov, ever the attention seeker, was the only attendee with a mask made entirely of gold. Noticeably shorter than the naked woman accompanying him, he seemed to be watching Julian too. Without flinching or looking away, Julian stood and waited for a few beats. Finally, Rostov seemed to make up his mind and with a quick summoning gesture, a servant materialized next to you and asked you to join the host on the uppermost level.

As you were led along the balustrade to Rostov, you saw peep show-like personal rooms with acts going on in glass cages. These seemed to be one per box and, anticipating that you were brought here to perform rather than talk, you were grateful you wouldn’t be ogled by a multitude of criminals. Just one.

In one box, there was a woman in thigh-high boots and a collar around her neck, with a leash leading to some unseen master, bound to a velvet-cushioned chair. The viewer was issuing commands on what was to be done to her and you tried not to listen as you passed that box and approached another. In the glass box, a throuple was enjoying hot wax and blindfolds. At Rostov’s box, you saw a naked man wipe himself down as he exited and a pair of servants untied the woman and helped her out of a harness. The truncated scene confirmed what Julian had shared about Rostov and his penchant for more dominant men and submissive women. Gage’s impish and dominant behavior was a departure from that, so you made sure to remember not to play a meek, passive role.

The small man, hardly larger than a child, wore a golden mask that was reminiscent of hannya masks from Japanese theater, with large eyes, and a twisted grimace with a gaping mouth, revealing sharp teeth. Rostov examined Julian first, holding his large hand in his two small ones, looking at the golden band on his ring finger. He gave yours a glance to confirm he had it right, and let Julian’s hand go. As if examining a thoroughbred, he ran his hands over Julian’s thickly muscled chest, the marvelously  sculpted ridges and valleys of his arms.

“You hold Gage so close, so very close,” Rostov said in a thick accent and sighed. “I can see why.” He ran a finger over your mask, down its smooth, cool cheek, and lower still, dragging his small hand flat down your chest, down the valley between your breasts. Julian shifted his weight and his chest involuntarily puffed up, making Rostov huff a small laugh.

He walked a few small steps away, into his box, and Julian surmised he should follow. When Rostov lounged on the divan, Julian did the same, and they were at last on the same plane.

“From the moment you two walked in, I had one single thought.” He waited until Julian leaned in closer, tacitly asking for an answer. “I want to fuck your wife,” he stage-whispered, loud enough for both of you to hear. “This is a family, Cipher,” Rostov placed a proprietary hand on the back of his neck, pulling him intimately in. Without the masks, they would have been a hair away from kissing.  Julian heard Rostov’s labored breath behind his mask and was sure the man was hard to bursting, though his proportions were such that robes successfully hid on his body what they could never hope to hide on Julian. The man’s eyes devoured him, taking in his body greedily, lust shining in his beady eyes. “We do everything as a unit,” he coaxed.

Julian did not blink. He was playing the role of a man who did not share the woman he loved, and it came naturally to him. Both he and Cipher were the sort to risk powerful people’s displeasure for what they truly wanted. He observed his host, aware of his own intensely masculine appeal and let the man’s desire win out, breaking his determination and making him willing to negotiate.

“Bah,” the little man waved a frustrated hand, “I can see that your wife is not the sharing sort – for a moment there, I was worried she would break my wife’s arm when she was playing with you. And you can imagine the sort of pain in the ass she would be then,” Rostov laughed and phlegm rattled in his lungs. “I’m saddened to see you have the same sick notions of fidelity.” He sighed again and shook his head. “I’ll satisfy myself with watching you this first time, then.” With the matter decided in his mind, Rostov rolled away from him, and servants came in to escort you and Julian inside the glass box, while the pair that was in it before you came back and fell into an embrace with their host.

*

@thegrislady @lumberjack00fantasies @queeniebee @vedavan @mythrielofsolitude @house-of-cadwyn

[sinnersandsaints-linwrites]

Who out of the @duplicity-if cast would your characters get together with? Do you have any specific reasons behind your choices?

Love you <3

okay, let's go! <3

Roan: Julian/Juliette--Roan would drown them in their worry and care for J, and I just think that these two would make for a sugar-packed pair

Ariel: I feel like Asher/Astra dealing with Ariel could make for some very interesting moments, especially with their personalities and Ariel being a vigilante

Sage: Lucian/Lucia--I mean... devilish and well-dressed couple who slays together, metaphorically or literally... I'm weak okay--

Khari: Oliver/Olivia--Khari is competitive, and while would likely never admit it, they'd resort to violence if anyone but them would try and tease O

Morgan: Julian/Juliette--with Morgan's grim demeanor and internalized angst, I think J is perfect to balance them! or at least it would make for some comedic moments

Riven: Oliver/Olivia--rivalry and flirting? Riven would try and fluster O, even make it their mission, and try to one-up them while also being jealous if they pay more attention to teasing someone else

Sasha: with Ross/Rose--I simply adore the dynamic of R being seemingly grumpy and Sasha not buying it for a second and teasing the hell out of them

[comiiical]

Send a meme, comment with a prompt of sorts, or if you want a reply to one of your opens with one of the following muses: Geir (Connor Jessup), Thomas Ward (Julian Morris), Andy Trudeau Jr (Chris Hemsworth), Kody Mitchell jr (Tanner Buchanan), Maximo (Taylor Zahkar Perez), Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), Harry Osborn (Curran Walters), Keith (Nico Greetham / Adam Huber ), Julian (Brandon Flynn). Frank (Jake Gyllenhaal), Phelan (Frank Grillo), Eddie D*az (Ryan Guzman), Steve Rogers / Patrick Nivans (Chris Evans), Pascal / Prescott (Robert Buckley), Preston (Matt Cornett / Ed Skrein ), Buck / Stephen (Oliver Stark), Stephen (Froy Gutierrez / Robbie Amell), Lucas O’riley / Percy / Grant ( Brett Dalton ), Shaun (Nyle DiMarco), Miles (Ben Affleck), Noé (Lucas Bravo) . I am in no mood to write a single bottoming scene, so it is HARDLY unlikely that I’ll do outside of specific dynamics and particular muses, such as Harry. Mostly Harry. Almost only Harry. So keep it in mind. If you have more than one open just… point me to the one you want an answer to or give me a few options, IM also possible if it’s easier, or discord. 

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

On the final podcast episode for Taskmaster season 11, Ed Gamble talked to Alex Horne about how people are excited that Victoria Coren Mitchell will be on season 12 (damn right, we are), though many people hoped she and David would be on a season together. Alex replied that they wouldn’t do that, as having two people who knew each other well before the show would mess up the dynamics. I completely agree with that; obviously you’ll get contestants who knew each other beforehand, but choosing contestants who’d already learned how to work closely with each other would destroy some of the magic of watching them figure out how to do that in team tasks.

Ed and Alex agreed that it would be unfair to have a David/Victoria pair against three contestants who were not closely connected to each other, and I think that’s very true. Then they said the only way to have David and Victoria on together in a way that made sense would be to do a version of Taskmaster in which all contestants entered as a pair. Ed and Alex both immediately agreed that that would be a bad idea, and while I realize they both know a lot more than I do about what will work well in a comedy show, I must respectfully disagree. I think a special version of Taskmaster like that would be awesome. And Ed should know that, because he was friends with Rose Matafeo before the show, and his rivalry with her in season 9 was one of my favourite storylines in all of Taskmaster.

I certainly don’t like the idea of a version of Taskmaster that’s all romantic couples. But I could really enjoy a season – or more realistically a one-off special like what we got on New Year in 2021 – with five pairs of people who play as a team and are already used to doing things together (because they’ve worked with each other before and/or just because they’re friends).

Here are some of my helpful suggestions about who could be cast. It includes a mix of people who both have and haven’t been on Taskmaster before. It also starts with two people I’d rather see David and Victoria paired with than each other; I very much like them both, and they seem like an absolutely wonderful couple (seriously, I think most romantic pairings are overrated, but these two seem painfully perfect together), but I think it would be more fun to watch them work with other people and against each other.

- Victoria Coren Mitchell and Claudia Winkleman - David Mitchell and... I should say Lee Mack here, but I think if I could choose anyone I’d want to see him do Taskmaster with Robert Webb - Ed Gamble and James Acaster - Jon Richardson and Russell Howard - Sandi Toksvig and Susan Calman - Dara O’Briain and Ed Byrne - Sara Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd - Lee Mack and Sean Lock - Noel Fielding and Julian Barrett - This one’s a little left field, but Katherine Ryan and Jimmy Carr - Richard Osman and Alexander Armstrong - Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins - Nish Kumar and Rachel Parris - Joe Wilkinson and Susie Dent - Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker (he could win with or without disability accommodation) - Rosie Jones and Joe Lycett (see above) - Armando Iannucci and Rebecca Front - Richard Ayoade and John Oliver (it’s fine, he can fly in from the States, I’m sure he’s not doing anything more important) - Simon Amstell and Russell Brand

[owlsandwich]

I think it will be mostly his diary, yes! But I want to add in extra bits like newspaper clippings and faxes and letters. One thing I'd like is the little note card he gets from his friend announcing Oliver's birth. He won't be able to have masses of diary entries, though, or the story will be super long, since it takes place over such a large period of time. Still trying to work out how I'm going to achieve this vision 😅

I know people would have had to read Mechanics (and its eventual sequels) to get the full impact, which is a pain because that's a huge skillset to learn for a really small target audience haha! The story just came to me though, in a flash of inspiration, and it explains so much about Ewen's character.

I also want to read a bunch of spy novels now, to really try and capture that subtle dynamic of manoeuvring around someone you aren't sure if you can trust. The Julian & Ewen stuff is my favourite, and I'm not sure I'm good enough to do it justice!

I'm curious what Ewen might be? 👀

I am so excited that you asked about Ewen!

I'll try not to ramble on for too long, but it's a novella concept that I don't think I have the skills to write yet. It's intended to be a tragic romance, written in an epistolary format, taking place over about 40 years. As the name might imply, it's about Ewen — a secondary character from The Mechanics Of Magic, who is Oliver's mentor and sort of adoptive parent.

In Mechanics, he is already dead, but he was one of the four Royal Champions, and so when he died, he ended up sharing the mind of his successor, Oliver. We interact with Ewen through Oliver's mental conversations with him, and don't find out much about his past other than how he mentored Oliver into his current role as Tactician.

This has already got a bit long, but the story I want to write follows Ewen from when he was a teenager and a 'Potential' — someone in line to possibly awaken as a Royal Champion (its never certain who it is going to be).

He meets and falls in love with a girl he meets when sneaking out to a jubilee celebration, and has to keep his relationship with her a secret until someone else awakens as the champion and he can apply for an exemption to his role as a Potential.

This is complicated by his close friend awakening as one of the other four Champions, the role of the Spy, whose job partially involves watching out for potential illicit activity from the other Champions and Potentials.

Much stuff happens as he plays his wits against his friend to hide his romance, while maintaining their close companionship and working relationship. The old king dies from sickness, another of his close friends passes away, orphaning the young Oliver and causing Ewen to take him on as an apprentice, and (as we know from Mechanics) Ewen awakens as a Royal Champion himself, leaving him the awful choice to make between his own happiness and his inescapable duty.

It's a tragedy because, as a prequel, we know which one he picks :(

I actually have a short story about young Ewen, that I wrote for the Alphabet Superset here!

[afaimsarrowverse]

25 Favorite Polyam-Ships of the Arrowverse

The more the merrier. Who needs love triangles if they can be so easily resolved? Here is a list of my favorite Polyamory Ships of the Arrowverse-Shows. And no, sadly none of those was ever canon, except maybe one or two….

 25. Legends8S1 (Rip Hunter/Sara Lance/Ray Palmer/Mick Rory/Leonard Snart/Kendra Saunders/Jefferson Jackson/Martin Stein)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 1

 I am not sure why but there are many fics for this insane ship even though later versions of the Legends had much more interteam-dating going on. Maybe it’s cause it has something.

24.  Legion of Doom (Eobard Thawne/Damien Darhk/Malcolm Merlyn)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 2

 In canon the mostly hated each other. Fans thinks differentyl.

23.  Avalancegreen (Ava Sharpe/Sara Lance/Gary Green)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 3-5

 This is Garys Dream Ship.

22.  Vixensteelwave (Amaya Jiwe/Nate Heywood/Mick Rory)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 2-3

 Many people shipped Mick with either Amaya or still ship him with Nate and Nate and Amaya were a canon couple so, why not?

21.  Superflarrow (Kara Danvers/Barry Allen/Oliver Queen)

 Arrow/Flash/Supergirl, Invasion!, Crisis on Earth-X, Elseworlds, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Arrow Season 8

 The Trinity gets often shipped together for rather obvious reasons.

20.  Hawkatomwave (Kendra Saunders/Ray Palmer/Mick Rory)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 1

 Kendra and Ray were a canon couple and Ray and Mick had a heavy canon bromance going on, so there is were this comes from.

19.  Vixensteelatom (Amaya Jiwe/Nate Heywood/Ray Palmer)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 2-3

 All three of them were great friends who would often hang out together, Amaya und Nate were actually dating, Nates and Rays bromance was the heart and soulf of the show for four seasons and the chemistry between Ray and Amaya was great, so why the hell not?

 18.  Kascholsen (Kara Danvers/Winn Schott/James Olsen)

 Supergirl Season 1-3

 The Originals Superfriends just had that dynamic about them. Also a way to resolve the Season 1 Love Triangle.

 17.  Steeldarhkatom (Nate Heywood/Nora Darhk/Ray Palmer)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 3-5

 This might just be kind of canon in Season 5, when Ray is dating Nora but still kind of bro-dating Nate aswell. The went to prom together after all.

16.  Winnia-5 (Winn Schott/Nia Nal/Brainiac-5)

 Supergirl Season 3-5

 The three adorable „Supergirl“-Nerds put together. Nia and Winn never really interacted much, but through this you get Braina und Winniac-5 all in one package, so yeah, maybe that’s just me, but I like it.

15.  Karmimra (Kara Danvers/Mon-El/Imra Ardeen)

 Supergirl Season 3

 This is how they could have resolved the Season 3 Love Triangle in a more daring way.

14.  Coldflashwave (Leonard Snart/Barry Allen/Mick Rory)

 The Flash Season 1-3

 Many fans love this one. Leonard would surly be up for it.

13.  Hawkatomcanary (Kendra Saunders/Ray Palmer/Sara Lance)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 1

 In „Left Behind“ this was kind of canon in the beginning. Left behind in the past those three moved in together for a couple of months, so … who knows what happened?

12.  Steelatomhacker (Nate Heywood/Ray Palmer/Zari Tomaz)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 3-4

 The dynamic trio after the ending of Season 3 in Team Legends – the best of friends and Zari and Nate later ended up becoming an item, even though she previously seemd more interested in Ray.

11.  Roguecanary (Leonard Snart/Mick Rory/Sara Lance)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 1-2

 Blame the barfight in the pilot for this one. Fans were very taken with this trio.

  10.  Rogueatom (Leonard Snart/Mick Rory/Ray Palmer)

 Legends Season 1-2

 Another trio spawned by the early episodes of the show, when Ray became an interim Rogue of sorts.

  9.      Karawel (Kara Danvers/Winn Schott/Mon-El)

 Supergirl Season 2-3, 5

 Winn needs love in his life, so why shouldn’t he find it with two of his best friends who are desperatly in love with each other?

 8.      OliverYamashiro (Oliver Queen/Tatsu Yamashiro/Maseo Yamashiro)

 Arrow Season 3

 This kind of was the point of Season 3s Flashback Arc. Oliver became an interim member of the Yamashiro family, so this would have been the next logical step if Akio hadn’t met his end like this.

 7.      Snowbertallen (Caitlin Snow/Julian Albert/Barry Allen)

 The Flash Season 3

 Snowberry-., Allenbert-, and Snowbert-Fans all come together through this ship.

6.       Coldwestallen (Leonard Snart/Iris West/Barry Allen)

 The Flash Season 2-3

 The Season 2 Christmas Episode gave birth to this rather popular ship. Iris und Leonard did not interact much on the show, but still this is a ship on fire.

 5.      Tauriver (Tommy Merlyn/Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen)

 Arrow Season 1

 This would have been the preferable solution to the Season 1 Love Triangle.

 4.      Irivarry (Iris West/Oliver Queen/Barry Allen)

 Arrow/The Flash, The Flash Season 1-2, Invasion!, Crisis on Earth-X, Elseworlds, Crisis on Infinite Earths

 Oliver deserved better, why not with the man he is cleary crazy in love with and this mans loving wife, who has him on her cheating list?

3.      Atomsteelwavevixen (Ray Palmer/Nate Heywood/Mick Rory/Amaya Jiwe)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 2-3

 Those four were great friends and more among each other, often hung out in pairs or as trios or as a foursome, and they loved each other very much. This should have been canon.

2.      Captains3 (Sara Lance/Rip Hunter/Leonard Snart)

 Legends of Tomorrow Season 1-2

 If Sara und Leonard and Sara and Rip and Leonard and Rip would not work out, maybe Sara, Leonard and Rip together would work. I know I am literally the only one who ships them, but I do. I really do.

1.      Westhallen (Iris West/Eddie Thawne/Barry Allen)

 The Flash Season 1-3

 Love Triangle? What Love Triangle? This is my OTP don’t judge me.

[0itmelex0]

🎬 + Lorenzo!

who the fandom ships them with

i’d hope jesper. could see some maybe shipping him with any of the other current crows as well. as much as i don’t like the idea of them because reasons, i could see people shipping him and galen for the simple fact of them having this connection that is the marking and just how intertwined but also not intertwined their storylines are. but ofc people would or better stop shipping them as more information gets revealed about their connection. then again, galen is very shippable with his corporalki husbands so... maybe not.

why the fandom loves them

just the constant flirt offs he has with jesper alongside the fact of the whole dynamic and relationship he has with his badass momma

why the fandom hates them

probably the fact of just how much he does not care about the marking on his arm and finding out the meaning while galen cares very much. people would probably think that if lorenzo gave even the slightest shit about finding the meaning behind the marking, everything would be revealed sooner

what the cast relationship would be like

oh absolutely amazing with just everybody really. finn and kit would totally act like “boyfriends” and sort of have the dynamic that julian, simon, and oliver have as corporalki husbands. finn and freddy would also just be happy bois aka just total opposite of their characters

what was their audition scene

probably the scene when him and the crows need to get the supplies for the conductor aka the ‘enzo scene’

dependent upon the fandom, who they’d be on a press tour/at comic con with

probably kit, freddy, amita, and oliver. oh and julian and simon since they’re kinda part of a package deal with oliver fhdhdh

if they spoil things

fuck nah. his lips are sealed, especially about the marking

if the show/movie has ended, are they happy with their character’s ending and the ending at large

well the show hasn’t ended soooo....

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

🍊🥥 🍇 for the boys!!

🍊 - Is there something specific that your character is especially shy about?

Harrison: Ooh I’ve never really considered Harrison to be a shy person about anything, but he does have a few scars from childhood that he’d rather not explain (therefore rather not have people ask about), and the only person who makes him feel better about them is Lonan (guys I’m indulging myself, I miss writing with them)!!

Lonan is shy about... everything, but there’s a whole bit that I unfortunately cut about him being very shy about his singing voice! Which is surprisingly! Pleasant! Would stream on Spotify!! Petition for Lonan to become a soundcloud rapper??

(if you want to know who I think Lonan sounds like, Conor Mason from NBT’s low range + Julian Casblancas from The Strokes’ tone + Dylan Minnette from Wallows’ falsetto + a DASH of Jeff Buckley + a sprinkle of @sarahkelsiwrites’ Oliver’s careless grunge vibe and tadaaaa!)

🥥 - Who does your OC tend to confide in?

The boys mutually confide in each other (i am literally missing their dynamic so much) because they truly understand each other in immeasurable, unspeakable ways. There’s stuff I don’t even know about the two of them because it’s ~~private ~~classified information (which is okay with me) but they have a very strong bond in terms of knowing that they can turn to each other and trust one another with even their scariest/darkest secrets/problems.

🍇 - On a scale from 1-10, how romantic would you say your character is? Explain in as little or as much detail as you wish.

Oh Harrison is 11/10. He’s a big goof for romance and truly pines for this ideal happily ever after romance. He’s actually got a bit in book three for being somewhat of a Cupid (he DEF set himself up with Lonan we love) in regards to pairing others up, so I think he’s just a big fan of love. He’s also SUAVE so while he loves romance, he is ALSO very good at being romantic.

Lonan is actually also very romantic, but he’s also VERY awkward lol so when he does showcase romance, it’s kind of in subtle (but very pine-worthy) ways. He’s very high up on the scale, probably a 9/10, one point knocked off because he doesn’t really believe he is deserving of pure, kind romance (this kid makes me sad), and so may restrict himself of feeling all the lovey dovey things because of this instinct. But he’s surprisingly romantic on a very sentimental level, moreso than Harrison, if only he was a little less awkward at pulling through!