#a little promo for a few people I really enjoy riding with

[carnelianwings]

Went to my first Vanguard shop tournament today, didn’t do great (1-2 is hardly a stellar result but hey, I won one!) but I had fun, got to enjoy myself, played against people I don’t normally play against, also got to play against people I normally do play against. Will I do it again? Yes. My locals has some pretty nice people, no one hit on me (I was the only girl there, but that’s nothing new to me, I’m used to being the Token Girl of most gaming groups at this point), people were focused more on the cards and the game play, so that’s hugely appreciated. Also got to play against some new people afterwards - I brought a couple of other decks with me that I just play “for fun��� as opposed to “for tournament” - so that was pretty fun. Someone did actually pull the Minerva promo and was nice enough to sell it to me, so that’s 1 promo down, 3 more to go? XD

A little further self reflection after the cut (just because I doubt everyone here wants to actually hear me talk cards lol)

First game - went 2nd vs Hexaorb Aquamarine

Funny thing about Minerva - she doesn’t actually have a terrible game going second (going first = you get G3 first, going second = you get to restand on your first G3 turn). That said, it didn’t exactly matter this game because I got onto my G2 turn, rode Chamomile, called Cairbre (hit a dud top 3 and had to call a draw trigger, rip) but made up for it by checking my (blue) OT against my opponent who’d called No Guard (in his defense he was sitting on 1 damage). Swung the game my way after that since I’d pushed to 4 after that turn, and despite my opponent healing down to 3 on his turn, my deck Chose Violence on Turn 3 when I hit double crits on the first check (against my opponent’s PG) and then hit a draw when he did a 1 to pass. Overall just ... very sacky and essentially Genesis Doing Genesis Things with deck thinning.

Second game - went 1st vs Willista

Again checked OT on the offensive on Turn 2, but my opponent also checked his on the defensive, stalled things out, but then I saw zero triggers after that, so there way to defend against Willista and her restanding rear guards after that. I did manage to thin out 2 cards to put into Soul each time, so it was just a matter of not getting lucky - looked at my deck after the game and saw all my triggers ... in the bottom 2/3rds of my deck ^^;;

Third game - went 2nd against G4 Prison

A match up I really could’ve (and should’ve) played better against (considering I own the deck and casually played it for a while), and one I’ll definitely practice a few times in Dear Days just to figure out ways to play out of it and get creative with counters for just the general way the deck plays. Had a decent start early when my opponent sent 3 Drilling Angels to Prison (so I could discard combo pieces with the intention of Soul Charging them later) but then ran into problems on the Purelight turn simply because I had too much board and had cards in Soul (can’t really do the “empty out Soul for the Purelight turn” counter when you’re playing a deck that combos off of Soul). Biggest misplay though was putting my only Angelica from Soul to Prison when I had 2 Ciders in hand and ended up 10k short to guard their second Penetrate Aquas attack. That said, even if I’d made it it’s questionable how much I could’ve done the following turn with what I had since Minerva with 1 Soul and no board isn’t a great spot to be in, especially since I didn’t actually have a Persona Ride in hand either. Not a great match up for Minerva, but one I’ll have to put some time into figuring out An Out for (since I’m pretty sure this player will bring Prison again next week).

[thestormlioness]

Woman? Was that meant to insult me?

[ethan-torchio-angelo]

Oh, love

Summary: It takes a year of trial and error, of love and heartbreak, for the two to finally realize there's no one else they'd rather be with. Or in which she becomes they're photographer for a summer tour and falls in love with the dark haired drummer.

Word Count: 10.3k

Warnings: swearing, angst, sexual content

A/N: I just want to say a huge thank you to @ethanesimp for proofreading and hyping this fic up, thank you so much amore! This is the first piece I've written for any of the members of maneskin, and also the longest thing I've ever written! Feedback is greatly appreciated!

January

It’s a call in the middle of the day that begins it all. She’s been in a shoot all morning, running around snapping photos of a wanna-be teen idol. She’s been here many times, being hired to do promo shots for someone who never makes it farther than this. But this call, she knows it’s different. She’s heard the name, seen some videos, she knows this won’t be like the rest. She’s instructed to clear her schedule for the week and to be in Rome by the end of the day.

The cold air hits her as she leaves the building, suitcase and camera bag in hand. This is the moment she’s been waiting for since joining the company, the chance to become a permanent fixture instead of hopping from gig to gig. She’s told that they requested her specifically, that one of the band members saw her collection from a festival last summer and was dead set on booking her for their summer tour. It’s all new to her, the feeling of being the first choice and not second best. She barely hears anything that’s said on the plane by their manager, too busy trying not to freak out.

It’s only a few hours plane ride, but it feels like a lifetime. Thoughts run wild in her head as the seconds tick by, she can’t remember the last time she’d been this excited, or nervous, for something. She’s greeted by more people from their team as she steps off the plane, and is quickly ushered to the villa they’ve been staying in. She barely has time to process the beautiful new city she’s in before she’s hidden by walls of an even more beautiful place.

They give her time to relax and unpack, but clear instructions to not leave the property without security. Things have been crazy, she’s told, since their winning last year fans have become more clever with their tactics. She laughs at some of the stories, but heeds the warning all the same. She’s seen quite a few things that have shaken her to her core, so she knows to be careful and wary.

Music floats through the halls and into her room, the band practicing on the other side of the villa. The music fills her veins with a feeling she can’t quite place, but it’s a welcome humming that gets her blood pumping. She grabs her camera and follows the melodies, laughing at the jokes thrown around in english whenever someone messes up. She angles herself behind a corner just right where she can take pictures while still being hidden from the band.

Her heart races at the scene in front of her. It’s a family like she’s never seen. They all seem to orbit around each other, pushing and pulling each other into their atmospheres. She watches Victoria dance around the room, bass in hand, strumming the lines to an old song. Thomas lays on the floor with a notebook reading off words, Damiano repeating them as he draws on eyeliner. And Ethan, who sits at his drum set, twirling the drumsticks in his hand as he observes the scene before him.

She captures picture after picture of their dynamic, taking the most of Ethan, who seems to have a magnetic pull to him. She only pulls herself from the moment when she’s spotted. “Sai, qualcuno chiamerebbe questo strano comportamento.”

The words are warm against her ear, and she jumps at the unexpected presence. She turns around, laughing to hide her embarrassment, trying to translate the words in her head. She freezes when she sees it’s Ethan, trying to figure out when he slipped away from the rest of the group.

“Ah, niente italiano. Er, it’s unusual, what you are doing.”

Another nervous laugh leaves her lips, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be creepy. There’s something about the way the group is when no one is watching, it’s hard to ignore, it needed to be captured.”

He smiles at that. It’s soft and warm and she feels as if the world has stopped spinning. A song plays between their hearts as a silence falls over them. There’s a beauty about him that makes it hard to focus on anything but him.

A series of crashes followed by loud curses in Italian breaks the spell that they were under and Ethan pulls himself away from her to go and manage his friends. She uses this moment as an excuse to slip away and tour the rest of the house, ending in the kitchen where dinner is being prepared. She snaps a few photos of the chefs cooking, already envisioning the blog post they’ll go along with.

When everyone has made their way to the dining room a toast is made; to new adventures, to new friends, and to family. Sweet wine and light rain makes the time pass faster and the evening flows into night easily. The group parts only moments after midnight, long days ahead calling them to catch up on sleep now.

The month flows by with days and nights blurring together. It seems the studio is really the only place they call home, spending every waking moment in the room that houses their instruments. She stays with them through the long hours, snapping photos of the weird things they get themselves up to. Her hard drive slowly fills with collections of each band member, ones for the public eye and ones she sends to them to make them laugh.

The end of the month brings a party, something small to celebrate sold out tour dates. A night out to a local bar and far too many drinks. She dances with Victoria, who has become her best friend in the few weeks she’s been with them. Damiano and his girlfriend are not far away, but much more caught up in their own world. Thomas has disappeared somewhere, no doubt warming someone's bed for the night. But through all the commotion, she can’t stop watching Ethan.

He’s sitting at a table nursing the only drink he’s had that night, planning to take on the role of babysitter at the end of the night once everyones had too much to drink. He drums his fingers on the table, following the beat of each song that plays. He seems lost in his own world, content with being by himself. She moves away from Victoria, who easily finds another partner, and makes her way to the table.

“Sembri solo,” the words fall from her lips quietly as she takes a seat beside him.

He smiles at her, “Seems your little lessons are paying off.”

She blushes at that, not realizing he’d picked up on her daily lessons with their English tutor. “Only enough to not seem like a tourist.”

A small chuckle escapes his lips, and she wishes she could bottle the sound.

“But don’t change the subject. Tonight was about having fun, celebrating a big accomplishment. Yet you’re sitting here alone.”

He sighs at her insistence, “Sometimes we don’t need to celebrate everything so publicly.”

Something pulls at her heart. She can’t imagine having such a public life, but she understands how it must feel to never have anything to yourself. Before she knows what she’s doing, she places a hand on his arm and gives it a reassuring squeeze, a light tingle shooting between the two of them.

She pulls her hand away quickly, a small blush forming on both their cheeks. He offers her a small smile to make the moment less awkward, and she returns it.

The night ends not too much later, the rest of the crew having decided that warm beds would be much more comfortable than the crowded bar. She helps Ethan herd their friends home, laughing along with him at their drunken antics. Victoria jokingly calls them mom and dad as they help her to bed, and the blush that was plastered on her face earlier that night makes a second appearance.

It’s almost morning by the time she makes it to her own room. Ethan isn’t far behind her, realizing for the first time tonight that they share the same hallway. “Buona notte,” comes his voice from down the hall.

She turns to face him, catching herself stuck in his stare. She can’t quite place the look in his eyes, but it gives her butterflies all the same.

“Buona notte.”

February

February brings more time in the studio and less time outside the walls of the Villa. While winter in Rome is not like the ones you’d experience in colder places, it still brings a chill to her bones. She steals one of Victoria's sweaters after a night spent lounging under the stars, a small break from a busy schedule.

A fire had been lit and a bottle of sweet wine was making its way around the group. She’d set her camera aside for the evening, planning on enjoying a night without the calls of work. She doesn’t know when it happens, but suddenly she’s swaying to a drunken beat in the arms of Damiano who can’t stop giggling at her two left feet. The man had not believed her when she said she couldn’t dance, but was now biting his tongue as they moved around the courtyard.

As the night seemed to come to a lull, a game of truth or dare was proposed and all were in agreement. She finds herself sitting beside Thomas on the floor as Victoria begins the game, a stupid dare aimed towards Damiano that earns him a new haircut. The night drags on in a flurry of laughter and silly dares. By midnight half the group is wearing someone else’s clothes, and the others have barely any on.

She’s moved to be sitting by Ethan, who has an arm casually draped across her shoulder. It shouldn’t feel so electric, his skin touching hers, but it does and it’s the only thing she can focus on. Her heart feels like it’s almost beating out of her chest and the blush on her face isn’t caused by the alcohol in her system.

Damiano is the first to notice her situation, and starts poking fun at her whenever it was his turn to ask her something. It started off innocent enough, small questions aimed towards her love life, but it soon caught the attention of Thomas who was the first one to issue a dare towards the girl. This was how she’d ended up sitting beside Ethan, cuddled into his side. Ethan was oblivious to the things going on around them, until Victoria dared her to kiss him.

It seems as though time stops, the laughter fades and the silence becomes deafening. She turns towards Ethan, a mixture of panic and excitement painted on her face. He smiles at her, “We don’t have to, amore.”

“A dares a dare.” She shrugs at him.

A round of cheers raises up around them as the two lean in. It’s meant to be only a small peck, something good enough to count in the eyes of those around them. But as she goes to pull away his hand reaches up to tangle in her hair and he pulls her closer. Their lips meet again without any hesitation and it’s like the world lights up around them. Blame it on the alcohol, but if she were to die right now she’d be happy.

They pull away a second later, a small laugh leaving both of them, chests rising at an unsteady rhythm.

“Awe, they’re blushing! How cute!” Comes the voice of Damiano, further pulling a blush from the girl.

She grabs one of the pillows beside her and aims it at his head, laughing when she misses terribly.

The night fades into morning and they all climb to the roof to watch the sunrise. It’s a moment she wants tattooed in her memories forever. She’s got her arms wrapped around Victoria and the three boys huddle around them, alcohol still flows through their veins and they’re all singing different versions of the same song.

March

The beginning of spring in Rome is magical. Flowers start to bloom, mornings are coated in a light dusting of rain, and clothing starts to become less of a necessity. She takes photos of the band trapezing the streets. The Villa studio has become too familiar, moving instead to a studio in the city.

By now, a routine has been put in place. Mornings sipping coffee and eating fresh pastries while she laughs at the varying states of wake the band is in. Afternoons in the studio, recording their new album while she collects photos and videos for their ‘making of’. Evenings spent in restaurants and bars, eating some of the best food she’s ever had, and she swears she’ll never eat anything better.

She’s never fallen in love with a city like this before. Maybe it’s the city, or maybe it’s the people she’s with, but she swears she never wants to leave. It suffocates her in the best way possible, the feeling of being home. She hopes that when the tours over and her contracts up, that she’ll move here, maybe even keep these people she’s grown so close to in the past few months.

She’s thrown out of the daydream by Thomas yelling at her in a mix of italian and english for not paying attention. It’s the middle of the afternoon, they’ve taken a lunch break at a restaurant down the block, and Thomas is expressively telling a story. His hands are in the air and he’s almost knocked his wine glass over too many times to count.

Damiano sits across from her, fiddling with her camera, snapping his own photos that he presents to her proudly. She laughs at every one, but never discourages his actions. Victoria is on her left, Ethan on her right, both vying for her approval as they argue over something. She’s overwhelmed by the different directions her brain is being tugged, but the hand that snakes its way into hers calms her.

She looks down to see Ethan rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand, a soft smile grazing his lips as they make eye contact. She returns it, whispering a small thank you to the boy.

That night, she lays in bed, in the room she’s begun to finally call hers, thinking of the boy with stars in his eyes. She doesn’t know if it’s feeling like she finally belongs somewhere, or the wine that still coats her veins, but there’s something about him that she wishes she could become a part of. She wants to wrap herself in it and never leave. She’s falling for him, hard. Vaffanculo.

April

It is Victoria's birthday and everyone has decided that she must be princess for the day. Ethan and Damiano have been up since dawn making an extravagant breakfast, something that should be put in a five star restaurant. Her and Thomas had disappeared shortly after waking, returning with a stack of presents that was almost as tall as him, and the best bouquet of flowers she could find.

After decorating the patio with anything and everything they could find, it was a mad dash to Victoria's room to wake her up. She protested, claiming that sleep was more important than being awake, but at the mention of presents she was the first one out of the room.

It was a morning of happiness, and a much needed break from their hectic schedule. She recorded the entire day, from the dramatic wake up call to the celebratory sparklers that were set off that night, it was all captured.

After breakfast the princess requested a trip to the beach, and no one would dare refuse her. They found something private, a little hidden oasis an hour's drive from the villa. They spend hours there, switching between swimming and laying in the sun. She finds herself alone on the sand with Ethan at one point, watching the others like proud parents.

She tries not to think about how close his body feels to her, how she can feel the heat his body is radiating seeping into her, the smell of his body wash. He’s invading all of her senses and she’s trying so hard to focus on anything but him. “Let’s go on a walk?”

His voice is warm as the question escapes his lips. She turns to look at him and she’s thankful to be able to blame the sun for the blush on her cheeks. She nods and gets up to follow him, brushing off the sand that’s clinging to her bathing suit and wrapping a towel around her shoulders.

They disappear down the beach, walking side by side, a comfortable silence enveloping them. It’s not till they’re halfway down the beach that either of them speaks. “Are you enjoying your time?”

She doesn’t miss the hint of worry that laces his voice, and she’s quick to reassure him that she is. “Yes, very much. This is probably the best job I’ve had in years.”

He softly chuckles at her words, “Good. Good. We’re trying to make you feel like one of us, don’t want you running away.”

She’s grateful for the confession, glad that they don’t see her as just another person that works for them. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

He bumps her shoulder with his, a small smile forming on his face, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They head back to the group soon after, realizing they’ve let the day slip away and need to leave soon if they want to make their dinner reservations.

A small vineyard hidden in the valley, they’ve booked the place so it’s just them, and ordered every bottle of wine on the menu to taste. They laugh away the night, enjoying plates of delicious food and letting their minds wander. A gorgeous cake is brought out at the end, half of which ends up destroyed thanks to an impromptu food fight. More presents are opened and Victoria starts tearing up, blubbering about how much she loves the idiots she’s surrounded with.

They walk through the dark streets of Rome, singing happy birthday loudly in every language they know. It’s unusually cold, but she’s somehow been wrapped in Ethan’s jacket, his arm slung over her shoulder. She’s holding Vic’s hand, Damiano and Thomas taking turns with her camera.

The air surrounding them is electrified, she looks up into the sky and thanks the stars for the life she’s living.

May

The summer tour is fast approaching, and nerves are starting to set in. The already high energy group somehow is bouncing off the walls even more, making for an interesting collection of photos. Nerves are starting to get the better of them, and she often finds one of them wandering around the Villa at odd hours of the night. She’s good at being able to channel her nerves into something else, focusing all of the energy on a new project.

One night though, it gets the better of her. She tosses and turns in her bed for hours before she decides that sleep isn’t coming. Instead of lying in bed willing her brain to shut off, she throws on a pair of shoes and heads for the front door, thinking a walk in the warm spring air will do her some good. What she doesn’t expect to find is Ethan sitting out on the terrace, cigarette in one hand and a book in the other, lost in his own world.

She doesn’t mean to catch his attention, hoping to allow him this little bit of uninterrupted peace, but he spots her anyway. “Buona serata,” He rasps, voice laced with the quietness of the night.

“Buona serata, Ethan.” She returns the greeting.

He motions for her to sit down in the chair beside him, closing the book and placing it on the table. “What’s troubling your mind tonight?”

She’s not used to the way someone can read her so well, but there’s something about Ethan that brings her comfort in the fact that he can. “Nerves, I guess. I’ve never done a gig this big, never spent so much time with one group. I’m used to being moved around a lot, still getting used to being a permanent fixture I guess.”

The words are heavy on her tongue, never having voiced her worries out loud before. He takes a long drag of the cigarette hanging from his lips, “La vita ci dà solo ciò che sa che possiamo gestire.”

“Some would think you were a poet in a past life.”

A small laugh escapes his lips, and he shakes his head. A comfortable silence falls over them and she wishes she could bottle this feeling to keep with her forever. He turns to look at her, and it’s hard to put into words the feeling that washes over him. He’s not sure where it comes from, the urge to kiss her, but it sends him spiralling.

He reaches his hand up to brush a few strands of hair out of her face, “Le stelle brillano più luminose nei tuoi occhi, amore.”

The words and his actions cause her heart to raise and her breath to hitch. They’re close now, the closest they’ve been since that night in February, and all she can think about is that kiss that they shared.

Neither knows who leaned in first, but suddenly their lips are touching and it is everything and nothing like they remembered. While the other kiss had been hesitant and brief, this one was full of purpose. Their noses brush and their breaths tangle together, he bits her lip for a moment and a small moan escapes her. He swears it’s the best sound he’s ever heard.

He grabs at her hips, lifting her from the chair and placing her so she’s straddling his lap. She tangles her fingers in his hair and tugs softly, earning a groan from the man. The sound sends shockwaves through her and she rocks her hips against his almost involuntarily. His lips move from hers to the side of her neck, pulling small whimpers from her as he nips and sucks at the skin. It’s everything she’s ever imagined and more. The feeling of his body pressed to hers, the pleasure he can so easily give to her.

She moves her hands down to fumble with the hem of his shirt and that’s when he pulls away. “While I would normally love to do that here, how about we continue this somewhere more private?”

She nods eagerly and removes herself from his lap. He all but drags her inside the villa and towards his room. She trips over her own feet and they both laugh at her clumsiness, falling into each other as he tries to catch her but trips over his own feet in turn. He leans in to kiss her again as their bodies collide, this one sweeter and softer than the previous one.

The moment passes quickly and soon she’s being dragged through the halls again, only to be met with a half asleep Damiano standing in the doorway of his room. They stop in their tracks, jumping apart, trying to act like nothing was happening. “It’s rude to have a party and not invite everyone, you know.”

She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, glad that he didn’t know what had been happening moments prior. Ethan is quick to explain that they were just having a cup of tea on the terrace and were now heading to bed, and thankfully the lie is believed. Damiano wishes them a goodnight, heading back into his room, and the two are left in silence in the hallway.

“Maybe we should go to bed,” he whispers to her.

Her heart sinks, but she nods her head in agreement and turns to walk back down the hall to her room. She’s not really sure how the night was going to end, but this was definitely not how she wanted it to; walking in silence next to someone her heart aches for, pretending that nothing had happened between them.

He walks her up to her door, still ever the gentleman, and places a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Buona notte, amore.”

The words should not sound as sad as they do, and she tries her hardest to keep the tears welling up in her eyes at bay as she watches him turn and walk away.

June

How do you go back to being just friends after making out with someone? Well, you don’t. At least, not fully. They dance around each other without knowing it, avoiding any contact that could lead to something more or allude to something else, but there are still moments where the world seems to slip away and it’s just the two of them.

The tour kicks off at a festival in Amsterdam. Blue skies and sunny days greet them as they get off the plane. They have a day to explore before their first show, and no one can decide how to spend it. In the end, Victoria drags Thomas off to do some shopping, Damiano plans a trip to a few museums with his girlfriend, and she is left with Ethan.

She’s not truly stuck with him, but she doesn’t feel like wandering a forgein city all by herself. Since the night in the Villa, they haven’t spent longer than a few minutes alone together, both refusing to acknowledge what had happened.

A trip to the beach seems like the best place to be, and within the hour she’s lounging in the sun listening to Ethan read a book. It’s peaceful, the sound of the waves and his voice lulling her into a half sleep. She’s got a drink in her hands, something sweet and fruity, and she’s sharing a cigarette with Ethan. It’s a scene she thinks one would find in a movie.

She rolls herself over so she’s laying on her back, staring up at Ethan who sits beside her. She places her hand on his leg and traces random shapes into his skin. Goosebumps rise in the wake of her fingertips, and he tries to stay focused on the book in his hands but finds it hard to do so. “You are very distracting, amore.”

She looks up at him innocently and she can’t help but admire him. His hair is tucked away in a bun, but a few pieces have fallen out and are flying in the gentle breeze. He’s only wearing a pair of swim trunks, broad chest on full display. He catches her roaming eyes as they make their way back to his face, a smirk slowly forming on his face. “Or maybe I’m the one distracting you, no?”

She smiles shyly and looks away from him, because yes, he is distracting her, and she’s finding it very hard to not kiss him right now. He chuckles at her, reaching his hand towards her face and turning it back towards him. He leans down towards her, “I’m going to kiss you now, okay?”

All she can do is nod, and a second later his lips are on hers. It’s sweet and slow, she can taste the tobacco on his lips and it’s intoxicating. She moves so she’s sitting up, leaning into him more, the world around them fading out until all that is left is them.

A few days later they find themselves in a hotel room in Munich. There’s music playing and everyone’s laughing. Her camera hasn’t left her hands all night, every moment needing to be captured as they ride the after show high.

She’s in the middle of recording Thomas’ one man act when a pair of arms wrap themselves around her waist. She knows exactly who it is by the scent that invades her nostrils and sends her brain into overdrive. She lets out a sudden, loud laugh, as his fingers trace themselves up and down her sides, collapsing into his chest as she struggles to breath.

He picks her up and spins her around, letting out an equally loud laugh at her protests. He’s happy, and it’s something that looks better on him than any designer outfit he could ever buy.

He falls onto one of the beds, pulling her down with him. She lands beside him tangled in his arms, he’s looking at her with a goofy grin on his face. The world seems to silence around them as their eyes lock. Her smile softens and she reaches her hand over to brush an eyelash off his cheek, he catches her hand before she can pull it away and brings it to his lips, kissing it gently.

He looks ethereal in this moment, hair strewn all over the place, a wild look in his eyes. She reaches for her camera and brings it up to capture him, never wanting to forget this moment.

The streets of Prague are empty, save for the two of them walking hand in hand down them. It’s early, almost too early to be considered an acceptable time to be awake, but they continue on nonetheless. A wild craving for something sweet had brought upon their adventure, and with the look she was giving him, he couldn’t say no to accompanying her.

They had been sitting on the balcony of her hotel room, watching the sun starting to peak out over the horizon and sharing a cigarette when she had turned to him with a mischievous look in her eyes. “I want something sweet.”

The comment had earned her an offer to order room service, but she shakes her head at the idea, standing up and walking back into the room. “No. Something real, maybe a coffee too.”

He follows her in, watching her pull on a shirt to cover the bralette she had been sitting in. “È presto, amore. Let’s go to bed. We can order something when the sun is awake also.”

She smiles at his words, but makes no move to stop dressing. She grabs her wallet and room key before heading to the door, stopping to turn and look at him, a question in her eyes.

“Fine, I’ll come with you.” He says after a moment, throwing on his jacket and walking over to her.

It’s 7:30 in the morning, the sun is starting to make it’s daily appearance, and they are happy. The small bakery they stumble into is just opening for the day and they’re greeted by the owner, an older lady with the sweetest smile. She speaks in broken English, an obvious language barrier between the group of them, but no one seems to mind.

She orders herself a poppy strudel and a coffee, Ethan ordering a croissant and an espresso, before sitting down at one of the small tables. He sits beside her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into his side. He presses a soft kiss into the crown of her head and she sighs in content.

Moments like this are what she lives for. She might only be here because she works for them, but somewhere along the way she’s become part of their little family. She looks over to Ethan who’s lost in conversation with the owner, and she whispers to herself, “Penso di essermi innamorato di te.”

She doesn’t know that he hears her, his smile spreading wider across his face.

July

The turnover from June to July happens mid concert in Stockholm. She swears she can feel it, the sudden shift, a slight change in the air. She’s running around in front of the stage capturing pictures of the band in what she’s come to call their ‘natural habitat’. There’s an indescribable buzz in the air as they perform, the crowd becoming louder and louder with each song.

She keeps catching Ethans eye and there’s something primal in the way he looks at her. During a song switch, while Damiano rambles to the crowd, he motions her on stage. He tells her to get closer to everyone, promising that they won’t bite, and she giggles at him. She does what he says nonetheless, capturing some up close photos of the band and a few great shots of the crowd.

All too soon the show is ending and everyone’s piling into the car, a small party taking place in the backseat. Damiano has music blasting from his phone, Victoria and Thomas are dancing along to the beat, and Ethan is belting out the lyrics. She watches the group of them, laughing so hard her sides hurt, and she’s never felt more at home.

When they get to the hotel he’s quick to pull her towards his room, thankfully void of a roommate for the night. The second they get into the room, his lips are on hers. He pulls her close to his body and her hands tangle themselves in his hair. It’s nothing like any of their previous kisses, it’s heated and fast, every thought trying to be conveyed by the fever of it. She pulls back slightly to catch her breath and he leans in to whisper in her ear, “Join me in the shower?”

It’s not so much a question as a statement, but she nods her head eagerly, quick to follow him into the bathroom. He strips himself of the few clothes he’s wearing (most having been thrown off during the show), before turning to her. He reaches his arms out towards her, pulling her close to him and tugging on her shirt. She barely registers him pulling off her clothes, too focused on his body in front of her.

She’s never seen him so bare, and she’s having a hard time focussing on anything else. It’s not until her body hits the warm water that she snaps back to reality. He looks wild, eyes blown with lust, a wicked smile on his face. She firmly plants her lips on his, moaning into the kiss as he grabs at her. His hands are skilled and know every way to pull those delicious sounds from her lips.

It’s quick and dirty, and it is everything she has ever imagined it would be.

An hour later, she’s tangled up in the sheets of his bed, his entire being engulfing her as they watch the stars outside the window. She wonders if they are watching them too.

Paris is the city of lights, a statement she’s never been more sure of. The streets are lit with every light, shining brighter than the stars. She’s in a permanent state of bliss, after the night she shared with Ethan. Their relationship is hidden from the public, living in stolen moments and nights in hotel rooms, but she’s never been happier to be someone's dirty secret.

The band is electric on stage, something about the city they’re in taking their performance to a whole new level. The show goes on longer than it should have, but none of them even care when their manager comes over to reprimand them. They hang around to greet fans and take photos with anyone and everyone, and it’s not until security has to kick them out that they finally leave.

They find themselves in a bar, not sure what part of the city they’re in, but no one cares when the night feels like this. They drink expensive drinks that they can’t pronounce the name of, dance to songs they don’t know the words to, and feel more alive than they’ve ever felt. It’s like the world turned itself up to 11 just for them.

She dances with Ethan, not caring who sees because the night is theirs and no one cares. She kisses him in the middle of the dance floor and he pulls her into a vacant bathroom. It’s hot and heavy and the smell of alcohol envelopes them, but they couldn’t care less. Is this love? They don’t care. They’re young and dumb, and well, you only live once.

Back at the hotel they spend the night wrapped in bedsheets on the balcony, a bottle of champagne and a pack of cigarettes shared between the two of them. He points to the stars, a stupid grin on his face, “Le stelle brillano solo per noi.”

She snorts, throwing an abandoned pillow at him. He grabs her arm and pulls her into him, tickling her sides until she’s begging him to stop, tears staining her cheeks but a laugh like no other leaving her lips.

As the night bleeds into morning, and both are hazy with sleep, he whispers to her, “Sei il mio universo.”

They walk down the streets of London, his arm slung over her shoulders as she rambles away, both blissfully unaware of the few fans snapping photos down the street. They don’t notice the group of girls following them, cameras and phones in hand, capturing picture after picture of the couple.

By the time they reach the shop, the photos are already out into the world.

As they order, reposts and comments start flowing, and their phones start lighting up with notifications.

Before they can pay, she’s crying.

Rule number one of being in the public eye; never look at the comments, distance yourself from social media as much as possible, it will never end well.

The final stop in Rome was supposed to be a welcome home. A big celebration was to occur after their last concert, but now, it’s nothing more than finding the quickest way back home. She sits in one of the dressing rooms the entire show, waiting for it to end, scrolling through her social media.

She knows she shouldn’t be, that’ll all it’s doing is hurting her, making her feel worse. But she can’t stop. The comments aimed towards her and the drummer are terrible, and she wishes she could just delete herself from existence. They aren’t even dating, at least not officially, but she’s been deemed the girlfriend from hell. She’s unknowingly stolen something that never belonged to anyone to begin with.

Damianos girlfriend is in the room with her, telling her of her own horror stories dealing with fans, and she knows she’s just trying to help, but she really wishes she would just shut up. She loves the girl to death, she’s been a blessing this entire time, but she feels her mind is too far gone to be saved from the madness.

It’s only a few minutes later that the band wanders in, the usual after show high replaced with a sudden heaviness. Ethan comes to stand by her after putting his things away and pulls her into a tight hug. “Amore mio.”

He’s sweaty and could definitely use a shower, but the hug is comforting. She rubs his back soothingly, knowing this is just as hard on him as it is on her. Their management team has told everyone to remain quiet about it, disappearing from the internet until further notice while they figure out how to manage the situation. It’s maddening, the inability to speak out and protect her. He wishes he could snap his fingers and everything would be fixed, but he knows nothing is ever that easy.

They make their way back to the villa in silence, the car filled with a strangeness. She’s sandwiched between Victoria and Ethan, leaning on the bassist's shoulder, watching her play a game on her phone. It’s not how anyone wanted to end the tour, but the world is a strange and cruel place. Everything good always comes burning down.

August

There’s a party at the villa one night. Things have calmed down enough that she doesn’t spiral every time she looks at her phone, but there’s something in the way Ethan acts around her that makes her uneasy. She’s standing out on the patio, trying to avoid the questioning eyes from everyone in the house. She hasn’t spoken to Ethan all day, and the alcohol coursing through her veins makes her even angrier than she knows she should be.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees him walk out the door beside her, a small scoff leaving her lips as he tries to speak to her.

“Couldn’t be bothered to talk to me all day, what’s changed that you’ve decided to grace me with your presence?”

He looks at her, stunned. “I don’t get what you mean.”

She scoffs again, placing her glass on the table across from her. “Since London you’ve done nothing but ignore me. I get that this wasn’t easy for you, but it wasn’t exactly a cake walk for me. I needed you, Ethan, and you left me.” Her voice is raw and scratchy, the feeling of wanting to cry tickling the back of her throat.

“I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how Dami does it, how he can deal with the comments and messages. My brain won’t shut off, I can’t stop thinking about how if I had been more careful, I could’ve protected you and none of this would’ve happened. I feel stupid for thinking I could have. I hate seeing you like this, I wish I could take you away from all of this.” His voice slowly lowers, till it’s nothing more than a whisper, words meant only for her.

“I was never what you wanted, was I? This was just all some stupid game to you. I was just someone you could use to get off.” Her voice is laced with pain, a small crack coming out as she speaks.

He shakes his head, laughing slightly, and turns to look away from her. He walks a few steps before turning to face her again, “No. No, you were exactly what I wanted. You were everything to me. We were the same type of crazy.”

“I don’t understand Ethan, then what was the problem? This feels like a confession and a break up all in one.” She crosses her arms and leans against the wall, watching as he pulls a cigarette out from his pocket and lights it.

The familiar sight creates something warm in her chest, memories of summer nights like this flash through her mind. Spending the evening sitting on the balcony of different hotel rooms, sharing a cigarette between the two of them while they let the events of the day soak in. She’d give anything to go back to one of those moments. He blows a breath of smoke out and starts to speak again, “I don’t know, amore. I don’t. I want to tell you I love you, to hold you and call you mine. But I can’t.”

“Can’t, or won’t.” It’s not a question, but a statement.

“No, don’t do that. Don’t turn this into something it’s not. I want to, believe me, I do.” He steps towards her and reaches out his arms, “But we both know we can’t.”

She doesn’t know where the tears come from, but they’re there, pooling in her eyes. It’s only been a few months since they’ve met, there were no promises to be anything more than a summer adventure, but this doesn’t feel right. Her heart should not be breaking at the thought of losing someone she barely even knows.

He stops when he notices her state, reaching out to wipe the tears falling down her cheeks. “Merda. Merda! This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.”

She looks up at him through clouded eyes, “Then how was this supposed to go, Ethan? Breaking my heart wasn’t supposed to hurt me this bad? I was supposed to smile and tell you that I'm not madly in love with you and these past few months meant nothing to me?”

His heart breaks slowly at her words. He never meant for the night to go this way, and he wishes he could just pull her into his arms and tell her he loved her, that everything could be okay. But he can’t, so he pulls away from her, “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.”

They’re the only words he can manage to get out without breaking down. He takes a second to watch her, memorize all the features of her face, before turning around and walking away. It’s a sight that rips her heart out, watching his form disappear back into the house. She knows this is it, the goodbye she’d been preparing for these past few weeks, but it doesn’t hurt any less.

Before she can help herself, she’s calling after him. “Being in love isn’t a weakness, you know!” But the words fall upon deaf ears.

Vic finds her standing in the same spot an hour later. She’s got a smoke lit in her hand, the third one from the pack. She hasn’t touched her lips to any of them, but the smell and the feeling of holding it brings her comfort. She was never really one to smoke, but she found it entrancing to watch Ethan do it, and right now, it’s the only thing keeping her grounded. It’s silly, how something so small can mean so much.

Her heart aches in the most unbearable way, but she can’t bring herself to do anything about it. Vic doesn’t speak, just stands beside her. She doesn’t need to ask to know that she is well aware of the events that have just unfolded, she’s just grateful for the company.

September

It’s stupidly hot in London for the time of year, but mother nature loves her unexpected heat waves. She’s home now, having left Rome shortly after the fight with Ethan, assuring their manager that she would be able to edit and upload all of the photos and videos from the comfort of her own flat.

Vic and Thomas had driven her to the airport, had walked her all the way to security and hugged her tightly before letting her go. She’d promised to keep in touch and Victoria had made her pinky swear that if she was ever in Rome again, she’d come visit. The flight was short, and she was glad the time difference was only an hour.

Her sister had picked her up and dropped her off at her flat, and she’d immediately collapsed into bed. That was three days ago, she’d barely moved since. Someone had caught her at the airport and the photos were everywhere, articles upon articles had been released, she’d had non stop messages from everyone, but all she could bring herself to do was turn her phone off.

Her photos make it to the front of magazines, her articles getting featured all over the globe, she’s made a name for herself. She gets emails from prospective clients wanting to book her in at shows, her boss sending her information for more high end gigs, but all she can think about is her drummer boy.

Her phone still sits turned off on her desk, she refuses to turn it on for anything, resorting to using only her email, but she knows everything that’s going on with the band. She’d been asked to join them again in a few months, to become a permanent part of their team. She hasn’t been able to reply.

She gets panicky thinking about seeing him again, about the things people will say if she’s caught in the same country as him. She’s stopped receiving death threats, but there’s still comments that creep in, fans thanking whatever gods made them seperate.

Victoria tries to reach out every few days, worried about the state of person she’s become, but she can’t even manage to type out an I’m okay. The world seems to be too fast and too slow, too bright and too dark, too much and not enough. Her heart aches and it’s a pain so deep she thinks she’ll never be okay again. Love is a cruel, cruel creature.

October

She finally brings herself to go back to work at the beginning of the month. She books herself in for a small band, someone no one really knows but she hopes they will one day. She’s in Amsterdam now, trying hard not to think of the memories the place brings. The band is good, the music heavy and the beat strong. They find a way to tell a story that leaves everyone with a soul searching question by the end of the night. Do you know who you are?

She’s only with them for a few nights, a short gig, but something she needed to get the ball rolling, to remember why she was doing this in the first place. After submitting the photos and writing an article that sends another wave of offers her way, she takes a few days to explore the city. It was wonderful before, when the air was warm and it felt like there was magic enveloping the city. But now, with the change of seasons, it’s even more beautiful than she remembers.

She walks the empty streets one night, huddled in the safety of her hoodie, camera in hand, and captures moments. A couple standing under a street light, a cafe closing for the night, kids running. It’s not until she hears a laugh she’s all too familiar with that her heart stops and her blood turns cold. She turns, ever so carefully, hidden behind the side of a building, and sees him.

He’s beautiful, even more than she remembers, and he looks happy. He’s walking with two girls, the resemblance making her sure it’s his sisters, but in this light she can’t be sure. She’s never met them, but he talked about them often, and she felt a pang in her chest for the homesickness he must have felt.

She tries to run, tries her hardest to get away, but she’s in an alley that leads nowhere and he’ll for sure be able to see her no matter what. The voices of the three get closer and she starts to panic, but there’s nowhere to go and she knows she’ll have to pull on her big girl pants and face him. But her heart won’t stop beating so loudly and she’s afraid she’ll break if he looks at her.

She pretends to be busy with her camera, focusing all of her attention on settings she knows are perfect, but a voice carries it’s way to her ears. “Hey stranger.”

It’s soft and it makes her knees weak and she hates herself for it. She looks up at him and his expecting eyes and her heart breaks all over again. She can’t help it, but suddenly there are tears running down her face and she can’t breathe. “Hey, hey. It’s okay.”

He places a hand on her shoulder but she pushes it away, “No it’s not.” She says between breaths.

“I shouldn’t be here, I should not be here. I have to go.”

She turns to leave, but one of his sisters stops her, “Let us walk you home, please. My brother may be a dumbass, but we have good genes. Let us make sure you get back safe.”

She doesn’t know why the words calm her, but she nods her head and lets the girls lead her in the direction of her hotel. The twins, Eleanora and Lucrezia, talk to her in fits of italian and english, trying to keep her brain occupied. But her whole body is on high alert, too aware of the man trailing behind them and how much of a fool she must look like. She feels like a mess, like someone drowning in a foot of water, but she can’t help it.

They walk her into the lobby of her hotel, the girls wish her a goodnight before shoving Ethan towards her. She doesn’t want to talk to him, and he must see it in her eyes because he tries to leave. But his sisters won’t let him, they stand tall and he looks like a child being scolded by his parents.

“Can we sit?” He asks, pointing to a couch.

She doesn’t want to, she wants to run up to her room and cry, but she nods. They sit and it is silent. Her stomach is in her throat, her eyes hurt from trying not to cry, but she sits and she waits. She studies his face, the crease in between his eyebrows that only forms when he’s confused or thinking, she wants to reach over and smooth it out. He turns towards her and catches her staring, a small smile forming on his lips.

He takes her in, allowing himself to really look at her for the first time in months, and something in his heart breaks. How did he ever let her go? Why was he so stupid to ruin something so beautiful?

“I’m sorry.” He blurts out before he can stop himself. “I’m so sorry, amore. I know I can’t say it enough, I know it’s not as easy as that, but I’m sorry and I love you. So much it hurts.”

The words hit her like a truck, they knock the air out of her lungs and the tears she was trying so hard to keep at bay start falling down her cheeks. She stands up so fast she gets light headed, “I can’t do this. I thought I could, but I can’t.”

She turns and starts walking towards the elevators. He calls after her, but she’s determined to leave, to get away. He runs after her, catching her right before the doors of the elevator close, and he wishes she didn’t look so broken. The doors slip close and she is gone and he feels like he could break something.

Her room is cold and she wishes she was home in her flat. She throws herself into the shower, the water burning her skin, and she sobs. She sobs so hard her body shakes, she screams and hopes no one can hear her.

He’s still standing by the elevator, crying now, too. His body aches in a way he’s never felt before and he hates that he isn’t holding her right now. He knows he messed up, he beats himself up for it everyday, but he doesn’t know how to fix it. He can’t just say sorry and expect everything to be okay, but he has to do something.

November

The ground is covered in snow. It is peaceful and quiet. He’s not used to this, the cold and the snow, but he understands the appeal. He’s standing outside her flat, or at least what he hopes is her flat, Victoria wasn’t exactly sure which one was hers. He’s bought her favourite flowers and he’s prepared to pour his soul out to her.

He paces outside her door for what feels like hours, trying to get himself to knock, but before he can, she opens the door. “Ethan?”

Her voice is soft, his heart sings at the sound of it. He turns to face her and the sight before him takes his breath away. She’s wearing a dress that shows off everything he loved about her, a coat thrown over her arm, she looks like an angel on earth. “Do you have a moment?”

She’s running late for dinner with her sister, but she’s afraid if she says no to him, she’ll never see him again. She hasn’t forgotten that night in Amsterdam, wishes she would have been brave enough to stay and talk, but she can’t change the past. “Yes, yes. Come in.”

She lets him into her flat, taking the flowers he hands her, and brings him over to her couch. “So.”

The script he’d had prepared in his head is suddenly gone from his memories. “I’ve thought this through a thousand times, planned this out a million different ways, but I can’t figure out the right words to say. I’m sorry, amore mio. I can’t say that enough. I never should have left you, shouldn’t have let things happen the way they did. Loving you was easy, and I think that scared me.”

She takes a deep breath, not sure what to say. She feels tears bubbling in the back of her throat and she hates that this is her response to everything revolving around him. He notices the shift in her, can tell she’s about to cry, “Amore mio, please don’t cry. I’ll start and then neither of us will be able to do anything else.”

She laughs quietly at his words, “I don’t think there are any tears left inside of me. I cried them all for you.”

His heart breaks at her confession. He moves closer to her and wraps himself around her. She hates how easy it is for her to melt into his touch, but she enjoys the comfort of it. “Tell me how to fix this. Tell me to stay and I will be here for as long as you’ll have me. I’m yours amore.”

“Please, don’t leave me again.” The words are barely more than a whisper, but he hears them.

He pulls her tight to his chest and holds her. She doesn’t care about anything else but this moment and him.

She wakes up the next morning in her bed. The sun is streaming in through the windows and she can smell Ethans body wash laced in the fibres of her bed sheets. She rolls over, expecting to see him beside her, but is met with an empty bed. Her heart sinks, afraid that everything he’d said was too good to be true, that he’d left her, again. But the sounds coming from her kitchen prove her wrong.

She gets up, quickly changing out of the dress she was wearing the night before, and follows the sound of clinking dishes. She’s greeted by the sight of a shirtless Ethan, back turned to her, hunched over her stove. There’s the smell of coffee brewing and something soft playing from the radio. If she doesn’t think too hard, she can almost imagine this being a daily occurrence.

He turns around when he hears the floorboards creak, a smile on his face, “Buongiorno amore mio.”

“Buongiorno.”

He hands her a cup of coffee and plates the pancakes he’s made. She smiles at the domesticality of it all. He sits down beside her on the couch and they eat in silence, leaning against one another. Afterwards, she washes the dishes and he dries them. Neither one of them says anything until the sun is high in the sky and they are laying in bed together. “I love you.”

It is the first time she’s said it in such a permanent way, she recites it like it is a fact written in history books. He looks down at her, she’s curled up on his chest, a hazy look on her face. He reaches down to tuck her hair behind her ear and leans his head towards her, “Ti voglio bene.” He seals the statement with a soft kiss.

It’s light and barley there, she chases after his lips as he pulls away, and he chuckles in a way that sends butterflies into her stomach. She places herself on his lap, weaving her fingers into his hair as his tether to her waist. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

He stares at her, memorizing all of the features of her face. He loses himself in thoughts of days spent exactly like this, of a life he hopes isn’t just a dream. He flips them over carefully, laying her down on the bed. He hovers over her, arms on either side of her head, “I’m going to show you how much I love you.”

December

“Move in with me.”

It’s early in the morning and they’re sitting in bed sharing a pot of coffee and a pack of cigarettes. His arm is wrapped around her shoulders, she’s leaned into his side, and he whispers those words.

She hasn’t yet told him about the offer from the band's manager, to become their permanent photographer, but it seems like the perfect moment to. “Yes.”

“Really?”

She laughs at his shock, “I was offered to come and work for the band full time, I haven’t replied yet. But I want to take the job.”

A goofy grin makes its way onto his face, “Do it! Right now. Tell them yes, come and stay with us. Be my girlfriend?”

He’s rambling and he doesn’t care. She smiles at him, her heart bursting with love for the man. “Okay, yes! Absolutely!”

Christmas is celebrated in their apartment in Rome. The band is there, her sister flies out and his family comes too. It is a day filled with love and laughter. They eat a grand lunch that they spent the previous day cooking, his mom brings a homemade panettone. They exchange gifts in the evening, and it is everything she’d dreamed of.

On New Year's Eve they make a trip to the villa. They sing songs and drink expensive wine. Fireworks light up the sky brighter than the stars. They sit out on the porch and tell stories of things that seem so far away. He’s sitting beside her, hands intertwined. He tells her about all of the things he wants to do in the new year and she is mesmerized by the way he talks.

There will be a moment in time when the world stops spinning and everything goes quiet, and she thinks that if that were to happen now, it would be the perfect way to go. Surrounded by the people she now calls family and the person she loves most in the world.

Fireworks go off in the distance, someone shouts out a drunken happy new year! and as time flows from one year to the next, she realizes that this is all that will ever matter.

[monrageo]

Okay! Today has been a wild ride. Learns Velma is gay in the new Scooby-Doo movie: yay! Learns Velma is not gay in the new Velma TV show; nay. Learns Velma is bi in the new Velma TV show: yay! Learns Velma has a crush on Fred in the new Velma TV show: nay. Learns Daphne is a lesbian in the new Velma TV show, and the headlines have yet to notice yet (the character description confirming it), and secretly in love with Velma? *mind melts*

First of all, I'm sorry for taking my sweet time answering

Second, anon, you took me on a ride and it's all true??? I'm sorry but I've been out of the Scooby - doo loop for a while now so this was all news to me.

Okay, this I love

This not so much

And this... this I have very little hope for

And while you didnt ask... I will share my opinions on the new show and oh, boy do I have opinions

Honestly, from what I've seen so far from the Velma show it all seems... bad... like really bad. Then again you can't judge a whole show by a minute long clip but also yes, you totally can.

At the end of the day this is the promo clip, the teaser if you will, that was chosen to represent the show and get people excited for it. For me at least the jokes fell completely flat and also no dog and more importantly no van??? Two integral things to the Scooby - doo franchise and world missing???

My main criticism is why is this show even about the Scooby gang? Oh, wait I mean the REDACTED gang. The characters are completely different and I know that Scooby - doo is a franchise that allows for different iterations of the same characters but from what I've seen so far this isn't it. Those are new characters with new backstories, new personalities and ambitions. Why not make a new show? Why slap some orange, purple, green and blue on a few original characters and call them Scooby - doo?

But then again, who knows? The show might be pretty good and just because it doesn't resonate with me doesn't mean other people won't or shouldn't enjoy it. Not everything is for everyone and that is okay.

[jlaire15]

Ok, here are some theories I wanted to share and get off my chest (part 1/2):

Ok, first Is this part:

I think this part of the movie and this part:

Are part of the same scene. Notice the orange sparks that look the exact same in each moment above?

I don’t know where Jim and Claire would be in this scene for that to be too accurate though, other than the fact that there’s a ship nearby this island, or titans during this scene. See the ship in the screenshot below??

And this part here:

I don’t really understand the theorizing for it. I just watched trollhunters season 1 episode 2 a few hours ago and it’s the exact same opening scene.

So I think they just added this in maybe to represent some things (like riding his bike) Jim could be doing around the beginning of the movie now that he can enjoy some days in the sun before the battle we all know is coming.

This picture is just SICK.

It’s so amazing, and my thoughts are along with almost everyone else’s. This is probably the trollmarket out in New Jersey. I’d love for Toby and AAARRRGGHH!!! To see it and maybe even get some small glimpses of past Jim and Claire arriving there since some of the movie will show the past.

THIS.

This is SO. FLIPPING. COOL!

This is definitely most likely Akiridion tech mixed with Wizards tech, especially with Krel mentioning in Wizards how well they work together.

No matter how amazing this armour is though, I feel like it’s also pushing people in a different perspective saying ‘Oh! So Jim doesn’t wield Excalibur. Then who will?’, But I think this part of the trailer was a misdirect. I feel like for the time being, he’ll be using this armour for a good amount of the movie. But with that foreshadowing shot of Jim looking at Excalibur at the end of Wizards, it’s making me think a good chunk of the movie will be building up to him finally being able to pull out, and wield Excalibur.

This is pretty interesting too. Claire, Krel, and Varvatos Vex are all on the top of the lava structure at the beginning of the trailer.

The only question that really circles in my head about this one is: “when in the movie does this scene happen?”.

Cause in one scene Krel doesn’t even seem to be there, and tbh, isn’t really anywhere for most of the promo pics and teaser trailer except for this moment. For some reason this is making me think it’s close to the start of the movie. I’m not too sure though.

Ok, not much in my head about this one.

The main thing is this looks like it’s close to the start too since their still in Arcadia, and don’t look injured or anything, which is great.

This one is a great one to think about.

Everyone of the main Six hero’s (adding in AAARRRGGHH Blinky and Varvatos) except for Krel is in this picture. Leading to the question: where the hell is Krel?

Better yet, where the hell is Nari, Archie, and the creepslayers?

This is making me think they got Nari. But if that’s the case, then where’s Archie?

Douxie’s holding what looks like a heart of Avalon, which makes me think could help in the whole time travel phenomenon for the movie. Idk if Archie’s trapped in time, completely fine, or in danger somewhere we don’t know, but them all looking sad, and/or serious makes me think whatever the heart of Avalon will be used for well be one of the biggest decisions of the film.

This one I wanted to add after the one that looks connects to it, or looks to be a part of the same scene. I saw this pic of the scene before the part looking connected to this in the trailer, so I’ll spill out whatever was going on about this in my head from then.

DOUXIES BACK!

OMG AND AJA’S BACK! AND IN HER QUEEN OUTFIT?!AAHHHHH!

People were actually saying her hair isn’t longer, but if you watch the trailer and look closely at her, you’ll see it actually does. I thought it wasn’t either, so I was a little shocked to see that part in the trailer.

But this one flooded so many questions into my head:

- Why’s Jim’s hand bandaged?

- where’s Krel?

- why’s the left side of Toby’s armour looking like it was ripped off?

- what are they all looking at?

- why is Claire’s armour seeming to react to, or with her magic?

- Jim’s extending his hand to Claire, is he thinking ‘this isn’t a good idea’, or was he just holding her before she swipes around and began blasting magic at whatever’s in front of them?

[waynedunlaptheorgandonor]

k i woke up to thirteen unread messages, so let’s just do a fucking blanket text post covering everything so that i can go curl up by the fire with my aus and pussy eating fics in peace, yeah?

spoilers under the cut

hi, yes, hello, i’m still chill and hype

“but diz,” you say into my ask box. “how can you still be hype when kang has clearly demolished everything we’ve worked so hard for?”

because she hasn’t.

“but aren’t you tired of kang doing all this crazy, inconsistent writing? aren’t you sick of her doing everything for the shock value and not being true to the characters?”

sigh.

y’all.

don’t come for my girl like that.

call me delusional if you want, but to me all of this fits perfectly within the same narrative, which has been leading to canon from the day she took the helm. 

i have already done a thousand and one breakdowns as to why carol getting with zeke was caryl-positive, so i’m not gonna go there again, but the leah thing is too.

“but diz--”

shh, i’m still talking. 

picture this: you are a lonely, lonely man who has gone through hell and back, and it took you years to open up to your found family, only for your best friend to explode and the love of your life to go marry a guy who probably worked at medieval times to pay for college, and now you’re all alone in the woods trying to figure out wtf to do with yourself. 

you tell yourself you can keep visiting your niece and her mom now and then, but that kind of sucks bc of the aforementioned best friend exploding, and also you and your niece’s mom had to murder a bunch of small children and that tends to be kind of traumatizing to remember, so it’s not the ideal situation

but at least you still have your girl, even if she is in an indefinite LARP game for the rest of her life. 

but!

then she says, “actually, i can’t come visit you much anymore, what with the whole community, and husband, and child thing,” 

and then you are actually Alone.

and it’s for the first time, because every time before that you at least had your brother, who might have been a piece of shit, but at least he was there. 

so you meet some chick on the road. you’re sad, no longer feel like you have a family (after it took you so long to get one that you actually loved), and you’re more alone than you have ever been, and you meet this chick who is a loner like you, and you’re wary at first. the two of you don’t trust each other, bc you don’t trust easy. but over time you start to build that trust, and she offers you companionship that you are so desperately in need of, and maybe you wouldn’t usually be into it, but given the Literally Everything Else going on, it’s like, why the fuck not? you have N O T H I N G left.

so she gives you an ultimatum--her or what little is left of your family. well, your family is scattered to the wind and being around them only hurts you more, and this person is offering you a chance for something new (and when things get rly bad, hasn’t your go-to move always been to run anyway?) so you say okay. you say you’ll go.

except nvm, she ditched you, lol, you’re all alone again! sucks to suck.

skip ahead, you’re back with your family, and your og girl has dumped the LARPer, and maybe things can be good again, except there’s a bunch of people going full hannibal lecter wearing other people’s faces on their own and murdering everyone, and your og girl is actually insane rn due to years’ worth of unresolved trauma, and you’re suddenly a dad, and you’re being asked to make nice with the guy who literally tortured you, and honestly? it’d be hard enough as is to trust again, but this whole situation is NOT HELPING. 

so by the time the war ends you are tired, and you are hurt, and you are wary, because you keep losing things that matter. and you got back the one person in the world who mattered the most, except she did some super questionable shit, and you’re having a hard time reconciling it, and finally you just Lose It, bc goddamnit, you’ve earned it, mkay? you are entitled to a little blow up. if she gets to literally blow shit up then the least you can do is yell a little, like damn.

but. 

she’s the one person in the world who matters most. a rebound fling over the course of a few months =/= ten years of being soulmates. you’ll forgive her, she’ll forgive you, and the two of you will ride off into the sunset together, almost as if you were suddenly in your own spin-off show. 

what a concept?

/fin/

“alright, but diz--”

OH MY GOD HOW DO YOU STILL HAVE OBJECTIONS?

listen. here is what daryl/leah teaches us:

-daryl is willing and capable of having intimate relationships

-that being said, daryl being in a relationship has been a Big Thing for everyone, regardless of who they ship him with, since s1, so if it was supposed to be The Most Important Relationship Ever to him, the juicy parts would not happen off screen. there’s a reason the sex is only implied. they’re not showing it until it’s the Real Thing

-we now know daryl has had sex in the past ten years, so maybe he’ll actually last more than six seconds when he bones down with carol! very good!

-this also teaches us that hoo buddy, y’all have some mixed morals when it comes to these characters. the “daryl would only be in a relationship if he rly loved them, so how could he possibly love carol still?” thing is like. dude. carol is MARRIED during this, and he doesn’t get to see her much anymore. is he supposed to just walk around jacking it while crying for the rest of his life? the man tried to move on, and the tragic thing is that he got screwed over. i do not think this is out of character at all. i think daryl fell in love with carol, she got married, he was lonely, tried to move on and convince himself he could be happy with this other chick (who might be rly cool, who knows??), and then he got his heart broken again, before it ever really healed to being with. the boy is a giant bleeding heart who is getting stomped on constantly, and y’all better stop yelling at him for trying to feel better or i’ll come for you. this is like carol having rebound sex with zeke. if you want your characters to be realistic then you have to let them do human things, holy shit

this is getting excessive, let’s tie it up.

the main takeaways here are:

-no it’s not out of character

-yes it fits the narrative, kang isn’t just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks, it all has a purpose, which is why i’m totes fine with it

-leah might not actually die, which thank god, i thought it was douchey of them to kill off another woman for Man Pain. i’m glad i’ve been wrong about her and connie both

-oh yeah, connie...i have no new feelings on connie

-daryl now has sexual stamina, so we can all update our headcanons now

-“i can’t believe they end the episode on such a sore note! their friendship is almost destroyed, how will it ever recover??” ...how are you surprised? that was...that was literally the description of the episode, my dude. that one didn’t exactly come out of left-field. it’ll be okay, they’re gonna make up. hopefully through a bunch of hyperbolically tragic misadventures. it’ll be a good time, calm down

-there is a FUCKING SPIN-OFF coming, how can you think they won’t reconcile?

-actually it’d be super funny if they were just giving each other the silent treatment throughout the entire thing lmfao

-“have you seen that new caryl show?” “yeah, it’s fucking weird. there’s no dialogue??”

-anyway

-does it help if i said i secretly thought they might fuck the whole time, specifically for the reasons stated above, and i’ve been kinda into it since the promo but didn’t say so bc i didn’t want to get hanged? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-idk y’all, that’s all i got. drink up ig?

i just found out that i’m literally anemic, and y’all are still more exhausting than anything else. it’s okay to just like. enjoy things. i promise.

now if you’ll excuse me, i have aus to dive head-first into. i’m not gonna say a whole bunch else about shit unless it gets rly necessary. i think i will make this blog relentlessly positive out of spite, and will just post fics and shippy gifs. i have a photoshop free trial (thatigottomakeaberniememe), mb i’ll make sappy caryl gifs as practice and bombard you all with them. feel free to come by for cheering up, but i’m not gonna repeat myself six thousand times, either

stay hype, STAN KANG, and get daryl to call carol sweetheart 2k21,

-diz

[jazy3]

Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 17X14

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

So, if you read my review from the previous episode you know I turned out to be mostly wrong about this one. That being said, I really enjoyed the episode. I was never a ride or die japril shipper so I don't think this episode was as emotional for me as it was for other fans, but I enjoyed it. It was nice to see Jackson and April back on screen together! They always had great chemistry and I really enjoyed their scenes. And how cute was Harriet in this episode? She was SO adorable! I like that Jackson went to go visit his father to try and figure out what his Mom was talking about and I'm glad he got some closure there. That was nice to see. The scene where Robert tells Jackson why he left was super emotional and the acting was sublime!

I'm glad that Robert is giving lunches to people who need them in the community and is helping in his own way. It doesn't make up for what he did, but it's nice to know that he's making a go of the life he has with the diner and his coffee blend. It did bug me a bit that they played with time so much because it was difficult for me to figure out in the beginning what order the events went in which kind of took me out of the episode a little bit.

My biggest pet peeve with this episode was the whole thing with the meat slicer. Let me explain. It would have taken Robert a few minutes maximum to teach Jackson how to use it, but instead Jackson acts like the entitled pretty boy that he is and says he can operate it no problem. It's because of attitudes like this that people get hurt in workplace accidents because they assume that because it looks easy that it is. Anyone CAN operate a meat slicer, but you shouldn't without proper training.

Attitudes like that perpetuate the idea that people who work in hospitality, retail, construction, and other such fields are "simple" and that anyone can do it. It devalues the important work that so many people do, and it often results in untrained people getting hurt. So yeah as someone whose worked in both hospitality and retail and whose family works in construction I could have done without the harmful stereotype that we are all simpletons and Jackson's BS elitist attitude and him cutting himself on the meat slicer. Jackson's clearly never worked a day in his life outside of being a doctor and it shows.

I too was surprised when April agreed so suddenly to go with Jackson to Boston. I didn't think it was fair for her to agree without talking to Matthew first, but then she revealed that they split up. Going into this episode I really thought they were faking us out because April, a deeply religious woman, leaving her husband and step-daughter for Jackson didn't make any sense to me. But finding out that April and Matthew split up changes that. At first, I thought that would be impossible because getting a divorce in the early months of the pandemic was pretty difficult but the fact that they've separated but not officially divorced makes more sense.

Jackson says in the first half of the season that Matthew is spending more time with Harriet than he or April are because they've both been taking so many COVID shifts which at the time came across as them being a happy family. But taken in context with what April says in this episode it makes it sound like Matthew was spending time with Harriet because Jackson and April were working all the time and that put strain on their marriage. What Jackson is talking about would have happened in March or early April and this episode takes place sometime in June. Sadly, a lot of couples have split up during the pandemic in the way that April describes so while sad it was realistic.

While it would obviously be sad and confusing for the kids April makes it clear that Matthew and Ruby have the support of his sister and mother and her and Harriet have Jackson. I’m sad that April and Matthew’s relationship didn’t work out. I really liked them together. I do think it was nice though that they had Jackson ride off into the sunset with April and Harriet having left the door open for reconciliation the way they did with Arizona and Callie when Arizona moved to New York with Sofia.

Also let’s talk about the big elephant in the room. I get that this is Jackson's send off, but I still don't understand why Jackson couldn't run the Foundation from Seattle. That's what Catherine has been doing on and off for the last few years. Tom and Richard the previous and current Chief Medical Officers of the Catherine Fox Foundation are both based in Seattle. Why is moving to Boston necessary? It's their foundation can't they just move the Headquarters? Also were in a pandemic wouldn’t Jackson be working remotely anyway? Why do they have to move to Boston? What’s in Boston that they need so badly?

That being said, I'm glad that Jackson is getting a proper send off and will have time to say goodbye to everybody and have some heart to hearts and do it properly. We don't get that with every character. What in the heckity heck is Jo going to do next season? She doesn't have anyone to sleep with or date and she's leaving general surgery for OBGYN. That doesn't leave a whole lot of story for her. What is she going to do? Talk to Levi about his relationship problems and deliver babies? You could make a reoccurring character out of that sure but not a main character which is what Jo is currently billed as.

I'd like to see Jo adopt Luna and I think that could be really interesting so if they go that route, I could get on board but if not, I don't know what she's going to do. To be honest Jo isn't my favourite character, but I still feel bad for her. She has serious abandonment issues and every time she heals someone else leaves her! Jo's mother left her at a fire station as a baby. She wanted nothing to do with her as an adult. She did the work to get all whole and healed and was finally ready to have kids with Alex when finds out about the twins and leaves her for Izzie.

Jo does the work to get better and work on her issues and begins a friends with benefits relationship with Jackson only for him to disappear to the woods after Jo called him out on it at the beginning of their relationship and has now decided to move to Boston with April and Harriet to head up the Foundation. Girl can't win. Also does April know that Jackson has been sleeping with Jo? I mean she didn’t tell him that her and Matthew separated so I guess she can’t be too mad at him, but still. Awkward.

I think Jackson loves camping more than anyone else ever loves camping. His departure means he won't be attending Maggie's wedding. I have to admit I was looking forward to the awkwardness. I’m curious to see what Catherine is going to do now. Will she retire? Will she go back to being an attending surgeon full time? Does this mean they are going to have to find someone new to head up Plastics? Are they going to introduce a new character for Season 18?

I feel like finding a replacement for Jackson could go either way. Because I didn't think I would like Hayes when he took over Peds but now I love him and he's one of my favourite characters! I still miss Alex, but Hayes has been a great addition. I root for him and Meredith so hard and he was one of my favourite parts of Season 16.

Also, poor Bailey! This woman is just trying to keep the hospital afloat and she's losing surgeons and doctors left, right, and centre. Alex moved to Kansas. DeLuca died. Jackson is moving to Boston. Jo is switching specialties. Meredith's out with COVID! And let's not forget that Bailey lost her Mom to COVID not that long after she suffered a miscarriage after having a heart attack way too young and she deals with OCD which the pandemic is doing nothing to help! This poor woman!

Onto next week’s promo, I'm glad that they are doing a proper send off with Jackson. I'm also super excited that Meredith is up and talking and moving around! I've missed her! Although I am mad we have to wait another two weeks!!! I mean come on! We waited two whole months for the show to come back and then we waited for two weeks between episodes 13 and 14 and now we have to wait another two weeks for episode 15. Come on! Meredith and Hayes better rise as a couple when the show returns because if they don’t I will be so disappointed.

Until next time!

[lafiametta]

‘Braid’ for the helnik prompts?

Modern AU, mostly based off of this SAB promo video where Danielle admits she doesn't know how to ride a bike. Hope you enjoy!

After the seventh time, Matthias told himself he wasn’t allowed to check his watch again. 

She’ll get here when she gets here, he repeated like a mantra. Besides, he knew she wasn’t standing him up, at least based on the text he had gotten a few minutes earlier. 

sorry running late c u soon nina xo

Fifteen minutes later and he was contemplating sending a reply—definitely something casual, maybe a touch concerned, if only to see if she was alright—when he saw her coming down the sidewalk, a warm smile of recognition on her lips. 

Matthias had met Nina Zenik three days ago at his neighborhood coffeeshop. He had gone in to grab his regular before heading to work, but somehow hadn’t managed to notice the person beside him at the pick-up counter, or foreseen that she would turn and run straight into him, spilling his coffee all over his Italian loafers and the floor. She was immediately apologetic, offering to get him a new drink to make up for it. Under normal circumstances, Matthias would have declined and simply written the whole thing off as an irritating blip in his morning routine, but then she looked at him, emerald-bright eyes under dark lashes, and he found himself nodding in agreement, his shoes—and his morning routine—forgotten entirely. He had ended up joining her at a table while they sipped their drinks—his dark roast, her caramel vanilla latte—and eventually exchanged numbers, along with plans for an afternoon date this coming Saturday. 

(When Matthias finally made it to work, he tried to sneak in quietly, hoping no one would notice that he was almost two hours late.)

Nina looked just as beautiful as he remembered: freckled skin, full lips, curves in all the right places. Matthias wasn’t necessarily one to notice women’s outfits, but she was dressed perfectly for the summer afternoon in jean shorts and a striped t-shirt, leather sandals on her feet and a pair of sunglasses perched atop her head. As she came closer, he could see she had even braided her hair—one of those complicated French things that seemed impossible to create with only two hands—although a few wisps had come loose, forming a soft dark corona around her head. 

“Hey, there,” she said. Her smile grew wide and warm, and his heart stumbled for a second, like it had tripped on some invisible curb. “So, what adventure do you have planned for us?”

“How do you feel about picnics?”

“Number one fan. I’m also partial to brunch and happy hours and any other combination of sunshine and food. You know,” she added, arching an eyebrow, “just for future reference.”

“Noted.” 

Matthias began to steer them down the sidewalk, just to the corner where a rack of identical bikes sat waiting. The city had installed them a year or so ago as part of a ride-sharing program, and while he would often see people on them, zipping down bike lanes and park paths, he had never had an occasion to try one out before—until today.

“So I thought we could bike down to the city gardens and maybe do a little loop around the reservoir. After that, we can go find a good picnic spot.” He turned a little so she could see the backpack he had strapped to his shoulders. “I brought sandwiches and fruit and cold drinks. And a blanket, of course.” 

Nina’s expression had gone blank, a dark little cloud beginning to form across her features.

“That all sounds great, really—except there’s just one small problem.”

“What?” he asked.

“I can’t ride a bike.”

Matthias paused, thoroughly perplexed. “Wait, you can’t? Or you won’t?”

“No, I just—” She shrugged, her mouth tightening in resignation. “I never learned how.”

“You never learned how to ride a bike? Not even as a kid?” he asked in apparent disbelief. Her green eyes flashed with irritation, prompting him to quickly backtrack. “Sorry, sorry.”

Matthias could feel his heart sinking; he had been fairly proud of everything he had planned for their outing, and now he could feel it all slipping away due to some ridiculous twist of fate he couldn’t have possibly been expected to foresee. Didn’t everyone know how to ride a bike? He had been seven when his dad taught him, brought him out to the sidewalk in front of their house and held the seat upright as Matthias did his best to pedal and stay balanced at the same time. Suddenly, the idea struck him, making him feel even dumber for not having come up with it sooner.

“Hey, look—” he said to her, “why don’t I just teach you right now?”

Her brows narrowed doubtfully. “You want to teach me how to ride a bike?”

“It’s not that hard. Little kids do it all the time,” he added, offering her a teasing grin. He could feel her being won over, the hesitation in her gaze slowly disappearing. “C’mon...”

“Okay,” Nina said, eyeing him carefully, even as the corners of her mouth began to curl upwards. “But there better be some spectacular sandwiches stowed away in that backpack.”

It took them a few minutes to get two bikes off of the rack—there was some business with QR codes and an app—and then Matthias walked them over to a little alleyway that seemed fairly safe to practice in. There weren’t any cars and the only possible thing she could possibly run into was a metal dumpster about fifty yards away. He leaned his bike up against the wall of the adjacent building and then went to help her with her own. 

Before they could get started, though, he zipped open his backpack and handed her one of the two items tucked right on top. 

“A helmet?” she scoffed. “Really?”

“It’s required, you know. By law.” He tried to ignore how ridiculous he sounded—like a safety-obsessed killjoy, no doubt—and proceeded to give her his most serious-looking expression. “Also, head injuries can create a lot of blood.”

Nina rolled her eyes at him, even as her voice turned playful. “I bet you say that to all the girls...” 

Before she could strap on the helmet, though, she had to slip her sunglasses off her head. She folded them up and tucked them into the front of her t-shirt collar, the weight tugging a little on the scoop neck, while Matthias did his best not to stare at the shadowy hint of cleavage now visible at the bottom of her neckline.

He helped her adjust the seat down and then test out the brakes, until she was finally ready to get started. She swung a leg over and found a seat, her hands tightly gripping the handles.

“Start by putting one of your feet on the pedals,” he told her, watching as she followed his instructions. “Okay, now take your other foot—the one on the ground—and push off. Just coast for a few seconds.”

Nina nodded, then turned forward with a sharp look of determination. She was bigger than a child, so it wouldn’t do any good to hold the seat for her; instead he stood alongside, his arms braced to catch the handlebars and the seat if it came to that. With one foot, she pushed herself forward, wobbling just a bit before she came to a stop. 

The grin on her face was nothing short of triumphant.

“That was great!” he said, wanting to do anything he could to keep her smiling like that. “Want to try again?”

This time, she didn’t hesitate, pushing off a bit harder against the ground. She must have started pedaling a little too, because she started going faster, and suddenly she looked over at him, eyes widening with alarm. The handlebars turned with her gaze and all at once she was swerving, the bike seemingly ready to topple. 

Matthias did the only thing he could do: he caught her in his arms. 

It took them a moment or so to recover—a long moment where all he could think about was how warm and soft she felt, the way her ribcage was gently expanding under his hand, the sweet flowery scent of her shampoo—and then he quickly swallowed and took a step back to help her right the bike. He could hear the waver in her breath, no doubt due to her near-fall. 

“Good thing I was wearing that helmet, huh?” Nina teased, warmth edging into those bright green eyes. 

“Yeah... lucky,” he stammered. 

“So—” She glanced down at the bike underneath her. “Third time’s a charm?”

After a steadying breath, she pushed off again, letting her balance keep her upright before she began to pedal her feet. The handlebars trembled, but she did her best to hold them steady as she traveled another few feet. 

“Keep looking straight ahead,” he said encouragingly, keeping his hand along her lower back. “It’ll go in the direction you look.”

With a burst of confidence, she picked up speed, fast enough that he let go and just looked on as she moved further into the alleyway. Matthias found himself smiling as he watched her, observing proudly as she turned the bike a little to the left and then to the right, eventually swiveling back to go in the original direction. After a few seconds, she swerved again, this time in a wide loop, pedaling until she had completely turned around and was coming towards him once more. 

She laughed as she passed by him, a sound of pure delight. “Matthias!” she squealed, her feet moving faster. “I think you’re going to have to come catch me again!”

Eventually, he thought, she was going to have to stop—but she didn’t, not even when she was coming close to the end of the alleyway.

“Wait, Nina!” he yelled, and suddenly he was scrambling for the bike he had left against the wall, barely managing to get it upright before he took off after her. 

And as he sped up, he could see her half-silhouetted in the distance—her body moving in sync with the wheels underneath her—a joyous smile lighting up her face, the tail of her braid fluttering in the warm afternoon air. 

[send me a one-word Helnik prompt]

[rawiswhore]

Triple H/Hunter Hearst Helmsley x Fem Reader- "Mindless Self Indulgence"

A wrestling duo known as D Generation X, who eventually evolved into the most iconic wrestling faction of the WWF's Attitude era, helped the former Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Shawn Michaels get over and were a wrestling duo that had people getting out of their seats and cheering instead of booing them this time.

One of the things Triple H was notorious for when he was in D Generation X, even when they added more members like the New Age Outlaws and X Pac, was his Val Venis-esque dick jokes he made towards women in the audience ("I got the rocket if you want the ride!", "I've got a knife that will fit in your drawers!", "My bazooka is locked, cocked and ready to unload!").

Even before he became a current day frat boy dressed in jeans, T-shirts and leather jackets, when he was known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley and played a rich, elegant, classy 1800's blueblood gentleman, he was quite the ladies man; having a valet dressed in an evening gown wrapped at his side, admitting in his personality profile in a WWF magazine that his favorite actress is "women never act when they're with me", his favorite sports are "women and polo; better yet, women playing polo", and favorite video game is "who has time for all these games with all these women?", and even in one wrestling promo saying that women are his toys.

Isn't he supposed to be a gentleman? Why isn't he kissing the top of women's hands and holding doors open for them?

The WWF's Attitude era of the late 90's is infamous for its mistreatment of women, from wrestlers downright hating women to women being portrayed as eye candy to how legitimate female wrestlers like Ivory, Jacqueline and Torrie (not Wilson) degraded down to being just sex objects, though even before the Attitude era existed and the WWF was really childish, some male wrestlers played characters that just saw women as objects (i.e. Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Razor Ramon).

The man who played Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Triple H doesn't see women as objects in real life, especially not now considering the women's division in NXT and the WWE now has women being athletes and wrestlers instead of objects, and most women in the WWE and NXT today are women that are wrestlers that have wrestled for several years, rather than eye candy that never had any wrestling training before joining those companies.

However, during his tenure during the late 1990's, before he became The Game and during a time when he didn't have facial hair, you shared with him an idea you had involving him, considering you love roleplay.

Despite that the man who plays Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Triple H doesn't see women as sex objects, although he fell in lust with you when you were a ringrat for him, so much, he wanted you to be a valet for him escorting him to the ring, what you plan on doing with him is something he can do one time only.

Although, in the future, he did do a few things similar to this, either on "Monday Night Raw" or when the cameras weren't rolling.

He agreed to your idea, and even he enjoys roleplaying during sex.

One day during his time as Hunter Hearst Helmsley or as Triple H in D Generation X, during a time when he didn't have facial hair, you invited him to a hotel/motel room when you and he had free time.

He was dressed in a tight black D Generation X T-shirt that hugged his muscles and blue denim jeans, looking similar to how he looks on "Monday Night Raw".

(if it's Hunter Hearst Helmsley during his gentleman days you want, then he's wearing a Monday Night Raw T-shirt and matching black jeans while he lets his hair hang down, no ponytails or braids behind his head).

He let his honey blond hair hang down, not tied back in a ponytail or let his hair have a little ponytail tied behind his head

After he undressed you out of your clothes, you laid on top of the silky comforter on one of the beds.

His eyes observed you up and down, lying there naked, and he was going to make you helpless.

While his eyes scanned your naked body, his hands were unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans, only for his hands to grab to the sides of his jeans and pull them down until his genitals were exposed in front of you.

He had a rock hard erection waiting to come out under his jeans, and his cock was growing harder and harder whilst he undressed you.

His jeans were feeling tighter and tighter while he undressed you, thank goodness he took them off.

The roof of his mouth could nearly salivate over seeing you naked, his tongue moist and feeling like it could salivate and slobber.

After he nearly disrobed, he placed his hands on your thighs, where he spread your thighs apart until your twat was exposed right in front of him.

You wish you could spread your legs wide open for him, but he's gonna be the one in charge of that.

When your legs were spread eagle, enough to show your pussy to him, he lifted one of his hands off of your thighs and wrapped his fingers around the bottom of his erection, where he walked a few steps forward to you, grinning with his dick in his hand.

His other hand, especially the tip of his thumb, was running across your top lip, feeling the texture of how soft your lips are.

With his cock still in his hand, he moved and inserted the tip of his penis into your pussy hole, where his cock began to separate and spread the inside of your vaginal walls apart, his shaft and penis penetrating into your twat.

His fingers unwrapped off of his shaft as it crawled and entered your pussy, those fingers moving to one of your hips and holding onto it.

Your eyes had elevated to the top of your head, your eyelids shutting the irises in your eyes and your head arching back whilst his cock entered inside of you.

When his penis was completely inside of your twat, he moved his hand on your mouth down to your other hip, holding onto that hip, and he began to pound your twat back and forth, thrusting in and out of you and fucking you hard.

His fingers grabbed onto your hips quite hard, the tips of his fingers dug into your flesh, he's making you his.

The bed squeaked and rocked while he pounded you, and your fingers were trying to grab onto the silky comforter you were lying on top of as he fucked you.

Since he didn't run his thumb over your lips this time, your teeth sunk into your bottom lip, but not too hard, muffling and quieting your moans out so no one will hear you in the other rooms.

You and Hunter/Triple H are worried that people might hear you moaning in the hotel/motel room, that's the problem with having sex while on the road.

Triple H/Hunter was pounding into you hard and fast, making sure he's making you dumb while he thrusts and fucks you.

No, he really wasn't making you dumb, but you were roleplaying that you were turning into his mindless cock slave as he's banging you.

You were moaning and whimpering your moans as he was fucking you, though some of your moans were a bit breathy, quiet and gaspy.

You're forgetting everything in your head while he's fucking you, there's a reason he's fucking you so fast.

Blood has been circulating and swelling your clitoris up, your pussy becoming more and more moist and feeling like it wants to salivate and seep your wetness out of its pores.

Hunter/Triple H, meanwhile, as his fingers grab onto your hips, he shuts his eyes tight and gets into fucking you.

Your tits are bouncing up and down while he's plowing and pounding you, and he loves women's breasts, just look at all the chicks he asks to flash their tits in the audience.

He tried to open his eyes and look at your chest, only to see your breasts bouncing in rhythm and pace with every thrust he pounds into you.

Your breasts went up and down while he was banging you, and he grinned and smirked seeing your tits bouncing up and down when he shoved his dick back and forth inside of you.

He bit his bottom lip, not just over how horny he is and how good it feels to have his cock inside you, but seeing your breasts bouncing as well as what a good girl you've been for him while he's fucking you.

"You've been such a good girl for me" he purred, wanting to slide his hand on your body. "M-my little fucktoy"

When he's cum inside you, he has a surprise for you after that.

You haven't been faking your orgasm, he really is elevating you higher with every fast little fuck.

He would love to play with your breasts as he's fucking you as well as do some other things, so one of his hands on your hips slid and brushed up your hip and shifted over to one of your tits, where he squeezed that breast and fondled it, playing with it.

You're his mindless cockslave and fucktoy, and he's gonna play with you.

His fingers bunched up to your nipple, where he tweaked and pinched that nipple, twisting your nipple rightwards.

You can feel how sensitive and good it feels when he pinches and tweaks your nipple.

"Ohhhhh Hunter!" you squealed and moaned at the same time, your eyes shutting tight and your fingers grabbing onto the silky comforter, feeling the silky, smooth fabric. "Hunterrr!!!!"

"No, no, no!" he ordered, shaking his head. "Don't say a word".

Your brain is basically turning off, or at least during sex and you're pretending to turn your brain off.

You're his belonging and belong entirely to him, no one else can have you but him.

If he can't have you, no one can.

Sounds reallytoxic, but that was his character back then.

Though, he wouldn't mind passing you around to his boys for them to fuck as well.

He's been fucking you so hard that your mouth is beginning to drool and slobber, saliva is spilling out of your mouth down your skin and onto the bed.

His skin is getting hotter and warmer under his T-shirt, he nearly wants to take it off as he's pounding and fucking you.

Men cum before women do, and his precum sliding down his cock was wetting the inside of your twat.

Throughout his thrusts, he was quietly groaning, moaning and grunting while he was pounding away in your pussy.

He's probably gonna cum any minute now after a while from thrusting back and forth in you for such a long time.

The walls of your vagina was brushing, nudging and tickling the sides of his shaft, the inside of your pussy feeling so soft

He's excited even more for what he's gonna do to you next after he cums.

He, too, has been orgasming slightly as he's pounding your pussy, although his moans are a lot more quiet, your moans have been drowning out his moans.

Pretty soon, he climaxed, groaning as he ejaculated inside of your twat, one of his hands grabbing onto your hips tight and his eyes shutting tight when he jizzed.

The tip of his penis released his seed inside of you in little spurts one by one, shooting out his cum inside of you.

When he felt like he jizzed enough, he withdrew himself out of you, his cock exiting your twat.

Despite that he just came, he isn't done with you yet.

Now that you've become his mindless cock slave, you'll do what he says.

He wrapped his fingers around his shaft and crawled on the bed, holding his penis as he crawled to you.

He lifted his hand off of one of your breasts and entered his fingers on that hand into your mouth, where the tips of his fingers began to scratch and tickle on the top of your tongue.

Strange, but...this is what he does when he's a dom.

He luckily had his nails perfectly clipped, no sharp fingernails scratching your tongue.

His thumb on that hand traced and slid across your bottom lip, luckily you weren't wearing any lipstick or lipgloss.

"Now suck my fingers!" he ordered and hissed, sounding like he meant it.

Since he sounded like he meant it, your lips circulated around his fingers and started sucking them, listening to him and obeying him.

"That's a good girl" he murmured, smirking and smiling.

When his thumb reached the corner of your mouth, he elevated that thumb to your top lip and slid it across your upper lip.

His other hand reached out to where your vulva is, where he began to play with your clit, scratching and rubbing your clitoris like the fingers in your mouth, sometimes he placed your clitoral hood in between his fingers and squeezed it.

He regrets that he didn't play with both of your nipples and tits while he was thrusting in and out of you, but better luck next time.

With his fingers in your mouth, you hope he won't gag you and make you throw up.

His fingers can feel how moist and wet your tongue and mouth are.

"You're all mine now" he murmured, his voice warm and husky.

The tips of his index finger scratched up and down your clit vertically, sometimes he pressed his finger on your clit and rubbed it in circles.

Your moans were being muffled by having his fingers in your mouth, and it's gonna take some time for you to cum pretty soon.

Since he's holding his cock in his hand, he lifted and pulled his fingers out of your mouth, only for him to insert his cock in your mouth.

You could taste how salty his dick was, and your eyes opened and looked at him when his cock slipped inside your mouth.

"Close your eyes" he said gently, smiling at you, and you listened to him, shutting your eyes. "Thereeeeee"

Him saying "good girl" makes you feel like a dog, and he even feels like he's rewarding a dog by saying "good girl".

Your lips wrapped around his shaft as his cock entered your mouth, and he unwrapped his fingers off of his shaft as his dick slid in your mouth.

He lifted his hands and made them form an "x" shape, slamming those hands down over his genitals.

"Now suck it!" he shouted and exclaimed as he did that iconic, aforementioned gesture, slamming his hands in an "x" shape into the area above his private parts, but below his stomach.

You listened to him, sucking onto his salty, gooey cock, tasting his cum and precum that trickled out of his slit and down his shaft, swallowing his jizz.

"That's it" he muttered, grinning while you sucked his cock.

He could hear your gulping noises, which means you're swallowing his jizz, and he loves that.

You're supposed to swallow his seed, not spit it out.

"Suck it!!" he shouted again, his other hand making a chopping motion (like he's karate chopping wood) next to his genitals, and you obeyed him, still sucking his cock.

You can't even speak anymore now that his cock is in your mouth, although you literally can't speak, it's not like the next day you'll be mute forever.

You will be able to talk, right now you've become his mindless fucktoy.

He eventually did make you cum pretty soon, your clitoris pounding after you came and your twat becoming juicier, and he ate your pussy out, licking and tasting your twat.

Triple H/Hunter Hearst Helmsley, at least the character he played in the WWF, isn't the only one who sexually objectifies women and sees them as his toys.

Razor Ramon (the character, though the man who plays him isn't much different) used to see women as sex objects ("chicas are for fun!"), having a fling with them then throwing them away once he's done with him.

Razor Ramon would love to play with you and turn you into his cock slave and fucktoy, so would Brian Pillman (the character Pillman played in the WWF), Val Venis, the Godfather and Jerry Lawler definitely would.

You've become comfortably numb and dumb for Triple H/Hunter.

Despite that you've become his mindless cock slave, you're sucking his cock and fingers.

Although, you won't be a mindless cock slave tomorrow, and you won't become so dumb that you can't walk or talk.

Sorry if I sound ableist.

You were back to your normal self after you and he had intercourse, but for a while, you were his brainless fucktoy.

[tundrainafrica]

Title: The Day after Christmas

Summary: Uo tries to keep up the Christmas tradition of eating KFC for Christmas and runs into a familiar face while she braves the lines in KFC.

Part three (Final installment) of my present to @hizashi-yamadas for the Animanga Secret Santa 2020

Link to cross-postings: AO3

Other oneshots

December 24: Christmas Eve (Kyo x Toru)

December 25: Christmas Day (Haru x Rin)

Note: Hi Elisha, this is the final installment of the gift. If you noticed the way I went about this gift was to take different elements of a Japanese Christmas and incorporate them into one shots of your favorite Fruits Basket pairings.

One one shot for each day of Christmas. I hope you enjoyed it! And I hope you had a really great Christmas as well.

Kentucky Fried Chicken had one of the most silent entrances into the Japanese Market and fifty years ago, no one would have thought it would survive the arduous process of penetrating a market so different from that of the west.

Through some strategic marketing on the side of its CEO then, Kentucky Fried Chicken did make its way to the tables of many families during Christmas day. The line to reserving the Christmas bucket and the reservation lists filled up so fast that many had to reserve by October to secure a bucket on Christmas Day.

Uo had been a fan of that as a kid, having been raised by her father who was as much of a fan or maybe even a bigger fan of those delicacies. She wasn’t a fan of lists, month early reservations and having to consider Christmas a few months earlier than she needed to. They had worse problems to think about after all.

She and her father both agreed though that they still wanted their fried chicken.

That was what pushed Uo to wake up early enough to beat the morning crowd at least. She had learned over the years that by the 26th, if she woke up early enough, she could secure one of the unpurchased buckets without braving the deplorable crowds of the day before.

It’s just a day difference. Of course, she would have preferred to have it on Christmas day. KFC Chicken is KFC Chicken though and usually by the 26th, there were still enough remnants of the day before for her and her father to play pretend with.

Strangely, for that year in particular though, the sun had decided to rise a little later. Having rushed to the nearest KFC, Uo had failed to check her phone for the exact time.

The line for KFC was spilling out onto the streets and as Uo secured her place at the back of the line, she snuck a peek at her phone.

It was already seven. The breakfast crowd started at six. And how should I know people will still be craving KFC fried chicken the day after Christmas? Uo was almost tempted to just sneak her way through the crowds and up to the front counter. Her very Japanese upbringing made her regret even considering that a second later.

The crowds were large and the line was wrong. Uo was grateful to see that nobody was pushing or blatantly forcing their way through the crowds.

It assured her at least that if he just patiently waited in line, she would eventually find herself at the front. All I have to do is wait.

Uo should have noticed at least that  the line was thinning out pretty fast and many of the customers around her started to grumble  in disappointment. She had been too busy scrolling through her phone to notice it though. She was a little too invested in whatever was on her timeline to even notice that she had bumped a few people on the way to the front of the line.

She had been too absorbed in her own world waiting in line that when she had finally arrived at the front she was still hopeful and expecting only to have those hopes crushed a second later.

“Sorry Ma’am, we just sold the last of our Christmas buckets a few minutes ago.”

                                  The Day after Christmas  

Kentucky for Christmas. We always had Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas.

Uo had gone to the three nearest KFC’s next to her house, the third closest being three train rides away. It was only by the last one did she find out why exactly the Christmas Buckets had run out so fast.

There was a buy one take one promo for post Christmas purchases.

The nice lady at the counter of the third KFC she went to was the one to explain it. They had suggested instead that she try the fun shots or the hot shots. Uo had to quell that disappointment inside her, knowing that the texture of the fun shots could never match they original chicken breading of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

She had missed breakfast though. She was also currently dealing with the disappointment of knowing she would probably not get the KFC that day and that her father would probably be a little disappointed at that too.

Uo settled for a fun shots set and a pack of fries and ate it at the bench outside the shop. She was in no mood to see crowds, knowing the people inside the shop were probably partially the reason she couldn’t even secure a Christmas Bucket in the first place.

“So you were trying to buy a Christmas Bucket too?”  

Uo had heard that voice a few more times before. The sing-song voice was playful and almost mocking. As blood rushed into her face, Uo felt her fries almost make it up to her nose. She coughed it out before it could get any further.

“Why are you here?” At first it was a reaction of surprise. As Uo gave him a once over, she noticed the two Christmas buckets of chicken by his side and she ended up having to look away to avoid showing him any anger. She wasn’t supposed to be angry. In fact, she was supposed to be happy since it had been months since their last faithful meeting.

“I saw you back in KFC and I thought you’d be going for the same thing. Tough luck, they’ll probably only do that promo this year. The lines were ridiculous and a little chaotic. Looked like a logistical nightmare to me.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t even know about that.” Uo started to shovel the fries into her mouth, two at a time, a coping mechanism to the added stress of meeting Kureno in the state. “My dad and I would buy KFC for Christmas every year.”

“Yeah, I buy KFC every year too.”

“You don’t look like the type to eat KFC,” She commented. That morning, Kureno was in a polo and dress pants. As she commented that, she became a little more self conscious of the hoodie and the jogging pants she had thrown on that morning.

I’m just going out and down the block for Christmas Chicken. She had assured herself then.

“Is a person supposed to look a certain way to eat KFC?” Kureno asked, looking surprised.

“Maybe.” Uo avoided his gaze. She started to feel guilty as she analyzed her own reasons for asking that. At that point, she had been subconsciously looking for reasons to criticize anyone who had secured a bucket and Kureno had shown up as an easy target. Maybe she had sounded a little too abrasive.

“Then I’ll make sure to change to jogging pants and a hoodie before I eat my fried chicken.” Kureno fished out of one of the buckets for some tissue and grabbed a piece of chicken. “Here, Merry Christmas.”

Uo’s eyes widened at the piece of chicken in front of her. She felt blood rush to her face, possibly from the excitement of being able to eat it while the Christmas decorations were still hanging and the music was still playing. Or possibly from the embarrassment of being so oddly excited by such a small thing.

Kureno’s smile looked innocent. She looked at his face to see that he was at least well intentioned as he held the drumstick out to her. When she focused on the drumstick on hand though, she felt a little peeved at having been reduced to a dog who was thrown a bone. Somehow, Uo’s pride was fighting for control.

“I’ll skip the tradition this year.” Uo turned away from the drumstick that was only a few centimeters from her face already.

Kureno’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? But you had this really cute smile on you. I felt like Santa Claus making a child happy by giving gifts for a good few seconds.”

“Oh, so you think some fried chicken is gonna make me happy?”

“It was all in your face Arisa. Your cheeks were turning red and your eyes got all big when I put the chicken right in front of you.” Kureno pursed his lips, blew his cheeks up and widened his eyes as if to mimic what Uo had looked like a second ago.

Uo looked away, trying to hide both the chuckle that escaped her lips and the fact that she was probably as red as a tomato at that moment. I looked like that? “Well, it’s just fried chicken,” Uo said as soon as she recovered.

“Then I hope you don’t mind me eating it now then. I haven’t had breakfast either.” Kureno brought the drumstick closer to his face and took a big bite.

That was when Uo realized how close they were sitting to each other. From her place on the bench, and from her position, she could hear the familiar and nostalgic crunch as Kureno bit into the skin.”

“KFC really does taste good during Christmas. Kentucky for Christmas. Finger Licking Good.”

“It’s just fried chicken!”

Kureno sighed. “Look you’ve been out since seven looking for chicken, give yourself a break already.” He placed the bucket on her lap. “Just get one.”

“How did you know I was out since seven?”

“Because I saw you in KFC?”

“Which KFC did you see me in?”

Kureno avoided her gaze, only returning the question with an uncomfortable smile.

"Where did you buy your fried chicken?” Uo pressed.

“I bought the last three buckets this morning.”

In the first KFC. She should have known. The bucket was cold to her touch. If he had bought it in the KFC in front of them, it shouldn’t have been that cold.

“So, if you got your chicken already. Then why did you go all the way here?”

“Yeah… It was a stupid decision huh? I ended up just getting further from my house following you. And I don’t think Akito will be too happy when I come home with cold chicken.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“Well, I saw you there. And it was Christmas. And you know how they always say to spend Christmas with someone special. I thought... why not share one meal with someone special at least?”

Kureno took a drumstick from one of the buckets and dropped them on her hands. The chicken was cold, but the texture of the skin was distinct. They had advertised the chicken as having a special mix of spices. Uo’s favorite part had always been the characteristic texture of the chicken skin. She brought it up to her mouth and took a bite. Somehow, she had still found it delicious.

“Isn’t your family special?” Uo asked.

“I did go out to buy fried chicken for them.” Kureno answered. “When I saw you there in the shop though, I thought why not share it with you too.”

It turned out, the chicken didn’t need to be served warm. Her cheeks were hot enough, and Kureno’s smile only warmed up her own body quickly. She didn’t care at all that the chicken had been cold to her lips.

She went through that drumstick quicker than she had wanted to. Having felt a little incomplete from that, Uo found herself going through her fun shots and fries quickly soon after. “Thanks for that.” She managed to say in between bites.

“Thanks for spending the day after Christmas with me.”

Uo did not know how long they were sitting in silence, going through that bucket of chicken.

The ring of the phone came out of nowhere, and to Uo it was almost painful. It stung a bit when she heard him apologize on the phone to Akito, and the way he had quickly gathered his stuff.

“Sorry, looks like Akito’s calling.”

The head of the Soma family. She had remembered Toru explaining that to her just a few months back.

“I’ll see you again soon?” He made a gesture with one hand, sticking his thumb and his pinky out. The universal gesture for a phone. Keep in touch.

He shouldn’t have been able to do that carrying three buckets of chicken. As Uo soon noticed, he had left the two buckets on the bench.

“Hey! You forgot---” Uo quickly grabbed the buckets and took off after him. “Your chicken.” She completed that last sentence as she made her way close enough to grab him.

“Those are for you.”

“For me? What about your family?”

“I only needed one bucket. The only person who will probably be eating the head of the family. All the other Soma’s aren’t spending the day after Christmas with us anyway...” Kureno gave a friendly wave and turned his back to her.  

Wait, so why did you buy three?  Uo didn’t need to ask. As she watched Kureno disappear into the crowds on the busy streets as the rush hour in Japan continued, she only needed to put two and two together.

Well, I saw you there.

You’ve been lining up since 7am.

I bought the last three buckets.

Uo could only curse her slow and emotionally constipated self. Somehow, despite the free fried chicken, Uo felt more frustrated than happy.

I didn’t even get to say thank you… Or Merry Christmas…

She found slight consolation in the fact that it was already the day after Christmas anyway. Maybe it would have been a little weird to greet him a ‘Merry Christmas’ then.

I guess it can wait till next year?

[terrifictomholland]

Oh my God! Please write about Tom being the reader’s PA when you get the time and inspo. I just had a glimpse of what it may be like but I need the whole thing and I don’t think there’s anyone better than you to do it

I hope you’re still around dear anon, I finally got around to writing this for you. I hope you enjoy the amount of softness and preciousness that this turned into.

Being an actress was all you’ve ever wanted to be. It had taken a lot of work to get from the bottom to where you were right now. One of the most sought after young actresses of your time. You loved what you did, you loved to work and make movies and really get into the small details of acting. Whenever you were filming and you had finished a scene, you always stuck around to watch the other actors at work, watching the true greats, admiring them. 

You’d learned so much just by watching them and the way they carried themselves.  You could only hope to reach that level of humility and a reputation like that down the line, but for now, you sunk your teeth in and did the hard work. Hard work was always rewarded in the end, at least, that’s what you’d been told and you prayed that it was true. 

But for all the glory, there were also downsides. Mainly, press and promo, specifically the interview aspects of it that you had to do to sell the movie. The traveling and visiting other countries and meeting so many fans was also one of the highlights for you. It just got a little repetitive and tiresome doing interview after interview, the same questions over and over again and not to mention you using the same answer time and time again, playing it up as to not make it too painfully boring or obvious. 

But the thing you hated the absolute most about doing promo? The constant stress and the fact that you found yourself overwhelmed very easily because of the tight schedule you were on. That made your anxiety kick it up into high gear, you liked structure and organization and that was something that was very easily lost when you were so busy promoting your latest project.

That was where Tom came into the picture. Your PA, also, the guy you were harbouring the biggest mother-loving crush on. He was from the same town as you and you had been best friends for years before you asked him to become your PA. At the time when you asked him, you were just starting out in the industry and all that Tom did was book some auditions for you, but after you had a breakthrough with a small role on a local tv-show, things started picking up and you started relying more and more on Tom to help you keep you grounded.

To say in the least, he rose to the occasion and then some. 

When things became too much for you, he was the one you turned to and he knew you better than anyone so a mere look was enough for him to know what you needed. 

You liked to call him your beacon of light. To you, that was what he was. Your anchor to bring you back home through dark and stormy seas, he was a permanent light and a safe harbour for you to come back to when everything felt like it was too much and you felt like you were drowning. A single look at him and some of your fears and anxiety faded away and all you could focus on was his smiling face, a calming and safe presence for you to lean on. 

You oftentimes found yourself in his arms, stealing hugs because there was no other place in this world, beside in his embrace that made you feel quite as protected than in his strong arms. He took care of you and there was nothing wrong with that, everyone needed someone to fall back on, to have a pillar in their life. 

Tom was yours.

You knew he was responsible for the fact that yes, you had a few hours longer of press, but your interviews were arranged for you to get a bit of a break between them. Which, for you, it meant everything. 

And you meant everything to Tom. 

Those few and rare times where he couldn’t space the interviews out for you, he was there at your sides with multiple cups of coffees and gentle, encouraging smiles reserved only for you. A single smile of his could get you through hours upon hours of interviews. 

 “You okay?” He asked gently holding a cup of coffee out for you when you finally finished all of your interviews for the day. You gratefully took it from him, practically inhaling the whole cup in one go. He looked at you with an amused look.

“Better now that today is done, I just want to go back to the hotel,” You said quietly and his eyebrows knitted together looking at you concerned, considering his words for a moment.

“Are you okay?” His gentle eyes piercing into yours and you just felt like crumbling. Your body turning to him, seeking his comfort more than ever and he was there in an instant.

“I just want a moment for myself, for a taste of normalcy,” You admitted into his chest, your words coming out muffled but you knew he heard you. He heard everything you said.

“C’mon, let’s get in the car,” He ushered you, taking your things for you and a soft hand pressed against the small of your back guiding you. 

All throughout the car ride he kept his hand on yours, tracing idle patterns on the back of your hand sending shivers up your spine. 

“Hey, pull over here yeah?” His voice broke you from your daydreaming of watching the city pass you by. You looked over at Tom as the car turned and slowed. He was already unbuckling himself, you did the same automatically, following his every step.

“Is everything okay? Did you forget something?” He never forgot things, you both knew that but he’d never done this before and you were concerned, but even more curious.

“No, I just need you to come with me?” Before you had the chance to say anything, he got out of the car closing the door. Moments later he was opening it for you, holding a hand out which you immediately took.

“Will you wait here?” You cautiously asked the driver who nodded with a small smile right before you followed Tom. 

“Is this the spot where you’re gonna murder me?” You joked and he let out a laugh, his grip on your hand tightening as warmth coursed through you.

“I’d never,” he promised with such sincerity you wanted to cry. 

“I know, but where are you taking me?” 

“I’m letting you breathe,” he simply stated, leading you out to a deserted park with a view over the entire city which, ironically, took your breath away rather than letting you breathe.

“W-where did you find this?” You whispered letting your eyes take in the view. Street lights dancing in the distance, the constant buzz of cars and people out and about. Yet here, where you were, all you could hear was the two of you breathing.

“I have my ways,” 

“I-it’s, I don’t- I don’t know what to say,” You felt your emotions overcome you as you turned to him seeing him grinning at you, wrapping his arms around you holding you close to his chest.

“Breathe, it’s all you need to do darlin’,” he instructed as his chin rested on your shoulder. He inhaled deeply making you follow along, doing the same. You were a mirror of each other, what one of you did, the other mirrored. It had always been like that with you two. 

“How do you do that?” 

“Do what?”

“Know what I need before I do,” 

“It’s easy, I know you,” his words shouldn’t have had the effect on you as they did. But they did, your heart was pounding against your ribcage to the point where you were so sure he heard it. More than anything, it felt so right, this moment in time where only you and him existed. 

Ever so slightly, his face inched closer to yours, your eyes never breaking contact searching for any sign to pull away.  

There wasn’t any.

Time stood still as you held your breath watching him as he closed the gap between the two of you, pressing the faintest kiss on your lips at long last. It was the shortest kiss you’d ever had, full of love and innocence and you exhaled as he pulled away and he was watching you carefully, a hand coming up to brush some hair out of your face, still gauging your reaction carefully. 

His entire face changed when you began smiling and you placed your hand on his wrist, this time pressing your lips against his. Soft and skilled lips moving with yours, exploring and experimenting. The press turning more intent one second, softer the next. His tongue running over the seam of your lips after a while of finding a way of kissing that made your toes curl. Fireworks exploded behind your eyelids as your tongues met, hesitant at first but growing more and more confident with every swipe of his tongue. He kept you close to him and you could feel the way your knees were getting weaker and weaker, completely overcome with emotions and feelings.

This was all you’d wanted for ages, so to now know that your feelings were so reciprocated was everything to the both of you.

He was your home and that was all you needed. A safe harbour to weather any storm, standing steady.

taglist -  @exitsali96ivette - @localfangirlx - @siriuslyslyslytherin - @shaharloni1 - @immnotsure - @worldoftom - @averyfosterthoughts - @unicorn-princess-1999 - @softbaby-tom - @alwaysbenhardysgirl - @farfromhaz - @peterparkoure - @fallingforfics - @1believe-in-your-self1 - @awesomelupe - @captainbuckyy - @parkeraul - @maryjanee23 - @underoosjae - @sexyllamas04 - @definitely-not-black-cat @howdyho-holland @thirsttrapholland (crossed out means i couldn’t tag you for some reason im sorry! :(

[five-wow]

I WATCHED 10.22. HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS UNDER THE CUT. i promise they won’t all be in full caps, but i feel i should also warn you that this was not proofread.

the episode is starting! it has started. the start has started.

lots of flashbacks from 10.21 with VERY dramatic music in the background and it’s very much working on me. EMOTIONS.

oh my gosh we’re now getting a flashback (a new one, not “previously on”) to wo fat and victor hesse planning some evil shit with daiyu mei serving them tea and it is EVEN MORE DRAMATIC than the previously on was. i am IMPRESSED. also maybe laughing a little bit, but in a way where i’m genuinely enjoying the extreme “LOOK, THIS IS BAD” of it, gosh.

fun way to remind us of how it all started, with these two planning anton’s extraction! they get to show us bits and pieces from the pilot while we still get something new.

wo fat: “blood. is blood.” hmmm, the show seems to want us to think he has a point but i’m mostly amused this is coming from the ultimate bad guy because yes, that seems about right. (hashtag you don’t owe people anything just because you’re related to them, shuddup.)

daiyu mei looks all shy and awkward when wo fat asks for her input but i’ve decided that’s an act to keep victor underestimating her.

steve and cole are in a car and fjdkfdjk wait catherine is a super code breaker now? idk, she may have displayed some skills that leaned that way in the past, but now she’s suddenly well-known as one of the best in that field even though that’s not even her field as far as we know? i. i don’t mind catherine getting brought up in conversation but this is such an odd way to do it.

“we were together for a buncha years” hahaha, fandom never really knows how to define the start and end of their relationship and it seems steve doesn’t, either.

“she was the one that got away. what’re you gonna do?” well, look sad and frowny while this guy you barely know throws you a somewhat awkward look because you’re suddenly baring your heart to him, apparently! (for real though, i get that people will be upset at this phrasing and i’m sort of thinking this is a lead in to things i won’t like at the end of the episode and that’s bad but for what it’s worth, i don’t mind this at all! she did slip away from him at a time where he thought they were going somewhere else and he’s talking in past tense now.)

cole is worried he ruined steve’s day by bringing up catherine and that’s sweet, actually! seals emotionally supporting seals.

OOF it is TIME for danny to get ABDUCTED. also: i love that steve immediately drops everything, including the very important super secret difficult to arrange meeting to maybe finally get some insight into this cipher that doris left him, to race to wherever danny is in his car. i feel like alerting hpd (or anyone else in five-0 who might be closer) would be a good idea, but it makes a lot of sense for steve to need to Be There himself.

ohhhhh steve continually nearly crashing his truck while yelling for danny but only hearing gunshots over the line is 👌👌👌. THE ANGST. THE TENSION. very good, very good.

the camaro is BURNING. well that’s one way to smack us in the face with the end of an era, damn.

steve is ALSO BURNING because he obviously tried to get inside the car ahhhh.

fjdkf steve calls tani with instruction about cameras and tani asks if everything is okay because he sounds upset and all he says is “danny’s been taken” and that’s how tani an junior find out, poor dears.

steve, instructing hpd: “we’re looking for detective danny williams. you know who he is, my partner, right? we’re looking for him.” YOU KNOW WHO HE IS. MY PARTNER.

steve is already out of breath from sheer stress and he’s just standing around the tech table with the team, my gosh. (I LOVE THIS.)

danny, bloody and chained up and facing his captor, a woman he already knows is very, very dangerous: [makes a joke about exchanging insurance information because they burned his car] (LOVE HIM TOO.)

OOF though, daiyu mei lets danny know she knows he has two kids and the jokes are over because that’s definitely the line with danny, god.

here’s the scene from the one preview clip i watched! i’m really enjoying daiyu mei, by the way. she’s still a totally bonkers way to bring the threat of wo fat back even after he’s dead, but she is genuinely threatening.

“i have the person you care about most in the world” hello yes i’m still yelling about that one and might not stop soon

daiyu mei telling steve not to make the same mistake he did with his father and “allow a loved one to die” is so mean but so good and narratively pretty darn cool.

we’re not even eleven minutes in and we’re already at “come alone, commander, or your friend dies”. [insert that escalated quickly meme]

steve thinks he has zero options except give in to exactly what daiyu mei wants and it’s very unsteve of him but also fits perfectly with the mindset they’ve maneouvred him into over the past few episodes and with DANNY BEING GONE so i like it. i like that steve is very obviously freaking the fuck out.

never though i would say this, but... steve, you should listen to adam. it’s shocking, especially this season, but he is making an actual good judgment.

steve alone in the elevator on the verge of either a panic attack or breaking down crying and curling up into a ball is A LOT.

steve goes to the meeting alone, gets a location and confirmation that danny is alive and then hands over the cipher, and that’s good but also... i mean, for real, if he had just printed some random symbols on a similar piece of paper (maybe even the same symbols but in a different order!) how on earth would daiyu mei have known?

OH. OHHHH. danny does the badass steve-ish thing where he pulls himself up by his shackles to somehow get himself free, holy fuck, yes man.

IT WORKS. knocked out the guard, got the keys, got a gun - damn son. not only do we get worried out of his mind steve, we ALSO get bamf danny, ahhhh.

AND THEN HE GETS SHOT IN THE SHOULDER, which is where all those promo pictures came from obviously, and also means we’re about to tick off the hurt part of h/c in an even bolder font than we already had.

fdjkfdjkfd steve’s litany of comforting little nonsense lines while he’s dragging danny to the car and getting him into it and NOT GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL BUT STAYING WITH DANNY IN THE BACK is killing me slowly.

fdjkfd steve hugging danny’s bloody face in his lap oh my god

apparently that wasn’t GOOD ENOUGH YET because then they’re at the hospital and steve tells the doctor’s what’s up and they’re about to roll danny away and danny, half dead and according to steve in and out of consciousness, somehow finds the time to try to grAB AT STEVE’S ARM BLINDLY. steve: “hey, i’m with you buddy, it’s okay.” DEAD. NOT DANNY, ME. I AM VERY DEAD.

the entire team is stressed and worried and just dead quiet, watching danny and steve. ohhhh boy.

oh fuck oh fuck steve is praying and red-eyed and furious and telling god “you wanna take somebody? take me. not him, you take me.” and i have a very big massive weak spot for exactly this.

cole comes to find steve to offer to figure out the cipher thing and steve has a very hard time giving a single flying shit and then HANDS COLE HIS GUN. welllll. just letting go of stuff they never would have normally left and right, here. i was kind of expecting steve’s badge to follow.

tani has a lot of good worried moments and i love that.

danny is out of surgery!!! steve gets to see him!!!

oh GOD we get a sad version of all for one while steve is in danny’s hospital room and grabs danny’s hand and i am. oh. oh. not okay.

STILL ONLY JUST PAST THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE EPISODE.

it’s honestly kind of weird that cole has this much screentime (i know he was supposed to be back for the season 11 that will never happen, but with the way things turned out that’s not very relevant anymore in story), but i mind it less than i thought i would have. i like him, and i’m glad he has quinn with him now, because i always want more of her.

danny wakes up and his slightly loopy conversation with steve has me fjdkfdjkfd. d: [says you’re supposed to be happy when a patient wakes up] s, like he might still be about to cry: “i’m happy.” d: “yeah? yeah, me too.”

steve is hurting and blaming himself for everything (very in character) and danny tells him he’s already annoying and that if he had a dollar for every time steve saved his life he’d have like twenty bucks (also very in character) and i’m glad for that bit of comic relief and they need it, too, but somebody also needs to give steve a good shake until the thought that this is on him leaves his head. if anyone except daiyu mei is responsible here, it’s doris. blame doris, jfc.

danny, after nearly dying and only just waking up in the hospital, while he still has trouble speaking: “put [the call steve is getting] on speaker, would you, i’m bored.” more jokes! but it also makes me go fjdkfdjk because you will not convince me that this is not danny, extremely injured, still trying to take care of steve by distracting him from all the misery they’re in.

fjdkfd OKAY SO. plot stuff: the cipher translates to coordinates that apparently lead to the place where the mcgarretts thought doris was buried. steve says he knows the place because his dad used to take him there and ? because i always thought john sent his kids away pretty soon after doris died so he can’t have had much time to visit her grave a lot with them, but also just, the drama of it, wow, doris. send your son an encrypted message that sends him to your fake grave, why don’t you.

jfkdsjlfksljfds the mcgarretts have a family mausoleum now, apparently, omfg. and there was still a space with doris’s name on it? even though they’ve known for how many years by now that she was still alive oh my gosh

cole is along for the ride to doris’s fake grave and steve keeps dropping these little nuggets from his family history and cole keeps (rightfully!) looking a little confused and/or alarmed, poor guy, hahaha.

daiyu mei is running full tilt and doing some mad parcour shit in a suit and what looks like high heels and there is a whole action scene here with lots of players and constant shooting and some one-on-one fighting, but i am fully distracted by the shoewear.

oh, false alarm, probably! not quite high heels, just something ballarina like with a very tiny heel. that’s better.

fjdkfjdkfd OOF daiyu mei nearly kills steve, steve gets the upper hand, daiyu mei says some things and we’re given another flashback to wo fat and victor hesse and this time also john when he was held hostage, and suddenly we’re told he’s not surprised that doris had a secret son (wo fat) and that he suspected her death was staged.

OH MY GU==fdj

okay so those were typos but i’m LEAVING THEM because “whatever happens next, don’t tell my son. it would be too hard on him.” HELLO JOHN, FUCK YOU JOHN. he wanted??? to keep this secret??? from steve??? and also he doesn’t even acknowledge that he maybe has more than just a son. maybe there is a person called mary out there somewhere? might ring a bell, if you think about it long and hard.

wo fat: “you’re a good man, john mcgarrett.” i really don’t know if we’re supposed to agree with things wo fat says but he’s mostly voicing the opposite of what i feel this episode.

daiyu mei to steve: “you are your father.” oh gosh. oh no.

ahh, here’s a point where cole’s presence really starts to take away from other characters. he shows up to steve and daiyu mei’s confrontation to back steve up, and that obviously should have been any other character that we’ve known for way longer and have way more attachment to (junior! that would have been so good, or maybe lou, who’s also been here for seven years, or tani, who keeps worrying), especially, very very much especially when steve goes “book her, cole”. that’s just confusing, too. so far the cole and steve parallels have been thrown at us and now he’s suddenly in danny’s place.

32 minutes out of 42 and we’re at “one week later” and steve hopping through his garden to get to the beach chairs where danny is sitting. this is good but worrying for how early it comes.

danny says he misses the very nice nurse who brought him jello and steve tells him not to confuse a caregiver for someone who cares and danny goes “yeah? you know jealousy is not uh, pretty on you.” and then they’re both awkwardly quiet for a moment. dear lord.

AND THEN THINGS WENT PEARSHAPED. danny: “you all packed?” my heart is sinking fast. maybe i should just quit here and leave it at danny telling steve jealousy is not pretty on him (which implies other things are pretty on steve - let’s get back to that).

steve to danny, who is talking up hawaii (which is of course very good): “who are you?” i am having FLASHBACKS to junior asking tani that exact same thing just a few episodes ago.

danny seriously questions steve’s decision to just up and leave hawaii a bunch of times and yes, danny, good, grill him. this is a stupid plan.

danny: “you know, it don’t feel like it’s gonna be okay. it feels like- my main dude is leaving me.” HI STEVE. MAYBE DON’T. MAYBE DON’T GO. MAYBE DON’T HURT DANNY.

“you got a phone, right?” we’re seriously at that point. we are. seriously at that point. wow.

steve forces danny to get up to give him the frigging tenderest, dopily smiliest hug and it is so very sweet yet so very wrong.

“I LOVE YOU, MAN.” / “I LOVE YOU TOO.” THEY DID NOT YELL THAT BUT I AM BECAUSE THIS IS ALL I’VE WANTED FOR TWO YEARS and now it’s under these circumstances which ugh BUT I AM STILL HYPED. THEY GOT TO SAY IT AGAIN. GOOD. FUCKING GOOD.

“don’t make me come looking for you” danny says after he sits back down and without another word steve starts walking away and then he stops and looks back and catches danny looking over his shoulder but quickly looking away again and holy fucking damn if this isn’t how stories go when they try to tell us that two characters shouldn’t be parting because they don’t want to. turn around, steve. it’s so easy.

EDDIE. my gosh, ANOTHER blond guy who loves steve to pieces and who steve Should Not Just Leave, wtf.

eddie gets an i love you too and then a kiss and my heart! is having a hard time today!

oh LORD there’s a knock at the door and it’s the whole entire team and lou!!! is making me cry!!! and everyone whispers how much steve means to them at him while they’re hugging him and fjdkfd what. why is he leaving! it’s starting to sound like a worse decision by the second.

i could cry at all of these goodbyes seperately but right now i am also crying at tani immediately hugging noelani when she joins the pile of people who have said goodbye. ohhhh.

EVERYONE IS CRYING. not cool. VERY UNCOOL. also, honestly, i love that danny got to say goodbye seperately and it’s fitting that he just can’t watch steve actually walk out the door but also... he should have been here, gdi. now there’s this huge emotional team moment and he’s absent and it’s weird.

steve boards a plane and sits down and his phone beeps and it’s danny texting him “miss you already” and i cannot believe this is actual canon and had to pause to kind of laugh/gasp for air for a little bit.

and catherine shows up! i’ve been braced for this so i’m not surprised and it’s less bad than i thought in many ways but also. they talk about cath driving danny’s car and steve says they can’t have danny williams driving his own car and if that’s true, then why the hell are you leaving, steve. what are you doing to danny? (also. uh. danny’s car kind of went up in flames? he has a new one already? i. what.)

cath asks if steve is ready and they hold hands and steve turns to look out the plane window and smiles and that’s very suddenly it.

you know what? you know what, for the most part, i absolutely loved this. i was prepared for VERY BAD THINGS and i don’t enjoy steve leaving at the end at all and i have MANY NOTES on how things could have maybe ended even better but i. i am okay with this. i am okay with this! that is honestly more than i thought i would be able to say and i’m just VERY RELIEVED right now.

as for the show ending with steve and cath... that was weird, but... he also held danny’s hand this episode and that was supposedly platonic, and steve and cath did not suddenly have a big romantic kiss or get engaged, so i am choosing to take this as a platonic reunion with a person from steve’s past he still cares about, someone who travels a lot and was in hawaii to break that code and therefore this makes sense. he leaves with cath, and then, in a few weeks’ time, he comes back to danny (the person he cares about most in the world), and canon just, y’know, forgot to mention that little tidbit. it happens.

anyway, i had EMOTIONS and i still need to let all of this sink in and i hope you’re all doing okay after this whirlwind of a thing and ahhhh, it is so very weird that it’s over now. 💖

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[fandom-collective-writers]

Reader x Lucien - A Steamy Bubble Bath

Title: A Steamy Bubble Bath

Fandom: Mr. Love Queen’s Choice

Character: Lucien

Genre: ;)

Warnings: sin in the bath 

Kinks: More bathroom sex bc all of you are dirty children and need to cleanse yourselves, non conventional vibrator, slapping, edging, hair pulling, water sex, external cumshot

Intended Gender Audience: Female Audience 

Word Count: 2187 words 

Requested by: Anon!

Quote: Smut prompt #20 - “Please. I need you. Now.” 

Shameless self-promo: check out my page!

Other comments: sorry for the late posting! 😅 i really thought that it submitted earlier, but for some reason it didnt and i woke up in a fury, realized it didnt post, so here i am at 1:30 with smut :’) hope you enjoy it!

Lucien is sitting on the couch when you enter the apartment. Keys jingling in your hands, you round the corner and drop your purse on the counter. He looks up from his book and smiles upon seeing you. “Welcome home,” Lucen greets with a gentle voice as he shuts his book. 

         You can’t help but smile at him as you kick off your heels and pad over to him. Your socks glide against the hardwood floors, but you catch yourself against the couch and lean over to take a peak at Lucien’s book. “You’re reading that again?” 

         He sets it down on the coffee table and stands up. “What’s wrong with rereading a favourite?” Lucien tips his head to the side, giving you one of his irresistible grins. 

         “Nothing! You just sure love it a lot…” A giggle escapes your lips. “I’m going to take a bath. It has been a long day of running around, chasing people, and I’m so tired now.” 

         Lucien leans over the couch, extending his hand so that the tips of his fingers brush against your chin. “Make sure to wash behind your ears,” he comments as his thumb grazes your lips. Your lipgloss had long since dried up, but when he pulled back, you see the faint sparkle of glitter lingering on his skin. 

         Taking a sharp breath, you reign back your thoughts and twirl around on the ball of your foot. Lucien was likely just trying to tease you – as he always does. It is not uncommon for him to say strange things, and then to follow by doing something that throws your mind into the gutter. That is just… Lucien’s strange way of showing affection, and you do not mind. 

         Humming to yourself, you make your way through the bedroom, until you reach the bathroom. After turning on the water, you go to search for some bubble bath, hoping that it would help you relax after the long day you endured. You pour a generous amount of the pearly liquid into the water and then proceed to strip your clothes and kick them into your room (you plan to pick them up later). 

         Tying your hair up, you test the water to find it perfectly warm. Sighing softly, you sit down and press your back against the edge. As you drag your hand through the water, the bubbles swirl around and expand – it is not long before you have a mountain of bubbles surrounding you. 

         Your eyelids droop, but when you hear a soft rap at the door, you sit up and answer. 

         Lucien opens the door, and you are surprised to see him against the frame wearing only a loose towel around his waist. The fabric clings to his hips and sways as he walks forward. Without saying anything, Lucien takes a seat next to the bathtub and rests his elbow on the edge. “I don’t suppose that you would mind if I joined you? I am sure that I could help you destress.” 

         His voice alone makes you feel more at ease – there is just something to his intonation that reminds you of viscous honey dripping from his sharp tongue. Of course, you could decline, but you would not dream of turning him away. 

         “Towels aren’t allowed in here though,” you say with a smirk, eyeing the white cloth. “So if you want in, you’ll have to lose it.” 

         A smirk pulls at the corners of his mouth, and Lucien stands up slowly. It takes only takes Lucien to slip a digit under the seam of the towel and suddenly – you never get tired of seeing his naked body, and this is no exception. His toned torso is always an inviting sight: his pale skin does not detract from the muscles in his arms and chest, nor does it distract you from the sharp v that leads down to… 

         “You’re staring,” Lucien trills before stepping over the discarded towel. He turns the water off and joins you in the bathtub. It is a tight fit with Lucien sitting across from you, but he picks up your legs and holds them together, making more room for himself.

         “It’s not like you’re shy.” 

         Lucien smirks at you before gripping your ankle and lifting your leg to his lips. “No…” He plants tender kisses to your skin, trailing his lips down until he reaches your knee.  You had barely realized that Lucien was also pulling you closer to him with every kiss. He sees the momentary distress on your face and releases your leg, allowing you to tuck it next to him. 

         “You like it when I watch you–” 

         Lucien’s eyes go wide with surprise for a split second, but then he smiles again. Instead of replying with a witty comment, like you think he is going to going to, Lucien leans forward and crawls over you. He presses his entire body weight against you – enough that you can feel every crevice of his abs grinding against you despite the buoyant effect of the water. “And you like to watch, don’t you?” 

         Again, his voice envelops you like thick nectar, trapping you in place with your jaw hanging open. Your mind goes blank when he dips his head down low enough that his nose grazes your jaw. He prods you gently, coaxing you to lift your head and expose your neck for him. Shifting a bit, you tilt your head against the bathtub wall, causing your hair to sink into the water. Lucien is quick to nip the soft skin before rubbing his tongue against you. He hums with happiness and then catches your chin with three digits. 

         “Won’t you let me wash you?” 

         It is a strange request, but you do not hesitate to respond. A quick yes tumbles from your lips, to which Lucien purrs at. He grips you tightly with both hands, pulling you out of the water and pinning you against the edge of the bathtub. The porcelain digs into your side, but Lucien quickly adjusts you so that your ass is up in the air for him to see. 

         Bubbles cling to your cunt, but slip down your leg, exposing your folds to Lucien. You expect him to drag his tongue along you, but instead, you hear Lucien shuffling around and starting the faucet again. A quick glance over your shoulder allows you to see him changing the setting on the removable shower head. He picks it up from the stand and grips the handle tightly. 

         “L-Lucien,” you start, sitting up slightly. 

         He rests a strong hand on the back of your neck, wrapping your wet hair around his fingers. After tutting you softly, Lucien pushes your knees apart slightly, allowing him to fit the shower head between your thighs. The jet stream is on the strongest, most concentrated setting, and Lucien tips it so that the water hits your clit directly. “Don’t fuss. You need to be washed.” You can feel him smiling innocently behind you. “Unless you want me to stop…” 

         You shake your head vigorously, just as you feel your knees slip on the bathtub floor. Around you, the soap bubbles are beginning to pop and fade from the surface. You never realized how strong the shower was – it is not that you had never considered using it for other purposes, but you never got around to actually trying it. The fact that Lucien knew to use it.. that is just Lucien. 

         Moans fall from your lips as you grind against the shower head. You have lost all shame and just really want to cum at this point, but Lucien is not so forgiving. When you slip further down, causing your lower half to fall into the water, the shower falls from his grip and sprays onto the ground. 

         Lucien clicks his tongue and drops his hand into the water to rub two fingers against your folds. Despite being in the water, he can clearly feel the arousal dripping from your cunt. “Still not slick enough… well, are you going to sit up or not?” 

         Exhaling shakily, you do as you are indirectly told. The water was warmer though, and now, with your body in the cool air again, goosebumps cover your skin. “Lucien, please–” 

         Upon hearing his name, Lucien leans over and tucks his face in the crook of your neck. “I’m being thorough. Would you rather me enter you dry?”

         The bluntness of his words cuts through you deeply, and you nearly choke on your own saliva as it pools into your mouth. Before you can respond, Lucien returns the shower head to your clit. It pulsates against you, sending you closer to your edge until, finally, the pressure builds up in your abdomen and you feel it about to explode. 

         Rolling your hips against the metal, you tighten your grip on the porcelain edge, whining and whimpering painfully for release. If you weren’t putting up such a show, Lucien would have been impartial to edging you a few more times. But he decides that he has had enough fun and begins to drag the shower back and forth against your folds. This added stimulation drives you insane, so you bite the inside of your mouth and wait for your orgasm to hit you. 

         When it does, you fall forward, arms hanging limp over the bathtub. You convulse from the power of the orgasm and struggle to catch your breath again. As you ride it out, Lucien releases the shower head, letting it dangle from the wall, and brings you into his lap. 

         Despite your dazed state, there is no mistaking the erection that is pressed against the small of your back. Leaning your head back, you meet Lucien’s eyes, and mewl softly, “Please.” It catches him off guard really, because your voice is so soft. “I need you. Now.” 

         Again, he smiles, pleased with your pleading. “I do believe you are prepped enough now…” He lifts you carefully, spreading your still trembling legs apart. Your hole welcomes him easily, and he waits little for the formalities of adjusting. He tucks his slender fingers around your jaw as the other presses against your stomach to keep you in place. 

         With every thrust, the two of you send waves rippling through the water, making it splash over the edge. All the bubbles have disappeared, leaving the water slightly murky. It does not bother you at this point – you are too focused on rolling your hips in every which direction that will allow the tip of his cock to hit your most intimate spot. 

         Despite not usually being one for explicit dirty talk, Lucien whispers praises into your ear, fueling you to go faster. However, the water is not on your side, and actually retards your efforts to climax again. You are too caught up in the moment to think about trying something different, until Lucien tucks your hair up and kisses your neck. His surprisingly gentle touch brings you back to reality, and you listen to him. “Don’t fight the water. Flow with it. Like this,” he whispers, thrusting upwards. The water pushes outwards away from him, and you time your next body roll for the moment after he thrusts. Lucien moans in your ear, a rare sound, but you know that it means you did something right. 

         He kisses your shoulder blades as his hand trails down your body. From the corner of your eye, you can see him smirking devilishly, and you know it means trouble. Lucien pinches your still numb clit, making you lean back into him and relax your muscles. 

         “Are you going to cum?” 

         A meek yes is all you can manage as you feel the onset bliss settling into your body. With a few quick thrusts, you reach your bliss again – this time, you moan Lucien’s name as you climax though. Your walls pulate and clench around Lucien, making him grunt deeply.

         At the last second, Lucien pulls out of you, leading him to cum into the water. You open your eyes and watch the slivers of pure white float around in the water. It makes your stomach flip to see it, so you cover your eyes and turn into Lucien’s chest. His heart is beating furiously, but he wraps his arms around you and holds you tight. 

         The bath water is no longer warm, but Lucien’s skin is, so you let him pet you for a few minutes before he shifts around. “We should probably actually wash now–” he says before giving your ass a playful smack. “You’ve made a mess of yourself.” Lucien tucks your damp hair behind your ear. “And you forgot to wash behind your ears.” 

         You scoff and laugh at his comment before sitting up to drain the tub and fill it with new water. The light reflects off of the bathroom tiles, and you realize that the two of you have made quite the mess indeed. Water and bubbles cover the floor, and – is that water splashed onto the mirror?! 

[sharethisgemwithme]

Zach and Grace Friday panel at Connecticon 2019

Some highlights and notes from the "Growing Up with Steven Universe" panel featuring Zach Callison and Grace Rolek, Friday afternoon at Connecticon 2019. There are some promo spoilers. Most quotes are approximate from the notes I took on my phone. There may be a recording of the panel, but the camera was blocked by the audience question line for a while and when I got to the front of the line, I saw it wasn't even pointed at Zach and Grace.

Sorted into broad categories:

Movie hype / spoilery talk

Host asked about the poster. Zach said he's kinda looked at it, but not studied it closely. Grace: "Spoiler alert, someone has a neck." Zach: "That's all anyone can talk about."

What's the hardest scene to record that you've done. Zach: "I hate to do this but the hardest scene I've done I did a few weeks ago and I can't talk about it for quite a while." [audience groans]

Audience member: "I have a question about the movie." Zach makes police siren noises, "Oh no the Cartoon Network spoiler police!"

Attempts to get even small details were denied. "So we saw you have a neck. Is your voice going to change?" [pause] Zach: "A week from today (Friday), there's a big panel and there's gonna be a bunch of stuff. I recommend you watch."

This was earlier in the day, when I met Zach in the autograph line. Me: "I'm really looking forward to all the stuff that's gonna come out next week in San Diego." Zach: "There's so much. I'm not going to be there, after six years of going, I need a vacation."

Zach makes ABUNDANTLY clear how excited he is for what's coming up, "I am thrilled with what they've done after CYM."

Reaction to the new gems from CYM. Zach: "Sunstone is one of my favorites now. Like an after-school camp counselor." Grace: "Obsidian is one of the hardest secrets I've ever had to keep on this show." They finished recording CYM in 2017!

Have you ever cried in the recording booth? Zach: "Over a dozen times. One time really badly... with something that hasn't come out yet."

What's the biggest theme you've taken from the show? Zach: "I'm really sorry to do this, but I'm gonna skip this question because the theme I take away is something that hasn't come up in the show yet." He says the show has become intensely personal to him and his experiences, both intentionally and unintentionally, and says if he accidentally gave hints as to upcoming themes, it wouldn't be fair to the crew. (This probably ties in with some of the stuff below under “Outside of SU”)

Favorites and funniest

What's the hardest scene to record that you've done. Among stuff that's aired, Zach: Storm in the Room. Connie: "Either Nightmare Hospital or Full Disclosure when Connie is like 'Stop ghosting me, Steven!' "

What are some funny moments from recording? The opening scene from "Winter Forecast", the directors INSISTED on real marshmallows, "nothing else would do". Grace: "And these were not small. There's jumbo and then there's novelty size." Zach: "They got novelty size." Grace: "I could barely fit one inside my mouth."

Favorite episode (this question might've had a "besides the Big Plot episodes" caveat).

Zach: "Onion Gang. Any of the weird Onion episodes."

Grace: "I realize this is an unpopular opinion but I love the Ronaldo episodes. I have a Keep Beach City Weird sticker on my laptop. I don't like having stuff that's too overtly Steven Universe because I don't like to toot my own horn, but KBCW is great because it's 'if you know, you know'." Zach: "It's a lifestyle."

That segued into talk about "Rocknaldo", which Zach thought was hilarious, especially the way CN trolled everyone with the Bloodstone promo. Grace "Was that the one where Ronaldo tried to kill someone in the basement?" Discussion brings up that's "Horror Club". Grace continues, "That was a great one, like what are we DOING? No one went to jail for this?"

Favorite songs:

First, ones that they did.

Zach said "Let's Only Think About Love". I think he added a second one, but my notes say “or” and then stop there so I think I moved on to the next bit and forgot what else he said.

Grace says "Of course 'Do it for Her'" but also that she loved providing background harmonies for "Escapism". "Aly and AJ was the first concert I ever went to, so to do back-up vocals for AJ was the greatest fangirl moment." (There’s been some confusion as to whether Zach and Grace had vocals on that song, it’s now clear that they did)

Then, overall. Zach immediately sings "It's over, isn't it? Isn't it over?" Grace grumbles that she can't take the same answer, so she throws out "Stronger Than You".

"Back in the start of the show, it was a lot more lighthearted. What's the funniest or weirdest line you had to record?" Zach IMMEDIATELY goes into voice: "A boy on the cusp of manhood can't spend the whole day wackering." Grace enjoyed her line from "Open Book": "Of course you like the ending, you LOVE schmultz."

Pivoting into the weirdness of early episodes, Zach says "Frybo and Cat Fingers were back to back, 5 and 6. I don't know how anyone stuck with the show after that."

What's the biggest theme you've taken from the show? Grace: "I think about Mindful Education all the time. Here Comes a Thought is such a great song but also an important mantra."

Other than Uncle Grandpa, what crossover would you like to do? Zach: "I wanna be the very best!" Audience cheers. Grace says she would've loved to do "Adventure Time".

This segues into a joke that people confuse Zach for Jeremy Shada (Finn), in some cases even when Zach is standing in front of a poster that says ZACH CALLISON. Grace says that her boyfriend loves the joke so much that Zach is listed in his phone as "Jeremy Shada".

Behind the scenes

What was it like seeing the show blow up the way it did? Grace: "I used to go on Tumblr and read all the posts, all the reactions people had, but after Jail Break... couldn't do that anymore." Zach: "I poke my head into a reddit every once in a while."

What's it like in the booth with the rest of the cast? Grace: "Deedee and Michaela always get to do the funniest things."

Discussion of how voice acting lends them a little more anonymity than live-action, and there's still a spectrum of how recognizable people are.

Grace recounts a story from earlier in the day, possibly on the way to that very panel. "The elevator was pretty crowded and I was able to get on but Zach wasn't. And as soon as it closed, one of the other people in the elevator was like 'Oh my god, Zach Callison almost got on the elevator with us!' And I was like 'Oh my god, that would've been so cool!'"

Both Zach and Grace recounted times when they've greeted stranger wearing SU apparel and gotten blank stares in response, like, "Uh, yeah, what's your point?"

Zach: "As of Sunday, I'm leaving the country to be a hobo for a bit." He's flying to Siberia, then taking a 62-hour train ride to get on a boat to Korea, where he plans to visit the Korean animation studio where SU is drawn (as seen in "Steven's Dream"), something almost no actors do (apparently Michaela was more or less the first to do so, for any show at all).

Sometimes Grace will have a lot of "catching up" to do with the plot. "One time Rebecca was like 'oh by the way Lars is pink now." Zach jokes, "Lars is pink, Ronaldo and Pearl are married, oh and Steven is dead."

Have you ever cried in the recording booth? Zach: "Over a dozen times." Grace says she has, sometimes in group records.

More joking around: "Yes, I'm Zach Callison, the voice of Onion. I'll be in my booth." "You should have a print that's just Onion." "With the flames behind him."

What were your auditions like? Grace: "I was reading the sides from 'Bubble Buddies', and Connie is worried she's gonna die with no friends and I was like 'This is a kids show? This is a show for children and I'm supposed to say these words?!'" She saw Rebecca Sugar's name attached to the show, which she recognized as a fan of Adventure Time, particularly Marceline "I'm edgy like her!"

Audience member starts her question: "Ohmygod, my heart is in my ass. Wait, can I say ass?" Grace: "You can say whatever you want, you're not under the thumb of Time Warner." Zach: "Technically, I've never signed any NDA. Oh hell, I'm leaving the country in three days. ACT ONE!" [laughter, and he does not continue with joke spoilers]

Outside of Steven Universe

Tell us about yourself outside of Steven Universe. Zach: "I'm a dirty rowdy hippie." He goes to music festivals barefoot (but not urban ones).

Zach talked about some of the over-the-top scenes he's been in or seen on "The Goldbergs", where he plays a minor recurring character, including one where the actual rain they were filming in wasn't enough, so the producers dumped thousands of gallons of additional rainwater on the cast.

Zach said he hasn't auditioned for anything new in a while (I think he said at least a year) because of burnout. Whenever SU may end, he's ready for a break. Following on with that, discussion of what a shitty industry Hollywood is, especially for kids.

Zach: "A lotta people (in this industry), their big break is a show they hate, and that kills me to think that. And it couldn't be further from the truth for anyone in SU. If I had booked a live-action sitcom that ran six seasons, I wouldn't be here. I'd be in a much darker place."

What would you be doing if not this?

Zach: "I enrolled in college, signed up for things, never went to class, and eventually dropped out. I never had any other plan." Ties into further discussion of what an absolute nightmare Hollywood is for kids, that some of his friends from high school are no longer around.

Grace: "I went to college for two years (she would've graduated this spring), trying to make sure I had a plan B lined up. But flying back and forth from San Francisco to Los Angeles was getting ridiculous and I realized I wasn't being fair to my plan A."

[dungeons-and-danis]

While we’re on the topic, I would also like to address something that get’s under my skin a little bit.

I know i’ve garnered a little bit of a following (were almost to 4k!! exciting!), and I definitely feel the love from the majority of you and appreciate your support always, especially when I can’t post as much. 

But there are also a couple of those like.... idk how to put it, lesser known but a bit more up-there dnd blogs who clearly only care about gaining followers for meaningless clout that just..... desperately try to co-opt some of my posts in hopes that I reblog them and send some followers their way. I’ve had people literally screenshot posts I make asking for input and then answer it on their own blogs, and then PROCEED TO TAG ME, ASKING ME TO REBLOG A POST OF MINE THAT THEY STOLE FROM ME LOL.

Like man, I just.... see a couple of folks here and there jumping through hoops to ride the waves of a few of my bigger posts and its so.... so fucking bizarre because I just do not see myself as someone who would attract weird shit like that. And yet here we are lmfao.

With that said, I really love interacting with you guys. But when you make it super obvious that you’re just interested in some sort of weird little promo or low key shout out, i just.... idk man, maybe rethink that. It honestly just makes me kind of uncomfortable because i’m just out here.... tryna enjoy my hobbies and share them with yall. I don’t wanna get caught up in clout and follower counts and shit.