#Half-Yearly Performance
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cosmicrhetoric ¡ 7 months ago
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i think i might actually start stage managing as a side hustle.....for years ive been a last min "we need someone are you free?" call for friends and friends of friends (and now friends of friends of friends) but after enough layers of separation its like. oh. this isn't a favor im doing for someone anymore lol you're actually just hiring me
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melit0n ¡ 11 months ago
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Something that always confused me when I read TPOTO was why The Phantom chose box five out of all the private boxes to be his.
Out of all the seats in the house, box five is among the worst and would be (and still is) sold cheaply (average 65 francs at cheapest in 1880, now sold a between 10-25 euros nowadays) on general sale. A higher profit would've been made from a year-long booking, especially since there are multiple seats, so it would be 65 francs per person on a yearly booking no matter how many people are in there at once, but still not as much as other seats.
Visual wise, a good chunk of the left side of the stage is cut off and parts of the performance that would occur in the higher wings would be completely unseen, so, why choose it? Isn't the main point of going to go watch an Opera is to actually see the performance?
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(A screenshot from the Palais Garnier's seat listing stating the best seats for viewing and the view from the box five via this video)
Having been there myself in late May, I found an answer to my own question and I'm gonna share it with you guys because maybe someone else was asking the same thing!
Although yes, the stage is half cut off, it's one of, if not the, best seats acoustic wise. You're a perfect distance from the orchestra as well as the stage for everything to sound just right. As much as The Phantom would've loved the operatic performance, I don't doubt he would've been more focused on the music itself as well as the vocals, and, mainly, Christine.
Further, although going to the opera was more of a social thing than an entertainment thing, so the boxes were built for aristocracy to be seen above all things, you can disappear from public view quite easily in that box. There are two to three rows of seats going backwards to the door, so all one would have to do to disappear from sight of anyone on stage or in the audience would be to just move a seat backwards (which means he wouldn't have been able to see the stage at all, but would still be able to hear everything perfectly well).
Plus, the box is located right at the end of the row of private boxes, as well as very close to entry and exit stairs, both public ones and private ones meant for stage hands and general workers.
All in all, those three reasons are why the box was chosen and kept in high priority for The Phantom, because he could quite literally disappear, like a ghost, by just moving himself in the box, as well as disappear out of the box and hear Christine almost perfectly.
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archangeldyke-all ¡ 3 months ago
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thoughts and opinions on ceo sev falling asleep at her desk??
bonus if you’re not the first one to find her, but someone else comes and finds you like “uhh, your wife… i— you should go check on her…”
PLEASE i loveher
men and minors dni
with the year wrapping up, it's time for sevika to give out her yearly performance reviews.
this means she's been holed up in your shared office all day, your co-workers trailing in one by one, only to leave about fifteen minutes later with various levels of disappointment etched into their faces.
sevika's warmed up a bit in her time as ceo-- and she's got a handful of colleagues she's even fond of. but if there's one thing your wife is good at, it's being an intimidating boss.
with your desk occupied by your co-workers all day, sevika's given you the day off.
she's been texting you steadily all day, keeping you company at home as she gets through her meetings. mostly just bullshit.
just did nick's review. he almost cried when i called him out on the way he talks to his lady clients.
what are u wearing? 👀
are we doing leftovers for dinner or do u want me to grab take out on the way home?
but now it's nearing five, and you haven't heard from your wife in an hour.
you shoot her a text.
'you headed home soon, love?'
you wait thirty minutes... nothing.
she could be in a long meeting. her last review of the day is seamus, but jamie was scheduled before him, and jamie loves to gab. it's not unlikely that jamie's put sevika and seamus' schedules behind with stories about his ever growing pack of wiener dogs.
when six rolls around and you still haven't heard from her, you decide to give her a call.
after a minute of ringing, the call goes to voicemail.
you aren't worried. someone at work would've called you if sevika was injured, or her car broke down, or her phone died, or something. you're just... confused.
on the rare days that you aren't coming home from work together, sevika calls you on her drive home to chat.
at six thirty, you get a call from seamus.
"hello?" you ask.
"hey..." he says hesitantly, like he's waiting for you to speak.
"...seamus, you called me, dude." you remind your friend. he chuckles a bit, then speaks.
"i don't exactly know how to say this... but you need to come back to the office to wake your wife up." he says, his voice in a whisper.
you blink. "what?" you ask.
seamus giggles and your phone buzzes. "check your phone."
you pull your phone away from your ear long enough to open the message you'd just received, cackling when you open the picture.
sevika's fallen asleep at her desk, her face smashed against her keyboard, a few papers still gripped in her hands as she snores away.
"how long has she been sleeping!?" you ask, pulling the phone back to your ear as you start to get your shoes on.
"i have no fucking idea-- i knew she had jabby jamie before me, so i just kept waiting and waiting for her to call me in for my meeting, but after an hour i decided to peek in and..."
"this is so stupid." you giggle as you pull on your coat. "just, like, cough loudly or something!" you suggest, even though you're already halfway to the car, ready to drive halfway across town just to wake your wife up from a nap.
"she's sleeping so peacefully, though!" seamus complains. "and i know she's your 'sevi-bear' or whatever-- but she's my scary-ass boss! i'm not wakin' her up, especially not before my performance review!"
"oh shut up, you know you're her favorite."
"you're her favorite. i'm her weed guy."
you snort. "i'll be there in ten minutes."
"i'll be here." seamus replies with a smile in his voice.
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wheelsgoroundincircles ¡ 11 months ago
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FORD MUSTANG BOSS 302
BOSS-A-NOVA!
They called it The Boss and for two short years it ruled the muscle car scene in the US, establishing itself as one of the greatest road and race cars of the era. Now, it’s one of the most collectible.
In 1960s US street lingo, if something was ‘boss’ it was cool, tough, the best. And the 1969 Boss 302 Mustang wore its badge with pride. It launched just four and a half years after the first Mustang was revealed to critical acclaim and record sales. Yearly updates to keep Mustang fresh in the face of tough new challengers from General Motors and Chrysler (particularly the Camaro) resulted in the once lean and pretty ’Stang muscling up, both in body shape and under-bonnet brawn, and the 1969-70 Boss models were the zenith of Mustang styling.
Thereafter, Mustangs became increasingly bloated and anaemic as the 1970s fuel crisis and stricter pollution laws cut horsepower and stylists lost their way; the rippling flanks and thrusting nose of the late 60s/early 70s cars gave way to boxy, bland designs. That early look would not be recaptured until 2005, when new Mustangs were given retro styling.
The Boss 302 was launched at the same time as its big-block brother, the Boss 429. Both were positioned as competition specials; Ford wanted to homologate its 302-cuber for Trans-Am and the 429ci monster for NASCAR. In fact, Ford went wild with engines between 1969-70, offering nine V8s – the ‘economy’ 302, 351 Windsor, 351 Cleveland, 390, 428 Cobra Jet, 428 Super Cobra Jet, 429 ‘wedge’, Boss 302 and Boss 429.
For the Boss 302, Ford’s high-compression 302ci small-block V8 was beefed up with four-bolt main bearing caps and redesigned ‘Cleveland’ cylinder heads with bigger inlet and exhaust valves, and ports that allowed the engine to breathe more efficiently.
These ‘semi-hemi’ heads were based on the Ford 427ci racing engine’s combustion chambers, and a balanced forged steel crankshaft and forged steel conrods allowed the engine to handle high rpms for sustained periods. A single 780cfm four-barrel Holley carburettor sat atop a high-rise aluminium inlet manifold, while a dual-point distributor, high-pressure oil pump, windage tray and screw-in welch plugs were further indications of its competition intent.
A rev limiter was fitted, progressively cutting spark from 5800rpm to 6150, but it was easily bypassed and the Boss 302 could reportedly keep making power up to 8000rpm with minor mods. In the muscle car marketing war, Ford claimed a peak horsepower figure of 290bhp at 5800rpm (the same as the Camaro Z/28), but that was extremely conservative.
Two four-speed manual Top Loader transmissions were available: a wide-ratio ’box with Hurst shifter more suited to street and strip use, and a close-ratio unit for racing. Adding to the race or road options list were four diffs: the stock 3.5:1 nine-inch, Traction-Lok 3.5:1 and 3.91:1 and the No-Spin 4.30:1 built by Detroit Automotive. Axles and diff centres were also strengthened to take the loads.
Suspension was also race-inspired with heavy-duty springs, shocks and sway bar up front, and Hotchkiss-style rear suspension with heavy-duty leaf springs, sway bar and staggered shock absorbers. The left-hand shock absorber was bolted behind the axle and the right in front, to reduce axle tramp under acceleration. Amazingly for such a high-performance car, braking was still only discs and drums with power assistance.
Ironically, the Boss 302’s sexy shape was styled by former General Motors designer Larry Shinoda, who is often credited with coming up with the Boss moniker. When asked what he was working on, he replied, "The boss’s car", a reference to new Ford president ‘Bunkie’ Knudson, who was also ex-GM and had recruited Shinoda to Ford.
While the wheelbase remained unchanged at 2740mm, the ’69 Mustang was 96.5mm longer overall to accommodate all the V8s offered, although the big-blocks still had to be shoe-horned under the bonnet. Shinoda’s ’69 Boss 302 was also one of the first production cars to offer an optional front air dam and adjustable rear wing, and his use of high-contrast black panels, rear window SportsSlats, and go-faster stripes made the Boss a real attention-grabber. The ’69 was also the only quad-headlight Mustang, a feature that was dropped for 1970 models.
In 1970, American Hot Rod magazine dubbed the 1970 Boss 302 as "definitely the best handling car Ford has ever built", while the conservative Consumer Guide called it "uncomfortable at any speed over anything but the smoothest surface". Unique Cars resident Mustang maniac, ‘Uncle’ Phil Walker, never read the Consumer Guide review, but even if he had it wouldn’t have stopped him buying the immaculate 1970 Grabber Orange Boss 302 you see here.
Phil already has his beloved 1966 Shelby GT350H, but the Boss 302 really got his Mustang juices percolating. And he wasn’t alone, because the first Boss he saw, some 43 years ago, is still one of Australia’s most iconic race cars: Allan Moffat’s Trans-Am racer. Phil remembers it clearly.
"I saw Moff race it Calder and I was inspired to own one," Phil recalls. "It was the most aggressive-looking car; its stance was something you had to see to believe. It looked like it was doing a million miles per hour when it was parked.
"My Boss was originally a one-owner car and I bought it from a friend of mine in California, Dave, who I also bought my Shelby GT350H from 19 years ago. Dave found it in a barn with a blown engine, but in otherwise pretty good condition.
"The lady who owned it from new didn’t realise it had a high-compression engine and had run it on standard fuel. When it blew up she just parked it.
"Dave did a nut-and-bolt restoration over two years, then put it up on his hoist. He didn’t want to sell it, but I got my way in the end – unfortunately he had the last say on the price (laughs). I didn’t even bother to test drive it; I knew it was a good car. It had 21 (new) miles on the odo when I picked it up and only 54,000 miles in total."
Since then, Phil has only put a couple of hundred miles on the car, but that’s enough for him to have bonded with it.
"I’ve only had the Boss since January and it’s growing on me. It’s different to the Shelby. It’s bigger and very low.
"The engine is incredible. Dave is one of the best engine builders in California and when he rebuilt the 302 he changed the cam spec. US camshaft technology was okay in the 60s and 70s, but if you had a big-cam muscle car they wouldn’t idle and they were terrible for driving in cities.
"A proper Boss engine can rev to 8500rpm all day and for a V8 that’s pretty serious. But they’re not renowned for low-down torque; it starts coming on from 3500rpm. My car still has a solid-lifter cam, but it pulls like a train from 1200rpm in top gear and I can drive it around at 1500rpm in top all day.
"It’s got the four-speed close-ratio Top Loader with the long first gear and with a 3.7:1 rear end it does about 55-60mph (89-97km/h) in first gear. It bloody goes!"
Phil is a fussy bugger and his cars have to look just right, so Russell Stuckey from Stuckey Tyres has ordered him a set of genuine 15 x 8 Minilites from England to replace the standard Magnum 500s.
"I want it to look like the Parnelli Jones race car, and to get the stance I want it’s going to have 275/60s on the rear and 255/60s on the front. At the moment it’s a pretty car that is tough, but I want a tough car that looks tough. And that’s all I’m going to do to it."
After his first real fang in the Boss, Phil felt that his Shelby would be half a lap in front at the end of a 10-lap sprint at Sandown, but now thinks the Boss would be quicker. We might have to put both to the acid test one day. What do you mean "no way", Phil?
It was a nervous Phil who turned up at a Melbourne storage facility in January to pick up his new Boss 302. So nervous, in fact, that he took along Unique Cars art director Ange and a sturdy tow rope – just in case.
The storage people were even more apprehensive – they had been warned about just how anal he is with his cars, as he explains: "The lady there said, ‘You must be pretty fanatical because we’ve been given strict instructions that no one is to touch the car except you’." Fortunately, the car arrived in pristine condition.
"I was pretty excited, I’d been waiting for seven weeks," Phil laughs. "I took the car cover off it, fired it up, and it drove home like a brand new car. It was as good as I thought it would be. I spent the next three hours washing it."
Sounds like our Phil.
PARNELLI AND ME
Three years ago, my mate Dave and I were invited to a Trans-Am dinner at Portland International Raceway where Dave was racing his 1970 Trans-Am Boss 302 and I was crewing for him.
When we were driving there we noticed this black Mercedes following us. When we stopped it did too and this bloke got out and said, "I noticed you guys back at the hotel. You’re going to the Trans-Am dinner aren’t you? I’m lost." It was Parnelli Jones!
I jumped in with him and when we got there I ‘invited’ myself onto Parnelli’s table, which also included Pete Brock – the guy who designed the Shelby Daytona Coupe. There was I, Mr Nobody, with all these US racing heavies, but Parnelli was a real gentleman, not up himself in any way.
The next day they had free lap time at Portland and, when I saw Parnelli there with Ford’s new ‘Parnelli Jones’ Boss 302 tribute Mustang, I asked if there was any chance of a ride and he said jump in. We did 10 laps and the guy hadn’t lost any of his ability; my eyes were getting bigger and bigger coming into the corners.
It was a great experience that I’ll never forget. – PW
IT's MINE...
Moff’s Mustang is probably the most iconic Australian racecar and after seeing it I was inspired to own a Boss Mustang. Then, about 25 years ago, I went to Pebble Beach in Monterey for the first time and saw a 1970 Grabber Orange Boss 302, which was the colour Parnelli Jones raced in Trans-Am. That day I knew I had to own a Boss. It was the car I’d always wanted after my Shelby, which was my lifelong dream car.
My Boss 302 is fully optioned, including the Shaker, extra side mirror, tacho and rear louvres, and it’s got a lot of wow factor. When you drive down the freeway, you get the thumbs-up from all sorts of different people. I think it’s the colour.
It’s closer to show standard than my Shelby. It’s got the paint marks on the tailshaft and all the little concours details, but I’m never going to show it; I’m not into that.
The 1969/70 body shape is still the best. Ford got it right then, but lost the plot after that and it’s reflected in their collectibility today. – PW
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justinspoliticalcorner ¡ 2 months ago
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Carter Sherman at The Guardian:
In the year Roe v Wade was overturned, at least 200 people in the US were prosecuted for conduct relating to their pregnancies – the highest number of cases in a single year ever recorded, according to a new report released on Tuesday. The report, compiled by the advocacy group Pregnancy Justice, is the first comprehensive accounting of pregnancy-related criminal charges between June 2022 and June 2023, but researchers warn that it is still probably an undercount.
[...] The vast majority of prosecutions documented in the report do not involve abortions. However, five cases mention allegations of an abortion, an attempted abortion, or “researching or exploring the possibility of an abortion”, according to the report. Only one was charged under a statute meant to criminalize abortions. The rest involved a bevy of other laws, such as a statute that bans the “abuse of a corpse”. Four of those cases took place in states that ban abortion or are hostile to the procedure. More than 200 of the 210 recorded prosecutions involve allegations of substance use during pregnancy. In almost 200 of the cases, prosecutors charged people using statutes that criminalize child abuse, neglect, or endangerment – charges that treat an embryo or fetus as a person, complete with rights and protections that may compete with that of the person carrying them. More than 100 prosecutions recorded by Pregnancy Justice took place in Alabama, a state whose supreme court recently ruled that embryos were “extrauterine children”.
Most of the cases also involved statutes under which prosecutors do not need to prove that any harm was done to a fetus or infant. Rather, prosecutors must show that a defendant posed some “risk” to the pregnancy – which could lead to criminalization of behavior that is not actually dangerous, advocates say. “It’s ultimately, a lot of the time, based on someone’s perceptions of risky behavior, however they might define it, and it’s often based on stereotypes or outdated notions,” said Zenovia Earle, media and communications director for Pregnancy Justice. People have faced criminal consequences over their pregnancies even before Roe fell. [...]
Pregnancy Justice found that more than half of the cases involved information obtained in a medical setting. In a separate 2023 study of the criminalization of self-managed abortion between 2000 and 2020, the reproductive justice group If/When/How found that in 45% of cases, it was healthcare providers or social workers who had tipped off police to a suspected self-managed abortion.
“This is a significant phenomenon, and now we have people all over the country hiding real healthcare needs and not reaching out for help. That’s the effect of this,” Bach said. “I would like a society in which people who need care, seek care. But if this is what’s going to happen, then it is totally rational to not seek care.” For Pregnancy Justice, the link between prosecutions and the medical establishment raises questions about the post-Roe surveillance of pregnancy – in particular, how the CDC, which already tracks nationwide information about abortion, could expand its reach. Project 2025, a playbook of policies for a future conservative administration drafted by the influential thinktank the Heritage Foundation, suggests that the CDC force every state to report the number of abortions it performs, as well as abortion complications, miscarriages, stillbirths and “treatments that incidentally result in the death of a child (such as chemotherapy)”. Bach and Earle declined to discuss the Project 2025 proposal, citing Pregnancy Justice’s nonprofit status.
Pregnancy Justice issues a study that more than 200 pregnancy-related prosecutions happened in the first year (June 2022-June 2023) after the Dobbs case that overturned Roe.
See Also:
SHERO: Charged With a Crime or Left to Die
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blorger ¡ 2 months ago
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The Great Longbottom Bully Chronicles: Malfoy edition
Draco is often described in fics as having been Neville's worst bully but is that actually backed by canon ? This intrepid reporter scoured the books for any and all interactions between the two; the results?
See for yourself:
section A: active bullying
Philosopher's Stone is The Book when it comes to any and all Malfoy-based mistreatments of Neville. In PS we have the following interactions:
1)
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Draco is a maladjusted little gremlin who doesn't know how to show curiosity for Neville's remembrall in a healthy manner; I give this a 3/10 on the bully scale
2)
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Draco straight up curses Neville (the curse itself is treated as funny, Evil Draco is the evil problem), 8/10
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same scene, apparently Draco stopped for a chat amidst all the leg locking; middling attempt, 6/10
3)
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Draco delivers a group insult at Harry's second match and includes a Neville section, he did not expect any backtalk; 7/10
4)
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off-screen forbidden forest hijinks. Harry considers it a joke, does Draco? Does Neville? not enough info; 5/10
BONUS ROUND
Lastly, I'm going to add this conversation from ootp, :
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Draco here is indulging in his favorite pastime, Harry-baiting, and Neville is just a bystander. Draco does not seem to know about Neville's parents and he wasn't the intended target but I give this 10/10 because of the psychic damage it causes.
These are actually all the interactions Neville and Draco have in canon: a whole bunch in book 1 and then nothing. This intrigued me so I went looking for:
section B: Draco talking about Neville (but not to him)
1)
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This takes place in book 1, during the remembrall scene. Draco is putting on a performance for his fellow Slytherins but actually concentrates very little on Neville's incident, this is literally all he says about him
2)
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This takes place in Half-blood Prince, during the compartment scene (wherein Harry is a nosey nancy). This is the only time Draco talks about Neville with no Gryffindors in sight. He is not performing for an audience, merely having a routine discussion with his friends; this gives us the clearest picture of his actual attitude towards Neville (in one word: dismissive). Neville is mentioned in passing and immediately forgotten.
section B (the other way): Neville talking about Draco
1)
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This is from book 5. Draco claimed to know a NEWT examiner, Neville shares what he knows. Not even a direct mention.
2)
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This is from book 6, Neville saw Malfoy go by. Riveting.
Again, I expected more. Finally, I checked the text for any neutral interactions between the two that may have happened offscreen, as in: both Draco and Neville were in the same location, information was shared between the two (or, more likely, shared by one of them with a third party and then overheard by the other) and no one ended up maimed or otherwise negatively impacted. This brings us to:
section C: ordinary conversations
1)
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Again from book 1. Neville finds out about Norbert and tries to help, no known reaction from Draco
2)
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From book 3. Draco was getting ready for his yearly train visit to Harry on the way to Hogwarts and somehow ended up in the general vicinity of Neville.
section D: conclusion
While my first instinct was to assume that the instances of bullying from book 1 would repeat themselves during the following years, it appears that Draco and Neville barely interact with each other from the ages of 12 onwards.
Crabbe and Goyle are actually shown to have a more consistently antagonistic relationship with Neville than Draco does: it's them who Neville ends up fighting in book 1 (during Harry's second quidditch match), it's them who laugh when Snape admonishes him in potions in book 3 (immediately post Buckbeak, Draco is present and does not react to Neville) and finally, it's Crabbe who straight up chokes him in book 5 (in the DA vs inquisitorial squad kerfuffle in Umbridge's office).
One can perhaps assume that Draco's bullying continues as the years go on but goes unnoticed by Harry (our POV in the books) but I don't see this happening for one reason and one reason only: this is not what we observe from Neville's interactions with his actual greatest bully: Snape.
The narrative often makes space for Snape's remarks towards Neville (and their effect on him) regardless of plot relevance and they only increase in frequency as the books progress, so much so that in book 3 he is presented as Neville's greatest fear (by way of boggart).
The bullying somewhat plateaus around book 4 (where we can start seeing a shift in how jkr portrays both of them) and Snape and Neville eventually stop interacting completely after book 5, yet we are still presented with a number of interactions between the two that easily dwarfs Draco and Neville's. If Draco was actually a constant negative presence in Neville's life I'd expect to see a similar pattern and yet there is none.
tldr: Neville and Draco have actually very little to do with each other.
As a little treat, here's the only time Lucius Malfoy talks to Neville
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Dude didn't have to roast him so hard, but he did.
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return-of-a-space-cowboy ¡ 28 days ago
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🧚‍♀️ Anon
Risotto similar to Jason Voorhees? (I had to do it! I couldn’t resist!!)
He was bullied a lot as a kid for his bizarre appearance, white hair, red eyes and black sclera
However his childhood friend Darling was always so nice and kind to him, telling him how his eyes and hair is very pretty and cool, she was 1 years younger than him and much smaller too (Darling was very small for a 9 year old, with Risotto being 10)
Until Risotto’s death, which devastated Darling so much that het mind repressed her own memories of what happened that day (As she was being held back by bullies who let Risotto drown)
Now almost 20 years later and some random people are trying to bring back the place, which cause Risotto’s cousin to snap and go on a killing spree (I thought it would be interesting to do a role reversal for Risotto with his cousin) until his death at the hands of one of the people he tried to kill
Darling went to the lake to pay her yearly respects to Risotto like she always does on his birthday (Not realizing the hulking individual stalking her. Watching her. Following her back home)
So when Darling comes home, she opens her fridge and screams in horror seeing the severed head of someone, only for huge hands to grab Darling and she’s forced unconscious and awakens inside a rundown house tied to the bed and walks in a huge man
Risotto either doesn’t talk or he can but his speech is very broken as he and Darling made a promise to marry each other when they grow up and Risotto intends to fulfill it
Risotto face looks rotting with half his jaw bone seen, grey to greenish skin from the rot or it’s burned flesh, whatever you want
Happy Halloween!! 🎃
Happy Halloween, would have posted a fic today but Nintendo released their music app... let's just say splatoon 3 ost and smut do not work together lol.
But hell Risotto as Jason Voorhees.
Warnings: mentions of attempted sexual exploitation.
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Risotto was never a social person, he was a recluse and his strange appeared didn't make things better. Darling was there for him though.
Around 16 and 15 they ended up going on a school camp and darling ended up in a situation where her male classmates were blackmailing her into performing sexual favors. Risotto intervenes to help her but he's overwhelmed by the group and is floored. Darling pleads with them to stop, she'll do what they want if they stop hurting him while one of them holds her back.
They end up dragging him to the nearby lake and forcing his head under, pulling him up every so often until he stops struggling. The group freaks out realizing they just killed him. Darling is quickly pushed aside and ends up unconscious from the fall.
They end up submerging his body under rocks and promise to never tell what happened. Now they need to deal with Darling but when she comes to she doesn't remember what happened that night and they take her back to camp.
Next morning Risotto is nowhere to be found, the people who run the camp call the police but even they can't find him. The camp is ended early and shortly after the whole thing is shut down after his mother sues for negligence.
Darling is still close with his family after all she'd been dating him at the time. His cousin, Campanelle knows there was something up with his disappearance. It had to be foul play.
Years later does one of the former students buy the place and offer to host their high-school reunion before it officially opens. They barely knew anything about Risotto and think it was a shame it got shut down after what happened. Most people believe he just ran away.
Darling does go but is drawn to the water, she sits out on the dock. Wondering what happened to Risotto and hopping that he really did run away, as unlikely as it seems.
Meanwhile Cam ends up overhearing one of the guys mention what happened that night and all hell breaks loose as he ends up killing one of the guys and injuring two others. Everyone is shocked and darling gets back just as the police arrive.
"They killed him! (Insert a few names) killed Risotto Nero!" Cam loudly proclaims as he brandishs a knife before he's killed. Darling is mortified, it stabs her to know the truth.
The camp hall where the party was held is closed for investigation but the rest of the place however is still open. Due to darling helping the host with preparations she got one of the private lodges.
She goes back for the night bawling her eyes out. She needs a drink to soothe her throat and opens the fridge to see the severed head of one of the culprits in the fridge, he'd tried to run away after being called out before meeting with a grizzly fate. In the light she also sees the blood on the floor from what she assumes is the head.
She runs out the door to tell someone before running into someone. She clears her eyes to see a large figure but can't make out the features in the low light.
"The fridge- there's a-" she tries to speak past her hiccups but the figure grabs her in their tight grip, brandishing a machete at her.
"Please let me go! I'll do whatever you want, Just let me go" she begs them. They end up putting away the blade before knocking her out. Risotto didn't realize it was darling at first until she begged, almost mirroring what she begged before his death.
When she comes to she's finds herself tied to a chair in a dingy old cabin. A lamp is lit and is met with the monster before her. Blueish gray skin with extreme visible veins. Parts eaten away exposing the muscle and bones beneath. Looking up at his face his lower jaw is only bone but those eyes and hair catch her off guard. No it couldn't possibly be. She remembers what happened now, there's no doubt he died.
"No... it can't be" she chokes out before crying again. His hand caresses her face.
"No! there's no way you're him!" She shouts as she moves her head away. He looks older, how could he even age if he was dead. She refuses to believe her beloved could ever become this creature. He's determined to show her the truth.
He came back for her. The moment he awoke he was thrown into a frenzy to try and save darling a many years too late and ended up killing two people hiding out at the abandoned site.
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sleepingdeath-light ¡ 8 months ago
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relationship hcs ; lute
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requested by ; anonymous (19/03/24)
fandom(s) ; hazbin hotel
fandom masterlist(s) ; here
character(s) ; lute
outline ; “If you write for lute, could you possibly write some soft headcanons for being with her?”
warning(s) ; none, just fluff!
lute is someone who values her privacy and her professionalism above all else, which means that she’s hardly the type of partner who’ll be engaging in blatant pda for all of heaven to see — she’s affectionate enough, sure, but that softer side of her is very exclusively for your eyes only and will only be seen when the two of you are alone (or in a much less overt form around adam, who is one of the only people to know you’re an item)
her affection usually comes in the form of preening, resting against you/letting you rest against her, and, of course, kissing — and her favourite places to kiss you are: the tips of your fingers (especially when you’re holding hands), the insides of your wrists, and the backs of your shoulders (usually when she’s just woken up and you’re still half asleep)
the main way that she shows her love for you is through acts of service and she’s forever trying to prove to you that she’s the perfect partner for you — sometimes this comes in the form of her wordlessly doing your share of the chores when you’re sleeping, other times it means fetching you a hefty serving of your favourite meals or treats when she’s coming home from one of her outings, and occasionally it can mean carrying your bags around for you when you’re out shopping or are going on a trip to another part of heaven
(little things that show her thoughtfulness, strength, and ability to take care of and protect you)
and the main love language that resonates with her is words of affirmation as she positively thrives under your praise and affection (no matter how much she may outwardly deny it — the girl’s prideful but the way her cheeks flush and her wings fluff up is impossible for her to hide). compliment her wings as you help her preen them, gush about how strong and powerful she is whenever she lifts something heavy for you or invites you to watch her train with the other exorcists (and skirts around the purpose of that said training as she’s forbidden from telling you about the exterminations), thank her earnestly whenever she goes out of her way to do something nice for you, and praise her for being such an amazing lover when you’re alone
she rarely ever gets jealous, at least not enough for anyone to pick up on her discomfort and envy (aside from adam, anyway), but she does find herself becoming much more openly hostile and derogatory to any redeemed sinners (or anyone who comes from hell) that try to befriend, or heaven forbid flirt with, you — the best way to quell her temper is just to escort her to somewhere quiet and reassure her that you’re not going anywhere and that nobody else could possibly compare to her
lute is only really comfortable with using pet names with you in private, if only because of how blatantly being called any sort of term of endearment by you affects her — and even then she tends to stick with the tried and true ‘babe’ (she learned it from adam, it slipped out by mistake once, and it just sort of stuck)
she’s incredibly protective over you and will do whatever it takes to keep you (well you and the rest of heaven… but you especially) as safe and comfortable as possible — and after the two of you started courting there was a noticeable shift in her performance during the yearly exterminations. she was always good, great even (one of adam’s best girls without question), but after that point she started setting records in her brutality, effectiveness, and kill counts pretty consistently from year to year… because in her mind each and every sinner was a potential threat to your well being and she refused to take any chances
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davinashifts333 ¡ 1 year ago
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DATING SONG MINGI PT.1:
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⚫️summary; once again, first part to MINGI’s section in the new ATEEZ fics or requests i am taking. this one’s for my new friend @ateezatinyfan 🩷! this is basically what dating idol!mingi would be like as a famous person yourself. STREAM ATEEZ!! STREAM CRAZY FORM!! STREAM THE WHOLE DAMN ALBUM BECAUSE IT SLAPS!!
⚠️warnings; iNsAnE fLuFf, Mingi being Mingi (aka HOT & baby at the same time), smutty topics, swearing, idk tbh, whatever else is in here but if you’re not 18+ YOU SHOULDNT BE HERE ANYWAYS. STREAM CRAZY FORM!!
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-Dating THE BEST RAPPER OF 4th GEN KPOP, the King himself, S O N G M I N G I, the killa of ATEEZ, was something you never expected.
-He always needed attention, whether it be texting updates every 1-2 hours (sometimes even every half hour) because he just missed being around you? Or whether it be you ending up at his dorm & accidentally falling asleep.
-We’re getting ahead of ourselves here, let’s go back to the moment you met. At the yearly [insert award show name here] when you introduced them before their performance & he was insanely flustered going on stage until he remembered he had to put on his stage face & absolutely sent it.
-He had been a longtime Ideal Type for you so, your fans knew from the moment you were asked to announce, that you were super excited to announce ATEEZ as performers. What you didn’t know was that all of ATEEZ already knew who you were, were huge fans of your work & would constantly here updates about you from their little Princess Mingki.
-Mingi legit had NOTIFICATIONS on for your instagram, tiktok, twitter, vlive, etc.
-Yunho had reached out on his personal IG once to ask you to collab but, you didn’t know they had secret personal pages so you simply ignored it, being afraid of it being a bot.
-after ATEEZ gave their usual show stopping performance, you went back out to thank them & one by one they shook your hand & bowed in a sign of respect & acknowledgement of your admiration for them.
-Mingi, being last he held your hand softly & evidently gained a bit of courage since he had placed a soft kiss to your hand which just made the crowd erupt in applause.
-backstage he was being scolded by HongJoong for doing that without notifying you or anyone for that matter until you stepped in.
-“Ani! It’s okay! I found it very sweet. No need to scold him HongJoong Hyung.”
-“Ah! Y/N-ssi, I’m so sorry about that, I don’t know why I did it, I just saw you there & thought it was the perfect moment. I’m so sorry.” Mingi hurriedly apologized.
-You stopped him by kissing his already flustered cheek. A huge ear to ear smile forming on his face as you came down from your tippy toes & the rest of ATEEZ standing there in shock at the event unfolding in front of them.
-safe to say from then on, you exchanged numbers with all OT8 & had a group chat within a week of the award show.
-Mingi would ask you only days later to go on a date & you obviously agreed. He took you to the beach, you had an adorable candlelit picnic & then ended up going to the street market & meeting up with the boys for karaoke.
-after karaoke he drove you home & ended the night with an actual kiss after he had been embarrassed by his members exposing his attraction for you from a long time ago.
-on the drive back to your house you took hum the long way just to talk more & sat out in the car for another 2 hours just chatting & getting to know one another more.
-you were very similar but had keen differences that just made it even more perfect. you were an extrovert & he was obviously an introvert who became extroverted around those he felt most comfortable with, you liked things he didn’t & he respected that & the other way around. but what made him go in for that real first kiss was hearing how passionate & admirable you were about your job, how hard you fought to be in the place you were now & how you would do anything for the people you loved.
-he saw you as a completely different person from what he imagined, better even.
-& he simply blurted out his confession.
-“Well, even though you already heard it from the members, I wanted to say it myself. Yes I have liked you for a long time, how couldn’t I? You are so beautiful Y/N-ssi. So talented, so amazing & I would love to keep seeing you like this, no matter what comes our way. I feel so comfortable around you & I like it & when I like or believe in something I am honest about it.”
-you froze, it was all happening so fast but it didn’t feel wrong, it felt like it was going the way it was meant to go.
-so as he stood with your hands in his, admitting his attraction to you, you decided to do the same.
“Mingi-ssi. I completely agree. I appreciate you telling me yourself too & I want to admit my side as well. It feels right, whatever is going on between us & I have liked you as well for a while. My fans all hear it in interviews & such. You are always who I name as my Ideal Type & I constantly get told why don’t I tell you. Well, I guess I was just afraid of it being a schoolgirl crush. But now, talking to you openly & comfortably, I like you even more. I would love to keep seeing you like this & potentially more.”
-this boys eyes SHONE. you couldn’t tell if it was tears or sheer happiness in them but he was just so precious & handsome & caring how could you say no? plus you had to admit seeing him smile at you with such care made your heart almost burst out of your chest.
-you finally say your goodbyes, even though it was killing you both inside & he drives back to his dorm only for an hour or so later you see a notification on the group chat.
-‘TEEZERS & Y/N-SSI’
-it read “this is how your boyfriend came home.” with a video of him gushing about how perfect & how much better you were now than in his head or just from videos he had seen of you in the past. San sent it, teasing the both of you, which he loved.
-you saved the video & kept re reading the text. ‘boyfriend’ made you giddy. your Idol, your Ideal Type WAS yours. it was crazy how a simply little kiss on the hand had evolved into this.
-from then on, you two were inseparable, always in the news being captured together, or on Dispatch, Enews, etc.
-he constantly has flowers sent to your house to remind you he’s always thinking of you.
-has to ALWAYS have you close by.
-WILL fall asleep on you even if he is damn near 2X your size.
-is always gifting you small things that remind him of you or that he knows you like.
-leave his jackets & baggy shirts over at your place “by accident” but really on purpose because he loves seeing you post instagram stories wearing them.
-posts you on his ‘#FIXON_stagram’ posts but it’s mainly candida or cropped pics where your tattoos (if you have any, nails, shoes, silhouette, shadow, etc. Which both your fans LIVE for.
-you always end up meeting him & the boys at the studio, dorms, bars, or for dinner because the boys love you just as much but definitely not more than Mingi because he’d kill them.
-HongJoong & Yeosang being your closest members aside from Mingi but you loving them all equally.
-Mingi being the definition of “Golden Retriever Boyfriend” & you being his “Black Cat Girlfriend”.
-fans LOVING your relationship & how open & honest you both are in interviews & everything but how private you keep certain things as well.
-MINGI WRITING SONGS ABOUT YOU. YES, THE SONG MINGI, writing about you because he is so head over heels he is already planning baby names 6 months into the relationship.
-you meeting his family 1-2 months in because he just HAS to show you off to them.
-“Y/N-ssi! Mingi-ah has told us to much about you! Welcome come in please! You can call me Eomma Song, please sit, tell us about yourself.” with the biggest most warm smile on her cute little face. You see where Mingi gets his loving heart from.
-Mingis dad pulling him aside to tell him he picked a good one, which Mingi tells you later. (because he can’t hide ANYTHING from you… no literally, he asked you to check a cut on his big toe because he thought it was infected…)
-Eomma Song loving you & being a fan of you herself so much that she asks to take a picture with you so she can frame it. You gladly agree & laugh at Mingi’s 😲 face when he hears her already planning to frame your photo.
-“Eomma! You don’t have a photo with me or my members! I will get you one!” Everyone bursts into a fit of laughter at his subtly jealous remark but he is only joking.
-in conclusion for this part, dating this Princess is a full time job on top of your full time job BUT, you love him so much you can’t help but feel like you’re on cloud 9 anytime you’re with him just like he surely feels with you!
-he is YOUR Princess Mingki & your only.
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A/N; HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS ARE ENJOYING MY ATEEZ DRABBLES SO FAR! WE MADE IT TO 19.4MILLION VIEWS IN 24 HOURS FOR CRAZY FORM!! LETS KEEP STREAMING ATINY!! LETS MAKE OUR BOYS PROUD!!
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respectthepetty ¡ 1 year ago
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as a major fan of your Thai BL list, I shall now ask about your Korean BLs! 🤩
I think I can actually trust you 😌😌
Anon Two, thanks for tag-teaming this with the previous Anon, so y'all could squeeze another list out of me. To recap, I've already given y'all:
Top GMMTV Actors
Top GMMTV Pairs
Top Five Taiwanese BLs
Top Ten Thai BLs
So what's one more? @lachikapercebe also asked for this list, but requested only my top five; however, since I already started the list without a specific target number from Anon Two, and Korea gives some of the best confessions in the genre mixed with color coding, I can't reduce the list now. It's too late for me to trim it. I am attached to each pick. They are my children, and I can't desert them, so . . .
Top Ten Korean BLs
Rising Star - Love Tractor
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I don't trust Korean BLs. A majority are too short, so either the beginning is confusing or the ending is flat, but unless Love Tractor completely fumbles the second half (which it could because . . . Korea), this will be a yearly top and even possibly an overall top for its country and all BLs. It's that good to me. It's hitting all the normal K-drama notes while being oh-so-very-gay. And as a rural queer, it pleases my soul to see country life presented in such a kind and beautiful way.
#10 - Roommates of Poongduck 304
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Mr. Petty Peter Jae Yoon independently earned a spot on this list. Ho Joon was a jerk and a true nemesis when the show began, but Jae Yoon started effing up Ho Joon's home life the more Ho Joon kept messing up his work life, so it was a beautiful tit-for-tat the first few episodes; then, Ho Joon lost focus and wanted a consensual workplace relationship. His father appreciating his new attitude and rejection of his ladies' man ways was a delight to witness since we all knew it was due to him falling in love with a man. And oh boy did he fall in love. That entire conversation of Jae Yoon saying it's impossible for two men to fall in love, only for Ho Joon to respond that it was impossible for him NOT to fall in love with Jae Yoon is a top tier confession for me.
#9 - Blueming
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I have issues with Blueming solely due to its ending because I was just as pissed as Siwon was at Daun. Maybe even more so. All was going well; then, the end of episode nine pulled a Thai episode eleven, and DAUN TOLD HIS MOM TO PICK THE FILM! I understand men in love do dumb shit, but that was a bold choice, and a very, very, VERY wrong one. As the youths say, "that was not the move." However, the cinematography was delicious like their silhouettes with that bewitching blue backdrop and their first kiss was realistic. Pretty kisses are cool and all, but the awkwardness of desperately wanting someone yet not knowing how to physically perform is true to many people's experiences and should be spotlighted more.
#8 - Choco Milk Shake
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I only trust two entities with poly: Thai director Jojo, and Korea's Strongberry, so the fact that Strongberry did not give me poly when it was so clearly laid out is the reason this show isn't in the top three. It had a supernatural plot, great characters who were all well cast, and a happy ending, so WHY NOT POLY? I don't care if the rest of the world is ready or not. I'M READY! We are getting a second season, so if I if get a kiss AND a vocal acknowledgement of Milk and Choco's love for each other when their love for Jung Woo was well established in season one, this will cement its place in my heart and on this list forever.
#7 - Light on Me
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Sixteen episodes with most running about thirty minutes?! A love triangle where I could root for both love interests?! A straight boy who earned his spot at the queer table?! Light on Me had it all and then some! Looking at my various lists, it's clear I am not fond of high school dramas, yet I was seated twice a week to see how our neurodivergent baby boy, Tae Kyung, fared that week in his adventure through social norms and annoyances, like trying to help a fellow peer by giving him back the dildo he dropped in the hallway, but getting yelled at instead. I was not Team Shin Woo until that cellphone confession, and then all I could see was Shin Woo. I'm telling y'all, Korea understands how to confess its unwavering love. Gets me every time!
#6 - The New Employee
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As the BL fandom continues to evolve and expand, we will get more BLs geared toward adults and workplace dramas, but hopefully, they take the approach that The New Employee (and Thailand's Step by Step) did and make the work environment part of the drama. Working adults, sadly, spend a majority of their time at work, so finding love at one's job seems reasonable, but if anyone has experienced coworkers breaking up, that shit can get rough, real quick. So having to navigate a relationship with someone you work with, especially someone of a higher authority position, ON TOP OF being queer can be stressful, and is something I want more BLs to explore. There are levels to being out, and for most queers, being out at the job is not a possibility, but finding love anywhere is always a possibility, particularly for our late 20-something virgins.
#5 - Semantic Error
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The fact that this came out in 2022 is beyond my understanding only because it seems like I have appreciated it for at least five years. This has become a comfort watch when it first started as a "nothing else is on" watch. I have never cared so much about honorifics in my life as I did watching the slow transition of Sang Woo’s emotional walls crumbling under Jae Young’s affection through language. As much as I hated the idea of forced collaboration (aka group projects), seeing the way Jae Young squirmed his way into Sang Woo’s every waking thought and had him seeing red to the point that Sang Woo was saving screenshots of Jae Young’s Instagram posts was a delight and one of the major reasons I keep returning to it. But the layered confession about Sang Woo finding Jae Young, a man, attractive which lead to Jae Young's countdown kiss is, once again, the reason Korean BLs win in the confession department.
#4 - The Eighth Sense
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I'm still really bothered by some of the discourse that came out of this show about how it was better than everything else ever because the comments were reductive about the BL genre, yet some of the comments resonated with elements I loved about the series, mainly its look at mental health and trauma. It was a beautiful show, but the message it carried throughout about depression being isolating and taking the light out of people's lives hit me in a way that if this was the Thai list, I would have left it off because it felt like a personal attack. Wanting someone to save you from yourself, but terrified to drag them down with you was not the plot I wanted, but was the story a lot of us needed to see. We also needed to witness someone actively going to therapy. Let's continue this trend!
#3 - Our Dating Sim
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"Have you been well . . . without me?" - Put this on my tombstone because I died and came back to life from this utterance alone. Episode four was already killing me, but once Eddy snapped and allowed all his emotions to spill out in front of Ian, the show came for all my past lives and future ones too. Deceased. I wrote this about the show while it was airing, but no other show has done the leave-him-because-I-love-him plot as well as Our Dating Sim. This show nailed it then made a billboard to boast about it because it was perfection. Ian's reasons for leaving were valid, but the show really shined by allowing Eddy to voice his anger at being ghosted for seven years by his best friend and someone he loved. It even touched on the trust issues that stem from someone saying he loves you only to abandon you. Just know I have NOT been well since this ended.
#2 - To My Star 1 & 2
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The first season was almost perfect. The cat/dog energy, the "If it's hard for you, I'll come to you" confession, and the budding kink of Ji Woo kissing a tiny bloody wound on Seo Joon all served in a quick nine episodes gave me everything I needed, so I thought this would be my #1 the second season two was announced, but understand the sequel hurt me. The foundation was great: everyone came back, it had more episodes, the episodes were longer, and the conflict always existed in the first series, so a last-minute twist wasn’t invented. Yet, every single episode hurt. Much like I Told Sunset About You, it was realistic to the point that I expected it to end with pain. If season two was its own show and not a sequel to one of my favorites, it would have ranked higher because it was beautiful, but knowing the magic the first series possessed, and having to be a bystander to all the angst for EVERY EPISODE WITH NO RELIEF was tough. But, somehow, here I am secretly hoping we get blessed with a third series. That’s the power of the Star.
#1 - Long Time No See
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Small flex - I've been involved with an international queer film festival for over a decade. I've seen easily over 1,000 pieces of queer media including feature films, short films, and documentaries through the screening process, which only adds to my always growing personal watched list. Long Time No See was one of those films. It didn't make it into the festival because I think it was already available on a streaming platform (maybe?), but it was a top for me then, and it's still a top for me now. Is it a BL? Not really. Is it a show? No, it's more like a two-part movie. So why am I allowing it to reign at the top of this list? BECAUSE IT IS AMAZING! In 2017, we were still getting the bury your gays trope shoved down our throats, so a film about two assassins getting a happy ending was a miracle. I read comments from some who did not like the portrayal of "toxic love" but were probably fine with Mr. and Mrs. Smith beating each other with cooking utensils for all the world's children to see, so God forbid, the queers do anything like want to kill AND fuck each other. NiĂąa, Pinta, and Santa MarĂ­a, LET THE GAYS DO CRIMES TOO! Oh, and it's Strongberry, so because of this film - In Strongberry I trust.
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jacksprostate ¡ 8 months ago
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My boss invites me into his office, he's telling me, we've got a problem. It is always, "we." "We" are all in this together. "We" need to put a little more effort in, if "we" want our yearly bonuses. "We" have got to up profits by next quarter, or "we" are going to lose our jobs.
"We" don't all have half a million salaries and a three letter job title, but what can you do.
If you asked my boss, he'd tell you about his. The guy above him. Yeah, "we" are all beholden to him. My boss, he's just regional. Small fry, really.
I'm entering his corner office, big tall windows gaping, stretching the condo construction happening across the street for as far as the eye can see. He sees me looking.
"Perks of the job," he says. A little laugh in his voice. He's not funny.
"We need to talk about your performance last quarter," he says.
We, unto me.
I am Jack's rejuvenated individuality.
My boss had his secretary let me in, so really I've spent the past minute standing awkwardly, insomnia haze locking my gaze some place beyond our broken city horizon. My boss had his secretary let me in because that means he could sit at his desk and pretend to be doing something important. Wave me in, make me wait, give him the opportunity to boast about his jail cell amenities.
You'd think it makes him feel powerful, the way he's clinging to it all. I tongue at the hole in my cheek as I take a seat. Managerial threat displays have lost their effect on me, I think.
It makes him antsier. I can see it, taste it like the blood in my mouth. Oh, iron. Oh, fear.
If Tyler was here, he'd lean on those windows and get them splotched with dirt and worse. Those windows, they're spotless because my boss pays into the building fund with company money to get an old spanish speaking lady to wipe the glass clean before he arrives each morning. I saw her once, at a support group for some combination of cancer and impoverishment. She coughed, introducing herself. Said she couldn't speak well, but wanted company. She has to keep working, but it's making her sick.
The building doesn't pay her enough that she can buy PPE in between their scant offerings, so she's without a mask most of the times I've seen her.
Truthfully, there's been someone else under the building's thumb for a while now.
I found a different group for Thursday nights.
I still think I'll hear Rosa's wheezing when I see her cart by the restrooms.
My prolonged silence, it's unnerving him now, so he's puffing up like a bluffing frog.
I am still with my boss, and I've been staring at a damp spot of drywall behind his head as he yaps at me about how I need to follow dress code. Raise my numbers. Be more engaged.
I should be a precious bouquet of flowers, brightening up the office.
He just wants to help me out. Get me back on track. We used to have amazing figures coming out of Compliance and Liability, my one-man department.
If Tyler was here, he'd be filling the janitor's Windex bottles with 90 proof and blue dye instead, so when my boss comes in early for once in his life and spooks Rosa's replacement, the bottle gets spilled all over my boss and his carpet and his desk and then my workplace smoking habit really would be a fire hazard.
I tune back in, and my boss is informing me that it's with his sincerest regrets that he has to tell me that I won't be getting my bonus this year, oh, maybe something if I shape back up, yeah, he's sure he could fight upper management for me if I showed a good effort. He just wants to help, but I have to help him help me.
Whatever is going on in my life, it's got to be over.
I imagine going to Tyler. Going to fight club. Saying, let's pack it up boys. Fight club's over. I need to sit pretty for my boss so he can feed me a quarter of the salary he always conveniently has to withhold each year, due to all sorts of things impacting the car industry. A typhoon hit mainland China. The US dollar grew too fast with the collapse of the Soviet Union. A sparrow chirped in Belgrade on a Wednesday.
The usual.
Fight club's over. I've got to go be a recall campaign coordinator full time. Working hours, waking hours, what's the difference?
Tyler is always telling me, I could follow my boss home, and when he goes to work on his stupid meaningless hobby in the nice little air conditioned shed at the edge of his two acre two storey home, I could lock him in with nothing but millet. And when he runs out of millet, I could drag his body out and drown him in his pool, laced with armagnac, just like the French do it. And I could pluck and roast the corpse and eat it uncovered, hoping God has no choice but to see me now.
Or I could just give him a poisoned bottle of whiskey.
There's many options, according to Tyler.
The thing is. The truth is, I like my boss.
It's Tyler who wants to come in in the early morning and when my boss pushes open the door to his office, it's Tyler who wants to have a block of concrete in a bucket fall down and crack his skull like a rotten egg, looney tunes style.
It's not me. I gave my boss soap for the mandatory holiday office gift exchange.
I tell my boss, thank you for the concern.
Unfortunately, my grandmother's diagnosis seems dire, and it's unlikely I'll be able to switch gears before the year rolls over in March. Apologies.
He looks at me, and my battered face, at stitches painted across my temple. I can tell, he wants to shake me. Demand from me, why I can't I even pretend to give him a real excuse? Why do I have to make his life so very difficult? Why can't I just keep the broken toddlers from coming out of the woodwork with a smile on my face?
But he doesn't. He says, my condolences. It sounds a lot like get the hell out of my office.
With that in mind, I get up and take a nice, long moment to watch nothing through his huge, sparkling windows. Papers conspicuously rustle. There's the ambient noise of pointless keyboard clicking. I take a sip of my coffee. Behind me, my boss starts to pretend to get a call in hopes it gets me to move on, and I'm watching construction crews like ants. Perks of the job, indeed.
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filthforfriends ¡ 1 year ago
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Chapter 3: Medicinal Properties
The Sun is the Center of Everything
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Read Author's Note (CW: addiction)
Word count: 2.9k
Damiano David x Y/n
He O.D.ed again. This time it wasn’t nearly as serious, but it still lit a fire under SME’s collective billionaire ass. Somebody was always keeping you updated: Ronnie, Ethan, Mia, Dami’s mother. Considering their commitment to conveying information, a person would assume you had outright requested the latest news on Damiano David’s epic, drug-fueled raging dumpster fire of a downfall. This was not the case. 
Regardless, it was through these channels that you found out Maneskin’s management was willing to renegotiate their contract. Damiano had ascended to a new level of self-destruction: drinking, drugs, unprotected sex, fighting, partying, smoking. He’d nearly been arrested. 
The antics had thoroughly trashed his voice, appearance, reputation, and marketability. Vic, Tom, and Ethan had lost their patience, turning first on Dami, then each other. Sony saw the writing on the wall and Maneskin had a great lawyer this time. Less press, guaranteed time off, more control over their music, and the focus of scheduling shifting to the band’s convenience. SME still demanded a minimum of 35 tour dates, which would be in addition to promotional performances in the year following an album release. It was still extreme, but not outright inhumane.
In return, Maneskin would go to a set of award shows every year with no exceptions. Each album for the rest of their contract would include a single with a featured artist, to be agreed upon by both parties. The exact number wasn’t disclosed, but the band agreed to profit several million dollars yearly in paid promotions and sponsorships. Finally, fix their image, which included Damiano going to rehab. Part of you wondered if the entire deal would fall through because he refused.
Luckily that didn’t happen. Dami went to rehab of his own volition, and checked himself out as soon as possible. Some idiot had contractually obligated Damiano to a mere two weeks, half a program. So he got out on day 15, just past nine in the morning and he did exactly what any knowledgeable person would predict. He went on a bender. 
However, he couldn’t be sloppy this time, and that left you in a constant state of anxiety-induced nausea. While everyone else seemed thrilled not to see him drunk at some club, you knew the reality of the situation. He was doing the same stuff, but alone in his hotel room. There was no one to turn him on his side or administer Narcan. If he made a mistake he was gonna die.
On the nights you managed to sleep, the morning was spent in terror. You refreshed Twitter compulsively, bracing for the news that they had found him cold and stiff, probably covered in the content’s of his stomach. That would forever be the way his light was extinguished. Your manager sat you down for a talk. Your therapist had even more very accurate and totally unhelpful advice.
“What if I can never move on? Like, I never get over him?”
“Tell me about that fear.” She sits back in her teal armchair, legs crossed, loafers polished.
“I thought he was my soulmate. It's like the more I try to get over him, the more of my day is consumed by thinking about him.”
“Addiction doesn’t make him not your soul mate. It gives you another person to contend with. Sometimes you’ll go decades only seeing the occasional glimmer of that person. Other times they can take complete control.”
“How does he get back control?” you ask in exasperation.
“He has to be brave enough to face himself.”
“He’s never going to do that!”
“Really?” She furrows her brow, skeptical.
“He’s an international rockstar and sex symbol. He’s celebrated on a global scale. In addition to that, it takes some prompting for Damiano to be self-reflective. He’s not gonna realize he’s doing the wrong thing because nobody’s telling him that.”
“His friends and family are. You are.”
“Well, what I think doesn’t matter.”
“I doubt that’s true.”
“He used our entire relationship as a tool to justify doing heroin. He doesn’t give a shit about what I think or feel.”
“The hardest thing about loving someone with Substance Use Disorder is forgiveness. What addicts do to feed their addiction isn’t representative of them. It's not fair and it can be very difficult to find that forgiveness when you’re wounded.”
“If he would just act like himself and apologize, I think I’d forgive him.”
“That's very gracious. Unfortunately, addiction is a self-perpetuating cycle. The addict betrays a loved one and knows the only absolution is to apologize and to be forgiven. However, they harbor so much self-loathing for using that they think they’re unforgivable. The idea that the people you love won’t love you back if they knew the real you –”
“That's awful. That's a terrible thing to feel.”
“And because they are using substances to regulate their emotions, an addict will use as a way to escape that feeling, then possibly do something worse. Which creates an even greater weight and that makes them less likely to ask for forgiveness.”   
“‘Because I couldn’t bear you knowing that I was a piece of shit.’” Instead of getting a tissue, you watch as teardrops stain your pants darker.
“Hard drug users always have a reason. A normal person isn’t willing to commit a crime and ingest a possibly deadly substance just to get out of their own head. What Damiano does for work, that would lead most people with addictive personalities to substance abuse. We’ve seen evidence of that over and over.” There's a long pause as you process. “Also, it sounds like he’s already realized he doesn’t like himself on drugs.”
***
Three nights later, the emotional turmoil is tearing up your insides. After worrying on repeat, you get a feeling of certainty that tonight is when it's gonna happen. Dami is gonna combine coke with heroin with alcohol and he’s going to die alone in his hotel room, terrified and thinking he’s unforgivable. You slip in and out of vivid nightmares before waking up with stabbing chest pains.
He’s gone. You know he’s gone because you can feel the death of his body in your own. Finally you break and unblock his number with trembling hands. After two rings you’re sure Damiano won’t pick up, but he does.
“Y/n?” He doesn’t sound like he’s slurring his words, but he’s at a club somewhere, probably exclusive enough that Dami doesn’t worry about prying eyes. “Give me a sec.” You hear a couple doors open and shut as electronic music fades. “Hey, are you okay?”
“Can you just talk to me?”
“Um…okay, I wrote a terrible song today and the label liked it so now I have to burn all the harddrives. A couple shows from now I will be wearing the assless chaps and thong combo from MTV. Somewhat nervous about that because I looked pasty as hell last time and I’ve never used a self tanner. The hotel we stayed at in France had some of the best coffee ever, but the croissants were miniature which was extremely disappointing.” This used to be part of your normal routine while he was on tour. Dami’s voice had this cadence and tone to it that could distract you from anxiety. It was especially nice when you could lay your head on his chest and feel the vibrations of his words as he stroked your hair. Fuck.
“Should I keep going or are you gonna tell me why you called. I thought you had my number blocked.”
“I did,” you try to keep the tears out of your voice. 
“Up until when?”
“10 seconds before I called.”
“What’s going on?” His concern sounded exactly the same, the same affection. I thought you died. 
“I tho – “ You don’t even get to the third syllable before sobbing. It's slightly cathartic, to do what you’ve wanted to: curl in a ball and ugly cry so hard that you’re gasping for air like a toddler. 
“Baby,” he coos. “What happened, baby?”
“I’m not your baby!”
“I – you’re right. I’m sorry, sweetheart – y/n.”
“You don’t have to deal with me being a mess.” He was alive. Your concern was negated.
“No, don’t hang up!” he rushes. “I’ve been wanting to apologize and – wait, why did that make you upset, sweet – y/n?”
“I thought you were dead!” you sob.
“Is there something online?”
“No! I’ve just been so fucking scared that you were gonna die, like every night. I can’t sleep and I just lay here in our fucking bed wondering if every moment is the moment you O.D. I’m powerless! I just have to wonder if you’re fucking dying and, and – and you’d just be gone!”
“Y/n, I am so sorry,” His voice is heavy with emotion.
“You can’t die thinking you’re a piece of shit, or that I couldn’t forgive you, or that I wouldn’t love you, or that I don’t still love you.”
“Baby –”
“You can’t die alone in your hotel room, because you’ll be scar – ared and there'll be no one to hold you. And that thought just makes me wanna” you scream into the bedding. “You have a fucking disease, Damia! You can’t O.D. because you can still heal. You have a whole life,” you whimper. “You’re supposed to have a whole life so you can’t fu – uck –cking die.”
“I won’t, y/n. I’m being careful now, and I’m not using as often. It’s just medicinal now, more than anything.”
“Because cocaine is just so well known for its medicinal properties.”
“I won’t end up in the hospital again. I’m not gonna overdose. You can sleep. I kept my promise.” You feel like an idiot, because of course he’s still an addict, even if he’s high functioning. Damiano is still deluding himself into thinking he can control it. Your emotions get away from you so easily.
“I’m still completely in love with you.”
“Fucking asshole,” is all you can manage. He chuckles and lights a cigarette.
“You said it first. I was gonna keep it to myself.”
“Is that why you wanted to break up? The drugs and how they made you act?”
“Umm,” he takes a puff and exhales the smoke. “That was part of it. The biggest part. You know, plus the booze and I think fame…took its toll on us.” 
“All of your stuff is still here. I boxed a bunch of it up, so it’s sitting in the corner.”
“By the radiator?”
“Yep.”
“Don’t do that, you’re gonna set the apartment on fire.” You roll your eyes.
“We have central heating. The radiator doesn’t even work, it’s just there because the building is old.”
“I miss having this argument with you. Especially at Christmas, when you try to put lights on the damn thing.”
“It’s festive!”
“It’s a fire hazard.” You groan, and flip onto your back. “How’s Princess?” 
“She’s good. Took her to the vet to get her claws trimmed and the rest of her shots. It was traumatizing for both of us.” Again he chuckles, and you know exactly the face he’s making. A shy smile that reveals his gums and the tops of his teeth, eyes crinkled. You know the way he’s got his head slightly bowed forward, gaze downcast. You know exactly how he’s holding his cigarette. 
“I actually have two cats now. Princess got out and led me to a mom and her kittens behind the dumpster. Everyone wanted the kittens, but I wanted Cheeto.”
“Cheeto? Is she orange?”
“No, she’s black with white mittens.”
“Then why, for the love of god, did you name her Cheeto?” he laughs.
“She’d just rolled in an empty bag of Cheetos when I found her. I'm pretty positive it wasn’t the first time because her feet are still stained a little orange.” 
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not, I swear! I’ll send you a picture right now.” You find the first picture ever taken of Cheeto and hit send, only to realize that you can see all of your past text conversations now that Dami’s number is unblocked.
“Hah! I can’t believe that. She’s got that little spot of white right between her ears, too. I love it, she’s adorable. They get along?”
“Yeah, but Cheeto is kind of a garbage gremlin and it's a bad influence on Princess.”
“You expected her not to be a garbage gremlin?”
“Okay! Well, when you put it that way.” You’re smiling, without even trying.
“I miss Princess. I miss you.” 
“Rude.” You’re still smiling. Damn it.
“I know I’m sorry.” You realize why Damiano is being so himself and it's like having cold water thrown over your head.
“How drunk are you right now?”
“Like a 4/10. I am not nearly fucked up enough for any of this to be disingenuous.”
“High?”
“No.” He wasn’t even saying anything and he was convincing you. Or perhaps you were convincing yourself, which is much worse.
“I wish I was sober right now, though,” cue heartbeat skip. “So you wouldn’t be suspicious of what I’m saying.”
“It’s been a while since you sounded like yourself.”
“And I’m really sorry about that. I’ve gotten past the live fast die, young stage.”
“Thank fuck.”
“I’m so sorry. The way I treated you last time was abominable.”
“Correct.”
“And imagining that day without you there still puts me on the edge of a panic attack. When I first woke up and heard your voice, I thought I’d died. I thought I’d gone to heaven because you were there, acting like I hadn’t fucked it all up.” Stand your motherfucking ground, bitch. 
“Spending six hours on the train was angelic, I agree.” There's a pause in the conversation and that moment is all it takes to land you back in reality. Playing house over the phone made you feel better now, but later you’d be angry at yourself for giving Damiano even an inch of acceptance for how he was living his life.
“Are you going to block my number again?” Right now you are leaning towards no, which is probably a sign that your judgment is impaired.
“I’ll decide tomorrow.”
“You can call me. If you’re having a panic attack or you’re upset, you can call me and I won’t make it about…our relationship or my habits. I can be a friend and I don’t expect it to go the other way.” You let out a long sigh and follow the texture of the ceiling with your eyes.
“I don’t know.”
“I hate the idea of you being anxious at night and wanting to call me for reassurance, but stopping yourself.”
“Well I hate it too, but you’re not sober or trying to be sober. You won’t even admit that you need sobriety.”
“I understand that some people need it.”
“But not you? No, I can’t do this. I’ll just get hurt again and this time it’ll be my own fault, because I know better.” You sit up with a groan and look out the window. It was starting to get light outside, the very beginning of dawn.
“Y/n, I’m not self-destructing for the fuck of it anymore. I’m past using drugs that way. I even have a therapist.”
“I need you to be past using drugs full stop.”
“Y/n –”
“Let me finish. The self destructive thing is half of it and even though I may sound pissy right now, I can’t describe the happiness and relief I get knowing that part is over. Truly, Damia. I don’t want to just skip over that because it's huge.”
“I – thank you.” He sounds bashful.
“I’m serious and the fact that you’re back in therapy, chef’s kiss. I know how exhausting it is to dig through that shit and you’re doing it while under more pressure than the rest of the human race. The relief at you answering this phone call and being you? Incredible, but you’re still an addict.”
“So if I got sober, you’d give me another chance?”
“I can’t be the reason you get sober, Dami. It won’t stick and it’ll destroy our relationship.”
“Fine, but hypothetically, if I was sober, could we try again? Because I didn’t agree to end it for the right reasons.”
“If you had been sober for six months, with regular drug tests, and were in therapy, then yes. If you did the work to get sober and stay sober there is a high likelihood that I would try again.”
“Okay,” you can hear his smile. “Has trying to move on from us been absolute hell for you too?”
 “Oh, 100%.”
“Good. Give Princess and Cheeto a kiss for me.” The first thing you do when you get off the phone is unblock him on Whatsapp. All the messages that he sent while blocked roll in through your notifications. Immediately you know this was a terrible idea, but can’t stop reading. At least half of it is inebriated, misspelled confessions of his feelings for you. Those hurt deep in your chest. An apology always comes the next day. There's a couple probably sober messages where he admits to missing you, more delicately. Dami even sent the occasional anecdote that he knew you’d enjoy if on speaking terms.
At 5:02 AM you reblock him and fall asleep, but wake up feeling surprisingly hopeful. He was thinking about sobriety, maybe a lot. Damiano wasn’t mindlessly destroying his body and reputation for all the world to see. He was on a saner schedule. These were all really good things that indicated he was moving in the right direction, so a phone call three weeks later was a surprise.
Notes: Okay, confession time. I haven't actually finished this novel, but I have finished the first 17 chapters, so ya'll will be getting bi-weekly updates for a couple months at least. The response I've received has been excellent motivation. I am both moved and sorry for how many of you relate deeply to this story.
P.S. My taglist is evolving via this post.
-XOXO Eden
Read the rest on my Masterlist!
@surelyfreedombound @shinshans @lonnybunnys @davianos-blog @hauntedpostpersona @lizzylynch1 @kammerstx @harryssshouseee @slavicgoddess13 @persona1read1ng @katyldamusic @whore4damia @the-chaotic-cow @icarodamiano @gr8rainbowpunk @elvirabelle @bright-shiningstar @maneslut @stardustingold @little-moonbeam-666 @que--sera--sera
59 notes ¡ View notes
cindersfireplace ¡ 10 months ago
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4town Valentine's Day 💘
Jesse, Taeyoung, Aaron T, and Aaron Z walk through the hallway to their hotel room after taking a stroll around the neighborhood:
Taeyoung: There's nothing like bird watching on a calm afternoon.
Aaron T: I'm just glad there was an ice cream truck. That was one of the best chocolate cones I've ever had. Thanks for helping me chase it down Z.
Aaron Z: *walks behind him exhausted* Anything for you buddy 😊
Jesse: You good Z?
Aaron Z: *gasping * Yeah when I catch my breath next week I'll be able to function again 😮‍💨
Jesse: I wish Robaire came with us. It's good to get outside once in a while.
Taeyoung: I'm sure he has his reasons.
*Jesse opens the hotel room door*
Jesse: Yeah probab- sweet cheese and crackers! What's all this!?
*The room is decorated with heart, banners, balloons, pillows, roses, and LOTS of candles*
❤️🌹🕯️🕯️🕯️
Robaire: Welcome home my friends! I thought I would put up some decorations for Valentine's Day. *Sigh* Love is in the air.
Aaron Z: I didn't know love smelt like *sniffs* vanilla and *picks up a candle* … Late winter breeze. Whatever the heck that smells like.
Jesse: We were gone for like an hour? How?
Robaire: I'm very efficient when I'm passionate about something.
Taeyoung: So that's why Jess is always yelling at you to do your taxes.
Aaron Z: Were you not efficient enough to get any cookies or candy?
Robaire: That will be for the gift exchange.
Aaron T: Why can't we just buy cards?
Robaire: Because first of all the 4town best friend Valentine's super special gift yearly extravaganza exchange -
Aaron Z: I still say we should shorten the name.
Robaire: -is a time to appreciate each other's gifts and is a testament to how well we know each other. I love giving gifts and I put a lot of thought into them.
Jesse: And I very much still appreciate those custom ‘Art Dad’ oven mitts, but shouldn't we be focusing on our gig that day? The 4townies are so excited to see us perform One True Love live for the first time next week, and after the show I want to go to bed.
Robaire: Then go right to bed on another day of the year but you have to be there for the opening of gifts. Besides we've already drawn names for it so no going back now.
Jesse: Fiiiine if I must.
Robaire: That's the spirit.
Jesse: Uh I think a spirit is what we'll be if all of these candles stay lit. This is most definitely a fire hazard. I'm only agreeing if I get to put half of them out.
Robaire: Fiiiine. If I must.
Aaron T: We've known each other for a while shopping for each other should be easier. Right Z?
Aaron Z: Totally….
*Skip to the day before Valentine's Day at the mall*
Aaron Z: …Not.
Jesse: Come on Z it'll be fine.
Aaron Z: Not when I'm shopping for Robaire it won't. I don't know what to buy and he's definitely gonna try to one up us with his amazing gift.
Jesse: Does anything else in this world motivate you quite like your need to be better than Robaire?
Aaron Z: Absolutely, this is just a continuous priority of mine.
Jesse: So no then. Got it.
Aaron Z: I will search through every isle of this mall if it kills me. I will be victorious.
Jesse: Or you could breathe and let it go…and he's gone. Valentine's is gonna be fun.
*The next day*
Taeyoung: That must have been our best performance yet! Everybody was so excited, and despite my mild fear of heights trying to convince me otherwise, the rising heart platforms weren't so bad after all.
Robaire: Told you it would be incredible!
Jesse: Anyways now that that's over we can open gifts now.
Aaron T: Yeah guys the sooner we get this over with the sooner old man Jesse can take his nap.
Jesse: I'm not ol-
Aaron Z (whispering to Aaron T) You just want to get candy from your gift don't you?
Aaron T (whispering back): Shhhh I just care about Jesse's health…and my blood sugar.
Robaire: Anyways, who wants to go first?
Taeyoung: Me! I got T! Here you go! *Shoves present box into his hands*
Aaron T: YESSS! *Opens package* *gasp* It's a book of skateboard tricks! These are some of the most advanced out there and….a box of chocolate. Thankyou *hugs Taeyoung and whispers* This is why your my favorite.
Taeyoung: No problem at all.
Aaron T: So I guess it's my turn to give and I got Jesse *gives him a very messily wrapped package with 50 bows on it*
Jesse: Geez this looks interesting *opens the box* *gasp* ITS THE SUPER SMOOTH 3000! I've been trying to find this blender for months! My fruit smoothies will be so much better now! Thank you *lifts Aaron T off the ground in a hug*
Aaron T: Your *cough cough* welcome. Could you please put me down now?
Jesse: *Drops Aaron T* I'm next and I got Taeyoung. So here you go?
Taeyoung: *Carefully takes the box from his hand and opens it* Woah! Bird watching goggles! They even have little doves on them! Thanks Jess. I'm gonna have so much fun taking these to the park.
Jesse: I'm so glad you like them. They were some of the best I could find.
Aaron Z: I guess Robaire and I are last. You can go first Ro 😊
Robaire: No, I insist. You go first 😁
Aaron Z: Well this day means the most to you so you should go 😊
Robaire: And I like to share that joy with my friends so you should go 😁
Aaron Z: You.
Robaire: You.
Aaron Z: YOU.
Robaire: YOU!
*While these two keep going back and forth Taeyoung and Aaron T give each other a look and then open the presents themselves (whilst Jesse has too little sleep in him to deal with this)*
Taeyoung: Wow Robaire this is a really nice Destiny ‘s Child record.
Robaire: That's the exact one we listened to when we first met 🫢
Aaron T: Dang Z you got this cool basketball trophy. It even says ‘best basketball player I know ‘. Nice Sentiment.
Aaron Z: That was one of the first things I told you that I dreamed of receiving 😯
*They hold the gifts in their hands for a moment appreciating them*
Aaron Z: *clearly struggling* Th-th-th-
Robaire: Are you trying to say thank you?
Aaron Z: Nah I'm trying to say ‘That's all folks’. Yes I'm trying to say thankyou. Anyways thank you … for … this.
Robaire: Then I guess I want to say thank you too…I guess.
Jesse: Awww this is too sweet.
Aaron T: Maybe it wasn't about who got the best present after all?
Robaire: Mhm. Even though we all know it was me.
Aaron Z: Wh- if anything it was me!
Robaire: No you didn't!
Aaron Z: I got you the record that you sorry self was too BROKE for when we first met!
Robaire: I got you a CUSTOM TROPHY 🏆! Do you know how much that is in this economy?!
Aaron Z: But did I ask-
Robaire: But my-
Aaron Z: No but Robaire answer the question. Answer the question! Did I ask though? Did I?
Robaire: No but you can't just throw that in my face when I'm trying to be nice.
Aaron Z: Clearly not nice enough to admit I'm better…
*Senseless arguing continues in the background*
Jesse: T! They were this 🤏🏻 close to having a nice moment.
Aaron T: Sorry, I was just trying to bring some positivity.
Taeyoung: I'm positively sure they will be arguing for a while so I'm just gonna go now.
Jesse: Agreed. *yawn* 🥱 I'm going to sleep.
Aaron T: And I shall consume all this chocolate within the hour. I love Valentine's Day!
*Later that night Aaron Z and Robaire go to bed setting their gifts down on their night stands smiling at them and then turning the lights out to sleep*
❤️
24 notes ¡ View notes
roznnreads ¡ 9 months ago
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Chosen not Fated Chapter 2
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Eris x Fem!Reader
Tags: marriage of convenience, rhysand slander, depression, suicidal ideation
Summary: Tired of a life in the shadow among the inner circle, Rhysand’s younger sister decides to take her life into her own hands and makes a desperate grab for power.
Chapter Summary: snippets of time over the next 500 years
a/n: so this is a longer one, but bear with me on this one. I know that Mor’s backstory was before the wall was made but ignore that for the plot. For the high lords summet I was just imagining PMQs (Prime Minister Questions) if you are in the UK you’ve probably heard of them. I have put a Great Comet reference in there. If you can find it, I'll give you a cookie.
last part , next part
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 months after the war
Something was wrong when I awoke at 3am, Azriel had flown to my balcony and forcefully woken me up, my eyes bleary. 
“Come quick, meet in the main hall”. Yelled Azriel, my vision coming clear and he was already gone. I grab a robe to cover myself and leave my room. 
I’m half way down the great stairs to the foyer, eyes already adjusting to the darkness, when I see her. 
Mor, my cousin, looking as if she crawled her way halfway across Prythian. There are stab wounds that are trying to heal themselves yet are struggling, her dress is thin and muddy, the look in her eyes is one of a prey animal. I know that this is not the Mor, she would have wanted anyone to see, the carefully made mask ripped from her as the nails that ripped through her lower abdomen. 
“Mor!”, I sob, running towards her, taking the robe from me and wrapping it around her crumpled body, her shoulders hung low, she isn’t crying, her face is blank, not all the way here. 
The Men standing around the scene are surveying us closely, Azriel stands next to his brothers arms crossed, the three of them look like the Judge, Jury and Executioner of Mor’s fate, they are still and not moving, 
“Take her to her chambers”, stated Rhys in a blank expression, I knew it was directed towards me. I position Mor so she can put her weight on me and rise, with a curt nod towards my High Lord, I stagger with Mor by my side up the stairs, when I’m nearing the top I can make out the conversation below in snippets
“Keir thought–”
“Cassian what–”
“-was in autumn–”
“That bastard–”
I take Mor to my chambers, where she normally stays is farther from the foyer than mine. I lead her to the bed and lie her down, taking her soiled shoes off and covering her in a blanket. As soon as her head hits the pillow she closes her eyes. I thought that she might have died until the soft lowering and rising from her chest. With Mor asleep and not at risk of collapsing in on herself I take my time examining her stomach, pus surrounds the gash, I grab a water basin and a rag. I gently dab at the wound, when the wet rag touches the open skin I feel Mor flinch but didn’t wake up. I gently clean up the gash, the healing looks much better now it's clean, it doesn’t look as messy which is good. It might scar but you can never be sure. The pus is a good sign, she still is fighting whatever infection is still inside her. 
I don’t leave her side, I stay awake, waiting for the worst, for the rise and fall to stop, but it doesn’t, she’s still alive in the morning. Thank the Mother. 
64 years after the war
The High Lords Summet, another performance. Everyone dresses up and pretends to be civil with each other even though half of the attendees want to kill each other and the other want to fuck the other. When you are basically immortal these yearly gatherings always are filled with drama in our otherwise dreary lives. Without this summet the continent would be a much darker place of endless war and strife. It’s fun to sit and watch the members squirm in their seats as the imposed politeness of centuries past remains with the High Lords and their allies use cleverly worded language to get around the insults they throw at each other. 
Nothing ever gets truly done, if anything the opposite happens. 
With the War over the relative peace is wavering as a power vacuum is left, the unity that led to the fey win has split as fast as it was formed, which is to mean slowly yet sudden. There will be talk of a danger to the West with Hybern but nothing will be decided. 
Of course the Night Court is masking our true intentions as well as a good 1/3rd of the court's existence. I’ve perfected a natural sneer, it feels normal to wear, no one wishes to approach you if you look like you hate their existence, But no one would approach me other than a power grab for the Night Court. 
Beron and Helios are ‘arguing’ over Cauldron knows what, the eldest Autumn son catches my eye, he is looking at me with a confused expression, I don’t drop my gaze, I am tired of being perceived weak, The confusion warps to a seductive smirk. I drop my sneer, raising an eyebrow at him in question. 
He has never looked at me this way before, I started attending these events a few dozen years ago, and only after the war ended. I have seen the heir occasionally throughout my life, never paying much attention but with the look in his eye I am frightened. 
200 years after the war
I made up my mind. Well I did 136 years ago, but I never let myself truly believe this will become my future. Since the High Lord Summet I always knew in the back of my mind that Eris Vanserra would make the perfect companion, a chance to leave my crushing depression behind, a new environment. His gaze rarely leaves mine when in the same room. 
Rhysand wasn’t happy, Azriel ever the watchful eye snitched when he saw Eris try to approach me when he came to visit Velaris. I was told to stay away from the Vanserra, for my own safety, to never lead on his advances. I didn’t heed the warning. 
450 years after the war
This is stupid, I should have stayed in Velaris, It isn’t safe here, yet I am compelled to be here. 
I am making no attempt to hide my entry, the entrance was unguarded,  like a venus fly trap waiting until the fly gets deep enough inside before ensnaring it, devouring it alive. 
The dark gray rocks, jagged like they were cut recently, have not formed after years of erosion and nature. It is a disgusting recreation at Hewn City, there is nothing real about this place, all artificial. 
Voices ahead of the path get louder as I draw near, I can hear a commanding woman, her voice shrill, echoing down the tunnel, I hear the murmuring of a crowd, in response. 
Entering the room from the back, I walk out, pushing through the mass of courtesans from all seven courts. 
I stand before the queen on the stone throne, she has deep red hair, a black crown dressed in a low cut black dress, wearing the guise of power. She frowns at me 
“Were you trying to hide someone from me Rhysand, you know what would happen if you tried something of this kind”
“I had no intention to hide anyone, I just never mentioned it, you never asked” Rhysand said calmly. Amarantha wheeled at him breaking her gaze at me
“Don’t you lie to my Rhys” She says with her hand cupping his cheek. I know my brother, the look of love he gives Amarantha, is not true love, with a look like that he could make anyone believe he was their mate from one look in his eyes. 
“I am not lying, just don’t hurt my sister”, he pleaded. 
500 years after the war
Lucien was being idiotic, perhaps it was the 50 years in Spring that made him weak to authority, I doubt less than a year in Spring was enough to build a unwavering loyalty to the human alone, it was probably the unyielding loyalty to Tamlin, it truly is a shame, he was one of the nicer Autumn royals, he is going to die. That is as clear as day, I am watching as Amarantha is whipping Lucien, each lash leaves a resounding echo in the hall, it pierces my ears, Lucien slighted Amarantha, broke a unspoken rule, I can’t look away, I want to but I can’t. 
In a room with all eyes on the kneeling man, I can feel a burning stare into my head. 
I look up.
Eris. You would think that with his brother getting beat he would be focused on that, but he was looking at me, were across from each other, the scene splitting us, Eris is looking at me, I can’t decipher his expression. 
500 years after the war
This is wrong, my brother, someone who is forced to be a whore for Amarantha, making the poor human dress and dance like this. I am surprised Amarantha has allowed this to continue, the first two of the trials have been completed. I know that she is dragging out the time between them but it has been 2 months since the last, and every night we party, perhaps the only fun we will ever have. Rhysand has forced this girl to dance on him, Amarantha doesn’t like to share. It's disgusting. The poor girl can’t dance that well either. It truly is pitiful. 
I realize I’ve been staring at them for far too long, looking away I feel a figure stand beside me, I’d not noticed before, but they must have been there awhile
“And here I thought the Night Court was better than this” said the man, I glace at him, seeing the Autumn Court Heir.
“And what gave you that perception Lordling”
“I met you, Surely, I thought, a beauty like you could not survive such a evil environment”
“You thought wrong Vanserra” I say, with the bitterness I struggle to conceal. 
“My dear, what have I done now,” he said moving in front of me, blocking my view of the Amarantha’s whore and his harlot. We're so close together now, I can feel his breath on my face, as he peers down at me waiting for a retort. 
I meet his gaze, moving slowly closer, glance down at his lips. When he moves in, I back off, moving farther back then before, a modest 2 feet between us, something that would have been considered proper if not for what happened moments before. 
“Excuse me my lord, I need to rest for a moment”, I say. I turn my back to him and make my way to the chambers, he doesn’t follow. 
501 years after the war
The curse breaker's wedding is in two hours, Rhysand has not shut up about her since we returned to Velaris, he’s acting like he is 100 again, a poor little school boy with a crush.
The news of the Wedding reached the Night Court last week, not an invite, just the announcement, It could be seen as a slight but considering how Tamlin and Rhysand hate each other, an invite wasn’t expected, The announcement had unnerved the high lord, currently he is pacing around the war room, waiting to build up the nerve to fulfill the deal made 3 months ago. 
“There’s no way for you to stop this” said Mor “she loves Tamlin, her love was shown in front of all the High Lords, it is that love for which she is alive right now”
“If you feel that strongly, object to the wedding, make the bond known to her”, I said
Rhysand’s pacing slowed.
“Why don’t you just speak to her, you could have taken her any time over the past few months, told her then, you still have two hours until the ceremony starts,” I snip. 
“No, as much as I can feel her suffocating spiral, in her mind all she is saying is that she must marry him, and if that is her choice, I must follow it, no matter how much it pains me” said Rhys taking a seat in on a couch
“Marriage is not the end, she is now fey, divorce is an option, The Spring isn’t that strict on women regardless” Mor states “she must fulfill her end of the deal, eventually”. 
506 years after the war
There is to be a massive celebration for the birthday of the High Lady, A week of revelry ending in a ball with members of other Courts in attendance, Feyre’s birthday shall be the day before with an intimate get together of the circle. 
Large groups of people aren’t my favorite thing in the world, spending the day surrounded by the inner circle. That is what I truly dread.
Preparations are being made, I’m in charge as the sister to the High Lord with a wife there is little for me to do other than plan social events and tend to the house all in the assistance for the High Lady, A glorified ladies maid. Despite my resentment I think the ball will turn out spendley, as long as certain members invited can keep the dick measuring contest to a minimum. 
“Are you alright” said Elain leaning into my view “You’ve been zoned out for quite some time”
“Oh, It’s nothing, just going over the plan for tomorrow evening” I state in a blasé tone. 
“Enough of that, it is a time for celebration, you’ve spend so much time on this you need to enjoy it before the next one comes around” says Elain
“I’m sure you’ll have fun, it’s like your glued to the dance floor”
“If you danced you would understand, we are in Velaris I’m sure if you asked someone they would accept” said Elain, she held my hands in hers, hand covering mine, a sympathetic look in her eye.
“I haven’t danced in many centuries, you don’t know why, so I forgive you but I won’t dance with just anyone”
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deadgirlwalking91 ¡ 3 months ago
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oh lmao it’s fine! i’m sry for ruining the surprise tho..istg i didn’t mean to.
u can totally make it up by writing some other kind of scenario if u want to, u can choose whatever u want and i mean it! i love the way u writ you’re fantastic 😭✋
Hey Anon,
Absolutely no issue at all! More than happy to even let some more info slip - it'll be called, 'I Don't Dance' and was inspired by the ask that was sent earlier in the week re Adam and Lute dancing at a club. But! Also more than happy to whip up a little scene, so here you are (and thank you for the compliment, too!). Enjoy! PS - @a-dose-of-comatose gave me the prompt for this because I couldn't think of one, but I've deviated slightly 😂 sorryyyyyy
Touching back down in Heaven after an Extermination was a sensation that Lute would never grow tired of.
Sure, ramming her sword through the throats of the shitbags that littered the streets of Hell was satisfying, and perhaps the gratification she got from seeing their insides splatter against the pavement was a little…much, but nothing beat flying back through that portal and setting foot on Holy land, where she belonged.
Glancing around at the surrounding Exorcists who had congregated in the barracks showers, she sheathed her sword before placing her hands either side of her helmet and lifted it off her head. She tucked it under her arm and ran a wet, blood-soaked hand through her hair, leaving streaks of red in its wake.
“Hey, great job taking down that loan shark today, Lute!” Layla had already stripped down to her underwear and sports bra, uniform dutifully discarded into the giant hamper that housed all their soiled tunics, gloves and leggings. Some poor fucker – usually one of the newer recruits – would be responsible for sorting through and washing them all over the coming days.
“Thanks,” Lute grinned, bumping her fist against Layla’s outstretched one. “Did you see how fucking desperate he was to get away?”
“Yeah, but you took care of that right away!” Cinnamon laughed as she headed towards the shower cubicles. “That sorry cunt never stood a chance against you!”
Cinnamon was right. No Sinner that dared to lock eyes with Lute ever lived to tell the tale. She made damn sure of that.
“How many did you manage this year, Lieutenant?” a short, brunette Exorcist emerging from the showers asked.
“Two hundred and fifty one, Coco. You?”
“A hundred and three, ma’am.”
“Not a bad effort for your second year. Keep it up. You might crack one-fifty next year.”
Lute glanced down at her watch. Five-thirty. The only downside to returning to Heaven after an Extermination meant that her working day wasn’t over; she and Adam were responsible for filling out all the initial report that needed to be submitted to Sera by midnight that same day. She had half an hour before she needed to be back in the office, ready for their debrief.
Or at least, that’s what she told her sisters-in-arms.
Realising she was still holding her helmet, Lute quickly slipped out of the bathroom to return it to the arsenal. Another unlucky Exorcist would be tasked with cleaning and polishing all of them, before another, more tech-savvy soldier would perform yearly maintenance on them.
It was easy enough to find her helmet’s spot in the armoury. It was in prime position to the very left of the doorway, right beside Adam’s. Surprisingly, his was already racked away; normally he’d take it home with him as he wore it most of the time, even outside of Extermination season. She set it down gently.
“How fucking long did you wanna take, bitch?”
Lute screamed and whirled around; despite knowing exactly who that voice belonged to, it didn’t change the fact that it startled her completely. Adam stood, leaning against one of the walls.
“Sir,” she gasped, holding a hand to her bloodied chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Next time, keep your guard up and you won’t have to worry about being scared.” Adam said as he slowly advanced towards her. Lute felt her pulse quicken with each step, until he stopped just short of arms’ reach. She was sure her heart was going to burst through her chest.
“Did anybody follow you here?”
“No,” she breathed, looking up into his face. “They’ve all hit the showers. Nobody suspects a thing. They probably think I’m on my way to do paperwork.”
“Paperwork,” he laughed, snaking a hand around her waist. “Who the fuck does more work after a fucking Extermination?”
“Us, apparently,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to lace her arms around his neck. “I’m not sure if I should be offended that they believe that lie so easily.”
“I’m fucking offended,” Adam said, “you shouldn’t be, considering you love paperwork and all that shit.”
“I do,” Lute agreed, “but there’s only one thing I’m interested in doing post-Extermination.”
“Oh yeah babe, and what’s that? Besides taking a shower, by the way. You fucking reek.”
She smirked and pulled his head down to hers, pausing just long enough so she could whisper, “You”, before kissing him utterly senseless.
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gaygoetia ¡ 10 months ago
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Background Details in Helluva Boss S1 E2 - Loo Loo Land
There were A LOT of background details in this episode so I won't be able to include all of them (tumblr posts have a 10-image limit) but here are some of the ones I found most interesting:
1. Octavia's Childhood Bedroom
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The first thing I noticed about Via's childhood bedroom is this drawing of her and Stolas on the wall with Stella nowhere to be seen. It's possible that she has other drawings of her mother elsewhere, but in combination with Stella rarely (if ever?) interacting with Via throughout the show, this suggests she has a much closer relationship with her father.
There's also a TON of star and celestial related stuff in Via's room including decorative details like her starry bedding, wallpaper and night light but also more educational features like a telescope, star charts and books on Astronomy and Cosmology.
This suggests to me that as a child she either had a genuine keen interest in her dad's work or just took her role as his heir extremely seriously. Her seventeen-year-old bedroom lacks most of these details except for the telescope but her desire to see the stars in S2 E2 suggests she is still interested in this stuff but is just less blatant about it.
2. Fizzarolli Branding & Marketing
Maybe unsurprisingly, given Loo Loo Land is Mammon's theme-park and stars a Robo-Fizzarolli as one of its main attractions, both Fizz and Mammon are VERY present in the background of this episode.
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Most of these advertisements are centred around products and performances specific to Loo Loo Land but Fizzarolli's face can also be seen on Mammon-branded breakfast cereal and adverts for those Fizzarolli robot sex dolls we've heard so much about (showing off an impressive array of features including but not limited to "tentacle action", "ten speed vibration" and "BDSM")
We also get a close up shot of the money used at Loo Loo Land, featuring Mammon's face and a stated value of 100 souls per-note, though it's not clear whether this currency is specific to Loo Loo Land/The Greed Ring or whether this is the currency that's used across all of Hell.
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3. Lu Lu World References
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This episode also featured a ton of references to Loo Loo Land's inspiration/competitor Lu Lu World; a theme-park created by Lucifer himself (or at least featuring his branding).
While we aren't given much info about Lu Lu World, it's suggested that Loo Loo Land is a pretty shameless and unsubtle rip-off and everything from the name (Lu being short for Lucifer) and the apple theme (relating to the forbidden fruit Lucifer gifted to Eve) supports this.
4. Hazbin Hotel References
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While almost all of the rides and stalls at Loo Loo Land are apple-themed, I was surprised to see this angel-themed "Extermination" stall, featuring a giant Exorcist peeking over the top.
It's the closest Helluva Boss comes (that I've noticed so far) to referencing the yearly extermination that drives the plot of Hazbin Hotel.
This screenshot is also a good illustration of something else I noticed in this episode which is that all of the staff at Loo Loo Land and all of the guests apart from Stolas and Via are imps. Not sure if this is representative of the demographic of the Greed Ring in general or Loo Loo Land specifically but I thought it was interesting to note!
5. Blitzo's office (ft. Blitzo's horse thing)
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Blitzo has a new phone (or at least a new case) this episode after breaking and/or losing his phone in the woods last episode. His new case says "wild and free" which is probably a subtle reference to horses, given it matches the horse poster on the opposite wall.
He also has a mug saying "Boss Bitch" and a framed photo of himself half-naked and posing seductively with a rose in his mouth, signed with the words "#1 Bitch Boss"
That's it for episode 2 but you can see all my other Helluva Boss background details posts here.
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