#Give me a 40s settings with drama

[mokassins]

Todays outfits made me wanna go for a war setting AU where Fit is an aviator and Pac is part of mafia or something 🌹

[gncrevan]

is there like a single connection between the terror season one and two? i came here for fear of cold and cannibalism ):

[cy-lindric]

bonjour cy-lindric, j'ai une petite question. when I was a young person, I read The Three Musketeers and then eagerly started to read Twenty Years After and was so upset at what had happened to my beloved young heroes that I put the book down and never picked it up. what do you think, should I try again?

Bonjour !

After reading The Three Musketeers, I also wasn't sure I wanted to read Twenty Years After, and I took a break inbetween both to read something entirely different (The Locked Tomb, iirc). I think my reason for that was kind of the opposite of yours ; I enjoyed T3M a lot and loved the characters, flaws and all, but by the end they had somewhat crossed over the line into being Too Awful and the lack of retribution left me a bit frustrated. I didn't see it as a failing of the story - on the contrary, their strong character flaws and downfall in the conflict with Milady is one of the most emotionally intense and compelling parts imo - but I wasn't sure I felt like hanging out with these guys for a few hundred more pages at that point.

If your vision of the characters as a young reader was a very positive and perhaps idealized one, I can imagine why you might not have enjoyed entering into Twenty Years after. The illusion of glory has worn off ; the characters have separated, they live unremarkable lives, and their personalities have evolved drastically with the passing of time. It's almost a brutal return to reality.

For me though, it added layers of characterization to the point where now it's clear to me that this version of the Inseparables is by far the one I prefer.

I hope it's ok if I take the opportunity to talk at length about what I like about TYA below the cut. TL;DR : I love that Twenty Years After is a more realistic look at the big four's personalities and how they evolved while still keeping them thematically coherent, and that TYA makes them confront the reckless and cruel shit they did in their youth.

Spoilers ahead obviously.

We've often talked about how T3M is at its core a story about the end of knighthood. It's a tongue-in-cheek approach at chivalrous initiation, set at edge of the modern world, inbetween the time of ballads about knights in armor and that of adventures about journeying gunmen and soldiers. I think TYA embodies that particularly ; the story of people who have carried the last of these intense, dangerous chivalric ideals in their youths, and who have now grown into middle aged adults who need to find their place in the world.

For a good chunk of the book, the big four are separated into two teams ; that in of itself might discourage some, but imo it's genius. Instead of the natural two-by-pairings, Dumas goes for a d'Artagnan+ Porthos and Athos + Aramis split on opposite sides, which makes for good drama and develops lesser explored dynamics. D'Artagnan and Porthos form a scrappy team of opportunists with money on their minds, and Athos and Aramis a more idealistic duo fighting for a noble lost cause. I think it's a bold choice but also premium sequel writing.

I also love the way the young and wild characters we knew evolve into middle aged men ; at their core, they're still the same, but they've all changed and struggled against the sunset of the golden age in their own ways.

D'Artagnan, after knowing such adventures and subsequent rapid social ascension in his teenage years, has been met in his adult life with the harsh reality that he is, in fact, not a noble knight but a soldier on payroll. His modest origins give him little hope for any further career advancement, and he takes on a new mission in his early 40s for a man he has no devotion for and a cause he doesn't care about, simply because he is bored and broke. D'Artagnan still has his quick wits, his strategic talent, his fencing skills, but he has grown out of the excesses of pride of his teenage years. I loved meeting him again in TYA, and it made so much sense to me that his bouts of anger and aggressivity would be a youthful trait that he'd ended up taming. He also realizes now a lot of what seemed like funny adventures and necessary violence was actually kind of fucked up ; that was a shock to me, as their shenanigans are treated so lightly in T3M, and tbh it healed me a little. Grown up d'Artagnan is cunning, calculating, down to earth and realistic. My foxy little man. I love him.

Porthos, likewise, has been struck by the weight of reality. He has made the sensible choice and got married to the rich widow who sugar mommied him in the first book. Now she's passed, he is rich, but he still fails to earn the respect of the high society he evolves in because he's not high born enough. Like d'Artagnan, he's stagnating and bored and now that he goes back adventuring it has nothing to do with the queen or the kingdom or honour ; it's about getting his damn nobility title.

Athos, on the other hand, is the eternal knight : the only truly high born of the four, and still hopelessly holding on to a time gone by. It's no surprise imo that his storyline brings him into the english civil war, doomed to fail at saving a king who'll end up executed right in front of him. TYA acknowledges more clearly than ever that at 28 yo, Athos was a depressed alcoholic, and an embodiment of what an excess of aristocratic righteousness can do. In TYA, he is sober and moisturized and a DILF, and now he's running around frantically looking for absolution for his numerous crimes. It's delicious.

Aramis is maybe the hardest pill to swallow. TYA confirms the T3M hints that he isn't really the prim and proper romantic boy he acts like he is, and that he's possibly the most hypocritical and ruthless of the four. It might be a harsh one for Aramis fans who like him better as a cute bean, but I love the early onset of remorseless conniving bloodthirsty ambitious Aramis. Another harsh bit might be the evolution of Aramis and d'Artagnan not really liking each other ; they were always the least close combination, and imo it makes sense that their personalities would clash. I think it's clever and compelling conflict.

Now, obviously, if you've cared enough to read all this and if you know me a little, you know that a huge highlight of the book for me was its late-appearing antagonist, Mordaunt. Mordaunt is the son Milady had with her english husband. Because of the Musketeers' intervention, he's grown up in poverty and has been denied his father's inheritance. He's now a Roundhead working for Cromwell, and set on avenging his mother at all costs. Mordaunt, unlike his mother who was this beautiful and dangerous force of nature, is very uncool and pathetic. She was the primordial snake, he's the gutter rat. Obviously, I love that in and of itself, but it's also kind of striking image of the wretchedness of what they've done to her, a fucked up little goblin ghost come back to haunt them as they're trying to make their life worth living again. This time, their enemy is not a cunning political rival with a flamboyance of body and mind akin to their own ; it's a shitty little guy with bad skin who wants to kill the king and punish the murderers. Watch out babes, it's the modern world coming for you.

Of course, they're the Four Musketeers, and they did what they had to do, so they get together again and swear friendship and keep going their way. But they're also old guys with difficult personalities in a world that's never going to be the same. I think it's a cool book.

[kyriethesquishysquid]

Heard Through the Grapevine (König/Fem!Reader)

Summary: There were always crazy rumors whirling around military bases and KorTac was no different. König, in particular, was often the victim of the most vicious rumors. Despite knowing her opinion is unpopular, the lovely reader refuses to partake in spreading the lies and often stands up against them instead, all while trying to battle her growing feelings for the quiet colonel. 

Word count: ~9K

A/N: Some use of Y/N. Reader’s description is left rather vague but there are details of her being short, chubby, and with hair long enough to pull back. Reader is aged between her mid-twenties to mid-thirties. While König has no exact canon age, in this fic he will be somewhere around 40 (an age range I’ve seen people come to match with his ranking as colonel). König has anxiety, reader has anxiety, we ALL have anxiety. Slightly possible medical inaccuracies- While I am a nurse, I am not an AP or Emergency Room nurse so I’ve never done stitches myself. I’m using my basic medical knowledge, what I’ve learned in classes, and Google. So please forgive any inaccuracies! As always, I've never played COD. No beta we die like Graves.

TW: Porn with minor plot. Romance and smut. Slight age gap (reader is somewhere around 5-15 years younger than König). Size kink, mild innocence kink(?) dom/sub themes, M!dom/F!sub, major power play, praise-degradation, accent/language kink, voice kink, dirty talk, multiple orgasms, and loottss of pet names (I’m a whore for pet names) in both German and English. Mentions of violence. Talk of blood, wounds, and stitching in a medical setting. 

Simple Translations (Longer translations will be included next to their sentences!):

Scheiße - Shit

Kleines - Little one

Kätzchen - Kitten

Schätzchen - Sweetheart

Liebling - Darling/Love

“You can’t say he doesn’t terrify you!” 

Your friend’s words scoffed through a mouth full of pizza made you grimace for multiple reasons, a shrug of your shoulders being your only answer as you dug back into your mashed potatoes. 

“Seriously, Y/N?” Mark pressed harder with obvious disbelief. 

“What?” you retorted sharply, “Is it so hard to believe I’m not scared of the colonel just because he’s a big guy?” 

 “Then what’s with the way you look at him?” your best friend, Lisa, added, unable to hide the coy smirk growing.

A heavy sigh left your lungs and you dropped your spoon onto your plate, directing a deadpan look at the both of them as you realized they were not going to drop the subject. 

Damn her and her mischievous nature. She was the only one who knew even a little about your hidden feelings for König, having been spilled one late night under the stars after far too many drinks, and she hadn’t stopped giving you shit for it since. Thankfully, she was a good friend and didn’t air out your personal laundry to anybody; not even your other mutual friends. However, that didn’t stop her from teasing you at every turn possible. Like now. The whole topic was a stupid subject in your eyes, brought on by the recent rumors about König having decapitated a new recruit for looking at him wrong. Ridiculous, unbelievable, and yet people wouldn’t let it go. It made you feel a kinship for the big man. Though for different reasons, you’d been the subject of many rumors over your life, having been picked on and subjected to bullshit drama simply because of your weight. Perhaps that was the biggest trigger of it all, but the fact you truly liked König was certainly a major supporting factor.

“Colonel König is intimidating, yes, but most men are intimidating; save for the present company,” you shot back with a little grin, earning a scowl from said man, “Nonetheless, I’m not scared of him. He’s never raised his voice at me, nor given me a reason to believe those stupid fucking rumors people want to spread about him. He’s always treated me with respect, more than any of the other cocky bastards around here do really. Those stupid rumors come from people who are jealous of him, either his rank or his superior physical condition, OR from people who have nothing better to do with their downtime than come up with spooky stories.”

Your best friend’s eyes went owlish in shock, pulling the corners of your lips into a frown of frustration at her childish behavior, and you prodded her shin gently beneath the table. 

“For fuck's sake, stop looking at me like that. You know I respect and even like the colonel, okay? So no matter what silly shit floats around, I’m not going to believe a word of it until the day I see these supposed cruel actions in person,” you sighed, then pled with her softly, “Just- Just drop it, please.”

When she didn’t respond, you felt a prickle of uncertainty send the hairs on the back of your neck on end. You tried to catch her gaze only to see it traveling off to your right before finally coming back your way with a nervous laugh. 

“I- I didn’t realize it but… he was sitting behind you,” she murmured softly. 

Spine snapping straight, you gaped at her in shock. 

“No way, you’re joking, right?” you hissed. 

The slow shake of her head made your heart fall into your guts, pounding heavily in your veins as you nervously turned in the direction she had looked, only to find him putting up his dirty dishes and exiting the room. 

“Mother fucker!” you groaned, “So- So he heard all of that?!” 

When she nodded, you were almost sure you were going to faint. You and König were on good terms as nurse and patient but that didn’t mean you wanted him to think (however correct it was) that you had some kind of crush on him with how adamantly you defended him. 

Food suddenly didn’t seem so appetizing with the nerves buzzing in your stomach. Pushing your plate away, you got up from the table and quickly dismissed yourself with the excuse of paperwork piling up on your desk. It wasn’t a complete lie at least. Medical documentation was never-ending, especially in a military base with accident-prone soldiers. You only hoped you could make it back to the medical wing without running into the big man himself and making things more awkward. 

Dumping your food, you shoved the plate into the dirty dish bin and rushed out into the hall. You were grateful to find the foot traffic minimal, allowing you to cross the base as quickly as your short legs could carry you. Your anxiety was already high enough with the worries of what König now thought; adding another unknown variable into the mix would spell certain disaster for your mental stability.  

The instant you stepped foot into the medbay and found it empty, you shut and locked the office door before snagging up one of the throw pillows off the old beaten-up couch and screaming into said pillow with all of your might. You screamed and screamed, until your throat hurt and your heart pounded loud in your ears, until you felt that nervous buzz of panic fade from your skin and leave exhaustion behind. 

“I’m gonna need a fucking drink tonight,” you sighed as you dropped into your computer chair, “She’s gonna owe me for this shit.” 

With that last thought, you fell back into the monotonous routine of finishing up charts and notes from the day. 

The next few hours passed quickly into days and days into weeks, time flying by in a blur as you buried yourself in your work and your patients in hopes of forgetting your troubles. You were both relieved and frustrated that you hadn’t seen the colonel at all during that time; relieved you wouldn’t have to deal with an awkward situation but frustrated because, despite the anxiety, you missed his presence. It wasn’t until Horangi assisted a hunched-over König into the office three weeks later that you realized he’d been gone on a mission during that time, a mission that had obviously gone askew. Immediately you jumped to your feet and ushered the duo over, prepared to balance the injured giant on his other side if necessary.

“What happened?” you demanded as Horangi helped König sit on the medical bed. 

“Nothing serious,” König replied, letting out a hiss when Horangi jerked his hand away and none-too-gently removed the makeshift bandage from the bigger man’s side.

A shudder ran down your spine at the amount of drying blood shining against his tight black shirt and then you eyed the tear in the fabric. His pale flesh was covered in different states of drying blood but the bleeding of the visceral wound seemed to be, thankfully, stopped for the time being.

“Good god, not serious?!” you snapped in disbelief. 

König had the gall to roll his eyes as you muttered to yourself about men being stupid and stubborn. As you leaned in closer to examine the gash, Horangi moved aside to give you room. Luckily, the cut looked relatively clean but the depth of it was concerning, with multiple layers of tissue peeking through the wound. 

“Hey, I’m going to debrief with the general,” Horangi commented suddenly, “I’ll let him know you’re getting fixed up first.” 

König gave a small nod in reply as the other operator left the room and you stepped back with a half-smile. 

“I’m going to have to stitch that up. If you’re not comfortable with me doing it, I can call the doctor in but I have done them plenty before if-”

“Ja, I want you to do it,” he cut you off quickly. 

That wasn’t a surprise. Nobody enjoyed having to call one of the docs in during the middle of the night unless it was for a dire emergency because they were all, understandably, cranky when woken. 

“That’s fine,” you agreed, biting your lower lip before gesturing at him and adding, “I- I’ll need you to remove your shirt so I can get a better look and stitch you up.”

König let out a noise of understanding as you turned away to wash your hands and grab out all of the necessary equipment you’d need for the stitches. Thankfully, the wound wasn’t deep enough to have chanced any vital areas, especially since it was on his side, but there was no doubt it was still deep enough that it wouldn’t heal properly without treatment. How he was even upright and talking like normal was beyond you. You were just glad you had been an RN in the emergency room before transferring to KorTac, your time there invaluable for all the shit you’d had to put up with here between busy doctors and never-ending patients. 

“Alrighty, let’s get this show on the… road”

As your gaze met bare, toned, skin, your brain immediately melted into nothingness. Gone were all the years of medical training and college; all that remained were the hormones of a bitch in heat. Never, in the entire year you’d worked with KorTac, had you ever seen him shirtless. He was hardly in here, between his elite skills and natural resilience against being hurt, and the only times he had been were generally for serious things that the doctor would have to take care of, or for routine visits that wouldn’t require him shirtless. So to say you were struck dumb was an understatement. 

Logically, you had known König was fit. It was practically written in all of their contracts to stay in peak physical condition, and the compression shirts he wore did nothing to hide the defined muscles in his arms and stomach, but seeing him without the fabric was even more daunting than you had expected. 

“Schätzchen?” he asked softly, voice full of something that sounded like concern. 

His gloved fingers touching your face finally jerked you out of your entirely inappropriate fantasy of getting the chance to lick up and down his abdomen and you nearly squeaked in shock, barely concealing the noise by clearing your throat. 

“Uh, sorry, I- I don’t know what came over me, uh, okay. Can you lie down for me, please? I’m sure you know this works but I’m gonna numb you up first. It’s probably going to sting,” you warned him.

Setting the equipment on the metal rolling table, you took the last terrifying steps toward him and it took everything in your power not to moan as you realized you were directly face to face with firm pecs until he finally sat. You managed to shake away the lustful thoughts on your own this time and pulled on gloves before grabbing up the syringe. 

“Ready?” you asked, not daring to meet his eyes lest you get too flustered to work. 

“Ja, go ahead,” he rumbled. 

With a steadying breath, you carefully poked the needle into the top layers of the wound and pushed the plunger down slowly. You’d seen other soldiers cry over the pain of a lidocaine injection into an open wound, not that you could blame them, but, of course, König took it all without even flinching. The man really acted like he was made of stone. It was insane. 

“That should kick in in just a few,” you murmured, capping the needle and placing it into the sharps container, “Wanna tell me what happened while we wait?” 

Feeling safe back near the cabinets rather than within arms reach, you finally let your eyes find him and watched in disbelief as he sat up without even a wince, cool blue eyes clear and steady.  

“Ah, nothing serious. There was one hidden upstairs and we didn’t realize it until- well, this,” he replied after a moment, gesturing to his side with a half-chuckle half-sigh. 

A frown turned down your lips at that. God, you really had it lucky, sitting here in your cushy position as a nurse. Sure, the hours sucked, and seeing people hurt (or god forbid worse) really sucked, but at least your life was never in danger like theirs. You hated thinking about him getting hurt like this, no matter how silly it was since he could obviously take care of himself. Swallowing hard, you nodded and grabbed another fresh pair of gloves, snapping them on with a forced smile. 

“Well, I’d hate to see the other guy then,” you teased softly.

It was a joke, and yet it wasn’t. You had no doubt his assailant hadn’t made it out of there in one piece. 

“Let’s just say, not even a talented nurse such as yourself could help him when I was done with him,” he replied.

You couldn’t help but giggle at how his eyes crinkled beneath the faded black smudges, further conveying the amusement lacing his tone. 

“I bet. I know I wouldn’t want to be your enemy, colonel,” you snickered, “Okay, lie down again for me please.”   

König leaned back with a little groan and tucked his right hand behind his head, keeping the angle perfect to avoid stretching or squishing the skin around the wound. There was a comfortable silence as you readied the needle with thread in the driver. You gave him a testing tap around the wound, to which he quickly affirmed he felt nothing before you got to work. You quickly cleaned the area, put a clean drape around it, and then snagged up the needle. It had been a bit since you’d done sutures on such a wound but you quickly fell back into the familiar rhythm with simple interrupted stitches. 

“You’re rather good at that,” he complimented quietly.

You felt your cheeks warm at the praise as you sent him a warm smile and replied, “Thank you. It’s nice to know I haven’t lost my touch since leaving the emergency department.” 

“Oh? What made you decide to come here instead?” 

Well, this was new. While König was always kind to you, it generally never went beyond small talk. You knew as much about him as he did you, though you couldn’t lie and say you were complaining about the change. That little fangirl you tried to hide so deep inside was dancing with elation over the fact that he was trying to keep a conversation going, but it wasn’t helping your little crush one bit.  

“Honestly? Better pay and escape from a bad home situation,” you admitted honestly, “I just didn’t have a great environment to accel in and when my cousin mentioned joining you guys, it just made sense.”  

Tying the last end into a square knot, you snipped off the extra thread and stood with a proud smile, examining your handiwork happily. 

“Gotta say, you’re a model patient, colonel. I don’t wanna see you in here for this again though,” you playfully scolded. 

As you turned away, you were startled by a sudden deep laugh. Not a chuckle or a snort, but a full-on belly laugh, and you were absolutely certain you’d never heard anything more beautiful.  

“And here I was thinking about getting stabbed again just so I could see meine süße kleine krankenschwester.” (My sweet little nurse)

“Hey, no using languages I can’t understand,” you retorted with a giggle, ducking your face in hopes of hiding the way your cheeks flushed with lust at the sound of his mother tongue. 

Why was that so sexy, hearing him speak German? Not that his speaking normally didn’t affect you but, when he fell into his old language, it just did something different. Another laugh rumbled from the man as you went about cleaning up the utensils and you had to grin. You knew, going forward, you’d do anything you could to hear that laugh again. A small glimmer of hope flickered to life in your chest as you ungloved and tossed them in the trash. Maybe this was the beginning of an actual friendship… or more.

As you scolded yourself over the lofty dreams, a presence against your back put a sudden stop to your motions, every last bit of you freezing in place except your heart which pounded valiantly in your veins. 

“You- You shouldn’t- shouldn’t move around so much,” you whispered breathlessly as you tried to shake off the sudden nerves, “Don’t wanna rip your stitches out already.” 

He was all but impossible to ignore, standing so close that you were certain you’d bump into him if you breathed too hard. Taking a small stabilizing breath, your eyes closed in frustration as you caught his scent, the faint smell of sweat, gunpowder, and something spiced, possibly a faded cologne or body wash overtaking your senses. It took all of your will to keep moving and cleaning up as if everything was normal. As you grabbed the antiseptic, you could visibly see the way your hands shook and mentally berated yourself. You were literally just sticking a needle into his side minutes ago. Why was this affecting you so much?! 

You grabbed onto the counter for balance and lifted onto tiptoe only to have the bottle suddenly snagged from you and shelved in its spot just barely within your reach. It would have been completely fine, a nice gesture even, if it weren’t for the fact he had to lean against you to do it. With his free hand resting against your waist for balance, you could feel every- single- fucking- inch of his form against yours. Forbidden images of him taking you right there against the counter flooded your thoughts when you got a very personal feel of his dick against your lower back, completely prominent in its shape even while soft.

The fates were fucking testing you to the ends of your limits at that point. 

“You should get a step stool, kleines, don’t want to hurt yourself,” he mused quietly.

A shaky nod was all you could manage, your fingers wrapping around the edge of the solid countertop and holding on for dear life. You couldn’t find it in you to reply with the mortifying lust clouding your mind. With your luck, instead of thanking him you’d ask to repay the favor with a blowjob. 

Deep breaths. In and out. After a few moments, you knew you should respond. You had to do something to diffuse the situation because he was obviously content to let you stew in your thoughts.  

“You- You- Uhm, you should go rest,” you stammered out after a moment.

And then he was gone. The instant he stepped away, you nearly dropped to the floor, your knees weak and back now startlingly cold. Tucking some hair behind your ear, you spun around and prepared to give him the usual medical spiel about resting and letting the wound heal, only to lose the ability to speak when a large hand cupped your jaw. 

“I’m sorry if I scared you.”

His voice was soft, warm with a tinge of amusement dancing at the edges, and suddenly you remembered the stupid conversation you’d had with your friends in the canteen. Your tongue felt thick and immovable so you settled for shaking your head no, trying to convey that he, in fact, hadn’t scared you.

“No? No, what?” he asked. 

Swallowing down the urge to moan, you shakily replied, “You don’t- didn’t scare me.” 

Your plump cheeks burned hot at the way his icy blue eyes subtly changed, lids lowering into an indiscernible expression as his irises searched your face thoroughly. 

“Are you sure? You’re suddenly much quieter, Schätzchen.”

A little curse escaped before you could catch it as you subconsciously melted into his hand when his thumb started stroking your jawline. The calloused texture rubbed deliciously against your soft skin and sent goosebumps down your arms.    

“I-I’m sure,” you answered, voice barely audible even in the silent room, “Just… unexpected.” 

When he leaned down and hovered just above your ear, you swore you were about to combust. He was close, too fucking close. Delectably within reach and yet so far away in the ways that mattered. Your thighs clenched together in search of some kind of relief when his scent infiltrated your senses again, the same as before but so much stronger, and you couldn’t help the way your stomach fluttered traitorously. 

“That’s all, hmm?” he rumbled lowly. 

Oh. That bastard! He knew what he was doing to you and he was teasing you about it! How was this the same quiet colonel that you practically had to bully into saying more than a few words just a couple of weeks prior? You lifted your hands and prepared to shove him away, to give him a piece of your mind, but he threw you another curveball with the sudden sensation of soft lips against your throat.

“Ah!” 

This time, your gasp was loud, rivaled only by the pounding thump of your heart threatening to burst from your chest. 

“I asked you a question, kleines, I expect an answer.”

A truly pathetic whine fell from your lips as your head fell to rest against his shoulder. How were you supposed to answer him?! Your tongue felt thick and immovable as you soaked in the sensation of his skin against yours.  

“König, please, I don’t- I don’t understand what you want here,” you finally managed to croak through parted lips. 

He let out a small hum but didn’t answer right away. His lips busied themselves trailing barely-there kisses up and down the side of your neck. When you felt his nose brush against your ear, you nearly jumped. Every touch threatened to make you come apart right then and there and it was quickly becoming too much.

“Is- Is this about what I said a few weeks ago?” you pushed for an answer. 

Pausing in his thorough exploration of your flesh, he let out a little breath before humming back, “Mmhmm. Imagine my surprise when I heard you defending me, Schätzchen, heard you tell your little friends so certainly that you were not scared of me; that you even liked me.”

Your nails instinctively dug into his bare arms as you fought for your sanity, his teeth scraping your neck and raveling away what little sensibilities you had left. 

“At first, I doubted what I heard,” he spoke as his hands took hold of your hips and squeezed softly, “You are so soft and sweet. Untouchable to someone like me. I’ve spent the last few weeks debating, agonizing over if you might feel what I felt. Tonight though, with the way you looked at me? I could finally see it.” 

When he pulled back, you couldn’t bring yourself to meet his gaze again but he was quick to correct that with a little nudge. 

“Still so shy.”

Your thoughts were running a thousand miles an hour; fear, lust, and disbelief were shouting at you in so many different ways that you thought you would pass out from overstimulation alone. While you’d thought about this happening almost every night since you’d first talked with him, you’d always assumed he would be a fantasy only. You never imagined the quiet, steadfast, colonel would ever have a mutual interest in you. Part of you wanted to drop to your knees and thank him for even touching you, while the other waited with panic-laced worries for him to announce that it was some kind of prank. 

When his calloused fingers trailed up your face and into your hair to scrape your scalp, it was like he flipped a magical switch. Gone were the panicked thoughts, the uncertainties, and the insecurities. All that existed were the beautiful sensations he created. 

“Does that feel good?” he asked. 

You nodded dumbly and let your eyes flutter back open as you heard him laugh, flushing with desire as you were once more pinned with those gorgeous eyes of his. 

“This isn’t some kind of joke, is it?” you finally questioned, managing to get somewhat of a grip on your psyche, “Because if it is, I’ll-” 

A sharp sting through your scalp cut you off as he tightened his fingers in your hair, following your silence with disappointed tongue clicks. 

“Do I really seem like the kind of man who would joke about something like this?” 

You shook your head slowly, muttering a defeated little “No sir” in response. Your efforts were rewarded with the release of your hair, hand tenderly cupping the nape of your neck instead. 

“I need to hear you say you want this before it goes any further,” he instructed you, firmly but gently.    

As your lips parted, you hesitated. Of course, you wanted this, but here? Now? Your eyes darted nervously to the cracked door before catching his once more. 

“I- I do but… König, anyone could come in and, god, you’re hurt and-”

You watched in awe, voice trailing off into silence, as he leaned in and pulled up his sniper hood, revealing a black gaiter which he promptly tugged down. The peek of a strong, square, jawline peppered with a short stubble made your eyes open wide in shock but your attention was quickly captured by his full lips, curled up into a smirk with a peek of sharp canines flashing through. Fuck, if only part of him was this gorgeous, you were afraid to see him completely bare. 

“As I have said, it’s not serious, and you’ve so graciously patched me up,” he purred softly, eyes boring holes into your sole as his lips almost touched yours, “Now, tell me kleines, do- you- want- this?”

“Yes, god, ple-”

Fingers dug hard into your soft sides as he finally captured your mouth in a gentle kiss and you instinctively stretched up to meet him, hands sliding up to wrap around the back of his neck in an attempt to convey just how badly you wanted him. Words weren’t your forte but actions… actions you could manage. 

A quiet groan escaped your lips as you felt his hips press against yours and hands came down to grab your ass. Your shock quickly turned into concern when you felt him start to lift you. 

“König, no!” you scolded him as you wiggled out of his grasp. 

The colonel had the gall to look confused by your rejection. 

You gestured to his freshly sewn stitches and bit out, “I don’t care how much you say it’s fine. I refuse to be the reason you pop your stitches and I’d rather not have to put a needle in your again. Just…” 

Your stern words trailed off as you saw the mild pink tinge across his upper cheeks. He was too adorable. Huffing out a low sigh, you rested your hands against his firm pecs and gently pushed him back toward the bed. 

“Lay down, I’m shutting the door real quick.”

Thankfully, he didn’t bother arguing, just turned with an annoyed grunt as you shut and locked the door. The annoyance in his eyes dropped the instant you carefully climbed up onto the bed with him, letting him guide you to sit over his thighs comfortably. 

“If we’re doing this, we’re doing it in a way that you won’t get hurt,” you warned him. 

“Verdammte Hölle,” he scoffed lowly, fingers digging into the plush softness of your thighs, “Fine, if you insist, just get over here.” 

A gasp passed from your lips into his when he dragged you in closer and you felt the bulge of his cock already growing through his cargos. And what a fucking power rush that was, to know you were affecting one of the strongest men in existence. You! A short, chubby, nobody-famous nurse and this god-like man wanted you. 

“Fuck,” you breathed out quietly, hands coming to rest on his chest as he guided your hips down against his, “König, I said-”

“You may be on top of me, but you are in no way in control, understood, Kätzchen?” he bit out huskily. 

Your heart stammered in your chest but you managed a little nod in response. Apparently subdued by your acceptance, his hands spurred you into motion once more, tearing a broken moan from your chest as his hardness pressed deliciously against the apex of your thighs. Even though clothing, he was working you up entirely too easily.  

He attacked your neck once more and growled out a terse, “Scheiße, I always knew you’d sound fucking beautiful like this. Mein kleines engel, so verdammt unschuldig und süß.” (My little angel, so fucking innocent and sweet)

While you had no idea what he said, it was clearly something sexual and you couldn’t help the way you shuddered. It was kind of funny. When you first met him, you’d been shocked by the pitch of his voice, having expected such a giant being to have a deep voice; and now… now you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Oh? Magst du es, wenn ich mit dir Deutsch spreche, mein dummes kleines Kätzchen?” (“Do you like when I speak German to you, my silly little kitten?”)

Instinctively, you ground down in search of relief as his voice filled your head and took over your thoughts. 

He chuckled softly and murmured, “You do like it. I can feel the way your sweet little cunt throbs against me each time. Do you always react this way when I speak German around you?” 

Your body froze at that, face heating and flushing down your chest as you finally understood what he was saying. No fucking way.

“You- You can feel it?” you asked meekly, hoping he’d say no. 

“Mmhmm, Deine kleinen Zuckungen sind so süß- Ah, there is it again,” he teased, “So, kleines? Is it like that every time?” (Your little twitches are so cute)

With a frustrated groan, you quietly admitted it before ducking down to bite onto his shoulder. You felt a thrill of satisfaction when you felt his cock jump between your thighs but didn’t even stop to gloat, too enthralled by the taste of his skin. You didn’t dare leave marks, unsure of the protocol for his position, but gods you wanted to. Maybe another time, if you were given the chance. Scraping your teeth across his flesh, you scooted back to sit farther down his thighs and began to make your way down his collarbone and chest until you were able to gently bite the meatiest part of his pec. 

“Ah, Scheiße!”

Before he could react further, you continued on and swiped your tongue across his nipple, earning a guttural moan and his fingers curled into the hair at the back of your head. For a moment, you questioned if he intended to stop you but, when he didn’t, you did it again. The little muffled curses he let out only worsened the mess in your panties and you had to restrain yourself from reaching down to ease the ache. It wasn’t until you were kneeling between his thighs and working at his belt that he finally stopped you.

“Kätzchen, just what do you intend to do?” he asked as you nibbled softly at the skin above his pants. 

You let out a huff and rolled your eyes up at him. 

“I intend to suck your cock, if that’s okay, colonel,” you shot back. 

He mumbled something quietly under his breath then added louder, “While I would love that, I don’t know how much time we have.” 

As you finally worked his belt open and began tugging his pants down, you couldn’t help but pout. 

“That’s not fair. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do this?” you whined. 

The way his eyes rolled back and his hips arched made you grin. 

“And I would love to see those beautiful lips wrapped around my dick, but another time, kleines. Right now, I need to be inside of you.”

Your cunt clenched instinctively at that, at the promise of another chance to touch him, and you finally relented with a sigh. 

“Fine, fine, but you owe me later,” you replied, letting him pull you back over his lap. 

With a chuckle, he pulled you into a kiss and mumbled, “Of course, Schätzchen. Anything you wish, whenever you wish- except for right now.”

A flush crossed your face, deep and hot, as his words settled into your chest. When he began tugging at your jeans, you helped slide them and your panties down until they were hooked around just one leg. You weren’t given much time to ruminate on the feeling of your bare flesh against the scratchy fabric of his pants before the sensation of calloused fingers sliding down your slit stole both your attention and breath. 

“Ooh, look at you,” he crooned lowly, fingertips pushing between your lips and sliding back up until he found your clit, “So wet for me already.” 

Worrying your lower lip, your forehead rested against his cheek and your nails dug into his shoulders as you nodded slowly. Of course, you were. Who wouldn’t be when Adonis was touching them? He moved slowly, gently, almost as if afraid to go faster. It felt good but it wasn’t enough. 

“Ich wünschte, ich könnte jetzt meine Zunge in dieser heißen kleinen Muschi haben. Ich wette, du schmeckst himmlisch.” (I wish I could have my tongue in this hot little pussy right now. I bet you taste like heaven.)

“Ffff-Fuck!”

A broken whine escaped your lips when he finally slipped a lone finger into your core and it took everything within you not to collapse at that moment. One of his felt like two of yours but reached even deeper. You couldn’t resist rocking into his motions as he carefully worked you open. 

You didn’t even get a chance to cover your mouth before he suddenly forced in a second one and curled them against your g-spot, a moan spilling from the big man beneath you as you mewled.  

“More,” he demanded as his other hand tugged up his hood once more and smashed his mouth against yours, “Again.” 

You didn’t stand a chance in hell at ignoring his commands with the way he began hooking his fingers in a constant come hither motion against your spongy patch of nerves. Tears burned in your eyes as you fought for breath against the onslaught of sensations plaguing your body. It’d been so long since you’d let anyone else touch you, relying on your own hand and toys for release, and fuck if it wasn’t overwhelming. 

“König, ple-please!” you begged weakly, unable to keep from trembling against him as he brought you dangerously close to the edge. 

For all his talk about not having time, he was surely taking his. His fingers felt incredible but you needed to feel his cock. 

“Yes, Kätzchen?”

“Want you. Need you, please!”

His low moan was the only answer you needed, shaky hands diving down to work the waistband of his pants lower and tug at his boxer-briefs. You couldn’t even keep your eyes open to focus, too lost in the delirium of your approaching climax and the pleasure dancing along your skin. 

When you finally pulled him free, you instantly shoved his hand away and shuffled up until his tip was kissing your entrance, but he halted your motions before you could do more. 

“Don’t go too fast, alright? I don’t want you to get hurt,” he instructed you gently. 

You barely managed to open your eyes enough to meet his and nodded hastily. Go slow. You could do that. And yet, when he finally allowed you to move, you were tempted to just slam down, no matter how massive he felt. However, your self-control prevailed, only held back by the reminder that he’d probably stop you if you got hurt. 

It wasn’t until you started to lower yourself and you felt the fat head of his cock begin to split you open that you really understood why he’d been warning you, prickles of pain and pleasure dancing behind your clenched eyes as you sucked in a harsh breath. It didn’t matter that you were soaking wet and more than ready, your body was fighting to take each inch. 

“That’s it, gutes Kätzchen, just like that,” he praised softly. (Good Kitten)

Finally, after what felt like forever, your hips settled down against his and you let out a little mewl of satisfaction. 

“Jesus fuck,” you breathed out huskily, “This feels- Fuck, I can’t even describe it.”

“I know.” 

His voice sounded as tightly wound as you felt. Every muscle in your body ached but none more than the throb of your core. 

“Can- Can I move?” you asked. 

“If you’re ready.”

Steading yourself with his broad shoulders, you lifted up and slowly dropped back down, nails digging into his skin as he touched every last inch inside of you. When your eyes fluttered open, your cheeks bloomed a deep red as you found him already staring at you with awe in his gaze. It would have been anxiety-inducing if it weren’t for the bruises his fingers were leaving on your hips and the quiet little grunts falling under his hood. Knowing he was watching you though, it was daunting and lit a flicker of doubt in your chest, demanding you do everything to make sure you looked and felt your best for him. 

“Ah, wait, here,” he gasped suddenly, halting your motions as he tugged up your T-shirt.

You almost stopped him, wary of fully exposing any parts of you that you felt uncomfortable about, but he was too quick. He tucked the hem into the neckline of your shirt and instantly tugged down the cup of your bra, one hand wrapping around and lifting your breast while the other hand palmed your back and jerked you forward until he could wrap his lips around your nipple with a heady groan. 

“Fuck, König!” you whimpered, shocks of bliss making you pulse around his cock.

His moan was loud against your flesh as his hand left your back and guided your hips into motion once more, the dual stimulation enough to make you shudder. Bit by bit, you were able to work up to a faster pace, until pleasure started to take hold of your mind and you lost all sense of rhythm, more focused on coming than putting on a good show. 

“Ohgodohgod ohmygod!” 

A heavy growl vibrated against your skin as he grunted out between kisses, “Oh Gott, das ist es Kätzchen, kommst du mich holen?” (Oh god, that’s it kitten, are you going to come for me?)

You buried your frantic cries into your palm as you felt tears begin to fall. It was too good, too much, and you fucking loved it. The burn of his cock stretching your walls brought you so close to the edge that it hurt, each thrust making your clit throb with need. You managed a panicked, muffled, plea and were rewarded with teeth sinking into your flesh and a calloused thumb on your sensitive nub, tearing a hellish screech from your lips as you were instantly pushed over the edge. Your hand barely contained the frantic moans pouring from your throat as he pushed you through the crest. Every swipe of his thumb and thrust of his cock brought on another wave of pleasure, again and again until you lost the ability to do more than exist. 

With an audible pop, he pulled back from your abused skin and relaxed back against the bed, moans starting to rival yours in volume as his hands took hold of your hips and his knees bent under you. When he started thrusting up to meet each bounce of your hips, the fog finally took over completely. Leaning back enough to wrap your hands around his forearms, you gave over that last bit of control and just followed his lead. The sound of your ass meeting his thighs became louder, faster, in the quiet room; a lewd soundtrack coupled with the squeaks of the medical bed and your unstifled noises of pleasure.

“Mein gott. Look at that face. Not a single thought going through that sweet little head of yours, is there?” he groaned, chuckling when you suddenly leaned forward and buried your face in his neck with a meek hum, “No, no, don’t be embarrassed, kleines. It’s a compliment to have such an intelligent woman so brainless from my cock.”

You instinctively clenched around him and nuzzled further into his neck out of mortification. God, that shouldn’t be hot! You shouldn’t like that and yet you do. How did he manage to weave together such sexual praises into something that sounded like genuinely sweet compliments? 

“Sit back up, now,” he commanded sternly, “I want to see that beautiful face when I come.”

The change in position instantly put your senses back on edge, the press of his cock against your sweet spot all too tantalizingly perfect as he muttered gentle praises and led you back into rhythm, words slowly dissolving into the most unholy whimpers and grunts you’d ever heard. It wasn’t long until you couldn’t make out a single thing he said, English long evolved into German between frantic moans of your name. 

Suddenly his grip became overwhelmingly painful and you let out a squeal of panic, but the pressure was easily forgotten in favor of bliss as he began to thrust into you violently. It was almost as if he were trying to fuck himself into your cervix, a scary thought knowing he had the length to do so, but every attempt you made to lift off of him and create space was thwarted by his superior strength. And gods, if that didn’t do the dirtiest things to you. Even when he released one hip, he was powerful enough to keep you in place with just one hand, the other suddenly reappearing between your thighs. 

“Oh- Oh god, yes, König, just-” 

All it took was a few circles around your sensitive clit before you were thrown over the edge once more with a scream. Wave after wave rocked through your body as you rode him hard, thighs shaking and heart pounding as you scratched at him and cried his name all too loudly.  

“Oh Scheiße, ich werde kommen, bitte, nicht aufhören, nicht aufhören, bitte, bitte, bitte!” (Oh shit, I'm gonna come, please, don't stop, don't stop, please please please!)

Even in German, his message was clear. Fighting through your own hazy pleasure, you tightened your thighs and clenched around his cock eagerly, whimpering his name and pleading with him to come. You weren’t given any warning as he suddenly grabbed your neck and jerked you down into a ravenous kiss, a mixture of high-pitched keening and growling moans pouring into your mouth like oxygen when he buried himself one last time to the hilt. 

Tremors ran through your being as you felt his cock twitching, heat filling you with each pulse, and you couldn’t help the tears suddenly building in your eyes again. 

“Holy fuck,” you whined against his lips. 

When you clenched around him again and tried to move your hips, he put a stop to it immediately, arms wrapping around you and trapping your body to his. 

“Don’t you fucking dare,” he hissed darkly, “You start that andI won’t want to stop, and we definitely don’t have time for that.”  

A little grin crossed your lips as you melted into his hold and murmured, “Aye, aye, colonel.” 

His little snort of a laugh jostled you against his frame only for him to still and hold you tighter. You turned to rest your ear against his chest and listened to the steady heavy beat of his heart while your fingers trailed up and down his arms. 

“That was okay, right?” he asked after a moment, the uncertainty surprising. 

It took some effort to get him to let you go but you managed to finally sit up, hands slowly pushing up the edges of his mask to just until his lips were visible again, and you kissed him softly. 

“Better than I’ve imagined,” you whispered softly. 

He tensed for a moment before a little huff of a laugh puffed across your lips. 

“You’ve imagined this?” he asked back. 

Chewing your lower lip as you lifted again, you gave a shrug and replied, “Yeah, a lot, if I’m being honest. As you heard, you’re an intimidating man, colonel, but really, it only adds to your appeal.” 

It felt weird to be so openly blunt about your attraction to him but you supposed you were past the point of second-guessing things. His eyes searched your face intently for just a moment before he smiled, a warm, heart-pounding expression that made your knees weak. Fuck, maybe he hid his face for that reason. It wouldn’t do to have everyone tripping over themselves at his beauty. 

“I’m glad to hear that,” he murmured softly, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind your ear, “As much as I want to hold you longer, I’m afraid we should get decent before someone comes along and-”

“Fuck, yeah, you’re right!” you gasped, eyes darting to the door instinctively as you clambered off the bed. 

The moment you released your hold on him, your knees tried to give out but he was quick to give you a balancing hand. You thanked him quietly as you fixed yourself quickly- Well, as quickly as you could when your legs felt like jelly and your head was still spinning. When you were finally all dressed, he was carefully sliding his shirt back on. 

“Wait, let me make sure we didn’t tear anything loose.”

He gave you a look that told you how ridiculous he thought you were being, but he humored you with a sigh after a moment. Leaning in, you looked over the stitches and were happy to find everything still intact. 

“Good to go! Thank goodness,” you sighed happily, then flushed as you looked up at him, “Uh, you’ll have to come back in seven to ten days to get the stitches removed, which I’m sure you know. Other than that, just take it easy. Any damage you do will only prolong how long you’ll have to be on light duty.” 

“I see, and if I need assistance with any in the meantime? I can come to you?” he teased, eyes crinkling warmly at the edges.

Unable to hold in your grin, you replied, “Always. I’d be glad to help with anything you need, colonel. Just come find me.”

You tossed him a coy smile before making your way to the door, only to get spun and pushed up against the wood without warning. One big hand cupped your neck and forced your head up as he leaned in and kissed you, soft and light in a way that made your toes curl. 

“Sorry, needed one more,” he purred softly, chuckling as your face went hot. 

“Get out of here before I make up a reason to keep you here overnight,” you bit out teasingly. 

He gave you a mock salute before releasing you and allowing you to open the door. His gaze became soft once more when he studied you as you leaned against the door frame. 

“I’ll see you again soon. Have sweet dreams, Kätzchen.” 

“You too, König.”

When he finally walked away down the hall, you couldn’t help but watch him go. God, that man had the most perfect ass, and don’t even get started on that broad back. Biting back the flare of lust threatening to rekindle in your stomach, you ducked back into the office and ran a hand through your now-tangled locks, letting out a low sigh. The clock on the wall read two thirty in the morning, which meant you thirty minutes to get König’s chart typed up and then you could finally head home for the night. Thoughts of a hot shower and your soft bed had you groaning. Yeah, you were definitely going to sleep good tonight. 

…

“Sooo, how was your weekend?” Lisa asked, eyebrows jumping up and down in anticipation as you slid into the seat opposite her and Mark. 

You simply threw her a nonplussed look, not daring to give her any inclination. Lisa was good about keeping your feelings secret but you weren’t sure she could contain herself in public if you told her about what had happened with König, not to mention you didn’t want to chance him getting some sort of backlash if the fraternization rules applied to you. You’d have to do some research on that later if you two were going to meet up again at some point. Logically, seeing as you were contracted as a nurse and not as a solider, you hoped that you were outside of those rules but you weren’t certain.  

“It was fine. Nothing too crazy,” you lied seamlessly. 

She seemed to deflate at that. 

“Really? When I saw the colonel was back I had hoped…”

“Well, you hoped wrong,” you replied blandly, “I saw him but nothing happened. It’s fine, really. Probably for the best to maintain that professional boundary.” 

A body collapsing onto the bench beside you made you jump and nearly spill your food until you caught it at the last second, your heart racing from the shock until you saw it was one of Mark’s buddies at your side. 

“Hey, Ian,” Mark greeted, “What’s up?”

He was obviously as confused about his friend’s appearance as you were, but your confusion didn’t last long when he suddenly turned to face you. 

“So, I heard from a little birdie that you were single right now. Is that true?” Ian pressed, lips quirking up into a grin.

You shot a deadly look at Mark, earning a silent apology as his face heated, before you addressed the private next to you.

“I am but-”

“Great! You should come out with me Friday night! I have a weekend pass and I need a pretty lady to take with me to the city!” 

Well, shit. You knew nothing about Ian. You hoped he was a decent guy and wouldn’t be upset over you rejecting him since he was Mark’s friend but men were tricky. How were you supposed to turn him down without hurting or angering him? As your lips parted to answer, a massive hand suddenly slid around your throat and silenced you. Eyes wide in fear, you let out a shocked whimper and froze in place, only to catch the familiar scent of a warm cologne as a hard body pressed against your back. 

“There you are, liebling, I’ve been searching all over for you.”

König. Oh. Fuck. Tilting your head back at his insistence, you let your eyes meet his icy blues, obviously crinkled in joy. When his fingers tightened around your throat, you couldn’t help the way your face flushed in delight, your entire body warming with insatiable need as he descended and planted a loud smacking kiss on your forehead.

“Come now, I’ve brought lunch for us.” 

The entire table was silent during the exchange and you could practically feel Lisa vibrating in her seat, but you didn’t dare look away from him to address her. Nodding once, you rose to your feet where he finally released your throat. He interlaced his fingers with yours and you instinctively scooted closer, enjoying the body heat and comfort he put off.

“I’ll uh- I’ll see you guys later,” you threw back as he led you out of the canteen. 

The walk was quiet as he dragged you through the halls until he finally stopped at his office. With a little murmur, König opened the door and ushered you in first. The moment the door slammed shut, you were unceremoniously shoved against it, a little oomph escaping your lips at the impact. A weak moan left your lips as you felt his breath against your ear.

“Ungezogenes kleines Kätzchen,” he purred huskily “From now on, you will let it be known that you’re with me, got it?” (Naughty little kitten)

You hesitated before nodding and replied, “Y-Yes sir. I wasn't sure- I didn’t know what-” 

“Shh, shh, I know, schatz. It is not your fault. I didn’t make my intentions quite clear. You belong to me now.”

A shudder ran down your spine, forcing a moan low in your throat as you practically preened under his possessive claim. Despite the threatening tone, you felt no fear. If anything, it turned you on more than ever. 

“Yes, sir.”

“Good girl. Now get on my desk,” he instructed. 

Your confused glance was met with a smirk and a wink as he pulled away. 

“I prefer to have my dessert first, Kätzchen. We can eat lunch after.” 

[ariaste]

listen i've had a 100 degree fever for four days and i have not been able to string any thoughts together except for gently rotating Devil's Minion in my brain and the bleary conclusion i have come to is this:

we know armand is a control freak

we know armand has spooky psychic powers of imposing his desired reality on top of other people's lived realities

the interview is happening despite armand supposedly claiming that he thinks it's a bad idea

Armand gives in to participating in the interview awfully quick. including a theatrical reveal of his true self at exactly the right moment for maximum Drama.

therefore, stay with me here, I will argue that armand DOES ACTUALLY want the interview to be happening. Who else is going to be pushing for it? Louis??? If Louis pushed for something Armand didn't want, Armand would simply wipe it from Louis' mind and move on with his day. He has that power, and yet he didn't USE IT in this case. So that means that the little tissue paper objections are mostly for show and to camouflage his true intentions (see also, though: the scene in Paris where Louis comes in and is playing maitre and Armand offers just a teeny resistance of "oooh but i'm looking at Sam's new pages", so it's a documented behavior pattern). There is one exception, but we'll come back to that in a sec.

So then the questions are: Why does he want it to be happening now as opposed to any other time? What is his motivation for having it happen again at all? What changed between 1973 and now that caused this?

(the rest under a cut bc this is gonna get long and i don't wanna clutter people's dashes too much)

my wild fever hallucination theory rn is that armand (my canceled wife who i stand with) is manipulative and psychopathic enough that he may have looked at daniel at some point in the 1970s and said to himself "you know what, the one thing that I would change about him is if he was like 40 years older, because i'm kinda into that, and also maybe he hates me a little bit, because i'm kinda into that as well" and then set Daniel on the back burner to basically finish cooking into the Perfect Daddy Boyfriend.

so why is he doing this whole charade again? Because the first time Daniel had the interview, the end result was "omg omg omg make me a vampire PLEAAASE", right? So Armand's insane little brain is like "ok, so we do it again, and replicate the same results :) and this time i will win and get everything i want, just like always :))))"

Going back to the tissue-paper objections i mentioned above, the one exception that strikes true for me is when Armand tells Louis that he's lost control of the interview. What control? What control, babygirl? what are you trying to control about this interview? what is the goal that isn't being achieved rn? Are you worried that Daniel seems Jaded and Cynical and Unimpressed nowadays? Are you worried that Louis does not seem to be selling the Allure Of Being A Vampire as effectively as he did back then and that Daniel is not going to beg for it like he used to? Armand is so used to being around people who NEVER EVER CHANGE in hundreds of years and so maybe he has forgotten that mortals do change actually. Oh no. Science experiment cannot be replicated. Results are going awry. PANIC.

this would also explain why he keeps explaining himself to Daniel, censoring the diaries, and lying about his involvement in things. could it be that he thinks Daniel won't play along with what he's supposed to be doing (ie: being deeply into him) if he knows upfront that Armand is Fucknuts Crazy?

that is where he is wrong tho. Daniel thinks fucknuts crazy is irresistibly hot. Daniel "I want BOTH [to survive AND the book] >:\" Molloy, aka Daniel "YOU BOTH FUCKED LESTAT? :DDD" Molloy aka Daniel "Fascinating Boy" Molloy loves mess. he loves mess. he's an investigative journalist who interviews KGB agents and the most dangerous people in the world because he's an adrenaline junkie who sincerely loves the thrill of hanging out with people who might kill him. He has been chasing that high since 1973 (and I use that phrasing intentionally). Every time Armand tries to control the narrative and woobify himself and act like he's not absolutely insane bc actually he's innocent and blameless, he is shooting himself in the foot re: the pursuit of his endgame goals. And that's extremely funny to me. Bc Daniel's love language is "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU [enraptured, intrigued, captivated, fascinated]"

and in conclusion, that's why they're the ship of all time, ur honor. defense rests.

(will this make coherent sense once i'm not sick anymore? idk.)

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 重啟之極海聽雷/Reunion: The Sound of the Providence/The Lost Tomb Reboot/this thing has too many names

Reunion (I'm just going to call it that) is a 2020 action drama about the most specialest little babygirl in the tomb-raiding world, his two husbands, and the cadre of assorted weirdos they pick up as they try to follow a set of directions left by a dead (?) man in the thunder.

Imagine if someone showed you the Mandalorian, and you were like, gee, that was a neat little sci-fi one-shot! because you'd never heard of Star Wars. That was basically my experience watching this show, having no idea that the Lost Tomb franchise (DMBJ) was even a thing. Turns out that not only is there a whole big continuity out there with these characters, but that Reunion takes place a few years after the main story's resolution. Don't worry, though -- Reunion doesn't spoil you for that resolution. It doesn't spoil you for much, period. Look, DMBJ has a weird relationship to endings, okay?

I have written a more thorough where-to-start guide for DMBJ as a whole, so if you want to consider other entry points, well, that information is there for your consideration. Yet it is my opinion that this is the best entry into the overall franchise, and a fun thing to watch just in general, and I'm here to make my case for both of those.

The rest of this rec will assume that you have no familiarity with the DMBJ series. That's okay; you don't need any. All you need is to trust my five reasons you should watch this.

1. Old Man Yaoi

As you begin this show, you are introduced to the Iron Triangle. That's them in the picture up there. Left to right, you have: Xiao Ge, magically tattooed immortal hottie who just got back from ten years in [scene missing]; Wu Xie, our protagonist, who's just a little guy and it's his birthday; and Wang Pangzi, the literal best.

(And yes, Wu Xie is in his 30s and Pangzi is in his 40s, which is not technically old man anything, but ... look, if you watch, you'll see why I think I'm justified in calling it that.)

They are extremely married. They are a disaster trio of disasters so disastrous that no one else should ever be subjected to their chaos. They're going to make sure lots of people are, though, don't you worry about it. Sometimes those people even deserve it.

However, because the show (tragically!!) decides that Xiao Ge has somewhere else to be like 95% of the runtime, most of the relationship you get to see is between Wu Xie and Pangzi.

I'm saying this now as an old gay nerd who just this year celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary: I have never, never felt so represented in media as I have watching Wu Xie and Pangzi interact. There's a little wake-up song they sing together near the end of the show, and it just ... it packs so much character development into thirty seconds. These boys have been living adjacent lives for so long that they've made up their own little shared songs about the mundanities of daily living. That is just what happens when you marry your best friend and then decide to get old and weird together. Ask me how I know.

Look, if you want to know whether this show is for you or not, watch to the end of the first episode, to the part where Pangzi flips over the table. If your heart is filled with joy (as it should be), keep going.

Love makes a tomb-raiding syndicate family.

2. A fun-filled action-packed romp of nonsense!

If you're familiar with Hellblazer canon, this will make sense to you: Reunion is Dangerous Habits. If you're not familiar with Hellblazer canon, try it like this: Reunion is a terrible place to start because it plays on your extant affection for a character who gains a terrible status effect almost immediately. It's a also great place to start because it throws you right in the action with measurably high stakes and gives you a reason to build that affection very quickly.

I'm also going to warn you right off the bat: The plot of this show got cut to ribbons by censors.

See, the DMBJ books, being books, are allowed to get away with supernatural shit! So you've got zombies and ghosts and curses and monsters and immortality and all your other standard ooky spooky semi-urban fantasy trappings. But the DMBJ adaptations, being live-action, are heavily regulated in their content. This is why, in the early Reunion episodes, our heroes are menaced by human-looking creatures that are actually ancient mannequins made of leather that are piloted, mecha-style, by evil clams. Because evil clams are more scientific than zombies. I guess.

So yeah, the plot of this book already had to get mangled into a more "science"-compliant shape even before it made it to filming. The real problem is that a whole lot more of it got cut after it was all filmed and put together. I have read an explanation of what the actual storyline was supposed to be, and yeah, if you know what you’re looking at, you can see (and hear) the scars where major elements got hacked out with a weed whacker.

Therefore: You cannot expect this plot to make sense.

But that's okay! You're not here for the plot to make sense! You're here to watch some characters you love run around through ridiculous and sometimes beautiful labyrinths, trying to solve puzzles you're never given enough information to understand, all in search of the resolution to a mystery that had half its guts torn out before you got to see it -- and you are here to love it. If you have ever laughed and cheered your way through a Mission: Impossible film without pausing to care too much about the plot holes it’s dodging left and right, you are in the correct frame of mind to appreciate this. Just believe that whatever engaging nonsense the show tells you is correct for the time being and go with it.

You cannot watch DMBJ and care about the laws of physics. You simply cannot.

Do not, however, let me give you the impression that the shoddy plotting is accompanied by equally shoddy performances. A major part of this show’s incredible watchability comes from how the cast is shockingly good. There are some serious heavy hitters among the actors. A major part of why this Wu Xie and Pangzi are my favorite together is the incredible chops both Zhu Yilong and Chen Minghao have, to say nothing of their real-life affection for one another. (See that scar on Wu Xie's neck? That scar is there because Zhu Yilong commits to the bit.) Effortlessly charming Mao Xiaotong turns potentially irritating wunderkind Bai Haotian into a perfect precious weirdo baby. Wu Erbai's entire second-season character arc could have been unintentionally comedic, but veteran of queer cinema Hu Jun sells even the undignified moments as relentlessly tragic. And of course Baron Chen absolutely kills it with...

3. This giant fucking loser

This is Hei Xiazi. That's not his name, but it's close enough. Allow me to do a dramatic reenactment of my watching his first scene:

[camera pans over to him]

me: Ugh, I recognize this kind of wannabe badass character design. I hate his type. He's self-important, hyper-masculine, and just a big jerk, and the show thinks he's soooo cool. Barf.

[thirty seconds later]

me: Oh no. I was so wrong. I love him forever now.

This is because he is (as indicated above) a giant fucking loser. Yes, he's a good fighter who knows lots of things. He's also a wet potato chip of a man. Sure, he can get you into a headlock, but he can also annoy you into submission, and that's honestly more fun for him. My wife has used the phrase “Vash the Stampede-coded” to describe him. My wife is not wrong.

And the kind of ridiculous thing is, being such a loser is what wraps back around to making him cool again. He's a loser because he just doesn't fucking care. His masculinity is the opposite of fragile. You tell him to wear a dress and makeup, he'll do it -- and sure, he'll complain, but only because he enjoys complaining. He has no dignity. He’s tits-out. He's gender. He's the worst and also the best.

Hei Xiazi is a major character in the other installations, to the point where he and his boyfriend (more on him later) even have their own movie. But of course, I did not know this on my first watch, so I kept expecting the show to explain his whole deal. It does not, but you don't really need it to. He sees better in the dark. He doesn't age. He's a thug for hire. There, that's all the bio you need.

One of the things that makes him great is that he is the least sexually threatening person ever. Across all the properties he's in, he spends a fair amount of time with women -- sometimes in very close quarters -- and they are perfectly safe around him. I actually wrote a whole post about it once upon a time (warning for tiny spoilers for a series that isn't this one) wherein I claim that not only Xiazi but Reunion in general is the television equivalent of the shirt that says I RESPECT WOMEN SO MUCH I DON'T HAVE SEX WITH THEM.

That said, this loser does get a sort-of romance plot here -- and honestly, I find it very cute! It's not even the only instance in this series of a bisexual guy in a long-term same-sex relationship getting a girlfriend, and I like that other one too! Look, the handle of my DMBJ sideblog is @katamaricule because I joked that Wu Xie treats polyamory like a katamari, and if you don't move fast enough, you're going to be rolled right up into his gay little cuddle puddle.

This is not a show for exclusive ships; this is a show for inclusive ships. The Jiumen Association is a polycule. You don't even have to know what the Jiumen Association is to know it's true.

4. The power of friendship

This show has a lot of characters.

I'd say the supporting cast is divided into three categories: characters who have been in previous installments, characters who have not been in previous installments, and characters who probably should have been in previous installments (or at least mentioned) but who were only created for Reunion so we have to pretend like we've known about them all along.

There is no way to tell which is which -- which is part of my argument that this series makes a good entry point to the franchise.

Take Huo Daofu. Huo Daofu is a brilliant doctor masquerading as a donut stand operator who treats Wu Xie with all the cold disdain of a man confronting the person who left him at the altar years ago. On the one hand, yes! We do know Huo Daofu from a previous series, and we've known he's both a doctor and a bitch. On the other hand, oh, we have no idea why he's like this about Wu Xie, and we probably never will. The show just treats it like it's for an excellent reason, and you know what, from what you know about Wu Xie, it probably is.

Consider also Jiang Zisuan. One of the show's principal antagonists, Jiang Zisuan turns out to be the brother of ... well, let's just say it's someone whose having a brother really should have come up before this. It has not come up. (And that's even before we get into the issue of his surname.) His stated identity as that person's brother is so bizarre that my favorite interpretation is that he isn't actually that person's brother -- all the flashbacks we see are just his delusions about a relationship he's completely invented. But there's no way you'd know how fucking weird this is on your first run.

Then there's our friendly little support himbo, Kanjian, who shows up to all occasions with two tickets to the gun show and not a thought in that beautiful head. (His name just means "vest," which is par for the course when it comes to the author's naming conventions.) He was a lot more menacing in the last series (where they kept putting sleeves on him, geez), where most of what we learned about him is that you can loan him out to other tomb-raiding families. Now he's a golden retriever with great aim and a slingshot. It's an upgrade.

The trick is, you cannot be surprised when someone shows up and the show treats them like you should know who they are, even when there's no possible way you could know who they are. I mean, for heaven's sake, Liu Sang arrives in the middle of an obvious beef with Pangzi, the origins of which are never satisfactorily explained, while also having a giant do-I-want-to-fuck-him-or-do-I-want-to-be-him crush on Xiao Ge, which is also never satisfactorily explained. Whatever, you just roll with it. He's got good hearing, a bad attitude, and questionable taste in idols. Now you're good to go.

(I should throw in a special note here that Liu Sang is many, many people's little meow meow, and not undeservedly. For a fuller explanation of why that is, please consult this other post I made.)

Part of the fun of this big cast is the adorable interactions you get. All the characters have appropriately big personalities, and the show loves letting people you wouldn’t expect bounce off one another. It’s not your typical action-hero show where nothing happens without the protagonist in the room. There are lots of exciting combinations and tons of charming dynamics! Unlikely friendships form all over the place! Enemies become allies! Allies become friends! Friends become friends with other friends! Some friends become enemies again! You'll need a scoreboard to keep up!

This is not to say the show treats all its characters perfectly or equally -- one of the precious few main female characters doesn't even get a real name, for heaven's sake, and the less said about the brownface racism, the better. It is, at its heart, a dude show for dudes made in China, with all the troubling decision-making that implies. Where it does deserve credit, though, is in understanding that its supporting characters are actual people with personalities apart from their function in Wu Xie's narrative. Sometimes the show just asks "what if [random character A] and [random character B] had to interact?" and has fun considering the answer! Which is almost always a delight to watch, and sometimes even breaks your heart.

5. Amazing rewatch value!

And by this I mean the experience of watching this show is remarkably different once you have any understanding of the rest of the DMBJ universe.

For instance, there's a point where two characters are scuba-diving past some submerged coffins, and one character tells the other whose coffins they are. Working only on information Reunion has given you, you're like, oh, that's where they buried the guy who built this creepy place, that's a little weird. Once you recognize that name from other series, though, your reaction is far more, excuse me, they did WHAT to WHOSE corpses?

Or another point where a character you've already met is on a train, and there's a handsome gentleman who just happens to be riding with her. He hands her his business card! Aw, that's sweet, he seems like a nice guy! Well, no, Xie Yuchen is not nice, but he is one of our allies, and he's Hei Xiazi's boyfriend, and a lot of what he's doing hits real different when you have a fuller grasp on why he's doing it and for whom. (Honestly, a major reason to watch Reunion first is so you're not fully and appropriately upset by how your black/pink gays merely have one teeny tiny scene together.)

From the way the series treats the persistent absence of Wu Sanxing, Wu Xie's third uncle, I absolutely, 100% assumed that he was a completely new character to this installment of the series, an extremely long-lost relative that we've somehow conveniently managed to never talk about before now. So imagine my gobsmacked surprise when I went to watch a different series, set much earlier in the timeline, where the opening scene prominently features Wu Sanxing as an actual character in the present-day narrative! ...Well, sorta. Look, there's a lot of fuckery with his identity in earlier parts of the story, and fortunately you need to know none of it to understand Reunion. But when you do, it suddenly makes a lot more sense why Wu Xie talks about someone who was a major part of Wu Xie's adult life like he died when Wu Xie was nine.

AND THE FLASHBACK SCENE WHERE A-NING GETS KILLED BY THE SNAKE, AND YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, AND THEN YOU WATCH ULTIMATE NOTE AND IT WASN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL look, I know there are kinda reasons for this, different production companies and all, but seriously, what the fuck

All of which to say is that the experience of watching Reunion the first time is, hey, this self-contained romp is a lot of fun! The experience of rewatching it after watching any of the other DMBJ installments is a transcendently wonderful head-clutching avalanche of one moment of recognition right after another.

And here's the thing: You will watch more. Reunion is a gateway drug. If you are interested enough to make it through all 62 episodes, you're going to be interested in watching more. Which is great. The English-speaking fandom needs more people. Come down into the tombs. It's great down here. We've got snakes and arguably unintentional homoeroticism. Join us. Join usssssssss

Are you ready for an aventure?

There are a couple different ways to watch the first half, but there's (weirdly) only one way to watch the second, so for both of them, I'm going to send you straight to iQiyi: Season 1 (32 episodes) and Season 2 (30 episodes).

And just so you’re ready when Reunion is done, here’s how you find the rest of the DMBJ series, in the absolutely non-chronological order in which I, personally, think you should watch them:

The Lost Tomb 2 (AsianCrush, YouTube)

Ultimate Note (iQiyi)

The Mystic Nine (iQiyi, Viki)

Sand Sea/Tomb of the Sea (Viki, WeTV, YouTube, also YouTube)

Also, there's a lot of movies and side series and other pieces that are worth seeing, and even a couple of full series I've left off the list, and you can just slot them in wherever. And maybe we'll get Tibetan Sea Flo-- IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! And someday maybe I'll actually have time to watch it! What a concept.

They're so perfect. Perfect triangle. Perfect boys.

[shixcherie]

His Favorite Problem | Choi Jongho ☆

~ ~ call me chérie ☆

Navigation | Kinktober List

Day 26 : Sir Kink

↬ [ Synopsis ] : In the middle of the bar’s chaos, Jongho’s protective instincts kick in as he spots you. But instead of showing gratitude, you can’t resist stirring him up a little too much. Now, he’s set on teaching you a lesson, and you’re in for a long night of delicious discipline from your boyfriend.

☆Word Count : 3.08k ☆Genre : Smut, Non-idol Au, Boyfriend Au, porn with little to no plot. ☆Pairing : Boyfreind! Jongho x Bartender! Gf F.Reader

☆☆☆ WARNINGS : mdni!, established relationship, mentions of alchol, bars, customer causes drama, naive but also not so naive reader, she is just an innocent girlie ( :P ), a bit back and forth between her and Jongho, a lil riling up maybe, sir kink, pet names (babygirl, lil bunny), mild praise kink, overprotective bf Jongho, fingering (fem reciveing), mid choking kink, edging, Jongho turns a bit meanie at the end and disciplines you.

NOTE : Yes… I’m going to continue and complete Kinktober, even though we’re past the 31st. I really want to finish this challenge and not leave it incomplete, so I hope you all enjoy the story, ma chéries!

The bar buzzed with its usual nighttime energy, customers filling the cozy, dimly lit space with laughter, clinking glasses, and conversations. You were behind the bar skillfully pouring drinks, chatting with regulars, and catching up with them.

Somewhere in the corner, you knew Jongho was seated with his quiet, watchful presence making sure you were doing fine and no one is causing any trouble for you.

Ever since you’d taken this job, Jongho had made a habit of dropping by on his nights off. Though he covered it up saying it was to spend time with you, but you knew the real reason he was there to make sure you were safe. You’d reassured him countless times that you could handle an odd drunken comment or lingering glances of a few persuasive customers. But Jongho just didn’t trust your naive little self. Calling you naive was just to tease you, though your heart fluttered at the sincere concern that laced his words and actions.

Tonight was no different. He was sitting at his usual spot as he sipped from his glass, his gaze never straying far from you.

You tossed him a playful smile when you noticed him watching you, but he only nodded slightly, his eyes tracing the room as if mentally noting each customer’s behavior. Just then, your heart sank a little when you spotted a familiar face in the crowd. A customer who’d been bothering you for the past few weeks.

The man had been insistent, charming at first by dropping hints about wanting to get your number and asking if you’d like to “grab a drink” sometime after your shift. You’d tried to handle him politely, knowing that dealing with flirtatious customers was just part of the job. But he hadn’t taken the hint and had started showing up regularly, getting bolder each time. Tonight, he looked no different. He was wearing a flashy smile and exuding confidence as he made himself comfortable at the bar.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted, leaning over the counter. “Thought I’d find you here. Ready to give me that number yet ?”

You tensed, quickly glancing around and noticing Jongho’s gaze zeroing in on the interaction. Taking a breath, you put on a professional smile. “No, sorry. I’m here to serve drinks, not give out my number.”

“Oh, come on,” he persisted as his voice dropped to what he probably thought was a seductive whisper but sounded like an ugly seal screeching, to you. “No need to be so cold. I’ve been a good customer, haven’t I ? And I always leave a tip.” He laughed, glancing around as if expecting others to join in. To be honest, older men were never you type and this man was definitely in his late 40s and with his screeching voice and pressing attitude easily made into your list of “people to avoid” and probably Jongho’s “To kill” list.

You clenched your teeth, determined to keep things calm. “Look, I’m just not interested, okay ? You can enjoy your drink, but I’m not giving out my number. Please respect that.”

The smile slipped from his face, replaced by an irritated scowl. He slammed his hand on the counter, drawing the attention of a few nearby customers. “Scamming customers now, are you ? You don’t give out your number and you treat me like garbage? I’ve spent good money here. Think your manager will want to know how you treat loyal customers?”

The little drama caught the attention of your manager, who came running over, eyes flicking between you and the accusor. “What’s going on here ?”

“She’s been scamming me!” the old bastard spat, his voice loud enough for others to hear. “I’ve been paying extra, leaving good tips, and this is how I’mbeing treated ? This is disgraceful!”

Your cheeks flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment as other customers began to murmur, casting curious glances in your direction. You wanted to defend yourself, but before you could even gather your words, a firm yet calm voice cut through the tension.

“Is there a problem here ?”

Jongho’s presence was that of calm authority as he stepped between you and the man, his gaze cold and direct. The customer blinked at few times before straightening himself, seemingly taken aback by Jongho’s imposing figure. Your boyfriend wasn’t one to lose his temper easily, but when it came to protecting you, there was a fierceness in his eyes that spoke volumes. Fidgeting nervously with your hand, you stood still behind your boyfriend as your gaze zeroed in on the old dude.

The bastard matched Jongho’s height, suddenly losing his brashness. “Who are you ? Just another customer ? This is between me and her—”

“Actually,” Jongho interrupted, his tone steady and deadly calm, “it’s not between you and her. You were harassing her, and now you’re causing a scene in a place of business. I suggest you take your drink and leave.”

The man scoffed, returning to his earlier arrogant self. “She’s been treating customers poorly. I’m just letting management know how unprofessional she’s been.”

Jongho didn’t even blink. “And I’m letting you know you need to leave. Now.” his tone went an octave up as he emphasised on the Now.

A silence settled over the bar, and the old bastard’s bravado crumbled. He muttered something under his breath and backed away, Jongho’s gaze was locked in on him until he disappeared into the crowd. His eyes followed him until he was sure the man was gone. Turning to you, his expression softened for a moment before returning to that stern familiar look of seriously-concern or concerningly serious. Agh whatever the fuck it is.

“Are you okay ?” he asked quietly, but there was an edge beneath the gentle cornered question.

You nodded, still processing everything. “Yeah… Thank you. I just—I didn’t want to cause a scene.”

His gaze softened, but only a bit. “You wouldn’t have had to if you’d listened to me. How many times have I told you to call me over if someone makes you uncomfortable ?”

Your face flushed as you glanced down, embarrassed and a little defensive. “I thought I could handle it.”

Jongho shook his head, letting out a low, frustrated sigh while his hand gently carassed your hair. “You think I’m overprotective, don’t you ?”

You managed a small, guilty smile while you peaked up to met his eyes. “Maybe just a little.”

He chuckled, though the stern look in his eyes remained. “I’m taking you home. You’re done for tonight.”

“But my shift isn’t—”

“I’ll talk to your manager,” he said, already turning towards them. “They won’t mind. And we’ll discuss this when we get home.”

Your heart skipped a beat, the authority in his voice sending a shiver down your spine. You knew that “discuss” wasn’t just a casual term. He was determined to make a point, and you had a feeling it would involve some strong and firm words and maybe even a “lesson” to strengthen his words.

As you gathered your things and prepared to leave, you felt a strange mix of anticipation, excitement and nervousness. Jongho’s protectiveness might drive you a little crazy at times, but there was no denying that it also made you feel cherished.

And tonight, it seemed, he was intending on showing you just how much he cared.

The whole car ride was filled with back-and-forth arguments—him insisting you should leave this job so you wouldn’t have to deal with difficult clients and could stay safe, and you countering with “I can take care of myself” and that you didn’t always need to be looked after, which clearly dismissed him. Slowly, you could feel the air thickening as, intentionally or not, you countered every single point he tried to make about the job.

“I won’t always be around to fix your problems,” he said, sounding frustrated.

“And I don’t need you to. I can handle them myself,” you replied, crossing your arms.

“It’s not a safe place for you,” he insisted, gripping the wheel a little tighter.

“I’m perfectly capable of staying safe,” you shot back.

He let out a sigh. “Just quit that stupid job already.”

You met his gaze, stubborn as ever. “Nooooo!”

He rolled his eyes. “Stubborn as ever.”

You shrugged. “Takes one to know one.”

Jongho’s car stopped abbruptly outside your house, and he turned to you, his eyes sharp and unwavering. His clenched jaw made it clear he was not having it and was gonna combust any minute.

You tried giving him a reassuring smile as you turned towards him. “Jongho, quit worrying,” you teased gently. “I know I am your favorite problem to take care of but I am fully capable of handling myself.”

He met you in the eye as the corner of his lip went to a smirk, “A ‘favorite problem,’ huh ? You sure are babygirl.” His hands gently carassed you exposed thigh, rubbing the smooth skin as the mini dress you were wearing slid up a bit while you were busy arguing with him.

This is how it begins You thought as you gulped while you heart raced at the thought of whats about to come your way.

“Jongh-” You were soon cut off as his grip tightened around you thighs, a red tint creeping up your skin as a tiny yelp left your lips.

His voice was low, edged with warning .“You were calling me what again babygirl ?”

“S-Sir…Jongho sir. Sorry” You replied in a sudden polite tone, which was not yours a few minutes ago.

As you stammered your response, Jongho’s grip on your thigh tightened just a little more, his eyes glinting with something unreadable yet intense. Without another word, he shifted, one strong arm looping around your waist and tugging you toward him. The motion was quick, leaving you with barely a moment to react before you were guided into his lap, legs draping across him.

Your hands instinctively found his shoulders for balance as you tried to steady your breathing. His fingers pressed firmly against your lower back, pulling you even closer, and you could feel the warmth of his breath brushing your cheek.

Before you could process the straddling position you were in, his lips captured you with anger and hungry desire which you reciprocated with equal lust. You hands messily tangled with his hair while his large hands captured your ass, grounding you on his now hard length which very evidently poked against your thighs. His tongue licked you bottom lips, occassionally biting and earning a soft moan out of you. You lower half was busy grinding against his clothed hard legth while tugged his roots, urging him to keep going.

Ohh…if this is way he plan on teaching you a lesson, you would happily push his buttons, You thought as Jongho deepened the kiss, his tongue explored the deliciousness of your mouth while his his hips rolled beneath you, providing just the right amount you friction to satisfy the ache of your clothed dripping core.

The steamy kiss continued for a few more minutes as he guided you hips with more need, quickening your pace while drinking up all the pretty moans that left your lips. As you rubbed your core against him, you could feel the yourself just over the edge. You movement became needy as you broke the kiss and held him close while an intense release was ready to wash over you. Jongho smirked as he held you close while his hands mercilessly rocked your hips over his length.

“Jongho…ughhh…I am soo close” You whimpered as you nestled you head in the crook of his neck, you hot breath tingling his skin while he gently carassed your hair, “A little bit more baby” His voice soothed the release that was about the wash over you like a tidal wave when all of it abruptly stopped.

You were shocked and whimpered, deprived of an almost at the egde release when he meets your eyes, his hands off your hips, not grinding anymore as well, a devilish smirk danced on his lips.

“Jongho what the fu-” You whimpered as you hastily tried to pull his hands back to your hips. Only this time it did not work as he grabs your hands behind you while pulling you towards him, his hot breath fanned against your ears as he murmurs, “Told you honey, this is my lesson. I teach it how I want, Understood ?” He asked, a breathy low chuckle reached you. The reality hit you as recovered from the deprived release as you slightly nodded, meeting him in the eye.

“Words honey. Use your words” He demanded, tightening his grip around you hands, definite to leave finger marks.

“Yess Sir” you squeaked out.

“That’s like my little bunny” He replied, smiling but still having that authoritative look on his face which tells you he wasn’t done with you here. “Turn around for me, babygirl. Will you ?”

You obeyed, not wanting to be deprived of another release, especially as your body was now greedily craving one. You settled back on his lap, straddling him while your back rested against his chest. He worked on the zipper, and the dress smoothly slipped off your shoulders.

“You love it when I’m like this with you.” His mouth latched onto the skin of your neck as he covered it with kisses and bites, his large hands finding your breasts. He cupped them, kneading gently, while continuing his assault on your neck. His fingers pinched your nipples a little too hard, earning a yelp.

“Yes, Sir,” you managed, though words were getting harder to form as he grew more handsy, making you bite your bottom lip. Jolts of electricity coursed through your body as he alternated between pinching your nipples, circling them with his fingers, and then pinching again, a little harder. Your body trembled from the delicious pleasure his fingers alone could give, filling the car with soft, pretty moans.

Thankfully, no one was on the empty streets to witness the fun inside the BMW parked discreetly across the road. His tinted windows concealed you both from the world outside, while inside, your world was falling apart in his embrace.

Satisfied with playing with your breasts, his fingers slid down toward your aching core, leaving goosebumps wherever he touched. This wasn’t your first time, but it always felt like one—especially on nights like these when you riled him up a little too much. His fingers pinched your sensitive clit, sending a shudder through your body, before he rubbed at your wet opening. His other hand found your neck, fingers carefully wrapping around your throat as he whispered, “Looks like the lesson got a lot more intense, huh, babe?”

“Ahhh…Sir, I need… I need you right now. Please.” You begged, the release you were deprived of now paining you, and your aching core was proof. He kept the pace, gently rubbing your folds while his grip around your throat tightened, making your breath hitch. His finger slowly entered you, leaving you breathless all over again.

His thick fingers were a lot for your tiny opening, stretching you just enough to make you gasp, and a loud moan escaped your lips as he moved them deeper inside,while tears pricked in you eyes for how intense the whole experience was getting. His mouth was close to your ear, murmuring Look at you, falling apart so easily. Didn’t think you could be this desperate for me.” His voice was a mixture of mockery and heat, making you shiver as he continued, his grip on your throat holding you in place, exactly where he wanted, the pressure making each breath feel headier. Each movement of his fingers seemed to pull you further into an intense, heated haze that left you trembling.

Then, like icing on the cake, he added another thick finger, filling you completely as he increased his pace, each thrust measured and deliberate, each one pulling you closer to a tipping point while tears rolled off your cheeks at the intensity of the moment.Each of thrust precise and deliberate, leaving you even more breathless and whimpery with each passing second. “Next time, remember what happens when you test my patience.” His fingers moved in and out of you, building an overwhelming rhythm that left you breathless, the air thick with the sound of your soft, broken moans.

Your body couldn’t keep up with the overwhelming rhythm he’d set, a mess of broken moans filling the air as you struggled to hold back.Your teary eyes squeezed shut as your face turned toward him, nestling into the crook of his neck, your breaths growing deeper, more ragged. His grip held you steady as his pace intensified, pushing you closer and closer. The tension built to an exquisite peak, until your body finally gave in, trembling and unraveling completely around his fingers as you came undone in his embrace.

As the last tremors subsided, you felt his hold on you soften, his once-commanding grip now shifting into something more gentle, more comforting. He wrapped his arms around you, holding you close against his chest as your breathing slowed, both of you basking in the calm that settled in the aftermath. His fingers gently traced along your back, a small but tender gesture that reminded you, after all this dominating play, that he was, after all, your sweet and hella protective boyfriend.

With a soft laugh, he pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead. “So,” he murmured, a teasing glint in his eyes, “think you’ve learned your lesson?” His tone was lighthearted, affectionate— a contrast to his earlier intensity.

You couldn’t help but smile, feeling a warmth as you looked up at him. “Maybe,” you replied playfully, resting your head on his shoulder. “But I might need a few more reminders.”

He chuckled, his arms tightening around you as he let out a contented sigh. “Good thing,” he whispered, his voice full of warmth. “I’m not going anywhere, when I have so many problems to solve here.”

“Me being your favorite one” you chuckled and cringed at what you just said, while he laughed softly and held you. No one was moving or attempting to get inside the house.

~ ~ Chérie ☆ signin’ off

DISCLAIMER: This is totally fictional and not a real depiction of the ATEEZ members. It's all just for fun only so please don’t take anything seriously and keep the mood light around here.

© ShixCherie.

[xinfinityl0ve17]

Zapping CD Track 24: Interview!

Gackt

"This time, the PV is based on the story of the song’s world."

15:58 - Gackt makes a magnificent entrance through the grasslands.

17:44 - Gackt gives direction to Jasmine, saying, "Relax and entrust your heart and body to me."

18:16 - A playful scene during filming for the engine shot.

"This song was originally created last year when I went to France to shoot a video. I was zoning out on top of a hill when the world of 'Le ciel' suddenly came to me. The version in the album and this version aren’t about which is correct; I think people will feel our emotions and the expanded worldview in this single. And for this promotional video, we wanted to portray the song’s world as a story. We spent a huge amount of time on the storyboard, and I think it changed about 14 or 15 times. By the way, Nagano is really a wonderful place, right? I’m having fun, and it’s been relaxing to film here."

17:03 - During a shoot for this magazine, Gackt asks, "Is this photo an extension of the PV or something separate?" showing his attention to detail.

16:04 - After checking the eyeline, they started the test. Five test takes, two main takes, and it was a wrap.

We enjoyed nature, including the various bird calls, but almost all of the staff were bitten by insects…

MALICE MIZER

Day 2

6:30 - 18:30 Filming in a pasture in Nagano was purely magical!

At 6:30 AM, the staff gathered at a certain location in Tokyo and headed to a ranch in Nagano. The scene was shot in a pasture where ordinary people are not allowed. That day, it was just Gackt and Jasmine appearing again. The two blended so beautifully into the landscape that it seemed almost surreal. On this day, they shot 20 scenes and 48 takes. After each take, they checked the monitor and discussed the subtle expressions and movements with director Muto. The attention to detail and the commitment to refining every shot was a testament to their passion as creators.

At 16:25, Gackt continued holding Jasmine, smiling wryly as he said, "I'm starting to sweat."

Director Hiroyuki Muto

"There's no one more interesting than them."

We held three full meetings with everyone involved. While respecting the vision of Gackt, who wrote the lyrics, we discussed everything as a team and created the storyboard. The challenge was to maintain the unity of the group while highlighting each individual member. Their concept is always clear, so it’s fun to shoot each time.

This is the third time that director Muto, who usually works in television drama, has filmed a PV for MALICE MIZER.

A completely new arrangement of "Le ciel Beyond the Blank Space"

Since their major debut in July of last year, MALICE MIZER has built a world of "merveilles" (which means "wonders"). To conclude the concept of this album, they’ve released this song. While the song was already included in the album "merveilles," this single features a completely new arrangement, making it even more dramatic. The track begins with a bass drum beat (with each beat at a different pitch) and has been meticulously crafted. From the beginning to its shocking ending, it’s a song meant to be played at high volume. (Released by Nippon Columbia CODA-16178, priced at 1,400 yen, released on 9/30.)

A studio where the entire set was completely rearranged in one night.

Yu-ki’s prop was a staff adorned with a crystal ball.

Day 4

9:00 - 22:00 Finally, the entire cast appeared, and it was simply breathtaking!

On the final day, the filming proceeded with Jasmine, followed by Kami. Initially, Kami was unsure of how to move, but gradually, his poses came together, and he finished within two hours. Then, at 16:26, the entire cast appeared. This was the only scene in the video where all the members appeared together, and the tension of the final scene made everyone assume it would take a long time to get an OK take (meaning the end time was undetermined). Surprisingly, though, it was completed in about 40 minutes with just six takes. Afterward, Gackt was filmed alone, marking the end of all shooting.

→ After filming, Kami took Jasmine out for a stroll in this very outfit to a convenience store.

13th Day, 20:56 - Yu-ki checking the oboe fingerings.

Interview!

Yu-ki

Even the other members were surprised.

"At 20:44 on the 13th, I was instructed by Director Muto to take on the image of a 'bad fairy.'"

"I’m trying to surprise everyone."

"It’s not just an ordinary promotional video. I want to capture the world of the song in a concrete way through the visuals, so I’m putting in a lot of effort. Regarding the costumes, this time, for the first time, we used 'white' as a theme, and each of us brought in our own ideas, trying to surprise even the other members. I think everyone had that feeling. I made my own headpiece, but I didn’t have any initial image for the makeup. As I was drawing, it just ended up like this (laughs)."

→ At 20:39 on the 13th, he checks his position during a makeup touch-up.

14th Day, 19:07 - Only two scenes left!

At 1:27 on the 14th, the director instructed, "Don’t forget your affection for her."

Yu-ki’s look was highly praised among the staff. On the 3rd day, he shot three scenes with five takes.

14th Day, 13:54 - Kami shows off a daring move, playing the sitar with a bow.

This song has the most emotion packed into the interlude.

Gackt appeared at 16:26 on the 14th day. The scene of breaking the flower was symbolic.

→ Even just standing still, Kami looks like a picture.

"This was the hardest shoot for me. There was so little movement (laughs). During 'Gekka no Yasoukyoku,' there was quite a bit of movement. Somehow, the movements feel forced. As for 'Le ciel Beyond the Blank Space,' I focused on the pacing, especially in the interlude. We mixed four types of drums, and for me, that part is packed with the most emotion. Some sounds don’t even seem like they’re from drums. In this interlude, I wanted it to feel like the emotions of all five members were clashing. Time off? None (decisively). We’re destined to keep running (laughs)."

Kami teaching Jasmine how to play the sitar.

Filming completed! Time for a commemorative photo!!

After the unexpectedly quick conclusion of the full-cast scene, at 18:38, the staff joined in, and they took a commemorative photo. Some covered their faces, and some turned their backs, but in any case, great job, everyone!

[inthe-dark-tonight]

Falling Into My Sins

chapter five: cling to the memory

dbf!joel x fem!reader series - loosely inspired by the song skin by soccer mommy

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 6 chapter 7

summary: you go out to dinner with your friends to fill them in about the mystery man from the bar and run into some unexpected company.

word count: 3.2k

series rating: E (18+ mdni)

warnings: no outbreak AU, age gap (reader is in their 20s, Joel is in his 40s) no use of y/n, more tommy and reader flirting, slight angst/confrontation, alcohol consumption, joel only being a bit of a menace (for now), if i’m missing anything let me know <3

notes: this is a bit of a filler chapter but we’re setting up some future plot points okay!! stick with me please!! i swear there will be some really good drama in the next chapter. thank you @javiscigarette ,my love, for beta reading and also helping me come up with the most diabolical plot ideas for this fic xo. and thank you @ilovepedro for reading this chapter over for me and giving me some input ilysm bby<3

A few days have passed since your date with Tommy, and the kiss. You knew it was wrong, you only kissed him to try and get back at Joel. At least that’s what you’re trying to convince yourself. You haven’t seen either of the brothers since that night, and Tommy only reached out to see how you were feeling the next day. 

You decided to make plans with your friends tonight after they wouldn’t stop bugging you for an update on the mystery man from your night out. As you leave to meet them for dinner and drinks, your eyes linger on Joel’s house noticing that his truck isn’t in the driveway tonight. 

You picked up Dee first, then Aya and started to make your way downtown. You all agreed to have dinner at your favorite local restaurant, the Attic.

“You have to tell us, did you ever see him again!?” Aya asks. “We’re dying to know.” 

You let out a small laugh before answering. “I think I need a drink before I can get into it.” You let out a sigh, drifting off into thoughts of that night in the bar and meeting Joel for the first time. You see the two of them exchange a look from the corner of your eye before their gaze falls back on you. 

“That bad?” Dee asks hesitantly.

You purse your lips and push the thoughts to the back of your head as you pull into a parking spot. “Yeah, that bad.” 

“I haven’t been here in ages,” Aya states as you put the car in park. 

“Me either.” you glance back at her in the rear view mirror and smile, grabbing your purse and unbuckling before reaching for the door handle. 

You step out and meet them at the back of the car before walking towards the restaurant. The sun is setting and the air is starting to cool down now as the three of you walk towards the entrance. The host seats you at a booth against the back wall of the restaurant and you all settle in, taking a look at the drink menu. 

“How's the new job?” Aya asks as you all flip through the menu. 

“Well,” you're unsure how to start. “It’s not bad, I actually work tomorrow night.” You know that you'll have to tell them about Joel showing up at your job with a date at some point, just not right now. “What about you guys?”

“Nothing really new or exciting…” Dee starts before the waiter comes to the table to ask your drink order. 

The three of you order margaritas to start and the waiter brings out chips with your drinks. You chat for a couple minutes, sipping on your drinks as you finalize your orders. After you're a little more than halfway through your first drinks he comes back to take your food orders, and you finally feel ready to talk. You can tell they've been trying not to bring it up ever since you sat down.

“Okay, are you ready?” you smile at them letting out a small laugh.

“Yes, I can't wait any longer.” Aya huffs dramatically as she rolls her eyes in a joking manner. “So you saw him again?”

You laugh and take a deep breath before answering. “Yeah, I did see him again.” you look down at your drink and play with your straw as you wait for their next question. 

“Okay and? How did it go?” Dee asks excitedly.

“Did you find out his name? Did he take you out?” Aya adds in eagerly. 

“Well, um,” you glance back up at them. “Not exactly.” you let out a nervous laugh as they both stare back at you in anticipation. “I saw him again at dinner… at my dads house.”

Both of their eyes shoot open wide in surprise. “What do you mean?” Aya asks cautiously.

“It turns out he's my dads best friend… and neighbor.” you pause, giving them a moment to process before you continue. “My dad had told me that he invited his friend over for Sunday night dinner, I never met him before this, and when he walked in it was him. The mystery man.” You take a deep breath. “His name’s joel.”

“Oh my god.” Dee says, mouth falling open. 

“That's not even the worst of it.” They just stare at you in silence as you prepare for the next part. “After we had dinner we talked a bit and, uh,” you take another sip of your drink before going on, trying to calm your nerves. “We had sex.” 

You get interrupted by the waiter bringing out your food. Both girls are still in shock as the waiter sets your plates down. “Thank you.” you mutter as he steps away. 

Once he’s gone, Dee finally speaks. “Did I hear you correctly?” she's just staring at you. 

“Yeah, we had sex… behind my fathers house.” They both blink at you. “I told him before it happened that I understood if he didn't want to see me again, that if he wanted to end things it was okay with me. I mean the last thing I expected was for him to be my dads new best friend, but he said he didn't want to end things.” you sigh. 

“So you guys are like, seeing each other now?” Aya asks, finishing off her margarita.

You bite at your lip and let out a stiff laugh. “No, we're not.” you clear your throat and grab your fork. “We made plans for later that week before he came over that night, but he ghosted me after Sunday night dinner.” You take a bite of your food.

“Oh my… You're joking right?” Dee scoffs. You swallow your food and shake your head. “What the fuck…”

“Yeah so that happened.” You rub your cheek, thinking before you tell them the next part. “Then the first night at my new job his brother, Tommy, came into the diner and we were talking for a bit. Maybe 30 minutes later Joel walks in. With a girl.” You look up at them, both completely invested in your story. “So I confronted him about ghosting me, we argued, he kissed me, and then his brother asked me out…” 

Dee almost spits out her drink after the last part. “This is insane, did you go out with his brother?” 

“Yeah, you're telling me.” You take a sip of your drink, finishing it off. “I did, and he’s really sweet. Picked me up, taught me how to play pool,” you find yourself smiling. “but Joel was there.” 

“Is this guy just everywhere? My god.” Aya adds in. 

You chuckle at her comment. “We talked again that night. He was flirting with another girl at the bar but when I went outside to get some air he followed me.” You stop, zoning out for a moment. The memory floods back as you retell the story. “It’s weird, I feel some kind of pull towards him but… I don’t know. I think he’s just a player. Actually, I know he is. It was just a fuck to him, those were his own words.” 

“God… sounds like an asshole to me,” Aya rolls her eyes and glances over at Dee. “Tell us more about his brother, what was his name?” She takes another bite. 

“Tommy,” you smile while saying his name. “Yeah um, I ended up kissing him at the end of our date.”

“You kissed him?” Dee’s eyes practically pop out of her head. “Damn.” She shakes her head in disbelief. 

“Yeah yeah,” you wave your hand in front of you. “It was wrong I know, I think part of me only did it to make Joel jealous.” You look away, a bit embarrassed after admitting that. 

“Well what did Tommy say after the kiss?” Aya asks, resting her elbows on the table and leaning in closer. “Was it a good kiss?” 

“Well first I apologized on the drive home because the kiss was a little abrupt, but it was good. He said it was okay that I kissed him.” You bite at your lip. “He hasn’t really reached out since then though, only to check on me the next day, and neither have I.” 

“Why not? It seems like he’s actually into you.” Dee says. 

“Unlike his brother.” Aya shoots you a glance. “I say forget about Joel and go for his brother.” 

“I’m just not sure if I like him like that, it would be wrong to lead him on.” You play with your fork while you think about what Aya just said. 

“You’ve only gone out with him once, how do you know for sure you’re not into him?” She shrugs. 

“I guess you’re right.” You hum. “I don’t know though.” 

“Just think about it.” Aya shoots you a devious smile. 

You laugh, putting your fork down and placing your hands on your lap. “I’ll be right back guys.”

You get up from the booth and start towards the restroom, you really just need a breather after spilling all of that. You walk past a handful of booths feeling a little tipsy as you go, then turn down the hallway and push open the black door to the bathroom. You step in and walk towards the row of sinks lined in front of a mirror, staring at yourself in the reflection before turning on the water. As you run your hands under the water and grab some soap, your eyes stay on your reflection and you take a deep breath. 

I can’t believe I just told them all of that, you think to yourself. It all feels unreal. You’ll probably take their advice and text Tommy back tonight, they did have a point. He’s into you and Joel isn’t, that’s just the facts. 

You reach to turn off the water and grab a paper towel before taking one last look at yourself in the mirror. You  throw the paper towel into the waste bin and reach for the door handle. As soon as you step into the hallway you run into someone nearly falling over before they grab your arms, catching you as you place your hands on their chest. 

“Woah there.” You’d recognize that voice anywhere. You look up to find Joel Miller holding you against him. 

“Joel!” You immediately pull back, releasing yourself from his grip. “Hi-” 

He was the last person you were expecting to see, especially after you were just calling him a player to your friends over dinner. What were the odds of him being here at the same time as you, you know that you live in the same town but it’s like you can’t escape him. 

“Hey.” He offers you a small smile and glances down the hallway. “What are you doin’ here?” His eyes fall back on you as he waits for an answer. 

“Um, I’m having dinner with some friends,” you straighten yourself out, suddenly feeling nervous. “Girls night.” You take a deep breath and his scent fills your senses. 

“Hm. Nice.” You look back up at him, preparing to walk back to your friends when he takes a step closer to you. He runs a hand through his hair before speaking again, and your heart leaps into your throat. “Hey uh, I’ve been wanting to talk to you actually-“ 

You take a small step back from him, panicking and trying to keep a fair distance between the two of you. “Maybe another time, Joel. I gotta get back.” His face falls as you turn back towards the end of the hallway and make your way back to the booth. 

What makes him think you would honestly want to talk to him,what would he even have to say? You don't care anyway. As you walk back you frantically glance around the restaurant. You’re assuming Joel’s here on another date until your eyes land on Tommy sitting in a booth diagonal from yours and a little further down. His back is to you and Sarah is there as well. Shit. Both brothers are here. You get to your booth, turning around and sliding into your seat as quickly as possible. 

“Guys, don’t make a big scene please.” You slouch down in your seat. “Joel’s here with Tommy and his daughter, I just ran into him while leaving the bathroom.” 

“Where?” They both lean in closer. 

“Behind me, to your left.” As soon as you finish saying it, Aya’s head snaps towards the table. Dee waits a moment before also glancing their way. “Aya!” You smack her hand playfully. “I said don’t make a scene.” 

“Oh my god!” She whispers, eyes still locked on Tommy sitting at the booth. “His brother is gorgeous.” She smirks. 

While Dee and Aya ogle at Tommy, you notice Joel walking back. His eyes lock onto yours immediately as you watch him make his way to Tommy. You can’t imagine what he wanted to talk to you about, there’s nothing to even talk about. And if he wants to talk about what happened with Tommy, it’s none of his business anyway. Once Joel walks past you, you snap out of it and look back at Aya and Dee. 

Aya leans in and whispers. “That’s Joel?” She looks past you at the booth where they’re all sitting and you nod to confirm. “Wow, they’re both gorgeous.” She smirks, looking back at you.

“Oh god.” Dee snaps her head back towards you. “They saw us.” 

“Are you serious?” You slowly turn to look towards the booth and both brothers are looking towards you. “Fuck.” You turn back in shock to look at the girls again. This can’t be happening.

“It’s okay, what’s the worst that could happen?” Dee says, causing you to let out a nervous laugh. 

“Guys, I need to get out of here.” Your chest is starting to feel tight, they both definitely saw you.

The waiter walks past and Aya flags him over to the table. “We’re ready for the check please.” She smiles up at him before he walks away. 

You start to dig in your purse for some cash as the waiter comes back and sets the check on your table. Immediately you set your cash on top of the check and wait for the two girls to do the same, then you feel a presence beside you. Aya looks up behind you, eyes going wide and you turn to see what she’s looking at. You find Tommy Miller standing to your right, one hand in his pocket as he smiles down at you. 

“Hi.” He says softly. 

“Tommy.” You’re breathless. “Hi, what are you doing here?” You’re trying your best to sound genuine. 

“Just out to dinner with Joel and Sarah.” He glances at your two friends and back to you. 

“Oh uh, Tommy these are my friends Aya and Dee.” You turn towards them. “This is my neighbor, Tommy.”  You raise your brows at them and they both give him a small wave. You turn back towards him and he nods in their direction before giving you his attention. “We’re just having a girls night, we were about to leave.” You smile. 

“Nice, well uh,” his hand rubs at the back of his neck. “Text me when you get home? I mean, only if you want…” 

“Yeah, I will.” You clutch your purse as he smiles down at you again. 

He looks at your friends again. “Nice to meet you ladies.” He winks at you before walking back towards the booth where Joel and Sarah are seated. 

You let out a deep sigh and glance over your shoulder as Tommy walks back. Joel’s staring at you, a deep crease between his brows as he watches you, eyes falling on Tommy as he scoots into the booth. Tommy turns around to look your way one last time and your eyes meet for a moment. 

“Let’s get out of here,” you turn to the girls. “Please.” 

You all get up from the booth and you practically sprint out of there. As you open the door to go outside, Aya’s arm loops around yours and she lets out a little shriek. 

“What a heartthrob! You better text him when you get home.” She leans into you and you all laugh as you approach the car. 

“I will.” You give her a genuine smile before walking towards the driver's side and pulling open your door. 

After dropping off Dee and Aya, you find yourself thinking about Joel as you pull into your driveway. Your skin tingles as you think about the way he grabbed you when you ran into him, and the way he watched you as he walked past you keeps replaying in your mind. 

Your phone vibrates as you put your car in park, you grab your purse and dig around for it. Tommy had told you to text him when he got home, you’re assuming he decided to text you instead. When you pull out your phone, the message that pops up on the screen isn’t from Tommy. It’s from Joel. 

Hey, I was really hoping we could talk. Maybe tomorrow night? If you’re free. 

You scoff at the text, ignoring it as you unlock your phone and immediately go to your messages to text Tommy. 

Hi, are you free on Friday?

You send it before you can overthink it and bite at your nail before grabbing your purse from the seat beside you, then you feel your phone go off again. You eagerly open the message from Tommy. 

Yeah, let me take you out. I’ll pick you up around 8. 

A smile spreads across your face as you read the message, and the comments your friends made at dinner play through your head again. He’s actually into you, unlike Joel. 

Perfect, see you then :) 

You shove your phone back into your purse and reach for the car door. Once you step through your front door, you run up your stairs, a smile still plastered on your face from Tommy’s text. You close your bedroom door and throw your purse on your bed as you walk towards your window. As you grab your curtains to close them, you see Joel’s truck pulling into his driveway across the street. 

You stand there frozen for a moment, watching as he parks the car. Sarah gets out first and Joel tosses her the keys as she runs to the front door, Joel closes the car door as he watches her. He lingers there for a moment, hand resting on his truck until Sarah is inside. As soon as the front door closes, Joel turns his head and looks towards your house. You just watch him from your window, hoping the darkness hides your silhouette. You swear you can almost see a hint of a smirk on his face as you pull your curtains shut. 

That night your mind lingers towards thoughts of Joel until you fall asleep. 

thank you for reading!! feel free to leave comments or asks about your thoughts, and reblogs are appreciated :)

tag list and some moots: @ilovepedro @isitmeulookin4 @joelsversion @nostalxgic @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @gracieheartspedro @jenispunk @javiscigarette @pedropascalfan221 @mellymbee @kaybee181520 @joeldjarin @akah565 @chefchy4 @untamedheart81 @eliza-8 @fellinfromthetop @znerac let me know if you wanna be added :)

[openphrase123]

so i've got three fics that are in what i call "long outline" stage, where a couple chapters are written and the rest is all/mostly plotted out. when i'm done with curtain call i'll probably wait a month or so and then start posting one of them but i Cannot Decide which one to start with. i want to write all of these at some point but i need a Starting Point. please advise. i have decision fatigue

i elaborate on all the options below so if you need to be Sold on any of these keep scrolling. but also if you want maximum chaos and surprise just vote without expanding >:3

no nuance button no chef's choice button. if the chef had a choice he would have choosened it by now. i'm Indecisive please help

propaganda for all the options under the cut

the 20 years later fic is so messy i can't overstate it. i mean that in a good way. very popcorn drama. siffrin and loop haven't seen each other in 20 years but they need to figure out who in the family is harboring a secret regret that's trapping them in a new loop. everyone's over their problems from canon but i give them all NEW problems like osteoporosis and work-life imbalances. bonnie's the only one who ever went to real therapy in two decades and it Shows

the isabeau timeloop fic is probably the most angst out of the three of these??? but it's not a walking sadfest i know how to balance the vibes. it's not Primarily a romance fic but let's face it gamers. this is an isabeau pov. it's like 40% gay longing and you know this. the other 60% tries to solve the question of "would siffrin still be trapped in the loops if they told literally anyone about them at any time" and with the power of miscommunication and self sabotage. i'm pleased to say that answer is YES

the loop one is very prince-and-the-pauper to me. it's set in 1hat in a playthrough of isat that ended on a low loop number. this is both the healthiest and most toxic way for loop to heal postcanon in my heart. siffrin is not here this is NOT about him. he's fine though. it's just that i categorically don't think loop could heal and move on from the loops if siffrin's right over their shoulder being like "hiii do you want to Talk" no you have to TRAP loop into therapy

if you're reading this and going "all of these sound absolutely insane what are you doing" i'm doing My Best <3 all of them have the same general tone as my other fics so if you're like "i like that idea but that sounds too depressing" FEAR NOT. it's the exact same amount of depressing as curtain call and/or inutile

[ghostflowerdreams]

Audio Drama Recommendations, Pt. III

Click here for part one and here for part two. Recently, I've been drawing a lot, which gives me plenty of time to listen to audio dramas and podcasts. These are the ones I liked the most and found entertaining enough to recommend to others. This is not in any particular order, either.

The Green Horizon – is a sci-fi comedy drama created and written by Paul Walsh. It is sponsored by Faustian Nonsense, an indie entertainment network. It currently has three seasons, with each episode being about 20 - 30 minutes long, but later on it increases to 30 - 40 minutes. A fourth season is said to be coming out soon as well.

It is set in the year 2261, and it focuses on a ne'er-do-well Irish space captain and his rag-tag crew, as they traverse a war-torn Galaxy in search of fame and fortune. [ONGOING]

It was a little chaotic and rough at the beginning, but it does smooth out and become more polished. I can definitely tell that they up their game with the improved sound effects and production quality. The voice actors and the writing for the audio drama does an excellent job at bringing their characters to life, which made it very fun to follow along.

If you like Firefly, Red Dwarf, Orville, Cowboy Bepop, and so on then I think you may enjoy this too.

DERELICT – is a sci-fi narrative audio drama from award-winning science fiction author J. Barton Mitchell, and produced by Night Rocket Productions. It currently has one season titled FATHOM, which consist of 10 episodes with each one ranging from 40 mins to an hour, mostly the latter.

Something has been found at the bottom of Earth's ocean. An ancient artifact that can only be described as a giant door, inset into the sea floor. It becomes known as the Vault. A gigantic enigma, buried and forgotten...nineteen thousand feet down.

To study the artifact, the galaxy's most powerful corporation, Maas-Dorian, has built a massive, self-contained, secret laboratory base surrounding it, named FATHOM. It's objective: unlock the secrets of the artifact and discover what it holds.​ But some mysteries should remain buried. And some doors should never be opened... [ONGOING]

DERELICT started as the first project set up as a kickstarter. They produced one episode to entice backers, but then the pandemic happened, and they didn’t raise enough money for the rest of it. Instead, they worked on a prequel season called FATHOM. It's where the story really starts, and I highly suggest you listen to it before listening to "DERELICT E1 - Through the Gate."

I hope they redo the DERELICT's first episode because there's a bit of disconnection from it and FATHOM. For example, Sarah and Agent Blayne already know each other. She mentions it to the others, but the conversation they have with each other doesn’t make it seem that way.

Never mind. I apparently confused this Sarah with the Sarah in FATHOM. Can't blame me for thinking that when I heard the name Sarah and that she was already familiar with Agent Blayne.

Deviser – is a sci-fi horror audio drama created, directed, acted and produced by Harlan Guthrie. The same creator of Malevolent. It's a 7-part limited series, with each episode being about 20 mins long.

Son wakes up aboard a spaceship bound for earth in an effort to recolonize. What he discovers, however, will change everything he knows about his world and himself. [COMPLETED]

It's not for everyone, so please do not ignore the content warnings because there's graphic description of violence, self harm, body horror, gore, animal death/being hurt, and what not.

Victoriocity – is a detective comedy audio drama written by Chris and Jen Sugden, directed by Nathan Peter Grassi and produced by Dominic Hargreaves. It is an entirely independent production. It has two seasons, containing 13 episodes in total, and each one is about 30 to 45 minutes long. There's also a feature-length special and a up-coming third season with the help of a kickstarter.

It is 1887 in Even Greater London, an alternate steampunk Victorian London, where Queen Victoria reigns even after being assassinated eleven times, thanks to the wonders of modern science.

In this vast metropolis, Inspector Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle investigate a murder, only to find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy of impossible proportions. [ONGOING]

It's put together so well, and I see why people say it gives off strong Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett vibes to it. So if you like their works, then I wouldn't be surprised to hear that you like this too.

Impact Winter – is an apocalyptic vampire audio drama created and written by Travis Beacham (Carnival Row, Pacific Rim). It has two seasons containing 22 episodes in total and each one is about 17 to 30 minutes long.

“They came after the impact and the firestorms. When the sun went dark. Like they’d been there all along. Just waiting.”

In the British countryside, a band of survivors forms a resistance in the fallout shelter of a medieval castle. Darcy is a battle-tested vampire hunter who is at the front line, leading the charge to save humanity. Meanwhile, her younger sister Hope wants life to return to normal so she can go above ground and know what it’s like to live again. And she just might be willing to risk it all. [ONGOING]

It has a stacked cast led by Holliday Grainger (Cinderella, Great Expectations), Esme Creed-Miles (Hanna, The Legend of Vox Machina), Liam Cunningham (Games of Thrones, Hunger), Himesh Patel (Station Eleven, Tenet), David Gyasi (Interstellar, Carnival Row), Caroline Ford (Carnival Row, Nekrotronic), Chloe Pirrie (Emma, Carnival Row), and Bella Ramsey (Games of Thrones, The Last of Us).

This reminded me a lot of the film 30 Days of Nights (2007) with a little bit of Reign of Fire (2002), which were both fun films to watch. I think if you like those two, especially the former, you'll enjoy this or at least be entertained by it.

A Voice From Darkness – is a scripted paranormal horror audio drama. It is written and produced by Jac Rhys. It currently has two seasons, containing 20 episodes in total and each one is about 20 to 30 minutes long. It also has 7 bonus voicemail episodes and 15 Patreon exclusive episodes which are longer than the main episodes. A third season in the works as well.

Join parapsychologist and radio broadcaster Dr. Malcolm Ryder as he helps those who suffer the supernatural, paranormal or otherworldly problems on his call-in radio show. It is also interspersed with segments, one of which is called 'Today In Odd America' that delves into the origins of a holiday, local traditions, and history. [ONGOING]

If you like Welcome To Night Vale then I think you'll like this too. A Voice From Darkness is a bit more serious and not as long-drawn as Night Vale was, with a perfect mix of storytelling and lore. It also reminds me a bit of The Magnus Archive too.

How i Died – is a mystery audio drama that brings a "new twist on the true crime genre." It is an Audiohm Media original production, co-starring Vince Dajani as Jon Spacer and Shaina Waring as Sheriff Fran Crowley. It currently has three seasons with 39 episodes in total, not including bonus episodes. Each episode is usually about 20 mins, give or take a few minutes.

Bodies are piling up in the strange town of Springfield, and forensic pathologist Jonathan Spacer intends to find out why. But, Jon isn’t without his own secrets… He can talk to the dead, for starters. [ONGOING]

Ooo, a character that can speak to the dead? It's always so interesting to see what they'll do with their ability and where the creators take them. This has been entertaining, but at times I do think they can do better in developing their characters a bit more. For example, I can count on one hand the number of times Crowley doesn't get angry. Though to be fair, Jon isn't an immediately likable character, but that does change the further you go...sorta.

The Amelia Project – is a comedy fiction audio drama created, written, directed, produced and edited by Philip Thorne and Øystein Ulsberg Brager for Imploding Fictions and The Fable and Folly Network. It currently has four seasons, with a fifth one on the way. There's about 72 episodes, not including prologue, special, and BTS episodes which would up the total to 122. Each episode also varies in length from 20 to 45 minutes long.

The Amelia Project is a secret agency that fakes its clients' deaths, then lets them reappear with a brand-new identity. A black comedy full of secrets, twists... and cocoa. The series starts as a succession of interviews with clients who want to fake their deaths, then slowly a larger narrative begins to emerge... Each episode tells its own story, but we recommend starting with Season 1. [ONGOING]

It was fun to listen to while I was drawing or washing the dishes. I could also follow along without becoming too distracted by it, either. I was worried it would be one of those that take a while to get to the main overall story, but thankfully it did not. It will definitely keep you entertained and interested to know what will happen next.

Community Cat News – is a neighborhood news show done from the perspective of cats. There's currently 13 episodes so far and each one varies from 5 to 12 minutes long.

Local News: The human is opening the fridge! Will we get a taste?

Foreign Affairs: What are those squirrels up to now?

Traffic: WHY is the bathroom door shut again?

Every episode is sponsored by Meow Meow Puffytail, Feline Rights Attorney, who is ready to sue your human for even the slightest inconvenience. [ONGONG]

It's cute, light-hearted, and funny. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. It even uplifted my mood without me realizing I was feeling low.

[lurkingshan]

10 Things I Love About Khun Chai

I did it, y’all. I watched my first lakorn, and let me tell you, I had a fucking fantastic time doing it. Now that’s not a blanket endorsement of the genre, because I understand Khun Chai aka To Sir, With Love is pretty unique, particularly in that it’s a period queer love story with a happy ending. But as a different kind of Thai drama than any I’d previously seen, it was truly a great watch.

It has some flaws, sure. It’s a soap opera, so melodrama, repetitive story beats, overdramatic acting, and slow pacing are par for the course. If you go in understanding that, you’ll be fine. And the episodes are long af but don’t be shy about increasing the playback speed - I watched a lot of it at 1.5x and it was perfectly smooth. Now that I’ve finished it, I think the time investment was totally worth it (@bengiyo my final rec - worth going back to finish! It worked better for me when I broke it up in chunks of 2-3 episodes at a time).

Without further ado, the top ten reasons I loved it:

1. TIAN MY BELOVED

Look at him. Just look at his beautiful traumatized face!! I hold that it’s impossible to watch this entire show and not come out absolutely loving this man. He is so believably flawed but at his core he is good. He is generous. He is loyal. He is brave. And he looks very good in a three piece suit.

Honestly I could do a whole top ten list just about Tian but let’s move on and give some love to the rest of the show.

2. Did I mention this is a PERIOD ROMANCE??!! Something we get so precious little of in bl. I asked @absolutebl a while back if they knew of any other Thai period bls, and this was the entire list. So good thing it’s excellent!

The show is set in the 1930s and 40s in Japanese-occupied Thailand, and it centers on a powerful Thai-Chinese family (currently leading a cooperative partnership of five families) and the power struggle over who will be the heir (Succession, but make it Asian and queer). The show digs into really interesting family structure, politics, and class struggle stuff.

3. The brotherly bond is unmatched and undefeated. The plot centers on two brothers, Tian and Yang, who love each other so much, like I cannot emphasize enough how willing these brothers are to protect and die for each other. If someone was shooting at them they would both try to dive in front of the bullet. Their bond is so touching and provides an emotional through line when the plot gets wacky.

4. The classic soap opera plots are truly brilliant, all your favorite tropes are here. This show has everything - family secrets, nefarious schemes, murderous maids, mystical poisons, faen fatales, even sex pollen! As I believe @ginnymoonbeam put it at one point - everything is happening so much all the time. It’s truly a delightful romp, especially after the halfway point when the plot machinations really kick into high gear.

5. The queer love story is the main romance and emotional heart of the show. There are actually two romances in this show - each of the brothers gets a love interest. And both of them are lovely. But rather than the typical move where a het drama features a queer side pairing, here the entire story is driven by Tian’s sexual identity, the burden placed on him to keep it a secret, and how increasingly impossible that becomes once he meets Jiu. Over the course of this show, we get to watch Tian fall in love and finally live his truth and see how that changes him. It’s truly beautiful, and the romance between Tian and Jiu is so sweet (and a bit racier than I expected - the show does not shy away from the sexual aspect of this relationship). The romance between Yang and Pin is also very sweet - they are adorable tbh - but entirely secondary.

6. Every frame of this show is absolutely gorgeous. The scenery is lush, the costumes are beautiful, the tailoring is impeccable, the hair and makeup never misses. It’s truly a feast for the eyes.

7. There are so many good female characters in this show, y’all! Tian and Yang have not one but 4 or 5 different mother figures. They are all flawed, complex, and a little nuts. They get up to so much trouble and drive a lot of the plot with their scheming, hijinks, and prolific wielding of murderous sparkle dust (don’t ask, you have to see it to understand). Pin, Tian’s would be fiancé turned sister-in-law, is a total sweetheart, but she’s also smart and fierce with a steel core and not afraid to tell her man when he’s being stupid. There’s even a lady boss at the head of one of the five families.

8. Relatedly, there is so much complex family drama in this show, and so many interesting dysfunctional parental relationships. @waitmyturtles you will have a field day when you finally get to watch this. Both brothers have fraught relationships with their various parent figures, for very different reasons. The various relationships and resentments that form between the wives and the sons in a polygamous family unit (did I mention that yet? there are three wives in the mix here and the brothers have different biological moms) are absolutely fascinating.

9. The resolution to the succession plot and ultimate defeat of the Big Bad was so satisfying. I won’t get into spoiler territory, but let me just say that the characters went through a lot together and to see the way they ultimately had to come together and let go of their baggage to survive was very cool. It felt earned.

10. IT ENDS WITH A BIG OLD HEAP OF GAY DOMESTIC BLISS!!! I will get into spoiler territory here because you deserve to know that if you put in the time to watch this show you will be rewarded with a very happy couple forming a family unit and living peacefully on their own terms. I was so pleased with this ending, I can’t even tell you. The final scenes made me cry real tears, I was so touched. And they even put a literal rainbow in the sky at the end. A literal rainbow! Come on!

Watch it, friends! It’s worth your time.

[legitimatesatanspawn]

Double checking the timeline reminded me of some fun facts:

Bilbo, Age 18: Frodo's father (Drogo Baggins) is born.

Bilbo, Age 21: The Fell Winter. Loss of crops, "large white wolves" (could be wargs) invade the Shire.

Bilbo, Age 22: Region just south of Brandywine floods.

Bilbo, Age 26: Bilbo's paternal grandmother (Laura Baggins nee Grubb) dies at 102, his father (Bungo Baggins) becomes head of family at 70.

Bilbo, Age 30: Frodo's mother (Primula Baggins nee Brandybuck) is born.

Bilbo, Age 33: Officially considered an adult by Shire reckoning.

Bilbo, Age 36: Bilbo's father (Bungo Baggins) dies at 80. Presumably old age.

Bilbo, Age 44: Bilbo's mother (Belldonna Baggins nee Took) dies at 82. Presumably old age.

Bilbo, Age 50-52: The Dwarf Company meets at Bag End in Hobbiton (50/51), Quest ends (51), Bilbo gets home (52).

Bilbo, Age 78: Frodo is born and presumably lives in Hobbiton.

Bilbo, Age 90; Frodo, Age 12: Frodo's parents die (boating accident). Respectively 72 and 60.

Frodo is taken in by his maternal uncle's family (Rorimac Brandybuck) and lives in Brandy Hall in Buckland. Because his parents would often take him to visit his mother's family there, presumably just as much as they'd visit their Baggins side relatives in Hobbiton.

Bilbo, Age 99; Frodo, Age 21: Bilbo officially names Frodo his heir and brings him to Bag End. Note, it's implied he's had lots of visits and everything in between so its not just out of nowhere.

Bilbo, Age 111; Frodo, Age 33: Gandalf visits Bilbo regarding the Ring. The Birthday Party. Frodo is officially considered an adult in the Shire.

Bilbo, Age 112: Bilbo moves into Rivendell.

Bilbo, Age 128; Frodo, Age 50: Frodo gets visited by Gandalf regarding the Ring. Frodo leaves the Shire and reaches Rivendell. Fellowship is founded.

Bilbo, Age 129; Frodo, Age 51: Sauron is defeated. Later, Grima kills Saruman.

Bilbo, Age 131; Frodo, Age 53: Bilbo and Frodo sail off to Valinor.

Presumably Bilbo and Frodo live near/in Valinor for the rest of their days. Barring health issues, Frodo should live another 40 years.

So remember when Bilbo was stressing out over the dwarves using his mother's glorybox to scrape his traveling boots off on? Keep in mind a glory box is basically a big fancy chest that young women would/do (not sure if some places still do this) put items and goods in to help prepare the dowry and then transport it to the new home.

The fact that Hobbits apparently do dowries considering how they handle gift-giving is a little confusing to me. Bungo Baggins did make Bag End for his new wife, though, so maybe both sides do an equivalent to a dowry?

But even setting aside the fact that it was a keepsake and something he clearly cherished, dude was probably still grieving his parents and here comes this pack of random ass strangers just scraping stuff on it like it's that metal thing outside of some old houses I've seen around here. I forget the word for them. Those little metal plates screwed near to the front door on the pavement so that people can scrape off mud and in some cases dogshit/horseshit before entering someone's home.

Honestly I like those plates more than the welcome mats which are often either too thin to be of real use or too difficult to clean. The plate solves both issues.

Bilbo was essentially a teenager when everyone survived a horrible winter with food shortages and vicious attacks by wolves who either overhunted or ran out of prey in their original territory. And then he was a young adult when his parents died. Hobbits come of age at 33 and live to about 90-100. 110 is old af to them while the oldest known hobbit (before Bilbo) being at 130 as incredible. Give it up for Gerontius Took, everyone: Bilbo's maternal grampa!

Also considering Lobella Sacksville-Baggins is Bilbo's immediate cousin through his father's siblings, we have a massive reason for why Lobella being a salty ass isn't just a personality trait but more about family drama. Your bachelor cousin head of the family who has apparently zero interest in marrying or having kids of his own happily visits all his relatives and makes grand gifts to people as part of the local custom regarding birthday parties (Hobbits give gifts on their birthday rather than receiving them).

And then Bilbo adopts a distant cousin instead. 1st/2nd degree actually based on family but Bilbo's grandfather's brother's great-grandson doesn't roll off as easily, although Bilbo's maternal aunt's grandson does. Meanwhile Lobella is Bilbo's uncle's daughter-in-law making her son Lotho would've been his immediate successor by inheritance laws. Of course, Lobella is no saint and she was preemptively nasty and grabby with things not even hers but I'm gonna admit, if I cared about that I would definitely feel hurt.

[strayfoxxchan]

Girl's Best Friend

Pairing: Non-Idol!Seungmin x f!Reader

Genre: Fluff

Content Warning: None that I can think of… pulled heartstrings?

Word Count: 1k

Prompt: You came here to adopt a dog and got a boyfriend instead!

Tag List: Message me to be added!

MASTERLIST

A sigh leaves your lips. “It’s time.”

Being an adult could be lonely. You have contemplated adopting a furry companion for months, but as you sit on the couch with a drama, crying in the dark, you decide it is time. So you pick up the stuffed dog you’d been squeezing for emotional support to look into its shiny plastic eyes.

“You’ll have a new friend tomorrow, don’t worry, buddy.”

In the morning, you scroll through your phone, browsing a list of shelters in the area. Most of them have pages full of animals available to be adopted. You catch sight of a few animals and set your eyes on a shelter nearby. 

As you drive to the shelter, listening to music way too loudly, you wonder if you’re making the right choice. You aren’t home during the day sometimes as your job is still working hybrid, and you wonder if it’s okay to leave a dog alone for extended periods, but you decide this is best for you and your mental health. 

The facade of the shelter is little more than a giant concrete building, painted in shades of blue and white, with silhouettes of little animals running across the edges of the walls. The walls are lined with vines and greenery, making it seem inviting. Walking into the building is more of the same. At the front desk, a kind woman greets you. 

“Hello! What are you looking for today?”

“Oh,” you say, “just thinking of adopting a dog. Where can I find them?” 

The woman points behind her to a big glass door. “The kennels are out the door in the courtyard. Feel free to flag down anyone in a blue apron if you see a pup you like!” She smiles warmly at you.

“Thanks!” You can feel the excitement growing as you try not to skip to the door.

The courtyard is big and green, trees scattered about randomly. There are kennels lining the edges of the yard, big open kennels that allow the dogs some room to move around. Men, women, and children walk about from kennel to kennel, patting dogs on their noses and talking in baby voices to them. 

The only problem with going to an animal shelter is that you can’t rescue them all. The puppy dog eyes and happy pants, the tail wags, and the tippy tapping of toes fill you both with elation and grief. There was no way you could fit 40 dogs into your one-bedroom apartment, but that doesn’t stop you from considering it. 

Before you know it, you’ve found yourself plopped down in front of a kennel, beginning an interview with a particularly cute mutt, a mix of something that’s given him floppy ears and a mottled coat of brown and white. He almost looks like a golden retriever but splotchy. 

“So, what makes you think you’ll be a good companion?” The dog stares at you blankly, panting away and wagging his tail a million miles a minute.

“I’m very warm, and I’m the best cuddler.” A voice comes from behind you, and you stifle a giggle, choosing not to turn around and continue the very important interview.

“What can you offer that another dog can’t?” You stare at the dog expectantly as he considers his answer.

“I’ll give you morning kisses and sing when I’m hungry.”

“Ah, good answer.” You nod at the dog, who has continued to stare blankly at you. “The final and most important question…” You pause for effect. “Are you a good boy?”

The voice from behind you doesn’t speak, but the pup in front of you replies with an enthusiastic bark. You respond in kind with an enthusiastic fit of laughter.

“Well, that settles it. You’re hired. Any questions for me?” 

“Do you have a boyfriend?” You snicker at the voice behind you.

“I am as single as they come.” You poke the dog’s nose through the kennel, earning you an excited woof.

You pull yourself up from the ground, grunting slightly and turning to meet the dog’s translator. 

The man wears a white polo with a blue apron tied around his waist. His hair is a little long, highlighted with streaks of blonde. He’s handsome, though his big round eyes look at you with the same happy but almost blank expression the dog had.

“He’s very talkative, though.” The man says to you. “And clingy.”

“Maybe I like talkative and clingy, Mr. Translator.” You can see a smile tugging at the edges of his lips. 

“I guess I should give up, then.” The man turns to leave.

“Wait, give what up?” He stops in his tracks and turns back to face you. 

“The interview.”

“I didn’t realize you were also a dog up for adoption,” you do your best to look serious, but your heart flutters. 

“Meong Meong,” he replies, deadpan. You choke a little on your laugh. 

“Okay then, what makes you think you’ll be a good companion?” You raise your brows expectantly. 

“I’ll keep the house clean and sing you lullabies.” As he speaks, he moves past you and kneels on the floor to unlock the kennel. 

“Hmm,” you pause. “I do love a good lullaby, I suppose. What can you offer that another… dog can’t?”

“I’ll cook breakfast and hold your hand when we walk.” The dog walks out of the kennel and sits quietly beside the man, looking up at him with a goofy smile.

“You have him beat there; I can’t argue with that. And what’s your name?”

“Seungmin,” he finally smiles. “And yeah, I’m a good boy.” He tries to say this without laughing but fails spectacularly. The two of you are in fits of giggles, and the dog at your feet taps his front toes, tail wagging as if to join in your laughter. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Seungmin. I’m Y/N. Any questions for me?” You wipe your eyes and sniffle, having shed a tear or two after laughing so hard. 

“Am I hired? Or just Oliver?” He points at the dog.

“I think I have room for two new hires.”

[hi-i-love-u-bitch]

Spider Siblings headcannons and dynamics

Name headcannons:

Johnathan Baldovino Bianchi (Arackniss)

Anthoney Lorenzo Bianchi (Angel Dust)

Marcella Elisabetta Bianchi (Molly)

*As the oldest Arackniss is the default leader of the group, except when it comes to social settings, then he'll pass it over to the twins.

*Arackniss is an introvert, Angel an extrovert, and Molly falls somewhere in between.

---

Talks a lot: Angel and Molly

Listens: Arackniss

---

*Because of his more stoic and broody nature as well as his conventionally good looks Arackniss had a lot of "fan girls" during his school days. He did not notice this at all, but the twins did. They were practically beating off half the neighborhood girls with sticks and Arackniss still did not believe them when they told him. In his mind it just wasn't possible because he was just some guy with social anxiety who liked to collect marbles and stamps. (Bro is hella autistic actually but this was the 1910s-40s and society don't have a word for that yet)

*I know its confirmed in cannon that Angel is gay and to add to that I'd think it be really funny if Molly was a lesbian. Just so both of them can joke about being the "gay twin". Arackniss I headcannon as demisexual though he isn't all that interested in relationships as is.

*Arackniss calls the twins Twiddle Dum (Molly) and Twiddle Idiot (Angel)

*Of course the twins retaliate back with a shit ton of short jokes and nicknames

*After the twins hit their growth spurt around age 9 Arackniss remained the shortest of the bunch with Angel and Molly towering above him. Despite that he will always put himself between his siblings and whatever danger they've gotten themselves in. The twins in turn will sometimes still hide behind their older brother whenever they feel particularly anxious, though they will both deny this.

*Arackniss can and will smack the twins upside the head whenever they do something stupid

---

Molly: You can't hit me! I'm a girl!

Arackniss: You're a bitch at best.

---

Angel: You can't hit me! I'm the baby!

Arackniss: A really fucking annoying baby.

---

*Will steal food from each other and say "I'm just checking if it's poisoned!"👀😋

*Whenever the twins wanted something they'd burst into Arackniss is room and in a serious tone said: "I have a proposition for you."🙏 Arackniss would just roll his eye and ask "What the fuck do you want now?" (This is an actual thing my brothers used to do to me and still do sometimes as grown ass adults 😑)

*Their favorite form of sibling bonding is going to the movies or plays together. And being that they lived in New York there was always something new playing.

*Arackniss likes westerns and sci-fi, Molly likes mystery, thriller, and horror, and Angel likes rom-coms, dramas, and musicals

*They also like to sit around the radio and listen to the shows and broadcasts together

*Molly is a snack goblin and is always munching on something. She always has snacks on her person at all time.

*Angel is a drink goblin and has several different drinks at hand that he's sipping on.

*Arackniss has a sweet tooth but refuses to admit it. His favorite sweets are salt water taffy and caramel candy.

*If any of them go out and see something the other would like they'll usually buy it for them then toss it in their face once they get back home

---

Angel: *just getting back home*

Arackniss: *laying on the couch, minding his business*

Angel: *full force chucks a back of candy at him as he walks by* Here, don't say I never give ya nothing!

Arackniss: ???

Angel: *leaves to his room*

Arackniss: Fucking thanks?? I guess??

---

*Molly is a book worm and used to read aloud to her brothers before bed when they were little

*Arackniss is the only one who likes and understands sports, the twins will still enthusiastically cheer for whatever team their brother is cheering for in the moment

*Angel and Molly where in the church choir while Arackniss was an alter boy

*Religion trauma:✨️Catholic guilt edition✨️

*As the only girl Molly was expected to learn homemaking and house work to help out her mom. But their mom also made the boys help out as well, despite their father's protest, because she was not going to have "useless and lazy freeloaders" under her roof

*They switch out chores sometimes if they don't want to do certain tasks. Molly hates doing dishes, Angel can't stand to sweep and mop, and Arackniss would rather die than do laundry.

---

Molly: I'll have you know I am a dignified and delicate young lady!

Angel, muttering under his breath: Yeah, as delicate as a bulldozer.

Arackniss, in a low mumble: Or an atomic bomb.

Molly, full force punching their shoulders: I heard that you little cretins!

---

*Angel is the best cook out of all 3 of them, Molly is better at baking, and Arackniss can just barely do the bare minimum

*Molly and Angel are very good at crafts: sewing, knitting, embroidery, beading, most tactical crafting that can keep them occupied with their hands.

*Arackniss can draw; mainly sketches in a little black notebook he keeps on him. He'll do a bit of water color painting if he knows their father won't be around for a while.

*Arackniss has an infinite amount of patience, except when it comes to the twins. Siblings just get under your skin like that and the twins can easily make their older brother lose his shit.

*Both the twins have a pretty nasty temper but Molly had a better grip on it than Angel. This is mainly because like most girls during that time (and even now) she had to learn to bottle everything down and put other's emotional and mental needs before her own.

*Angel tends to get angry on other people's behalf. Like if you insult him he'll tell you off at worst but if you insult someone he cares about he'll beat your ass.

Arackniss: Eldest daughter syndrome, always expected to look after his siblings and put family first before anything, forced to be his father's perfect soldier, never even asked if this was the life he wanted just told to do it.

Molly: Overlooked middle child, expected to be dainty and perfect when she's just as rowdy and rough as her brothers, a smart girl who loves to learn but was forced out of school to help keep house, forced into an abusive marriage she couldn't escape from.

Angel: Black sheep and family disappointment, a gay effeminate man in the 1940s surrounded by a machismo obsessed mob family, nearly beaten to death and threatened to be sent to an institution, ran away and spiraled down into near madness leaving a trail of destruction.

*They flat out refuse to call each other by their "Dead" names, its kind of like asking your siblings to call you by the nickname your friends call you, that's never gunna happen. They will only ever be Johnny, Tony, and Marcie to each other.

---

Angel: I love you guys but-

Molly and Arackniss: Pfft, no the fuck ya don't!

Angel: Bitch let me finish my damn sentence!

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 叛逆者/The Rebel.

The Rebel is a 2021 period drama set during the 1930s and '40s as seen (mostly) from Shanghai by a patriotic young man who just keeps getting injured, ow, that poor baby.

It's a fairly realistic spy drama, by which I mean, there's not a bunch of cute costume changes or fun fake identities. Instead, this is a story about people who live entire other lives for years, keeping their true allegiances under wraps, doing what they can to help their side while sweating out what they can’t. It's way more John le Carré than Ian Fleming -- no James Bond flashiness or gizmos, all George Smiley subterfuge and paperwork. Actual spycraft is tough, kids!

Full disclaimer up front: This show is not a happy fun good time. It's a fascinating, gripping, tense piece of work about a thirteen-year period of history where a whole lot of miserable things were happening. The body count is frighteningly high. Be very careful about which characters you get attached to. Exactly one man has plot armor, so God help the rest of them.

However, if you're up for a quality drama with a serious tone that's so full of HISTORY! it's bursting at the seams, I have five reasons you should give this one a shot:

1. Starring the veins in Zhu Yilong's forehead

Do you feel like watching a beautiful man have a terrible day for 43 episodes straight?

This show is absolutely a Zhu Yilong vehicle. The rest of the cast is great (and more on them later), but he's the star -- and the show just loves to beat him up, both emotionally and physically. His character, Lin Nansheng, exists in a Murphy's-Law situation where if anything bad can happen to him, it will. If you like seeing this gorgeous gentleman in distress, this show has you covered.

Someone please care him.

2. Daddy Issues

Chen Moqun is a bad, bad man. He's a bastard in his first scene, and he's a bastard in his last. He is loyal to exactly one thing, and that is his own survival. He will ally with anyone and fuck anyone over if it means he gets to live another day.

He is also scaldingly hot in his bastardry.

Chen Moqun is the spymaster who pulls Lin Nansheng out of the regular military ranks and into the world of the intelligence services, despite Lin Nansheng's lack of experience in the field. This means that Lin Nansheng is Chen Moqun's little golden boy -- and that means Chen Moqun feels justified in making Lin Nansheng do whatever the hell he wants, and in getting all up in Lin Nansheng's business when he doesn't do it perfectly.

I know there are several of you out there whose tails just started wagging. Good, you've got it.

Alas that he is not in nearly as much of the series as his top billing suggests he would be. He's a major figure in the early arcs, but pretty soon after, Circumstances relocate him to somewhere Lin Nansheng isn't -- and because Lin Nansheng is our POV character, Chen Moqun all but vanishes from the show. He reappears later, but as a much less prominent figure. Still a self-serving bastard, though! Don't worry about that.

I like Chen Moqun as a character for a lot of reasons. He's slimy, but he's effective. He's smart, but he's not a supervillain. He's the kind of competent bastard that it's very fun to watch the good guys outwit. He kind of has to leave the narrative, because he's so sharp that much of the plot would be impossible under his supervision; he gets replaced by [spoiler], whose general incompetence makes him dangerous in a very different way, but who is so self-absorbed that he can't see when he's being played. Pulling the wool over Chen Moqun's eyes is a much nastier business.

At the same time, though, he's a coward. He'll sell out anything and anyone to save his own skin. His lack of inner conviction eventually reduces him to something pathetic, leaving him at the mercy of people he once abused, Lin Nansheng included. ...Ah, your tails are wagging harder now, I see.

Now, for those of you who are not into a Bad Daddy dynamic, may I sell you on how Lin Nansheng also has two Good Daddies?

Honestly, if this show had not been laboring under the weight of [gestures to the state of Chinese media and culture], I'm pretty sure they would have made at least one of these two Older Lifelong Bachelors textually gay. I'm just saying, throw-yourself-into-the-cause-style patriotism is a great cover for never marrying and being cagey about your entire personal life.

Also, I know their super-secret espionage meetups on park benches aren't intended to look like dudes cruising, but come on.

3. A startlingly good love story???

And I say "startlingly" because the love story comes in multiple stages, and I haaaaaate the first one. Fortunately, so does the show!

When Lin Nansheng and Zhu Yizhen start off their romance, she's a wealthy college schoolgirl (which comes off as more than a little creepy, since Tong Yao is clearly in her late thirties) and he's a TA at her school -- except she's actually a student activist working for the Communists, and he's a member of the KMT sent to seduce her and infiltrate her cell. It goes exactly as badly as you'd expect! And when it was clear it was over for good, I breathed a sigh of relief. I liked them both as individual characters, but as a romantic pairing, the amount of malicious deception involved really wasn't doing it for me, to say nothing of how I dislike teacher/student as a trope. (Also, they really have no chemistry together, but whatever, I'm used to c-drama hets by now.) Well, I thought, thank goodness all that's over and we'll never have to come back to it!

But here's the thing: They come together again later under different circumstances, and oh, that's some good stuff. She gets a haircut, he gets to be himself, and the two of them have to learn how to work together even when they can't entirely trust one another.

That amount of deception is great, because that's not lies -- it's opsec. They are both withholding colossal amounts of information from one another, and each one of them knows the other's doing it, even if they don't know what information is being withheld. They both want to know what the other person knows, but they also know that person would die before giving up their secrets.

This does lead to a number of points where you're hollering JUST TELL HIM/HER at the screen, which can get a little frustrating. But, like, you get it. They've got reasons for not sharing information, and grim little reason number one is, the bad guys can't torture out of you what you don't know.

This is not a romance drama; this is a drama that happens to have a complicated romance stitched all the way through it. Sometimes it's the main focus, but much of the time it's a side note. The two of them go years at a time without interacting. They each spend a fair amount of time believing the other is dead. When they do get to work together, they're great partners. When they're separated or at odds, they don't collapse.

I said earlier that Lin Nansheng is the POV character, which is mostly true. However, we do get a not-small amount of the story told from Zhu Yizhen's POV when he's not around, which goes a long way toward making her an actual person and not just an accessory to his story -- and that goes a long way toward making this romance something between equals, and not just a case where a nice guy feels real bad about how much he fucked over the girl he liked.

I'd say that if you're looking for a drama where the love story is a central point of interest, or for a drama without any love story at all, you'll be happier elsewhere. However, if you're a Goldilocks who enjoys a fraught love story when it's there but doesn't miss it when it's gone, this may strike a good balance for you!

This pair is also about as much as the show gets in terms of textual, onscreen romance. Howerver, there are also a number of couples in this show who have to pretend to be married, if that's a trope that does it for you. And speaking of those...

4. My Fair Lady

Lan Xinjie turned out to be maybe my favorite character in the show, which surprised the hell out of me, considering how she was introduced as a pretty throwaway character: Oh, look, a pretty and sophisticated woman at the dance hall, she can use her refined and wordly ways to make The Virgin Lin Nansheng sweat, it's great.

But then she comes back. In fact, she keeps exiting the narrative and then showing up again a couple episodes later! Her continued involvement with these spy boys keeps both ruining her life and saving it. Every time you think she's gotten out, circumstances pull her back into Lin Nansheng's catastrophe orbit, making her maybe the most tragic character in a series full of them.

Here's a thing that impressed me about the drama: Lan Xinjie is a sex worker, but the show never shits on her for that. The show presents what she's doing as negative, but mostly because she doesn't particularly enjoy doing it. She keeps doing it, though, because sometimes it's the best way for her to make money, and sometimes it's the only way for her to make money.

The thing is, Lan Xinjie herself never talks about what she's doing like it's some tragic fate. It's a job. She has to play nice with jackass men from all over the world, and she can do it because men fall all over a pretty girl like her. Whenever Lin Nansheng makes a sad face about it, she basically rolls her eyes at him. She has a very solid grasp of the way the world works, and she's going to do what she needs to do to keep herself and her loved ones alive.

Now: Lan Xinjie definitely functions in the narrative as a contrast to how Good and Pure Communist Girl-Next-Door Zhu Yizhen is. Lan Xinjie is a little too much of a Fallen Woman, so she's never going to threaten Zhu Yizhen's position as the main love interest. However, it would have been so easy to go all in on slut-shaming Lan Xinjie to make that contrast even starker, and the show does not do that. It does not judge her for her choices, in part because it understands that women like her very often doesn't have any.

On top of all of this, Zhu Zhu can act her damn face off. There are story beats that could have been melodramatic and unintentionally comic, but she sells them and makes them devastating. Arguably the best scenes in the entire show are when she and Zhu Yilong are working together, because the two of them consistently turn in stellar performances. This show is not exactly a font of subtlety (see my next point), but both of them manage to play their roles with restraint and dignity that make their moments together shine.

I won't spoil where exactly this goes, but to me, the complicated relationship between Lin Nansheng and Lan Xinjie is one of the highlights of the show. It's a lot of guilt and obligation intertwined with genuine affection, and because it can't be The Love Story, it winds up being a very fraught, intimate friendship that lasts through the best and worst parts of both of their lives.

Also, everything she wears is stunning. Marry me, Miss Lan.

5. Makes you feel real smart!

Hey, nerds! Do you like history? Because boy oh boy, is this a show about history!

It's so much a show about history, in fact, that it occasionally has to break into little documentary-style interludes, where you get to watch pictures of actual historical footage while one of the cast members narrates a small summary of what's going on with the geopolitical situation at that moment. Everyone in the main cast is fictional, but there are plenty of real names dropped all over the place. You aren't expected to know everything already, but you're definitely expected to keep up.

I will admit that I don't know the ins and outs of that historical period well enough to fact-check a lot of the particulars, so I can't swear to the accuracy of its various smaller moves. I do know enough about it to know, though, that this story is a little biased.

And by that I mean: This show is propaganda through and through. It’s all about how well the Righteous Communists did in their battle first against the Terrible Japanese, then against the Wicked KMT (the non-Communist Nationalists). Characters give stirring declarations of their principles at a rate of about one every other episode. There’s a whole scene where two dudes sit on a park bench and talk animatedly about what a great and prescient writer Mao was. Be prepared to be serenaded by a number of (what I assume are) stirring Communist anthems.

This all has zero emotional resonance to me. There were several points I could tell it was making references to events and people and speeches that are surely real historical things, but I lack most of the cultural competency that I’d need to recognize them without explanation. The climactic moment of Lin Nansheng’s joining the Communists (this is not a spoiler, you know it’s coming from the get-go) mostly seemed goofy to me, especially with the closed-fist salute that looks like you’re about to punch yourself in the head.

See what I mean?

All of which is to say: The propaganda did not bother me, because I mostly found it abstract and funny. And for heaven's sake, I'm from the US; I learned how to laugh my way through unsubtle pro-government propaganda watching Saturday morning cartoons.

However, I can imagine people closer to these cultures and events having MUCH stronger reactions. If this is you, yeah, be careful.

What's kind of sad (and by sad I mean funny) is how much the blatant Communism! Fuck Yeah! just turns the show into the "How do you do, fellow kids?" of propaganda. If it had just told the story, it honestly would have done a better job of making the Communists seem like the cool underdogs against the overpowering forces of authoritarian jackassery. But when you have someone all but turn to the camera damn near every episode to make sure you, the viewer, know how good and noble and smart its brave communist characters are, it sure spoils the effect.

I honestly don't know enough about the production team to know how accidental or intentional this was. Is it possible the drama is actually subtly lampooning these hyper-patriotic tropes? Sure, maybe! Is it possible that it actually believes this cringe with all its heart? Could be! Is it maybe neutral on matters of personal belief but playing up this version of history to get the show approved by party censors during the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CCP? Ah, yeah, that's the most likely one. Believe what you want about its motivations. Those who are inclined to be moved by its ideologies probably will be. The rest of us, probably the opposite.

All that said: I actually think it's useful and good to hear obviously biased takes on historical events, especially from unfamiliar and non-western perspectives. This is because all takes on historical events are biased, and it's dangerous and stupid to pretend they're not! Looking at how someone tells a story is as instructive as looking at the story they tell. If you go into the Rebel with that in mind, it adds a meta-layer of interest that I (a historian) find fascinating.

Ready to watch, comrade?

This one's an iQiyi exclusive -- and it's not a VIP exclusive, so if you're willing to put up with some ads, you can watch it all for free.

This is a show I'm probably never going to watch all the way through again, on account of how heavy it is. However, it is also a show I'm very glad I watched, because I find myself thinking about it a lot. Even when it's being hokey and jingoistic, it never stops being interesting. It's just a well-made drama that contains multitudes.

And, of course, one of those is this beautiful man's beautiful face.