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baekguuuuu · 4 months ago

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The Way I Loved You

Characters: Baekhyun x Reader

Genre: Angst, Romance

Word Count: 4.7k

Summary: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s The Way I Loved You. Through flashbacks and present-day reflections, you navigate the highs and lows of both relationships, ultimately confronting what your heart truly wants. A story of passion, longing, and self-discovery, this is a journey of realizing that sometimes, the love that burns the brightest is the one that leaves you scorched.

I met Baekhyun during a summer that I still replay in my mind sometimes, like a sun-drenched film reel I can’t bring myself to burn. It was at a music festival where he’d performed with his band. I wasn’t supposed to be there—my friends had dragged me along, insisting it would be fun that I needed to live a little.

“You’ll love it,” my best friend had said, nudging me toward the front of the crowd as Baekhyun’s band took the stage. She was wrong, though. I didn’t love it.

I fell.

Baekhyun had this way of commanding attention, his voice like honey dripping into the sunlight, thick and golden and impossible to resist. But it wasn’t just his voice; it was the way his eyes sparkled with mischief when he cracked a joke between songs and the way he laughed like the world existed just to amuse him. He was magnetic, and I was the iron.

After the set, I found myself backstage with my friends, courtesy of one’s VIP connections. Baekhyun spotted me immediately as if I’d been glowing in the dark. “Hey,” he said, his voice still hoarse from singing. “Enjoy the show?”

I should’ve played it cool. Instead, I blurted, “You were incredible.”

His grin widened, and he leaned closer, his eyes locking onto mine. “What’s your name?”

Our relationship was a whirlwind, a thrilling ride on the back of his motorcycle, the city lights blurring into a tapestry of excitement. Baekhyun was unlike anyone I’d ever met, a mix of chaos and charm wrapped in leather jackets and calloused fingertips. He made me feel alive in ways that both scared and thrilled me.

We fell fast and hard, like a meteor streaking across the sky—brilliant, unforgettable, and destined to burn out. But I didn’t know that then. All I knew was the way he looked at me like I was the only person in the world, the way he made me laugh until I couldn’t breathe, the way he kissed me like it was the only thing that mattered.

Being with Baekhyun was like living in a whirlwind. It was thrilling, unpredictable, and chaotic—sometimes in ways that left me breathless and other times in ways that made my chest ache. We burned bright, but bright flames have a way of leaving marks.

It wasn’t always chaos with Baekhyun. He had a way of being so disarmingly sweet, of pulling me into his world with a smile or a glance. I still remember the night he taught me to play the piano.

We were at his apartment, a modest space cluttered with sheet music and half-empty coffee mugs. He pulled me toward the small upright piano tucked against the wall, a mischievous grin lighting up his face.

“Come here,” he said, patting the bench beside him. “I’m going to teach you something.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “I can barely manage using chopsticks. What makes you think I can learn anything else?”

“Because I’m the best teacher,” he said with mock arrogance, his fingers playing a gentle melody that made my heart skip. “And because I believe in you.”

His words made my cheeks flush, but I sat beside him, letting him place my hands on the keys. His touch was warm, guiding my fingers with patient precision. Every time I fumbled, he’d laugh softly, his voice like a soothing balm.

“You’re getting it,” he said, his eyes sparkling with pride as I managed a simple tune.

When I finally got it right, he turned to me, his face just inches from mine. “See? You’re amazing,” he whispered, his voice low and earnest.

At that moment, the world outside faded away. It was just Baekhyun and me, the music lingering in the air like a promise. And when he leaned in to kiss me, his lips soft and full of affection, I knew I was falling—fast and hard.

It started with the little things. His tendency to cancel plans at the last minute because something more exciting came up. The way he could be so charming with everyone but distant when it was just us. I told myself it was just how he was, that he didn’t mean to hurt me. And when he apologized, when he pulled me close and whispered how much I meant to him, I believed him every time.

I remembered being at a party, one of those gatherings in which Baekhyun always thrived. He stood at the center of the living room, laughing effortlessly, his charm magnetic as everyone gravitated toward him. The way he commanded attention was almost unfair—effortless, natural, like he was born to shine under every light in the room.

I watched him from the couch, holding a half-empty glass of wine and trying not to let the pang of loneliness creep up on me. Baekhyun threw his head back at something someone said, his laugh lighting up the room, and for a moment, I felt that familiar tug in my chest. He was breathtaking like this—untouchable and dazzling.

But then his eyes flickered to me. Just for a second. And instead of warmth or an invitation, there was... nothing.

“Hey,” I called softly when he finally made his way over, his drink in hand. “You having fun?”

“Yeah, it’s great,” he said, his voice distant. His gaze darted around the room, already looking for his next conversation.

“Baekhyun,” I said, reaching for his arm. “Can we talk for a second?”

He frowned, pulling his arm back like my touch burned him. “Now? Can’t it wait? Everyone’s here—I don’t want to kill the mood.”

Everyone was there. The words hit me harder than I wanted to admit.

“It’s just... you’ve barely talked to me all night,” I murmured, keeping my voice low.

His eyes softened, but only briefly. “I’m sorry. You know how I get at these things. I’ll come find you later, okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “Later.”

But later never came.

I stayed on the couch, watching him charm the room while feeling more invisible than I ever had. He apologized the next day, and the cycle continued.

The apologies became too frequent, and the moments of closeness felt like borrowed time.

“You said you’d be there, Baekhyun,” I said, my voice trembling as I clutched my phone.

“I forgot, okay?” he replied, his tone dismissive, like forgetting my graduation ceremony for getting my Master’s was no big deal.

“You forgot?” My laugh was bitter. “Do you know how embarrassing it was, standing there alone while everyone else had their families and friends?”

“I didn’t ask you to rely on me for everything!” he shot back.

The line went quiet as I stared at my reflection in the window, his words slicing through me like a blade. Rely on him? Wasn’t that what people in love were supposed to do?

For all the chaos that came with loving Baekhyun, there were moments that made me feel like I was the only person in the world. Like the time he surprised me with a late-night picnic under the stars because I’d mentioned missing the quiet of my childhood summers. Or how he’d rest his head in my lap and trace invisible patterns on my skin, murmuring about how lucky he was to have me.

He had this way of making me feel seen, as though I wasn’t just someone he loved, but someone he adored. Someone he respected. With Baekhyun, it wasn’t just about passion—it was about the way he’d hold my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world, or how he’d kiss my forehead as if sealing a promise only he could understand.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he whispered breathlessly as I lay beneath him. He collapsed on top of me, our bare chests touching against one another as we both caught our breaths after expressing love through actions.

He made me feel like a real woman, like I was more than just his girlfriend. Like I was his muse, his equal, and his refuge all at once. And in those moments, I forgot about the fights, the letdowns, the parts of him that hurt me. Because in the way he loved me, I felt whole.

But it wasn’t just the fights. It was the in-betweens. The way he’d light up a room, captivating everyone, only for me to realize I was standing in the shadows. The way he’d make promises that felt so solid in the moment but crumbled under the weight of his restless energy. The way he’d kiss me like I was his whole world, only to turn around and leave me wondering where I stood.

Then came the night that ended it all.

We were standing in the rain, arguing over something I couldn’t even remember now. His face was a mix of frustration and sadness as raindrops traced his sharp features. “Why can’t you just trust me?” he yelled, his voice carrying over the downpour.

“Trust you?” I shot back, my voice cracking. “You disappear for hours, break promises, and you expect me to trust you? You can’t keep doing this, Baekhyun!”

“I’m trying!” he shouted, stepping closer. “I’m trying to be better for you, but it’s never enough, is it?”

I could feel the tears mixing with the rain as I whispered, “I just want to feel like I matter to you. Like I’m not always chasing after you, trying to catch up.”

His silence said more than any words could. And that was the moment I knew. We loved each other but weren’t enough to make it work. Not then.

Although Baekhyun did try to fix it—us… however, it was too late then.

It had been two weeks since we broke up, but Baekhyun still called—persistent, unrelenting, just like the way he loved.

When I answered, his voice was soft, almost hesitant. “Can we talk?”

I hesitated. “Baekhyun, we’ve said everything already. There’s nothing left to talk about.”

“No,” he cut me off, his tone firm. “You talked, and I listened. Now it’s my turn.”

Reluctantly, I agreed to meet him at the café where we used to spend lazy Sunday afternoons. When I arrived, he was already there, sitting by the window with two cups of coffee on the table. He looked up, his expression a mixture of hope and fear, and for a brief moment, my heart clenched.

“I know I messed up,” he began the moment I sat down. “And I know I don’t deserve it, but I need you to give me another chance.”

I stared at him, trying to find the anger, the bitterness, anything that would drown out the faint longing I felt just being near him. “Baekhyun, we didn’t work. You know that.”

“I can change,” he said, leaning closer. “I will change. I’ll prove it to you, I swear. Just don’t give up on us.”

I shook my head, my voice trembling. “It’s not just about you needing to change. It’s about me, too. I can’t keep feeling like I’m not enough for you, like I have to keep chasing you to stay in this relationship. It hurts too much.”

His eyes softened, and he reached for my hand, but I pulled away. “I love you,” he whispered, his voice breaking.

Tears stung my eyes, but I forced myself to stand. “I know. But love isn’t enough if we keep hurting each other.”

I left him sitting there, his hand still outstretched, and I didn’t look back.

It wasn’t the last time I saw Baekhyun.

It happened on a crisp evening outside the cozy bistro Chanyeol had picked for dinner. The warm light from the restaurant spilled onto the sidewalk as we stepped out, laughter lingering between us. Chanyeol had his arm around me, casual and protective, as we talked about the movie we planned to watch next.

Then I saw him.

Baekhyun was leaning against his motorcycle, his leather jacket slightly unzipped, revealing a hoodie underneath. His helmet dangled from his fingers, and his eyes, dark and searching, found mine almost instantly.

I froze, my breath catching. He didn’t move closer, didn’t call my name. He simply stood there, his gaze flickering briefly to Chanyeol and back to me.

“Do you know him?” Chanyeol asked, his voice breaking through my trance.

“Yes,” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. “He’s... Baekhyun.”

Understanding dawned in Chanyeol’s eyes. “Do you want to—?”

“No,” I interrupted, grabbing his arm. “Let’s go.”

But as Chanyeol got his car keys from the valet, I found myself glancing back. Baekhyun was still there, watching us with a calmness that unnerved me.

Later that night, I texted him. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

His reply was immediate. “I didn’t come there to make a scene. I just wanted to see you. I’ll always want to see you.”

My hands trembled as I typed my next message, wanting to leave me alone as I was already with someone. “Chanyeol is everything you’re not. He’s steady, reliable, and perfect in every way.”

His response came after a long pause. “I know. But does he make you happy?”

I stared at the screen, the question echoing louder than I cared to admit.

For weeks after our breakup, Baekhyun had tried. He’d texted me late at night, asking if we could talk, only for me to leave him on read. He’d show up outside my building, waiting in the cold just to catch a glimpse of me, but I’d slip past him with my head down.

At first, I thought he’d never stop. That Baekhyun would always fight for us the way he used to fight for his music. But then, one day, he didn’t. The calls stopped. The texts stopped. The spaces where his presence used to linger felt hauntingly empty.

Chanyeol’s hand rested gently on mine as he drove us back to his place. The radio played softly in the background, something easy and inoffensive. He glanced at me, his smile warm and steady. “You’ve been quiet. Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “Just tired.”

“Long week, huh?” he said, squeezing my hand.

“Yeah,” I echoed, the word feeling heavy in my mouth. Long, but not in the way he thought.

Chanyeol was perfect. He was everything I thought I wanted. But lately, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing—or rather, someone.

I hated myself for it. For thinking of Baekhyun when Chanyeol was right there, being thoughtful and kind and everything Baekhyun never was. But the heart doesn’t care about logic, decency, or what’s fair. The heart wants what it wants, even when it’s the last thing you need.

Everything in my life was perfect, actually. From the immaculately arranged breakfast trays to the gentle good mornings that greeted me, nothing was ever out of place. Not him, not the way he loved me—kindly, patiently, like I was the most delicate thing in the world.

Chanyeol was different. Steady. Consistent. Reliable in ways Baekhyun never was. He’d show up on time, remember the little things, and genuinely listen when I spoke. He was warm and patient, a safe harbor in the storm that had been my life with Baekhyun.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked as he wrapped his arm behind me, placing a gentle kiss on my bare shoulder. The sunlight filtering through the curtains felt almost too perfect.

I nodded, offering him a small smile. “I did. Thank you for asking.”

“You know, we could go for a picnic this weekend,” he said, his voice warm and steady. “The weather’s been lovely lately.”

That’s how it always was—planned, predictable, steady. And yet, I found myself drifting off, my mind wandering to a time when nothing about my life was steady. Back to a time when Baekhyun would show up unannounced, his motorcycle roaring in the distance, his grin wide and wild.

“Get on!” he’d yell, not even giving me time to protest. The wind whipping through my hair as we sped through the streets had been chaos—unrestrained, untamed, exhilarating chaos.

“Does that sound good?” Chanyeol’s voice pulled me back to the present.

“Sorry, what?” I asked, blinking at him.

He chuckled softly. “The picnic. This Saturday?”

“Oh. Yes, that sounds… nice.”

When we started dating, I thought I’d found what I’d been missing. He made me feel cared for, and valued in a way I’d longed for during my time with Baekhyun. My friends were ecstatic when I told them about Chanyeol.

“He’s so perfect for you,” they’d say, their eyes glinting with approval. Even my parents, who were always wary of the guys I dated, took an instant liking to him. They adored his polite manners, his steady career, and the way he treated me with respect.

“He’s everything we could have hoped for you,” my mom had gushed over dinner one night, her smile so wide it hurt to look at.

But there was one thing he couldn’t do: he couldn’t make my heart race the way Baekhyun did.

It wasn’t fair to compare them, but my mind did it anyway. Chanyeol’s hugs were warm, but they didn’t leave me dizzy. His kisses were soft and sweet but didn’t set my skin on fire. His laughter was kind but didn’t echo in my chest like Baekhyun’s.

“You okay?” Chanyeol asked, noticing the faraway look in my eyes.

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Nothing important,” I lied. How could I tell him what I was thinking about Baekhyun? How much did I miss the chaos, the fire, and the way he made me feel alive even when he was breaking my heart?

Chanyeol nudged my upper body so I could face him. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear; his thumb never left the skin of my cheek.

“You’re perfect, you know that?”

The words from him should have made my heart soar. His voice was calm, steady, full of certainty—the kind I’d spent years craving. But instead of feeling weightless, I felt heavy, like every part of me was tied to something I couldn’t quite see.

“Thank you,” I murmured, my smile politely measured. He deserved that much.

I knew very well that Chanyeol deserved someone who could give him more than vague responses and distant smiles—someone who could love him the way he loved me—with unwavering calm and clarity. But my heart, stupid and stubborn as it was, still ached for something else. Someone else.

It happened on a quiet afternoon. Chanyeol and I were at his apartment, sorting through takeout boxes while a soft playlist played in the background. He was humming along, his warm, familiar presence filling the room.

I should’ve been content. Happy, even. But as I watched him move around with practiced ease, I felt a strange hollowness creeping in—a sense that something essential was missing.

The second I turned my head, the ghost of Baekhyun’s laughter crashed into me like a wave. Loud. Chaotic. Carefree. And all at once, I was drowning again, swallowed whole by the memory of him.

The weight of my realization grew heavier with every passing day. Pretending that everything was fine with Chanyeol felt like suffocating under the mask I wore. I wanted to be fair to him, to not let my heart wander when he had done nothing but love me. But the truth was, I wasn’t entirely his, and I never had been.

It hit me one quiet evening while Chanyeol and I were watching a movie. He had his arm around me, his steady presence a comfort I knew I didn’t deserve.

I’d sworn I wanted stability, but stability felt like numbness. And as I sat there, nestled in Chanyeol’s embrace, I realized I didn’t feel anything close to what I used to feel for Baekhyun. Not even a shadow of it.

Chanyeol turned to me with a small smile as we sat on his couch. “You’ve been quiet. What’s on your mind?”

I hesitated, not knowing how to explain the chaos swirling in my head. “Just... thinking about life.”

“Anything specific?” he asked gently, his hand resting on mine.

And that’s when it hit me—how much I missed Baekhyun.

I missed his fire, his unpredictability, the way he could make me feel like I was the center of his chaotic universe. I missed how he could pull me into his orbit with just one look, how his laughter could chase away the darkest clouds. I missed him, even with all his flaws, because loving Baekhyun was like standing in the middle of a storm and feeling more alive than ever.

Chanyeol was perfect in every way, but he wasn’t Baekhyun. He couldn’t make my heart race or my world tilt on its axis. And I realized then, with painful clarity, that I was holding on to Chanyeol because he was safe, not because he was the one I wanted.

He deserved someone who could love him wholeheartedly, and I hated myself for not being that person.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, pulling my hand away.

“For what?” Chanyeol asked, concern etched on his face.

“For not being honest with you. For trying to force something that was never going to work.”

His expression faltered, and I felt a pang of guilt, but I couldn’t stay silent anymore. “I care about you, Chanyeol. But my heart... it’s not here. It’s with someone else.”

“I want you to be happy,” he said, his voice steady despite the pain in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, guilt threatening to swallow me whole.

“Don’t be,” he said, smiling sadly. “Sometimes, love isn’t about who’s perfect on paper. It’s about who makes your heart feel full.”

That night, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The pieces fell into place one by one, each more damning than the last. I didn’t want stability. I wanted fire, chaos, the kind of love that consumed you even when it hurt. I wanted Baekhyun.

One evening, I found myself standing outside Baekhyun’s apartment. It had been months since I’d last seen him, months since we had parted ways under the rain, months since the last time he tried to reach out. Yet, the thought of facing him again made my pulse race and my hands tremble.

When he opened the door, his expression shifted from surprise to something softer, almost vulnerable. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his voice low.

“I know,” I whispered. “But I needed to see you.”

He stepped aside to let me in, his movements hesitant. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with something unidentifiable in the air, grounding me and making my heart ache.

“So, what’s this about?” he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed defensively.

“I…” My words faltered. I had rehearsed this moment in my head countless times, yet now that I was here, I didn’t know where to begin.

“You’re with Chanyeol,” he said, filling the silence. His tone wasn’t accusatory, but it wasn’t neutral either. “He’s good for you.”

“I ended it,” I admitted, my voice cracking. “He’s not you.”

His sharp intake of breath echoed in the small space between us. “You can’t do this,” he said, shaking his head. “You can’t just come back and say things like that. You made it clear you wanted me out of your life.”

“I know it’s selfish,” I replied, stepping closer. “But I had to tell you the truth. I thought I wanted stability, someone who could give me the kind of love that didn’t hurt. But Baekhyun, nothing compares to what we had.”

“What we had nearly destroyed us,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. “Do you think I’ve forgotten how much we hurt each other?”

“I was scared,” I whispered. “Scared of going back to the way things were. Of us hurting each other again.”

I swallowed hard, tears welling in my eyes. “But I also remember the way you made me feel, like I was alive in a way I’ve never felt since. You were my fire, Baekhyun, and I don’t think I can live without that.”

He looked away, his jaw clenching as he processed my words. “You’re asking me to take a risk again. To go back to something we’ve already proved doesn’t work.”

“Baekhyun… I’m asking you to try,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Because I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

For a moment, the silence between us was deafening. Then, he closed the distance between us in two quick strides, his hands cupping my face as he pressed his lips to mine. It wasn’t the soft, tentative kiss of someone testing the waters. It was raw, desperate, and full of all the emotions we’d kept bottled up for far too long.

When he pulled away, his forehead rested against mine. “If we do this again,” he said, his voice trembling, “we do it right. No more games, no more breaking each other’s hearts.”

I nodded, tears streaming down my face. “No more games.”

The space between us disappeared as he stepped forward, his hands cupping my face. His touch was tentative, as though he was afraid I might disappear. “I’ll do better this time,” he whispered. “I promise.”

I smiled through the tears that blurred my vision. “I know you will.”

His lips met mine, soft and tentative at first, as if he was afraid I might disappear. But as I kissed him back, all the walls I’d built crumbled, and the love I’d tried to bury came rushing back like a tidal wave.

The chaos, the fire, the love—it was all still there, waiting for us to embrace it. Together.

It wasn’t easy, and there were times when I questioned if we were doing the right thing. But for every doubt, there was a moment that reminded me why I chose him. The way he held my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. The way he’d look at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention, his gaze full of unspoken emotions. The way he made me laugh, even on my worst days.

One rainy afternoon, as we sat on the couch, Baekhyun was strumming his guitar while I hummed along to the melody, and I realized something. Love didn’t have to be flawless to be worth fighting for. It just had to be real. And with Baekhyun, it always was.

His fingers paused on the strings, and he looked at me with that familiar mischievous glint in his eyes. “You’re off-key,” he teased, leaning closer.

I swatted his arm, laughing. “You’re off-rhythm.”

“Touché,” he said, setting the guitar down and pulling me into his lap. “But admit it, you missed my genius.”

Rolling my eyes, I rested my head against his shoulder, listening to the rain patter against the windows. These quiet moments felt different now—gentler, softer, like we’d found the balance we used to lack.

I couldn’t help the giggle escaping my lips when I felt his fingers crawl from my knee to my inner thigh. “Seriously?” I clicked my tongue, giving him a playful glare. “Last night was not enough?”

“Never,” Baekhyun trailed kisses from my jaw to my neck; his fingers started to undo the knot of my shorts. “I can never get enough of you.”

We’d both changed in the months since we found our way back to each other. Baekhyun still had his restless energy and still liked to push boundaries, but now he made an effort to include me in his world. And I learned to trust him again, little by little, realizing that love didn’t mean perfection—it meant showing up, trying, and forgiving.

“Hey,” he said, his voice quieter now. “Did you know you’re the best thing that ever happened to me?”

I tilted my head to look at him, my heart swelling at the sincerity in his gaze, trying so hard to focus on his words and not on his touches at the moment. “I think I’m finally starting to believe you.”

“You should,” he murmured, placing a soft kiss on my lips and laying me down on the soft cushion of the couch. “Because I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving it.”

We weren’t perfect—no relationship ever is. But we were learning, growing, and most importantly, choosing each other every single day.

For the first time, I felt like we were enough.

And just like that, the chaos returned. However, this time, it felt like home.

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nerdlydelicious · 26 days ago

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Chapter 6 of ‘The Ultimate Protector’ is still underway. I was away from the house the week before last, and my girlfriend was visiting this past week, so I haven’t had many chances to sit down and write. But here’s yet another sneak peak of the chapter! Enjoy!

Shadow weaved through traffic as Amy squealed gleefully, arms tight around his waist. 

The motorcycle may not have been as fast as him, but there was a feel to driving a vehicle that you couldn't get on your own two feet. The rumble and roar of the engine, feeling it move as you guided it. Shadow enjoyed moving under his own power, and if he ever needed to get somewhere quickly then there was little substitute for doing it himself. But when he wanted to take it easy and enjoy his journey Shadow took his bike out. 

That was something Sonic would never understand. The Dark Rider wasn't about speed. It was about the peace that Shadow found in riding. 

If nothing else, Amy seemed to be enjoying it too. "Shadow!" She squealed as he slipped through a gap between two cars, narrowly avoiding clipping either by scant inches. "Be careful!" Despite her words, Amy's tone was far from scolding or worried. 

So he smirked, pushed a little more power into the engine, and went even faster. He was rewarded with an excited scream from Amy as she clung tightly to him. 

Shadow would be the first to admit that he held road safety laws in mild disdain, much to G.U.N.'s chagrin. That wasn't to say he was completely dismissive of them, or of other drivers or pedestrians. It was simply that those laws had been written for people who didnt have the reaction time of a picosecond, and couldn't casually run faster than the speed of sound. The Dark Rider's top speed was roughly a hundred and twenty miles per hour. If he pushed more chaos energy into it he could get it up to over two hundred. He theorized he could go faster than that, maybe even get it close to his own top speed with enough power. Though the bike likely would not survive that. 

For most other people, over a hundred MPH was blisteringly fast. For Shadow, that was a casual stroll. So he weaved through traffic with little care, confident he could avoid causing a collision. Still, he did usually show some level of respect for road laws. He (sometimes) stopped at a red light, for example. 

But not tonight. Shadow blazed through a four way intersection and narrowly avoided four different cars with deft movements. Amy's giddy laughter in his ear urged him on, so he drove faster and put aside what little regard he had for road laws in favor of earning more of her happiness. 

He could feel how close she was to him. Her chest against his back, her arms around his waist, and her lips a hairs breadth from his cheek, every gasp and shriek of delight as he pulled a breathtaking maneuver egging him on. 

Shadow was showing off for Amy. He wanted to impress her, and do so in a way Sonic couldn't. He almost forgot where they were going, so focused was he on her that he nearly missed his turn. He realized at the last moment and turned hard, tires squealing and kicking up smoke as the bike went almost parallel with the street before righting and roaring down the lane, popping a wheelie just because he could, much to Amy's delight. 

Five minutes later Shadow reached his destination. He hit the brakes and spun a perfect one eighty into a parking spot. Amy giggled wildly, still clinging tightly to him. "S-Shadow, that was... wow." 

"I'm glad you think so," he replied, glancing back at her over his shoulder. His eyes met hers, scant inches between them. Her eyes shone with glee, her lips curled in a bright smile. 

He suddenly felt the powerful and foolish urge to close that distance and kiss her. 

Before he could act on that urge Amy untangled her arms from around his waist and leaned back from him, glancing away. "Here we are!" She exclaimed awkwardly. "Where is here...?" 

Shadow looked away to hide his blazing embarrassment. What had he been thinking?! Amy had agreed to come out with him, and he had nearly ruined their good time on a stupid impulse decision. All that Chaos energy I absorbed must have fried my brain. 

"It's a burger joint. I like to come here after a successful mission. If you want good food, you won't find better in Central City." 

"Sounds delicious." He glanced at her as he got off the bike and was rewarded with a shy smile. "Lead the way."

#shadamy #shadow x amy #shadow the hedgehog #amy rose #sonic fandom #sonic fanfiction

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wastelandbfs · 11 months ago

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Fallout 4 Companions Headcanons : Driving

(If I've missed a companion it's because I don't have an HC for them for this topic)

Hancock - The ultimate passenger princess. He's high 98% of the time and knows better than to operate heavy machinery.

Danse - He's a rule-follower, but sometimes, when no ones looking, he'll sneak over the speed limit and will feel like a massive rebel while doing it.

Preston - Slower than your granny on an icy road. He's the quintessential careful driver. He's courteous and always indicates, but God forbid you want to go anywhere faster than 30 miles an hour.

Deacon - Somehow manages to know all the backroutes and quick ways through town. Journey says it takes 30 minutes? He'll have you there in 10 and will have spent half of that driving round places he used to live and pointing them out to you with increasingly unhinged backstories.

MacCready - Asshole. He knows what lanes to get in to undercut traffic. He'll flip you off even when you have right-of-way. He's definitely driving uninsured and is the kinda guy to leave a note saying 'i hit your car, my bad' before driving off.

X6-88 - Rides a motorcycle and does not fuck about. Looks good in leathers (and knows it), and loves any excuse to make you scream and hang on for dear life as he zips through traffic.

Cait - She knows her way around a car and hotdamn if she doesn't look good while doing it. One hand on the wheel and the other on your knee, she's so competent its sexy. She does that one hand over your head-rest and one hand doing the turny thing when reversing. Hot.

Piper - She talks with her hands and spends more time looking at whoever she's talking to than the road. Her car is more dings and scratches than actual car at this point.

Strong - He's only interested in Monster-Trucks and smashing.

Dogmeat - He's in a sidecar being the bestest boy.

Curie - Absolutely oblivious to everything. She has no hazard awareness and tends to go pretty slow because she's too busy pointing out cute dogs. Definitely gets into a crash within a week of passing her test.

Nick Valentine - Sensible. You need someone to pick you up from the airport at 3am? Nick's your guy. He's confident but careful and would definitely pull over to help out someone broken down on the side of the road.

#fallout 4 #fo4 #fo4 companions #headcanon #fallout headcanons #fallout 4 headcanons #fallout companion headcanons #fallout companions #fallout 4 companions

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favfics13 · 11 months ago

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Seventeen Recommendations Part 3 - 05/24 - ...

Dream Ride by @bambikisss

Summary: You haven't been able to sleep much lately, so you've been driving around at night to help ease your mind. However, you keep passing by the same jet black colored motorcycle every night, which then keeps showing up in your dreams. So when you stop one night to get gas and see the same motorcycle stopped nearby, you decide to meet the man under the helmet.

Have My Baby by @seokgyuu

Summary: When fertility clinics fail to give you what you want, you decide it’s time to take the matter into your own hands. And who’d be better for the job than Choi Seungcheol?

Always Only You by @honeyhotteoks

summary: the date was terrible, awful even, but you just can't call your brother to pick you up. you have to call his best friend instead.

Whatever You Like by @highvern

Summary: Your husband takes his birthday more seriously than anyone you know. When he's scheduled for a business trip across the country, forcing you two to celebrate apart for the first time in your entire relationship, you decide to get creative with his gifts this year.

Just Like Candy by @bangtanintotheroom

Summary: Following a breakup, Seungcheol is looking for a distraction for the night. You catch his eye with your red lips and the rest is history.

When In Rome by @highvern

Summary: After months of no contact, Seungcheol isn't sure what to expect when he sees you again at Jeonghan's wedding. He's prepared to apologize, to grovel, to bear the weight of a cold shoulder. Whatever it takes to have you back, his best friend since diapers; or whatever will ensure the last third of your trio has the best day of his life. But when he overhears the most recent development in your relationship, he must come to terms with something he was never prepared for, or risk losing you for good.

When A Villainess Loves by @starlightxsvt

Synopsis ➳ four years of obsessing over him. so what if he is taken. you don't mind being the villainess if it means you get to have him in the end.

Say please by @giraffenamjoon

Summary: you take your bad day out on your best friend, forgetting he has experience dealing with little brats.

Too Many Beds by @miabebe

Summary: Choi Seungcheol may be your parent's best friend's son, your next door neighbour for 20 odd years and the one face you saw every damn time, every damn where but that didn't mean the two of you wanted anything to do with each other. But a business trip - one room, three nights, and seven beds - might just be what it takes to change it all....

Dark Protector by @smileysuh

preview. “When I’m balls deep in your pussy, watching you writhe under me, listening to your pretty sounds- that will be the cherry on top of this birthday,” he explains. “Thank you for wanting to make me feel good, but- usually, baby, I like to be the giver.”

Ode To You by @lovelyhan

Summary: if there's one thing you've learned from all the lives you've spent together, it's that jeonghan isn't always someone you'll end up wanting. he can be crass. he can be secretive. he can be nothing short of vexing. but in the end, he's everything you need him to be. or: 25 lives in which you find and don't find jeonghan.

I Think We Married In Vegas by @ressonancee

Summary: You and Jeonghan have always been friends, and friends go on a trip together, right? And somehow friends always end up marrying in Las Vegas right? And somehow friends become roommates as well right? That all seems very normal when Yoon Jeonghan has a weird addiction to doing the dumbest things ever just for shock value.

Lens Of Ice by @wongyuuu

summary: jeonghan has only one chance left to make it to the olympics. as he embarks on this decisive journey, you, a documentarist, are set to follow him as he seeks the ultimate glory.

The Unoriginal Villain Origin Story by @twogyuu

Synopsis: In which Jeonghan and his friends recount the series of unfortunate events that led to you. Alternatively, in which maybe leaving it up to fate Wonwoo is all Jeonghan really needed to do all along.

(Tryna Do) What Lovers Do by @vitaminkyeom

SUMMARY || When you had roped Jeonghan into your idea of being a ‘pretend’ couple, you did not expect the lie to grow this big. What was supposed to be a one day thing soon became a rather frequent occurrence. And the gravity of the situation did not really hit you until your parents were requesting an audience with your new ‘boyfriend’. Will the two of you be able to keep your act till then? Or, in which, you keep promising yourself that this would be the last day you pretend to have feelings for Yoon Jeonghan.

BITE by @hannieehaee

Summary: keeping appearances as an idol was already hard enough, but it becomes even worse upon finding a forlorn jeonghan with need of assistance with the company's faulty security system, instantly becoming endeared with the idol who refused to take no for an answer — not that you'd ever want him to.

Accidentally Kidnapping A Mafia Boss by @miabebe

Summary: The cost of one harmless prank? The city's biggest mafia leader taking refuge in your house. And maybe that wouldn't have been such a problem if he wasn't so hot and you weren't such a coward, but apparently, fate just does things for the ✨plot ✨ sometimes...

Building Blocks by @starlightkyeom

Summary: (agreeing to be the teaching assistant is the last thing you want in a semester where you're already swamped with work. but, you need a letter of recommendation from the professor and you're out of other options. enter jeonghan, the menace who signs up for the class seemingly on a whim and disrupts your entire routine.)

Full Throttle by @diamonddaze01

Summary: jeonghan's not used to someone who pushes his buttons as easily as you do, and you're not used to someone who challenges you as quickly as he does. maybe it's time to go full throttle, both on and off the track.

Birds of a Feather by @onlymingyus

summary; You and Shua work together on a petition to get rid of the bird kid and then you fall in love.

505 by @lovelyhan

Summary: i'd probably still adore you with your hands around my neck; or i did, last time i checked.

Not According To Plan by @starlightkyeom

Summary: your ex-fiance is getting married and everyone you know is going to be there. when he calls to ask if you're coming, you accidentally mention a boyfriend. which would be fine, if you weren't very single. thankfully your best friend comes through with the perfect solution when he sets you up with a friend of his. what could possibly go wrong?

Workaholic!Joshua by @hoshifighting

Synopsis: Joshua consistently skips happy hours or works overtime. You've tried to warn your friend countless times, but he didn't listen to you. As a result, it's no surprise that Joshua experienced a burnout on the office floor.

Vanilla by @milfgyuu (Series)

Summary: Joshua has a secret but perhaps it’s not really a secret at all. Maybe you’ve just refused to see it in an effort to keep your feelings at bay.

Isohel by @toruro

Summary: fairytales can be rather misleading, can't they? when you and your mother are ripped away from your life at the castle, you spend over a decade resenting the royalty. so naturally, when you find prince joshua at your doorstep, you’re more than eager to shut the door on him. but as your life takes twists and turns, you happen to find yourself in the arms of a man you never thought you'd have to see again.

City Lights by @hannieween (Series)

Summary: Joshua Hong could be many things. For one, he is your next door neighbour. He is a rockstar, a relentless tease, a menace. But, ironically, he is always willing to lend a hand whenever you need it, regardless of the nature of your desires.

Burnt Coffee by @highvern

Summary: Running a cafe hadn’t been as glamorous as you initially believed. You loved your job; the cozy aroma of the different roasts, the hum of the espresso machine, the foam art you tediously practiced until a cute bear face stared back from the surface of a cappuccino. But any new shop comes with quirks, like the fire alarm that goes off almost every morning. Luckily, the fire station is just across the street and you unknowingly have one of the fireman wrapped around your finger.

Houdini by @highvern (Series)

Summary: The guy wearing a tiger onesie and ripping a bong in the corner might not be the most promising prospect of the night. But you've got a point to prove and a bet to win.

Homewrecked by @ncteez

Summary: Wonwoo doesn’t seem to realize that you’re giving him the best option out of a relationship that doesn’t even involve you. With a cheating best friend on one side, and a loyal Wonwoo loving her from two hours away on another, you decide that home wrecking isn’t always a bad idea. or the one where wonwoo fights internal demons over wanting you bc he’s in a relationship that he doesn’t even realize is falling apart.

Play Again by @shuarush

Synopsis: after ten years of not seeing your high school crush you find yourself partnered with him at the company you work for. Since you've been rejected before, you try your best to not let any feelings flourish, but Jeon Wonwoo's charms make that attempt especially hard for you.

Fuck The Neighbors by @sluttywonwoo

summary: curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back- at least, that's what they say.

Give It To Me by @onlymingyus

summary; From the outside looking in your life is perfect. It's the perfect ones who are the most fucked up and have the most to lose, or so you thought.

No Rainbows by @wonwootattoo

Summary: You return from study abroad to your friend group including jeon wonwoo, a phd student in your department, who you've never been close with. your closest friend seungkwan thinks the two of you would make a good pair. unfortunately, wonwoo is a known player, pulling girls in with his biker fits and tattoos. at a party, you are dared to make out with him for 3 minutes and you are immediately put off by his cocky attitude and wandering eyes. you're the first girl wonwoo is genuinely intrigued by and he's determined to win you over.

34.6037° S, 58.3816° W by @starlightkyeom

Summary: (your latest assignment has you jetting off to argentina hoping to finally catch the infamous art thief that's escaped your agency one too many times already. you know what's at stake if you lose your focus. enter the beautiful stranger that has you questioning everything you know.)

HER by @chocosvt (Series)

Synopsis: wonwoo, a heartbroken and burnt out writer nearing the end of his math degree, wants nothing to do with the seemingly perfect, intimidating girl who has everyone under her thumb. you. unfortunately, his literary talent has got him shoved him between a rock and a hard place when you want to write a book and require his expertise. you two are the furthest from compatible. wonwoo can’t see this going well. at all.

Hands Trilogy by @giraffenamjoon

RAW by @ourdawnishotterthanourday

Civil Affairs by @bitchlessdino

Summary: With the mutual understanding being cheated on, Seokmin finds solace in you, the beautiful stranger with ties to man that ruined his marriaged, Fortunately, light peeks out of the most inconvenient of circumstance.

Guinea Pig by @imloyaltoscoups

Work Me Out by @highvern

Hits Different (...'cause it's you) by @gyuswhore

SYNOPSIS: Kim Mingyu was the first friend your brother had brought home for dinner. Fast forward a couple years, his toothy smile and pierced ears would wedge their way into a permanent place in your heart. Nail to a coffin, never to escape. or; in which you get rejected by the only boy you've ever loved; a rejection you can't quite shake off.

7 Days by @hannieoftheyear

Summary: During a seven-day vacation with your friends, you try to get over your feelings for one of them. Feeling alone, surrounded by people who seem closer to each other than you, you find comfort in the one person that you didn’t know before.

LIAR., LIAR! by @sanakiras

SYNOPSIS — in a dramatic turn of events, a rich businessman is found dead in his lavish estate, and the authorities believe it was no accident. as the detectives dig deeper, they ultimately end up with two key suspects: you, the businessman’s very own daughter, and your sworn enemy, kim mingyu. as the time progresses, tensions rise and secrets spill — and the truth has the power to either bring you closer together or tear you apart.

Foolproof Stupidity by @shuarush

Synopsis: after giving your blood, sweat and tears to your company, you found yourself lost in whoever you are and were, and in the middle of an uncomfortable event you decided to throw caution out the window and go out of your comfort zone. meeting mingyu wasn’t the reason for it, but it was a good consequence. the feelings that emerged in your heart, on the other hand, were something you simply couldn’t handle at the moment, and you might just let your traumas get the best of you and push away the thing you fear the most: love.

Midnights To Come by @ssinboo

Summary: After finding campus heartthrob Kim Mingyu absolutely butchering his trousers trying to fix the hole he'd busted in them, you offer his your sewing abilities. As retribution, he thinks that nothing is more fitting than his ultimate mission: getting you laid. or You and Mingyu spend an unforgettable night together.

A (W)Hole New Experience by @ourdawnishotterthanourday

Summary: Your husband has always had a thing for your ass. And so it’s only natural for him to want to take your sex life to the next level. The question is whether you will let him.

Rivals To Lovers by @hoshifighting

Synopsis: You were willing to do everything to win the science fair and claim the $500 prize, hoping to outdo Mingyu, your college rival. You successfully win the prize, but your excitement took a hit when you found out that Mingyu actually wanted to use the prize money to support a dog adoption campaign.

Lost In The West by @starlightkyeom

(where your best friend pretends to be your boyfriend for the holidays so you can avoid more nagging from your mother. except your whole family thought you were already dating)

Office Hours by @seungkw1

Hit: Vernon by @smileysuh

Synopsis. You might not be great at taking the large bong your frat friends pass around at parties, but Vernon has at least one pipe you can handle ;)

Drive by @miraclewoozi

Summary: DRIVE -- or, the night you realise it's actually very hard to stay mad at the guy who shows up at your house, throwing stones at your window on a Thursday night, to try and fix something that was your mistake in the first place.

More Than One Member

Back To School With Seventeen by @camandemstudios

Thirteen Valentines by @bookyeom

13 Reasons Why by @lily-blue

Summary: a series of love stories built around the same coffee shop: its owner, his employees, his close friends and the customers

Game Over by @lovelyhan

Favourite by @simpxxstan

Summary: after being happily single for years, when you develop a crush, you don't know what to do. you think your closest friend (with benefits) can take your mind off things. but when you ask for his help, you certainly didn't imagine this kind of help from him.

Good & Bad by @smileysuh

preview. “My new therapist says it’s healthy behavior to let Wonwoo do what he wants to do ever so often,” you explain, watching Wonwoo beat Seungcheol at the arm wrestling and proceed to down two shots in celebration. “I’m not sure how she can think him coming to frats, getting drunk, and getting into pissing contests is healthy, but hey, it’s not my job to counsel power holders.”

Fuck Your Ex by @smileysuh

preview. “Cuddles don’t hurt either,” Mingyu muses, pulling you to his chest. “If we get to your bedroom and you decide you just want someone to be with, I’m not going to pressure you. I know I said the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else, but, skin to skin contact - even if it’s not sexual - can be an amazing way to get over an ex too.”

Like We Just Met by @onlymingyus

More Than I Can Resist by @multi-kpop-fanfics

Summary: you love starting your day with your boyfriend and a freshly brewed cup of coffee. but your other boyfriend has a different idea of a perfect morning.

More Than I Can Handle by @multi-kpop-fanfics

Summary: the abundance of snow outside won't stop you and wonwoo from restocking your fridge. and it certainly won't stop seungcheol from getting what he wants from his girlfriend and boyfriend - their undivided attention.

Stay ‘Till Sunrise by @shuadotcom

Summary: After years of pining and lusting over your best friends, your desperation finally gets the better of you and you decide enough is enough. Tonight is the night you’ll risk ruining the friendship to be with them in every way you can.

Lights Out by @hannieween

Summary:Ever since you met Joshua Hong, your life took a hard turn to an unknown piece of yourself. And now you watch from the sidelines as the spotlights are on him, but you are not alone.

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enquiringangel · 6 months ago

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The Lost Boys and the Major Arcana

Since a couple of people have asked, here are my thoughts re: The Lost Boys characters/scenery as the cards of the tarot’s major arcana. I am trying to interpret based on the movie rather than diving into pure headcanon land, so some characters who are less developed in the movie don’t get so much attention as the main players. Sorry!

My knowledge of tarot is a hodge-podge and I don’t claim my understanding of card meanings to be absolute. Far from it. The deck I refer to when discussing imagery of the cards is the Coleman-Smith tarot (more commonly known as the Rider-Waite-Smith, but fuck that, Pamela Coleman-Smith carried that project)

Here goes:

0 - The Fool - Michael. The Fool of the tarot is at the beginning of a journey. As with all journeys, there are both opportunities and perils. The common depiction is of a young man carrying a bindle and walking towards the edge of a cliff, looking upwards instead of at the path in front of him. One meaning of this card is a warning to look before you leap, something which Michael could have done with hearing.

As far as imagery goes, this would work with both Hudson’s Bluff or the train tracks, Michael depicted as about to step off the firm ground of past experience and to plunge into what’s unknown.

1 - The Magician - David - If our Fool is our neophyte, The Magician is our adept. The Magician is depicted as a robed man surrounded by the symbols of the 4 suits of the minor arcana. An infinity symbol above his head, he points up with one hand and down with the other, reflecting the occult maxim: ‘as above, so below.’ This is a card about (among other things) competency and mastery.

As leader of the boys and Michael’s initiator into vampirism, David fits this role.

2 - The High Priestess - Star - The High Priestess is the gateway into the mysteries, and she knows more than she will reveal. The answers are there, but she won’t just give them to you. (Sound familiar?)

3 - The Empress - Lucy - A card about nurturing, generative and creative forces, this is only fitting as it’s Lucy’s role as a good mother figure that ultimately spurs the entire plot of the movie.

4 - The Emperor - Max. The Emperor is about authority. Not necessarily a person, but having authority in a certain domain. And authority - in the paternal, patriarchal sense - can be oppressive.

5 - The Hierophant - Max - This card is about traditional values and conformity. While being a vampire is transgressive, Max manages to be a boring middle-class white man who literally has a suburban house with a white fence.

6 - The Lovers - Star, Michael, David-. As far as readings go this doesn’t always refer to a sexual relationship. It is about relationships in general, kindred spirits, and about choices. Joel Schumacher considered these three the main characters, and it is ultimately the links between them that drove Michael to go down into the cave in the first place.

7 - The Chariot - Grandpa’s Ford - It’s about movement, both in the literal sense but also about taking action. The car has a rather key role at a critical juncture. The motorcycles could also work.

8 - Strength - Sam - We’re talking strength of the inner kind. There are a few contenders for this one, but I gave it to Sam because it’s only because of his refusal to give up on Michael that the human characters and half-vampires were able to be saved. Thorn can be the lion.

9 - The Hermit - Grandpa - The Hermit is a wise figure who knows more than you do. As the name implies this figure is often alone or keeping a distance from people or events, sometimes for the better. Sometimes not.

10 - Wheel of Fortune - The Carousel - Round and round we go, and sometimes we win the games that come with the ride, sometimes we lose.

11 - Justice - The Frog Brothers - The thing about justice is that it is very subjective. But if you think of some other ways this can be interpreted, such as getting consequences, and finding the truth, then maybe you can see why I chose Edgar and Alan here.

12 - The Hanged Man - Marko/Paul/Dwayne. This card is about staying the same, stagnation, being held in a transitional state. So like, being a vampire who can never grow up. I’m sure you see where I’m going with this. Plus, their little upside-down selves would go perfectly on this card.

13 - Death - Welcome to Santa Carla (Murder Capital of the World) - This card is rarely about actual death/dying. It’s transformation - the end of one thing and the beginning of another. Santa Carla is a nexus of change and beginnings/endings for all the characters as a result of the events of the movie.

14 - Temperance - Star - It’s about balance; too much of anything being bad for you, etc. Star manages to avoid killing and has done for some time, while Michael was a vampire for like half a day and nearly ate his own brother. Lol.

15 - The Devil - The Wine Bottle - It’s a card about worldly desires, sexuality, addiction, hedonism… All things inherent to vampirism.

(I was originally going to do David here, and he would’ve worked. The traditional image is of a Baphomet-style figure surrounded by a man and woman in chains…but the chains look like they would come off easily, if only they stoppes to remove them. Picture David in his wheelchair, smirking, with Star and Michael to either side.)

16 - The Tower - Edgar (climbing the ladder to the sleeping vampires) - major upheaval. Catastrophe. Shit is about to hit the fan.

17 - The Star - Star - Her name is actually not the reason she was chosen haha. This card is about hope, overcoming adversity and finding contentment. Star never gave up on becoming human again, and she was certainly content at the end of the movie.

18 - The Moon - Marko/Paul/Dwayne/David - Illusion. Deception. But on a more positive note, deals with intuition.

19 - The Sun - Laddie - This is a card with feel good vibes. Happy families, achievements, abundance… But on the flip side can indicate naivety and blind positivity. This card typically depicts a young child, so yeah.

20 - Judgement - Michael - Judgement differs from Justice in that it’s more like taking stock of your own circumstances. Michael is ultimately the one who has to make the choice about which half of his half-vampire nature to embrace.

Also consider he shares his name with the archangel…

21 - The World - ??? - The end of a cycle. But where there are ends there are always beginnings. Opportunity knocks, and another Fool gets ready to set off an a journey…

I couldn’t think of a character or scene that worked to express this, except maybe Max’s fiery death/the aftermath of, so I left it blank.

Edit: it’s Sexy Saxophone Man. He’s The World.

#the lost boys #the lost boys 1987

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farm-witches-fic-recs · 1 year ago

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Farm witch friends, you have done the coven proud.

We've got so many good recs it's going to take a few weeks to share them all!

Starting with these that were recommended more than once, if you haven't spend some time with these fan favorites, you should check them out now! And leave the authors some love, of course.

========

Everyday Magic (houdini74/@mostlyinthemorning)

Each magic story is so unique, so sweet, so... D&P!

I couldn’t pick just one of these wonderfully variable scenarios that all include just a little (or maybe a lot of) magic added to the perfect scene setting and banter.

Favored Nations (@blueink3)

ALL OF IT! It’s my go-to when I’m feeling down, when I need to revise our boys. The characters, writing, and plot are all amazing.

Amazing world building, very in character slow burn.

The ultimate slow burn, the perfect love story set amongst the wonders of Broadway and NYC.

It’s just so, so good! I am a sucker for secret romance fics, and this one has that and so much more. Add in some Shakespearean theater with a twist and just the right amount of angst and sexiness, it’s just perfect! I love it so much.

This author knows David, Patrick, and the NY theater world inside and out. The volume and level of specificity, volume, tenderness, anxiety, and love of these characters and worlds is astounding. The characterization is so vivid, it's the easiest fic to forget isn't canon.

Fifteen hundred miles (morehuman)

I go back to this fic a lot! I just love the idea of them both challenging themselves and finding out what they are capable of.

The most incredible journey, a gift to go along with them in it.

I carry these heart-shapes only for you (@ladyflowdi and @ships-to-sail)

I love this transportative, visual feast of historic fiction. Luscious WW2 Paris is so vividly portayed and David’s wild, wealthy, LGBTIQ+out flamboyance juxtaposed to the farm-boy turned military-man Patrick is sexy and sweet. It undoes me every time. I actually first came to the piece via FairManor’s outstanding podfic. Both the text and the podfic are high art. It’s not just one of my favorite fan-fics. It’s one of my favorite stories of ALL time in any genre. I read/listen and I am at the Gaston, riding on the back of Patrick’s motorcycle, kissing in windmills, eating crepes, touring junk shops & dancing naked to 40’s blues. I’d give anything to see this as a film with Dan & Noah & cast. I want a leather bound print copy of it. Also - The epilogue is progressive, heartbreaking thoughtful genius. I’ve just finished rereading & listening to it again. Each time there are new Easter eggs to be found. Joyous.

It's just the most beautiful piece of writing ever written. Descriptive, lyrical, hot, stunning, heartbreaking. It has everything.

I’d swing with you for the fences (@nontoxic-writes)

Achingly sweet and fluffy all set in the perfect baseball/famous AU with secret relationship AND musician Patrick. I come back to reread this one a lot!

What isn't there to love? Baseball, long distance relationship, sex, songs, coming out to the parents, coming out to the team, coming out to the world, excellent use of side characters....I could go on and on. There are so many amazing fics out there, but I've read this one at least a dozen times!

Incorrect (@lisamc-21)

You can hear David saying it, but now picture the Maldives.

A beautifully written story of our boys meeting on vacation. Their trip is so sweet and so hot, and when they say goodbye, it's heartbreaking. The twist- they are both famous in their own worlds but don’t recognize each other so don’t realize who the other has hooked up with. When their week ends, they try to maintain a long-distance friendship as they learn who the other is. What was a hot hookup becomes a slow burn, and it’s amazing!!

The Last Rose Video (@distractivate)

Gorgeous writing, the perfect mix of canon and AU, clever plot, great dialogue. The fic I read over and over. It’s as comforting as a warm blanket.

Swoon. SWOON.

Strike Anywhere (@madlori)

Hot firefighters. Hot sex. Hot romance. But like in a Sandra loves Keanu sliding out of a speeding bus kind of way.

Hot hot hot! That’s the first work. Then- the author developed a prequel that is also hot but is also funny, loving, sweet. Love fireman Patrick!

This enemies-to-lovers-to-secret-husbands story featuring Patrick Brewer as a firefighter, is deliciously tropey and blazing hot, but also it’s written with such authentic emotion and perfect banter that it keeps me coming back to read it whenever I need a mood lift.

Such great heights (@likerealpeopledo-on-ao3)

Great story, the very best jokes, and the wedding date chapter is so good it would work as a stand alone fic.

It's got the mother of all fake dating scenarios, and Stevie in this in among the best I've ever read her. It's also very very funny. All the times when they say Feel The Air crack me up every time!

Sustineo (@rockinhamburger)

This is a perfectly paced one-shot AU that builds a world in which David is a brilliant, stormy, reclusive artist whose whose treatment by the press (and one Sebastien Raine) has made him unwilling to engage with the world…. Until he meets an intuitive and kind art writer who sees him for everything that he is (and can be). All of characters here are perfect and I love the descriptions of David’s art.

Incredibly hot art fic.

You can fall (sweetsirius/@wordthieve)

It takes the David and Patrick rescue each other theme of the show and makes the stakes even higher. Plus it's just a genuinely beautiful piece of writing.

The story arc and pacing are fantastic. I love how David and Patrick's relationship develops and how Patrick learns to open himself up again after grief. It's incredibly well written. I've read it so many times, from full read thrus to dipping in and out of my favorite moments and chapters.

Patrick is so heartbroken, but then he meets David. So romantic, and feels lived in.

#friends of farm witches fic recs #sc fanfic #sc fic rec #schitt's creek fanfic #schitts creek fic #schitt's creek fic #sc fic #david rose #patrick brewer #david x patrick

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torgerandsuzanne · 2 years ago

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This weekend, all the major movers and shakers in Formula 1 have descended on Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. On track, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will attempt to slow Max Verstappen’s seemingly inexorable charge towards a third successive title. Off it, their respective team principals, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and his nemesis, Red Bull’s Christian Horner, will also do battle. But arguably the most significant power move made in motorsport this week may already have taken place. Its architect was none other than Susie Wolff, wife of Toto. And just quietly, she is hoping she may have triggered a revolution.

As managing director of F1 Academy, a new all-female single-seater series, she is currently thrashing out what she believes could be a ‘game-changing deal’ with F1’s 10 teams, which she hopes will boost female participation in motorsport like nothing before.

......

Leaning back in a chair in the library of the Monaco Yacht Club, Wolff lets out a snigger. ‘It’s true,’ she nods. ‘He really did once describe me as a donkey!’ We are talking about her husband, Toto Wolff. The donkey reference actually cropped up in an interview the couple gave to Ben and Georgie Ainslie’s Performance People podcast last year. In the YouTube version of the podcast, you can see Susie, by this point in hysterics, miming someone digging a hole ever-deeper. The exchange is a window into their relationship: playful, loving, with Susie giving as good as she gets. But it also says something about both of their characters. Toto is a high performer, there is no doubt about that. And Susie? Well, ‘donkey’ may be a bit harsh for a woman who once gave Hamilton a run for his money in karting. But she knows what her husband meant. ‘Don’t underestimate the donkey,’ she says, grinning. ‘It gets there in the end. I do have a lot of tenacity.’ She is going to need it in her latest role.

There have been various attempts down the years to drive female participation in motorsport and achieve the ultimate breakthrough: returning a woman to the F1 grid. Wolff believes F1 Academy is different. For starters, it is the first all-female series launched and owned by Formula 1 itself. That means it is in F1’s interests for it to succeed. So whereas W Series, for instance, was given an enviable platform by the sport the fate of F1 Academy is far more intertwined with the brand. Not only will it compete on the F1 circuit from next season, but the two series will collaborate far more closely. Wolff cannot speak just yet about what that might look like, as the finer details are still being ironed out. Suffice to say there are some very exciting plans in the offing that she hopes to announce soon. ‘I think there are some forward-thinking team principals in Formula 1,’ she says. ‘I certainly feel a real commitment from within the paddock to help change things now.’ ‘When I met them all after my announcement in Bahrain, I said to all of them, “Please don’t think of this as a ‘woman’s thing’ being run by a woman. This is for the greater good of this sport. I hope it will add value to Formula 1 long-term. And we need to be on this journey together.” So far, the response has been very positive, I have to say.’ Wolff smiles. ‘But F1 Academy cannot just be about 15 young women racing. And we cannot have the sole purpose of trying to find the next female F1 driver. We have to stand for something much more. It’s about creating opportunity. How are we making motorsport accessible to girls? That’s why I’m spending a lot of my time in the world of karting right now, trying to understand, OK, who’s out there racing? At what level? What is stopping girls from racing? I think that’s where we’ve got to be really proactive. Because that talent pool is what we need to grow.’

......

Wolff is uniquely well-placed to do so. Born in Oban she had a typically outdoorsy upbringing. Both she and older brother David, were put on skis and bikes as toddlers. Her parents, owned a motorcycle dealership and her father raced bikes competitively, so racing was ‘in the blood’. But, Wolff says, she was ‘never a typical tomboy’. ‘I had my Barbie. I had my dolls. I liked that stuff. But I also loved going fast.’ Eventually the family got a second-hand kart and that was it, although Wolff insists it was just ‘for fun’ until she was taken to a Formula 3 race at Donington Park one year and watched Jenson Button win. ‘That’s when I was like: “This is what I want.” After that I started racing in the European and world championships.’ It was at that point, too, that Wolff began to experience sexism for the first time. She had always been ‘the only girl’ in karting races. Or at least one of very few. But as her participation became more serious, so too did the feeling of being not just different but unwanted. ‘Funnily enough, half of my battle was with the parents of my competitors,’ she recalls. ‘For them, it was not wanting their sons to get beaten by a girl.’

Sometimes her own teams, supposedly on her side, were just as culpable. When she reached DTM, the German touring car championship, Wolff was famously made to drive a pink car. ‘I hated it,’ she says. ‘It was such a cliché. No one wanted to be overtaken by that car.’ Wolff recalls one particularly awkward episode when three-time F1 world champion Niki Lauda came to watch his son Mathias. ‘Mathias and I were teammates and it was a real thrill that Niki was coming to watch,’ she says, wincing. ‘So anyway, he walks into the garage, and all the drivers were in there, and without even saying hi to Mathias or anything, he took one look at me and said to Mathias: “Whatever you do, beat her.” Even Mathias was embarrassed.’ ‘Years later, when we obviously became friends at Mercedes I brought it up and Niki was like, “Yeah, I know. But I knew it wouldn’t have been helpful to Mathias if he got beaten by you.” I said, “But Niki, I was an impressionable young driver.” Obviously he was of a certain generation. But I think that still exists. That stigma. Not wanting to be beaten by a girl. The preconception that women are bad drivers. We have to change that.’

.....

In other times during Wolff’s career it has been double standards that infuriated her. Male drivers could advertise products or cash in on their celebrity. But when Wolff did the same she would be accused of ‘using her body’ to further her career. This is someone who had, and still has, a genuine interest in fashion. ‘It was frustrating,’ she admits. ‘I turned down loads of things. I remember being questioned about one shoot, with Vogue Japan. “What? You’re going to turn down Vogue? No! It’s one of the top titles…”’ ‘Ultimately, I think it’s about finding a balance and doing what you’re comfortable with. I had one golden rule. I would never date another driver. I wanted to look after my reputation and just be someone that was seen as credible. But I think this idea that you just put your helmet on and race and nothing else matters… that’s not the case. Take Lewis. What he brings to the table is his outstanding talent on track. But also, all of the stuff he represents off-track. So if anything, I look back and say, I should have gone even harder.’

.....

Does she believe she was held back? Wolff shakes her head. ‘I think I fulfilled my potential. If I look back now, with more perspective, I wasn’t one of the most talented. I had a lot of tenacity and a lot of determination. A lot of thick skin. So I look back with no bitterness whatsoever. There were a lot of tough moments, I won’t lie. But I also met Toto, which led me to where I am now.’ They met in 2009 when Wolff was competing in DTM. Toto, 11 years her senior and with two young children from a previous marriage, was the co-owner of HWA AG, which ran the DTM race programme for Mercedes. He proposed one year later on a boat in Venice (well, on a boat back to the airport after his original plan to propose at a romantic restaurant was scuppered when a couple they knew sat down at the next table) and they were married in Capri in 2011. Inevitably their relationship, her subsequent role at Williams, and rise through senior management positions at Venturi Racing, a Monaco-based Formula E team, to F1 Academy, have led to allegations of nepotism.

‘I am completely fine with that because in the end, I know the truth,’ Wolff says. ‘I got the drive with Williams after I met Frank at a DTM event at Brands Hatch and told him I’d done a school project on Williams as a 12-year-old girl and it was always my dream to drive an F1 car. At the end of the conversation he said, “I’ll give you 25 laps at Silverstone.” It kind of snowballed from there. How much of that was Toto? It’s impossible to judge. But I feel I grabbed my chance.’ ‘Toto was never on the radio telling me how to drive a Formula 1 car. He wasn’t holding my hand telling me how to run a Formula E team. I did all of that on my own two feet. I know I’ve got what it takes to be successful, I don’t need Toto to open doors for me.’ She pauses. ‘I think in some instances, it can be very helpful having the Wolff surname, in others very unhelpful. But I wouldn’t change it for a second.’

Marrying up their schedules can’t be easy. The couple’s main home is in Monaco, but when we meet, Toto is back at the factory in Brackley, having just returned from the Canadian Grand Prix. He will fly out to take over parental duties from Susie when she heads to Zandvoort at the end of the week. ‘I don’t think we’re dissimilar to many couples who have busy jobs,’ Wolff says. ‘I have Toto’s schedule on my phone so I always know which country he is in, or at least when he’s coming home. And we just have to prioritise. If that means Jack and I jumping on a plane to wherever he is to make it work, we make it work.’ Wolff admits it is her who generally compromises. ‘Someone has to,’ she shrugs. ‘And right now it’s me, for sure. I’m based here. And Toto is in and out. It’s a big advantage that I understand the industry so well; why he has to be away, why he has to stay longer at the factory. All of that means I’m not giving him a headache at home when he does return. I get it.’

Have Mercedes’ recent struggles on track made things more stressful? ‘Actually I’d say he is in a better place than he was a few years ago,’ Wolff replies. ‘I think he had a moment in lockdown where he didn’t know whether he wanted to stay in the sport. But now he has really got the bit between his teeth again. Sometimes I’m in a room when he’s on a very difficult call and I’m starting to feel, “F--k, this is some serious pressure!” But he can just pile it on. It’s definitely one of his strengths.’ In 2021 the couple moved to Monaco from Switzerland, although they also keep a place in Oxford from which Toto can commute to the factory. ‘Believe me, I never imagined I would be living here,’ Wolff says, laughing. ‘Obviously I started coming out a lot when I joined Venturi. I’d leave cold, grey England and land here in blue skies. I just started thinking, it’s not so bad out here… It works for us now.’ As you would expect, Jack attends a school with the sons and daughters of other international jetsetters. ‘His best friend is Augusto Farfus’ son. Naila Rosberg is a year older, her sister is a year younger,’ Wolff says. But really, she insists, they do not have a lavish lifestyle. ‘My son spends every school holiday back in Scotland because I want him to have that balance. You know, this is a bubble. It’s not quite reality. So he goes camping with my parents.’ As for the Monte Carlo nightlife, Wolff says, ‘We keep ourselves to ourselves. The buzzing social life is just not my thing at all. You find your tribe but we spend so much time away, I’d much rather stay in during the evening than go out somewhere.’

Susie's interview with The Telegraph where she talks about F1 Academy, sexism and double standards she experienced as a female racing driver and her relationship with Toto.

#susie wolff #toto wolff #f1 #interview #f1 academy

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warningsine · 10 months ago

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For as much as I admire the incredible seventh episode of “Interview With the Vampire” Season 2, I cannot, in good faith, suggest other shows follow its lead. There are too many trapdoors lurking just behind the stage curtains, too many tonal shifts to ride out without being thrown from one’s motorcycle, and, quite frankly, too much patience required of the audience, human or vampire, given streaming executives think what viewers really want is a show that only requires half their attention. But despite all these challenges, “IWTV” persevered, the hard work of its true-blue theater troupe paying off in Episode 7, “I Could Not Prevent It” — an audacious endeavor that deserves to be recognized as one of the year’s most rewarding and remarkable hours of television.

A bit of context: Rolin Jones’ serialized adaptation of Anne Rice’s gothic horror classic began its journey to Sunday’s staggering episode by modernizing a nearly 50-year-old story and, in doing so, playfully yet purposefully toying with expectations. The subtextual attraction between newly bitten vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (played by Jacob Anderson) and his maker, Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid), became beautifully, ferociously sexual (and thus textual). Louis’ identity in the novel — as a white plantation owner in Louisiana — was flipped into a Black, closeted, Creole businessman running a brothel in New Orleans. Finally, the interview was brought to the forefront as well. Rather than simply acting as a framing device, the veteran journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) interrogates Louis as he recounts his memories in the present. Is his account trustworthy? Is Daniel being purposefully deceived? Is Louis?

Floating in the periphery (where it belongs), there’s talk of a vampire uprising and clandestine meetings with a secret agent (Justin Kirk!) working to save humanity, but let’s not bother with AMC‘s “Immortal Universe” right now since it’s not a huge priority in this series (and it’s not proven to be worth the same level of investment outside of “IWTV”). What matters is that the show’s boldest, biggest choices from the start led them here, to “I Could Not Prevent It,” where they paid off in ways both long-established and unexpected.

To be clear: Episode 7 should not work. The primary story takes place on a stage (which can be visually static and tiresome). What’s said on said stage is almost entirely a recap of events covered in the previous 13 episodes, and what transpires is largely foreseeable. (We’re told the “trial” isn’t real, its outcome is fixed, and the accused are merely “props.”) From a bird’s eye view, “I Could Not Prevent It” is set up to fail. Instead, the same facets that have sustained “Interview With the Vampire” thus far — its meticulous character work, its loud-and-proud melodrama, and its persistent questioning of its unreliable narrator — send the most pivotal hour yet soaring to new heights (even by Lestat’s standards).

An Unreliable Narrator Becomes Even Less Reliable

Let’s start in the same place the series does: with the interview. Daniel has long played the pot-stirrer, both narratively and formally. He asks the questions, he pushes Louis to delve deeper here or skip ahead there, and he will ultimately be penning the book that doubles as an annoucnement that vampires exist and a memoir, of sorts, for Louis. But his interruptions don’t just keep his subject honest. They keep the series honest, as well. If a scene’s sympathies feel misplaced (like when Daniel won’t stop asking “Did you eat the baby?” as Louis recounts how difficult that moment was for him) or when dramatic situations start to tip into hammy territory (as they regularly, wonderfully do), the candid questioner will break his subject’s highfalutin reverie and bluntly return them both to Earth. His recurring interjections may be frustrating for audiences wholly enraptured by the primary timeline (aka the past), but they serve a higher purpose: making it clear that Louis is an unreliable narrator. (And, I would argue, they’re fun! Go Daniel!)

The legitimacy of Louis’ storytelling is more heavily scrutinized than ever in Episode 7, although Daniel doesn’t deserve the credit for calling him out. It’s Lestat, albeit still via Louis’ memory, who provides an alternate version of various milestones, as he tells the “jury” of his companion’s alleged transgressions. First he argues, way back when they met, it was Louis who hunted him, not the other way around. “How do you not know that it was your own voice, Louis? Speaking your own unspeakable desires? Screaming them in the darkness in the hopes that I would come to you.” Their he said/he said back and forth isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but — much like earlier rebuttals from Daniel made us wary of taking Louis’ word as gospel — the dispute over their origin story does plant the seed of doubt in Louis’ version of events.

And tees up Lestat’s next accusation: that Louis blackmails him into turning Claudia (Delainey Hayles) into a vampire, despite Lestat’s vehement, law-abiding protests. The scene itself plays out fairly close to what we saw before, but what may seem like trivial details to the less-than-impartial jury are hugely meaningful to the “IWTV” audience. The basic proceedings don’t change, but the motivations for them do. In Lestat’s recounting, Louis’ desperation to have a daughter is clearly misguided — what first seemed like a compassionate gesture on Louis’ part is now painted as a selfish act that would (and did) damage Claudia’s life as much as her makers’. Remembering it again, back in the present, Louis cannot deny his actions and admits that Lestat’s retelling is more truthful. “That is how it happened,” he says. “I didn’t think it at the time, but yeah.”

Louis’ ugly makeover (if, of course, we can believe anything Lestat claims) continues when Lestat shares his side of the couple’s physical fight from Season 1 — a vicious beatdown fans have long-suspected had more going on than what was shown (given that the couple disappeared upstairs for a significant portion of their brouhaha). The original depiction saw a jealous, vengeful Lestat use his superior powers to pummel his partner bloody. Now, in Lestat’s apologetic recital, he’s still the aggressor who goes too far, but he was also reacting to Louis’ own ruthlessness. Lestat, he claims, asked to stop, but Louis insisted on seeing their brawl through to a mortal end. “I’m gonna take this hand here and wrap it around that scrawny neck of yours,” a maniacally laughing Louis said. “I ain’t gonna stop until your eyes pop. Then I’m gonna find a big ol’ butcher knife and chop your head off.”

While not intended to justify Lestat’s frightful reaction, seeing Louis in such a state reframes the target of Lestat’s vitriol. It shows the audience a vampire literally begging for a fight, rather than a victim getting tossed around like a ragdoll, and it makes Lestat’s ensuing apology — on stage, in front of humans and vampires alike — all the more affecting. (As does Reid’s heartrendingly earnest performance.) The blame is shared. The results are, too. And their romantic saga grows all the more complex.

Nothing Tops a TV Show That Uses Its Time To Dive Deep into Characters

Phew! All these (alleged) twists and turns within established lore are enough to spin superfans’ heads, but “I Could Not Prevent It” isn’t focused on easter eggs or fan(g) service. It’s focused on characters. In addition to introducing all the aforementioned layers of our main duo — strengthening their twisted love story as much as it expands their emotional depth — Episode 7 doesn’t forget about its other creatures of the night. Santiago (Ben Daniels), as the prosecutor in a trial without a defense attorney, elevates himself to coven leader and gets to savor every second of his vengeance (except for those delightful moments when Lestat goes off book and puts Santiago in check). Madeleine (Roxane Duran) is mostly playing catch-up (she’s new to the group), but she still gets to flex her unbreakable backbone when she sacrifices her life by pledging loyalty to Claudia instead of the coven. Armand is similarly sidelined — made to watch as the vampires he betrayed are put through “a stoning” — but steps up in the only way he can, when he uses his powers to manipulate the audience/jury into saving Louis’ life.

Speaking of: For as much of the hour is dedicated to reappraising the past, Episode 7 isn’t strictly relegated to looking backward. Major, major shit goes down in “I Could Not Prevent It,” from Armand’s last-minute attempt at a do-over (tune in next week to see how he and Louis got over Armand’s betrayal) and Claudia’s tragic demise. Oh, Claudia. Always forced to be her own lone advocate, she doesn’t let Lestat’s apology mid-murder go unchallenged. “Real pretty. You dropped him like an egg from an airplane — he’s fine now, you apologize, and all is forgiven. We poisoned him, he’s not dead — he’s standing right in front of us — can I cry and say that I’m sorry, too?” She goes on to cite how she’s always been caught in Louis and Lestat’s “stormy romance,” which makes her fate here all the more fitting, and all the more tragic. Like she says, Lestat didn’t return for her. He didn’t travel across an ocean to seek revenge on his pseudo-daughter. He’s there for Louis, and just as she was born to heal their marriage, she dies because she helped break it.

Watching the sun steadily eradicate every particle of Claudia, as she sings the song she came to hate yet still tied her to the coven she longed to join, is painful, memorable, and fitting. Too often, Louis and Lestat treated her as a prop in their play, but she never accepted that reductive assessment. She always fought for herself, and she continued to do so until the bitter, all-too-early end.

If You’re Gonna Go Big, Go BIG

Which leads us to the final key element that makes both the series and the episode so successful: unabashed theatricality. Beyond setting so much of Season 2 — and even more of Episode 7 — in a literal theater, during an actual play, “Interview With the Vampire” is fearless in its willingness to go for those big melodramatic moments. Claudia’s death is harrowing enough before adding the song, and doing so could’ve tipped the scene into moment-ruining soap. The same risk applies to Lestat’s lengthy apology (not to mention his overt scenery-chewing throughout the “trial”) and so much of Louis’ grandiose storytelling to this point.

Trusting the actors to sell these scenes is half the battle, and even though it was clear from Episode 1 that Reid, especially, could sell sunlight to a coffin-dweller, seeing what he does with his brightest spotlight so far is nothing short of spectacular. But it’s just as impressive that Jones and his writing team, along with directors Craig Zisk, Levan Akin, and Episodes 6 & 7 helmer Emma Freeman can balance so many shifting tones without sacrificing any emotional weight. How? I don’t pretend to know, but “IWTV’s” extensive range seems to be rooted in character. The vampires’ god-like perception of themselves justifies the excess, and their inextinguishable humanity keeps them grounded. Lestat and Louis may be immortal (and thus more amenable to the pretentious, narcissistic depictions of whatever they deem important), but they also can’t repress the human nature they were born with. They’re still caught up in petty grievances, a desire for community, and individual attachments, which makes them immensely relatable even when they’re mocking us, their human viewers, as “complicit, repugnant, and appalling.” (Don’t worry, Santiago — we love you for it.)

Episode 7 combines the same moments of unblushing camp, biting humor, and piercing drama as the rest of the series, yet it’s able to hone them all to fit a hard-hitting hour of television. There are still lingering questions waiting to be answered in next week’s finale, but Jones has set up his last hour to focus more on resolution and catharsis than teases and cliffhangers. I still can’t believe Season 2 was able to keep the real Lestat offscreen for six of its eight episodes without spiraling out of control. Using visions of absent characters to make up for their absence is typically a terrible idea, yet “IWTV” proves itself the exception to a very good rule once again. Even as a rare example of courage in a timid TV climate, the audacity inherent to this choice and so many others isn’t notable solely for its bravery. It’s necessary for the show to work as well as it does.

To these vampires, anything less wouldn’t be enough.

Grade: A

#interview with the vampire

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kpopsexstories · 3 months ago

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Jisung and Haechan's Sister: What happened since?

This week I'll be making four short posts about Jisung's relationship with Haechan's sister, and his journey from boy to man over a two year period. More on this in a moment.

First, let's look back at Quick Fix Season 4 which ended this week. This season you got 8 x female reader stories, with idols like Taeyong, Doyoung and Yangyang in various sexual situations, positions and scenarios. There will be a Season 5 at some point, but until then you can check out the Quick Fix series post which has now been updated with all the new story links 🙂

What's coming next week?

I've got two things for you: some backstory on Jisung with Haechan's sister, and new Quick Fix Gay stories:

Quick Fix Gay & Gay Thursdays are back!

Gay Thursdays are back, and I'm finally posting the second half of my Quick Fix Gay series Season 1. There will be four new short gay smut stories, both x male reader and member-on-member, one every Thursday for a month – starting this week (January 16, 2025).

Three of them can be seen on the Up-coming Stories page on Story Finder (my external website where you can browse all my Tumblr smut) if you want spoilers, but I've yet to decide which final story will go in this season.

Jisung with Haechan's sister

On the straight side, now that Tuesdays are no longer reserved for x female reader Quick Fix stories I'll instead post a four-part overview story this Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, about what happened to Jisung in the two years after he had sex with Haechan's sister ("Most Memorable Sexual Experience of Jisung Part 2").

I've been working on this story for a couple of months, since I got a request about revisiting Jisung and Haechan's sister some time later, when Jisung is more experienced and they have "mind-blowing" sex (your words, not mine 😉).

This new story isn't what the request asked for, but came to be because of it. It got me thinking about how Jisung could have gone from relatively inexperienced in the MMSE story, to a great lover capable of "mind-blowing" sex a couple of years later.

The result is a series of events that dive into Jisung's journey of growing up, maturing, and the relationships and experiences that helped him get there.

Each of the four – very short – parts is about a specific milestone on Jisung's sexual and emotional journey. The Jisung + Haechan's sister story parts will be posted daily from tomorrow (Monday the 13th of January, 2025), with a break on Thursday for the Quick Fix Gay story.

All my stories are posted at 14:00 Central European Time so you know exactly when to expect them 😉

Psst! In part 2 of Lucas' "Most Memorable Sexual Experience" story he too had sex with Haechan's sister. When Jisung found out he was devastated by it, and his point of view is briefly explored in one of the story parts that come out this week. In other words, it's safe to say that the Jisung + Haechan's sister storyline, and the Lucas' scandal development storyline, both exist within the same universe.

Wouldn't it be fun to expand both storylines in parallell, ultimately leading up to some sort of conclusion where Lucas makes a comeback (as hinted in his x male reader motorcycle story) and Jisung finally forgives him (or not)? 😍 Just a thought... Let me know with some requests if these storylines are something you want me to explore further.

#smut #kpop smut #nct smut #nct #nct dirty #smut writing #nct dream #park jisung smut #nct jisung smut #jisung nct #jisung smut #park jisung scenarios #park jisung #kpop x female reader #x female reader #kpop x male reader #x male reader #x male reader smut #x female reader smut

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justinspoliticalcorner · 8 months ago

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Elise Carson-Holt at LGBTQ Nation:

Harley-Davidson announced yesterday that it is ending its diversity and other progressive initiatives at the company, joining the leagues of John Deere and Tractor Supply Co.

The company has been under attack from conservative Twitter “activist” Robby Starbuck, who led a campaign against Harley-Davidson. “We are saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few weeks, designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community,” the company wrote in a statement posted on X. It noted that “we have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today. We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals.” Harley Davidson said it would review all sponsorships and outside organizations the company affiliates with, and the company will have all sponsorships approved by the company or Harley Davidson Foundation. It also said it will no longer involve itself with the Human Rights Campaign.

Starbuck started posting about the company almost a month ago, on July 23rd. “It’s time to expose Harley Davidson,” Starbuck said, declaring that the company has “gone totally woke.” He said that some of these “totally woke” actions include sponsoring a boot camp for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, donating to United Way, and making efforts to increase diversity in its workforce. “We believe having both a broad employee and customer base is good for business and that ultimately everybody should experience the joy of riding a Harley-Davidson,” the company said in its Monday statement. “We remain committed to listening to all members of our community as we continue on our journey together as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world.” Starbuck posted on X that it was “Another win for our movement. I couldn’t do this without all of you.”

Will companies stop caving in to right-wing fake outrage farmer Robby Starbuck’s crusades against DEI and LGBTQ+ inclusion in workplaces?!

Harley-Davidson is at least the 3rd company to cave to the anti-LGBTQ+/anti-DEI reactionaries.

#Harley Davidson #LGBTQ+#DEI #Diversity Equity and Inclusion #Anti LGBTQ+ Extremism #Motorcycles #Robby Starbuck #Corporate Equality Index #Human Rights Campaign #Business

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strawburrychainsaw · 3 days ago

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Genuinely forgot how well written aggretsuko is especially season 2. It just feels like it handles the very relatable problems retsuko faces with this level of brutal honesty that I rarely see portrayed. Lengthy ramble under the cut.

The struggle with your own desires and fears for a goal you aren't sure you want and realizing your desires don't necessarily match up with the people around you. The assurance that while nothing is guaranteed you can't make decisions based upon fear and always push your own feelings down. The balance between partnership, friendship, freedom, and commitment... with every single character having a unique, interesting and realistic position on the whole marriage thing. The characters who found joy in their marriages (Ton is super interesting, acknowledging his weakness in his own self and life, but recognizing that the love he has for his family drives him to live, even calling himself a grumpy old bastard who'd be pointless without them..) the Gori/Washimi conflict stemmed from their extreme desire/disdain for marriage & anger at feeling talked down to by the other - even people like Fenneko, who claim they think marriage is pointless but have flip flopped in the past... it seems like the whole season is kind of idealizing marriage as an end goal (and one Retsuko is mostly just expected to want) before dropping Tadano's genuine apathy and even antagonism towards it. He is extremely strong willed in his beliefs. He will not change for someone else. It is actually incredibly good for Retsuko to have been with someone like him because it forced her to realize her own desires and hold firm in them herself. She can't push him around & neither can he, and that's a good thing. Marriage never would have worked between them simply based on that disconnect. Which is why the breakup is so good.

The driving metaphor specifically really jumped out to me. By coincidence I was thinking about how much I like to drive today -how it allows me the commute in private to sing or to listen to podcasts or even to meditate/pray and get some peace of mind. I can go wherever I want to go. The journey from the very start of the season - with Retsuko's mother making decisions for her and demands for her while constantly encouraging her to make her own choices and "grow up." Retsuko learns to drive to please her mom before realizing she Does want to do it.

Tadano doesn't give much of a shit about driving- the metaphor for self reliance in this case - and we are under the impression he is totally directionless. The whole AI reveal is crazy in part because it proves we did misjudge him - but did we? Because he still doesn't want to make decisions for himself. The AI chose the company for him. He comments on Retsuko's skill at taking orders - but he trained his AI to listen to and learn from the masses online. A huge focus is put on the 'all ears' learning aspect of his technology. And he listens to the AI. He's kind of doing the same thing she is, in an extremely roundabout way! Yes, he's smart, and yes he has a job, but he's not driving. He flies a jet. The magnitude of decisions he makes are on a different scale to Retsuko's. He thinks driving is boring. He doesn't want to check for motorcycles- he doesn't want to have to think about anybody else while he's making his decisions, and this is shocking to a person like Retsuko who is naturally aware of and subconsciously considerate of others and their needs / desires. They're not compatible!

the show also goes out of its way to pay respect to Retsuko and her simple life. She likes doing the work she's good at. She enjoys the simplicity of what she has. And she has let go of her fear by the end -- both of marriage and of missing the marriage boat - by firmly stating her desires, risking her current relationship, and ultimately letting him go instead of trying to impose her will on him or wear him down. Tadano isn't demonized either - they're both happily heading in different directions.

Retsuko's ability to bounce back is also really cool to see. She's doing the karaoke thing much less throughout the season, dealing with negative emotions in other ways. While it's still difficult for her to navigate work sometimes she has a mutual understanding with Director Kon and , real talk, their dynamic is and always was my favorite part of the show. Grumpy asshole older boss helps the well meaning hardworking yet angry younger lady completely platonically. Gotta love it. Retsuko cries with her besties after the breakup but it's clear from her statement at the end that she recognizes the good that came from it and bears no ill will to her ex. It's lovely to see and a super mature response to a really hard and unfair feeling situation - how easy is it to vent about exes who we had fallings out with, how easy to complain about their bad priorities? But nah, there was value in trying out a relationship that wasn't perfect and letting it end after it had run its course. The fear has been defeated - temporarily , as it always is.

Now i have to ramble about Haida, an extremely flawed and realistic guy friend who I've got a soft spot for. I know there is a lot of criticism towards him being a "niceguy" and it's hilarious he's a techbro in s2 (my punk rock baby could never, Come On!) but I honestly get it. He's also somewhat directionless, he doesn't have a ton going on outside of being the male character we maybe sort of root for, depending on your taste & how much of a masochist you are. But I really appreciate the change between this and last season. We got the same scene of him being heartbroken in the rain, kicking a can and falling down, but where he got hypothermia and was hospitalized in s1, here he gets his shit together and keeps living his life. When shes in need, he steps it up and doesnt once make it about himself. He doesn't even blush when Retsuko thanks him for his help, reassuring her that he's her friend. For all he knew, Tadano was going to agree to consider marriage and they'd walk out still a couple. Even if they didn't, it didn't change the fact he was rejected before. It was out of selfless love for Retsuko that he got involved and it's a huge leap in maturity from what we saw before. I know this feels like complimenting someone for the bare minimum, but seriously, have you ever helped out your crush when they're going through a tough relationship period and tried to help them solve their issues? It sucks a lot. It requires a lot of shelving your own wants for the good of the other. And I think it's a cool thing, every step of it. He called Fenneko to vent, got his shit together, and kept going to work like an adult. I don't remember what s3 has in store but I still like my garbage hyena dude as of now.

Anyway. I like the writing on this show. It feels really nuanced in entertaining ways and is interested in conversations that are fundamentally more mature. I like how the show deals with regret and shame and fear in a specific kind of lifestyle I can relate to. It's nice to have.

#i speak #aggretsuko #analysis

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