#but my favourite track is probably storm

[beaft]

Hi!^^ For the ask game: orchid

orchid ⇢ what’s a song you consider to be perfect?

storm by godspeed you! black emperor, off the album lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven. to be honest the whole album is perfect, and i think it works best as a whole rather than individual tracks - but the ask calls for just one song, so i had to choose!

[theemporium]

poly drivers (literally any idk they can all take me to Paris) reacting to a media personnel making a comment about reader… 👀👀

a mood💀thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

.

“My next question goes to the two fellas on the right.”

You pressed your lips together to try and bite back your smile as you watched Max subtly roll his eyes as he reached for his microphone. 

It never failed to amuse you how much the boy hated media duties, even after so many years being involved with the sport. He hated it, he thought it was a waste of time, and if he could avoid it, he would. 

Meanwhile, Charles sat next to him with a charming smile on his face. Despite his questionable acting skills, he was a performer in front of the cameras. He seemed to naturally know what people wanted to hear, what they wanted to hear from him. He seemed to have the media stuff under lock and key after so many years of having a camera shoved in his face. 

And conferences like this one—where both your boys were in one group—were your absolute favourite to watch. Just seeing the mere difference in the men you loved never failed to entertain you.

But as quickly as your good mood came, it quickly dropped when you heard the reporter's question. 

“Do you think sharing the same woman has helped your relationship on track or made it worse?” 

Your stomach dipped as the room fell silent, only the clicking of cameras and scribbling of pens on notepads could be heard. You didn’t care about the other journalists gawking at you, or even the other drivers on the couch. Your eyes were firmly glued to your boys.

Charles was frowning, a look mixed with shock and disbelief written across his face. Your boy in red liked to see the best in people, expect the best in people. And you could actively see his brain trying to work around the question to see if he just misunderstood what the man had just asked. 

But Max was a different story. 

His face was stoic and the glare he sent the reporter was almost bone-chilling. You honestly expected him to storm off, or even throw something at the reporter—to act out in the way you knew he was constantly scolded about by the Red Bull PR team. 

What you weren’t expecting was for Charles to be the first one to speak. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” 

The shock and surprise was clear on everybody’s face as Charles straightened up in his seat, his brows furrowed as he stared at the reporter in disgust. The man opened his mouth to speak, to probably defend himself, but Charles didn’t give him the chance. 

“No, seriously, who do you think you are?” Charles continued, his accent coming out a little thicker as he spoke. “We are racers. This is our job. Our relationship has nothing to do with anything, and it’s disrespectful that you would even bring it up, let alone talk about our girlfriend like she’s an object. She’s a human, unlike whatever you are.”

You stood there, mouth agape at the words that just came out of your boyfriend’s mouth.

However, Max almost looked proud before he lifted the microphone to his lips.

“You’re a fucking dickhead, have fun completely ending your career,” he stated simply with a smug look on his face before he dropped the microphone, not even bothering to listen to the media managers as they scrambled to get him to sit back down as he walked out with Charles following. 

Your cheeks burned as everyone turned to look at you, but you didn’t pay them any attention as you quickly slid out of the conference room. You barely made it three steps out the door before you felt an arm winding around your waist and tugging you towards a hard body, the smell of Charles’ cologne hitting you seconds later. 

“Amour,” he murmured as he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, his arms wrapping tightly around you like he was scared you would disappear. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”

“Shh, it’s not your fault,” you cooed as you wrapped your arms around him, your fingers running through the hair on the nape of his neck as his body sagged against yours. “You were quite bold in there.”

“Didn’t like the way they were talking about us,” he grumbled.

You lifted your head when you spotted Max a few steps away, the smug look still painted across his face as he reached for you, his hand placed on the small of your back. 

“Personally, I think that was the best conference I have ever been a part of,” Max commented with a shrug, his smile widening a little when he saw you snort. 

“Be nice,” you chastised.

“I am,” he defended. “It was hot.”

“It was,” you agreed, and Charles’ arms tightened around you. 

“Let’s get him fired,” Charles said suddenly as he lifted his head to look at you both, trying to ignore the fact his cheeks were burning at your words. 

“I think he did that fine on his own,” Max said.

“No, I want him fired,” Charles frowned. “I don’t want to see him near a paddock ever again.”

“Okay, calm down,” you murmured as you ran your hands up and down his back. “Let’s just get out of here and let you cool down before you do something irrational. I think you’re on an adrenaline high.”

“I don’t like people who say things about us, about you,” Charles huffed.

You smiled as you leaned up, pressing a lingering kiss against his pouting lips. “And I appreciate that very much, baby.”

“Our knight in shining armour,” Max teased, only to wince a little when you pinched his side. “Kidding, schatz, I love you both.”

“Better,” you grinned before pecking his lips too. “Let’s stop by the Red Bull motorhome before we head back to the hotel, I want more of those churros.”

Max snorted. “Whatever you want.”

.

[karasukarei]

Wind Breaker Drama CD vol. 2 - Oedo-style Fuurin Tale (Part 1)

(t/n: I originally translated this is "Oedo-style Fuurin Story", but I think "Tale" sounds more cool)

Translation masterpost here!

Do note that the audio track for this currently isn't publicly available online. This is also longer than the first drama CD, so I might need a bit more time to finish this (and probably a few more parts...)

Note: As with the beach story, I took some liberties with translations this time to make it read more smoothly. As always, if there’s any mistakes, feel free to let me know!

Special thanks to @orewing!

Shorthand because some names are really long:

Sakura – Sakura

Nirei – Nirei

Suo – Suo

Sugishita – Sugi

Kiryuu – Kiryuu

Tsugeura – Tsuge

Hiiragi – Hiiragi

Umemiya – Ume

Scene 0 – 0:06~0:27

Nirei the narrator: It is the Bakumatsu period. In a town in Edo. At the entrance to this town, there’s a noticeboard. It’s a noticeboard erected by the strong. This is the beginning of the story of the samurai who took on the role of protecting this town in Edo. (t/n: For reference, the Bakumatsu is the time period when the Shinsengumi were active. Edo was the old name for Tokyo during the Bakumatsu)

Scene 1 – 0:28~1:49

*insert sound of wind chimes prettily sounding as the wind blows*

Sakura: Is this the town that the Fuurin-gumi is said to be in…? It does seem peaceful. I guess oden will do… (t/n: couldn’t really catch this last phrase) *stomach rumbles sadly* I’m so hungry…

Sakura: *sniffs air like a dog* This smell… Is it from that dango shop?! *swallows hungrily* The yakidango looks really tasty… *counts coins* It’s not enough… *stomach growls sadly*

Umemiya 💙: Hey! You over there! (t/n: OMG IT’S UMEMIYAAAAAAA)

Sakura: *sighs very sadly*

Umemiya: Heeey! The guy with half white hair!

Sakura: Huh? Me? (t/n: he sounds like a lost kitten here lmao)

Umemiya: Yes you! Do you wanna eat dango together? (t/n: I’LL EAT WITH YOU)

Sakura: Huh?

Umemiya: You’re hungry aren’t you? Hehe, your stomach was rumbling so loudly I could hear it from here.

Sakura: *blushing very loudly* Hrnghk-!!! I-It’s none of your business!

Umemiya: What’s with that? It’ll be my treat!

Sakura: *blushing even more loudly* *chokes on his words* There’s no reason to give me a treat out of nowhere!

Umemiya: If you want a reason, there is one. Rather than eating dango alone, it’s much more delicious if you eat it with someone else!

Sakura: What’s with that reason? Just leave me alone-

Umemiya: Huuh? But then-

 *Sakura’s stomach demands not to be left alone*

Umemiya: Nah? (t/n: with the same energy as “gotcha”)

Sakura: Kuuu- *blushes so hard he’s about to catch on fire*

Scene 2 – 1:50~2:55

Sakura: Mmm delicious!!! 

Umemiya: Right?? The dango here is one of my favourites. And Sakura, is it? You said you came from out of town? What did you come to this town for?

Sakura: Since you’re from this town you should at least know their name right? The notorious samurai group Fuurin-gumi. The group is filled with ruffians, but I came here to become the top of the Fuurin-gumi. (t/n: you’re gonna regret saying this Sakura)

Umemiya: Ohhh… You sure do have confidence in your strength.

Sakura: Till now, I’ve been storming dojos across various towns to hone my fist. *eats hungrily* (t/n: He’s referring to dojoyaburi / dojo breaking, when you go pick a fight with another dojo to show who’s superior. The losing dojo often loses both prestige and standing, and its students often leave for the winning school.)

Umemiya: You…

Sakura: *with a mouth full of dango* At any rate, you too-

Umemiya: Isn’t that great?! The top!

Sakura: Eh?

Umemiya: I see, the top, haha! *smacks Sakura very happily on the back* Yes, I see!

Sakura: That hurts! And don’t hit me when I’m eating dango, that’s dangerous. (t/n: people literally die every year from choking on dango)

Umemiya: Hahahaha, my bad my bad. 

Sakura: What a weirdo…

Scene 3 – 2:56~5:16

*insert sound of wind chimes prettily sounding as the wind blows*

Sakura: Yosh. *getting ready to leave*

Umemiya: What. you’re already leaving?

Sakura: Yup, I’ve already eaten the dango. *takes a few steps and walks*

Umemiya: Hm? What is it?

Sakura: *blushing enough to be heard through the speaker* I don’t think we’ll meet again, but… thanks for the food.

Umemiya: Uoh! It was fun eating dango with you too! Till we meet again!

Sakura: *grumbling under his breath as he walks away* I already said we likely won’t meet again, why’d he still say “till we meet again”... And anyway, what kind of person buys dango for a person they don’t even know?! And why am I so mad about it?! (t/n: he sounds like a really grumpy old man here www) *sighs* Someone like him… is probably from a different kind of world from me…

*Sakura walks some more*

Sakura: I heard that the barracks for Fuurin-gumi is supposed to be around here… is it that?

Nirei: E-excuse me, is this the barracks for Fuurin-gumi…?

Sugi: *grunts*

Nirei: It is right, it’s obvious! It’s nicely written here right?

Sugi: *more grunting*

Nirei: U-um, could you perhaps be from Sugishita-san from Tamonshuu’s First Squad?

Sugi: *gasps of suspicion* You, could you be-!?

Nirei: Heeeeeee!!! I’m sorry I swear I’m not a suspicious figure!! I am Nirei, and I’d like to join-

Sugi: Coming to join Fuurin-gumi, you sure have some guts! *draws sword*

Nirei: A-ah, I’m begging you please don’t cut me down!!

Sakura: Oi! Stop it!

Nirei: Eh?

Sugi: Huh?

Sakura: If you can draw your sword at a guy like him, then Fuurin-gumi really is as the rumours say- it’s where all the messed up people gather. Oi, you.

Nirei: Y-Yes!

Sakura: You stand down. I’ll be this guy’s opponent. *gets ready to draw sword*

Sugi: Are you this guy’s friend?

Nirei: You… Why are you saving me?

Sakura: Friend? Save? Don’t get me wrong. I’m just interested in strong people. *draws sword*

Nirei: Wh-what do I do?!

Tsuge: Oiii Sugishita-kun, it’s time to switch shifts! What’re you doing?

Nirei: Uwah! Fuurin-gumi member!

Tsuge: I don’t know what’s going on, but you guys look real macho. (t/n: unfortunately Tsuge speaks with some sort of dialect and I cannot figure out the last part of this sentence. If you know what he’s saying, do feel free to let me know!

[fuckinthewholetown]

Fallingforyou - Matty Healy Chapter One

I’m kind of shitting myself posting this but, it is what it is. If you think it’s shit, feel free to tell me, but please be nice or I will cry. I’ve also only skimmed over this so if there’s any typos, please tell me so I can fix this.

Tags: Slight angst, swearing, mentions of religion, gay, probably bad writing

Word Count: 2309

As much as you love touring, you’re the first person to admit it can get repetitive. Wake up in a random hotel room, get to the venue, sound check, perform, and repeat.

However, today is different. Today you’re performing a sold out show at Wembley Stadium to 90,000 people. This is the day you’ve dreamt about since you were five, giving one woman performances to your parents in your living room. And the cherry on top is you get to do it with four of your best mates.

Your day starts off as normal, doing your skincare routine in a hotel bathroom in the heart of London. You’re living the dream. That is until you hear a knock at your door. As you’re walking over to answer it, you pull your hair out of the makeshift pony tail it was in previously. Before you could fully open the door, it barges open and your guitarist and best friend Maddie O’Connell storms into the room.

“We need to talk.” She says, pacing back and forth.

“Ok, calm down. There’s absolutely no reason to be this stressed. Take a crystal.” You say, pulling some green agate out of your bra. You’re met with no response, just a deadpan stare. “Noted, not in a crystals mood. What’s up, this is the best day of our careers, it must be something big to get you this stressed.”

“You have to look me in the eye and promise that you’re not going to freak out” She says, sitting down on a seat in the corner of the room.

“I promise. Unless you’re shagging Matty Healy or Harry Styles, then I revoke that promise”

“Not exactly… It’s Ross” She says, refusing to look you in the eye. You stay silent, internally freaking out but refusing to break the promise you made to her. She takes this as you not understanding what she’s on about “Ross Macdonald… The bassist of the”

“Yes, I know who you’re on about!” You say, cutting her off before she can say anything else and send you into even more of a mental breakdown. You stand up, now it’s your turn to pace the room. “You’re fucking the bassist of my favourite band and you just conveniently don’t tell me until 5 hours before the biggest show of our careers? I love you to death, but you need to get better timing babes”

“I know,” she says, still refusing to make eye contact with you, “and we’re not fucking. Well, we are but it’s more than that. I like him, and I think he likes me.”

“How long?”

“Six months…”

“Six months!” This information is enough to stop you in your tracks, “you’ve been shagging the human equivalent of Jesus for 6 months and you forgot to mention it!”

“I’m sorry! I knew you’d freak out because you’re a big fan and I wanted to make sure it was serious before I got your hopes up. However, I’ve kinda been forced into telling you.”

You sit back down, confused over her last statement. “What do you mean forced into telling me? If one of the girls is secretly a bitch and forcing you into this, we can become a group of four. I’m a big boy, I can sing and play an instrument at the same time.” That half joke is enough to make her finally make eye contact with you.

“It’s nothing like that, the girls don’t know yet you’re the first person I told. I’ve been forced into telling you because they’re coming tonight, all four of them are watching the show.” And that statement is the straw that broke the camels back, you’re officially freaking out.

“What? They’re watching us tonight? All four of them are watching us? Oh god, I have to look Matty Healy in the eyes knowing I’ve read the dirtiest tumblr fanfiction about him. I read one of him as a priest, oh god I’m going to hell!” You say, putting your head into your hands. Maddie on the other hand does not see the seriousness of this situation and bursts out laughing.

“Him as a priest? Didn’t strike you as the religious type.” A chuckle escapes your lips as you finally return the eye contact.

“I went to an all girls catholic school actually, I love Jesus.”

“You came out of that school with minor alcoholism and even more gay than you were when you went in, I think Jesus would be disappointed.” She quips back. You laugh, standing back up from your slight mental breakdown.

“I’m happy for you, I really am. When are they getting here?”

“Just before sound check.”

“Before sound check?” You respond, falling back into your mental breakdown. “That’s in less than an hour. I’m meeting my celebrity crush and your new fuck buddy in less than an hour? Get the fuck out, I need to do a full face in 20 minutes!”

You all but push her out the hotel room, scrambling to get ready for the biggest moment of your life.

After somehow managing to do your hair, makeup, and put on a hot ass outfit in under an hour, you walked into the green room at Wembley Stadium. What met your eyes was what could best be described as a sight out of 16 year olds you’s wet dream. All four members of The 1975 sat around the table, gossiping about who knows what. As you walk in, the room goes silent. Luckily, your bandmates are there to quell the awkwardness. The pianist of your band, Sienna Turner is the first to speak.

“Boys,” She says, standing up and dragging you by the forearm into the circle, “this is Y/N!” You were expecting to be met with blank stares, but instead the boys jump up to greet you, tackling you into bear hugs. It’s a warm welcome off everyone. Well, mostly everyone. The man you’ve loved since you were a teenager stays sat in the corner of the room, closed off and refusing to even acknowledge your existence. You figure it’s probably just him being an introvert, so you go over to introduce yourself personally.

“Hey.” You say, hoping for any kind of response. You don’t get one. No acknowledgement, no hey back, not even a snarky comment, he just ignores you. This is not how you imagined this day would go.

“Damn,” you follow up, “I knew you’re an Aries, but I didn’t think you’d act so much like one.” You let out a slight chuckle. He, on the other hand, does not find this so funny.

“Good God.” He responds, rolling his eyes and taking another sip of his drink.

He hates you. The man you’ve been enamored by for almost 10 years despises you. The only possible explanation is he’s seen your private TikTok reposts of endless thirst traps of himself. Nevertheless, you had a show to do. And if there’s on thing you can do despite external feelings, it’s fucking shit up on stage. You nail sound check, sounding better than you ever have. Probably a mix of adrenaline and frustration over the fact that your childhood crush seemingly hates you for absolutely no reason.

You exit stage after sound check, immediately going back to the green room to get ready for the actual show. As you’re getting your makeup and hair done, conversation flows. You and your friends are talking to the boys as if you’ve been friends for years and you didn’t just meet them an hour ago.

“So, Y/N. You’re into like crystals and shit aren’t you? What’s that like, I don’t really get it.” George says, turning all eyes on you.

“It’s not for everyone, but I find comfort in manifestation and things like that. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think incense will cure cancer but keeping rose quartz in my bra definitely isn’t going to hinder my love life.” You laugh, trying to keep your response brief.

“Bullshit.” Comes from the corner of the room. The first words you’ve heard from Matty since your brief conversation earlier in the day. The room falls silent and you feel a red hue cover your face. The longer the silence, the thicker the tension in the air. You clear your throat, trying to restrain yourself from going over to him and giving him a black eye.

“Like I said, it isn’t for everyone. I was cleansing my room once and my mum thought I was smoking weed. When I told her what I was doing, I think she’d have preferred if I was doing drugs.” Everyone starts laughing and the room erupts into conversation again as if nothing happened. Every so often, you catch a glimpse of Matty in the corner of your eye. He never seems to move, his phone in one hand and a beer in the other. As you zone out of the conversation, your mind moves to deciphering why on Earth he could hate you so much. Nothing comes to mind, you’ve never met him before and you’ve definitely said nothing bad about him publically. Quite the opposite in fact, as last year a drunk video of you singing Robbers went viral on TikTok.

You zoned out for so long, before you knew it it was time to go on stage and perform the biggest show of your life.

“Ok girlies!” Ava Fletcher, the drummer in your band and also the member you’ve known the longest, speaks up. “This is it. No pressure but there’s 90 thousand people out there who’ve come specifically to watch us, so if we put on a shit performance our careers are probably over. But absolutely no pressure, just have a good show.” You laugh, leaning into the group hug you do before every show however this one felt different. The sense of adrenaline and fear within the group was unlike anything before. There was a lot riding on this show, and if you fucked it up a lot of people would be disappointed. However, all of these feelings are washed away when you’re wrapped into a hug by George.

“Blow their fucking minds out their.” He whispers into your ear. All feelings of nervousness are washed away when you realise you’re being hugged by the drummer of your favourite band. You go around, being given motivational speeches by every member of the band. Well, almost every member other than, you guessed it, Matty. He encouraged every member of your band except you, walking off before you could get to him.

The beginning of every show is always the worst. Hearing the roaring crowds increases your heart rate tenfold, but the stakes are even higher for this show. With one last group hug, you put your in ears in and run on stage, ready to start the show. As the show goes on, you occasionally glance side of stage to where the boys are standing. Everytime you make eye contact with them, they give you an encouraging smile or thumbs up. Matty on the other hand continues to evade eye contact, choosing to watch a different member of the band. However that didn’t stop you from putting on one hell of a show, and that’s what you did. You blew the metaphorical roof of that stadium, it was arguably the best show you ever did. The adrenaline high you had once you ran off stage couldn’t be ruined, even by a moody former celebrity crush.

The moment you exit stage, you’re immediately crushed by a massive group hug involving your band and the boys. Despite all of this, the only thing you can focus on is the hand around your waist. It’s Matty. You don’t think he meant it, instinctively putting it there when he was dragged into the hug. Nonetheless the area he was holding felt like it was burning under his touch, his calloused hands leaving marks on the skin underneath them. The group hug is cut short when he pulls away, clearing his throat slightly and going back to cradling his drink.

You do the rounds, talking to everyone backstage and discussing the nuances of the show and how amazing the audience were. This repetitive conversation continues until you get back around to him. You expect to be met with no eye contact, maybe an eye roll if you were lucky, but what happens next surprises you.

“You did alright out there, Princess.” The confusion on your face is palpable, at both the nickname and his sudden talkative nature. “Princess, like Princess Kida from The Lost City of Atlantis. It’s funny because,” you cut him off.

“Our band name is Lost Atlantis, yeah I get it. It’s funny.” You respond, a dead pan expression on your face. The tension was obvious, you could cut it with a knife. That is until Moon Dixon, your bassist, comes up behind you and wraps you in a hug.

“We’re all going back to Maddie's place to have a few drinks, you joining us?” She says, mostly to you but including Matty in the conversation as well.

“Yeah, let me get into something less sweaty and gross first though.” You laugh, trying to hide your disappointment as he walks off to join the rest of his band.

Get over yourself, you thought to yourself as you walked back up to your dressing room. Just because Mattys a dick doesn’t take away from the fact that this is the best day of your life. You just performed your biggest show ever, and three out of the four members are lovely. But despite this, you can’t get the curly haired man out of your mind. You see him every time you blink. How have you gone from badass pop girlie to pathetic simp in the space of three hours?

Chapter Two

[piratefishmama]

Crossing the Line | Part 2

For Eddie Munson, it started with a tweet. A random little tweet in his mentions that ignited his incredibly hard to control impulsive curiosity. One of his long-time followers and his best friends little brother, a boy with a love of DnD who only begrudgingly followed him after he recorded one of his campaign sessions and posted it to YouTube, pinged him a mention with a single link in it to Instagram captioned “roast him he’s ruined Crazy Train!”

Michael Wheeler you little shit. He’d get Nancy on that one, Mike’s obsession with roasting people was getting mildly out of hand.

But Eddie was a curious soul and someone had apparently ruined an Ozzy masterpiece, so of course he followed that link, he didn’t even hesitate, even let out a cute little “boop” out loud as he clicked it.

Now. Eddie Munson, could have probably been classed as a bit of a music snob. He wouldn’t go too far with his snobbery, but for some people... it was just an unwritten rule that some people deserved the snobbery to the max. They deserved the shit storm that came with Eddie’s brutal honesty and lack of verbal filter.

And Nepo-babies with nothing better to do than *fix* legendary metal tracks with their top 10 bubblegum bitch bullshittery were 100% deserving of the roasting his bitchiest of little sheep had called for.

Did he go a little overboard over the following week while bored shitless in between customers at his shitty non-chain coffee shop gig? Absolutely. Did he feel bad? Absolutely not. It’d taken him all of five minutes to decide Steve Harrington was the worst.

Even if the nepo baby thing wasn’t enough, he was spotted with a different piece of arm candy every month, he had girls and guys falling all over themselves to get a glimpse from him in their general direction, like, there were articles about fights breaking out in the audience of his shows because fans couldn’t decide which one of them he looked at. He lived in some fancy ass house if his insta photos were anything to go by which no doubt his parents bought for him, he did way too many PR stunts to make it seem like he was a good guy, and while his voice was… okay, it wasn’t bad… passable, it was passable…

It sure as fuck needed to stay in its own goddamn lane.

So, the boredom in between the rare rush thanks to the Starbucks down the street was filled with what could only be described as obsessive online bullying, his ADHD hyper fixated so hard, but no way was he even going to notice it, so Eddie didn’t even feel bad about it. The guy had so many people falling all over themselves in hopes he’d notice them that his measly little insults would probably wind up just buried in the sea of hormones and the occasional desperate “COME TO BRAZIL” hashtag Brazilian flag and several thousand heart emojis.

And just as a fun little topper on the ice cream sundae that was his weeklong bitchfit into the void, a lovely little cherry on top, he covered Crazy Train on his channel. Not just the guitar bits, but he made chords and tabs for the lyrics too, letting his sweetheart sing for him, he never sang on his channel, vocals were just for the band gigs, his channel was primarily game music covers but this one, this one he declared “This is what it’s supposed to sound like” in the intro then rocked it.

Eddie was all about freedom of musical expression, but Steve Harrington could go suck a fat one if he thought he was getting away with ruining a masterpiece with his croony bullshit.

“So” The week after he’d finally put his one sided feud to rest, found one Nancy Wheeler, the instigators older sister sidling up to the counter mid-way through the most boring Sunday shift Eddie had ever worked in his life.

“Wheeleeerr, my sister from the most boring of misters, what can I get you babydoll?” He didn’t even need to ask, and she didn’t actually need to say it, he was already halfway through making her fancy little favourite, a cinnamon hazelnut latte with soy milk knowing she probably only had five minutes before she’d have to bolt again.

“Eddie… why have you spent the better part of a week harassing a celebrity on Instagram?”

“I think you mean an entire week, your little brother released the dogs of war. Aaaand the ADHD told me to do it.” He grabbed one of the little honey buns from the treats display and popped it onto a plate for her “forgive me honey bun?” A pet name AND a treat combined. She rolled her eyes fondly before accepting the free treat. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” There was absolutely a reason, but… honestly he brought whatever was coming to him upon himself. Sort of. She'd stand in his corner if shit got real. “I’ll handle Mike, don’t harass celebrities until you’re actually a celebrity, and even then, don’t harass celebrities.”

“It’s not like he’d notice, let’s be honest he has more fans than there are stars in the sky, all of them, and I do mean all of them, fully up for bearing his children.” Seahorse dads in the house! But also, mpreg too, ass babies unite. “It’s not like some rando having a questionably obsessive and lowkey aggressive meltdown over his ‘I’m bored as shit’ experiment would ever grace his radar.”

“I’m just saying Eddie, you never know who you’re going to reach with your online nonsense, if you ever want to get out of this place, you’re going to have to play nice with people from all walks of life, including nepotism babies.” The bark of laughter that erupted from Eddie Munson would have probably insulted most people, but Nancy had known him for years. He was listening, he was, there were just layers upon layers of automatic reactions to get through before he’d visibly take in what you were saying. “He could be nice, you never know.”

“Oh yeah, his royal highness seems lovely. Did you know people used to call him King Steve?” Seemed like the worst person on the planet masquerading as a semi-decent guy. Eddie wasn’t fooled in the slightest. “Your drink, mademoiselle!” He presented her with a large to-go cup filled with her favourite beverage.

“Don’t you have some odd little moniker on your youtube channel?” She asked behind the lip of her cup, before taking a sip and humming in appreciation. Even if he was a little shit, Eddie could make a mean latte.

“That’s a persona, it’s an online personality! People calling me Kas is different, people just called him that cause of how much ass he got. It’s weird, I bet he started it himself and paid his cronies to use it until it caught on.” That was good, maybe he’d pick his feud back up just to lay that one on him. “Seems very nepo baby of him, y’know? Can’t get a good nickname circling so he’s gotta buy one.”

“Wouldn’t his parents have bought it for him?”

“Ohhhh Wheeler good one! Nice nickname, did your daddy buy it for you? Babe, sugar plum, I love you. Imma write that one down for later.”

“Please don’t.” He was already off, and she caught sight of her smartwatch beeping about some meeting she was close to being late for. “Shoot! Gotta run, no more harassing celebrities!”

“I promise nothing!” Ah well, it probably wasn’t that big of a deal that Steve Harrington’s best friend had DM’d her, probably not a big deal at all, probably meant nothing... probably.

Part 4

[woogigi]

i had an idea. ITS LIKE A LIGHTBULB WENT OFF IN MY HEAD. soy is like a producer, right right so she'd be familiar with recording and editing and whatever. so im thinking yuqi overstims her in the studio w/ a strap and whatever else she has, and records soy's voice /evil laugh/

-Sorry you had to wait so long but here it is!!

Studio Sessions

Warnings: Dildos, fingerings, vibrators, overstimulating, multiple orgasms, mentions of gp

Soyeon was ignoring her messages, again

To say Yuqi was angry was an understatement. She was practically steaming at this point. She'd had a frustrating day herself and Soyeon said she would be home today. But of course the older lost track of time and was probably working on something in her studio.

An idea came to mind as Yuqi dug through their closet and found a bag. A small black duffel bag. One that held their favourite toys inside. She grabbed it and left the room and then the apartment. Making her way to Soyeons studio determined to teach the older a lesson.

Soyeon could barely react when Yuqi stormed in. Cheeks red from frustration and her lips twisted in a sneer that was far from happy.

"Yuqi?"

Yuqi walked forward and Soyeon inched back in her chair as Yuqi flopped onto the couch and crossed her arms. Staying silent as she stared at Soyeon. As if she was waiting for the older to say something.

Soyeon frowned in confusion and tried to sit up straight as she asked the puppy whats wrong.

Yuqi kept quiet as she kept staring.

Uneasiness swept through Soyeon as she could no longer hold direct eye contact with the younger.

"We were supposed to spend the night together and again you're here."

"I'm sorry, woogs but I'm almost finished I promise. I have a deadline coming up and I just want to get this done."

Yuqi stood and walked up to Soyeon. Standing between the olders legs as her wide eyes stared up at her.

"The deadline is in three weeks. You have more than enough time," Yuqi said as she cupped Soyeon's cheek.

The older leaned into the warmth but was still confused. Yuqi looked calmer now but there was a stern tone in her voice and the older knew that was never good.

"So, seeing as you can't seem to tear yourself away from your computer," soyeon tried to interject but Yuqi clamped her hand over her mouth to silence her, "I think I'll have to teach you a lesson. Maybe even give you some inspiration. Right, baby?"

Soyeon nodded barely registering anything with how hot Yuqi looked right now and wanted nothing more than to do whatever she said.

xxx

Soyeon could feel the tears threatening to spill as she felt her legs turn to jelly while her girlfriend laughed. Soyeon moaned loudly without meaning to as her body tried to relax after her intense orgasm.

Yuqi said she would teach her a lesson and she definitely was. Soyeon could barely feel her legs. Her back also numb from lying on a desk with a recording microphone right next to her. Taking in all the sounds she was making.

The younger seemed to be enjoying the humiliation of the leader as she played back the lewd noises she was recording. Soyeon wanted to feel embarrassed but Yuqi would play them the same time she'd use her favorite vibrator on her or Soyeon would feel the intrusion of Yuqi's fingers. Switching between toys as if to see which one could make her cum faster and scream louder.

Soyeon sighed when Yuqi stepped back but knew the heavenly torture wasn't over yet. She watched with hazy eyes as Yuqi took off her jeans and panties finally leaving her just as exposed as her girlfriend. She almost held back a moan when she saw what Yuqi got from the bag.

Noticing her approval, Yuqi smirked.

"I saved the best for last."

Soyeon closed her eyes and turned her head from the microphone. She hated how hot it was making her. The embarrassment of being recorded like this and knowing Yuqi she was probably saving it to some drive only she could get into.

She felt Yuqi's hand on her thigh as she went to stand between Soyeon's legs. Smiling at how fucked out the older looked. Yuqi teased her folds with the tip of the dildo laughing at how Soyeon grinned down wanting more

"You still want more after all that?" She wanted to mess with the older a little, "i thought you had so much work to get done but look at you letting me fuck you for hours. Begging for more."

Soyeon groaned barely able to get a response out but could feel the heat pooling between her legs as she waited for Yuqi to move. The youngers hands were pressed into her hips as she continuously teased Soyeon.

"Its okay baby, I'll give you what you want. You've been such a good girl for me. Letting me use you however I want."

Yuqi slid Soyeon down more in the desk as she lifted her hips. Impaling her and chuckling at the breathy scream Soyeon let out. It was moments like these where Yuqi wished it was really her inside the older. Feeling the ways her walls clench around her already so close to orgasm. Fucking her until Yuqi's stuffing her full of cum as she makes her, her own.

Those thoughts drive Yuqi as she thrusted harder and faster making Soyeon tip over the edge. Despite seeing her orgasm Yuqi kept going. Throwing Soyeon into a state of want but also the need for the younger to slow down. She wanted to ride out her orgasm but with the way Yuqi was fucking into her she knew she would reach that high again and soon. Her body had been overstimulated so much over the last couple of hours that she knew she was barely lasting.

Yuqi slowed down after Soyeon came a second time and kissed her through it. Leaving soft kisses down her cheek and neck. Showing how much she cared and giving Soyeon the soft attention she needed after the session they just had.

Soyeon checked the microphone to see it had fallen to the floor. Gasping seeing it had broken and feeling slightly embarrassed realising what happened.

"Yeah I think you'll need a new one," Yuqi chimed in after seeing where Soyeon was looking.

Soyeon started laughing and pulled Yuqi in for another kiss. Pushing her tongue past the youngers lips, tasting her.

Yuqi pulled back with a smile, "I'll have to keep going if you kiss me like that again."

Soyeon smirked as she pulled Yuqi in close again, "I wouldn't mind if you did."

[carboardserpent]

Next gen headcanons? 🤔

Like, Jackson, Cruz, Tim, Danny, Chase, and Ryan?

Oh boy, that's a few characters. Alright, strap in then. Probably also gonna throw in Bubba because he's my favourite non-main next gen <3

(Humanised, as always)

(Quick disclaimer for this one, none of these are supposed to reflect on the irl racers that gave their names and voices to them - I'm treating these characters as though they're entirely fictional and not based on/inspired by real people. I make my HCs literally just based on Vibes (and RPs))

Jackson Storm:

6'1 and fit AF. Clearly spends a lot of time in the gym toning his body and muscles. He is male model levels of gorgeous. Physically flawless black man <3

Short black dreadlocks dyed blue at the ends.

Aromantic (female-leaning)bisexual.

Autistic.

Ray knew he was autistic before Jackson even knew himself, and is the reason he even got diagnosed in the first place.

One of his most common complaints is still about the reflections of the sun glinting in his eyes. The loud noise of the track still gets to him occasionally, but he has special earplugs to help him deal with it.

Can usually be seen drinking a can of IGNTR's flagship energy drink before a race. It helps him calm down and focus in. His sponsors love it, for obvious reasons.

Any time he's on camera, he acts calm and cool but internally he's freaking out. If they ask something he doesn't expect, he visibly tenses up and flounders for a second as he tries to figure out what to say, even if it was a simple question.

Doesn't do fan meets or signings unless he absolutely has to. Even then he tries everything he can to get out of them.

His physical attractiveness makes his already poor attitude even worse. Doesn't know how to talk to people, but gets all the praise and attention he could ever want online.

Yes, he posts photos of himself on various social media. He wasn't sure at first, but Ray convinced him to start shortly after his debut race, hoping that it would help reassure him and give him a bit of a confidence boost. Naturally, it went a little TOO well...

He's a gamer through and through. In any downtime he gets, he's still topping the leaderboards on just about every popular racing game you can play online. He also enjoys the occasional game of CoD and will verbally rip anyone to shreds if they try to come at him.

DUBSTEP. He loves it. If his skull isn't rattling from absolutely filthy, grimy bass, he's not interested.

So, of course, he has to have an incredible sound system that's probably worth more than the average person's car.

He doesn't watch anime. (Stop asking him if he does) Most of his entertainment comes from Twitch streams.

He streams himself playing Super Corsa 4 any chance he gets. Which isn't often with the packed NASCAR schedule, but he tries his best. His user is UrStormChasing

Still doesn't get along with Tim after their rivalry in training and isn't very good at pretending he does either. Their crew chiefs have to make deliberate efforts to stop them from running into each other before they get into their cars.

Cruz Ramirez:

5'5 with an athletic build. She is a Latina woman with visible abs and she deserves them gdi.

Side-parted brown hair a little shorter than jaw length, perpetually kinda wild looking.

Chaotic lesbian hours!

ADHD

Literally cannot sleep at night without a big, milky mug of coffee.

It's not normal to wake up and go for a run before even having breakfast?

She's teaching Lightning to use social media more regularly (for better or for worse). His homework is to send her a funny meme or video that he found that week.

The result of this can sometimes be catastrophic. She'll never be able to unhear him uncertainly attempting to use outdated slang.

Almost every race, there's someone complaining about how she doesn't weigh enough and it's unfair to the rest of them. So she forces them to watch as race officials put extra weights in her car.

Has cussed Danny out in Spanish across Pit Road and will do it again if he carries on-

Is probably the only person on Team Dinoco that is actually nice to Cal and doesn't try to tease him. They get along well.

Tim Treadless:

6'0 with a broad frame and light muscle tone.

Tanned skin and tousled brown hair.

Straight ally.

Just call him Mr. Charismatic, everyone loves him.

Everyone except Jackson, that is. Jackson is the only person who brings out his anger to the point of wanting to throw hands.

Has a wife and a baby, bc of course he does.

One of those guys some people hate for being irritatingly perfect. Usually people that don't actually know him.

Has type 1 diabetes and a bad nut allergy.

Was pulled out of a race at the last minute when he went into anaphylactic shock - the entire race was almost stopped when people started to whisper that it was foul play. The race went on, but the only reason for Treadless' absence was that he had to be pulled for "unforseen medical issues".

Some of the other racers still blame Jackson, who actually had nothing to do with it.

Danny Swervez:

5'10 and fairly slender. Not a lot of bulk to him.

Tanned skin (he's Latino) and short black hair.

Cishet male.

This man is FULL of himself. What an attitude.

Genuinely a good racer, but not many people like him.

He's not a good guy. He's given Cruz some trouble for being a woman, though after she embarrassed him by publicly cussing him out in Spanish, he's learned to keep his unpopular opinions on her to himself.

Isn't exactly what we would call "faithful".

But hey, at least he doesn't cheat on the track (smh)

Has just as little respect for the older racers as Jackson, but is less vocal about it.

Is very bitter about Jackson and Tim being more popular than him, yet still does nothing to change himself for the better.

Has at least attempted to physically fight with other drivers that messed with him on the track several times.

Chase Racelott:

5'9 with a build somewhere between Danny and Tim.

Pale skin and dirty-blonde hair.

Straight ally.

Generally a pretty likeable guy. Not as well-loved as Tim, but he has a good amount of pretty dedicated fans.

Makes jokes about being single/available.

Has pretty average performance on the track, not great, but not poor.

Fairly high energy, he gets along well with Cruz.

Probably one of the best with kids. Has a lot of younger fans because of how he interacts with them during meets and signings.

One of the few who will try not to leave until he's spoken to every fan who wanted to meet him, no matter how long it takes.

Often seen hanging around with Ryan - the two of them cause some pretty good natured trouble together, often involving pranks on the other racers.

Ryan "Inside" Laney:

5'11 with a broad build similar to Tim.

Mixed race (¾ Caucasian, ¼ African American), with short black hair.

Closeted bisexual.

Friendly, but not really a standout character as far as the fans are concerned.

Kind of cocky, but in a cool way.

Has a girlfriend who travels with him.

Agent of chaos when he spends too much time with Chase. Don't turn your back on him.

Bubba Wheelhouse

Absolutely massive 6'2 gentle giant

Another gorgeous black man (fight me), his skin tone isn't quite as dark as Jackson's

Closeted homosexual

Has a fake relationship with a lesbian woman who's actually just his best friend (the racing world is scary and the US South probably wouldn't love an openly gay driver)

Kids ADORE him. Him and Chase are the drivers with the most kid fans.

Throws a football around with fans over the catch fence during rain delays (this one is based on the real Bubba Wallace bc its wholesome af)

Gets asked all the weird gay questions by everyone in the friend group. (Ex. "Is it gay if...?" "What is X actually like?")

Legit just trying to mind his own business, he doesn't want any part of drama or rivalries.

Occasionally finds himself roped into girl talk if the guys have their S/Os around. They're very excited to include him. He's too polite to decline.

[jelzorz]

161.

The trip home is pretty quick, but after Aaravos' prison is safe in their hands, and they can rest easy, at least for now, Ezran sits away from the others and plays the journey over in his mind—and what a journey it's been.

Ezran's pretty used to danger now. He will never forget their first adventure: the smoke wolves, the avalanche, the ice, the illusions, Pyrrah, Xadia, the Battle of the Storm Spire—it's so easy to lose track of but he remembers it all in vivid detail, and he was nine then, and far too young to have been in those situations to begin with. Then there was the journey they took to see Rex Igneous, and those were filled with Earthblood elf bandits, and cave monsters, and more dragons, cave-ins, and again—too much, too young, and like, it's fine, and he always comes out fine but—

He looks at the yellowing bruise under Callum's eye, and catches the way Soren winces and clutches his ribs when he moves too quickly, and dreams of Rayla dangling over the mouth of a sea leviathan, and those things are... Not fine. Not even a little. Because yeah, danger is part of an adventurer's job, but the danger his friends were in were not because they were on the adventure—they were because of him.

He'd thought, at the time, that it was barbaric to use baby glow toads as bait for Leviathans, and it felt like the right thing at the time, but what had it cost? Rayla had almost died, and Callum won't say the word, but he knows Finnegrin tried to torture him into dark magic, and Soren took hit after hit after hit, and for what? For him. For stealing three baby glow toads that he could probably have just bought if he'd been a bit better prepared. There were other ways, other avenues he should have considered, and instead—

He looks at the pile of glow toads in his lap and swallows, picturing his friends, his family, bruised and in danger all over again, his gut writhing with shame.

"You okay?"

That's Soren. He looks up at him and offers him a grin that doesn't reach his eyes. "Fine," he says. "Just thinking."

"You gotta be thinking about something pretty sad to lie to me that badly." Soren twitches his lips at him, wry but kind, and sits down, feet dangling over the ocean through the balusters. "Go on. What's wrong?"

Ez sighs and ducks his head. "Sorry," he mumbles. "Everything with Finnegrin was my fault. And you, and Callum, and Rayla... you shouldn't have gotten hurt like that."

"I mean." Soren laughs. "I've had worse."

"No you haven't."

"I broke my back once. I've definitely had worse." He smirks, far too smug for someone with broken ribs. "I did that for the wrong reasons, though. That sucked. This time?" He picks up Hat, his favourite, and sets the glow toad on his head. "Worth it. Would do it again."

"Soren..."

Soren gives him a look, far sterner than Ez thought he was capable. "Don't," he says. "Seriously. I'm not going to let you feel guilty about this. Everybody makes mistakes, and maybe stealing these little guys wasn't the best idea but, like—" He pauses like he's looking for the right words. "We'll do dumber things in the future, I'm sure of it, but we're never going to regret them if we're doing them for the right reasons. You're the right reason. Okay?"

"But I mean—"

"Ezran."

Ez ducks his head. "I just don't want you guys to get hurt because of me."

"Better than you getting hurt because of us." Soren ruffles his hair affectionately. "You're the king. And you're Ezran. We'll do what we have to do, the same as you would for us. It happened. You're forgiven. It's all good." He nudges Ez and winks, even as Hat slips off his head and over his face.

Ez snorts. "Yeah. I guess. Thanks Soren."

(He wonders, inwardly, if that's his cue to forgive himself and he understands, for the first time, why it's so hard, and why some people never do).

[toussainttwins]

@fallesto || x "Oh, that very one Geralt of Rivia from The Wolven Storm by Dandelion? The beloved of the raven-haired sorceress! A witcher who can love!" the petite succubus' eyes grew wider and some colour returned to her cheeks.

Oh, to meet the white wolf from the songs. It was scary, indeed, but also very, very adventurous. Of course, she would never seek a meeting with a witcher, even if he was a main protagonist of many a charming, daring ballad that often made her sister weep sweet tears of sympathy...why, they positively trembled when Geralt of Rivia visited Beauclair for the last time, cooked up in the Dreamveil like two frightened lambs before a real wolf... Oh, Nistana would be so jealous she ran into the hero of her favourite songs! She wished her lambkin was here. Then her shiny, tired hoofs would not tremble so. Nistana would devise a plan how to slip away, smooth as a song itself... "Of course Her Grace is kind and understanding! As a matter of fact she is my customer." Natanis stopped in her tracks, heedlessly dragging a witcher to stop too as only her delicate horned sisters with a muscles of iron could. And raised her curly head very high. "I am letting you know, master Geralt, that it was my shop The Dreamveil where our beautious Royal Sangbonbon has been ordering her attire for the Festival of the Vat...for the last several years!" the proud succubus' horns almost scratched Geralt's chin.

"As for my other clients and sangbonbons no one would wish me harm. My costumes are as much beloved as I am," to prove her point she dusted off her gown busily and made a little spin, showing off her smart travelling cape, embroidered with stars and constellations and her voluminous skirt, studded with tiny bells. It hid her tail and hoofs well and she was careful not to flash them before a witcher. Then she gasped and made a little bow. "Ah, I am terribly sorry! I have not introduced myself, the terror has drained all my manner from me! I am Natanis of Beauclair, the seamstress. You have certainly heard of my modest shop," Natanis said with amiable immodesty. She was hoping the cat-like eyes could see all the details of her painstakingly made travelling costume. A compliment was a compliment, wheither it came for a witcher or not. And ah, the fright made her ravenous. "Thusly, you see. There must be some mistake. The Duchess loves me well, but...there was no reason for her to place a contract for a succubus, even if it's a contract to keep me safe, which is very dear indeed! She would rather send for her seamstress."

"Are you positive you found a right damsel, sangbonbon? I am not complaining. I...oh, my very horns are risking to fall off when I think what those ruffians were after..." the silvery voice faltered and the petite succubus stopped abruptly, like an automaton doll whose cogs lost its power. She shuddered again and covered her horned head with her hood with extra care, not seeking an admiring glance that time.

"They...they took my little dryad's embrace satchel." the only reason why they didn't take her chatelain from her waist was that it got caught in her dress. It was probably a mere matter of time...thinking of it made a sour taste, cold and nauseating raise up Natanis' throat. So loathsome the feeling was that she was ready to dash into the white wolf's arms on her own accord that time. "And I am...I am frightened... to go to the cart and get it. Could you possibly bring it to me, mas...Geralt?"

[putschki1969]

Kaji Fes.2023 Day 1 FULL Video [Reupload]

Find the original post from last night HERE. It doesn't show up on the Tumblr dashboard so only people who actively check my blog have seen it. I exchanged the video with an official one so I guess it might have been a copyright issue. Don't think I've ever had one, very interesting.

»»——  CLICK ME 🎁 CLICK ME ——««

❗FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗CREDIT me if you SHARE on other sites❗

I was quite excited to watch this since I only attended Day 2 last December. I didn’t necessarily regret not going for Day 1 but there were a couple of really neat songs in the setlist that I kinda wished I had been able to see performed live. The audio seems a bit dull but maybe it’s just me… Anyway, it’s still a pretty epic live. Please note that they decided to cut a handful of songs from the broadcast (probably to keep the whole thing at roughly 2 hours). The following songs are not included: fake garden, canta per me, she has to overcome her fear, I beg you and 砂塵の彼方へ.

Here are some random thoughts┗(•ˇ_ˇ•)―→

fake garden

canta per me

the world: Nothing much to say here. Decent performance but I liked the song more when it was led by Keiko.

Liminality: Loved, loved, loved this version with the amazingly talented Yuri Kasahara, Keiko and Kaori. The bridge here might be my favourite of all time.

in the land of twilight, under the moon: Never been a fan.

swordland: Another highlight for me. I think it’s easy to tell that I am a real sucker for YK’s guest vocalists that use a more operatic singing style.

she has to overcome her fear

luminous sword: Always been a big fan of Yuki’s SAO soundtrack. I understand why it gets performed a lot.

星屑: Even though this is a Keiko-centric song, I’ve never really liked it all that much so I don’t have much to say about it.

花守の丘: Solid.

ｗe’re gonna groove: Those who have followed me for a while know how I feel about the accordion. I dislike this instrument with a passion and it’s just featured way too heavily here. Fun fact, when Day 2 started with the accordion, I got really scared and wondered whether or not I would enjoy myself.

Obsession: Can’t say I’ve ever heard this song before. Sadly, it’s nothing that leaves a lasting impression. Also, that accordion…(¬_¬) Weird choice for LINO LEIA. It was fun hearing Keiko sing a bit of English though.

千夜一夜: Once again, not familiar with the song. Like this one a bit more though. Generally, I think I prefer rito’s vocals over LINO’s even though I don’t really know why.

Point Zero: This is one of my all-time favourite YK songs and one of the few tracks I really regret not seeing live on Day 1. Another epic performance by Yuri Kasahara. God, I love her so much.

salva nos: Speaking of regrets, yup, I’ll admit it, I am pretty bummed that I missed this one. “salva nos” and “a song of storm and fire” were the very first YK songs I ever listened to and they quite literally changed the trajectory of my life. Without those two songs, I wouldn’t have looked into more of YK’s stuff and I certainly wouldn’t have discovered Kalafina. One day, I wanna be there for a live performance. At least I got to hear “a song of storm and fire” on Day 2. So grateful for that!! Anyway, super epic.

花の唄: No thoughts.

I beg you

櫂: Ahh, I almost forgot about Aimer’s Mizu no Akashi 2.0. It’s so funny to me that this is literally copy/paste. Lovely melody, I don’t even mind the vocals all that much but damn, it’s not even coming close to Wakana’s Mizu no Akashi.

朝が来る: Decent but nothing to write home about.

My Story: Ohhh, another score track from “Hanako to Anne”. I was actually blown away by Day 2’s “希望の光”. This is not as good but still quite nice. Weirdly enough I am obsessed with the uilleann pipes. How come I can’t stand the accordion but I absolutely love this instrument? Probably because I am really into the celtic sound?

Parallel Hearts: Ugh, never liked this song, not even when Wakana was still around.

stone cold: This on the other hand is a song I’ve always enjoyed but with Wakana no longer in the picture, it’s just not the same. Will never get used to the Kaori chorus. Sorry T_T Still like this though.

the image theme of Xenosaga II: Good stuff.

蒼穹のファンファーレ: Love that this is focusing on the FJ regulars. My favourite performance of the song so far.

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2024-09-02

Do you rember. Wen day is dark, sember.

Listening: @cyelatm released a new album Habit Prism that I've been listening to in bits and pieces. Even, rhythmic folk, good music to have on when you have people around.

In that vein, Bandcamp Friday this coming Friday! Make your lists!

Watching: Watched The Raid which I've had kicking around for a bit. Do you want to watch guys punch each other all over for like 15 minutes at a time for an hour? No? Get better taste in movies and then watch guys punch each other all over for like 15 minutes at a time for an hour.

The Raid is so obviously made for like two dollars, there's one building, every single gun and piece of armour is airsoft gear, the camera is visibly some mid-tier hardware that suffers from severe rolling shutter, and it kicks so much ass.

There's some really interesting things happening with camera movement in this movie. Really really complicated multi-axis camera moves, the same shot will take like six different dutch angles in a single move, or will lock on to different objects and follow them, it's great for martial arts but it's also used to pretty good effect in some interstitial scenes.

The culminating fight with Mad Dog is so wild, literally just three guys in an empty concrete cube fighting for a solid ten or twelve minutes and it works! Does not seem possible. They actively remove almost every prop from the room so it's just guys hitting each other but they keep doing incredible stunts.

It's funny looking at the gifsets on here because they're unreadable, everything happens so fast and requires so much context that is only delivered in the full flow of the movie. My favourite part is when he said "It's Raiding Time" and raided all over those guys.

Reading: Finally sat down and got through the Phalanx's Twilight, Legion's Triumph series on acoup.

Sections IVa-c mostly slid off my brain because it's a bunch of wars I don't know enough about to contextualize but it's mostly justification for what's explained in parts I-III which were great, and it's an interesting look at how the political and military structures of Rome interwove to improve the effectiveness of the Legion.

Also reading Skin Horse, which I started ages ago but never got very far, I think because I started a job around that time and lost track of it. Sticking webcomic tabs on my little ARM tablet is really convenient, I've jammed Out Of Placers and Laika's Comet in there as well, it's been a while since I did a big archive dive on a comic.

Skin Horse is very much of its time, not really in sensibility but just in content. The nerds are characterized by liking Harry Potter.

Making: Resolved the power delivery issues that were causing me to have mysterious failures with the LED driver. That was annoying. Anyway remember to split your power supply when you could potentially pull like 10A@5V to drive LED's.

Playing: Tactical Breach Wizards campaign is ongoing, as you get deeper into the campaign your team expands which dramatically complicates operations, your possible actions explode, and I'm not even halfway through.

Dall was my newest operator at time of writing and she's probably the hardest to use, she can deal a lot of damage but relies more so than anyone else on good positioning, it's really easy to end up way out of place and waste her moves, and she's too heavy to shunt around with Jen's storm attacks the way you can with the others.

Speaking of those, I really like how the short turns and deterministic actions mean you can get really into the weeds. The first time I used a gale grenade to shunt Zan over one extra block to line him up I assumed this would be a sometimes food but you really find yourself doing stuff like that all the time.

I'm heading back and picking through some of the challenge missions concurrently with playing partially to stretch out overall gameplay and partially because I think having fewer abilities unlocked will make those more interesting.

Tools and Equipment: You know, I think we know each other pretty well, I can put this here. The Doxy USB-C Wand is a safe and legal thrill.

[sitp-recs]

Hi Liv, thank you for all your wonderful recs! I was wondering about your favourite fics written in the present tense, if you have any x

Hi anon, that’s such an interesting ask! Present tense can be really cool especially for case fics, I love how immersive and urgent they get. The funny thing is that I hadn’t realized how many of my personal favourites are actually written in the present tense until I made this list, you’ve probably seen me reccing all of these before 😂 happy readings!

Mortal Frame by @tackytigerfic (M, 6.6k)

Draco’s on a mission, and this time it's personal. But it's not easy to track down something that no one wants to talk about, especially when Harry Potter keeps popping up everywhere Draco goes. Though at least he’s on Draco’s side this time, and if he happens to be useful, and kind, and great in bed—well, Draco’s not exactly complaining.

An Emerald In The Sky by corvuscrowned (M, 6.6k)

The hardest part about shagging an Unspeakable is that they’re not allowed to speak of anything. All Draco knows is that Harry works in Time. Harry works in Time, and while he’s out there in all of that time, it is as unforgiving to him as it is to anyone.

Nothing Left to Burn by @skeptiquewrites (E, 10k)

Over ten years after their fling crashed and burned, Harry runs into Draco and finds embers still burning bright. Sometimes your ex-lover is (metaphorically) dead. And sometimes it's summertime in Montreal and the past won't let go.

How We Throw Our Shadows Down by thistle_verse (T, 14k)

Draco has finally found the perfect, rare piece to complete his collection. The only problem is that the item belongs to Harry Potter, the last wizard on earth Draco wants to ask another favour from.

With Hands Full of Dusk by corvuscrowned (E, 15k)

Harry thought he'd found what he was searching for after the war. But as the quiet life he's earned begins to unravel at the seams, he finds himself searching instead for an elusive, mythical creature found only in lore and legend - with none other than Draco Malfoy as his companion.

White as Snow by bixgirl1 (E, 19k)

After a quick escape from danger, Harry and Draco find themselves trapped in a blizzard, a small cabin their only refuge from the storm. It's the perfect place to recover and regroup — and to have a long-overdue conversation or two.

Vale Sanare by RurouniHime (M, 23k)

Draco’s world gains a new component just when he thought he’d sorted everything out.

Waiting By An Open Door by Femme and noeon (E, 29k)

Draco starts following Potterwatch secretly during the War. He wishes Potter would come save him too. But that sort of thing only happens in fairy tales, and Malfoys don't get fairy tale endings, do they?

Open For Repairs by @drarrytrash (M, 35k)

After the war, Draco works at a tv repair shop and Harry breaks things.

In The Red by bixgirl1 (E, 45k)

When Harry goes looking for a vampire at a Creature club, the second-to-last thing Harry expects is to find Malfoy working there.

Turn From Stone by @harryromper (M, 45k)

Harry knows there’s nothing he can do to stop Hermione (war hero, historian, author of the reissued “Hogwarts: A History”) once she sets her mind to something. Even an extremely risky last-ditch effort to restore the ancient castle and lay its newest ghosts to rest. What he wasn’t counting on was her insistence that Draco Malfoy be part of the plan.

Little Compton Street (One Rainy Night in Soho) by @writcraft (E, 65k)

Draco is lonely, Harry hates the press and it won’t stop raining in London. Harry discovers a magical street that’s close to disappearing forever and Draco realises he’s one rainy night in Soho away from finding everything he’s been searching for.

Who we are in the shadows by @quicksilvermaid (E, 100k)

What happens when you’re forced to become the very thing you despise? Ex-Auror Harry Potter, tossed out of the Ministry for something he had no control over, has been looking for a way back to his former life.

A Sword Laid Aside by korlaena (E, 128k)

When Draco’s cover is blown during a deep undercover operation and the Ministry is compromised, Ron takes Draco to the only safe place he can think of—Potter. Hiding out with a taciturn Harry Potter, who has been missing from the Wizarding World for almost two decades after a shocking fall from grace, is nothing like Draco thought it would be.

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym (M, 131k)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

[tigreblvnc]

Hahaha! omg no I’m not hiding anything! I just don’t interact much with people or posts other than sometimes liking, so my blog is left empty:). I liked you and your writing, so I really had to comment and talk with you, you're very intriguing! :)

And I do in-fact write! Only for myself and family, I’m too shy to actually post. I mostly have just been doing poetry lately!

I’m glad we have the same thoughts about knowledge! I love pursing knowledge in almost everything I can, even if it’s just a little bit, I just want to be so knowledgeable that people immediately think of me whenever they have questions about anything! Like an encyclopedia! So far I’m succeeding :)

I didn’t know you knew classical pieces!! I love Swan lake by Tchaïkovski I also love his The nutcracker piece, another favourite of mine would probably be Dies Irae! Do you have any other classical piece that you like or even recommend? I’m trying to find more pieces to listen to! Ah! My apologies I rambled off again, I’m quite excited, I haven’t met/seen anyone with similar interests to me!

Intriguing, why?

I'd love to read you.

I took the time to gather some classical music that I really like. I have classified them in alphabetical order and starting with the name of the artist because they are often more telling than the title of the piece itself.

Classical music recommendations:

Bach Jean-Sébastien - Toccata and Fugue in D minor

Chopin Frédéric - Prelude op. 28 n24 in D minor ❤️

Chostakovitch Dmitri - Jazz Suite, Waltz No. 2 ❤️

Grieg Edvard - Peer Gynt Suite No.1 ❤️

Haendel Georg Friedrich - Sarabande

Kalinnikov Vasily - Symphony No 1.

Lully Jean-Baptiste - Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs

Mussorgsky Modeste - Night on Bald Mountain

Offenbach Jacques - Can Can Music

Prokofiev Sergei - Peter and the Wolf

Rachmaninoff Sergueï - Piano Concerto #2 in C Minor, Op. 18 ❤️

Ravel Maurice - Ma mère l'Oye ❤️

Ravel Maurice - La Pavane pour une infante défunte

Rossini Gioachino - William Tell Overture: The Storm ❤️

Saint-Saëns Camille - Le Carnaval des animaux : Aquarium

Tchaikovsky Piotr Ilitch - Swan Lake ❤️

Van Beethoven Ludwig - Symphony No 7 A-Dur, op 92

Verdi Guiseppe - Requiem 1 - Dies irae, Libera me ❤️

Vivaldi Antonio - Concerto for Mandolin in C Major RV425

I also really like movie and video game soundtracks! I have a lot of tracks if you're interested. By the way, would you like to share some songs that you like? :)

[monaisme]

Sicktember: Day 8

#8- “The closest doctor is probably hours away from here!”

“Dammit!” Tim shouted at the top of his lungs as he paced the end of the gravel driveway. “Of all the stupid, idiotic things I could do...” He ran his blood stained hands through his too long hair. “SHIT!”

Jason couldn’t blame Tim for his frustration. Yeah, getting their weekends mixed up and spending a couple of unnecessary hours trapped in a car with their least favourite persons without any sort of reprieve sucked. But what really sucked was Tim managing to gash the back of his calf while trying to jump the old, padlocked farm gate blocking access to the Kent’s driveway while they were away. 

“Look,” Jason continued rifling through the copious supplies in the trunk of the car, “you can shout all you want, Replacement, but it’ll get you exactly nowhere. It was a mistake. I get it. And now we’re here. Your pacing like a madman, however,” he looked over his shoulder at the teenager, “is gonna keep pulling the wound open which means the bleeding won’t stop, and you- oh, spleenless wonder—will most likely pass out from eventual blood loss, develop an infection, and die.”

Tim stormed over, “And you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” he accused.

Jason just chuckled bitterly as he went about his search, “Kid, if it would keep you quiet while I hunt for the first aid kit, then I’m all for it.”

“Funny.” Tim snarked back as he limped his way over to the vehicle.  He hissed as he plunked himself down in the passenger seat with his legs dangling out of the car then went on. “I don’t see why you’re still digging in the trunk, though. Just grab a blanket so I don’t bleed all over your interior and we can make our way to a hospital or some doctor’s office.”

“Pfft. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one?” Jason reached further into the trunk then, with a grunt, pulled the first aid kit from its hiding spot. “We’re literally in a town called Smallville, dumbass. I imagine the closest doctor is probably hours away from here!”

Tim thought for a few seconds, then blinked as he looked down at his leg, then over to Jason as he slammed the trunk closed. “Unless I’ve hit my head, too, I’m pretty sure we’d be able to see Metropolis in the distance if we got somewhere high enough... and we sure as hell made enough of an effort to drive around it while we drove here for you to know that, so try again.”

Jason just scowled. “You’re not so great at pickin’ up cues, are you?” And then thrust the kit into Tim’s hands. “Apparently not! I said ‘I imagine!’ Now zip it! I want to get this done and we can make our way home without you lookin’ like a damned crime scene victim, or having B think I tried to kill you again. Besides—” And Jason glowered at this, “you know that Superman doesn’t like us in Metropolis proper, so you can’t be shocked that I’m tryin’ to keep us off his radar.” Jason threw open the back passenger door and started digging aggressively again. “Geez, he barely tolerates us in Smallville, right now!”

Tim sighed. He knew that, and knew exactly how touchy Jason was about the whole thing, so he let it drop. And he also knew that Jason kept his cars stocked with just about anything a crime lord could need in an emergency, be it for an innocent bystander or criminal alike, not that he could keep track of any of it for the life of him. With the blanket sitting there in the back, right on top of what looked like an AED, well, Tim was losing patience and couldn’t help himself. Tim spoke up, “You know, if you would just let me—”

Jason cut him off, “For cryin’ out loud, Timothy!” he shouted, intentionally using a name he knew triggered Drake more than any ‘Replacement’ jab ever would, and violently slapped an open hand against the frame of the car door, “How’s about if you would just shut up for five fuckin’ minutes!”

Tim gasped audibly as he jumped in response, but at least he’d finally shut up.

And there was no way Jason was going to complain about the silence, so he shifted a couple of his heavier duffle bags, tracking down the stash of water bottles he normally kept for emergencies hiding underneath. “Finally!” He struggled a little to tear through the plastic, but eventually got through and grabbed three bottles with one hand, straightened, then slammed the back car door. “At least now I can rinse you off a bit before we disinfect this bad boy.”

Jason barely caught it—wasn’t even sure he’d actually seen it, but—had Tim flinched and the door closed shut?

“Replacement?”

Wide eyed and pale faced, Tim responded immediately. “Yes, sir?” then blanched even further when he caught himself, “Sorry. I meant—I mean- Jason.”

He almost joked about liking the sound of ‘sir,’ hoping to shake off whatever this new heaviness was that had  settled over them, but one look at the kid and Jason knew better, “Uh, Tim?” He dropped the water bottles onto the gravel beside him as he crouched down to assess. “Are you okay?”

Tim blinked, cleared his throat, opened his mouth to answer, but said nothing... could say nothing.

 Jason frowned. “Hey? You’re lookin’ a little—” like those kids he’d find huddled behind a dumpster tryin’ to hide from their parent before they could get them again—like one of the kids Red Hood would help- protect- avenge. How caught up in his pit rage had he been that Jason not seen it before? His stomach churned at the realization. “Pale.” He finished his sentence as he groped blindly for one of the bottles, afraid to take his eyes off of Tim. His fingers brushed against plastic. Thank goodness. “Here, drink this.” He cracked the bottle top and then handed it over with one hand as he took the kit from Tim’s hands with his other. “Then we’ll see if we can get this cleaned and wrapped and us on the road quick enough that Alfie can get you some of those ass-kickin’ antibiotics of yours.” Jason tentatively patted Tim’s leg and smiled awkwardly. “It would suck if something actually happened, huh?”

Jason had hoped that the physical contact would jolt Tim back into the here and now, but no luck.

Tim’s brow furrowed as he got caught up in his head. He needed to get a better grip on things, not be the weak little shit- disappointment- burden that still froze when Dad raised his voice... or silenced his. 

“Is that alright with you, Tim?” Jason lowered the first aid kid down to the ground beside him.

Something was wrong with Tim.

... and if the others realized...

“Tim?”

... he’d lose everything that made Tim, well, Tim...

“fuck.”

... he’d. be. nothing.  

Hoping he was wrong, Jason resorted to snapping his fingers in Tim’s face. “Come on, Tim. Give me a sign that you’re okay.”

And in a snap, Tim was gone.

He’d only been joking about him bleeding out, but with Tim now nonresponsive, Jason couldn’t help but glance around and make sure he actually wasn’t—but no. There were no unnervingly large pools of blood staining the Kent property as far as he could tell, though the leg wound definitely needed tending.

Could this be a seizure?

Jason tugged the water bottle out of Tim’s grasp.

Tim sat stone still.

What the hell had gone wrong? A part of him wanted to say Superman be damned and bundle Tim off to a Metropolis ER, but none of this was sitting right. This was way too far out of Jason’s wheelhouse, and he knew it. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed help.

Dammit.

In a flash, his cell phone was out of his pocket and Jason was tapping on the first contact he came across.

It only rang once before the call was picked up, “Who are you and how did you get brother’s phone?”

“Stop it, Dick—”

“What you can’t be surprised! You never call, you don’t write—”

“Dick, please—”

“I’d almost think—”

“Something’s wrong with Tim! Does he have a seizure disorder? Anything that would make him blank screen?”

Playfulness went out the window. “What happened?”

A small part of Jason had expected, “What did you do to him?” but they’d moved beyond that—all of them had. Thank goodness.

“He cut his leg on some wire, and I think I yelled, and now he’s blanked out,” Jason rushed out.

Dick thought for a second. “Wait a sec? You THINK? you yelled at him? I’m gonna need you to be specific here, Jay—” he was starting to sound a little more than concerned.

“Okay. I may have definitely yelled at him.” His stomach sank.

“Jay—”

Now he heard the anticipated disappointed. “Look, it’s done, and I can’t exactly undo it now so here we are.”

Dick exhaled loudly enough to be heard over the phone.

“And I’m guessin’ this means I’ve totally fucked up?”

Dick didn’t say anything.

“Got it. It’s for the kid to say and no one else.” Jason ran a hand through his hair in frustration, “Does this jive with what you’re thinkin’?”

Another sigh, “Yeah.”

And all of the pieces fell together. “So I’m dealin’ a dissociative episode?” Thank goodness B had insisted on them all taking comprehensive field medic training—not that the mental aspect was as cut and dry as something like the still not dealt with wound on Tim’s leg.

“I am neither confirming nor denying anything.”

It was Jason’s turn to sigh. “Is there anything you can actually tell me?”

Dick was silent for a second, then offered, “You may want to have a plastic bag ready.”

Jason dropped his head in defeat. “He’s a puker. Perfect.”

“No.” Dick snapped. “He’s a kid with a shitty history, just like the rest of us, and we all cope differently. Don’t be an ass to him, Jay. I’m serious.”

Properly chastised, he simply replied, “I won’t,” and disconnected the call.

Jason had work to do. Without a word, he stood up, glanced into the backseat of the car, and stepped over the forgotten first aid kid and water bottles to the back passenger door again. This time, he knew where he needed to go, and had the handful of bags in his hands in mere moments before heading straight back to his place in front of Tim.

With a flourish, Jason snapped two of the bags open and doubled them up, then placed them in the footwell to the side. “Hang on, kid.” Jason muttered as he shifted back to the first aid kid at his side. “I know you’re in there... and I’m so sorry.”

And he really was.

He dug through the once organized first aid kit for the—“Got it!” The cold pack was in Jason hands in a flash, anything around it now detritus as it flew to the ground in his haste. A twist and squeeze, then a little shake were all it took to activate it. Some minor, but gentle manoeuvring of Tim’s hands had him seated with them resting upon the icy gel pack on his lap.

Jason rocked back on his heels once it was done.

Now, all he had to do was wait... well, that was a lie. Jason needed to be a little more proactive than that.

He owed Tim that.

“Hey, Tim. You’re okay,” Jason whispered encouragement as he softly pressed his own hands onto Tim’s to ensure solid contact with the cold. “You may not believe it, but you’re safe.” He repeated this like a mantra, over and over while taking deep, exaggerated breaths. “You’re safe. You’re okay.”

It took only minutes—and forever, if you asked Jason—but Tim shifted ever so slightly in his seat.

Jason perked up at the movement, but still spoke in his hushed tone. “That’s it, buddy. You’ve got this.”

Inhale—

Exhale—

Tim blinked.

“There you are. Good job.”

Why was Jason—?       

“You’re okay. Nice and easy. Just breathe.”

What? Tim looked down. Where had the ice pack come from?

“Hey, Tim?” Jason edged a little closer,  “Are you with me?”

 “I’m sorry?” Tim apologized weakly.

“No apologies necessary. Just keep breathing.”

“I must’ve zoned out for a second?”

 Jason crooked his head, assessed, then smiled a knowing smile. “Yeah, I noticed.”

Things felt a disjointed. “Did I hurt my wrists?” Tim raised his hand up before him cautiously.

And even more gently, Jason pressed Tim’s hands back down onto the cold pack. “You’re fine...” Jason trailed off and then continued. “Well, we still have to take care of that leg, but only when you’re ready, okay?”

Tim took his first deep breath and closed his eyes. “Okay.”  

Jason watched and waited.

It didn’t take long for Tim’s breathing to pick up.

“Tim?”

“I’m okay.”

Jason was not convinced.

Even in the remnants of his haze, Tim knew that he needed to pull it together. “I’m okay.”

“Have some water.” Jason was pushing a bottle at Tim that he may or may not have had a faint recollection of holding earlier?

Tim shook his head, ‘no.’ “If I do I’m gonna—”

Sure that this had nothing to do with drinking the water, Jason reached over the grab the plastic bags. “You’re okay, remember?”

Tim huffed a laugh at the bags as they came into view, “Are you trying to convince me?”

Jason laughed softly, too. “Nah, I think we both know where this is going.”

Tim whimpered and doubled over, dropping the water bottle to the ground.

“You’re okay,” Jason shifted, simply so he could rub Tim’s back in comfort. “I’ve gotcha, buddy.”

Tim grabbed the bag, “Why?” Tim whispered as he prepared for what came next.

“Shhh, just keep breathin,’ Tim.” Jason soothed, “I’m workin’ on pickin’ up the cues.”

[summerwritesfics]

🎧Song Inspired Shorts - Kryptonite

Pairing: Gen Length: 1178 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Canon Divergence, Prisoner, Overprotective Behaviour, Bad Ending, Chains, Kept Prisoner As An Act Of Protection, Choking, Threats Of Violence, Threats Of Force Feeding, Bi-Han wants to protect his brother but is just hurting him instead, NSFK (Not Safe For Kuai) Song: Kryptonite - Three Doors Down

Song Inspired Shorts Masterlist

If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well, will you be there a holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might, Kryptonite

Notes: Okay so, you’re gonna see a lot of me over the next few days, I decided to try set aside this weekend to get as much of the backlog of fic I’ve accumulated out and I’m adding it into a queue here ^_^ Anything I don’t manage to push out this weekend will probably be pushed out next weekend instead :) Anyway honestly I’ve had this one sat complete for like… 2 years now 🫣 So it’s about time I edited and posted it lol. Poor Kuai Liang is once again not having a good time in this, not that Bi-Han is able to accept that :)

Bi-Han stormed through the halls, those in his ranks that he passed stepping away from him, seeming to get the message to leave him be. He’d been requested to attend to Kuai Liang again, although the messenger hadn’t divulged on what the issue was this time. He really didn’t have time for this, and he couldn’t tell if it was just his brother continuing to be difficult or incompetence on the part of the men he’d entrusted to look after Kuai.

As he reached the two guards in front of Kuai’s door, they both straightened their posture and held their fist in front of their hearts.

“At ease,” he commanded, and the two guards placed their hands behind their backs instead. “What is the problem this time?”

“We are sorry to disturb you Grandmaster, but…” The guards exchanged a look. “He is refusing to eat again.”

So it was Kuai Liang being difficult again. Of course it was. He rubbed his forehead with one hand. Why is Kuai still insisting on resisting me at every opportunity? He’d figured his rebellious spark had been contempt for the old Grandmaster, but given it seemed to be continuing with Bi-Han’s ascension, it was clearly something deeper.

“Have the kitchens make some Xiaolongbao,” Bi-Han said with a wave of his hand. Maybe he could coax his little brother into eating with his favourite food. “Until then, I will speak with him, see if I can get to the roots of his disobedience.”

“As you wish Grandmaster,” the one guard replied, before turning and walking off towards the kitchens. The remaining guard bowed to him, before reaching to unlock the door and opening it for him.

Bi-Han stepped inside the small room, and then he heard the door being shut behind him. Kuai was sitting at the table, staring at the wood and not looking up. The skin under the metal collar around his neck, keeping him chained to the wall, was looking extremely red and Bi-Han had no doubt it was the same for the skin under the cuffs on his wrists and ankles. Evidence he’d once more been trying to get them off.

It hurt Bi-Han to see Kuai injured, but he couldn’t risk not having him chained up anymore. Not since his last escape attempt.

By the Elder Gods, does Kuai Liang just not want to acknowledge I am doing all this for his own good?

His eyes landed on the wall behind Kuai, the tally on the wall had gotten larger since Bi-Han had last been in here. Kuai refused to elaborate on the tally, but Bi-Han wasn’t an idiot, he could tell it was Kuai keeping track of how long he’d been kept in the room. From a glance, Bi-Han estimated there were around 300 little lines carved into the stone. Has it really been that long? It’s been almost a year, how has he not stopped fighting this by now?

“Kuai Liang,” he growled in a low tone, frowning when Kuai flinched. “The guard’s said you are refusing to eat again.”

“You can’t keep doing this,” Kuai whispered so quietly Bi-Han almost missed it. “You can’t keep me locked in here like a prisoner.”

“You are not a prisoner,” Bi-Han spat. He despised that Kuai Liang thought so little of him. Once upon a time, Kuai had treated Bi-Han like he could do no wrong. So why had he changed his tune so suddenly? “I am keeping you safe Kuai Liang, I am doing this to help you!”

“This isn’t helping me,” Kuai argued, and if anyone other than his brother talked back to him like this he’d have broken their neck. “You’re just hurting me Bi-Han.”

“I am not hurting you!” Bi-Han jerked forward, storming towards Kuai. His brother seemed to realise how much he’d fucked up, as he got up from his seat and stumbled backwards. As he hit the wall, Bi-Han reached to grab his throat. “You are really this ungrateful for everything I’ve done for you?” He snarled, fingers squeezing at Kuai’s throat. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead! Do you not get that! There is so much in the world that could hurt you. This is all for your own good.”

“Please,” Kuai croaked, hands reaching to hold Bi-Han’s wrist and pull it away from his throat. “Please let me out of here.”

“I can’t,” Bi-Han replied, fingers digging into Kuai’s neck. The collar moved to show just how raw and chafed the skin was underneath. “I can’t, do you know how many enemies I have now? How many are honourless scum who would hurt you to get to me?” Poor little brother’s face was turning red. How easily he was taken down was all the proof Bi-Han needed that this room was the best place for him. “You just won’t survive out there. So you need to stay here, where I can keep you safe.”

Bi-Han finally let go of Kuai’s throat, and he fell forward. Catching him before he could fall onto the floor, Bi-Han let his brother lean against him while he desperately tried to catch his breath. He held Kuai close as he gasped in his arms.

“See. You can’t look after yourself, you need me to take care of you.” He rubbed circles in Kuai’s back as the other man began sobbing into his shoulder. “Now, will you stop fighting me? Will you let big brother protect you?”

Kuai didn’t reply, just continued to cry.

There was a knock on the door, and Bi-Han turned around just in time to see the guard who had gone to the kitchens come in with some xiaolongbao. Bi-Han gestured for him to put it on the table. The guard did so, knowing better than to pass any judgement of what he was witnessing, before quickly making his exit.

Bi-Han pulled Kuai over to the table, sitting him back in the chair. Once convinced Kuai wouldn’t fall off, he moved to the other side of the table and took his own seat. He pushed the dish closer to Kuai.

“Eat, Dìdì, it’s your favourite,” he said gently. Kuai just stared at the food, he didn’t attempt to eat it. Bi-Han’s eyes narrowed as he more harshly said “Kuai Liang.” Kuai looked up at him, eyes wide. “Eat. Or I will make you.”

Kuai studied him for a few seconds, clearly trying to look for any signs that Bi-Han was bluffing. Bi-Han put both his hands on the table, slowly lifting himself up to stand, trying to seem as menacing as possible. Kuai quickly got the message, and reached for the chopsticks and shoving one of the dumplings into his mouth.

Bi-Han sat back down. Good, Kuai was finally starting to accept this. Of course, he had a feeling this wouldn’t be the end of Kuai’s rebellion. That was okay. Bi-Han could continue to guide Kuai for as long as it took for him to accept this was for the best.

Even if it took the rest of his life.

[constellationandcompendium]

ROYGBP

Thanks for the tag @theeccentricraven!

Rules: Search your writing for the colors of the rainbow and post the excerpt.

These are all from It All Falls Down, my chaotic spy/thriller with cyberpunk themes (which is very much still a first drat!)

Please note: these excerpts includes references to drug use and addiction.

Red - so, Sebastian's daughter is an adrenaline junkie in the making and Elias has a motorcycle.

“Look it’s fine, really, I’m not getting anywhere with this.” Sebastian sighed. “If you’re sure.” “And I’ve got to maintain my position as favourite honorary uncle somehow.” That earned him a smile. “Fair enough.” Elias shut down everything carefully, deleting any remaining evidence of his activities from the server. When he stood, it was to chorus of cracks from his back that made Sebastian wince in sympathy. He was regretting not running through the stretches after their bout earlier, he wasn’t a young man anymore. Grabbing his coat and the small, bright red helmet that lived at the bottom of his locker for precisely one purpose gave him a chance to stretch the sore muscles out further. Then Sebastian caught sight of the object in his hands and groaned. “You should have thought of that before you agreed,” Elias said, swinging the straps between his fingers and revelling in the disgruntled sounds his colleague was making. “I hate you,” Sebastian grumbled. “No you don’t,” Elias called back as he left.

Orange - in which Elias battles a gunshot wound

Flipping the catches open, the first aid box fell open and he fumbled through the packets one handed, pressing the other against his side in a vain attempt to apply pressure. Fighting against the light-headedness that was making itself known, his mouth formed the words of half-remembered prayers. His fingers closed around a familiarly shaped package with a spongy texture and he could only hope that the Buearu had kept their stocks up to date. There was morphine too, but he didn’t want to have to resort to that unless he had no other choice so he kept digging. There, right at the bottom of the bag, was a wrapped syringe identified as a painkiller by the standard orange label. Although it took his eyes a second to focus on it, he was relieved to see that it was one of the non-narcotics. Hardly strong or long lasting but it would have to do.

Yellow - featuring Sebastian experiencing life in the Undercity

Sebastian waited for his partner to take a few more drags before he pocketed the lighter and move to lean against the rail beside him, gaze fixed on the lights illuminating the square in a clashing mixture of bright neons and the dull yellow of simulated dusk. “Better?” he finally asked. “Not really,” Elias said with another puff. Sebastian tracked the progress of the lit cigarette out of the corner of his eye, “Should you really be smoking so soon after a Res shot?” “Probably not,” Elias admitted, examining the smoking bundle of chemicals in his hand. Though, Sebastian mused, it was hardly as though one more drug in the messy cocktail that was his partner's bloodstream was going to kill him, at least not straight away.

Green - from chapter one, Elias meets the spooks of the Bureau

“Sure, my office is out the back.” He indicated over his shoulder at the doors behind him, distinct only from the other entrances and exits by the small ‘staff only’ sign illuminated in flickering green. “Excellent,” Hugo replied, gesturing for Elias to lead the way. His office wasn’t much to look at; it was hardly nicer than the rest of the gym. It wasn’t run-down, exactly, but much like the building itself it had the tired, worn, and rain-damaged look that characterised the area close to the storm.

Blue - in the Undercity, Elias is confronted with his past

They were approaching another intersection, passing through a section of what Elias hoped were residences when it happened. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a kid, barely a teenager by the looks of things, slumped in one of the alleyways between the buildings with a tube of blue tinted liquid lying partially under his limp hand. It was Haze. Strange, how easily the hold it had on him returned. He hadn't been confronted with his one true vice since his departure from the Undercity, but down here he really should have been better prepared to see it. Elias felt himself stop dead in the street, distantly, as though it were happening to another person. There was a ringing in his ears.

Purple - introducing Shiloh!

“You ran a gang and then a smuggling ring out of an old industrial container?” Sebastian asked with a tone of bemused admiration. “Correction,” an lilting voice joined the conversation from a walkway above their heads, “we still run a smuggling ring out of an old industrial container.” Elias turned to meet the interloper with a smile, a warm feeling blossoming in his chest. Walking down from the office above was a woman with cropped black hair, a variety of concealed and not-so-concealed weapons, tattoos a-plenty, and an expression like stone. A responding smile cracked her stern face as she approached, and then her arms were opening in welcome. “Shiloh,” he greeted as they embraced. “Al-Karim,” she replied, pulling back to look him up and down, eyes catching on the barely healed cuts and bruises, and on the deep purple shadows under his eyes, “what on Sol happened to you?” “It’s a long story.”

Open tag for anyone who fancies it and a gentle no-pressure tag for @nettleandthorne and some of my new followers @kaylinamaes and @wmlittlemore-is-writing!