#1. he is literally moving too fast to be photographed

[hollow-prior]

3 Criminally Underrated Musicals (And why you should listen to them)

1) The Mad Ones

[Image Description: Kerrigan and Lowdermilk's The Mad Ones. It shows an empty road disappearing into the distance under a starry sky. Full ID in alt text. End ID.]

You know that feeling of driving fast down an empty road with the windows down, the wind whipping through your hair? You know that feeling of being able to do anything you want, like the world is right at your fingertips, just waiting for you? You know that feeling of sitting in the middle of the woods with a good friend and thinking about how incredible it is that you live on the same planet at the same time?

Well, this is that feeling.

The Mad Ones is about Sam, who just graduated high school, and her friend Kelly, who died in a car accident before she could graduate. It's about Sam's journey in remembering Kelly and learning to live in the moment without her. It's also about freedom, and expectations, and living life to its fullest.

Also it has the phrase "kidnapped by aliens with enormous genitalia". What's not to love?

Seriously, this is one of my all time favourites and it has a very special place in my heart. I love to listen to it on those rare days when everything seems to be falling into place and it feels like life is actually going somewhere.

From a writing perspective, this is just an incredible masterpiece. The lyrics just stir something in my soul and the friendship between Kelly and Sam is just <33333 (Heart). It deserves so much more love than it gets.

2) The Lightning Thief

[Image Description: The cover of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. It shows a blue brick wall with a yellow glowing lightning bolt symbol against it. Full ID in alt text. End ID.]

Okay, so the books are iconic and the movies sucked and the TV show is looking good but everyone's been sleeping on the musical for far too long. I had my doubts at the beginning too, I'll admit it, but honestly this slaps.

Although it isn't an exact one-to-one with the books, the vibes are spot on which is the most important thing anyways.

Percy is a sarcastic little shit, Annabeth is a total smartass, and Grover is... well, the impossible-to-explain awesomeness that is Grover Underwood. As funny as it is, though, there are some moments that just hit you right in the feels. The Tree on the Hill, anyone? My Grand Plan?

Also the Luke reveal gives me literal chills every time. It's so SO well done, much better than any other depiction in my humble opinion.

The whole thing is just an excellent balance of feels and humour and has some truly iconic lines. Case in point:

Percy: "Grover, you're a good friend." Grover: "Awwww. Dude, I'm your only friend."

Mr. D: "Oh, you're alive. I suppose that's good news for you but it means a lot more paperwork for me, so don't expect me to be happy to see you. Of course, being alive is temporary..."

Luke: "The Hermes cabin takes anyone who hasn't been claimed. You know what that means... we're literally the reject cabin. Welcome to the dysfunctional family!"

[Literally just the entirety of Luke's part in Their Sign]

Grover: "You hurt his feelings. Tell the squirrel you're sorry." Percy: "I am not saying sorry to a squirrel." Annabeth: "He's very sorry. Tell the squirrel you're sorry, Percy."

Alright, anyways! This is the Percy Jackson website, right? It's great, just listen to it.

Moving on!

3) 35MM: A Musical Exhibition

[Image Description: The cover of 35MM: A Musical Exhibition. It's a red background with a black, ink-like camera design from above. Full ID in alt text. End ID.]

God, how do I even begin to explain 35MM?

There's so much going on here in the best way possible. It's not a traditional musical, at least not in the way people immediately think of musicals.

The idea behind 35MM is that there's multiple separate songs, each based on a photograph. That said, there are some theories about the level of connection between the songs and if they're even connected at all. Either way, it's absolutely incredible.

The songs all have different themes including babysitting a murder doll, a homicidal prom queen, a vampire love story, the young love car crash tragedy that lives in my heart forever, and many more! If you're a fan of the strange, unusual, and vaguely unsettling, this is the musical for you.

Although the fandom is small, it's incredibly dedicated and there are some truly wonderful animatics on YouTube to check out as well as some theory threads on Tumblr, Reddit, and basically anywhere else if you look hard enough.

I made the mistake of accidentally introducing my English professor to this musical so now you all can be introduced too!

And now some honourable mentions:

Islander

Islander is an acapella musical done entirely by two women. It tells the story of an island nation that was split in half long ago, with two girls (Each from one of the halves) meeting for the first time. It has a super cool Scottish folk song-style of music to it and just an incredible plot.

Jekyll & Hyde

Jekyll & Hyde is the musical adaptation of the famous gothic story. It's intense and dramatic in all the best ways and I Need to Know always sends shivers through me. The voices are incredible and it's just AHHH!! Wonderful! Also Confrontation is a work of art and nobody can tell me otherwise.

36 Questions

36 Questions is kind of unique in that it's a podcast musical, meaning that there's no stage performance. In the most basic terms, it's about two people trying to fix their marriage with the whole '36 questions to help strangers fall in love' type thing. Part of one of the songs, For the Record, was a popular song on TikTok a few years back so it may be somewhat familiar to folks. Either way, worth a listen!

[secretlywritingstories]

some of the most normal pictures | phan one shot

Summary: Phil took many photos of Dan. It was second nature. To capture this life that they shared and this man that he got to share it with. Each moment precious, captured when Dan was his most relaxed and at ease. And they're completely normal. Of course.

Behind the scenes look at each of the photos from this year's birthday tweet from Phil to Dan

Tags: Established relationship, domestic fluff, photographs, introspection, 4+1 times

Word count: 5.2k

No warnings

A/N: Written for @dandp who won a fic from @phandomgives' @phandomraffle for Dan's birthday! I hope you like it! (Also oops my 2-5k fic ended up at 5.2k, no one who knows me is surprised).

Read on AO3 or below

Dan was continuing his valiant effort to make a new sofa crease shaped to his butt, melting into the cushions. Phil loved when they packed their laptops away and enjoyed a quiet evening together. It was one of his favourite times of the day. A part of their lives that felt sacred in a way.

Dan was looking particularly soft today. Crinkled grey pyjamas, fluffy hair and a slight burn to his skin. They had gone outside yesterday and he’d forgotten about the sunscreen, and then he’d complained because Phil was usually the one reminding him that he needed to put it on in the first place.

Sometimes, it struck Phil fast and hard that he got to have this. A shared life with the man he loved so dearly. Even when they were just doing random stuff, every experience was enriched by the fact that they were in it together. They got to sit here on their sofa in the home that they literally built to fit them. Decorating had both been fun and stressful, but as most things with Dan, it had been perfect.

“Dan?”

Dan turned his head, eyes soft as soon as they found Phil’s. The golden light from the lamp shone upon him in a way that almost made him glow. It illuminated the slightly burnt appearance of his face, making him look like something almost ethereal. Phil kind of wanted to grab him, kiss him silly, run his hands through his hair, playing with the curls, tracing his thumb across the lines appearing on his forehead. The lines that had appeared slowly in the time that they had spent with each other. He’d got to see it all. See Dan grow up right beside him.

But to reach out and touch would ruin it.

So, he whipped out his phone.

“Wha-”

Phil just shushed him. “Do not move a muscle. Stay right there.”

Phil could see how Dan’s eyes sparkled, mouth pursing slightly as he was about to argue that he wasn’t some type of model for Phil’s viewing pleasure. Or maybe make a joke that Phil would need to paint him like one of his French girls instead of using a phone camera. Either of those options were plausible.

But Dan just relaxed back into the cushions, eyes turning soft again, just staring so intensely at Phil that it almost felt like a bit too much. He knew Dan looked at him like that often but it never got old to see it. To bask in it.

He took a couple of photos and then scrolled through them to see that he’d captured the image he wanted. But as he turned back to Dan, he had moved despite Phil’s strict instructions. At least his hands. Because there was now glass of water balanced on top of his head. Phil wasn’t even sure where he’d gotten that.

“What are you doing?” Phil asked Dan.

Dan made an expression half cringe and half fondness. But he still didn’t move or say anything. It looked like the glass was gently pushing the curls away to make room on his forehead. They really looked so soft.

Phil wasn’t really sure what had possessed Dan to suddenly balance a glass of water on top of his head, but he knew it should be getting documented as well. Phil quickly snapped a photo but even as he lowered his phone, Dan was still holding position. Waiting for Phil to be done. Always one to not only entertain Phil’s whims but also add to them. After all, it was what they had made a life out of.

Phil retrieved the glass carefully, worrying a little for the safety of their sofa. And Dan too. He would probably not get hurt but he would get excessively whiny if he got splashed with water, even if it would be because of himself.

“You can move again now.”

“Oh, I can?” Dan asked, voice pitched into a whine but he still didn’t really move.

So, Phil gave into his other impulse. Multiple impulses should be allowed when it was Dan. He reached out to touch him like he hadn’t wanted to do before. One hand carding through his curls, the other touching his face, soft and warm, just like the touch of his hand.

It was a lovely moment but it also only tenderness wasn’t exactly their method of operations.

“You have a square head,” Phil told him, eyes already smiling because he knew the reaction that would follow.

Dan’s grasp of indignance was instant. Phil was laughing and already raising his arms because he foresaw the pillow thrown his way. He blocked it easily, even though he was now laughing his ass off. Getting reactions out of Dan was always the most fun.

It was only the one pillow attack before Dan gave up, just sighing before settling back into the sofa. He rolled his eyes but the edges of a smile were clinging to his lips. Phil giggled and snugged up close.

It was arguably not the most insane idea that they had but it was rather out there all the same. It was one thing to commission art from one of their fans. They did that with great joy actually, it was so incredibly cool to see the kind of artists that liked to draw them for fun and for the community. Commissioning official art for merch and socials was not quite as unhinged as staging a photoshoot to promote said merch on Twitter.

Once upon a time, Dan would have cringed at the idea. His posts all had to be carefully curated to the point that it almost sent him into a tailspin. He was proud of some of the people that followed him and scaring them into an unfollow had weighed heavily on him before. Not in this new era they had embarked on. It was the era of not giving as many fucks.

So, when Phil jokingly suggested a photoshoot with him as a catboy wearing the merch, well… he hadn’t anticipated not having to fight Dan on it at all. In fact, he was more than game. He had gone to figure out accessories almost immediately.

Cat ears, cat ears bow with a little bell, cat tail and of course, the knee-high baby blue striped socks.

Phil had a feeling that the cat accessories might all end up in their random costume drawer or even donated to a charity shop, while the socks might find their way into Dan’s regular wardrobe to be reused.

They had decided that the bed would be a good place for it but Phil was slightly rethinking that when Dan stretched to adjust the fluffy blanket, so it would lie just right. The catboy jumper was oversized and big on Dan but it still rode up easily when he stretched forward. He was wearing underwear but Phil’s eyes still lingered on his legs.

Phil had seen Dan in all manners of undress one could imagine but seeing only the thighs exposed to his eyes felt almost sinful. But Dan had wanted the photoshoot to both be sexy and funny, so he was definitely hitting the mark well. Going all in because Phil’s boy did not do anything half-heartedly.

“All good?” Phil asked, smirking at Dan’s thoughtful expression as he surveyed the bed and then climbed on with his knees. He was shuffling around kind of awkwardly, reminding Phil a little bit of Bambi on ice.

“What?” Dan asked.

“Awkward being a catboy with those long limbs of yours?”

“Shut up,” Dan said with a smile in his voice. “Or I’ll show you what these long limbs can do.”

And Phil did end up shutting up shortly after because Dan looked good and he gave it his all. They circled through several different poses, Phil snapping endless photos because he knew Dan would want to have options. For most of them, Dan had to have a hand pulling down the front of the jumper or he’d be flashing their audience a bit too much.

He was also making sure to pull the sleeves down over his hands, creating sweater paws just like he’d always done with his hoodies and big shirts ever since they had known each other. Making himself drown in clothes to be cosy. The bare legs weren’t exactly new either. It was something Phil saw a lot around their house.

A couple of times, they stopped for Dan to be able to view the photos to make sure that he had a good selection. Phil could see that Dan was tiring and it was about time to wrap up the session.

“Give me a hiss,” he requested when Dan got back into position for the last couple of poses.

Dan did a doubletake and sent him a funny look.

“… a hiss?”

“Like a naughty catboy,” Phil said.

Dan stopped a snort in his throat. “Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth sometimes?”

“Do I need to? You’re hearing them,” Phil said, putting on his best innocent face.

He had mastered that quite well during the years, even if he only brought it out in private to wind Dan up. They both knew he was far from innocent when it came down to it.

“Fine, you’ll get a naughty, hissing catboy, Philip Michael Lester.”

Breaking out the full name always meant trouble but it was worth it when Dan launched at the camera, hissing with all of his might. It made Phil’s hand almost shake a little, probably further slurring the photos but he hoped at least one would be good.

He liked candid and raw a lot more than Dan who scrutinised over his poses. It was just so much more fun. Phil made sure to snap a photo of himself looking concerned, fitting into the idea that this was a bit unhinged, even if it had initially been Phil’s idea and he very much was on board with it.

Dan looked positively deranged in the hissing photos, as they sat together on the bed afterwards scrolling through the whole section that would eat into so much of Phil’s iPhone storage.

Dan was still in the outfit, fiddling with the edge of his sock where it rested just above his knee. Phil put his hand on top of his to still his movements. And then he might have slid his hand further up Dan’s thigh as soon, as they had put the phone away closing out the photoshoot for good. And maybe the socks were the only thing on Dan moments later, but that was neither here nor there.

Phil himself loved Christmas and the celebration of it all but he couldn’t have his mother beat. In fact, he was pretty sure he had inherited it from her. She did Christmas hard and it was always made to be a big deal ever since he was a kid. He would be looking forward to the month of December as soon as the weather started turning colder.

Lots of baked goods, lots of cosy nights, lots of presents and family times. It was so essential to his life that he remembered being surprised that Christmas for Dan’s family was a much quieter affair. Of course, they celebrated and exchanged presents but it was just the few days up to and after Christmas. It was not a whole ordeal like he’d grown up with.

It was one of the reasons that they always made sure to make a trip north during December to ensure that they saw Phil’s family no matter what. His mother expected the visit with glee every time, perhaps even more now that they usually stayed home for Christmas Eve just the two of them.

It was a relative new development in the decade and a half they had been together. They felt like they could finally tell their families that they weren’t always coming over for Christmas and just spending it with each other. Before coming out, it wasn’t something they could have even properly considered. It would have felt too strange to explain away.

At least for Dan.

Phil knew that his family had known about it for an age, perhaps ever since he’d brought 18-year-old Dan over that December fifteen years ago. It was an unspoken thing between them to not put labels on their relationship publicly just to be safe. Actually, they still didn’t do that publicly but they had started doing it privately to people that they trusted.

This December was a little different though with the gaming channel revived and gamingmas in full swing. It brought back memories of frantically filming and editing videos like they were trapped inside of a hamster wheel. It was fun too, a challenge and something they knew they that brought joy to their audience.

They also had editors to help take the load off now, but that required that they could get raw footage from a video to them in a sensible time. It wasn’t always possible and as such Dan was sat on the sofa with headphones trying desperately to finish up the edit for the trombone cham video that had to go up the same day.

He had volunteered to edit, so Phil wouldn’t lose any time with his family. Initially, he’d tried to retreat to the guest room to be out of the way but Kath had taken one look at him and practically pushed him down to the sofa. No one was allowed to scurry off to their room.

It left him in a perfect position to be filled up with snacks and cookies too, so it wasn’t like Dan was complaining, even if he looked a little bleareyed at the screen while trying to get through their attempts at the musical game. He grimaced sometimes, but only for a moment before a soft smile crept up on his lips or a little chuckle escaped him.

“I thought you had those editors now,” Phil’s mother had said him while she was taking yet another tray of shortbread out of the oven.

“We do,” Phil said. “But we can’t expect them to edit on too short notice. It wouldn’t be fair working conditions.”

Phil had been busy sneaking yet another glance at Dan to try and capture another one of those soft expressions, but when he turned back towards his mother, it was her face that looked kind of soft.

“You’re a good egg,” she said, and reached out to touch his face but with the oven mitt still on. It smelled a little like burnt batter but he just laughed and kept still anyway. “But you’re still making him edit when you’re the one with the editing degree, aren’t you?”

Phil rolled his eyes. “Dan can edit just as well as me, and he can focus better here than I can.”

Kath let out a hum. “Are you sure about that?” she asked and nudged Phil to turn back around.

Dan had somehow wrapped the cord of his headphones around his nose. It looked utterly ridiculous. Phil was whipping out his phone immediately and walking over. Dan turned to look at him but hardly moved, the cord still perfectly on his nose.

“Don’t move,” Phil said, though he realised belatedly that Dan wouldn’t be able to hear when he was wearing the noise cancelling headphones. But he kept still, frozen at Phil’s demand even though he couldn’t hear him.

It wasn’t a stretch to figure out that he wanted to take a photo. Phil loved snapping photos of Dan whenever he was doing something weird. He had a whole hoard of photos like that. Like a dragon with precious jewels.

He had so many photos of Dan that he was pretty sure he was taking up like a third of his camera roll at least. He had more photos of Dan than he had of himself for sure. But who could blame him really?

It was a beautiful photo, the cute Christmas tree framed nicely in the background. His mother had done well again this year, the gold colour scheme really working. Dan had been a little jealous when he’d seen it.

Phil said that they could try to decorate the one they would get similarly but Dan had just rolled his eyes and leaned over to kiss him. Only to mutter that he knew Phil couldn’t stick to a single style and colour scheme if his life depended on it.

Dan didn’t move until Phil lowered his phone.

“How’s it coming along?” Phil asked.

Dan blinked at him, lazily almost like he wasn’t getting enough moisture to his eyes. He pushed off one of the ears of the headphones and dislodged the cord around his nose.

“Oh, you know, just slowly losing my sanity. Why do we choose to play games like this?” Dan said and gestured at the screen.

He didn’t mean it. It had been a hilarious video to film, even if the editing was now giving him trouble.

“We’re close to the finish line, Danny,” Phil reminded him. “Just another week or so.”

“Sure, bub,” Dan said and moved to isolate a section to blow up to full screen.

Phil always had liked Dan’s editing style. It was so distinct to him and it felt even more obvious now that they had other people editing their videos as well. Dan’s humour just bled through so well.

“Thank you,” Phil said, one of those quite moments where he found the words to voice his sincerity. “For taking one for the team.”

“You’re cooking the first night we’re back home, you hear?”

Phil threw back his head and laughed. “I’ll choose what we’re going to eat and order, how about that?”

Despite having designed a kitchen just how they wanted it, they were admittedly not using it a whole lot. They mostly ordered out because it was just so convenient and good. Easy. They could afford it and skip the making dinner altogether, which was also nice because they could order so many more dishes than they were actually capable of making.

Dan narrowed his eyes towards Phil.

“Pick, order and answer the door,” Dan negotiated.

Phil wasn’t a big fan of answering the door, but then again neither was Dan. The two of them had gotten slightly better with age, and the last few years of constant builders in and out of their home had helped build up experience, but it was still an annoyance.

“You’re on.”

“I was not done; I want a shortbread too. Fresh out of the oven,” Dan added.

Phil pushed himself up and turned towards the kitchen to go swipe one for Dan.

“How did you even know they were done? You’ve had your headphones on,” Phil called to him.

“My nose still works,” Dan said with a wide grin.

Dan got his shortbread and he finished the video too. Without wrapping the cord around his nose again, which felt like a loss because it had been a rather cute look, if Phil was being honest.

So, they were baking on the “gaming” channel now too. It had been a long time coming. It was fun to finally allow themselves the freedom to just do whatever. They had bent the rules a little in the past, before the hiatus but they had still tried to keep stuff mainly gaming related.

This was a new era and a joint baking video that would usually go up on either of their personal channels now felt like it fit so much more on DanAndPhilGAMES. It was their joint venture and it felt fitting to push the boundaries of what was going up on that channel. It was the era of giving no fucks and just doing whatever they wanted and it was working out surprisingly well for them at the moment.

Dressing up for baking videos wouldn’t be entirely new but this time, Phil had a very distinct agenda. Dan had sputtered and playfully argued against it when he’d first suggested it but he’d caved soon after. Phil had wanted to see Dan in his Spirit Halloween’s slutty nun costume.

Dan had been in freaking US when he’d bought and worn that for the first and only time. It had been bought as a joke. Phil knew that now. He’d needed a costume and seen it and figured why the fuck not? He’d been coming into his own during his We’re all Doomed tour, even though he still called Phil almost every day to chat.

That American leg of the tour had been the longest they had ever been apart, surpassing three weeks of not seeing each other in person for the first time in almost a decade and a half. And then he’d done a whole photoshoot in that costume and sent the photos to Phil first.

He’d looked good. Too good. But most importantly, he’d been feeling himself. It had radiated out of him and Phil wanted to see it in person. Recreate the magic of those photos right in front of his very eyes.

Dan still put up the petulant act when he had to go off and change off camera. Like he hadn’t carefully done his make-up already to complete the look once he was dressed. But he came back and it was overwhelming to see. Phil’s devil costume paled in comparison but honestly, Phil wasn’t sure that there was anything that could rival Dan in that outfit.

He could perhaps have gone without the flirty comments that made him feel like bushing. Overt flirting wasn’t Dan’s usual game. It hadn’t been when they’d first gotten together and it certainly wasn’t now. These days, they mostly communicated their love in gestures, grunts or simply asking for what they wanted. Though Dan was still Dan and occasionally he’d say something profound and loving that felt like it carved right into Phil’s chest, making his heart push at the walls just so it could expand a little more.

To hold more love for Dan.

The baking itself went about as expected. Phil was distracted the whole time and having fun playing off Dan, even when he was shaking his ass and swinging out flirts like it was nobody’s business.

The waiting in between baking had always been Phil’s least favourite part because it left him with just nothing to do. Dan was a bit more sensible, going to check the footage and charge up the cameras to make sure they didn’t decide to spontaneously die on them.

 Dan kept fixing his headdress – veil? Phil wasn’t actually sure what it was called – with such careful hands that it was a little distracting. His legs and ass too, since the dress wasn’t made for a man of his height. There had been fishnet stockings once upon a time but those had torn pretty quickly so it was just Dan’s long legs on full display.

It was late in the night, but they always did their baking at way too late in the evening. It was a tradition at this point. Back when they were still doing Phil is not on fire videos, those tended to mostly be filmed late too. There was just something else in the air. A bit of silliness that was easier captured when the rest of the world felt like it was sleeping and it was just the two of them.

Dan sat in his costume at their desk and Phil just couldn’t stop smiling at the sight. He’d been right that it was something special to see Dan like this. And his energy had been off the charts, just like Phil had hoped.

Most of the time, Dan was pretty safe with his outfit choices but Phil wondered if maybe he should get a dress that wasn’t a Halloween costume just to see how it made him feel. He’d certainly not hear any protests from Phil no matter how he wanted to dress.

His favourite Dan was a Dan who was comfortable in his own skin and he’d gotten to see that more and more as the years passed. He hoped it would continue to be the case forever.

“All good?” he asked when Dan let out a hum, eyes focused on the screen. He’d tugged one leg under him in a way that was no way beating the allegations that gays couldn’t sit in chairs.

“Yeah, we’ve got everything so far,” he confirmed, and then turned to where Phil was standing, hand just now lowering with his phone.

“Were you taking photos of me again?” he asked with a smirk. A genuinely flirting look in his eyes for a moment. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re obsessed with me.”

It wasn’t really that far from the truth and Dan knew it too.

“No,” Phil still said, voice completely deadpan. “I’m just a big fan of Sister Daniel’s obviously.”

Dan slowly stood up from his chair and advanced towards Phil. He was backing up on instinct, even if he wanted nothing more than for Dan to get close. Maybe it was just a ploy to pull him in. They were closer now when Dan was almost backing him up against the wall.

“Is that so, Father Philip?” Dan said and he tried to keep that sultry tone in his voice that he did admittedly well, but he cracked under pressure.

Just giggling right in Phil’s face and Phil was soon to follow too. They always had trouble keeping a straight face when it was just the two of them goofing off. They could go to severe length for the bit, but when it was late and they were tired but wired, cracks came easily.

“I win,” Phil said.

“We weren’t competing,” Dan said.

“Still won,” Phil maintained and puffed out his chest a bit, almost brushing it Dan’s. Provoking him because it was always fun to see his reactions.

“Oh?” Dan said and he had control back over his voice again. He was acting again and while nothing really beat normal Dan, he was pretty stunning like this too. Or maybe Phil was just a simp for all expressions Dan could hit him with.

“Nope, you win,” Phil conceded and he had to actually duck out under Dan’s arm.

It was easy enough because Dan was laughing again, with his entire body swaying and eyes crinkling up so beautifully as he took in Phil’s reaction.

The rest of filming went smoothly, even as they became more and more unhinged.

“You’re a copycat, you know that, right?” Phil teased Dan.

They were doing another charity livestream for the PCRF, just like they had done for Phil’s birthday. They had been extremely overwhelmed with the sheer force of their audience and their ability to rally behind a cause. It was a bit awe-inspiring and they wanted to do another round of it for Dan’s birthday.

So, Phil didn’t really mind at all that they were going to do almost the same thing. He’d been very supportive when Dan had brought it up.

But he could still tease him about it.

“My whole career is following in your footsteps, senpai,” Dan said, voice flat and devoid of emotions as he typed something on his computer not even looking up.

Dan wasn’t very fun to tease when he wasn’t paying attention to it.

It was a lie too. Him and Dan had similar paths, but what they had carved together was something special, they couldn’t have done without each other. And their projects on the side were wildly different too. Dan had gotten to shine with a few of his lately. Phil was hopeful for some of his own projects to come into fruition soon, but he also didn’t really mind having Dan and Phil be at the core of his working life again.

He'd missed it and now it was becoming something more certain and tangible. The tour announcement was eminent and it would already start in September. They would be back on the road again. He’d get to see their audience again for the first time in like five years.

“Don’t you need to pick some embarrassing photos of me?” Dan asked, finally looking up from his screen.

Full attention on Phil now. Eyes bright and focused. Anticipation.

Traditions were a funny thing. Phil had just done it on a whim the first time, not really knowing what to tweet Dan for his birthday. He wasn’t great with expressing his love in words, so instead showing all the little quiet moments with Dan had felt like a profound idea.

It still was now that it had become a yearly tradition. Dan got Phil a cake with letters that was probably traumatising their nearest bakery, and Phil showcased the photos he’d taken throughout the year.

The weirder the better.

“You just don’t know art. It’s a lovingly curated selection,” Phil said.

He’d been preparing a little because they were going to unveil the photos first on the livestream as an incentive to donate. He actually had too many photos, almost a dozen and he was going to have to whittle it down further. He could only post four in his tweet.

Though maybe some bonus photos weren’t the worst idea he had. The ones that didn’t make the tweet could get to be shown on the livestream instead.

“I look like a gremlin in all of them, don’t I?” Dan said with a snort, and he hadn’t taken his eyes off of Phil.

“You’re fishing to see them early and I won’t show you. It’s supposed to be a surprise for you too. One of your many birthday gifts from little old me.”

“They’re not a gift. They’re bullying,” Dan countered, but he was just kidding around.

They knew each other’s tone well. As well as each other’s boundaries. Dan was secretly enjoying the attention of it, getting to see how Phil saw him, not matter how silly weird or strange. Perhaps in particular when he was like that.

When they were just hanging out the two of them in their own little world. When Dan was his most authentic self, and it was exactly that which caused Phil to reach for his phone to capture a snapshot of the moment.

Because that was his favourite moments with Dan. The ones where neither of them had to be pretend and they were just existing together.

On the livestream later, they reminisced about the moments where the photos had been taken, but there was also so much they kept for themselves.

Phil was pretty sure it leaked through their tones judging by how everyone in the chat went insane. Phil did like that part. But he liked seeing Dan’s reaction even more and to see his eyes get just a little softer around the edges as he was confronted with the last year they’d shared together in loving snapshots.

It was that exact look that had made Phil make the birthday photos a tradition in the first place.

[we-pay-for-everything]

I've watched all available episodes of Nancy Drew and am rewatching season 3 (can you tell I ship Nace), and here are some of my thoughts no one asked for:

The biggest plot twist was the reveal in season 3 or 4 that Nancy's mom hasn't even been dead for a year. It's fucking crazy how each season spans a few weeks?? You're telling me that in less of a year Nick and George fell in love, got engaged, and then broke up? And Nick's on his third relationship. Bess fell in love 3 times?? She loved the FBI agent, called Odette the love of her life and is now seriously in to the new girl? And how many boyfriends has Nancy had? Nick, Owen, Gil, Park, and soon Ace? Plus she had a thing with the other detective? And now Ace is the love of her life? Carson really started dating that cop as soon as his wife died and is now seriously dating someone else? He's probably still paying for his wife's funeral. Do normal people move on this fast? Also, in less than a year the gang decided they would die for each other, unquestioningly? Intense.

Season 2 was a mess. Season 1 was legit fucking scary and the plot was amazing. After season 1 the show felt completely new. Season 2 was the worst because they did a whole concept change with the case of the week format, which imo didn't work. The episodes were all dry and there was nothing driving the story forward. Seasons 3 and 4 are a mix of seasons 1 and 2, with the episodes having some continuity and still standing on their own.

Season 2 also had the issue of Odette. I hated that storyline. The actress honestly did a very poor job. I couldn't connect with her at all. Season 4 is way better so far.

It's fucking weird how it was an issue when underage George dated Ryan (ewww), but Nancy (or the show) doesn't apparently see a problem with three grown-ass men being into a teenage girl? She's so smart but doesn't think it's inappropriate for them to date her? Especially the cops??

I'm sure Nancy gets on everyone's nerves, but she really has the unfortunate main female lead syndrome. She's insufferable most of the time. She's always getting everyone in trouble, never listens, puts herself and her cases first. When Ace got in trouble and asked her to solve the chocolate box riddle, she literally ignored him while he still asked about her case and told her to be careful. Although he was scared and in danger, he didn't mind being told no and stopped to talk with her. The hilarious thing is that she later solved the riddle in like 2 seconds lmao. The show takes it too far. She's smart but her photographic memory is ridiculous.

To be fair, the characters were also unfair to Nancy when they blamed them for their death curses in season 2. They said it was her fault because she was selfish, but they literally insisted on going with her to call on the Aglaeca. She told them not to.

Bess's best love interest was Odette. I didn't like the actress's performance, but it was cute anyway, and that one kiss they shared was magical.

I started noticing something between Ace and Nancy in season 2, and now I ship them, but it's also weird seeing them together. They fell in love even when they were dating other people?

One of the best lines in the show was when George's grandma said something like "It's not a path if it goes nowhere. That's a hole in the ground." Made me laugh the two times I heard it.

I wish the show had stuck with the season 1 format.

I shipped Owen and Nancy and he's still my second favorite boyfriend of hers after Ace.

Nancy saying Ace isn't letting her move on in season 4 is absurd. How is her stopping her??? But the dude shouldn't have let the ferret go just because he got jealous. He went through all that trouble just to catch it.

I still don't fully understand why George and Nick broke up.

I love Ryan and Carson's dynamic, and their dynamic with Nancy. It's like found family, with a twist. Ryan is Nancy's biological dad but he literally just found out and Carson raised Nancy but she's not his biological daughter. It's also cute how Ace is tight with Carson. He was really nice to him.

After Nancy absorbed all the lust in the chastity dress, she later said it was refreshing to just feel desire, but that was so cheesy. I'm sorry, but when does she not allow herself to feel desire? That girl is not repressed in any way - only emotionally.

I'm not super fond of George either. My faves are Ace, Bess, Ryan and Carson. Nick and George's sisters are cute too.

I had other things I wanted to say but I can't remember them...

Also, if anyone wants to chat about Nancy Drew, my ask box and "DMs" are open!

[whimsyskittles]

he likes the girl in the band hobie x f!reader PART 1!

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

my first fic everyone..sorry if it disappoints lmao

TW: i literally cannot do hobies accent for the life of me I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE

also i started losing sanity throughout writing this because it was like 3 when i started and 5 when i finished!!1! (if i dont finish an 'assignment' all together without breaks i end up procrastinating until it never gets finished) teehee anyways here you go!!

word count: 1542

it was the night of your concert, you and your bandmates were practicing on stage before the doors to the arena open. you were the bass guitarist and were very skillful. skillful enough to the point where people have cried at some of your performances.

a few minutes later, people started filling the arena. everywhere you looked you seen thousands of heads. close to where you were standing, in the very front section, you seen an absolute gorgeous tree-like figure standing there, cheering with the rest of the crowd. your cheeks turned a rosy pink color, before you snapped back to reality (eminem reference??!!?) just in time to prepare yourself to get in position.

after everyone had gotten in, the keyboard started playing, which led the singer to start vocalizing. this meant it was almost your turn. you had to start playing your bass in front of thousands of people. the intensity and anticipation rose as it was almost your queue to start moving your fingers along the guitar in your arms and really get the concert going.

after a few seconds, you started jamming to the music and plucking your guitar. everyone was screaming and cheering to the point where you could hardly hear your increasingly fast heart beat. you continued to play as you eyed the guy you had noticed before the area filled up to its maximum capacity. you were making eye contact with each other and you grinned as he watched you, he looked quite mesmerized as he sung along with the rest of the fans.

after a few seconds of maintaining eye contact with the boy (and an internal confidence booster), you winked at him as you got a little more funky with your guitar playing, showing off a few free spirited moves before the end of the song. even thought you couldn't tell, he was definitely blushing. "did the guitarist just wink at me?" he thought, as he paused his singing before starting again. "nah, there's too many people for y/n to even notice my appearance." (ironic considering the situation) he settled with this and cleared his mind before turning his attention back to the concert.

[timeskip: after the concert] IM SORRY IF THIS IS A LITTLE WEIRD JUST A REMINDER THAT ITS MY FIRST ONE BARE WITH ME

your band walked off stage into the back rooms (BACKROOMS REFERENCE???!!!!) and grabbed a few waters before you walked into the main lobby near the entrance to meet a few of your fans. (i'm sorry i dont really know how that works lmao) you and your bandmates moseyed on down to the main lobby where a couple of tables were set up. the trio stood by a table as the crowd flooded in and formed a line amongst (amongus reference??? i apologize it's 3 in the morning) the rest of the people who had decided to leave instead of waiting in the now huge line. with each fan, each member signed their name and if wanted, took a photograph with them. as it got down to the last person in line, you blushed a little and zoned out into the eyes of the beauty standing in front of you (the much noticed beauty of course). you felt yourself get nudged in the rib cage

"give the man his autograph, y/n, what're you doing?" the voice was coming from literally right next to you. it was your bandmate, ryan.

"oh, uh, yeah, sorry about that, got zoned out there." you tried to cover up what had just happened by signing your name on the newly purchased poster and handing it down to the other members.

"no worries, love." the boy said, directed towards you, "my names 'obie, 'obie brown. im a 'uge fan of your band, been listenin' for years now. it's my favorite for sure." he grinned and looked directly into your eyes, much like how you guys had locked eyes before during the concert.

the lead singer handed the poster back to hobie. "okay hobie, here ya go, it's your lucky day, you get all three signatures of the members from your favorite band." said ryan, the one who had nudged you before. "sorry about y/n, don't know what's going on with her today." he nudged you again, you were still looking at hobie, admiring the outfit he was wearing.

you finally zoned back in and your bandmates, including hobie were staring at you.

"you okay there, love?" hobie inquired, raising an eyebrow

"yeah, yeah sorry about that..again..uh...you know what, i've gotta go get another water, wait here and we'll get a picture with you."

he nodded and smiled as he watched you walk away to go grab another water bottle

as you walked backstage to get another bottle, you sat down for a moment. you thought to yourself "oh my god what am i doing?? am i so obvious that the man himself was taking notice of my behavior?? you put a hand on your forehead and took a deep breath out. you composed yourself and finally walked back with your water.

"woo, she's finally back, here she comes!" shouted one of your bandmates

hobie looked at you, focusing on your lips as he grinned while you were walking back to the area where you were originally standing. "you're ready to take the picture now, yeah?" he raised an eyebrow at you and held his phone up to take a selfie with the members.

"yeah, of course, go ahead and shoot." you said, grinning back and posing for the camera.

[SORRY I DIDNT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO PUT TIMESKIP TIME!! timeskip: one day later at a park]

you and a few of your closest friends, including ryan, a member from your band, decided to have a fun little picnic at a nearby park. you were laughing and joking around with the group when you seen him. hobie was also with a friend, you seen him in the corner of your eye.

"hey, guys, i'll be back in a few minutes, i'm gonna go over here and chat a little, kay?" you looked at the group and nodded your head towards hobie.

"yeah, go talk to your boyfriend, y/n" ryan teased

"oh, stop. he's not my boyfriend, he just stuck out a little from the rest of our fans, i wanna go talk with him for a bit, and don't say another word about it" you threatened joked, as you walked away from your friends and started making your way towards hobie.

as you got close enough to where he could hear you, you shouted and waved, "hey, hobie! it's me, y/n!"

he turned around and had a surprised look on his face "y/n? a member from a famous band came to see me? i'm not complainin'. what brings you over 'ere?" he looked at you and waited for a response (like he doesn't know the entire population is attracted to him in some way)

"just wanted to stop by, you stood out to me yesterday and i think we have a good chance at becoming friends!" you looked at him and smiled, not having any intention of creeping him out in some kind of weird stalker way, even though the entire situation was a little odd.

he blushed a little as you were always his crush favorite in the band. "alright, let's get to know each other a bit more then, yeah?" he started asking a few questions and a bit later he had asked one that really made you stop and overthink for a minute, "so, y/n, are you single at the moment?" he was looking right at you. was he crushing? was he genuinely just wanting to 'know more about you'? or was he just messing around?

after a minute, you responded, "uh, no, i'm currently single. i've been trying to find the right person before i start dating anyone." you so badly wanted to tell him that you genuinely had at least a little bit of feelings for him. but what if he didn't accept and made a fool out of you? what if you don't like him as much as you think you do? you had zoned out for a minute as you were questioning everything before he tapped on your shoulder.

hobies pov at that time:

he was extremely flushed when you came over, but he was doing a great job at hiding it. way to go, hobie, you didn't stutter this time! (lmao just you wait)

he had just asked you what had seemed like a normal question, although you and him were both sorta overthinking it a bit. was he too direct? was it an odd thing to ask all of a sudden? had it made you uncomfortable? these are the questions he was currently asking himself.

you had finally responded to him to which he said, "ah.." you didn't catch that, though.

he looked at the grass for a moment before noticing that you were zoned out as well. he scooted closer to you and tapped on your shoulder. it felt like it was just the two of you, looking into each others eyes.

(love how everyone else including the friend hobie was with is just being ignored 😍)

back to your pov:

you looked up and met your eyes with hobies, you two looked at each other for a good while before..

before he had leaned in to..to kiss you?!?

before anything could happen you quickly stood up, swerving hobie. "uh..sorry..i've uh...i've got to go.." you stood there for a minute, feeling bad about your actions.

hobie looked away, you couldn't tell if he was disappointed or understanding of what had just happened

you stood there for awhile longer, allowing the awkwardness to settle in. you were about to apologize, but quickly shut your mouth and decided it would just be best if you had left, so you walked-almost speedrunning-away from hobie and his friend. you walked past your own friends, and walked back to your apartment, which was only a couple of blocks away from the park.

you unlocked your door and sat on your sofa. thinking of everything that happened. wondering if you did the wrong thing. questioning your actions. did i really just do that? we don't even know each other that well...but i do like him...but what if he hates me now? does he? what am i saying..we just met! but he's so...amazing..he probably hates me. what is wrong with me??

a couple of hours had went by and you were in a constant loop of laughing at the tv show that was currently playing and stressing about what had happened at the park

suddenly, you hear a knock at your door.

CLIFFHANGER!!! (i bet nobody could guess who's at the door 🤭)

ANYWAYS, ILL START WORKING ON PART TWO TOMORROW BECAUSE IF I DONT SLEEP NOW, I WILL QUITE LITERALLY COMBUST!!1

goodbye and thanks for reading!

-whimsy ☆

[meadow-dusk]

Led Zeppelin with Neil Young | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony ©️ Kevin Mazur, 1995

[hyuuckly]

their guilty pleasures

— mark & dream 00’ liners x fem!reader

— 2.1k

— smut

warnings: public sex, car sex, high sex, unprotected sex, masturbation, blowjob, fingering, coochie slapping, somnophilia

-mark lee-

okay mark is one horny whore. he’s an ass man. he’s the type to squeeze and rub your ass at any time, doesn’t matter where you guys are.

nothing better than to celebrate the end of exams by having a pool day with your friends. mark is laid on the flat pool chairs, watching you play around in the water. his stupid hot smirk on his face. finally, you get out of the pool and start walking toward him, sit next to his laying body to which he sits up and begins to move his hands all over your body with his chin against your shoulder. mark’s hands begin to move lower and lower until they reach the plush goodness that he becomes weak for. with your eyes wide open, you try to maintain your facial expression the same to avoid any suspicion from the others while mark continues to squeeze your skin and nip on your shoulder. his head then reaches closer to the side of your face, whispering how good you are for him in your ear. the warmth of his breath hitting your cold skin causes you to whimper quietly, make chuckles in response. you begin to relax into his touch until he pulls away, “let’s go for a swim.” you want to curse at him for teasing you but you refrain yourself as people are still around. your boyfriend stands up with his hand out for you to grab, you pout but still hold onto his hand and stand up. he leads you slowly into the pool, he chooses the end of the pool that is secluded and divided by a wall from the larger part of the pool where the others are playing around. he pushes you against the tile wall, hands immediately reaching for your ass and he begins to kiss down your neck and collarbone. the water ripples around you as mark starts to hump against you, letting you feel his hardness against his swim shorts. he’s groaning against your skin, barely caring about the fact your friends are here. thankfully, they are shouting, laughing, and making loud splashing noises in the water. his hands grip your skin roughly and they start to wander. his fingers brushing against your pussy, making you gasp. his left hand continues to massage your ass but his right thumb applies pressure onto your bud through the fabric, slowly circling it. his hips shoot upward each time a beautiful noise comes out of you. he’s being the biggest tease, not going faster on your clit. he wants to save your orgasm for when he can have you properly.

-huang renjun-

morning sex. that’s literally him. because what better way to start the day, right? i also feel like he’s the type to have wet dreams often and/or have morning wood frequently so he needs a solution

you awake first, met with the beautiful view of your boyfriend with messy hair and dressed in his large white shirt and grey boxers. you squint and rub your eyes when you see a dark patch on his bottoms, remnants of slightly dried cum seeped through the fabric. smirking to yourself, you crawl down until you’re laid between his legs. you graze your nails against his skin softly before placing soft kisses on his thigh. slowly, you peel the boxers down to expose his slightly hardened length. you wrap your hand around him, using some of his cum as lubricant but you add more by spitting onto the tip, watching your saliva drip past the tip and trace his cock. eagerly, you begin to lick around his length, trying to collect as much as his cum on your tongue as he’s the sweetest you’ve ever tasted. renjun’s breath fastens when you wrap your lips around him when he’s become hard enough. you look up at him to see him still fast asleep, you hum quietly around him before putting more of him into your mouth. your hands move to lightly scratch his stomach, then down to squeeze his thighs. being the light sleeper, renjun awakes the moment your nose reaches his hair. “oh fuck,” renjun swears he’s still dreaming. “such a cockslut. you couldn’t wait, huh, darling?” you try to pull off of him to snap back but renjun’s hands move fast to keep you still, causing you to choke around his length as he begins to thrust up into your throat. his fingers grip your hair so nicely you couldn’t help but let out sinful moans, joining your gagging noises. renjun’s hands leave to let you catch a breath and they transfer to your breasts, flicking and pinching your nipples. “come here, sweetheart. ride me, to make sure i’m awake.”

-lee jeno-

car sex. god this man would act like he doesn’t want to because it isn’t sAfE but deep down, he loves to see his princess all exposed for him, not being able to wait until you get home

“jeno,” you whine his name when he doesn’t look over at you. the hand that isn’t on the steering wheel squeezes your thigh, incredibly close to your panties. your skirt does no justice in covering you. “so impatient, princess,” he clicks his tongue and cocks his head to the side. you gulp at his tone. “open up for me, slut.” you oblige while also pushing your seat backward to make more room for your legs as you rest your back against the car door, right leg prompted on the dashboard and your left leg stretches behind jeno’s driver seat. jeno’s right hand moves up your inner thigh, his eyes still focused on the road ahead. he glances at your part for a split second which is enough time to catch a clear view of the big wet patch on your panties. “oh, the things you do to me,” he curses beneath his breath before he begins to massage your lady part. his thumb circles your clit through your underwear, making you whine for more. he growls and slaps your pussy before abruptly ripping your panties off. he looks back at you and moans at the sight of your glistening beauty and already fucked out expression. “you want me that much?” he coos. “i need you, jeno.” he chuckles at your response, silently replying by inserting one finger into you while simultaneously rubbing his thumb against your clit. he adds another finger, thrusting them in a heavenly pace. strings of your slick connect him hands to you. your juices gather down at the palm of his hand, some dripping down on the leather seat. he pulls his fingers out of you to suck on his own fingers, moaning at the taste of you. he looks at you as he uses his tongue to pick up the juices on your palm and wrist slowly. having enough, he pulls over to the side and turn his hazard lights on. without hesitation, he hooks his arms underneath your thighs to pull you close enough for him to ravish in your pussy. tongue exploring everywhere before stopping at your clit, flattening it against the bud and moving it up and down at a rapid pace. your loud moans fill the car and your hands grip his hair to make him stay in place. at this moment, jeno is thankful for his tinted windows since he can now take his time with you, giving you what you so desperately wanted that you couldn’t even wait to go home acting like the brat that you are.

-lee donghyuck-

his two favorite activities: (1) getting high and (2) fucking you. so why not combine them? he believes that it intensifies the pleasure of both sensations

you watch the smoke deep out of your boyfriend’s mouth, completely mesmerized at the sight of his plump lips parted as he rests his head back against the couch with his eyes closed. you move yourself so you’re straddling his lap, taking the joint between his fingers to take a hit before returning it to him. you keep the smoke in your mouth, waiting to release it until your lips begin to glide against his neck. he hums, vibrations can be felt by your lips. “i want you, hyuck.” your hands squeeze the bottom of his shirt, making him lift his head and open his eyes to be met with you just centimeters away from him. “you’re lucky i want you too then.” he smirks. he crashes his lips against yours, nibbling and licking your bottom lip. his hands rest on your ass, helping your move against him. the grey sweatpants he’s wearing doesn’t hide his boner well but it was a beautiful sight. he strips your shirt and bra off of you, immediately wrapping his lips around your nipple. his tongue traces your right nipple and flicks it while his fingers roll and pinch the other. “fuck, i need to be in you.” you hum, raising yourself off him so he can pull down his pants, you moan when you see that he isn’t wearing any underwear. his hard length slaps against his clothed stomach, precum leaking down the veins. you move the middle of your shorts and panties to the side, hyuck rubs you, spreading your wetness all over. he briefly inserts two fingers inside just to pull it out and push his fingers into your mouth while inserting his cock into you. his right index and middle fingers remain against your tongue, making you taste yourself, his left hand has gathered your hair together, pulling it back, exposing your bare neck for him. he drills into you, hips shooting off the couch at an inhumane speed. his lips attaches to your neck, whispering praises on how tight you are against your skin. with the drug filling his system and him filling you up so well that tears begin to well and you can no longer speak coherent words, hyuck is a happy man.

-na jaemin-

since he loves photographing memories, he has a collection of polaroids of you during sex, after sex, and your nudes which he shamelessly looks at when you can’t be there to take care of him

jaemin rummages through his drawers, desperately trying to find the equivalent to a pot of gold to him. he practically yelps out of excitement when he sees them hidden at the back of his middle drawer, he reaches out for them and looks through them, feeling his cock become harder as he look at you. there’s a polaroid of you laying on your stomach, showing off jaemin’s large load seeping out of you. another is you licking up his thick, red cock on your knees while looking up at the camera with puppy eyes. he eyes the one that’s just your tits covered in his semen. one favorite of his is a view of your opened mouth filled with his cum up close after you had sucked him off clean, thick strings of his cum connect the roof of your mouth to the bottom. jaemin could go crazy right now, he begins to rub himself through his sweats. placing the polaroid on the table, he uses his arms to lean against the table in front of him, eyes never leaving the polaroids. he pulls his sweatpants just enough for his cock to be release into the cool air, making him hiss. closing his eyes, he moans your name when he wraps his hand around his long length, trying to mimic your usual movements. he ruts upward into his hand. he bites his lip to conceal his moans. he stops momentarily to switch positions. jaemin rests both his hands on the edge of the table, forming a hole with them. “fuck, y/n.” he inserts himself between his hands, imagining he was taking you against his desk like how he’s done multiple times, and you’d always be such a good, pliant girl for him which he made sure you knew of it. his fervent thrusts causes some items to fall of his desk but he couldn’t care less when he was so close to his release. “baby, i’m so close- so so close.” his hands tighten around his cock, making him groan and hips begin to stutter. he opens his eyes only to be met with the polaroid spread out in front of him, he moans out your name loudly as his eyes never leave the pictures in front of him. he then recalls the moments when those pictures were taken, he begins to feel your touch, hear your whispers and moans, and vividly visualizes how his cum seeps out of you so smoothly as you clench the liquid out. he repeatedly curses as he reaches his release, his cum spurting all over the polaroids. jaemin takes a minute to catch his breath before picking up each polaroid to lick off the cum off of it. he has to keep his baby clean, of course.

[ashdumpsterpile]

ASH’S TMA HURT/COMFORT/FLUFF REC LIST 

For the gays. (And @damcrows who’s been dead for the past 24 hours. Rest in peace babe. Read some gay fic. Deny the inevitability of canon. <3)

___

the end, but the start (of all things that are left to do)  by @ajkal2

Jon wakes up.

aka. mag200 tore out my heart

(Very smol, very short, very spoiler. Def recommend for anyone who just finished the podcast.)

remind me how to smile by @tamerofdarkstars

Jon is probably fine, just hiding out somewhere while the whole murder thing blows over and that's... fine. Martin is fine with that explanation. Really. He's got plenty to distract himself - like listening through the entire What the Ghost episode library, for example. Or watching Georgie Barker's Instagram livestreams.

(Yea this was in the last rec list, but you don’t understand THE ADMIRAL GIVES CUDDLES)

Chamomile by Dribbledscribbles

Whatever the ex-tea was, if it really had ever been that last bag of chamomile Martin claimed he’d found tucked in the back of the cupboard, it was fast now.

Martin had tried catching it, chasing it, blocking its way with shoebox lids and plates and an upended footstool, but the thing was just too quick. Jon knew as well as Knew that he might have left off the attempts completely if not for the creature’s preferred game.

The game was, See How Many Times I Can Push Martin Towards Cardiac Arrest Before He Comes at Me with The Broom.

(Scottish Honeymoon Era. Adorable and weird. A vampire gets harassed.)

hey stranger by @ennuijpg

It’s a late night Tesco run, how eventful could it be? It’s not like Martin is going to run into his boss who’s wearing something absurdly different from usual and get the most acute form of whiplash possible from seeing him, right?

(Martin runs into Jon at the grocery store and has an existential crisis.)

roses roses, roses. by @judesstfrancis

Rose scented laundry detergent. Running into Jon in the breakroom. Running into Jon on his way back to his desk. Rose scented detergent. Running into Jon. Roses. Jon. Roses, roses, roses. 

(Canon enemies to friends to lovers au-ish. Martin POV. Very pining much sweet.)

go softly by doomcountry

And there is nothing else besides this. 

(More hurt/comfort than fluff. Scottish Honeymoon Era. Mild eye mutilation.)

Not Alone by @backofthebookshelf

After the coffin, Daisy and Jon are both fragile. They hold each other up. 

(Post-buried Jon&Daisy starter pack. Very hurt/comfort.)

trust my love by antlsepticeye

“you… you’re real, aren’t you?” jon whispers, the fog slowly dissipating from his mind. “it is not a trick?”

“i’m here,” martin says softly, reaching up to grab jon’s hand that was resting on his cheek, intertwining his fingers with jon’s and squeezing. he moves jon’s hand to martin’s chest, resting it over his heart. “you’re alright. i’m alright. take your time, love. let’s just take some deep breaths, okay?”

(TOUCHSTARVED JON HAS ENTERED THE CHAT.)

reaching out by Athina_Blaine

By the time things settled, when Martin had finally managed to crack through his cold shell, feel some of his old self returning to him in bits and pieces, they had found their little routine.

One that had the two of them sleeping in the same bed, making breakfast, going to the mart. Where Jon reached for his wrist while they slept, and Martin luxuriated in the gentle warmth of his fingers.  

But not one where Martin reached back. One that had Martin kissing Jon awake or taking his hand over the breakfast table, because ... Martin never had the courage to try. And then it never became a part of the routine.

And Martin desperately wanted it to be.

-

Martin and Jon have an important conversation.

(More Scottish Honeymoon Era for the soul. Hurt/comfort/fluff.)

Belabor by @janekfan​

Jon's given the position of Archivist and is falling apart at the seams. Tim and Sasha are upset and playing games. Elias is overbearing and manipulative.

And poor Martin is stuck cleaning up the mess.

(THEE first fic I ever read for tma. Season 1, hurt/comfort/fluff, and hints of Jmartin. janekfan is the absolute master of seasons 1-3 hurt/comfort. This is my favorite, but pls check out the rest of their fics.)

tea, blankets, and a damnable stubborn attitude by ivelostmyspectacles

“Are you really gonna stay here and pester Jon all evening?”

“I’m not pestering him,” Martin retorted, sounding vehement if not busy going through the cupboards. “I’m heating up soup.”

“Oh, you might as well make him another cup of tea while you’re at it.”

“Oh, good idea.”

Jon shot Tim a withering look.

(The one where Jon is ill, Martin makes tea and they watch doctor who together. Fluff 1000%.)

A Kind Hand by @voiceless-terror

Jonathan Sims was adjusting just fine, thank you very much.

In which a minor workplace spill causes Jon to realize that he might have friends.

(Ah yes, the other master of seasons 1-3 fic aka voiceless-terror being my other fav author in the fandom. This one is also season 1 hurt/comfort/fluff.)

A Weather In The Flesh by @cuttoothed

"There is a span of years where Jon doesn’t touch anyone other than the occasional hand shake. It’s not so bad. He’s never been someone who’s needed physical affection."

*

Jon has never been any good at making people want to stick around.

(More touched starved Jon! Much hurt/comfort!)

Something Old, Something New by @cirrus-grey

Months have passed, and everyone is doing better than they were. Daisy and Basira are getting married, Melanie is feeling her old self, Georgie is as much herself as she has ever been, and even Jon has stabilized on his wild fall away from humanity. Everyone is doing better.

Well. Almost everyone.

(Daisy/Barsira wedding! Melanie is a bitch and we love her! Jmartin dance! Post-canon (almost) everyone lives!)

The Weight of Love by @voiceless-terror

Jon is a restless sleeper. Martin attempts to adjust. 

(The fic where Jon is literally me and Martin attempts to sleep for 1k words.)

The Art of Conversation by @voiceless-terror

"Do you ever stop talking?"

Jon has a complicated relationship with words. Difficulties come and go.

(Jon has adhd and Martin is in love.)

Novelty by @backofthebookshelf

Jon experiences A Sexual Attraction; Martin has A Concern. They figure it out.

(Any fic that explores the ace spectrum is a 10/10. We stan all ace interpretations of jon on this blog.)

Half a Hug by Dathen

I know you weren’t going to hurt me, I trust you, he said again and again. And then a different kind of fear shone through, hollow and echoing: “Please don’t stop touching me."

-

Or: Life is hard when you're touch-starved but have trauma related to your closest friend.  Spoilers through TMA 132.

(Honestly bless every author who saw jon&daisy and was like. They’re siblings. No I will not elaborate.)

the loneliness never left me (but i can put it down in the pleasure of your company) by Athina_Blaine

It was about Martin making Jon feel safe, treasured, and loved. And it had been so, so long since anyone made him feel that way.

And, in the face of it all, Jon was starting to flounder.

(At this point I just need to make separate rec list for Scottish Honeymoon Era.)

you can watch me corrode by scarletfish

"So, how long have you been pulling this shit then?"

"I… excuse me?" Jon’s indignant, certain she can’t mean what he thinks she means.

"When was the last time you ate?"

(Georgie decides Jon and Melanie need a normal day off. Jon learns that he and Melanie have more in common than he thought.)

(Look, Melanie isn’t my favorite person in tma, but she and Jon are like THE SAME PERSON and I adore fics that elaborate on their relationship.)

Out of the Wind, In From the Cold by @ostentenacity

There are two bedrooms in the safehouse, and two beds.

For a moment, Jon considers asking to share, but decides against it with a wince. “I really loved you,” Martin had told him. Loved. Past tense. And Martin doesn’t exactly have a lot of choices right now in terms of company; it would be cruel to demand he play at feelings he no longer has just to make Jon happy.

(For a moment, Martin considers asking to share. But he dismisses the idea with a shake of his head. Jon has already done so much for him. Martin isn’t about to ask for more, especially not when it’s something he doesn’t really need. He has his right mind back, and he has Jon’s friendship. That should be enough for him. It’ll have to be.)

---

Jon thinks that Martin doesn’t love him. Martin thinks that Jon doesn’t love him. They do not, of course, discuss this. Unrequited love is already awkward enough, right? No need to dwell on it.

(THEE SCOTTISH HONEYMOON ERA FIC. IT’S ABOUT THE PINING, BEING MUTUALLY OBLIVIOUS AND FALLING IN LOVE. 10000/10.) 

I Do by @voiceless-terror

“I, um- this was supposed to be a lot more romantic, I swear.” Martin looks down at the dirty bar floor. “I had it all planned out, I-I was going to take you somewhere nice, and then we’d go for a walk in the square- I’ll still do it!” He hurries to explain, as if that’s the most pressing part of this situation. “It’ll be really nice, I’ve already hired a photographer-”

In a fit of protectiveness, Martin proposes to Jon.

(Everyone lives, Martin accidentally proposes and Jon is crying in public.) 

________

[serene-victory-77]

Why The Crows Being Teenagers Is Actually Perfectly Realistic

There’s a TL;DR are the end because wow I like to rant.

I lightly discuss the general situations they’re all in to explore how they are frighteningly mature and competent, but it’s not particularly depressing or descriptive, it’s definitely lighter than the books

I thought about this post with a joke first: “People who think that Six of Crows is unrealistic because they’re so young clearly have not spent much time with traumatized honors students.”

It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the point stands.

But I decided that, hm, actually, I could make a point about this. I totally agree with the aging up of the characters in the Shadow and Bone show, but when people straight up say that the books are wrong or unrealistic for having a young crew, I get annoyed, and here’s why (other than me reading the books for the first time when I was 13 and thinking ‘Huh okay, I see it’ and now being lowkey offended when people say they ignore it for being unrealistic):

On Inej

- At first I thought Inej’s wisdom and general demeanor was one of the most unrealistic things in the book

- When I thought about it longer, I was like “Actually, she’s 16, right? I’ve sent some of the most lyrical philosophy trying to help my friends while in high school. My friends have done the same. It’s valid.”

- Frankly, teenagers love hard-hitting philosophical truths. They love repeating what they’ve read or heard in movies and in books and from family stories. They love sharing little bits of wisdom they have come up with

- Inej’s ability to hear and understand philosophy and wisdom that she was surrounded by for 14 straight years and then sit on it and elaborate it for her friends to understand, or even just to piss them off in Kaz’s case? 

- Teenagers have that. They do it. So, Inej’s Wisdom passes, to me. It’s valid. 

As for her being calm

- You know how everyone jokes that Kaz seems calm on the outside but when you get to his POV he’s like “What the fuck” at the Van Eck house or just straight up “Huh, is this revenge for making tree jokes” at the Djel River thingy in the Ice Court?

- Inej is like that, too. And she gets angry, and she gets confused, or exhausted.

- AKA every quiet kid ever. Like, are you kidding? Have you ever been in a situation in which it’s literally chaos all around you, people are screaming and things are being destroyed (think middle school classroom with bitchy long term substitute and even worse students), and you’re just, calm? You pick up your things, you do what you need to do?

- That’s Inej. Like, what else is she gonna do? She’s smart enough to know that panicking won’t help anyone, and so she just rides it out. Internally she might be like “Why is this happening” but frankly, her being quiet and controlled in most situations is probably a coping mechanism and I respect that

- Pretty sure this is also based on the fact that the Suli have no land for their own and constantly have to keep moving. It might align with generational trauma, I’m sure someone could explain it better than me, but being able to keep your cool while constantly having to change and adapt to new situations, in, say, a country with hellfire politics and no land to call your own? Seems like a hereditary trait that could be useful in Ketterdam, although it’s sad.

On Inej’s abilities

- Simone Biles started training when she was 6 and went to the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships when she was 16, where she qualified in all the events. 

- There are videos of people walking over tightropes as young as three years old. We know Inej didn’t start that young, but not only was she naturally talented at it, but she spent a lot of time practicing. I think it’s valid. Plus, some of her family members do some pretty crazy things in her flashbacks, because that’s the whole point of what they do. 

- Youngest person to beat American Ninja Warrior was 16 year old Vance Walker

- Inej has a variety of of tools that help her wall climb, and while it’s true that she started young and got good really fast, she already had a history of physical work that would help her, and from what we can gleam from the book, a surprising amount of free time in which she was actively encouraged to learn everything she could. 

So that’s Inej! I think her skills are perfectly possible for someone with her history and situation. It’s true that she’s naturally skilled, but that’s not actually all that unusual. And her demeanor and wisdom do fit in with what a lot of teenagers are like and the circumstances she was brought up in

Onto Kaz!

- One thing I hear about is that Kaz is too smart for not having gone to school and also too young to know all that he does

- Do you all KNOW how many self-taught people there have been in this world? The word for people who are self-taught is autodidacts, and honestly a huge amount of famous people apply. Like many, many other people in history (there’s a whole list of them in Wikipedia), he had an vested interest in a field and he learned all he could. Sure, those fields were magic tricks and math, but still.

- Suddenly I have a lot of thoughts

- Okay, think, hyperfixations. That’s essentially what Kaz’s thing with magic tricks was, right? Have any of you ever spent time with an eight year old that clearly really, really loves dinosaurs? Those kids can spout names and facts and identify them by their skeletons and frankly know more than I ever will. Kaz’s was magic tricks. All kids are special.

- Kaz continued working on magic tricks and practicing them for years, so, I think that gets a pass. 

- As for the math! Look, a Fact Of Life is that some kids are just Like That, whether it be possibly from neurodivergence or other factors:

- Flo and Kay Lyman are twins with Autism who basically have the calendar of EVER memorized. Kaz memorizing card decks is sensible, and these ladies don’t need to look up anything to figure it out, so Kaz doing sums inside his head seems plausible. His “photographic memory’ isn’t impossible, although the term itself might be incorrect.

- Katherine Johnson who worked at NASA (yes, the lady from Hidden Figures), was so good at math that she was in high school by age 10 and went to college at age 15. It’s true that she had some teaching, but 1. There’s no evidence Kaz had absolutely no schooling, even if it was just at home with books and 2. Kaz was 9 when he came to Ketterdam, and after Jordie died, when he wasn’t surviving, he was learning. 

- Human calculator is a term that is applied to children a lot and there’s definitely plenty of videos showing how smart these kids are and them doing mental math easily, which he does in the books

- He had a LOT of pressure on him to figure out all he could, and if he wanted to move forward, he was going to have to learn a lot. He spent hours practicing magic tricks, for all we know he spent hours practicing math too. We know Jordie was a bit of a bookworm too, so Kaz from a young age probably already had a reason to learn. Personally, a lot of my love for books was inspired by my older sibling when I was younger

- Young people are adaptable. Kaz is incredibly adaptable. The term prodigy exists because of people like him through history. 

- As for him being rational, there’s no other way to survive. Some of the greatest soldiers in history have been very, very young, and very, very smart. It’s true tacticians are generally considered to be older, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been very young ones. 

- A lot of the generals I found were like, 19 years old, but Kaz is 1. not a general and 2. in a place where young people take up the mantle really, really quickly, and frankly it’s been like that for a long time. I still think this passes. This isn’t relevant but William the Conqueror was apparently called “The Bastard”?

- Frankly, underground communities of thieves probably don’t go around publishing their escapades so to me it makes sense that I can’t just look up “famous young thieves” and get anything that makes sense, but I did try

- Y’all I tried to do research on youngest escape artists since I think Kaz qualifies and I found myself in what I think is a magicians forum? It’s from 2002-ish and I feel like I’ve just found a relic. I can’t definitely prove they’re all saying the truth, but some of the people there talk about 10-11 year olds at magic camps, so, it’s not impossible for this to be a skill Kaz learned really young, particularly when he made a habit of following around magicians

- I think he passes the realism check overall

For the other Crows:

- Nina being so proficiently multilingual makes sense to me, because she’s been in the Little Palace almost her entire life with all the best teachers they could afford at her disposal. Some people just click with languages. One such would be Timothy Doner, who spoke 23 languages at 16. 

- Nina is a child soldier. She of course can handle the battlefield, although I imagine there’s a degree of trauma that she has to deal with (although it’s true that most of her work was always meant to angle her towards being a spy).

- Jesper was taught to shoot from a young age by Aditi, who was likely incredibly proficient. Plus, there’s mentions of him and his father being on some sort of frontier at one point in the books, so, it’s likely that Jesper got his fair share of ‘being a child soldier” since he would’ve been 15 or younger. Plus, with being a Fabrikator, he gets a leg up

- Jesper’s smart y’all, he just also likes to have fun

- I am a little terrified by the fact that I looked up ‘youngest sharpshooter’ and found out about a 9 year old girl (Addysson “Addy” Soltau) who can indeed shoot guns, but uh, it does prove my point

- Matthias... I haven’t heard anyone really argue about Matthias. He’s the oldest at 18 and again, he’s essentially a religious child soldier. Of course he would be built af and know how to handle himself in a fight, and in a flashback about meeting Trassel, we’re told that he was actually distanced from the other boys and was the biggest and strongest/smartest of the group. Perhaps not compared to Kaz, but still

- We know how Wylan ended up how he is, so I don’t think i have to defend how he’s both a musical prodigy, good at math, and good at chemistry. Plenty of kids who can’t do one thing will immediately gravitate to a different field (think AP math students who can’t write essays, or those kids who could analyse a book and it’s metaphors in class but didn’t understand geometry).

- Granted he took it far but it’s kinda implied that  his father ignored him eventually and what else was Wylan going to do

- I don’t really know how he did chemistry while not being able to read the symbols and stuff, but that’s likely because I’ve never had to learn the way he did and also I really suck at Chemistry, but I refuse to believe that it invalidates his capabilities

Final Thoughts:

- They’re Traumatized Honors Students

- People might say that “it’s unrealistic that all the smart ones somehow ended up together” but again they’re traumatized honors students and those gravitate to each other

- Of course the smart ones ended up together, they’re the ones in those crazy situations precisely because they are prodigies. Nina wouldn’t have met Matthias if she wasn’t skilled and a spy, Kaz wouldn’t have known Inej if she hadn’t been skilled at silence (I can’t explain that one but uh ninjas did/do exist and it IS still a fantasy world). Kaz would have never been a leader of the Dregs in a position to find Jesper if he hadn’t been so determined to rise to the top, and Jesper wouldn’t have been in Ketterdam if his father hadn’t thought that Jesper was smart enough to get that chance.

- You know how those fringe revolutionary artists for new eras end up knowing all knowing each other and even hanging out? That’s them.

- I have decided there is a strong basis for Autistic Kaz, someone who is more studied than me should feel free to explore this.

- I read this book a few years ago, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. It’s about this guy’s experiences as a boy soldier and it’s a painful read so I’m not sure I recommend it as a casual read, but he talked about these young kids being able to actually make competent military strategies and handle warfare. It’s an extreme example of what I’m trying to explain when it comes to them being able to handle the brutality of their situation, but it’s true, essentially

- They are definitely serious, but if you think they’re not teenagers I just, disagree so much. They have moments of lighthearted banter, they make light of their situation, they try to support each other Nina covers it so well in her farewell at the end of Crooked Kingdom: The little rescues of laughing at each others jokes or eating together and just supporting each other, is not only a very human thing, but a very teenager thing. 

- Scary experiences that shape us happen all the time, and although for most it’s not the things that the Crows experience, picking each other up is a big part of why they do read as teenagers to me. I’ve seen kids be able to seriously converse about things like being questioned by the police, or being left to their own devices for days at a time, or the general impending doom they all feel, and it’s dark, but they’re also going to joke about silly puns 20 minutes later. 

- Teenagers aren’t exempt from terrifying maturity and competence

- Finally: Despite all I said, it’s a fantasy story and doesn’t have to be realistic

In the end, everyone can believe what they want to believe, but this is my case for my opinion.

TL;DR The Crows are all prodigies and a lot of their achievements and capabilities are based in reality and there are real people who actually achieved things like what they’ve done. Messed up prodigies gravitate to messed up prodigies, hence how they all end up together. When it comes to their mental state, most of them have been brought up their entire lives in situations that required for them to problem solve and keep their cool even when things are going to hell.

[drabblingdraco]

✬ Arranged ✬ Part 2 Draco Malfoy x Reader

I received a lot of requests for a part 2 to Arranged. I’ve finally come up with some ideas to continue! Maybe even a part 3 ;)

Part 1 

Warning: SMUT GALORE (unprotected sex, female receiving)

If you are underage please do not read.

Y/N’s POV

It had been only been a week after you arrived at the Malfoy Manor. To your surprise, you’d been enjoying your stay so far. What began as a forcible “vacation” brought upon by the Malfoy’s and your parents turned into an enjoyable experience so far.

After your kiss with Draco, things seemed to be less tense. You both were getting along better than ever. You’d take pleasant walks in the garden (unlike before), have tea on the patio as you watch the sunset, stay up late talking about your desires, likes, and dislikes, the upcoming years at Hogwarts.

He managed to open up to you rather quickly. Even after he confessed his love for you, you expected him to remain reserved. Although he hasn’t kissed you since the night you arrived, he’d steal cheek kisses and subtle touches on your shoulders or hips. It gave you butterflies every time without fail.

Today we were planned to take engagement photos. Although Draco hadn’t proposed, this was still a long awaited arranged marriage. As you thought about the future as a Malfoy, you weren’t sickened by it like you were a week ago.

Mother had sent you a beautiful gown to wear for the shoot. As the photographers were setting up downstairs in the foyer, you were getting your makeup done by Narcissa.

“I don’t mean to pry but..I see you and draco are getting along rather nicely, yes?”

“Yes, I guess we’ve grown a liking for each other..” you looked away shyly.

“Oh don’t be embarassed dear! I’ll tell you a secret to ease your mind.” She cleared her throat “I too was arranged to wed Lucius, I was not his biggest fan at first, but I’ve grown to love him for everything he is.”

“That’s good to know. Thank you, Narcissa.”

“Come, look at my handy work!”

You got up out of your seat and looked in the mirror. She gave you a smoky green and black eye look with basic facial makeup.

“I love it,” you smiled at her.

“Now get that beautiful gown on and come downstairs.” She then left the room.

You let your hair fall out of its clip. You untied your robe as it fell to the ground, revealing nothing but your black strapless bra, black lace thong, knee high panty house and black heels. As you unzipped the bag your dress was in, the door swung open and Draco was on the other end. At first he looked away, but when he looked back at you there was nothing but awe in his eyes.

“I- Uh may I come in? Just need to fix my hair.”

You stood motionless, trying to chose your next words. It’s not like you could say no, it was his room after all, so you didn’t deny him that.

“Oh of course.” Your breath hitched as his eyes lay locked on you and your illuminated figure.

He walked to his vanity, sitting in the chair as he grabbed a comb. You watched from the corner of your eye as he skillfully played with his grey blonde locks. You caught him locking his orbs with yours yet again and looked away, continuing to put on your dress.

You removed it from the bag and unzipped it, giving you enough room to stick your feet in through the top and pull it up. You had to admit it was a beautiful piece of clothing. The top half was corset like, there were small points above both breasts, which lifted them up and made them even more apparent. The corset had small minimal lines going down just above your waist. The bottom was pure smooth silk. And of course, it was all dark, Slytherin green. As you lifted the dress up it was difficult to pull up the zipper behind you. Draco sat at his vanity and sprayed some cologne on him.

“Draco?”

“Yes dea-I mean y/n?”

You silently giggled at his almost comment. “Could you help me?” You darted your eyes towards your zipper. He rose from his seat and walked towards you. As you moved your hair infront of you so it wouldn’t get caught, you felt Draco’s cold finger tips on your spine, sending jolts through your entire body. As he reached the top, he placed both his hands on your shoulders and leaned in to your ear.

“You look..ravishing..my dear.”

You hid your blush from him and turned to face him. “Why thank you..you look delicious as well”

He furrowed his brows. “I MEAN DELIGHTFUL- YES, DELIGHTFUL.” Now you couldn’t help hiding your blush, it was too late.

“That’s you my dear, you..look..delicious.”

You suppressed your thoughts and spoke, “shall we go downstairs then?”

“Let’s.” He held out his arm and you locked yours with it as you headed down the stairs.

You reached the bottom of the stairs and untwined your arms. You could see the foyer set up for the honorable Malfoy portrait, the same backdrop as all the other family photos.

You and Draco listened to the photographer as he told you how to stand. Draco stepped behind you, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you in tight. You placed both of your hands on top of his, as you were instructed.

You sensed a presence behind you and it wasn’t just Draco himself..it was below the belt Draco. He shuffled trying to shake his erection but it wasn’t helping. If anything it made it worse.

“You two were lovely to photograph. I’ll get these to you by next week.”

“Thank you sir, have a great rest of your day.” You said with a smile.

You and Draco went upstairs back to his bedroom. As much as you loved that dress, it was choking the life out of you. Before you even realized Draco was right behind you, you peeled your dress off of you, dropping it on the floor. You felt him snake his hands around your waist and his chest against your back. He took a long breath, you could feel it against your cold skin.

“You have no idea what I want to do to you when you look like this.” You completely forgot you only wore your bra, panties, hose and heels. As you felt his hardness grow, you spun around to face him, pressing your hips into him.

“Show me,” you whispered.

He was shocked to get that response, but it didn’t matter because in a matter of seconds he was pushing you on to his bed.

He towered over you kissing your thighs, going up your stomach and finally your neck. He took his sweet time there, leaving long and passionate bites. You moaned as he continued to do what seemed to come so natural to him, turning you on.

He released himself from the nap of your neck and grabbed his wand. He put a silencing spell on his room. Just after feeling his lips on your skin, you knew you were going to need that charm.

You sat up and scooted backwards towards the head of the bed, Draco following you with your lips locked at all times. You started to untangle his clothes. First his tie, blazer and finally his dress shirt. You both worked together to unbutton it. He did the honors of ripping his belt off, the metal clang as it hit the floor.

“You are the most gorgeous woman I’ve seen in my life.” He said breathlessly, reaching his hand down towards your thong. “I hope to have the pleasure of making such a beautiful girl scream my name.”

He pushed your panties aside and began moving in large circles around your clit. Your head naturally rolled backwards in pleasure. His other hand grabbed your chin, moving it to face you.

“I want to watch you untangle under my hands..figuratively and...” he paused, going ever faster, “and literally.” He smashed his lips with yours.

You pushed him away by his shoulders.

“Draco please,” you whined. “I need you now.”

“Say no more, love...one more thing.”

He knelt down and pulled your panties off. Placing his hands on your hips, he yanked your body closer to him, making you yelp in surprise.

“A gift for my fiancé.” He smirked.

His mouth found its way to your pussy, flicking with his tongue over and over. You moaned with excitement. You looked down, watching him tear your nerves apart. His thumbs pressed into your hips, inching you closer to him with each lick he took of you.

“Draco..” you were breathless. “Fuck me, fuck me please!” You screamed.

He purred as he took one last stroke on you. He stood up and removed his pants and boxers.

He brought his tip to your entrance and slid in, like putting a glove on a hand. You gasped, then let out a soft moan. He pumped himself in and out slowly at first.

“Ohhh Princess..” He moaned.

You started going faster as you bucked your hips closer to him. Will each stroke he went in deeper every time. When he reached your g spot you released a high pitch moan, and that made him go crazy. You pulled him down to you and stole his lips. Your legs now around him as he pounded into your pussy.

You flipped him over and now you were the one on top. He didn’t oppose this idea one bit. As you adjusted yourself, you started jumping up and down, each time his dick going in further. One of his hands was gripping your hip, while the other snuck it’s way to your clit. The pleasure sent you into a frenzy. You grabbed his shoulders, sinking every nail into his skin.

“Yeah Princess, take it all in.”

You went as fast as your body could go.

“Oh, oh, I’m gonna cum,” you whined.

“Me too baby. Go ahead, cum all over my dick.”

“Ohh yeah!” You screamed in pleasure as you both climaxed to your body’s content.

You pulled yourself off of him and fell down on the bed next to him. Panting, you both stared at each other with smiles.

He licked his lips and took a deep breath. “Is this a bad time to officially propose?”

[shoichee]

hello! may i ask some tips about the instragram acccunts the GoM + kagami could have? like of sort of post, amount of followers, stuff like that THANK U and have a great day !!

THIS IS ACTUALLY HILARIOUS SINCE I BREATHE OFF OF INSTAGRAM LFMAO

[Headcanons]

Kuroko Tetsuya

HELP WHAT IF HE HAS NO PRESENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA TOO—

professional lurker

never comments on anything unless it’s to congratulate under a friend’s post or something like that

probably started using it because Ogiwara moved from letters and texts to just... instagram (technology advancements, jazz hands)

his account is on private, and he only lets people he knows follow him

all of his posts are pictures to commemorate something or just really wholesome group pictures

DEFINITELY has that picture of the GoMs at his birthday OVA

DEFINITELY also posted the big birthday picture taken at the end of the party

and also had typed very sappy BIG paragraph captions for both of these posts, talking about the journey and him being grateful… y’know, him being him

HIS ENTIRE COMMENT SECTIONS ARE JUST EVERYONE SOBBING AND KEYBOARD SPAMMING??? ONLY LIKE MIDORIMA AND AKASHI POST COHERENT RESPONSES UNDERNEATH

@kiseryouta: kuROKOCCHIIIII!!NEJWIEISK

@momoiowo: TETSUU (ʃƪ˘･ᴗ･˘) YOURE SO SWEET REEEE

@a_daikiii: i stg quit being so corny no one died yet🙄 and @momoiowo relax smh

@shin_chan77: I suppose I can express some form of gratitude for being in my life despite you being a blood type A. (insert a giant paragraph after this)

@4k4shi: This was very touching to read, Kuroko. I’m very glad that our… (insert him going down memory lane)

Murasakibara has no comment LMAO

his entire Seirin team are his hype men under his posts

his profile picture is literally the gray default blank head because he didn’t even set up a profile picture for himself

he has like 20 followers max or something?

8 posts? like, he only posts on special occasions or big events

his occasional stories are always comprised of Nigou and blurry Kagami pictures/videos running away from Nigou UH OH (courtesy of @dust-of-fandoms)

@tetsuya11 for his user handle

@dust-of-fandoms JUST MADE AN INSTAGRAM FOR HIM HERE!!

Kise Ryota

uses his instagram account as a portfolio for his modeling career

majority of his posts are actually pictures he managed to snag from his frequent model shoots

it looks SO professional… but then you look at his IGTVs and his reel videos

his reels are either short clips of mini vlog series he does whenever he visits the GoMs or when he’s recording his Kaijō teammates doing tricks and dunks

his IGTVs are either skincare tutorials, fashion advice… or just… unexplainable, out-of-context shitposts of Kise running away from what fans assumed “a green-haired man” or some “captain”

follower account?? 124k

who wouldn’t resist a hot model?

DEFINITELY HAS A TIKTOK I CAN FEEL IT

@kiseryouta with an official verification next to it

people either love him or hate him

posts a casual selfie from time to time, and people praise him for “being real” LMAODOA AND HE’S JUST STARING AT HIS PHONE LIKE “??? IMIG BUT I JUST FELT CUTE TODAY”

his captions feel fake LMAO like: “Wow! today’s so pretty today!” as he puts a selfie post OR “What’s your favorite game?✨” under a professionally-shot model picture that does not correlate with the caption???

has posted shitposts on his stories and his fans are utterly confused… only the GoMs get it LMAO

Midorima Shintarou

ONLY reason why he has social media is because Takao convinced him that he could let everyone know the daily lucky items for each signs for every post he makes

so for the first 2 months of having instagram he just casually posts a “daily horoscope” report(?) for the day

his content attracted in all the astrology fans and people who are devoted to tarots

and he’s CONFUSED.

… Takao may or may not have played a hand in messing with the algorithms to expose his account to bigger audiences

once Midorima finds out he’s MAD LMAO *insert Takao pain noises*

either goes down two paths: just casually continuing to post the daily Oha Asa predictions without interacting with anyone OR deleting his account and making a new PRIVATE one just for communication/lurking purposes

so he can honestly have 10k followers if he chooses to be a horoscope account or like 3 followers on his private, take it or leave it

maybe he has two accounts if he feels that having instagram has its merits

definitely has a shit ton of random stuff/posts in his saved collections

boomer energy, like… what’s a “reels” feature?? people talk to their phone camera and record that?? he’s squinting really hard and scratching his head

either has 356 horoscope posts on his “main” or like 19 posts on his private

has a rubber duck as a profile picture for BOTH ACCOUNTS HELP HIM

@oha_asa_ for his horoscope account or @shin_chan77 as his personal because he doesn’t know how to change his username (thanks, Takao LMAO)

Aomine Daiki

he doesn’t give a shit about instagram LOL

it’s MOMOI who handles his account because he doesn’t wanna bother with it LMAOO

she would tease him and try to “encourage” him to stop lazing around by taking pictures of him whenever he’s snoozing and posting it

but he’s so damn good-looking that his sleeping pictures got some traction with new fans

Aomine is still sleeping

his account also has pictures of him eating at Maji burger or at a café, and of course Momoi is the one snapping these photos of him

he started caring about it a little more once Momoi told him that he can post videos of himself doing trickshots and one-on-ones to potentially find worthy rivals over the internet and meet up

so now his account (videos, reels, IGTVs) are all riddled with basketball/small parkour footage shot by yours truly, Momoi

so his fanbase is split between thirsty people and people who genuinely admire him for his skills… but I mean there’s also people in both categories, anywho

he’d totally follow his favorite Japanese idols on IG if they had one

also would follow any NBA-related accounts/players he admires

has like 2.7k followers (but growing really fast) with like 176 posts of videos and random pictures of him

his profile picture is literally a picture of him sleeping by Momoi

@a_daikiii

Momoi Satsuki

LOTS OF REALLY cute, playful selfies, and a lot of them are used with cute filters from the Snow app

sometimes would post herself doing a really cute Tiktok dance while in her school uniform

she doesn’t post too much; she’s actually more into posting IG stories and making highlights out of them and then making highlight covers have a coordinating theme together

very aesthetic theme on her feed overall hehe

definitely uses her account to comment on other GoMs posts, often commenting something snarky on Aomine’s and Kise’s

actually has 1-2 IGTVs on the Vorpal Sword’s big game against the Jabberwocks

doesn’t have much of full-body shots/outfit pictures other than mirror selfies because Aomine refuses to take good pictures of her

only when she sees Kise or Kuroko is when she can ask either to be a photographer

she’s definitely gotten a few small collab offers from small businesses, but she usually ignores them because it’s not exactly her thing

her profile picture is just a selfie with a sketch-line cat ear filter

uses a bunch of emoticons on her bio, captions, comments, everything

⌒(ㅇㅅㅇ❀)⌒ or ☆⌒(＞。≪) or .₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇. you get the picture

967 followers… that looks way too specific, but it’s somewhere around there; a lot of them came from Aomine’s account after they saw who’s been taking his pictures, and they wanna learn more about her??

around 40 posts?

@momoiowo

Murasakibara Atsushi

Himuro showed him how to use the app, but Murasakibara doesn’t find ANY USE FOR THIS LMAOO

he’d probably only get on it to look at food on the explore page and drool about the cuisines

keeps tabs on local places/restaurants/shops on instagram; those are probably the only accounts he’d follow tbh

it’s probably like ONE post and it’s an old picture of a dango on a plate he ate like 2 years ago

I have this image in my head that he has a really cute bento art as his profile picture?? can you imagine a Rilakkuma-shaped rice as his PROFILE PICTURE?

his bio is definitely: “hungry”

and that’s it

27 followers, and it’s literally just his Yōsen teammates, the GoMs and probably some other classmates of his

his captions are literally empty or 1-2 words

@oomaib0

Akashi Seijuro

only uses instagram because it’ll be beneficial for his company and to expand social networks, plus getting those sweet business deals and engagement

he doesn’t mind seeing really wholesome videos on the explore page though

when he wants to relax, a cat video melts his stress away

laughs to himself while he reads all the shenanigans underneath the GoMs’ posts

DEFINITELY loses a few brain cells seeing trolls and idiots on the internet… especially on controversial or political ones LMAO

he at first had to REFRAIN himself and take deep breaths before he just scrolls on, but he eventually got used to them and can now easily ignore them as easy as he breathes air

he actually enjoys shitposts and meme videos?? like he may not completely understand the meme trends sometimes, but he’ll still find it amusing enough for a chuckle

he ends up being the one who uses instagram the most? like Kise posts a shit ton, yeah, but Kise doesn’t really sit down and just scroll endlessly; Kise releases out content, while Akashi consumes the content

he reasons with himself that it’s to study his current demographics for the company, and while that may be true, Akashi just enjoys social media, plain and simple LOL

he does get to study the behaviors of all the generations using the platform, young folks and old folks alike, and it does get him excited in using his analytical skills to try to figure out people BEHIND a screen rather than those in front of him

it makes a really good challenge for him when he wants a good mental exercise

he has a post or two about his horses, his manor, and a video or two on him playing his violin?? but most are business-related, them being advertisements or business contracts/offers… things like that

his highlights are all about Q&As regarding the company, his background, his skillsets, etc. like an actual resumé

actually links current world issue cards/petitions on top of his company website; he’s quite an advocate

he actually doesn’t post about basketball because that’s something very close to his heart since it reminds him of his late mother… having that mixed in with his company-related posts feels wrong to him

27k followers, most of them are business-related accounts AND some are some followers his father bought for him without Akashi’s input to inflate engagement, etc.

@4k4shi… oh he thinks he’s SO CLEVER FOR MAKING THIS USERNAME LOL with the 4 being his jersey number and the 4s looking like As… AKASHI PLEASE—

his profile pic is like a professionally taken picture, nothing less for our king

his grammar and syntax are impeccable on social media; after all, he’s still being judged for how he carries himself even on the media

Kagami Taiga

mukbang guy… DEFINITELY

hot guy eating nine plates of steaks

IGTVs are filled with mukbang videos because Kuroko said he could make a living off of his appetite

HE COULD MAKE MONEY OFF OF JUST EATING? SIGN HIM UP.

on his posts, he posts dishes he makes for the day/is proud of and talks about the dish and ingredients briefly in the caption

that, or he has pictures of his new basketball shoes LMAO

or all of his basketball merch

HE’S DEFINITELY POSTED PICTURES OF LANDMARKS AND OTHER ICONIC PLACES HE’S TRAVELED TO (*cough* in America)

has a generic Jordan brand logo against a dark background as a profile picture

doesn’t have his face anywhere unless it’s in a mukbang video

279 followers or something

why do I have a feeling that he’ll accidentally blow up when Alex takes his phone to do a quick selfie on it?—

@taiga10

[local-ground-apple]

May i request for some headcanons on how riddle,azul,vil and malleus would react to a fem!s/o who’s an insanely good badminton player. Would they support her during her games? Would they attempt to play with? How would they react when she dominates the court against both NRC and RSA has students?💛

I love this request~~~!! 💛 💛 It was fun to write. Pardon me for starting with Malleus

🐲 at first he didn’t understand the hype behind sports, especially badminton. But when you shyly invited Malleus to come cheer for you and give you mental support on your match, he was…overjoyed,

,,Could you, perhaps, if you have time, of course....come to my badminton match?” 

Malleus: *happy invited noises*

🐲 needless to say, he and his Diasomnia squad who tagged along had the front row all to himself. People politely moved away from his intimidating aura. The mere fact that Malleus Draconia came to sport competition shocked absolutely everyone, including Crowley,

🐲 he was awkward at first, not really knowing how he should behave. Malleus is royalty after all and he has a certain image to maintain. But for you, just seeing his gentle smile and feeling his eyes fixated on your form is more than enough to give you mental support,

,,Ufufufu~~ Sebek, mayhap you could show Malleus how cheering looks like?” “Yes, Lilia-sama”

🐲 you had undoubtedly the loudest cheering out of all contestants and to think that it was just one person. Sebek’s screaming woke up Silver who almost had a heart attack, Malleus took mental notes to always bring Sebek with himself on your next matches, while Lilia was wheezing

,,Y/N-SAMA DESTROY THEM. ARAHHHHH YOU GOT IT”

🐲 Lilia is the definition of “You’re doing amazing sweetie” taking multiple pictures of you,

🐲 after a match, practically deaf Malleus came to see and gently took you in his arms, tightly hugging you, as his hands gently caressed your back. He’s softly whispering how good you were, 

,,Malleus I’m sweaty” “You were absolutely amazing, darling” “Malleus-“ “Your skills are truly admirable, you were able to defeat every team. I’m overflowing with proudness” “You’re not listening, right?”

🐲 Malleus wasn’t surprised you had dominated the court and crashed RSA and NRC students. After all, you’re an endearing human who has great badminton skills, 

🐲 Malleus may have hard time trying to express his support for you, but he truly does his best. After each game, he makes sure to tell you how much he loves you, how amazing you were, all that while showering you with gentle kisses,

🐲 after long pestering and Lilia’s interference, Malleus finally agreed to play with you. You soon regretted this, 

🐲 Malleus claimed that he had never tried this game before (which was true) and he asked you to show him some basic moves and practice them with him until he got a grasp of them. He swore he wouldn’t be using any magic for his own benefit (he’s a man of his word)

🐲 you forgot that he’s an ancient fae, whose senses are more sensitive than yours. Malleus is faster and has better reflexes than humans, so after five minutes you were having a hard time keeping up with him, 

,,You’re a fast learner” “Oh, Lilia used to say this to me all the time” “YAH, Malleus play like human”

🐲 Lilia was quick to remind him to tone down his abilities, 

🥀 Riddle is very supportive, he’s your fan number #1. He may not show it in front of everyone, but he’s always cheering for you and crossing his fingers that you will win, 

🥀 your personal hype squad that Riddle always drags with him to your matches is the definition of chaotic support. Cater takes pictures of you while screaming at the top of his lungs “Y/N-CHAN DESTROY THEM” . Ace and Deuce are chanting your name while holding big ass banners of you. Trey is definition of “you’re doing great sweetie” and he has a water bottle as well as healthy snacks prepared for you after the match. Riddle is aggressively clapping and soon he joins the first years,

🥀 you have a celebration tea parties a lot. A LOT. After each match Riddle has always prepared something for you,

🥀 Riddle showers you in compliments after each won game. If you somehow lose one, he’s there with strawberry tarts and fine tea to cheer you up,

🥀 he is beaming with proudness when you win against every team and snatch the first price. He won’t shut up about this for weeks. Literally,

🥀 Riddle lets you train in Heartslabyul gardens. If you need a professional couch or another player, he will gladly arrange that for you. He sometimes watches you practice, admiring your passion and dedication, 

🥀 at first, Riddle was rather reluctant to play badminton with you. You assured him with a playful smile that you would be lenient with him. Surprisingly, Riddle really enjoys your small match and shyly asks you for another round. You happily agree, 

🥀 you both are often seen together playing badminton in Heartslabyul gardens and Cater always coos at how cute you both are,

🥀 pretty sure, Cater runs a fanpage of yours. You always get embarrassed when he floods you with your pictures and shows you how popular your fansite is, 

,,Cater, I suggest you to refrain from making Y/N flustered, otherwise it’s off with your head”

🐙 Azul did his research when you briefly mentioned you’re playing badminton. He watched few videos, read rules of the game and generally familiarised himself with that discipline,

🐙 he’s really supportive, even though he’s not into sports. Azul won’t miss any of your games. Any. 

🐙 expect him to sit in the front row with Leech twins. He may not be shouting and cheering loudly for you as Floyd does, but just a mere glance at this beaming with happiness octopus who clap for you is more than enough,

🐙 when you dominate the court and destroy both NRC and RSA students, he’s extremely proud and doesn’t even hide it. Azul is quick to sweep you off the ground and twirl you around, while pressing kisses all over you and breathing praises in between.

,,Azul, I’m sweaty” “I don’t mind” “Azuuul~~~”

🐙 Azul doesn’t excel at sports so he was more than reluctant to actually play with you. He’s clumsy and since you’re such insanely good player, he can’t help but feel insecure in your presence. Yet, you assure him that you will go easy on him and just teach him some basic moves

,,Come on, I will teach you~!” “I’m rather a busy businessman, angelfish” “I prepared a contract” “A contract, you say?”

🐙 let’s just say, you promised that for each point Azul gains, you would give him a kiss,

🐙 Leech twins will be having the time of their life catching discreet glances from bushes at the two of you trying to play. When they see clumsy Azul desperately trying to score at least one point, while you casually block each of his attacks, they can’t help but burst in laughter

🐙 Azul may say it loud, but he does enjoy those little playing sessions. It’s a nice alternative from his usual routine and may I say, he finds you absolutely stunning when you play,

👑 he’s your hype man#1

👑 you will be the best dressed badminton player ever. Vil likes to make you try multiple tennis skirts, shorts, tops and t-shirts to find the best one. You’re the only female around, so obviously you have to look the best,

👑 you wear designer clothes and Vil is certainly doting on you right before the match, wanting to make sure you would look absolutely stunning in every moment of the game,

,,Vil, don’t apply make-up on me, it will get smeared and I will be sweaty” “Trust me darling, when I apply it, it won’t smear at all”

👑 he was right. You came to the match in impeccable outfit, with flawless, delicate make-up and perfectly styled hairstyle. No one would look better than you,

👑 Rook for sure is taking pictures of you from trees, while Epel is the photograph on the land. Vil has a whole album from your different matches, 

👑 Vil absolutely savors the moment when you dominate the court against RSA and NRC students, especially if Neige is playing too. He’d be like: “everyone, this is MY girlfriend!!”, Let’s just say he will be boasting about your success everywhere, casually bringing this topic, 

👑 Vil is rather organised and after a won match he has everything prepared. Healthy snack to rebuild your energy? checked. Small make-up bag to brush up any eventual imperfections? checked. Some towels so you could sweep off sweat? checked. Water bottle? checked. 

👑 Vil won’t hug you though, not until you take a shower. But he will immediately praises and compliment you, while he’s fixing your hair

,,You did amazing, darling. I enjoyed the look of absolute defeat on Neige’s face when you crushed them” 

👑 Vil knows that you’re the best, but he’s sure you could be even better. There’s always room for improvement, right? He’s in charge of your diet, making sure you’re eating healthy food. Vil even planned your trainings, gets a coach for you and ensures you attend them,

👑 he acts like your stylist, coach, dietician and boyfriend - all in one, 

👑 Vil agreed to play with you, saying it’s a nice break from his usual exercises. After he got a hang of it, it turned out he’s actually pretty good and you’re often seen playing some matches together. Rook always appears out of nowhere and coos that you’re both the most beautiful badminton couple ever,

,,Mon lapin!!! Quelle beauté!!!” “Rook, stop being so close to her!”

[alecmagnuslwb]

Photograph - @doubleredweek Day 1

Read on AO3

Jason walks leisurely down the hall of the Queen family cabin; he’s still getting used to being welcome here even if he has a key and an open invitation these days.

He left Roy in the study that’s more like the laboratory of a mad scientist with a specific arrow fetish talking with Oliver at length about some new trick arrow and the detailed schematics of it to seek out Lian.

Last night had been what Jason’s pretty sure has come to be her most anticipated Saturday of every month. Sleepover night with aunt Mia and grandma Dinah, which also means date night for Jason and Roy which usually means a nice dinner and sex in rooms that aren’t as private as their bedroom and occasionally means busting up a criminal front and then having a quickie on a roof.

Somewhere down this long hallway Lian is fast asleep, still conked out from the night before that was no doubt filled with far too many cookies and a bedtime triple past what hers usually is.

He takes his time looking at the many framed photos that line the walls. These aren’t the Queen family portraits or red carpet moments that the general public gets to see, these are Dinah Lance specials. Somewhere along the line on one of her tours with her band she’d picked up a camera and just never stopped clicking.

The in between moments are what she calls them, they’re her favorite kind to capture. The pure, unfiltered moments of the people she loves most. Lian occupies most of the wall these days, a grandchild edging out just about everyone else on the photo priority scale.

There are ones of her as a baby and one’s all the way up to as recent as last week’s bi-monthly Oliver Queen chili cookout. Jason smiles at the photo then grimaces at the memory of washing all that chili out of her hair.

A few other new ones have been peppered in from last week, Connor and Kyle in a rare moment where Kyle isn’t three galaxies away, Mia holding a bowl of chili the size of her head. He’s nearing the end of the hall close to the family room the girls use as their base camp for sleepovers when he stops dead in his tracks.

Because on the wall between a selfie of Dinah and Ollie on some beach and picture of Emiko casually flipping off her brother on Christmas morning is Jason and Roy pressed close together on a park bench, Roy’s arm slung across Jason’s shoulders light smiles on both of their faces laughing about some dumb joke Roy had made. He remembers the day, a not too hot, but not too cold spring afternoon they both had free so they took Lian to the park. Dinah had run into them on her way home and she had been immediately dragged over to the swings by Lian. Jason hadn’t even realized she had her camera on her at all.

It’s a rare photo of them, they haven’t exactly been at this very long. Jason only moved in three months ago after nearly two years of subtle dating. Dating as superheroes is hard enough, add in that one half of them is often wanted by any number of federal agencies at any given moment and the other half is raising a four-year-old daughter on his own and it gets even more complicated. So they’ve taken their time, keeping things quiet for as long as they could even though it killed Roy not to shout it from the rooftops. The nature of keeping it slow and quiet meant photos hadn’t been a priority.

Add in that Jason habitually shies from cameras constantly and it’s likely this is maybe only the second or third photo of them out of costume and not tacked up on wanted board somewhere that’s ever been taken. It’s definitely the first one that’s made it onto the Queen family wall.

He feels weirdly honored. He knows they’ve accepted him, Ollie somewhat reluctantly and the others nearly without hesitation, but he didn’t think he was considered family, family. Not the kind that made it onto the coveted family walls, more like the kind that came to events and treated their family member with love and respect so he was welcome, but never quite fully in. Jason was content with that, as long as he and Oliver could have civil conversations and he got to keep loving Roy and Lian without any interference he was perfectly happy.

This though. This is beyond that. This he never expected.

“Hey, you’re here!” Dinah says pulling his eyes away from the photo. She makes her way down the hall towards him, looking far more put together than any woman who hosted a sleepover with a four-year-old the night before should at 8:30 in the morning.

She pulls him in for a quick hug and then leans against the wall beside the photo.

“You like it?” she asks with a smile. He nods still kind of shocked it’s even there in the first place. “You’re a hard one to get pictures of,” she says with a chuckle.

She taps lightly at the glass frame. “I never quite manage to get your face in one, it’s like no matter how stealthy I am you know I’ve got that camera pointed your way. Creature of bat habit, I guess, huh?”

Jason shrugs, “Something like that yeah.”

“When I was going through my camera roll and spotted that one, I quite literally shouted with joy, Ollie thought I was watching a Blades game,” she laughs with a fond shake of her head. “You were the only member of the family not on the wall, even Jade has one with Lian and she never comes to the chili cookouts.”

Jason’s heart skips at beat at the word family a no doubt shocked look on his face that Dinah, always perceptive Dinah catches onto immediately.

“Oh, Jason,” she says reaching out a hand to comfortingly rest on his arm. “That’s another bat habit. Of course you’re family.”

Jason’s not one for crying and he’s definitely not one for vulnerability in front of anyone that isn’t Roy, but for a moment he feels like he might just break those rules of his in front of Dinah. He shakes it off quickly putting his hand on top of Dinah’s for one quick squeeze.

“It’s a good picture,” he says. “You should print a copy for us, Roy’s always complaining that the best photos he has of me are crime scene pictures.”

Dinah laughs and the emotional tension Jason hadn’t quite intended for dissipates just as he hoped it would.

“I’ll get it done and give it to you guys at dinner next week,” she says as she walks around him and gestures to the door at the far end of the hall. “Let’s go get the princess so you can take her home.”

Jason nods looking back at the photo one last time a small smile on his lips before he follows after Dinah to get Lian, before he follows his family.

[xiyao-feels]

top 5 cql xiyao moments

OH MAN okay....so I'm going to play this on hard mode and not include the temple OR any of ep 4 because otherwise this would be /overwhelmed/ by temple and then ep 4 but!!! Let's see

1) the moment in EP 10 where MY has been stabbed, is lying there fairly checked out during WC's villain monologue, and then WC talks about CR being in RUINS and???? MY thinks Lan-zongzhu! ??? And is visibly looking more towards WC after?

I offer you this photographic journey:

Last shot of him before:

Lan-zongzhu! And the face journey:

After, visibly looking more towards WC:

Like!!!! For LXC it was instantaneous while for MY it was merely ludicrously fast, but he loves him!!! So much!!!!! God!!!!!!! They're just!!!!!

2) The handkerchief scene....UGH for the way JGY is treated :((( /but/ I love LXC offering him a handkerchief because of course he does and the way they use the opportunity to sneak a touch. They are just!!! So ridiculously touchy with each other!!!!

Like. LOOK at their fingers there, god!!!

3) Okay this is probably going to seem an odd moment but. Their first onscreen meeting with JGY as JGY, in episode 23. What, I mean the one before JGY has all those Wen killed? Yes! That's exactly what I mean. I really strongly disagree with the usual interpretation that LXC doesn't know JGY is going to have the Wen killed, for a few different reasons—

First of all, they literally just agreed to kill the Wen who /are/ a threat. The Wen we see look young and healthy and are under heavy guard; for a contrast, you can look at the Wen Zixun is killing in I think pretty much the next scene, who are clearly, like, the elderly and children and so forth, and on the run from him and like...six other cultivators? They're hunting them for sport >:/ Really not under heavy guard like the ones we see JGY have killed. And Zixun tells LWJ that Nie-zongzhu and Lan-zongzhu agreed to the killing of all the Wen who were connected to (? had some information about?) the Yin Iron, so! Second, politically it makes no sense! JGS literally just used the agreement brokered to strengthen the Jin-Lan alliance (through JGY and LXC, and JGS' agreement) at the expense of the Nie-Lan alliance (NMJ's anger!!!) Having JGY kill Wen they didn't agree to kill, /secretly/, it's like....what the heck does that gain JGS? If it gets out, it could endanger the LXC-JGY connection, and it would probably piss off NMJ too, because it was done in secret and it was going against JGY and JGS' agreement with LXC!! What on earth would it gain JGS??? I can imagine /not/ agreeing to spare some as like, a flex, but agreeing to spare some and then secretly having them immediately killed... Especially since we know that some Wen are in fact spared!!! And especially so BADLY secretly. JGY was very recently second-in-command of Nightless City! Are you seriously telling me he couldn't arrange something better than BLOOD on the STEPS????

(also it's not a case of like, the thing JGS gains is JGY doing all the dirty work because...again, basically the next scene is Zixun killing off defenseless babies and elderly etc. So uh. This particular dirty work doesn't need JGY to do it :( )

I'm not saying it's not horrifible! It's absolutely horrible. But it's horrible in the way cultivation society can be horrible, and LXC knows.

ON THE OTHER HAND, and this is part of the reason it's making my top five, sorry about the rant—look at the exchange xiyao have. It's neat! It's tidy! It's so neat. It's—practiced? Idk, to me it sure looks like they worked this out ahead of time!!! Xiyao!!!! Doing their little political in-tune dances!!!! God I love them!!!!!! They're just—they work /so/ well together.

(also in the little bit where it's just the two of them after LXC STICKS HIS HANDS UP JGY'S SLEEVES. Like!!!! Ugh!!!!! Touchy!!!!! Granted the cut shows LXC's hands in a v different position afterwards but you have to pick and this one is longest so.)

And it's also like.... thematically...you know, LXC is in that room making bargains. And he's not—there trying to extend Lan power or anything! He's literally just trying to stop the Wen from all being killed. And—he achieves this, actually! But only by engaging with this real moral awfulness, by agreeing to things that are awful. But that's the way it has to be accomplished, right! It's thematic!!

4) AUGH. OKAY. There is no black and white. That whole thing.

"I thought with my lifetime finishing reading what Lan clan store means discerning the rules of everything in the world. But I found out even if I finished all existing books, there are still so many puzzles in the world. There are no set rules. There wasn't a clear line between right and wrong." "What makes us human can't be judged simply as right or wrong but lies in himself. As we evaluate others, we shall not label them as black or white, but know their deep intention inside." AUGH. HIM. THEM!!!!!

5) that little look LXC gets when JGY is giving his speech/inviting people to the Phoenix Mountain Crowd Hunt at the banquet!

Like. He knows it's a move for Jin power!! His feelings about the hunt are not exactly uniformly positive!!! but he also gets this little look of appreciation right at the end because it's also JGY being skilled and he does admire and appreciate that!!!! UGH, GOD!!!! THEM!!!!!!

[jq37]

The Case File – Mice and Murder Ep 3

The Case of the Curious Clues

Before we start, a quick plea to Grant O’Brien: Please stop finding clues. I can only take notes so fast. You’re killing me Grant. Moving on...

We start off this episode with yet another flashback, this time to the final confrontation of Sly and his supposedly dead arch nemesis Fletcher Cottonbottom at Reichenbunny Falls (...Brennan please). Fletcher was using a local castle as a storage center for munitions but Sly tipped off the cops before they could be moved. They do some repartee back and forth before Fletcher, the madman, handcuffs them together and jumps off the edge. They hit the water but Sly is able to lockpick himself out and escape while Fletcher disappears beneath the waves. 

You know what I got from that story? No body.

Anyway, we jump back to the present where there *is* a body, Squire Badger’s specifically. Everyone in the room who isn’t a PC thinks that this must either be the work of ghosts or Mrs. M who was the only person in the room when it happened (allegedly). 

This is a crucial time for clue gathering and Brennan keeps everyone in initiative for investigative purposes. Now, *so much* stuff happens here that I’m not going to recap every single detail--just the major clues and the things that seem relevant. I’m serious, this is like the volume of info we usually get in the once per season later game lore dump ep but it’s episode THREE.

Daisy tries to find a secret door but critically fails. She clocks Gangie, a fellow criminal, and in the moment Rekha and Katie decide that they prob have worked together in the past even though they are very different kinds of criminals. 

Buck, who is outside listening to what’s going on in the room notices that his ankle knife is missing which is Concerning considering a man was just knifed to death. 

Sly has Lars guard the door (he opens it and Buck is discovered, whoops) and then rolls a NATURAL 20 plus NINE to investigate so Brennan just has to tell him literally everything. RIP to him and me. Anyway, here’s the rundown (along with some of the stuff other ppl got):

Mrs. M’s hands are covered in blood but she couldn’t have done it. Based on her personality for one and for other reasons we’ll get to.

The wound is much messier than it would be if a person stabbed themselves typically.

There is a note in Squire Badger’s handwriting that says “Sylvester Cross I am afraid” No indication of if that was the whole message or if he got interrupted (maybe Buck could figure it out with his handwriting checking skills). Daisy from across the room clocks that Sly’s name is written on the paper but can’t read the rest.

The knife is a hunting knife with a pronghorn handle--an animal not common in England but very common in Texas (and Buck is sweating obv).

There is a slight layer of charcoal type dust on everything on the big resolute desk in the room (which makes sense, ash from the fireplace) but there is parchment type dust on the bust of Barkus Aurelius (OK, that one’s good) on the table and that’s the only place that dust is. Ian later notices that the date on the bust is wrong. 

Speaking of, the desk (which we learn later was put in and taken out of storage once Loan Hall was modernized) is bolted to the ground and a lot of stuff has been thrown off it as if by a powerful force but Sly notices that it’s just the metal stuff like things made of silver or with screws. Stone things like the bust and other non-metal things have stayed put. Plus he smells ozone. This was the work of magnets, not ghosts, he concludes. And, for the record, Grant figured this out himself!

Mrs. M’s eyes are rapidly dilating. She is questioned about what happened and she says that she was told she was fired and would receive a small pension. 

(Not a part of Sly’s clue dump but Buck rolls a 24 with disadvantage to persuade everyone he didn’t do it but then 2 nat 1s in a row to see if Harding--who said he was standing outside the door--is suspect. Buck thinks he’s at most a stooge but he did roll a nat 1 so who knows?)

Anyway, back to Mrs. M. Gangie fully believes Mrs. M is innocent and scared. She doesn’t quite remember what happened for a couple of seconds in there and it’s clear this is not the first time she’s had missing time. Sly calls Longfoot (the bunny photographer) over to take a picture of Mrs. M which everyone is a little appalled at until they realize he’s making a point. When the flash goes off, she bugs out like she did in episode 1 and forgets that the picture was ever taken. Sly then has Dr. Magpie list the symptoms of epilepsy. It seems that Mrs. M had an episode triggered by the flash she mentioned seeing and then lost time. It’s possible that what she thought she saw after that she didn’t actually see.

[While Sly is monologuing this Rekha texts Brennan and gets a 17 to swipe the “I am afraid” note. Sly doesn’t notice.]

So if it wasn’t her, then who was it? There’s only one door into the study and anyone who walked in would have to have walked past Mr. Harding, Shellcrest, Calliope, and Tabitha (who is having a marvelous time being in the midst of so much drama). Ah, but who said there was only one door? Sly has Harding pull a sconce and a SECRET DOOR OPENS! Woo! Finally! It’s a classic bookshelf one that opens into the hallway and there is some extremely fine crushed glass under the door. Hmm.

Sly clocks that there is something under the desk but we don’t know what it is because Brennan texts it to him and it’s redacted. There are actually a couple of redacted texts that go around this ep so we are def missing information. 

OK, that’s more or less everything. 

Sly notices that the page is missing and Grant gasps while Rekha does an excellent job of pretending like she doesn’t even remember what paper is being talked about. Constance asks if it’s possible that Mrs. M totally made up the memory because of her epilepsy and between Dr. Magpie and Sly they determine that that’s uncommon but possible. Dr. Magpie says that everyone should leave so he and Sly can examine the body and Sly says that someone should watch Gangie at all times. 

At this point, Harding and Gilfoyle (the butler) say they should establish where everyone was at the time of the murder. A lot of the staff and guests have solid alibis cause they were in big groups/cleaning up together. But the PCs were off alone (or with each other) and had reasons to want to guy dead so they’re prime suspects. Sly even admits that he’s one too. Also everyone dogpiles Ian because Raph makes it so fun. 

Harding mentions the letter that was given to Buck (the one selling his shares in BB and giving voting writes to his rival Josiah) and asks him to read it. Buck reads it and gives a streamlined version of the truth, saying everything except for the part with the proxy vote. With a 26 he is able to allay everyone’s suspicions for now, but now he’s purposefully hidden the truth in a way that can be readily called out if anyone sees the letter or the contract which he resolves to find. 

Buster distracts the group so Daisy can “check the body for a pulse” aka: check the body for the contract. She doesn’t find a it but does find a key attached to a piece of red silk--something that would be weird for him to be carrying around instead of his valet. She figures this must open whatever locked drawer the contract is in and swipes it but Sly clocks her stealing it (his perception ties her sleathiness but an earlier Bless from Ian tips him over the edge--poetic).  

Calliope says that everyone is kinds suspect, including Sly, but *someone* has to solve this and Sly’s their best bet so everyone should just stay put and they can guard the exits. The butler says that, besides the front door, there are some towers that poke up above ground and a servant's exit/entrance by the elevator in the kitchen wing but they can lock down both and have someone guard the front doors. 

The butler is like, lmao yeah Sly I know you didn’t do it and I’m not gonna stand guard here but you know, everyone is keeping an eye on y’all. And then he leaves the PCs, Mrs. M, Constance, and Dr. Magpie in the room with the body. 

Lars is about to go watch the kitchen staff but, before he goes, Sly says to him that he saw Cottonbottom and is obviously quite scared. Gangie, who used to work for the guy, overhears and asks what’s going on. Sly assumes Gangie is playing coy but rolls high enough to know that he isn’t. He saw a starkly white Cottonbottom and one of his known conspirators doesn’t know he’s back? Perhaps it was a ghost after all. 

Case Notes

My 2 fave bits of this episode were “bad to bad bad bad” (and the further riffing) and Daisy throwing increasingly bigger books at Sly.

Even with a Nat 1, Sly gets a 16 on Investigation. Wild. 

I don’t think Rekha got enough props for her “Cross examination” line so I’m mentioning it here.

Brennan said the ozone question was still open--but I assumed it was like the electricity smell from an electromagnet. That would make sense, right? Maybe he meant they hadn’t found the source of it specifically yet?

Brennan says Buck’s knife is a pronghorn knife. I assume they’re made from the animal’s horns? Even if they’re the kind that fall off every season, is that weird? Or is it just like human hair wigs? Also, does this world have leather?

I love that the dice keep supporting the narrative that Daisy simply cannot get her shit together when she’s with Sly because he distracts her too much. Delicious. Their whole relationship is delicious. 

OK, I am a tiny bit suspicious of Calliope. It’s partially the way she took control of the situation near the end and partially the fact that she doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would be involved in this which would make her heel turn delicious. No hard evidence and obv she couldn’t be the person who actually stabbed a guy but idk. Just spitballing. I’m very curious about whether we’ve met everyone we’re going to meet more or less or if there are still outside people/hidden inside people. Because, in real life, a murderer could be literally anyone but in a story, you can’t just introduce a new villain all of a sudden at the end. Bad storytelling. Weak payoff. We’ll see how things start to pan out. 

[celestialmazer]

Julie Mehretu, Untitled 2, 1999. Private collection. Courtesy of White Cube. © Julie Mehretu

Julie Mehretu, Hineni (E. 3:4), 2018. Centre Pompidou, Paris, Musée national d’art moderne/Centre de création industrielle; gift of George Economou, 2019. © Julie Mehretu. Photography:Tom Powel Imaging

Julie Mehretu, Mind-Wind Field Drawings (quarantine studio, d.h.) #1, 2019-2020. Private collection, courtesy Marian Goodman Gallery New York/Paris. © Julie Mehretu. Photography courtesy Marian Goodman Gallery

Julie Mehretu, Mogamma (A Painting in Four Parts) Part 1, 2012. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. © Julie Mehretu. Photography: White Cube, Ben Westoby

Julie Mehretu, Conjured Parts (eye), Ferguson, 2016. The Broad Art Foundation, Los Angeles. © Julie Mehretu. Photography: Cathy Carver

Julie Mehretu, Migration Direction Map (large), 1996. Private collection. © Julie Mehretu. Photography: Tom Powel Imaging

At home with artist Julie Mehretu

CAMILLE OKHIO - 25 MAR 2021

Julie Mehretu speaks with the joy and conviction of someone who has had the freedom to investigate all their interests. Curiosity has led her to the myriad topics, objects and moments that inform her work, among them cartography, archaeology, the birth of civilisation and mycology. Since the 1990s, her practice has expanded outwardly in all directions like a spider web. A lack of understanding and preconceived notions among reviewers have often led to her work being flattened – simplified so that it is easily digestible – but in reality, her work is far from a simplistic investigation of any one topic. It encompasses multitudes.

The artist’s recent paintings are mostly large scale, but her early works on paper (often created with multiple layers – one sheet of Mylar on top of another) are as small as a six-inch square. The works often comprise innumerable minuscule markings – tremendous force and knowledge communicated through delicate inkings and streaks. Their layers reveal, rather than obfuscate. And though Mehretu’s creative process springs from a desire to understand herself better, the work itself is in no way autobiographical. 

Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the tails of a continental rejection of colonialism, and raised there, then in Michigan, Mehretu has a flexible and full-hearted understanding of home. It is not one physical place, but many, all holding equal importance. On 25 March, Mehretu will present her first major retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art, with works spanning 1996 to 2019. The institution is an important one for Mehretu, as it played host to several pivotal shows in her youth.

Her exhibition has served as an impetus for Mehretu to look back at her already prolific career, observing and organising the thoughts, questions and answers she has put forth for over two decades. The six years it took to bring this exhibition together proved an incredibly valuable time of reflection, fatefully dovetailing with a year of quarantine. 

Wallpaper*: Where are you as we speak?

Julie Mehretu: I’m in my studio on 26th Street, right on the West Side Highway. I’ve worked here for 11 years.

W*: Are there any artists, writers or thinkers that have had a meaningful impact on you?

JM: I don’t know how to answer that because there are literally so many! It’s constantly changing. Right now, Kara Walker, David Hammons, William Pope.L, and younger artists like Jason Moran (who has made amazing work around abstraction). There are so many artists that have been informative and important to me: Frank Bowling, Jack Whitten, Caravaggio.

I also look at a lot of prehistoric work, from as far back as 60,000 years ago, as well as cave paintings from 6th century China and early prehistoric drawings in the caves of Australia. 

W*: What’s the most interesting thing you have read, watched or listened to recently?

JM: For the last few weeks I’ve been immersed in Steve McQueen films. I’ve been bingeing on lovers rock music. And a TV show that really moved me was [Michaela Cole’s] I May Destroy You. It’s difficult, but it was really well done and powerful. 

Ocean Vuong’s novel On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous is amazing. The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing is a really incredible book too – she studies this mushroom that became a delicacy in Japan in the 7th century. It started growing in deforested areas – it’s in these places destroyed by human beings that these mushrooms survive. [I find it interesting] that this mushroom grows on the edge of precarity and destruction. Like with Black folks, there is a constant aspect of insisting on yourself and reinventing yourself in the midst of constant effort of destruction. 

W*: What was the first piece of art you remember seeing? How did you feel about it?

JM: One of the first times I remember being moved by a work of art was looking through my mother’s Rembrandt book. We brought so few things back from Ethiopia and that was one of them. [Particularly] Rembrandt’s The Sacrifice of Isaac. That story is so intense. I was so moved by the light and the skin and the way the paint made light and skin. 

W*: Do you travel? If so, what does travel afford you, and what have you missed about it during Covid-19?

JM: I travel a lot, but I haven’t travelled this year. There has been this amazing sense of suspension and a pause in that. I miss travelling, but going to look at art, watching films, reading novels and listening to music is the way I travel now. For instance, I’ve been listening to Afro-Peruvian music and now I want to go to Peru.

Before I know it we will be back in this fast-paced, zooming-around environment – there is something I want to savour by staying here, now, in this time and absorbing as much as I can.

W*: You are said to have a vast collection of objects and images. Walk me through your collection – what areas, materials, makers and things have the largest presence and why?

JM: When you enter our home there is this long hallway. Framed along the wall we have around 20 fluorescent Daniel Joseph Martinez block-printed posters he made with words – almost poems. Our kids grew up reading those. One says ‘Sometimes I can’t breathe’ and another one says ‘Don’t work’, while some are really long.

We also have a great Paul Pfeiffer photograph of one from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse series. We have a group of Richard Tuttle etchings right over our dining table. We have an amazing David Hammons body print as well, and my kids’ work is all over the house.

W*: As the daughter of immigrants and an immigrant yourself – how do you conceptualise home and how do you create it?

JM: There were a lot of times I felt very transient – as a student and a young adult, going in and out of school and residency programmes. It always came back to music and food. There are certain flavours, foods, music, smells that you take wherever you go. Also as a mother, I’m building a home for my children. Home becomes something else because of them. They are the core of home now. 

W* How has motherhood affected your practice?

JM: I became much more productive when I had kids for several reasons – one is that I felt a lot of pressure to make [work] in the time I wasn’t with them, which of course is unsustainable. A large part of making is not making – thinking and searching. 

When I got to work I could get into it much more quickly. Kids grow and change so fast, you feel time is passing so you need to use it. I wasn’t going to stop working, that’s for sure. All women who are pushing in their lives make that choice. 

W*: What is your favourite myth and why does it hold importance for you?

JM: Right now I’m reading Greek myths to my ten-year-old. We’ve read them before, but he wanted to read them again. I still read to him at night even though he’s a voracious reader himself.

The myths I remember the most are myths I’ve come across in visual works. Titian’s Diana and Actaeon – I know that myth so well because of his painting. Bernini’s mesmerising sculpture of Apollo and Daphne I saw in Rome, where her body becomes a tree. The leaves are so delicately carved into the marble, it’s a work of incredible beauty. I’ve been considering this deconstructionist approach to mythology. Storytelling becomes this place to interrogate propositions, which is what I think mythology does.

W*: Have you experienced a flattening of your work?

JM: I’m always concerned with flattening and pigeonholing. That is something that happens to artists like us all the time. When I first was working and showing there was a bit of that happening with my work. It was put into the space of cartography or an architectural analysis of it. It was said to be autobiographical work.

The art world tries to consume. There is this desire to flatten and the desire for Black artists to be a reflection of their experience. I don’t think any artist is like that at all. In reality, none of us are flat. We all contain multitudes and are complicated – that has always been the core of the Black radical tradition.

[petri808]

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~~Day 2 of Lucy’s testimony

“Ms. Heartfilia, on the night of the kidnapping please start from the moment you got off the train and were walking back towards your apartment building.”

“O-Okay.” Lucy closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. ‘Just tell the truth, let the prosecutor direct her answers...’ She opened her eyes as she began. “We had a system in place, so whenever I was out alone, I would stay on the phone with someone. That night, Natsu was on the other end. He talked and kept me company. I was maybe halfway to the apartment building when I heard something behind me, but before I could turn to see what it was, I felt a hand wrap around my face and a cloth placed over my mouth. I-I screamed, and I heard Touka’s voice, and Natsu screaming over the phone but everything went black as I passed out. It happened really fast.”

“What was the next thing you remember?”

“I woke up in an apartment that I didn’t recognize. I remember being dizzy, my head hurt, and my eyes were all blurry. My... m-my hands and feet were tied up, and I was lying on my side on the floor.” Lucy stopped again to take another deep breath before continuing. “That’s when I heard noises like drawers opening and closing. I couldn’t see where it was coming from at first, but I guess my mind told me it must be Touka. So, my survival instincts kicked in at that moment. I stayed still, pretending to be asleep, but I cracked my eyes open to see what I could.”

“And what could you see?”

“I s-saw, like a couch, and a wall, and it was covered with photographs of Natsu— just completely covered. And I could see there was all kinds of them, close ups, far shots, old stuff, new ones, clippings... but they weren’t just Natsu. I could see a lot of me and our friends too, and that really creeped me out cause I knew she was watching us, but just, you know, to see it— that was really hard. I tried so hard to stay focused on what was happening. I just kept thinking, I’ve gotta find a way out of there.”

Lucy took the jury through that night, step, by step just as she’d been coached by the prosecutor. The closer she got to the main event, the slower she moved through each detail. They covered all the visuals she saw from her vantage point, inching their way to the moment Touka had begun her physical assault. Lucy’s hands sat in her lap, but they constantly opened and closed into fists to disburse the building anxieties in a physical way. It was a technique her therapist had shown her specifically to use during the trial. Thank goodness for all the preparations by her therapist, because recalling these memories were to re-live them and that was all extremely difficult.

“You testified that Ms. Shiromajyo did not know you were already awake. So, how did she wake you up?”

Lucy took a deep breath knowing this was the hardest part, but the prosecutor needed her to tell the tale. “She kicked me really hard in the back which made me roll over to try and defend, but before I could she stomped me in the stomach, and just kept kicking me over and over...” Lucy’s body trembled as she relieved the event in her mind. “I-I couldn’t do much because I was tied up tightly, so I kept rolling to the side and curling up in a ball. I didn’t wanna scream, because... b-because I thought that’s what she wanted to hear, and I wasn’t gonna give her that satisfaction. But I think it only made her angrier.”

“Was she saying anything through this attack?”

“Y-Yes...” Lucy’s voice cracked. “S-She was calling me a slut and a bitch and blamed me for the pain she was feeling. Said if only I’d walked away like she’d warned me to, I wouldn’t be in this situation. So, I snapped back that hurting me wouldn’t make Natsu love her. That killing me...” Lucy sucked in a breath, “wasn’t worth going to jail over. I thought— that maybe if I try to reason with her, get her to see this wouldn’t change anything, she’d stop, but— it didn’t faze her.” Lucy shivered at how cold Touka’s eyes had been at the moment. “She said, “if I can’t have him, neither will you.” That, “don’t you think I know that?” But she didn’t care. This woman was going to kill me, and she said it with a straight face. That’s when I knew she was serious, and I started preparing myself to die.”

Eventually, Lucy couldn’t even look in Natsu’s direction. She could see the utter turmoil on his face, and it only added to her anxiety. So, instead, she looked at the jury members themselves. That was another tactic the prosecutor instructed Lucy to do. ‘Talk to them,’ he’d explained. ‘Think of this as your opportunity to tell your story. Let them see all the emotions you were feeling then, or feeling now, because they need to know how much Touka’s actions have affected you.’ So, that’s what Lucy did her best to do, scanning just above their heads. She still couldn’t make eye contact because just like Natsu, listening to her story brought a lot of pain to many of their faces.

With tears trickling down, Lucy continued giving a blow by blow account leading up to Natsu’s arrival, and what happened before the authorities arrived. How she got the cut on her neck and other injuries, and how they were fighting against Touka as hard as they could. Tears trickled slowly down her cheeks as she spoke, but she didn’t stop talking. She told them how Natsu begged Touka to leave her alone, even willing to give up his life for it, but once Natsu admitted that he loved her, that really set Touka off. “That— T-That not how I wanted to find out he loved me!” Lucy screamed through the tears. “That’s not how anyone should find that out! And she took that beautiful thing away from me!” Lucy slumped in her chair, trying to stop the heavy sobs wracking her body. Saying it out loud, the anger was seething inside of her because she hadn’t expected to have this reaction. Maybe she’d buried it for far too long?

“Ms. Heartfilia, do you need a break?”

“N-No,” she wiped away the sloppy tears. “I can finish this. I-I need to keep going.”

“Take a moment to compose yourself,” the judge explained, “then continue.”

Lucy nodded to the judge in acknowledgment, then after a long deep exhale, continued to tell the jury how she’d watched as Natsu defended her and what was going through her mind as she saw him stabbed. “All the blood...” she whimpered, fighting the urge to bawl again. “There was so much blood from Natsu’s injuries. I started freaking out because I didn’t wanna die and I didn’t wanna watch my boyfriend killed! So, I-I grabbed the closest object which was a hardcover book— her school yearbook and just started swinging as hard as I could despite my wrists being tied. I was just running on adrenaline at the point knowing it had to be either her or us, and I’m sorry, but I did not want to die.”

At that stage of the testimony, Lucy took the jury through the police’s arrival from her perspective. What she’d observed, and how they finished subduing Touka. “Once they took her into custody, I think I was just in shock. Frankly, I don’t even know how I managed to stay focused through the whole ordeal, I just remember thinking if this woman was gonna kill me, I’d make it as difficult as possible.” Finally, Lucy covered the timeline for the jury between the scene and going to the hospital for treatment, including the panic attack and his she had to be sedated.

“And how has this affected you since the incident?”

“Objection! Leading! This has no relevance to the case!” The defense attorney argued to the judge. “The witnesses state of mind after the fact could be contributed to multiple factors and there’s no way to attribute it solely to my client or the events revolves around my client.”

The prosecutor countered, arguing that Lucy’s continued reactions to the events over the ensuing months was relevant to the case.

But the judge only ruled partially in the States favor. “Re-word you question counselor to the event itself.”

“Ms. Heartfilia, please provide any specific factors you’ve suffered relating to your experiences with Ms. Shiromajyo.”

“W-Well, my panic attacks and nightmares are because of what happened. I keep seeing and reliving things like a movie replaying in my mind. Especially the attack, I literally wake up screaming because of bloody dreams, and this causes me problems, like I don’t get enough sleep, I couldn’t focus on school. Just the fear of leaving my apartment has kept me from doing anything really for months. I’m scared of being kidnapped, even though logically I know Touka is in jail, it doesn’t just make those feelings go away. I wish it did— Heaven help me, I wish it would just go away, but it doesn’t.”

“So, you still fear Ms. Shiromajyo?”

Lucy stiffened and nodded her head vehemently as she shrunk down in the chair. “Yes.”

“Thank you, no further questions at this time. We reserve the right to recall the witness.”

“Cross?” The judge asked the defense, to which they also responded with reserve the right to recall. “Then Ms. Heartfilia, you may leave the stand, but be available in case of being recalled.”

Lucy nodded quietly at the judge, then slipped out of the courtroom. The bailiff lead her to a back room, along with her therapist so she couldn’t hear what was going on. Once in the safety of the room, she broke down. All the emotions she’d tampered down to get through the testimony, rushed out. She’d shed tears during her testimony, but now she was free to sob openly.

“You did great,” the therapist cooed, soothing the young woman. She tightened her hug, “that’s good, just let it all out.”

A knock at the door came, as Natsu and Levy were allowed inside. Natsu immediately went to his girlfriend and took over for the therapist. “Shh,” he spoke softly and smoothed his hand against her hair. “You did amazing babe!”

“Lu, you did great up there! We’re really proud of you!”

“Thanks, guys,” Lucy sniffled into Natsu’s chest. She was proud of getting through it without having a break down, but the nagging knowledge of this wasn’t over yet, still loomed large. The defense was surely going to recall her at some stage, and even if the attorney didn’t, the prosecutor could, plus just the waiting sucked! “Can we please go home? I-I just wanna go home.”