#but man james young sounds like a great guy

[whateveriscatchy]

x

[ohtobeleah]

I think one of the main reasons why the Worst!Logan loves you so much, without putting too much thought into the question, is simply because you ease the burden of being alive. You don’t ‘give him a reason to live.’ He found that on his own when Wade showed up and snatched his old, drunken ass out of his world and planted him here. But you ease the burden. You ease the pain of being alive on days when everything seems so…distressing. But when you plant something, it often grows roots. And that’s exactly what Logan wanted to do with you. 

“Hope, at its very core, can be the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torment of man,” That one. That was the ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’ moment where Logan knew you had him wrapped around your finger like some perverted puppy. “You aren’t just any man, Logan,” He could vividly picture you sitting on his lap while his back pressed heavily into your headboard. “You’re Wade’s boyfriend.” 

“Oh aren’t you just hilarious,” Logan could remember replying to you as you leaned in to place a gentle kiss against his lips. He loved those moments. The quiet ones. Where nothing else in the world mattered except for the time he got to spend in your undivided attention. “Keep that attitude up, I dare you.” 

“You don’t have to threaten me with a good time.” It was the dynamic the two of you had. The banter-filled friendship that crossed the line into friends with immaculate benefits. And under the glow of your bedside lamps, the ones that sent an orange hume across the floor-length curtains and cottage cream walls, Logan knew that the small amount of time you had been in his life…had been the time most lived. 

“You surround yourself day in and day out with a degenerate crew of antagonists, Logan, of fucking course you’re gonna pick up a few traits after a while!” It wasn’t uncommon to see Logan perched up at the bar while you made coffees for the steady trickle of customers who stopped by for their caffeine fix. After all, it was your cafe. “It doesn’t sound like my issue that you called Althea, Blind Al.” 

“It’s not her fucking name, is it?” Logan’s heated. He kinda hates himself a little for it. Mainly because he recognised straight away who he sounded like. Wade fucking Wilson. Secondly, he had enough respect for the old, aging and decaying to know nicknames like that could put senior citizens into early graves. Well, earlier. “You know what, that’s it, I’m not fucking hanging around that guy anymore.” 

Deep down, Logan knew he didn’t mean it. Wade was a genuinely good person. He saw a lot of parallels of himself in the guy. And if it weren’t for Wade… Logan wouldn’t be sitting here right now. Bickering back and forth with the love of his overextended life. You just made him feel like a guy. Just some dumb guy. Simple. Whenever Logan was with you, he wasn’t The Wolverine. He was just James Howlett. 

“Okay one,” You stopped steaming the milk you had in just been working with so you could reply. You turned with a shit-talking snarl ready to go. “You sound like someone who’s beefing with their childhood bestie,” The frown on Logan’s face warned you not to continue, but you weren’t in the mood to pity someone over four times your age. “Two, you fucking live with the guy man?” You pointed out the incredibly obvious logistics of Logan’s dilemma. “What? you gonna sleep on the street?” It was a genuine question you had. “Please, you’re made of metal dumbass, you’ll catch some sort of genetically fucked mutation of pneumonia and die at the young age of two hundred and twenty-something.” 

“You know exactly who you sound like right now?” Logan countered as he sipped his coffee. The same coffee order you made him every damn day. Black, no cream, sugar or milk. No flavoured syrup or sweeteners in sight. Just black. 

“If you point out the fact I sound like my longest-standing friend, I’ll take great pleasure in knowing you can’t die alone, because you can’t seem to die at all!!” 

“Go fuck yourself!” Logan needed this. He needed you to match his energy. You saw him coming from a mile away when he’d come barrelling into the cafe with a glare of despair and in need of some reprieve. 

“Fuck me yourself, asshole.” It wasn’t exactly what Logan had been expecting you to say, but he did take you up on that offer…The second he knew you were off work and at home later that same evening. 

“Logan–” Your needy little whines were a symphony of desire and love. “Logan–yes, baby you feel so good.” The way Logan made you feel, the way he touched you in all the right ways, made you feel drunk on his ecstasy. 

“Ohhhh just like that huh?” Logan wouldn’t dare change a single thing about what he was doing right now. He had you right where he wanted you. He loved you in his position. The one where he had your arms pinned behind your beck. The one where your chest presses right against his. The one where all he has to do is buck his hips up into yours while his heels dig into your mattress. It’s the one where he can whisper the most degrading things into your ear and knows you’re drooling for it. He knows that much because he can feel it dripping down his other shoulder while you mumble incoherent love songs. 

“I could smell you, you know,” Logan growls particularly low as he keeps his pace going. “When you were giving me that fucking attitude in the cafe today,” You know he’s talking, but the way his perfectly enhanced cock is kissing the tip of your cervix with every thrust it keeping your mind from focusing on anything else but chasing that all important high of yours. “Got nothing to say now, have you?” 

“I–” You tried to tell Logan what you want, you know he already knows when the words won’t come out and you can’t keep your eyes from rolling. “Wanna–” 

“Oh please,” Logan nearly begs while he keeps thrusting up into you. He can feel the mixture of his previous load and your arousal mixing at the base of his shaft. “Give me something pretty to look at gorgeous.” 

Logan thought you were the most gorgeous woman to ever grace his life. Inside and out you were truly one of the most kind-hearted, lovely, compassionate people he’d ever known. But right now, in this very moment, all Logan wanted to do was see your gorgeous face when you came around his slicked-up shaft. All he wanted to feel was you clenched him like a vice grip made just for him. 

“Fuckk–Logan!” At your cries, Logan was quick to grab your face with one of his hands. He wanted to look you in the eyes. Wanted to feel every part of your soul connect with his when you came for him. 

“I’m right here,” He cooed, still bucking into you with force and pace. “I’ve got you, come on me, baby.” 

“Ohhhhh–” The way you dragged your nails down his sides made Logan hiss with pure sexual gratification. Your velvet walls paused around his shaft as he kept up the pace, fucking deeper into you. As deep as he could get just to feel you. “Yessss–” 

“I’m the luckiest guy alive,” Logan rolled his eyes with pure unadulterated lust as you came down from your high. He lets go of your face only to crash his lips against yours in a feverish kiss. “Fucking perfect for me.” He gives you a minute to recover. Logan slowly rocks his hips so that he’s never completely still, always admiring your beauty while yours naked on top of him the way you are. 

“Okay big guy,” You sigh, sitting up to straddle Logan. “Your turn.” 

“Gready thing, one not enough for you?” Logan could still feel how full you were from his last load. He couldn’t contain himself, you just had that effect on him. 

“Well, since you’re either sleeping here or on the street tonight, I figured you didn’t have any plans,” You teased as you rocked your hips the way you knew drove Logan wild. His fingers dug into your hips and for a second he released some pressure. Worried that he might leave a few bruises. Or worse…But when you placed your hands on top of his? Logan knew you were alright. “Gonna finish what you started? Or do you need a second to catch your breath?” 

“Oh I’m gonna ruin you–” Logan smiled as he jumped into action. Capturing your lips with his as he flipped the two of you around. Suddenly you found yourself on your back, pressed into the mattress. “You know how I feel about you, right?” It was a gentle moment laced between the lust and the desire. But when Logan caught your eye, so beautiful and kind, he wanted to make sure that you knew this wasn’t just sex to him. 

This was…You were… Everything he ever wanted. 

“I know,” You nodded, making sure to pull him closer. As close as you could get in missionary. “I’ve got you,” Was all you said back before your lips were taken hostage yet again. “I–” You were about to say it but stopped yourself. The L would be just something that wasn’t said that much. 

You knew it was because Logan was afraid to. He was scared if he said he loved you then he’d wake up from this dream. Back in the pub, he wasn’t welcome in. Back in his reality, where the version of you didn’t know him as the best worst version of himself. 

“You mean everything to me.” You settled with as Logan buried himself inside you. Not knowing that in nine months from now, your greatest love of all would carry your love for Logan in her name: 

Ilya: I.Love. You. Always

Ilya

[whenanafallsinlove]

i quite literally screamed when i saw ur 150 post. i’d say i wanna be the james to ur betty but betty is too good for the world, let alone any guy 😞

ANYWAY, congrats on 150 🤍 you deserve that and so much more 🪽 SAD PROSE 🖋️ touya tdrk + “with my calamitous love and insurmountable grief”

- mady 🤍🪽💿💭🐚

ahhh sorry it took this long! this was a challenge! i really hope you like this. I guess, be the betty to my betty? anyway, love u mady!

✒️"SAD PROSE" - send a character + your favorite folklore lyric, and I'll write a short blurb

"MY CALAMITOUS LOVE AND INSURMOUNTABLE GRIEF" - TOUYA TODOROKI x reader

Touya and you were childhood friends. You had known him since you were a toddler, because you were neighbours.

The first time you met Touya, was when you were around three years old. Your had just moved in to the neighbourhood, so your mother decided that you should greet and introduce yourselves to the family next door.

You didn't remember that moment with a lot of detail, but you recalled your mother knocking on the door, a beautiful white haired woman opening, and a little Touya peeking from behind.

From that moment on, Touya became part of your life, and you his. You practically ate, slept and breathed together. It was so common for you to be at his house, that you weren't even amazed anymore by the fact that his father was one of the biggest heroes.

To you, he was just the man who usually made your best friend cry.

Touya was homeschooled, so he always asked you what it was like to study with other people. His reality was very different to yours; he was taught by private tutors, and as he grew up, most of his free time was spent on quirk trainning with his father.

Still, you did everything that was possible so you could see him everyday. Of course, you started to spend time with his sibblings as well. Fuyumi was just a few months younger than you, whereas Natsuo and Shoto were still very little.

As the years passed, you started to comprehend better a lot of things, you started to see things that you hadn't seen before.

You saw how Touya's father had a lot of expectations on him, you saw how your best friend was getting injured because of this, you saw the way Rei was as preoccupied as you were, and you understood how impotent you were in this situation.

The only thing you could do for Touya, was hold him while he cried, help him clean his wounds, and hear him vent about his father.

Throughout the decade you had known Touya, you had seen him change. He seemed to have lost his happineess, and replaced it with a motivation to please his father's wishes.

But you always remained as his constant.

Since you met, Touya told you that he would keep you by his side forever, that when you grew up, you'd be together for the rest of your lives.

But destiny played its cards, and on a windy day in winter something happened...

"Y/N, today is the day! I'm going to show my father how a great hero I can become!" Touya said, seemingly excited.

"Are you sure Tou? I'm sure you'll be a great hero, but I'm still worried about you..." You said to your best friend. Touya scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You sound like my mother, Y/N. I have told you not to worry, I'm stronger than my father, he has to see that!"

"I really hope he does. Just be careful, Tou!" You knew better than to push Touya. He needed to feel supported, so you gave him that.

"Yeah, whatever..." Touya shrugged, and you both stayed silent for a few seconds, before he spoke again.

"You know, Y/N? I want you to be by my side forever. I'll marry you when we're older."

"Huh!? Don't talk nonesense Tou, you're too young to decide that!" You felt your cheecks burn.

"That's why I said when we're older. I'll be the greatest hero, and I'll have the greatest best friend as my partner" Touya gave you a small smirk, so you shoved his shoulder.

"Shut up, idiot!" You said, but couldn't help the smile you had.

You both started laughing and shoving each other. In that moment, your heart burnt with intensity, but the incident that happened later that evening made it burst into a thousand ashes.

That was the last time you had seen Touya; he had made you a promise he wasn't able to fulfill. Your forever dissapeared hand in hand with him.

The years that followed didn't make it any easier, you kept telling yourself "It takes time", but deep down you knew that it was only making you ache more and more.

So, when you watched the news and saw your childhood best friend confessing to be part of the League of Villains, you entered a state of shock. You felt a mix of happiness, nostalgia, hope and depression.

You weren't sure whether he remembered you, if you could contact him or if you should just let everything stay buried. But a few days after the transmission, you found a letter in your doorstep.

It was inside of an envelope, that had "Touya" written in it. You sat down on your couch and opened it, with a hole in your stomach.

"Dear Y/N, It's been a long time, so I'm not sure if you will read this. I haven't had classes in a long of time, so don't get petty with my spelling, okay dumbass? I'm sure you're confused with all the mediatic stunts I pulled, and you may have a lot of questions, so I'll try to answer some of them. That day, after we talked, I went to the place where I had asked my father to meet me. He never showed up. I can't remember much after that; I was surrounded by fire and the next thing I knew, was that I woke up in a hospital three years after. The next years, I worked on developing my quirk. I couldn't go back home, and I couldn't go back to you. I may sound like a stalker, but I've been keeping an eye on you though. Just checking from time to time that you were okay... You know? I sometimes wonder if you would feel dissapointed for the way I turned out. I hope that deep inside you, you understand that this was my only way to get my revenge at the old bastard. You're collateral damage. I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise, our field of dreams ended up engulfed in fire. Anyway, you may have been right back then. We were just kids, what we thought was for all time, was momentary. I don't have much more to say. This might be the last goodbye, please use this as closure Y/N, and don't try to contact me. I loved you, you were the loss of my life. - Touya "

With your watery eyes, you were forced to let go of Touya for the second time. Your heart filled with an emotion that you could only describe as calamitous love and insurmountable grief.

a/n: so... I know this was supposed to be only inspired by folklore, but i had to add a little ttpd for the suffering! btw this is not proof read, again! so sorry if there are any mistakes

[landoom]

F1 FANFICS REC LIST - George Russell (non Galex)

(this list doesn't contain Galex fics as there will be another list dedicated to those)

snap out of it (7177 words) by 140445 Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: George Russell/Max Verstappen Summary: Frequency illusion was a disease, and Max had it. Max spent twenty-five years on this earth without seeing George Russell shirtless. Twenty-five great years that ended now, because for the second time in the span of two weeks, Max saw George without a shirt on. (5 times Max struggles with George, none of them out on track.)

oOoOoOo

Brake Balance (25901 words) by Russilton Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Lewis Hamilton/George Russell Summary: "Why don’t you come dance?” With me goes unspoken, and George is eyeing him with a familiar look, like he’s sure Lewis will brush him off again, but he still wants to try. Maybe it’s the buzz of alcohol. Maybe it’s the shiny skin of a tanned collarbone showing through George’s three open shirt buttons. Maybe it’s just the adrenaline of the whole day in general, but for once, Lewis thinks that sounds like a pretty good idea. Stop overthinking, just go with it. Bono’s words echo pointedly around his mind. Fuck it

oOoOoOo

Doctor, call the undertaker (This one might be bad) (14296 words) by Be_Abnormal Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/George Russell Summary: “Uhm, I guess you already know what people say about me.” Daniel nods, because it feels like the right thing to do and also because, well, it’s true. He does.  That you’re gay? Are you gay? Please be gay, even if you’re- like- gay just for me. Wait— actually, that would be perfect, please-  “That I act like I’ve got a stick up my asshole.” Daniel almost spits the entire bottle in his face.  Or: George and Daniel and the essence of being too chaotic and British

oOoOoOo

can’t start a fire without a spark (7399 words) by peachbellini Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/George Russell, Alexander Albon & George Russell Summary: “Saw you wore my merch again. Anyone would think you fancy me."

oOoOoOo

Eight Geese a laying: or, how George learned to love the goose (2819 words) by What_The_Earth Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: George Russell/Lance Stroll Summary: Storks bring babies, doves bring peace, and geese will drag you to your soulmate. The issue really is that there are quite a lot of geese in the world. Specifically many different species of geese. In his defence the first time he encountered it he was mid run and was doing a loop round St James Lake in Brackley when it appeared.

oOoOoOo

I can't swim the ocean like this forever (16133 words) by TheWiseOne12 Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Lando Norris/George Russell Summary: “I’m George,” he introduced himself to the other man. “I know,” the other man replied, “I follow F1.” “I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are.” “Lando Norris,” he replied, reaching his hand out to shake George’s. “And how come you are here?” George asked. He looked too young to be a sponsor or some rich old guy but he didn’t recognise him. “I’m an Olympic diver.”

oOoOoOo

GR63 (12047 words) by Ossobuco Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/George Russell Summary:

“All right, thank you, everyone,” George says as the last few of his colleagues settle into their chairs. “This meeting of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association is now in session. As you all know, it’s our third race week of the year and we have quite a bit to get to, but as the first order of business, I would like to propose an inquiry into a situation in which many of us have found ourselves, rather inexplicably. I’m aware that in past seasons, established procedure has been to simply—er, handle the problem as quickly as possible—”

There’s a low snicker from somewhere in the back of the room. George ignores it. “But I believe it’s time we took a more proactive, analytical approach to this, ah, phenomenon.”

oOoOoOo

shake me down (5419 words) by litaf1101 Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: George Russell/Logan Sargeant Summary: Logan doesn't know what the hell he's doing, hooking up with George Russell of all people.

oOoOoOo

winning mentality (18500 words) by linearity Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: George Russell/Max Verstappen, Alexander Albon/George Russell Summary: It’s not, like, a thing. It’s only happened twice, if you don’t count the time during the pre-season when Max shoved a thigh against George’s crotch, and George, touched-deprived and broken-hearted, let out a sharp gasp and came instantly. Max, looking shocked and frightened, stormed away.

MASTERPOST

[thebigstar-abouttofall]

Wolfstar Microfic Day 6: Time-Turner

@wolfstarmicrofic

Rating: PG (Angst/Fluff/Grief)

Summary: Remus gets his hands on a black market Time-Turner five years after Sirius ends up in Azkaban and knows exactly what to do with it.

Word count: 645

His fingers are whitening, his grip around the Time-Turner is so tight. And his whole body shakes. When he opens his eyes, he knows that he’s done it. The air is warm and heavy with the smells of dinner cooking in the kitchens below, and it rings out with the laughter and chatter of nearby students. Familiar stone brick surrounds. Five hours. The guy in The Hog’s Head had said he had five hours. And he’d known - as soon as the man mentioned the Time-Turner he’d “somehow” gotten his hands on - that this is what he would do with it.

And, in a moment of pure serendipity, the kind of luck that Remus hasn’t had in a long time, he can hear a distant gleeful rabble, instantly recognisable. He shoves himself into a nearby cupboard, leaving the door open a crack, watching the scene unfold. First, two voices which make his stomach clench.

“Right guys. We’ll see you later. I’m gonna go to the library, you still coming Pete?” It’s James. Lovely, lovely Seventh Year James. He feels nausea rising in his throat. This was such an idiotic idea.

And then: “Yeah, ‘course! Let’s go. See you guys at dinner! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Moony. I hope you have honourable intentions for my Padfoot.” It’s Peter. Another squeeze of his heart. This is too much. He suddenly feels claustrophobic and his mouth dries up. He makes to leave the cupboard as he hears young Remus clap back: “Only the best for your daughter, Wormy!”

But the sound of James dissolving into laughter stills him. And the scene unfolding next is one that replays over and over in his dreams. He knows he shouldn’t be dreaming of him. The one who brought death and betrayal in his wake. But Remus is haunted by doubt. Growing around his heart like deadly mould. A fear that their love was one great conspiracy. A lie. An exaggeration. A fairy tale.

As if in response, peering out of the slit in the door, he can see himself, looking awkward and gangly as ever but alive. He feels oddly jealous.

And then Sirius walks into view and it’s like standing under a waterfall, being pummelled by feelings that he’s long been trying to ignore.

He looks beautiful. He always did. Angelic. With his sharp cheek bones, his porcelain skin. His silvery eyes, guiding orbs lighting up his face. His black hair long and shaggy, just how he liked it and Walburga hated it.

He’s rummaging in his pocket. And it’s exactly how he’d remembered it.

“Hey, Moons. I have something for you.” Young Sirius is whispering, his eyes trembling with something so pure. Anticipation on his lips. He continues to retrieve the present from inside of his robes.

“What?” Young Remus looks put out momentarily. “Is it Valentine’s Day? Or my birthday? Or Christmas? Or the anniversary of that time we glued Snivellus’ mouth together just before he had to get up to give a presentation in Charms?”

Sirius is cackling. He catches his breath. “No but god, we should make that an annual festival! No, it’s nothing like that I-... well I’ve just been planning this for a while. And finally decided to…”

He trails off, looking down at the box in front of him. Young Remus is visibly trembling, a grin sticking to his cheeks. Sirius tenderly lifts off the lid, revealing two aged silver chains. One adorned with a small moon charm and the other with a star.

Older Remus can’t even watch anymore because he knows how this goes. He knows that Young Remus chokes up and pulls Sirius into a soft, grateful kiss, cradling his face in his hands. Under his shirt, Older Remus touches his hand to the star charm still dangling from his neck, shudders. And tears fall down his cheeks again.

[ghostofaboy]

Day Five - Kinktober 2024

Day 5: Body Swap / Fisting / Sexual Frustration Jack Daniels/M!OC Rating: Explicit | Word Count: 1102 Warnings: Mentions of oral sex, mentions of anal sex, rimming, mentions of group sex, fisting, Jack is his own warning

Ghost of a Boy Kinktober Prompt List | Kinktober '24 Masterlist

This is not how Jack thought his day would go, yet here he was ass up, face down in the private suite of the hot young thing he’d been sent to tail. Technically he was still doing his assignment. There was no way the young man, James, could run off and commit crimes while he was dutifully eating Jack’s ass. And as he felt the younger man’s tongue dance around his rim, a pair of strong hands kneading his ass cheeks, Jack felt like this was one of the better assignments he’d had in a while.

They’d already fucked. All day yesterday had been spent riding thick twenty-two-year-old cock leaving Jack walking funny enough for James to laugh, calling him a real cowboy. All morning had been spent doing more of the same, with James adding dildos and beads into the mix to make Jack’s ass feel more used than it had in years. In a good way of course. And while they showered together, and James took Jack to the back of his throat, the subject of really pushing Jack’s limits had come up.

It had been a long time since Jack had been fisted, but as soon as he bought it up James was eager. Over lunch he excitedly told Jack all about his fuck buddy, and how deep they’d been able to fist each other one night together. And just like that, the afternoon’s activity was decided on.

A shiver ran through Jack, as the warm hands and mouth of James disappeared from his rear. Peering over his shoulder, Jack could see the young blond gathering and arranging all the tools he’d need for their fun. 

“Just remember to take it a little easy on me.” Jack chuckled, catching James’ eye. “‘m not as young as I was.”

“Bullshit.” James laughed, easing the first lubricated finger into Jack. “You can’t ride cock for six hours straight and claim you’re not as young as you were. Jesus Jack, what were you like when you were my age?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Jack winked, arching his back and moaning as James added a second finger with no resistance. 

“I bet you have some great stories.” James purred, one hand stoking down Jack’s thigh as a third finger joined the fun. “What’s the most amount of men you’ve fuck in one night?”

“Straight out with the important questions.” Jack's laugh turned into a moan as James began to pump his digits in and out of Jack’s needy hole. Jack let the room fill with the lewd wet sounds of his ass being worked open while he pondered his answer. “Around fifteen I think.”

“Fifteen!” James’ fingers stopped for a second. “You’re kidding me. You fucked fifteen guys in one night?”

“Well, technically it was durin’ the day. And it was- Ooooh fuck.” Jack groaned, involuntarily rising from the mattress as he felt the fourth finger finally breach his rim. A firm hand on his back, pushed him back down onto the bed as he began to squirm. 

“You ok?”

“Yeah.” Jack panted as James resumed fingering Jack open. “Yeah, I’m ok. Where was I?”

“Fifteen guys in a day.”

“Right, right.” Jack tried to gather his thoughts as the thick fog of arousal filled his senses. He could feel his pulse through each throb of his untouched cock as James stretched his hole with slow deliberate pumps of his fingers. Occasionally he would pause to add more lube, but that only added to Jack’s anticipation and lust, building the fire inside him.

“Well, it was an orgy you see. I got an… oh shit… I got an invitation from a friend and well, you can’t turn down an invite to an orgy.” Jack tried to focus on his breathing and the story. “There were way more than fifteen… shit… fifteen guys there. But I reckon I took at least that many in my ass and mouth throughout the day.”

“Thumb going in now.” James gently tapped his leg. Jack nodded.

“That day was the first time I… ohhh, fuck, fuck…” Jack’s jaw dropped open with the delicious stretch as James carefully tucked his thumb in and eased his entire hand into Jack’s gaping entrance. “Fuck, I’d forgot how good this fuckin’ feels.”

“You doing good?”

“So fuckin’ good.” Jack let out a wanton moan as James pulled his fist almost completely out of his ass, feeling the ring of muscle at his entrance yawn open, before closing tightly around the young man’s wrist once more.

“You think you can come like this?” James gave Jack’s balls a quick lick, sending jolts of electricity through his body.

“Yeah.” Jack shifted his knees further apart, stars dancing in front of his eyes. “If you keep it nice and steady and milk me.”

“Fuck yeah.” Jack could hear the grin in James’ voice and the younger man began to methodically and sensually rock his fist in and out of Jack. His other hand soon began to work in tandem, gripping his aching, dripping cock and pulling down in an almost massage. 

“You gonna finish that story about the orgy?” James cooed, as he tenderly brought Jack closer and closer to the edge. But Jack couldn’t think.

All Jack knew anymore was the thrum of arousal, that pushed all thoughts out of his head and replaced them with need and desire. All he could do was listen to his own whines and the filthy sound of his sloppy, gaping hole each time James plunged his hand deep inside him. 

With a loud cry, Jack felt himself shatter, as the tension finally snapped. Shockwaves ripped through him as the hardest climax he’d had in years crashed over his body. The world melted away, as Jack emptied himself onto James’ hand and the bed, before reforming slowly. Jack slumped down onto the damp mattress, boneless and exhausted, James still locked in place at the wrist. 

Carefully, James eased his hand out of Jack’s use hole, pulling a whimper from the agent. Behind him, Jack could hear and feel the younger man starting to clean up. Wiping lube and cum from his body, shifting bottles and towels off to the side. Finally, the warm hot, and still very erect body of James draped itself over Jack’s trembling form. 

“Water?”

“Please.” Jack nodded, gratefully accepting the bottle as it was handed to him. “Give me just a minute and I’ll see to you. A gentleman doesn’t leave someone hard and wantin’.”

Peppering his cheek with kisses, James huffed out a soft laugh. “Good, cos it’s my turn next cowboy.”

[celandeline]

Summer of Like // Farleigh Start x OC (17)

I am so incredibly glad that Elspeth put my seat next to Venetia, otherwise I would be completely lost at this dinner. The people I know are vastly outnumbered by the people I don’t, and I feel for Felix, who looks so bored stranded between two men (who I can assume are both named Henry). 

“And what’s your name?” The man to my right is already red in the face, and we’re only on the second course of the meal. 

“Evelyn.” I say, shifting slightly in my seat to face him. 

“Henry.” He says, extending his hand to shake. His palms are sweaty, and I try not to cringe at the way he leaves a film on my hand. 

“I figured.” I say, wiping my palm on the skirt of my dress. 

He laughs, even though I didn’t really mean it to be all that funny - but drunk people make the best crowd. “I’ve not seen you about before.” He says. “Or maybe I have -” He chuckles. “Parties here do tend to get rather crowded.”

“This is my first time.” I say. “Venetia brought me home for the summer.”

His eyebrows quirk up. “How are you liking it?”

“It’s great.” I say, turning to my plate to spoon a bite of dinner into my mouth. “The house is beautiful.”

“Oh, yes.” He says. “I remember the first time I saw this house - of course, I was very young, then - but I still remember that grandeur feeling. And the people - James’s mother and father were such lovely people.”

“I’m sure.” I say, trading my spoon for my wine glass. It’s white wine tonight, and it goes down easier than the red. 

He stops himself to drain his own wineglass. “Really such lovely people, the Cattons.”

“Mm.” My eyes drift along the table until they reach the end, where Elspeth and Farleigh are sat around a corner. Even though Elspeth is talking to him, Farleigh’s eyes are on me as he takes a long draught from his glass. He tilts his head as he sets his cup down, and smirks. 

“Truly, it’s a sort of fantasy, being here…”

Mostly prattling to himself at this point, I turn away from Henry and back towards Venetia. Her back is to me though, talking to Oliver. 

“No thanks.” Venetia says, sighing. “It’s just so disappointing. You're just another one of his toys.”

“You're upset.” Oliver doesn’t sound sympathetic at all.

“No! Don't worry! I'm used to it, honestly.” She says it so flippantly my heart breaks a little.  “He never liked sharing his toys. Even the ones he doesn’t want to play with anymore.” She turns away from him, to face me with a sad sort of smile. 

“Venetia…” Oliver hisses. “Venetia…”

She pays him no mind. “Hi Evie.”

I smile. “Hi baby.”

She drops her voice, and picks up her wineglass. “He’s such a bore, my god.” She flicks her hair over her shoulder towards Oliver. “As soon as Felix says no, that’s it. Done.” She glances across the table. “Felix hasn’t spoken to me since yesterday morning.”

“He’ll come around.” I say. “You’re his sister.”

“I know.” She sighs. “Still - there goes my summer entertainment.”

I roll my eyes. I don’t believe for a second that she’s going to stop batting her eyelashes at him. She’ll take a break, sure, but she couldn’t even come up with a word to describe the way he gave her head - she’s going to at least try again. 

“What about you?” She says. “What about last night?”

“What about last night?” I say. 

“Farleigh was on your bed.”

“To gossip.” I say. 

“To gossip,” She mocks, rolling her eyes. “Without me? Alone, in your room, when you’d just gotten out of the shower? Gossip.” 

“Yes, gossip.” I say. “You know about his weird hate-boner for Oliver.”

“I know about his boner-boner for you.” Venetia says. Her eyes skip away from mine, past me, to where Farleigh is sitting. 

“We almost kissed.” I say, hushed. “I think. I don’t know.”

She bites her lip as she grins. “Go on.” Sure, Oliver might be too scared to keep their summer romance going, but that doesn’t mean she can’t doubly invest herself in mine to keep herself entertained. 

“We almost kissed that night on the roof, too, I think.” I say. “I don’t know, he’s not… most guys would just do it, you know? He keeps just waiting.” 

“And you haven’t kissed him because?” She asks.

“I’m kind of enjoying the tension.” I admit, a little sheepishly. 

“Me too.” She says, grinning. “It’s like my own soap opera happening in my house, starring people that I already know and love. I’m so glad that I brought you home, Evie, really.”

“So glad that I could make your summer more interesting.” I say, truthfully. 

“You’ll have to tell me if he’s a good kisser, when you do end up snogging.” She says. “I’ve always wanted to know who’s the best kisser out of the three of us - everyone says Felix is quite bad, and I think I’m alright, but I don’t know anyone that’s kissed Farleigh to check.”

“If we end up snogging.” I say, mocking her accent. 

“Oh, shove off, New Yawk.” She grins. “And if you don’t at least kiss him, I’ll be furious.”

“Well, if you’ll be furious.” I say, taking another draught of my wine. 

“Please,” She snorts. “I know you want to.”

“But-”

“And I already know what you’re going to say, ‘what if we kiss and then it’s boring’ - it’s Farleigh. You can say many things about Farleigh, but you can’t say he’s boring.” She gives me a pointed look. 

I grin. “You know me so well.”

She smiles back at me. “I do, don’t I?”

I glance back to the end of the table where Farleigh sits. He’s leaned over towards Elspeth, saying something that I can’t make out, but like he can sense my gaze shifting, his eyes meet mine, and he smiles. I return his grin, and take another sip of wine, licking the excess off my lips. 

< previous part | next part >

[joeliz99]

Remus Lupin- Beneath the Surface

Remus Lupin

Marauders Era

Year 1977 (Sixth Year at Hogwarts)

(Y/N) Bristol had always been a focused young woman with very few friends. While many of her peers spent their time goofing off or falling in love, she meticulously set goals for her future. That’s why working on a poison antidote essay with Remus Lupin didn’t seem like a great idea. The brown-haired boy was associated with Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew, who always seemed to be in trouble or seeking attention. This group of boys disliked following rules or apologizing for their mistakes; they were simply reckless. Therefore, it was understandable that the young woman was reluctant to be paired with the sixth-year student.

However, over the course of their meetings, (Y/N) realized that Remus Lupin was much more than he appeared when surrounded by his friends. He was shy and reserved, respectful in his interactions, and incredibly intelligent. But to be fair, everyone knew that. The now-prefect of Gryffindor House was always on the list of top students in most of their subjects. She was also on that list, of course, but she often went unnoticed.

Up until now, Remus had acknowledged her existence only a few times, and he occasionally wondered how he hadn’t paid more attention to her before. (Y/N) always seemed to have answers for everything. She was prudent, serene, and genuine, truly herself. Talking to her felt like taking a breath of fresh air—an experience he could repeat over and over.

Sitting on the clock tower’s courtyard, they discussed trivial matters while adding final touches to the essay they had been working on for the past two weeks. She held a parchment and quill, while Remus had several books resting on his lap.

“So, what do you want to do after you leave Hogwarts?” The girl glanced up from her parchment when she heard the question.

“I definitely want to be a Healer. It’s been a dream of mine since I was little.”

“Can I ask why?” Remus inquired curiously, leaning back on his arms.

“My grandfather was a Healer until recently. From a young age, I saw how passionate he was about his career and how many people he helped with his knowledge. I loved sitting with him in the afternoons and hearing about his workday. I want to help as many people as he did and never forget to be empathetic or humble with my roots.” A smile appeared on Remus’s face upon hearing this, and (Y/N) mirrored his expression with a small smile of her own. “What about you?”

“Um... Honestly, I’m still not sure what I want to do when I leave here. Maybe teaching? I don’t know.” He shrugged dismissively. “I hope to have a clearer idea before we graduate.”

“I’m sure you will. Don’t worry too much about it.” The young woman responded before continuing with the next question. “How did you get all those marks on your body?”

“What?” The boy’s brow furrowed, and his body tensed immediately—a reaction that did not go unnoticed by (Y/N), who instantly regretted asking the question.

“Forget it, I shouldn’t have asked that. Let’s move on to...”

“Wait, (Y/N),” Remus interrupted. “It’s nothing. You just caught me by surprise...” His mind wandered for a few moments, trying to figure out how to answer the question while sounding truthful. “I’ve always been clumsy. My parents always had to keep an eye on me because turning away for a second meant I’d end up hurting myself. We thought it would stop when I grew up, but it didn’t.” He shrugged and avoided her gaze, knowing that if he looked her in the eye, she would know he wasn’t being entirely honest. “I got these latest ones a few days ago playing with the guys near the Whomping Willow.” He rolled up one of his sleeves to reveal several healing wounds. “But they’re healing, so that’s good.”

“You shouldn’t go near the Willow,” (Y/N) frowned, scrutinizing the young man’s arm. “It’s dangerous, and next time the results could be much worse.” Remus laughed awkwardly at this and nodded.

“I think we’ve figured that out by now…”

“Can I ask you another question?”

“Go ahead.” (Y/N) seemed to think carefully about what she was going to say, and after a few moments, she dared to speak.

“You’re very different from your friends... Before we started this project, I judged you based on everything I’d seen and heard about you, especially from Sirius and James. Why would you want to spend your time with them? Besides the fame and attention that comes with it, what else could you gain from such a friendship?” Remus sighed upon hearing this and took a moment to process what the girl had just said.

“They can be many things, but they’re still my friends... And you’re right, I’m not like them and I don’t agree with everything they do, but they’re important to me. The guys have supported me in my darkest moments when no one else could. We’re inseparable, so if one gets into trouble, the rest do too. It may sound silly, but that’s how we are, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.” He shrugged and looked at (Y/N). “When you get to know them, you realize they’re much more than they seem, just like with me. You should give them a chance; you’d get along well with them.”

“I don’t know, Remus.” (Y/N) sighed, turning her gaze back to the parchments in her hands. “What they did to Severus Snape wasn’t right. And let’s be real, I’m not much different from him. What makes you think they wouldn’t do the same to me?”

“Because I wouldn’t let something like that happen. Besides, the situation is completely different. Not that I’m defending them—never would I do that—but there’s been a rivalry between them and Severus for years.”

“I’m not sure that makes me feel any better, to be honest...” She sighed. “Let’s just forget about it and finish this, it’s getting dark.”

Remus nodded in agreement to not press the issue further, and they spent the rest of the hour solely finishing the work. The next day, both students handed in the essay to Professor Slughorn, and as class ended, they began to gather their things in silence.

“It was nice working with you.” (Y/N) broke the silence after a few seconds. “You know I’m here if you ever need me.”

Remus looked at her upon hearing this and nodded, unsure of how to respond due to the nerves overtaking him.

“Yeah, same.” He managed to articulate, and the girl smiled awkwardly, finishing gathering her things.

“See you later, Remus.” She smiled one last time and left the classroom, leaving behind a blushing and embarrassed Remus.

“You’re such an idiot.” A voice came from beside him, and when he turned his head, he found James grinning at him mockingly. “Is that how you say goodbye, my dear Moony? I thought you were more polite.”

“Shut up, James.” The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes, leaving the classroom with his friends trailing behind him and laughing at his embarrassment.

“You should ask her out without using work as the perfect excuse,” Sirius commented this time, wrapping his arm around Remus’s shoulders once he caught up with him. “She seems like a nice girl.”

“She is, and that’s exactly why I’m not asking her out.”

“Oh, come on, Remus. What’s wrong with having a date with Bristol? You should relax and enjoy yourself a bit.” James interjected again.

“Do I really need to remind you why doing that is a bad idea?” He stopped abruptly, his muscles tensing at the thought of the disastrous possibilities if he lost control near her or anyone else. “It’s a risky move, and she’s too curious... She asked me about the marks on my body yesterday, and I had to lie because I had no other option.”

“Remus, mate...” James sighed, glancing at his friends before speaking. “We’ve got it under control, okay? No one needs to find out or get hurt. We’ll keep doing things the way we have been, and that’s that. Ask her out! You’ve got nothing to lose.”

“And if you don’t like it, just don’t do it again, simple as that. If you want, we can do a group outing to make you feel more comfortable,” Peter added this time, and Sirius nodded, smiling.

“No. That’s definitely not happening.” Remus shook his head repeatedly, clutching the books he was carrying even tighter. “Just... I’ll think about it, okay? I’m not promising anything.”

“Well, that’s better than a no.” Sirius laughed, ruffling the brown-haired boy’s hair, which he swatted away with a complaint. "Don’t make us do it for you, Moony.”

“Whatever. Let’s get going. We’ll be late for Transfiguration class.” He fixed his hair back into place, and his friends laughed, following him as they greeted everyone in the hallways and raced to see who would reach the next classroom first.

The following days passed without any new events. Remus still hadn’t mustered the courage to ask (Y/N) out, so he had settled for small talk with her during Potions class or greeting her in the hallways. His friends hadn’t stopped pressuring him about it, just as they were now, seeing the Ravenclaw girl enter the Great Hall. Remus’s cheeks were red, as always when the subject came up, and his heart raced at the thought of her possible rejection. Since hitting puberty at Hogwarts, he had been accustomed to attention from girls. Not many approached him, but some did. However, he had never even considered having more than a cordial conversation with them. The reasons were endless—starting with the fear of what his nature could provoke, then the little interest he had, and of course, his shy nature. With (Y/N) it was different; being near her was appealing. Conversations flowed naturally, silences were comfortable, and neither of them felt the need to put on an act to impress the other. Even though a part of his mind kept repeating how bad an idea it was to ask her out, there was another part that urged him to take the plunge. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from the table and, ignoring his friends’ comments, walked toward the end of the Ravenclaw table where the girl was seated, already preparing a plate of food. When he arrived, he cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets to hide his nerves, while (Y/N) turned to look at him.

“Hi...” Remus smiled shyly, trying not to pay attention to the curious eyes watching him at the Ravenclaw table.

“Remus.” (Y/N) smiled back. “How are you? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, of course.” He hurried to say, feeling his face warm up again and his stomach flutter as if hundreds of butterflies were inside him. “Listen... I was thinking that our next trip to Hogsmeade is coming up, and I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a butterbeer and a chat...”

“Oh.” (Y/N) swallowed hard at the proposition, feeling instantly nervous. Was he inviting her on a date?

“You don’t have to say yes.” Remus rushed to add, noticing her reaction. “You probably have better plans, and I don’t...”

“I do want to go.” She interrupted him to prevent him from continuing. “Sorry for reacting that way. I usually go to Hogsmeade alone, so you caught me by surprise.” She smiled faintly without breaking eye contact, even though she could feel her nerves showing.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, right?” Remus laughed, scratching his neck, and (Y/N) nodded. “How about we meet in front of the carriages at nine in the morning, and then we can take one together? I promise it’ll just be you and me. I know the guys can be overwhelming sometimes, and we don’t want that.”

“Yeah, that sounds perfect.” (Y/N)’s smile widened a bit more.

“Great, then I’ll let you eat. See you on Friday.”

“See you on Friday... And thank you for inviting me.”

“No problem...” Remus smiled again and waved before turning and heading back to the Gryffindor table with a sense of happiness and excitement he could hardly contain. He couldn’t believe it...

He was going on a date with (Y/N) Bristol!

[fantom-flower]

fantom's album review #1

I decided I'd go through NPR's The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women.

Doing all 150 seemed a little too daunting, so I'm just doing the top 50. I'm going in order from 50 to 1, listening to all the albums from start to finish, rating them and writing my opinion.

I'm just doing this for fun, to learn more about the history of popular music and also listen to genres that I'm less familiar with.

All my ratings are based on my own personal tastes, so the following list is HIGHLY subjective.

50. Hole - Live Through This (1994)

7/10  I’ve never been much for 90s grunge. I was a little too young for its heyday (I was <10 when this album came out, hardly the intended audience) and later when I got into 90s music, grunge never really appealed to me. Still, I enjoyed this album, and I think a few of the songs on it will make it into my regular rotation.

49. Ricki Lee Jones - Pirates (1981)

2/10  Wow. I fucking hated this album. Her voice is okay, sometimes annoyingly breathy, and not nearly interesting enough to carry the meandering talk-singing she engages in nearly every song. Best thing I can say about this album is that it ends.

48. Etta James - Rocks the House (1964)

7/10  I don’t like live albums. That being said, this one is actually pretty good. It has a fun energy, with some great call and response with the audience. NPR's review said she “howled her way through” her songs, and that is accurate. Not something I usually enjoy, but aside from the howling, she has a very powerful and lovely voice, and even the howling started to grow on me by the end of the album.

47. Celia Cruz - Son con Guaguanco (1966)

10/10  No notes. I fucking loved this album. Es La Humanidad is my favorite song off of it. Stunning voice, great instrumentals, so fun to listen to.

46. Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball (1995)

6/10  A lot of the songs were really hit or miss for me. Largely, I really preferred the accompaniment. Wrecking Ball in particular stood out with this great lonely, yearning sound. Deeper Well is the best song on the album, if the rest had been like that, could have been a 9/10 easily. Orphan Girl was awful.

45. Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis (1969)

5/10 Boring. The Windmills of Your Mind was alright.

44. Heart - Dreamboat Annie (1976)

9/10  Glad to find that Magic Man and Crazy on You are representative of the album rather than exceptions from it. Soul of the Sea is probably my favorite track. Lots of fun to listen to.

43. M.I.A. - Kala (2007)

2/10  I think I like Paper Planes as much as the next guy, but not enough to listen to a whole album of it.  Absolutely chock full of the most annoying sound effects known to man.  This one took me a long time to get through. When it was time for me to listen to music I kept thinking, “I don't want to ruin the pleasant vibe I have going by making myself listen to this.”

42. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book (1964)

9/10 Hard to go wrong with Ella Fitzgerald. Name a song of hers that’s not an instant classic. I was surprised to see that this album was from the 60s when I started listening to it. Not the decade I associate with big band. I deduct one point because for me, all slow, soulful, romantic big band songs all kind of sound the same. I like the sound, but I like having some variety. 

41. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (1988)

10/10  Came into the album only having heard of Fast Car. It lives up to the hype, and the rest of the album does not disappoint! Great sound, great lyrics, great social justice message. Talkin’ bout a Revolution is going to be the next song I listen to over and over again to wring every drop of serotonin I can get from it.

Final thoughts of albums 50-41

Favorite album from this group is Tracy Chapman's self titled album. 

As for my least favorite, it's really hard to choose between MIA and Ricki Lee Jones. They were both so deeply awful to listen to.

What I'm looking forward to in albums 40-31:

Kate Bush and my childhood favorite, Tina Turner

What I'm dreading in the next ten:

Björk. I've been doing my best to listen to all the albums from start to finish even if I don't like it. Björk might break the streak.

[seriousbrat]

Another day another shift!

I’ve heard enough about Remus as a sad guitar man, so here’s my next question:

Marauders as a band formation! Who’s playing what and what kind of music are they making?

And a bonus:

Lily and Snape as a duo. Who plays what and what does it sound like?

This time I already have an opinion, but you’ll have to ask. Yours first!

Okay I'm a little torn between Sirius or James for lead vocalist. On the one hand Sirius would be a great frontman simply by virtue of being moody and mysterious and attractive. this is sirius if he was the front man of a band (and from Manchester)

iconic interview lol. although "bit obsessed with me hair" is kind of giving James so idk. On the other hand, James is more immediately charismatic and energetic which are good qualities for a frontman. And I could see Sirius being the sort of Sid Vicious figure of the group. But I also think James would be the most technically skilled so I'm leaning towards James as lead guitarist.

I think Remus would be the bassist- he's kind of understated, but it's very important that he's there. I've said before he's the most likely to play the guitar so he could also play guitar. What I do think is that he'd be probably the most interesting musical talent behind the band. Like Sirius and James are more flashy as members and definitely talented but Remus is kind of a visionary bringing something unique to their sound.

Which leaves Peter as the Ringo of the group, he's pretty fidgety too so drums fits him alright- I think he'd be better on the drums than on any other instrument, anyway.

If I can pick any era for them they'd definitely be a britpop band, no question. I've always felt Damon Albarn kind of gives James vibes, when he was young and especially cocky at least lol

Sev and Lily would be a weird experimental post punk duo, in which Lily is the vocalist and Sev plays the synth. Lily would definitely be the figurehead in this group- kind of a Siouxsie or a Blondie situation where everyone knows her but doesnt know the weird guy(s) lurking behind her playing the instrumentals while she comes out in some weird ethereal costume and sings creepy vocals. I think Sev would be responsible for most of the technical musical aspect, though Lily would be a very talented lyricist. And I've given them a band name which is Lily and the Valley. lmao

[agentnico]

The Gentlemen - season 1 (2024) review

Alright, alright, alright….. wait, McConaughey is not in this one? Oh, well that’s not alright, alright, alright…

Plot: When aristocratic Eddie inherits the family estate, he discovers that it's home to an enormous weed empire, and its proprietors aren't going anywhere.

Guy Ritchie is honestly great. Since way back when he made Lock, Stock and Snatch, he’s consistently churned out top quality entertainment, except maybe the Aladdin remake. I mean I totally get he probably got a superb pay check out of it, but honestly what in the heavens did Guy Ritchie have to do with blue genies I will never know. Regardless, where the man really excels at is when it comes to the British gangster genre. The guy can make swearing sound so poetic and melodic - it’s honestly mad how something so otherwise rude can come off utterly beautiful and delightful like a song. Especially in his 2019 film The Gentlemen, the writing in that movie was so good!! Naturally Netflix caught onto this too as we now how a spin-off series.

Going into the show I was looking forward to it but also cautious, as I was aware this new show was missing the star power of the original film. I mean can you blame me? The movie had the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant to name a few. That’s a solid load of A-listers huddled together. As for the show, the names like Theo James or Kaya Scodelario didn’t instil heavy excitement, especially with James as honestly, I always thought he was a bit of a prick. Granted this may be due to when he played the dickhead in The Inbetweeners movie, and gosh do I feel old with that reference, but he just has that face of a guy that’s so full up his own arse. Again, I’ve never met the chap, he’s probably a lovely human being, but I’ve made this prejudgment in my head and as such when I found out he was the lead of this series I naturally rolled my eyes. That being said I give Netflix props as they hired the original film director Guy Ritchie to create this spin-off and even direct some of the episodes and do a lot of the writing, so of course I was going to check this show out.

Never doubt the Guy should be a new cinematic rule. I’m proud to report that the new The Gentlemen series is a fantastic watch. It’s not the most original show, yet it plays out more-so like a Guy Ritchie’s greatest hits, as it’s got his visual flare and style, with the super cool and smooth fashion choices - honestly Scodelario has a wardrobe change every other scene and each time it felt like she was walking out of a Tom Ford fashion exhibit, and then also all the men wearing their gentlemanly suits dripping with swagger and smoking their cigars and drinking their whiskeys - the whole thing is simply infused with that signature upper-class British gangster feel. Ritchie’s signature syllable-heavy dialogue that just rolls of the tongue is also more than ever present here, and whoever decided to cast Giancarlo Esposito in this show deserves a pay rise, as Esposito’s soft-spoken melodic tone proclaiming the colourful lines of Ritchie’s rich exposition was music to the ears.

The cast here too are super game. Theo James was actually solid as the lead young duke, as he had that manly prowess and was very believable as someone who gets shit done. Kaya Scodelario I thought at first was trying too hard to mimic Michelle Dockery from the original movie, but eventually she made the role her own, and she gave enough mystery to her performance to make us feel uncertain of her true motivations. Daniel Ings as the duke loser-cocaine-addicted-brother Freddy was a lot of fun, however I would say his character became a bit overbearing and annoying in the end, as he constantly made so many mistakes throughout that I honestly kind of wanted him to get killed. It’s as if whenever the show needed an excuse for something bad to happen, they’d just get Freddy to fuck up again. Apologies for my language, I don’t usually swear in my reviews, but also this is a Guy Ritchie project we’re talking about, and he uses the F word every other sentence. So fuck it. In regards to other notable cast members, Pearce Quigley as Gospel John, a leader of a religious gang was oddly creepy yet entertaining, especially when he’d randomly scream certain lines for absolutely no reason. Pure psycho. Peter Serafinowicz and Guz Khan have amusing turns. Lastly we have two British gangster alumni Vinnie Jones and Ray Winstone. These two of course were on a different level to everyone else. Of course Vinnie Jones can be quite cheesy when it comes to acting. One can fondly remember his delivery of the line “I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!”. But when it comes to Guy Ritchie, Jones and him have always been a great pairing. Here as the duke estates’ caretaker, Vinnie is super reserved yet again super cool. I think cool is a word that can be used and abused when it comes to this show. It’s all so cool! Then Ray Winstone as the leader of the crime family… I mean it’s Ray Winstone as the leader of the crime family! He got that Godfather-level gravitas, only more Cockney, and it was great watching him do his thing.

When it comes to the story, this show is standalone to the original film. You can definitely see the inspiration though with certain narrative beats and story choices being very reflective/similar to what occurred in the film, and then the hidden weed farm under the estate looked like exactly the same set as from the film. But overall this is completely its own thing, and each episode brings more fun crime shenanigans for the characters to deal and navigate through, and it was consistently entertaining. My only complaint is that I’d say the finale a tad anti-climactic. I think with all the roughness and toughness that the characters go through, the ending tied everything up a bit too conveniently and neatly. I get I’m not to expect the most realistic thing as this is Guy Ritchie’s world, but I did want things to get a bit more messy, especially due to the build up. That being said this is a major win for Netflix, and I’m expecting a season 2 to be green-lit soon, as this is a winning package.

Overall score: 7/10

[jgroffdaily]

Jonathan and original Frank Jim Walton in 2008

Wayman Wong: Last November, you went to see Merrily We Roll Along at the New York Theatre Workshop. What did you think?

Jim Walton: I went with some other original cast members, and it was terrific! I've seen Merrily a couple of times since I did it. It's always sort of a mixed blessing. It's hard to forget our production, and there have been changes made that are generally good. It was emotional to see it now that Hal and Steve are gone. I love the show. I really love the score. We had a great time, and all the performances were fantastic, especially Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez. Jonathan is a great Franklin Shepard. He's handsome, honest, and committed throughout. And we got to chat with him onstage after the show.

WW: Jonathan told me you were "impossibly generous and kind. It was so encouraging to get the thumbs-up from Jim, especially since we were so early in the process. I have been a fan of his forever." But that's not the first time you two met.

JW: Right. We remembered meeting [in 2008] at your wonderful Leading Men III concert at Birdland. And there's a photo.

WW: It was a benefit for Broadway Cares, and you sang "Good Thing Going" and "Not a Day Goes By" from Merrily, and Jonathan was on the bill, too. He says: "I remember marveling at Jim's kindness and gorgeous voice. The sound of him singing on the original cast album of Merrily is absolute perfection. It's been such an honor to play the role he so brilliantly created."

Frank is a tricky role. In the wrong hands, he could be such a sellout and jerk to his friends. Was Frank a tough part to play?

JW: Yeah. It was hard to get a grip on Frank. You have to go from 43, a man in midlife crisis, to 20. I was so young that I couldn't identify with Frank. I still looked like this tall, skinny 22-year-old kid. That's why it was easier for me to play Act II; it got closer to who I was ... In the new revival, Jonathan's a very talented actor who makes you sympathize with Frank. He's created this likable guy who's lost and trying to find his way. And Jonathan's got a great voice. His "Growing Up" is so beautifully sung.

[sarahjswift]

Truth or Dare - RWARB fic

Hi everyone! This meme from @shelovesniallhoran:

[at a party]

nora: i dare you to kiss the next person that walks in here

alex: what? no.

*henry walks in*

alex: fine i’ll do it, rules are rules, you know.

came up on my FYP this morning and I felt inspired to write a fic about it! I tweaked a few details but I think it's true to the prompt! Also I made this really fast so sorry for any grammar errors or bad quality! I'm a little rusty(I haven't really sat down to write a fic in a couple months!)

word count: 974

warnings: slight language

enjoy!! <33

Alex

“Truth or dare?”

Alex grinned at his best friend, Nora Holleran, student at MIT and walking computer. She was sitting in a circle with her closest friends, acquaintances, and connections. There were over a dozen hot young women present, yet all of his sexual energy had channeled into anger and hate toward one specific man present.

Of course his huge-hearted sister, June, just had to invite Alex’s mortal enemy and biggest school competition, Henry Fox. After their not-so-stellar meeting two years ago, Alex had hated the guy. Henry was the only one in the class with a higher grade than him, and they were constantly being compared by their teachers. It didn’t help that the guy was extremely handsome - hell, he looked like he was from a James Bond movie - and the girls in the class had organized themselves into two teams; Team Alex and Team Henry. 

Most of those girls were in attendance tonight. Team Alex(which was obviously superior) clustered around him, sipping from Cokes and braiding each other’s hair. Team Henry(a bunch of boring, bleached-blond white girls - like Henry) were excitedly talking with him, making dramatic gestures with their hands. Henry was listening with that infuriating expression on his face, the disinterested one where his piercing blue eyes wandered. Now, they rested on Alex from a brief moment, and he felt a jolt of electricity. 

Instead of looking away as usual, Henry raised his golden brows as if in a challenge. Alex smirked, and answered his best friend. “Dare, of course.”

The circle whooped. Nora wiggled her black brows and June, head in Nora’s lap, rolled her Diaz eyes. “Be nice, Nora,” she chided, frowning slightly. “He can’t be too messed up for the test on Monday.”

“I’ll be good,” Nora promised, but the evil expression on her face suggested otherwise. She sipped her beer, eyes surveying the room over the rim of the Solo cup. One of the OGs of Team Alex, Rachel, shoved his shoulder playfully. 

“You should dare him to kiss me, Nor!” she piped up, and the room dissolved into laughter and hoots. Rachel fluttered her mascara-clumped lashes at him, and he grinned back. 

“That would not be a bad prank - not at all,” he said, and everyone screamed with delight. Rachel squealed and inched closer to him. Alex looked over the adoring group, eyes landing on Henry briefly. Instead of being annoyed Alex was winning their unspoken lady competition, Henry had a heart stricken expression on his face. Before Alex could do a double take, Henry snapped out of it and the cool look was fixed back on.

“Well, it’s no fun if you want to do it,” Nora argued, bringing him back. “I don’t hate the kissing idea though…hmm, who should kiss Alex?”

Team Alex screamed, thrusting their hands into the air while Team Henry watched with delight. Alex grinned, cocking a brow. “Hmm, Nora…any of these eligible bachelorettes sound great.”

“Nah,” Nora said casually, an evil grin lighting up her face. “That’s no fun. Alex, here’s your dare - kiss your mortal enemy. Kiss Henry.”

Henry

Henry couldn’t believe his ears. It was like Nora was making his happiest dream and nightmare become a reality. He felt his heart start to hammer, then break as Alex’s face paled and twisted in disgust. 

He doesn’t want you, Henry’s devil thought. He never will, he never will…

He had enough sense to fix a mask on his face, trying to mirror Alex’s expression. He forced his mouth into a grimace. 

“What? No way!” Alex squawked, eyes bulging.

Nora shrugged. “Alright, then. Your reputation as the Dare King will be gone.”

“What?”

“This breaks your streak. Either kiss Henry, or become known for your failure.” Nora adjusted her golden earring. “That will mean Henry becomes the new Dare King.”

Alex clenched his jaw. “Fine.” 

Henry couldn’t believe his ears, and he felt his breath come in sharp pants. His every dream, his every hope, was now about to come true. His heart began in double time as the man of his dreams advanced slowly across the circle to him. 

Bathed in the dim light of the living room, Alex could easily be the hottest man alive. His hair was like a model’s, eyelashes that could kill a man, mouth that could bring women to their knees. But his eyes. His damned eyes. They were deeper than a river, a river that Henry drowned in often. 

He finally reached Henry, and Henry subtly breathed in his cinnamon scent. Alex’s voice was pitched low enough it made Henry want to emit some noises as he hissed; “I’m just doing this for the title. Don’t think I like you, or whatever.”

Henry nodded weakly. “Noted,” he coughed, before Alex leaned in. 

It was everything everything everything

Alex’s lips were soft soft soft

Henry swept his hand through his perfect curls curls

Then then then

Alex’s tongue claimed his and his taste filled Henry’s mouth

He couldn’t remember his own name 

And and and…

Ah.

Alex

Alex wasn’t really sure what he was doing. Then again, he couldn’t really think through the haze as he had the best kiss of his life from his mortal enemy, who happened to be a man. All he knew was that Henry’s hair was soft and he was a good fucking kisser. 

All too soon, Henry pulled away. Alex was pleased to see he looked as shaken as he was, hair a mess, mouth a vivid red, panting, eyes wild. Alex couldn’t stop staring at him, but he heard the absence of sound, before screams of disbelief and glee filled the room. 

Just as he pulled Henry’s head down for another kiss - Alex’s hand was on Henry’s neck, after all - he distantly heard Nora chuckle; “I told you so.”, and June’s laugh in return.

[aswrm]

Geoff Rickly in ‘Negatives’ by Amy Fleisher Madden

Transcript below

An Introduction to the Third Wave

Geoff Rickly

Thursday / No Devotion / United Nations

Everything is hardcore. Snapcase is hardcore.

Obviously. Strife and Chain of Strength and Bad Brains are hardcore. Sick of It All is hardcore, and they're from New York, so they spell it NYHC.

Shelter is hardcore and 108 is hardcore, and they're both Krishna, which means people call them Krishnacore. Earth Crisis and SSD are hardcore, but they don't do drugs; straight-edge hardcore.

There are so many little signifiers in place to help people know what's up, but each one of these bands does actually have something in common: They are all hard as nails. They're hardcore.

It was the mid-'90s. I'd moved out of the dorms at Rutgers and into a house on Somerset Street with my old roommate, Clay, and my new housemate, Louis. We were a good twenty-minute walk from campus, but the house was weirdly small on the inside; it got bad light. But it had a big basement.

Big enough to have shows in. Hardcore shows.

Luckily, by the mid-'90s, hardcore was everything, and everything was hardcore.

Converge was hardcore-full of guitars and drums that sounded like broken glass in a blender. But so was Rainer Maria, with twinkling clean guitars and dual vocals whispering and shouting in a joyous conversation. So were Ink & Dagger, in their corpse paint, smashing Aphex Twin electronics into Black Flag riffs. Fugazi was hardcore with a rhythm section that sounded like James Brown and a no-slam-dancing policy. Texas Is the Reason had twangy vocals and the most beautiful guitar parts that anyone had ever heard, and they were fucking hardcore-with the pedigree to prove it. They were one of the groups that inspired the latest wave of bands who were all playing shows in our basement, and in other basements like ours all over America: The Get Up Kids, The Promise Ring. Jimmy Eat World. They were all catchy and sweet, and full of youthful innocence. And they were all hardcore, too. Everything was. The basement show was like an Olive Garden:

If you were there, you were family-you were hardcore.

But holy shit, did we love to tease those bands— "You guys are so emotional, you're so fucking emo." Stick a tap in them and let the tears flow. That's all emo was to us: a taunt, a ribbing, a genre label that had never really stuck. I remember seeing Fugazi in the early '90s and someone yelled at lan MacKaye, "You are so emo!" His reply was simple and seemed to shut down the label forever. He said, "Emo Philips?" —forcing the crowd to think of the awkward comedian, with his strange bob haircut.

So, years later, when we had a great young hardcore band from Princeton play in our basement, we shouted at them, "Oh my god, Saves the Day are so emo." Their singer, Chris, acknowledged it dryly: "Boo hoo." Or that time when At the Drive-In destroyed the Melody Bar in front of a crowd of five people. I told them, "That was so good, I could have cried. but I didn't want anyone to thinkI was emo."

We didn't know we were already part of it. A joke or not, we were already emo. When we started Thursday, we thought we were just another hardcore band in the wave of hardcore bands that we looked up to: Saetia, You and I, Usurp Synapse, Orchid, Reversal of Man, The Locust, Charles Bronson.

Our friends. Our heroes. We were playing the same basements and VFW halls. We were buying the same vans and using the same dialers to get free calls on pay phones. We didn't know that, even as our own band took off, we were already emo, and we were about to be part of something new.

After Full Collapse came out on Victory Records-a very hardcore label —we spent a lot of time tracing the footsteps of all those who d come before. We played to five or ten people a night, occasionally landing a festival where we'd do anything to get people to stick around. "Yeah, we have a three-way split with Joy Division and Swing Kids, but we're sold out of them right now... Still, we're playing after Dragbody if you've got the time to watch us."

Then Saves the Day offered us a spot opening for them on a national tour. Our friend Dan from the band Joshua explained to us that Saves the Day was the biggest band in hardcore. They'd hit the indie glass ceiling-they'd sold 100,000 records without being on a major label. We took the tour - first of four in front of 1,000 people every night-and something clicked. The very next tour we went out on, we were the headliner, and it was entirely sold out before we even left home. Something was happening. We broke through the 100,000 record glass ceiling, shooting to 400,000 records. All our friends were right behind us, in the next couple years, hitting a million records sold and more.

The press has always been a little tone deaf, and they'd already been using the term emo for years, so they tried to find something new and catchy for this rapidly developing phenomenon. They tried screamo, except not everyone was screaming- and the bands hated it. Emocore, except that term somehow sounded even wimpier than just emo-and the bands hated it. They even tried the term xtremo, and tried to line us up to play X Games-type events, with cans of Mountain Dew stacked on our amps, but the sponsors weren't sure about the crossover appeal-and the bands hated it.

[photo id: geoff leaning back into the crowd. he is shouting, with one arm raised above/behind his head and crowd members’ arms round his torso]

In the middle of all this, I had the chance to produce the first album from a scrappy bunch of hard. core kids who loved Placebo and Queen and comic books. They were called My Chemical Romance, and by their second record, they would solidify something that had been becoming apparent for the last couple of years: The 2000s were the decade of emo. It was everywhere. It was fashion and TV and billboards. It was celebrity. It was gossip.

And when money gets involved, things can quickly go to shit. Emo got increasingly commercial. It was codified. It was slick. It had songwriters and mega producers. It had A-listers directing music videos.

The only thing it lacked was sincere emotion. The feeling was gone. A pretty tough break for a genre called emo.

By the 2010s, being emo was about the uncoolest thing in the world. The heavy hitters started breaking up. Not just the early torchbearers like us or our West Coast buds, Thrice, but the big guns, too.

My Chemical Romance called it quits, and suddenly bands started dropping likeflies. Pop singers dropped the emo haircuts. Things cooled off.

But then, half a decade later, something strange started to happen. The young kids began to go back to the roots of the genre, appreciating the earnest sincerity and adventurous musicality that made emo break out in the first place. The Hotelier, Teen Suicide, The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, Joyce Manor, Hop Along-these bands brought emo out of the boardroom and back into the basement, bashing away at a glorious noise until the world started to notice. This

"emo revival" was actually the birth of something new. It inspired Thursday to start playing again, and it inspired so many of our peers to do the same.

We've gotten the opportunity to see this thing that we gave our hearts to through newer, purer eyes.

Watching Pianos Become the Teeth and Title Fight and Touché Amoré burn with passionate intensity has reignited our fire. Seeing these photos, through Amy's eyes- seeing the vitality that has always been there-is much the same. It's changed everything, allowing us to restore a true relationship to our past work.

Recently, I had the opportunity to stand on stage with Thursday and watch a sea of kids scream along to these words from "War All The Time":

All those nights in the basement,

The kids are still screaming

On and on and on and on and ...

And it was pretty hardcore-emotionally speaking.

[adamwatchesmovies]

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

When you hear the words “Classic Disney”, your mind immediately jumps to the studio's many animated films but have you ever taken a peek at some of the live-action works in the library? 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a wonderful adventure, full of memorable characters and terrific special effects. It perfectly captures the thrill and imagination of the novel by Jules Verne, making it splendid entertainment for the young and old.

In 1868, a series of disasters in the Pacific Ocean lead the nations of the world to believe a sea monster prowls the waters. While investigating, Professor Aronnax (Paul Lukas), his assistant, Conseil (Peter Lorre) and master harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) discover the monster is actually a man-made “submerging boat”. The Nautilus is responsible for these attacks and now, the men are prisoners/guests of its captain: Nemo (James Mason).

Those who’ve already seen the film probably remember it best for a spectacular sequence during the second half. The Nautilus is deep underwater when a giant squid attacks. Generally, the illusions used to bring the Nautilus to life are quite good but in this scene, you’ll wonder how director Richard Fleischer pulled it off. I’m sure that inevitably, we’ll get a big-budget remake (or rather, another adaptation) of the novel and when we do, I wonder if the matching scene will have the same impact as this one. Sure it will look slick thanks to modern special effects but here? You can tell the people are actually struggling against the water, the wind and the physical animatronic.

This is a great-looking picture. The Technicolor process makes even mundane objects like the sailor's red hats pop and underwater footage has never looked better. There’s a scene that shows how Nemo and his crew harvest the sea bed for food. It isn't crucial to the story, but the footage is so clear no editor in their right mind would ever dream of cutting it. Seeing the men in their deep-sea suits gathering seaweed, using nets to calmly wrangle a school of fish or guide a sea turtle is nothing short of breathtaking because you know those are real people and real animals being filmed. I'm certain more than one oceanographer could tell you that scene is what made them choose their career because they saw it as a kid. The wonders aren’t limited to the outside either. The interior of the Nautilus is a wonderful place full of ndetails that will make you fall in love with the aesthetic of steampunk (even though technically, the submarine is nuclear-powered).

But ultimately, all of these visual flairs wouldn’t mean much if it weren’t for a great story and most importantly, great characters. Captain Nemo is such a compelling… hero? villain? anti-hero? On the one hand, he seems sympathetic. All he wants is to be left alone so he and his crew can keep living on the ocean. Then, you remember that to ensure his solitude, he indiscriminately attacks whatever vessels get too close. He is technically keeping the Professor, Conseil and Ned prisoner but the very fact that he didn’t just kill them shows how classy a guy he is. Much credit is to due to the extremely charismatic James Mason. Long stretches of the film simply concern day-to-day life aboard the Nautilus and Conseil and Ned's attempts to escape - the Professor being (understandably) too mesmerized by everything around him to bother. That sounds like it could be boring but it never is. In fact, this is the kind of movie you hope never ends.

If there’s one aspect of 20,000 Leagues that might not have aged as well as the rest, it’s a brief sequence where Nemo allows Ned and Conseil above sea level to explore an island. He warns them that cannibals live there. In real life, there have never been cannibal societies and the myth has racist connotations. Ned and Conseil do, in fact, encounter hostile natives, though whether these are actual cannibals could be up for debate, as mounting skulls on pikes as a warning against intruders is something many societies have done and both men suspect Nemo just said there were cannibals to discourage them from wandering too far. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

1954’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has aged surprisingly well. The special effects are excellent and the underwater photography is crystal-clear - something even modern blockbusters struggle with. It’s a thrilling adventure that captures the imagination thanks to the source material by Jules Verne - faithfully adapted by Earl Felton - and director Richard Fleischer, who keeps the pace consistent despite the episodic nature of the story. Best of all, it features an excellent and memorable performance by James Mason. How good he is cannot be understated. This is a new favorite for me. (August 9, 2022)

[bruhstation]

Hi i love your casa tidmouth!!! I saw the ask about james pairing and wondered if there any pairing for diesel, oliver or lady? Also happy holidays!!!

thank you very much!!! ALSO HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR AHHHHHH I'M SO SO SORRY FOR ANSWERING THIS LATE.... I WANTED TO ANSWER THIS ASK AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE SO 🙏🙏🙏

I also apologize if some parts don't really sound very shippy because I thought it'd be a good chance to showcase some bits of lore character relationships in general... ANYWAYS!!!! HAVE FUN READING

diesel:

you could say that diesel's currently not interested in anyone, at least in a romantic sense. diesel used to have a small crush on mavis but no longer did after she told him she's a lesbian. now they're just... besties? frenemies? diesel and mavis gets into trouble together, except diesel's the one who incites it (arry and bert just follows) and mavis just happens to be there. diesel gets himself into trouble because of his schemes while mavis (begrudgingly) gets him out of it, though she usually also gets the short end of the stick alongside diesel. mavis also thought that diesel is constantly up to no good, though this is mostly because mavis just wants to live a simple life with as little problems as possible (literally impossible because she lives in so-freaking-dor)

however in act 2, mavis started to feel suspicious about diesel with how he always disappears somewhere at nights. even though they're both affiliated with the dieselworks (since they both drive diesel engines), she suspected that diesel might've been getting himself involved with d10 lately and is now genuinely siding with someone threatening instead of just being mildly inconveniencing. she's now conflicted between wanting to confront diesel in order to protect the person she cares about, or avert her eyes and live in blissful ignorance.

not shippy, but worth mentioning: diesel and duck started off as great enemies at the start of the story. before the events of casa tidmouth, after thinking duck wanted to leave him for dead (he was still new to sodor and has no idea people rarely die in sodor's railways), diesel spread horrific rumours about duck's family, which triggered the start of his axe-crazy tendencies (he's incredibly desperate to make his family proud. you know the drill). neither of them expressed guilt -- they do feel it -- for their actions towards one another because of how stubborn they are. they also have really different worldviews; diesel wanted progress, while duck wanted to stick with the old ways.

their backgrounds were really similar, too. both of their families were incredibly traditional, but while duck followed them like a dog, diesel rejected them. they could've respected each other or even become friends, if only their stubborness didn't blind them. perhaps things could change in act 2...?

speaking of act 2, diesel teamed up with d10 and got pretty close to him, partly because he realized d10's power is now heavily relying on the competence of his minions (and they're really not) and partly because they both share the same worldviews about progress. he's basically his right hand man, doing all the convincing and talking while d10 is having this big internal crisis going on. you could say it's also his curiosity taking place, since he wonders what the "most menacing man in all of sodor" will do once he hits rock bottom. diesel also convinced percy to join the workers of dieselworks when he was at his lowest, saying "I know a man who would respect your ambitions."

in addition, diesel is still coming into terms with his identity because of his huge catholic guilt. this fucking guy

‎

oliver:

even though he's usually no-nonsense and avoids conflict and island mysteries at any cost, oliver has a huge soft spot for douglas. they first met around 5 years ago when oliver was lost in a forest in bumfuck nowhere, being the victim of time and space displacement alongside a young man called toad -- who barely said a word -- and having lost a lot of his memories. he lived inside his rusty engine with toad for years in solitude. after a few years had passed, he met douglas, who ended up there as well (he assumed that he's the same as him) and bonded with him over the days he was stuck there.

with douglas' presence, oliver felt much less alone. and vice versa. toad also got along with douglas, which made oliver felt relieved. oliver initially didn't have much motivation to get himself out of the situation (toad didn't express much either and only wanted to stick with oliver) and nearly gave up, but after meeting douglas and listening to his stories about missing his brother and wanting to go back home, oliver regained his motivation to keep on trying. he also set his thoughts of finding whoever's responsible aside for the sake of douglas and toad.

after the three of them were rescued by duck and donald and nursed back to health, oliver intended to take his leave, still a bit bent on finding whoever's responsible for his lost memories and broken engine. but then sir topham hatt suggested that he could work for the northwestern railways ("who knows? it could help you find what you're looking for, mr. swindon.")

the next day, douglas expressed gratitude to oliver for saving his life and accompanying him throughout the days he was lost in a forest. oliver instead shot back with a smile, "actually, douglas, you're the one who saved me. even though I still remember nothing about my past, I now remember what I was fighting for. myself, and my engine."

fun fact: you know oliver jr., oliver's tamagotchi? douglas was the one who gifted it to him. since the first generation of tamagotchis die easily if not given care 24/7, douglas went all the way to the steamworks and convinced victor (doctor, engineer, guy with at least 3 phds) to modify it and make it practically immortal. oliver received this gift extremely happily, though he sometimes wonders if something is different with his tamagotchi (douglas just said that he probably got the most special ultra rare yadda yadda version).

oliver and douglas are also one of the more "normal" pair in all of casa tidmouth (2x3x4 have communication issues thus can only pine over each other, 8x9 are... uh... murderhusbands, mavis is oblivious to lady's true identity, lady and d10 have similar twisted views on humanity, etc).

‎

lady:

even though nobody (aside from thomas and percy) knows about lady being the island's goddess, almost every single woman in casa tidmouth likes her. mavis, emily, rosie, belle, daisy, etc... they all collectively thought "haha wow weird silly woman is pretty". she's way too oblivious and thought that it's just some quirk humans have, though. HOWEVER, she's really close with mavis, who showed lady around the quarry when she first arrived in sodor. mavis also wanted to "shield" lady from all the general weirdness around sodor, assuming that she's originally from outside the island. on the other hand, lady's optimism started to make mavis relax more from her coworker diesel's antics. also mavis thinks she's kinda hahah hey girl

in act 2, after news of missing railway workers came out, mavis tried to convince lady to leave the island. she felt like lady knows a lot more than she looks, but she's not taking any risks to have the person she holds dear get involved. lady just felt really guilty, but (after going through character progression and developing more "human" emotions like happiness, guilt, melancholy, "selfish" motivations, yadda yadda) she has a feeling that if she revealed her true identity, it's not going to end smoothly.

I've also mentioned something about lady and d10 being really close in a qpp type of way had their circumstances been different. they're both people who find it really hard to connect to others; the former being a goddess with different perceptions on morality and the latter being a guy who has low empathy and a whole lot of personality disorders. here's the post explaining their relationship