#but our boy is artsy and feels a lot

[ghoastixx]

Horror characters w/ a child in the school musical

Notes: In honor of my school's drama club being shut down and me having to go to my neighboring school. (You can tell I have favorites ;))

Includes: Otis Driftwood, Baby Firefly, Mama Firefly, Choptop Sawyer, Billy and Stu, Carrie White, Hannibal Lecter (and Will Graham), Beetlejuice, Micheal Myers (A bit RZ), The Lost Boys,

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Otis Driftwood

The fact that you even have to go to school is a problem to him. With his whole "I hate rules" get up, did you really think he'd want you going to some crummy government public school? He literally hates everything about it..

But... it would be suspicious if you didn't go to school, considering some people in the neighboring town knew there was a kid in the house..

When you bring up wanting to be in your school's musical?

He's all for it, wether you're a little kid or a teenager, surprisingly.

I think he'd be into the idea since he himself is very artsy, he sees it as his kiddo trying to express themselves, and he's all for it.

Especially if you are also in charge of the set (My school's was five people so I always did set), he's so excited to see what you come up with, even if it boringly lacks and pain and suffering.

He won't clean up to come watch it, he will genuinely show up with his matty white hair under his oddly stained cowboy hat, his 'burn this flag' tank top, dirty boots.. he gets odd looks, no one sits next to him or the family, murmuring that they stink.

he's so proud.

"______, do you know who that guy in the front row who keeps grimacing is in the cowboy hat? He's scaring off our audience,"

"That's my dad :)"

Baby Firefly

Oh, she is EXCITED

As a performer herself, coughcoughthefloorshowcoughcough,

If this is a highschool show, she gets into alllll the drama. All the petty fights, tantrums, affairs going on, all the juicy shit that happens during musical season. Perfect person to bitch with about it.

She will come to every single one of the shows, she tells people to come constantly.

She'd have you practice in front of victims as an "audience,"

She is so thrilled, this is the funnest thing ever to her.

Gushes over the costumes

If you don't get a lead you really wanted, she is just as petty as you are about it.

Opening night, she'll give you a boquet of flowers she totally didn't steal before hand.

The best drama mama!

"She's such a bitch, who's she think she is, huh? You deserved that role much more than them, god what a whore."

"Tell me about it,"

Mama Firefly

Aw, she thinks its so dear.

It's been a long time since she had a little one in the home, she's excited to do things that actually make her feel like a mom again.

Supports you in any way you need, practice running late? She's packed you a sandwich and an extra water. Need help going over a scene? Well, she'll try her damn best!

I feel she'd be the type of mom to help make her kids costume if it fell on the kids shoulder

She is so excited to see it when it comes time, she drags R.J, Otis, and Baby (sorry Tiny) out of the home to go see it

She dresses up all nice and fights her way to the front row

She cheers loudly for you.

"Do we have to be here?" Otis grumbled, "Yes, this is your little sibling, now hush it's startin'"

Chop-Top Sawyer

Oh god it's a mess,

it's not that he's not excited, he's very excited his spitfire is into music just like him

but that's the problem, he's too excited.

It's not like he can just... come and watch-

He's not exactly normal, y'know.

Now this could go two different ways,

1. He doesn't go watch, but makes Drayton go and record it so he can watch it himself (if he cares enough by then)

2. He goes and causes a scene and you both just blame it on his Vietnam PTSD which gets you both a lot of sympathy points.

If he does get to go, he freaks a lot of people out. He wears his wig, assuming they replaced his Sonny Bono wig, but is constantly digging at his plate with his tongue just..sticking out. Plus he talks funny and stinks and- god people are trying to figure out who this loud creeper is and why he's here..

Then they see him at the end of the show...standing with you. Gossip spreads quickly..

Some who refuse to believe it, mistake Drayton as your father at the end of the show.

"Hello, I'm assuming your ______'s father? I wanted to tell you just how talented-" "Oh! Hey Mister Johnson, I see you've met my uncle Drayton," "Uncle?" "Yeah, this is my dad," "Oh...Uhm..." "Hi *heavy breathing*" "Forgive him, he's still adjusting from 'Nam."

Billy and Stu

They are both so incredibly normal about your interests

So I'm like conflicted cause one part of me wants to believe that they don't really care all that much but the other part of me that recognizes them as huge nerds is wielding a sword.

Shut up, Stu had a musical phase in middle school, FIGHT ME.

Stu is definitely more excited than Billy is

and it's not that Billy's not excited, Stu just shows it more than Billy.

100% flexible with your schedule, they take turns dropping you off and picking you up if you can't drive.

Stu uses it as an excuse to get out of stuff.

"Sorry, can't, gotta take chick-pea to practice tonight, yeah sooo sorry."

Billy is the type to get volunteered by you if big pieces of the set need done and no one else will do it.

He'll grumble, but it will be done.

Stu donates a lot of money towards the program, half in attempts to get the director to favorite you and give you parts you want.

Stu and Billy come to every show, all of them, without fail.

This is important to you, and you're important to them, so this is important to them.

Stu is so hype on opening night, giving you a pep-talk all day before you go to get ready.

They are so proud of you when the show is over, and will both help you out of that after show slumps.

"C'mon baby, what was the name of the lead your the understudy for?" "Kelly?" "No, Chick-pea, the name of the actor..." "Guys- no."

Carrie White

stop she's so proud of you,

even if you don't end up with a big part, she's so proud that you have the confidence to do something she would have never dared to of done when she was young.

She might even be involved? I could see her making costumes- I mean, she made her prom dress and that shit was stunning.

I think she'd be more partial to you doing activities such as music or band or some form of art over sports.

The arts are just a lot less dangerous than sports, she just wants you to be safe. But she also wants you to be happy.

She will come to every single show,

She'd be the mom to help you go over lines if you needed to as well, or offer to try and help practice a dance you needed to learn.

She definitely cries watching you up on stage,

will get you the prettiest flowers and tell all your co-stars that they did such a good job.

"Mama, can you help me with this scene? I just need you to read for Yente," "Of course honey, where do you want me to start?:)"

Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham,

First off, you go to a private school. No kin of Lecter's is going to be caught dead in a public school.

He is rather thrilled when you mention performing for the school, he does love the arts after all.

Whatever you want and or need, singing lessons, dancing lessons, acting classes, whatever you want.

He will dress up for the occasion, he brings Will as well who is way under dressed, but it's always nice to see him.

I don't think Hannibal would come to every show, sometimes his appointments run late, he has a lot to do, but he will come if you have a parents night and he will come see the opening show.

If anything, Will might try and make all of them if you two are close, he knows what it's like not to have a parent show up to something so important.

Hannibal would make food for a cast party if you had one after.

No there are no people in it.

Hannibal has DVD's of all of the shows you have ever done and whips them out ALL THE TIME... The first time Will even heard of you-

"Hannibal, what are all these DVD's? Why are they labeled '_____'?" "Hm? Oh. _______ is my child, those are their performance videos." "you have a kid-" "They do musical theater, sit down, we shall watch the films." "you have...a kid-"

Beetlejuice

He's actually so upset that he can't come watch your show physically.

It's okay- there's a recorded version for him. He'll feel less bad.

He LOVES performing so this is actually perfect, but of course it is! You're his little ghoul.

He actually already knows the whole show so he is very good at helping you practice.

"Aw- toots- you're almost as good as me. Almost."

Micheal Myers (Slight RZ)

Like most things, he's indifferent.

Good luck getting him to come see even one of your shows.

He shows interest in your little hobby when you talk about it, sit next to him and talk about the show as he makes his masks. He listens.

Now.. If he does come see a show? He will only see one, most likely the last one as they are less packed (less likely anyone will recognize him,)

He'll wear a medical mask, his hair mostly covering the rest of his face, he sits in the very back.

He's slightly warmed at just how much the act meant to you.

Your director will approach you after seeing you hug the very tall man with the long hair and covered face, as he just pat you haphazardly on the head before leaving.

"______, someone you know?" "uh huh, that's my dad." "Your dad.. huh.. he seems very quiet." "Yeah, he don't say very much. I didn't think he was gonna come." "Well, I'm glad he did." "yeah, me too."

The Lost Boys

obviously, if you're going to school, you're a human still.

The only way they could come see your show would be if it was late in the evening, and they would probably show up late.

They're very happy for you and want to support you! It's just difficult with them being vampires.

Paul and Marko definitely get a kick out of acting out scenes from your script with you.

Dwayne is interested in the storyline, he also enjoys watching you act. You're in your element, it's like you're a different person.

David, on the other hand, is just amused that you're into all this stuff. It's not that he thinks its dumb or anything, he thinks you do a great job, it's just not really his scene, y'know.

But, you're their baby bat, they'd literally do anything for you, so as you're up on stage during the third song and see a blur of leather jackets and mullets sitting in the back, you can't help but smile.

"God- why are the guys from the board walk here." "They're my family :)" 'HUH-"

[harbo-urr]

Alhaitham's and Kaveh's relationship in the Sumeru arhon quest: new perspective (for me, maybe for you too!).

Oh it will be long...

It started with my short thoughts about their first on-screen dialog and how it feels different now compared to a year ago, but then spiralled into me re-watching the entire Sumeru archon quest to properly analyse Alhaitham's hidden struggles during it and Kaveh's (not big but) actual plot relevance.

Disclaimer: I'm aware that English VAs were way more emotional then Chinese, especially in 3.2, but, for the sake of having the information to analyse, lets believe that at least the official eng text of their interactions is more or less correct... (I'm sorry I only know English and other languages most likely have translation errors as well anyway).

I'm also assuming that you've read their character stories and know their more deep personalities, not just "cold smart guy and artsy broke guy".

Anyway, I hope someone will find the analyses below as entertaining as I do.

1. Kaveh and Alhaitham: what we see during their first on-screen interaction.

Now, let's all time travel into the day when the last part of Sumeru's quest dropped. These sweet days... Version 3.2, two versions before we got Alhaitham as a playable character and four versions before Kaveh. By this point we've already known a little information about Alhaitham, mostly from the archon quest itself, and next to nothing about Kaveh.

Well, we knew some info, but it was mostly leaks and speculations, nothing more than "a genius architect who lives with Alhaitham because he is broke".

Now, if you didn't read the leaks and just carefully played the quest, you could actually catch some phrases here and there that implied that Alhaitham lives with someone before it was openly confirmed, but again, it's not specific at all. That is why our first meeting with a brand new sexy blond boy was so extreme in all ways. It was beautiful, emotional, entertaining and... extremely toxic. Both Alhaitham and Kaveh behaved surprisingly aggressive (calmer in Chinese but still more negative then what we usually see now). It was fun to watch, and made a lot of people including me really interested in those two from the get go.

But re-watching this dialog now after almost a year felt... Weird. Yes sure, they bicker, it's their thing, but if you compare any other scene with them later it's not nearly as intense... especially on Alhaitham's side (yes, even if you don't listen to va and just read the lines).

So it got me thinking. Why did Alhaitham behave like that? Was it a random writing decision for the drama effect? Or was there something more going on that I didn't understand?

After going through everything from start to finish I believe that yes, there was. But I'll need go through a lot of content recap to fully explain what I mean.

2. First aka "the first on-screen" aka "Where were you when Sumeru needed you most!?" dialog

It is essentially our first glimpse of Kaveh, which we catch in the library on the search for Alhaitham.

Kaveh has just returned to the city so he has no idea what is going on. The shown interaction starts with Kaveh demanding Alhaitham to put his book away and explain what is happening at the Academia. The fact that Kaveh is already pretty irritated when we first see him tricks us into thinking that he's a short-tempered overly dramatic guy, which is...

Well, partly true, but having already experienced how sweet Kaveh actually is we can see through that and realize that Alhaitham most likely was ignoring Kaveh's questions for some time now, and that's why our Kaveh was already on edge when we started. Already weird and we're just at the first line.

After that they bicker a little, Kaveh again asks about the Academia, on which Alhaitham answers: "Oh? I thought you would already knew the inside story."

Then they bicker again (2) and Alhaitham goes hard on Kaveh here. He even agrees with Kaveh that he doesn't say anything nice about him, because "anyone who knows you as well as I do would do the same". DAMN, Alhaitham, that's brutal even for you, why are you so mad, is something bothering you? Oh well..

Then they bicker again (3) and Alhaitham proposes Kaveh to move out of his house, but Kaveh ignores it and tries asking about the Academia again. Alhaitham ignores it as well and says "Forget what's going on with the Academia, haven't you been busy with your construction project?".

Kaveh doesn't want to answer this question and says that he's "getting angry just thinking about it" (worth noting). Kaveh then wants to change the subject again, but Alhaitham doesn't give up and asks about Kaveh's project again ("Where were you when Sumeru needed you most?").

Then they bicker again (4) and Kaveh leaves to ask around.

Huh, that was heated...

Lets do a little bit of unpacking.

So, Kaveh wanted to know more about the Academia and Alhaitham was constantly changing the subject. It can be read as Alhaitham mocking Kaveh just for the sake of it, but if we pay a little more attention to what Alhaitham is saying every time he interrupts Kaveh, it becomes more interesting.

1) "Oh? I thought you would already knew the inside story."

2) "Forget what's going on with the Academia, haven't you been busy with your construction project?"

3) "Where were you when Sumeru needed you most?"

Each time Alhaitham changes the subject, he talks about Kaveh being away for the time of the quest. Let's remember the golden rule of miscommunication conflicts: to understand what actually bothers your opponent you need to spot a repetitive theme in their words. And Alhaitham has a pretty clear pattern. Interesting.

But let's move on to the next dialog.

3. Second aka "second on-screen" aka "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" dialog

Kaveh returns after asking around and confronts Alhaitham about it ("WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?") (just a funny line). After some bickering (5) Alhaitham agrees to finally tell him what happened. He mentions that Kshahrewar sage was a part of conspiracy as well on which Kaveh reacts surprised and says "...could this be why they sent me out on a project?". However Alhaitham replies that it's just a coincidence and proceeds to suddenly go hard on Kaveh again, saying "whatever you were doing won't have any significant impact now or in times to come" (auch, Alhaitham, auch). Then they bicker again (6) and the dialog ends.

This interaction is more relevant to the "Kaveh plot relevance" section, but the important things for now are:

Kaveh: "...could this be why they sent me out on a project?"

Alhaitham: "I think its just a coincidence ... whatever you were doing won't have any significant impact now or in times to come."

And why is it important?

I find the flow of this whole conversation to be very weird, since it goes "confrontation - agreement - information share - speculation - confrontation". In other words, first Alhaitham doesn't want to talk, but Kaveh persuades him, learns about the sage, brings up his mission in the desert, and Alhaitham returns to the confrontation mode again.

It can be interpreted as Alhaitham just using every opportunity to disagree with Kaveh just cause, but at the same time his words sours exactly after Kaveh talks about him being missing from the quest. Coincidence? I don't think so.

All these little things got me thinking. Why is Kaveh's absence so triggering for Alhaitham? Sure they're close or whatever, but they both value their freedom very highly and it's probably not too rare for them to disappear for a day or two for work. Why is it such a big deal now?

But then I also remembered that Kaveh, basically the only family Alhaitham has (yes I call people you willingly live with a family, its my life experience), went missing from home exactly when the fishy stuff at the Academia started resurfacing. And he was gone for a long time, at least for the duration of the quest, which is about two in game weeks.

Even if Alhaitham is not a very emotional person, he still values family, home, routine and comfort very highly. So, in theory, the sudden empty house should have affected him in some way, right? That's how I decided to check Alhaitham's behaviour during the archon quest and it was.. interesting.

4. Alhaitham's side of the Sumeru quest, with me fillng in the gaps.

Let's think about all these quest days from his perspective.

You're simple logical guy who already for quite some time lives with an annoying but kind of endearing roommate, who you drink coffee with in the morning and often discuss intellectual or not really stuff. Sometimes you argue but he's perspective on life fascinates you as a scholar, so you don't mind it too much. Ultimately you're just used to him in your life.

Then one day you go to your work, which brings you just enough money to feel completely comfortable, but you start feeling that something fishy is going on behind the scenes. Some sages disappear, your archon is treated like a power source and there are weird rumours about the divine knowledge capsules. Then you get a sudden assignment - investigate a blond traveller with a talking fairy. And sages propose to pay you with the divine knowledge capsule.

Suspicious. If it's such a big deal, why would they promise you it as a present for a simple spy work?

You decide to get to the bottom of this and for this you need to buy the capsule yourself. You're sure that the infamous merchant Dori has some, but you're definitely in the black list as the Academia's scribe... Ah, how lucky is it. Your roommate just so happen to have a strong connection to Dori. If you give him money and an excuse why he needs the capsule so much she would definitely sell it to him. It settled then.

You come home. But you're roommate isn't there. You wait. He doesn't come back. You're confused and decide to check using you're connections at the Academia, and... he suddenly was requested to the desert? And just left? Why would he leave exactly when everything was going to get weird? Did he know something? Did Academia want to temporarily move him out of the picture? Maybe they did something worse than that? Was it all a coincidence?

You don't know and you have no time. You need to spy on Traveller. You need to buy a capsule. It seems that you're alone in it.

Dori didn't sell you a capsule. That wasn't unexpected but still worth the try. You decide to make the mysterious traveller to buy it for you. It went great. You find out more about capsules, you steal one yourself. You realise that the divine knowledge offered by the sages was a trap to dispose of you. Your roommate still didn't come back. It's been what, almost a week? Whatever. It's nice and quiet at your home.

You meet Traveller again on your way to the desert to investigate the source of the capsules. You run into Cyno and a bunch of other people and you seem to finally get the lead to answers that you wanted. You find out that the capsules were extracted from the brains of scholars who were send to the desert by the Academia and then abducted. You're roommate was also sent to the desert by the Academia. Uh. He's fine. You have your problems to deal with.

You and your unexpected but quite pleasant team find out that sages want to create a God. It seems it's time to rescue your archon. You came up with a pretty good plan. Noe you need to return to the city after these couple of days in the desert. When you come home, your roommate still isn't there.

The next day your team is preparing for the plan and Cyno says that you all need to go home and have a good rest.

"...Thankfully I had my place to myself recently. It's been nice and quiet."

"...Huh?"

Dehya stares at you confused.

You didn't realise that you said it out loud and you're not sure how other people deal with situations when they say something without thinking.

"Oh, nothing"

You went home and slept alright.

The plan worked, Nahida was saved, sages punished, akasha destroyed, your comfortable routine is safe again. It's still nice and quite at home, so you go to the library to read some books.

"Alhaitham, what happened in the Academia?!"

You hear a familiar voice. After all this time he returns like nothing happened.

5. And this was a recap of Alhaitham's side of the archon quest!

Interpretations can vary of course, but the way I see it, Alhaitham was very bothered by Kaveh's sudden disappearance. He clearly expresses that he wishes Kaveh was in the team during the quest ("Where were you when Sumeru needed you most?"). From this we can guess that Kaveh really left without any warning and had Alhaitham known about it, he would most likely stopped him.

I think Alhaitham quickly found out where Kaveh was (connections) but he had no means of contacting him quickly and maybe didn't even know the exact location. At first it was a minor inconvenience because of the Dori situation, but he probably wasn't bothered to much by it. But after he found out that sages actively tried to dispose of him by making him insane, he probably realised that the situation was way worse that he initially thought. And Kaveh still was somewhere in the desert with no means to contact him.

So what Alhaitham does next? He goes to the desert. Yes, it was for the plot reasons, but let's agree, he at least considered a possibility that he could run into Kaveh there. But he never did. And what's more, he found out that the Academia was abducting scholars and sucking their brains out. Let's be real, the theory that Kaveh was send to the desert for the reasons connected to knowledge capsules, most likely was on Alhaitham's mind, and in a bad universe it could've been correct.

Well, Kaveh did return home after all. But by that point Alhaitham's supressed stress about this whole situation was so great, that it resulted in him being genuinely salty at Kaveh during their first on-screen dialog and even saying "Well, maybe then you should move out of my house" - which, at least from my point of view, is way worse then his usual teasing about Kaveh being broke and homeless or whatever.

6. About Kaveh's role in the archon quest besides making Alhaitham sad

Ag, that's a very fun topic. I don't know how I totally missed it the first time, maybe it was the lack of respect for Kaveh, idk, but he was 100% purposefully sent away for the time of the quest.

Sages wanted to move him out of the picture just like they wanted to do with Alhaitham using knowledge capsule. Except they knew that Kaveh would not be too interested in the capsules. So they needed something else to remove him... Like a sudden very urgent request to build a children's hospital somewhere very deep in the desert for people who are literally dying without it! Huh, well, I just made it up, but I believe that sages came up with something very similar.

Kaveh is the type of person to jump straight into any charity he sees and ask next to none questions about it, so it would be the easiest way to send him away for good. Plus I believe that it could've been the reason why he didn't talk with Alhaitham about it and disappeared so sudden. Children are dying! No time for talking! But then he arrived to the said place in the desert and it was just a mess. Maybe a fake project, maybe literally nothing, maybe a trap. In other words - not the project he was told he is needed for.

It's something that we don't get spelled out for us (Alhaitham even denies it cause he's angry at that moment), but timings are just too perfect to be a coincidence. And that's not the only proof - Kaveh himself heavily implies that there was something very fishy about this mission.

He straight up avoids answering Alhaitham's questions about it, and says "Thinking about it makes me angry". Why would he say this about the Academia project? It's not like he had a specific annoying client. Kaveh was sent as a representative from the Academia to be the head of some "construction project" after all, he presumably was the boss there. So it can only mean that there was something wrong with the project itself.

Plus immediately after he finds out that his sage was a part of the conspiracy, he says "So that's why they sent me there", which further implies that whatever was happening on that mission in desert – it was either absurd (if the sages just wanted to keep Kaveh away for some time) or very dangerous (if they wanted him dead). Unfortunately Kaveh's the last person who would tell us about the danger to his life, so we can forget about learning what the hell was that mysterious mission.

Ah, and about why would sages want Kaveh away. Sure it can be because of his connections to Alhaitham, but…

I think anyone who knows Kaveh more then 10 minutes would know that if he found out what sages are planning to do with a literal child and what they do to other scholars, he would die but not let them continue all of it. And he is quite popular among students and citizens alike, so he could've been a potential threat for the sages.

Makes me wonder how many other potential dangers did sages eliminate in some way for their plan. Probably not too many, but still interesting behind the scenes of their actions.

AND NOW, AFTER ALL THIS THINKING, I FINNALY, FINALLY, WAS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ALHAITHAM'S FINAL LINES IN THE ARCHON QUEST.

Let's return to the end of the act 5. After we had a feast at the Grand Bazar, we were able to one last time talk to each member of our Sumeru-rescue team.

Alhaitham said this:

Which was always bothering me, because:

One: He suddenly becomes quite sentimental and talks about happiness, which is cool to see, but at the same time... He very rarely talks about subjective emotions. And what's more, he seems genuinely enjoying the thought of it. He isn't really the kind of person who gets his sense of satisfaction out of someone else's happiness (it's one of the things he parallels Kaveh in), so what's this all about?

Two: He extremely abruptly switches the topic to point out that he "seems to have taken both keys when he left the house" (tbh I thought that I accidentally clicked on him the second time and it's the new dialog, but no, it is all specifically a one long dialog).

Well well well. What do we have here.

When I first read these lines I decided that's it's just a weird writing without normal conversation flow. First Alhaitham is satisfied that he's plan worked and his daily life is safe, but says it through pointing out that other people are happy rather then explicitly stating that he's happy. Then he yaoi baiting us with "haha, harassing Kaveh is so much fun" and that's all there is to it.

But.

Now that we know more about Alhaitham's daily life during the archon quest, let's think about the keys some more.

He was able to take both keys because Kaveh was at home and his keys were there either. On his way out to meet us, Alhaitham saw Kaveh's keys on their usual place and took them as well, ultimately making Kaveh unable to leave the house. Which also means...

Kaveh will definitely be at home when Alhaitham returns after the feast.

So if we flip everything based on this logic, Alhaitham tells us: "This is a great evening. This gathering is special. People are finally happy. They feel happiness from the bottom of their hearts. And when I return home there will be someone waiting for".

Which is. So. PRECIOUS!.. Something clicked in my brain when I first realized this meaning and these lines are finally making a lot of sense!

It's the perfect final words for his little character journey in this quest. He protected the life he had and loved, everything and everyone were back to normal again and for him it is a true happiness felt from the bottom of his heart. Just precious.

Final words

Anyway, yes, that's why I believe that during the archon quest Alhaitham was actually constantly worrying about Kaveh at the back of his mind and maybe even feeling lonely, which resulted in his great boom of toxicity during their first on-screen dialog, but after some time he cooled down and slipped into his usual happy comfortable and not "nice and quiet" life again.

And fuck the sages for sending away our boy Kaveh (who actually knows a lot about desert since he works there often) and making our rescue-Nahida-group one competent person shorter.

Thanks for your time and tears, you, the person who read this!

[alm0ndla1t]

༘⋆ - WHAT ZODIAC SIGNS ARE THE WEDNESDAY CHARACTERS?

༘⋆ - TW: none, other than a long astrological essay on wednesday characters…

༘⋆ - WEDNESDAY: no one in this world could be a better representation of the scorpio sun other than wednesday addams. i am on cloud nine to have it be canon, as her birthday is set to be november 13th in the series. although, i must add that i suspect her being a scorpio rising too, as her love for all things black and gore and her overall appearance is definitely a dead giveaway. the sun and rising conjunction indicates that her public image is a reflection of who she really is - she might have her guards up, but she’s not masking her truest self. in other words, wednesday accurately presents herself to the world. wednesday, as most scorpios, is quick witted yet cold in most situations. she is not easily swept off her feet, but as any other water sign, she’ll be absolutely devoted to you once you earn her trust.

༘⋆ - ENID: our lovely werewolf girl is definitely giving me cancer sun vibes - she might second guess her decisions or be overally clumsy, but you can’t deny that she is the mom friend. enid is a ray of sunshine - she is quite talkative and sociable, and once you two click - she’ll be your bestest bud. she’ll paint your nails, make you snoods to match and banter about the latest nevermore drama. not only that, we have to remember that cancer is ruled by moon - which is something that makes quite a lot of sense and is generally significant to her, considering her outcast species.

༘⋆ - XAVIER: the one and only resident tortured artist is definitely a sagittarius man in my eyes. he seems like quite the jokester and the type of person whose flirting style is roasting & sarcasm. he’s all over the place and quite nosy, giving advices left & right and wanting to be a part of every major event, whether that be you hunting down the hyde by its footprints or visiting the gates’ house. that, however, also indicates the presence of his caring nature, and in some cases, possessiveness. that brings me to the point where i state that he gives me scorpio venus vibes. i mostly see a confirmation of that in his thing for ‘tragic goth girls with funeral parlor fashion sense’. his sag sun also indicates his creativity and love for all things art, since sagittarius, just like the artsy sign pisces, is ruled by jupiter. xavier is very blunt and will not hesitate to call you out on your bs, especially if it involves his ego being hurt (very fire sign man of him). under the facade of the whole ‘life of the party’ persona, there is a darker side to him, which his friend ajax briefly mentions.

༘⋆ - AJAX: when it comes to our stoner boy ajax, there is no doubt that this gorgon guy is a taurus. he is down to earth, laid back and is a person of warm nature. he is basically the epitome of ‘no thoughts, just vibes’. with taurus being ruled by venus, ajax shows up as loving and caring person when it comes to both lovers, friends and family. the stoner boy is a dependable and trustworthy friend, and we certainly see it in course of his conversation with enid, where he reveals xavier’s ‘darker side’ yet still highlights his devotion to the friend. but sadly, as a good old taurus sun, he doesn’t really take hints.

༘⋆ - BIANCA: bianca is unarguably one of the best examples of a female leo sun. this girl is always driven by the exciting feeling of competition and the desire to win, but also has a darker side to her which haunts her on a daily basis. apart from most fire signs, or even leo’s neighboring sign virgo, leos tend to have a lot of insecurities that they compensate for by being arrogant & unapologetically extra. this clearly explains bianca’s behavior, and therefore in my story, she is definitely not the villain. we see that her personality traits were also influenced by her mother’s toxicity, which makes me believe her moon could definitely be in scorpio. her siren powers are both a blessing and a curse - with the help of those, she was able to siren her way into the academy, leaving the toxic environment of ‘morning song’, but when it comes to her platonic or romantic relationships, her powers are often frowned upon.

༘⋆ - TYLER: weirdly enough, when speaking of tyler, i must say that he could be a capricorn sun. moreover, i will have the nerve to say that his sun is definitely in opposition to his moon, thus being in cancer, because it would make perfect sense to me. these two placements indicate his emotional ups and downs and the struggles of his wants and needs. coming from my personal observations, tyler’s mental health state, as well as the neediness and (at some point) fear of abandonment when it comes to romantic relationships, could be easily explained by his sun and moon sign. the teenage boy is always overwhelmed by his thoughts and feelings and is unable to comprehend them. therefore, he is prone to manipulation, and in this case, ms. thornhill’s influence. it is also important to note that such aspect shows a complex relationship with a mother figure, as well as the absence of the father to some extent. that is why i do believe he has this particular astro combination, which gives him a mixture of personalities.

༘⋆ - EUGENE: to end off and complete the holy water sign trinity, it must be said that eugene would probably be a pisces. that kid is absolutely wholesome and has to be protected by all costs, but he completely denies it as he puts his life in danger, striving to accomplish a heroic mission of investigating the hyde’s lair. with his exaggerated sense of a fairy tale romance and never-ending attempts of finding his one true love who would appreciate him for who he is, i suppose his sun sign is conjunct his venus. his genuine friendship with the scorpio sun wednesday could easily explain my choice for his sun sign, as, speaking from experience once again, i am the number one stan of scorpio x pisces friendships.

[bridgeportbritt]

Okay, so. First of all this is an awesome question, Sarah! Thank you for sending this. Now, I promise that I had every intention of being chill with this. First I'm like just answer it normally. Then, I thought I could throw some cute little covers together with pics I already had, then it just continued to spiral out of control lol so in true me fashion here are the full covers I created just for this ask hahahah

VOGUE - Ella

So I started with photos I had and this one of Ella from Simblreen last year is one of my favs. I feel like Vogue is very artsy with fashion but loves to highlight women doing the damn thing. So, here's Ella fitting right in with that.

This is long so the rest are under the cut!

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED - Emmitt

So, I've mentioned this before but Emmitt used to be a soccer pro back in his day. He played on his high school's soccer team. There was even talk of him going pro, but his soon after acting out ruined that chance. But, Sports Illustrated def would've been apart of the hyping up of Emmitt's soccer career.

TIME - Diana

Time is known for featuring influential people and who's more influential than a Queen? I got some asks about Royals doing interviews and it got me thinking how rare that is. Things like this happen often without the person's involvement. As you can see, all these photos are from public portraits she's done. Nothing new.

PEOPLE - Bria/Kendall

I really needed an excuse to use these photos I took recently of Bria's first visit to SimDonia for fashion week lol but People is all about gossip and two Simerican influencers visiting or Fashion week makes good gossip. It was hard to think of the side pieces because my worldbuilding was not as fleshed out back then as it is now so enjoy some random stuff lol

FORBES - Bria

This one is kinda sad!!! But, our girl has that business mindset so it only made sense for her to be on this cover. Again, this would be a profile of her, not an interview. The photo is a pap shot of her.

WOMEN'S HEALTH - Olivia

Here's when things took a turn. I did not have a good photo of Olivia for this, so in game we went lol. Next thing you know I'm looking up the exact fonts used for the titles omg. Anyway, Olivia's culinary classes have taught her how to eat better and living with Bria has her working out more. Liv is looking good! But, she's also not about crazy diets so she made sure the cover reflected that. Normally this mag is all about dieting and hating your body garbage. Our good Liv said absolutely not and we love her for it.

MEN'S HEALTH - Gerhard

Poor Gerhard is often getting lost in the background of my story but a lot of his causes are about fitness and health. So, here he is on Men's Health. He did not choose the King of Quads lol Something like this a royal would participate in so they could talk about their charity work.

US WEEKLY - Gianni

Another gossip magazine and this time Gianni is caught in the crossfire. The boys aren't in the tabloids very often especially Grayson as you can see he keeps things very low profile. But, every once in a while something like this will happen. Luckily it's cute and exciting and makes us want to read more!!!

Okay, thank you goodbye.

[enchantinglyjade]

𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕕 𝔽𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤

Chapter Four

Ravenclaw!OC x Slytherin Boys

Masterlist Previous | Next Warnings: Swearing and a hint of spice

-

“So… the story.”

Twila sits across from Snape once again on another dark and early morning in the dungeons. It’s her first Friday of the year and she can already hardly wait for the weekend.

“Miss DeLuna,” Snape begins, already annoyed that his morning is met with her silence yet again. “You mentioned during our last conversation that you were treated unfairly by your peers during your time at Ilvermorny. What would they do?”

She takes a slow breath in, hesitating for a moment. "It was... a few things. I was always considered to be the weird kid; shy, quiet, artsy. Developing my magic later than everyone else made me inexperienced too. I'd mess up... a lot. It was humiliating." She says quietly.

Being harassed at school for being different; a story the professor knew all too well. He could see the pain behind her eyes as she spoke, surprised to see her open up so much already, considering how things went last time. He thinks for a moment. This conversation would be a difficult one, but he doesn’t hesitate on a next question. “Is this why you disappeared during your fifth year?”

Her eyes quickly peel away from the professor, not surprised that this question came up, but not expecting it so soon. “No… it was deeper than that.”

Snape’s interest is piqued. He knew generally what would come next, but just how did she get ‘it’. “Something deeper?” He inquires.

She traces cracks in the stone floor with her foot and takes a sharp inhale, preparing herself for her next words. "I, um... I was having troubles with my magic. It developed quickly, more than I could keep up with. I had a favorite teacher at the time who took notice and offered to help me..."

Professor Snape listens closely to Twila's response. Her words are vague and seem to lack very important information. He can see that she is struggling to get out exactly what she wants to say. "And is this teacher the... ‘place you shouldn't have looked for help’ as you said?"

She looks down, averting her eyes once more. A yes.

He can see just how difficult this is for her, figuring she herself is still coming to terms with the decisions she has made in the past and dealing with the consequences of those decisions. He tries to appear as patient and understanding as he can, but he is burning to move this along. "What happened, Twila?" He asks as softly as possible.

She chuckles insecurely to herself. "I've never told anyone this before..."

He leans forward. "Well, Twila. You don't need to tell me if you don't want to." And for once, he didn’t say that in annoyance or as a trick to get her to speak, but genuinely meaning it and prioritizing her comfort with him, surprising himself.

She takes a deep breath, leaning back in her chair as a guilty feeling gnaws on her insides. “His name was Mr. Moore.”

-

Minutes felt like hours as she spoke to her professor. She could hardly believe she had told Snape all that she did. He would be the first person to know her story… at least some of it. “Thank you, professor.” She stands as the bell rings.

“Do not thank me just yet. The journey ahead of us may be long and painful.” He says, leaning back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap as his thumbs gently twiddle.

Despite this, she smiles. It had been a long time since she felt truly cared about, and an even longer time since she had opened up about any of her problems and insecurities. With a secret like hers, she had to make sure to keep her mouth closed, for one slip up could accidentally reveal everything. But then, she stops, remembering something. "Could-... Could I ask another favor of you...?"

Snape looks back at Twila. He sees that she is hesitant to ask this and proceeds cautiously. "Yes, you may." He answers slowly.

She pauses. “Could you not mention this to Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore. Surely they know how it happened, but… I fear what they may do if they know the… depth of my involvement.” She admits guiltily.

He takes a deep breath, eyeing her from across the room. This is a heavy favor to ask from such a small student. On one hand, he wants Twila to trust him and has no issue working on his own. But on the other, he knows the consequences of lying to Dumbledore. That is, if only Dumbledore were able to get through Snape’s mind. "I won't tell them.” He agrees. “But remember, this is between you and me. No one else should know about this."

She nods at his warning, a small smile wanting to come to her lips. "Thank you again, professor." She says one last time, before turning to exit.

But right as she’s about to leave the classroom, he stops her at the last second. “Twila?” He says softly, almost in a whisper.

She stops in her steps, feeling immediately weary of his tone. "Yes?"

“Why would Mr. Moore want to teach you such things to begin with?”

A sad smile forms on her face. "Because I asked him to..."

༺ ☆ ༻

“Could you help me identify this herb? The texture is throwing me for a bit of a loop.”

Twila chuckles, lifting her pen from her paper. “That’s wormwood.”

Ominis leans back, humming to himself in revelation. “And here I thought it was knotgrass…” He lets go of the leaf, letting the young plant spring back towards its pot. “What are its benefits again?” 

She shrugs, glancing over her notes to find not even a mere mention of the word ‘knotgrass’ in any of the written sentences. She must have dozed off during that part. “Don’t remember, but I do know it tastes disgusting.”

He laughs at her response. He’s come to find that Twila is a capable and smart witch, but unlike most of their other curricular inspired classmates, she keeps a childlike humor and innocence to her personality, something Ominis admires and finds greatly refreshing. He finds himself wondering if many other Americans are like her. “Are you suggesting you’ve tried it?”

She shakes her head, eyes wide. "Me? No! Not personally, but I've seen others try and I'm in no hurry to follow after them."

She laughs with Ominis, hardly paying any attention to her Herbology journal, until she departs to her second period class. Her time goes by as usual, excessively scratching down notes, reading ahead in her Advanced Rune Translation book. However, one of her peers becomes annoyed by her constant loud scribbling every class and glares at her from across the room as he usually does. But then, as he glares, something catches his eyes. A black book that peeks out from her school bag. He recognizes the designs on the cover; a dark arts book from Restricted, one he had read a time or two himself. But why would a random Ravenclaw have a dark arts book or access to Restricted for that matter? Unless she snuck in…? But just how rebellious could a first week Ravenclaw be?

She tucks her runes book in her bag, covering the mysterious publication, and slings the strap over her shoulder as she exits the class and makes her way towards the Great Hall for lunch. The boy watches as she leaves, quietly studying her before turning back to his own matters.

After filling her belly and a long and boring lesson from Professor Binns in History of Magic, she stands in the hall outside of class, exchanging notes about the Goblin Rebellion with her friend, Jewel. They speak for a moment, much to one boy’s dismay, before going their separate ways. In no particular rush, Twila stands in a clearing of the hall, letting students by as she shoves her history book past all of her journals with a bit of a push, wedging it tightly in between. She snaps the bag shut and fixes her hair as her eyes then avert back and forth, waiting for her many classmates to disperse so she can move forward. With a bit of determination, and dodging, the boy runs after her.

“Hey, wait up, Twila.” Mattheo calls out.

Her eyes widen upon hearing her name suddenly called over the sea of noise and movement. She is pleasantly surprised to see just who is following after her. “Hey.” She says with a smile.

Once finally making it in front of her, he relaxes his shoulders with a sigh, slyly smirking down. “I hate to be one of those guys, but I feel like we were interrupted last time and I didn’t really get a chance to talk to you.”

Her smile grows and her heart begins to flutter. “About what?” She grasps the strap of her bag, slightly rocking on her feet.

He smiles back before looking to the ground, hoping to keep his nerves relaxed. With a shrug, he answers, “Just wanted to get to know you better,” a lopsided grin on his face.

She chuckles at his cute, but nervous demeanor, not believing she’s seeing him act so smitten after hearing all the rumors. “Don’t you have class?”

“Yeah, why?” His brow raises.

She hums, slyness growing in her own face now. “That’s a shame, I have next period open.”

His grin only expands, his heart jolting at her suggestion. “Well, I have next period on my skip list.”

She hums happily at him. Many things could happen as an outcome from this small hangout session, none of which Jewel would like, that’s for sure, but Twila can’t help but bite into temptation. “Lead the way then.”

His face flushes, but he hides it by kindly offering his arm, playing off his nerves as just being clownish. “M’lady.”

She wraps her arms around his with a playful curtsy, giggling about it afterwards. He has no idea where he’s going to go, but he feels the need to bring her there fast. He walks the halls, mind scavenging for a place to sit alone with her. As they walk through the Dark Arts building, they pass a long empty stairwell. It would work for now, he thinks, as long as the poltergeist minds his business in another tower.

He sits on a stair, gesturing to the spot next to him with a smile. Twila is quick to join him, excited, but finding her mind concerningly empty of conversation topics. “So, what should we do?” 

He extends his legs out in front of him in a stretch while he hums in thought. “Mmm, how ‘bout I ask you some questions?”

She smiles, body shivering with the excitement of being around a crush. “What do you wanna know?”

He doesn’t have a single question in mind, his brain unknowingly just as empty as hers. I should probably start with something simple, right? He thinks to himself. “...Your favorite color- What’s your favorite color?” Why is it so difficult to speak to her? He glances her way, swallowing down his want to jump into a deeper question, but refrains from scaring her off so soon.

She bites her lip as if to hold back laughter. “You brought me all the way over here to ask me my favorite color?” Her smile grows at the thought, hoping that teasing him a bit would help ease the tension surrounding them.

Mattheo nods with a small laugh, looking down at his shoelaces. “Well… what is it?”

She answers softly this time, less teasing-like. “Lavender.” She says honestly, looking down at her lap with a smile before back up at him. “What’s yours?”

He feels a warm, comforting sensation just from the sound of her voice. “Red.” 

She chuckles, "A classic," the playful tone back already.

A smirk forms on his face. He can’t think when her eyes look at him that way. He looks away, too distracted to form words otherwise. “So… what’s your favorite subject?”

She chuckles at the surface level questions, but finds the simplicity of their conversation cute and amusing all the same. She thinks for a moment, looking up at the continuation of the staircase above them. It’s a simple question, but she finds herself going silent. She doesn’t know what her favorite subject is. Too lost in finding answers nowadays that she had nearly forgotten what small academic enjoyment is like. But then, a nearly forgotten answer surfaces her mind. "Divination." She says with a certain twinkle.

He narrows his eyes at this twinkle, a smile forming on his lips. Not an answer he expected, but an interesting one nonetheless. She seems almost… flirtatious about it. He doesn’t waste a second to question this further. “Why divination?”

She shrugs it off, a small smirk still playing on her lips. "I live in New Orleans; Voodoo city, even in the muggle world."

Her answer immediately gives him insight into her life. She has a natural playful and flirtatious personality, something he could play at. “So, does that mean you’re some kind of voodoo priestess?” He jokes.

“How’d you know?” She smiles.

He chuckles. She’s gotta be flirting with me. “What else do you like to do?” He asks, trying to cover up his admiration for her.

“Well, hey, you never told me your favorite subject.” She interjects. 

He laughs, leaning back with a flustered smile as he debates saying his next words. With another embarrassed laugh, he says, “My favorite subject is History.” He looks at her, attempting to stand proudly behind his words.

She raises an amused eyebrow. “History?” He nods. “History of Magic?” He laughs again, already knowing where this is going. “You’re lying.” She says unbelievably. 

“No, I actually really enjoy the class.” He looks into her eyes, a genuine look forming on his face.

A man that enjoys sitting through Professor Binns' lessons? With a hum, she leans back. “Okay, if you say so.”

But he only chuckles at this. “Well, what about you then, what’s your favorite class? Other than Divination. Like a real subject.”

She fakes her offense, more than used to others approaching her favorite subject this way. “Divination IS a real subject.”

He puts his hands up at his sides, before leaning back to lounge on the stone stairs. “Fine, fine. I digress.”

She sits for a moment, biting back her smile. “Dark Arts.” She answers anyway.

He sits up with playfully wide eyes. “Which brings us back to Voodoo city,” which causes her to laugh. He leans back down, admiring the way she smiles and sounds when he makes her laugh. “So, where were you before you decided to study Voodoo?”

She blows a raspberry of a laugh out, not having expected that morning to be sitting with a stranger and talking about hoodoo and voodoo like this. “Minnesota. Way up North.”

He smirks again, nodding slowly as he tries to picture all of the states her country has in his head. “Never been. Is it nice there?”

Her smile fades just slightly at the thought, thinking back to what she had told Snape to answer the same question only days before. "I grew up in this tiny city called Canosia. It's... boring, cold. I hated it there. Everything was so dull, everyone had to fit in... no matter what I did I was always the outcast. Guess that never really changed but… then I moved down to New Orleans. There's so much life there, and wizards, and music. I love it there." Her smile returns as she imagines her second home in all of its glory. “What about you? Are you from around here?”

He thinks for a moment, a lazy smile to hide the weight he feels in his heart from the question. “Here, there. My, uh… my dad’s work had him traveling all over the place.”

She smiles slightly, catching onto a deeper meaning but trying to keep casual about it. "What’s your dad like?"

He hesitates, letting out a sigh as he thinks on how to respond. “Can hardly say, wasn’t around too often, at least not with me. He was a very serious man, took his work very seriously. I think he loved us, always wanted to protect us. He taught us a lot… most of it was pretty fucked up, but… I don’t know. He wasn’t the best, but shit, better than my mom.” He dryly chuckles, shaking his head as he boredly flicks at a speck of dust on the stair.

Twila gives him a sad smile, before turning and looking off in front of her. "I never met my dad." She surprises herself with how quickly she was opening up to someone everyone was warning her against and yet it just feels so natural to her.

“Really?” He asks, looking up at her with understanding eyes.

She shrugs, having the same dry demeanor he had only seconds before. “He just… disappeared when he found out about me. No idea where he is, stopped caring too.” Now it’s her turn, kicking a dust bunny with her shoe.

His heart pounds. “Same with my mom.”

And in that moment, she feels her heart connect with his, an invisible string tying them together. "I'm sorry to hear that." She says gently, knowing just what pain his mother’s actions would cause him.

He nods, forcing his casual smile back on his face. “You an only child?” He suddenly asks. She nods slightly, not knowing just how much to recover from their previous subject yet. “Does it ever get lonely?” He meets her eyes once more. “Being an only child?”

"Yeah…” She admits with a soft scoff. Of course spending most of your life alone would be lonely, that was a given. “But.. then I go to people's houses that have tons of siblings and then I'm grateful for the silence I have." Her smile slowly creeps up, hoping to shed some light on their suddenly sad conversation.

He laughs a little. “You make a good point. My uncle always had a full house. I mean, it’s good to have siblings, but, yeah, it can be nice to have some alone time.” She smiles, taking a moment to watch him speak as he’s distracted, looking off into the distance. However, he turns back too soon, catching glimpse of her staring. Her heart begins to beat fast, as does his. “You know, it’s refreshing to meet someone that I can bond with so easily. I don’t usually meet girls that understand me the way you do.”

Girls. The simple word brings back all those things Jewel said. Is she really getting into dangerous territory? Does she really need to look out for Mattheo that badly?

She lets out a sarcastic chuckle. “I’m sure you don’t.” She mutters, immediately ashamed she’s letting everyone’s words get to her like this.

He looks at her, confused by her sudden change in tone. “Why do you say that?” He raises a brow, turning himself to get her full attention on him.

She sighs, looking back at him with guilty eyes. "I've just... I've heard you have a reputation around here..."

His face immediately drops. “Reputation?” He says the word like it’s venom itself. “What kind of repu-” Then he knows. He knows too well. He finds himself speechless. “I swear, whatever Jewel told you, I’m not that guy.” He looks at her with serious eyes, hoping and longing for her understanding.

She sighs once more, realizing she’s being overdramatic about it. She’s a big girl, she can make distinctions on her own without the help of her friends. If Mattheo is the player that Jewel says he is, then she’d find out on her own. Mattheo seems innocent enough to have a fair chance with her attention, besides, it was just talking, nothing serious. "Do you think I'd still be here if I thought you were...?"

He looks up with new hope, realizing she may just be different than her friend. ”Thank you… for not judging me about my past.”

She smiles, but only slightly. “We all have shit pasts.”

“Exactly!” He laughs a little, feeling relieved. “I’m glad you understand. It’s just… you know, it’s hard to not be seen in such a bad light… for a lot of reasons.” He looks away again, as he stares off down the hall. 

Despite being somewhat unsure of herself still, she can’t help but admire him again; his chocolate eyes, the curls in his hair, he truly has her attention. He looks back at her eyes, staring into them as they do the same to his. Her body feels warm, and her heart feels as though it’d burst out of her chest. She hadn’t realized how close they had gotten while talking until right now. Every second that passes, the quicker her breathing seems to become. And for a split second, she finds herself glancing down at his lips.

His eyes follow down to her own, wondering how just one touch would feel. They are both shocked at the speed at which this moment had developed and yet so pleasantly excited. He begins to lean in. She goes to meet him halfway. And just before their lips so much a graze upon each others-

“Mr. Riddle!”

He jumps away, sitting up straight and turning to the exact person he had skipped class to be away from. “Professor McGonagall?”

"My class. Immediately." The woman demands.

He nods, standing up and shooting a flat smile to Twila, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Be right there, Professor.”

“And Twila,” McGonagall raises a brow. “Homework, as a suggestion for your time?”

Twila’s face heats up in embarrassment. She rises to her feet and gives a quick bow to McGonagall before fleeing the crime scene. Twila gives Mattheo a guilty smile, holding back a chuckle as she sees him get dragged away by the professor. She teasingly waves before he disappears around a corner.

Dinner feels suddenly exciting as it’s now filled with secret smirks and glances across tables when Jewel isn’t looking. She has no doubt Mattheo would be spending his night in detention. Perhaps she should try and give him a surprise visit.

And after Astronomy class, she does just that, hoping she can pass by the detention chamber and get back to her common room before curfew. Luckily, the room isn’t too far from the Astronomy Tower, and even better, when she gets there, Professor McGonagall is nowhere in sight. She quietly peeks in and sees a small group of people inside the room. Then, just in the back of the class, she spots him, head leaning over the back of the chair as he boredly waits for his time there to end.

She sneaks to the side of the door frame, hugging it while she tries to move just enough to get his attention. He groans as he looks towards the back of the room at the clock, his eyes snapping open in surprise when he sees her instead. She quietly waves, and he waves back, silently motioning for her to come in, but she shakes her head no. He glances around the classroom, seeing how all of the students were nearly put to sleep by how bored they are, and motions her in again. She shakes her head once more, checking over her shoulder to look down the hall for the lost teacher before back at him. Twila feels a bit bold, especially knowing that he is basically locked down inside a classroom until curfew, and raises her hand to her lips, blowing a playful kiss his way. Her cheeks glow brightly when she sees how offended he is that she’s poking fun at the fact that he didn’t get to kiss her earlier. However, where she and most of the Ravenclaws would succumb to their punishment, Twila forgets that not all students abide by the rules.

He looks around the classroom again, and much to Twila’s confusion, he stands up from his desk, ignoring the other students' eyes. Her face flushes with excitement and fear as she backs out of the doorway and around the corner, away from lookers. Just then Mattheo emerges from the classroom, despite the rule of staying put. “Think you can keep teasing me?” Her heart pounds in her chest, not expecting this kind of reaction from him. “Just so you know, I do plan on kissing you.” He steps closer, trapping her between him and the wall.

She bites her lip excitedly. “What’s stopping you then?” Her voice is quiet, but quivering with suspense.

He stares deeply down at her, eyes twinkling with an idea. “Are you sure you want me to?” 

She bites her cheek. “Maybe.”

He scoffs out a laugh. “And, what would happen if I don’t?” She furrows her brows, giving him a small pout. Her eyes beg without even saying a word, but he doesn’t give in, only letting out a taunting chuckle. “Aww, are those pouty lips begging for something, Twila?” He places his hand on the wall next to her and leans in further, ghosting his hand along her jawline. She nods in a silly, yet hopeless way, her big eyes looking up at him. But he still doesn’t bite. “Or I could just wait til the perfect moment.”

“Mattheo~” She breathes out, feeling weaker by the second.

“Twila~” He mocks back, tilting his head to the side with a smirk. “Yes, Twila?”

“Mattheo!” She whines this time, a small laugh in her voice.

However, she whines a little too loud for his liking, so he runs his thumb along her bottom lip, giving her a quiet and gentle shush. “Come on, don’t you want me to kiss you? Say please.” His smirk grows.

“Please.” She whispers.

His other hand is at her waist now, his face moving in closer and closer until his forehead rests against hers. “Beg some more.” He whispers back, holding her gaze.

Both of which are surprised by their way of speaking to each other, but both are equally as reluctant to stop now. Her lips could basically feel his, they were so close. Her heartbeat quickens to insane speeds at both his words and the sound of his voice. She can hardly believe she is doing this only in her first week of coming to Hogwarts. Who knew that being the new girl could be so exciting? Perhaps Hogwarts would be a much better experience than Ilvermorny ever was. 

“Matthe-”

Just then, footsteps clank through the hallway, and emerges the same woman that interrupted them the first time. Mattheo quickly bolts back into the classroom with panicked eyes, just in time before Ms. McGonagall spots the two of them. She stares at Twila for a moment, wondering what she could be up to. “Twila, what are you doing out here?”

She gulps. “I-, uh, lost my common room again. Tried to take a shortcut but…”

The professor nods in understanding. “Of course. Ravenclaw is just up those stairs right there, but- oh- before you go, I did have something to discuss with you.” She smiles. It must be good news. She slowly walks Twila towards said stairs, and away from the detention hall. Twila peeks back into the room, adrenaline rushes through Mattheo’s eyes. He breathes heavily and he watches her with a smirk as she gets further and further out of his sight until she’s completely gone. Twila’s own body is still flushed and shivering from the lingering feeling of his hands. “I’ve gotten good word from your professors this week, all of which have reported that you are an excellent and capable student, and considering your grades at Ilvermorny, I have a very special offer to make you.” She claps her hands together, a warm grin wrinkling her cheeks. “I would like to make you a Ravenclaw prefect.”

Twila’s face lights up.  Not the news she was hoping for, but great news nonetheless.  “Really? Thank you, it’s an honor.”

Ms. McGonagall brushes off her thanks. “Of course, you have proven your abilities so far, although, I’ll have to ignore your little antics with Mr. Riddle earlier and hope that you’ll take a more serious and academic approach to the rest of your school year…?” She all but warns, looking at the younger girl over the top of her glasses.

Twila’s cheeks heat up again. “O-Of course, Professor. Thank you.”

McGonagall’s smile returns. “I knew you’d say yes. Your new uniform is already waiting for you upstairs. Be sure not to lose your way there again.” She jests, before returning back to the detained troublemaker students.

Twila stands in the now empty hall for a moment. Getting that close to Mattheo and she’s a Prefect now? She can’t believe her luck.

[cosmo-watches-movies]

Heartlands (2002)

Summary: A Road Movie about kind hearted Colin (Michael Sheen), who has his world turned upside down when his wife Sandra (Jane Robbins) runs away with a policeman. He sets out on his moped and starts the journey through the country to bring her back home.

No spoilers watch the movie This movie feels like a warm hug, a cozy blanket and hot cocoa on a crisp autumn day. It’s a delight. I’ll do things a bit different this time, I won’t go in too deep because I want as many people as possible to just experience this film. Because that is what it is, a experience. It has some very beautiful shots, great humor and very charming characters. And it takes it’s time when it needs to. One might say it’s a bit artsy but I like it for just that.

Okay maybe some spoilers there are a few things I’d like to talk about

Colin is THE Cinnamonroll, he doesn’t deserve any of Sandras bs, but it does provide the incentive for the journey of his life so it’s fine in the end.

I love how when Sandra tells Colins friends, that she will leave him for the Police Captain (JIm Carter), they are just as irritated as I am while watching. The worst part is, that the Captain proceeds to throw Colin off the Darts Team (they are set to compete in a turnament the following weekend) and with that he robs our poor guy of the two things he loves the most at the same time. WTF I’m mad, what an asshole do you have to be? And Sandra just tags along? What did Colin ever do to you? Poor man is sitting in his shop balling his eyes out, they just robbed him of everything that was important to him.

A good friend of Colin convinces him to follow the darts team to Blackpool to win Sandra back, and although at this point I would personally think "fuck her actually", he didn’t even have the chance to talk to her about this, so fair enough. What else should he do now, sit in his store and mope? This is the better option.

Enter beautiful shots of the english country and small towns coupled with folk music, I’ve never felt this comfy in my life. I can’t even imagine how this movie hits if you actually grew up in the UK.

This movie is beautiful

Colin's first overnight stop is at some kind of cottage Inn in the middle of nowhere. There he meets a lovely couple, who are the first people so far who treat him nicely. Or rather like a normal human being. Up to this point I noticed two things: First: Colin is framed by the movie like he is still a bit of a child inside. He’s not immature I think, but a bit naive, very quiet and a bit socially inept, like he hasn’t quite arrived in the real world yet. Second: Other characters in the film notice this and some tend to treat him a bit lesser because of that. Doesn’t hit close to home at all, noooo… Buuut our boy Colin doesn’t really care about that, he just does his thing and is his most sincere self, even if he’s still on the way to finding out who he really is and what he wants from his life. I love that for him.

Anyway the guy (from that couple) gives Colin a haircut and a new shirt so now he looks like a whole different person. (This visibly kicks his character developement journey off and I love that visual language, plus the haircut really suits him, dude did a really good job)

Cue a shot of Colin being sad, listening to a folk band playing in the Inn and my heart is melting this is movie is so precious.

I don't want to spoil what happens in one of the following scenes, my thoughts are confirmed, Colin is a kid and I love him for that.

Colin, I’d like you to please stop doing and saying things that make me go: “Ha, I do that!” Thank you very much.

I won’t go into much more detail from this point on I will just say he eventually gets to Blackpool, talks to Sandra and makes the best decision of his life. He really learned a lot about himself in those few days. The ending fills my heart with butterflies everytime.

A pure, lovely, gentle and genuine performance by Michael. I don’t know how, but his acting in this feels like a hug from a very good friend. It’s so warm and sincere. Of all the films and shows I’ve written about until now, this one is by far my favourite. This is the kind of movie you turn to when you're having a hard time and want to work through it.

If you can, watch it in autumn. With a nice cuddly blanket, a person you love and a nice tea or hot cocoa. But however you do it, if there is one film from my blog you should watch, it's this one!

PS: If you should ever have the chance to meet Michael Sheen in person, please tell him a random guy called Cosmo on the internet loved this movie very much and would like to thank him for this extraordinary genuine and heartfelt performance. This film will stay with me for a long time <3

[sunsetno4]

I had a thought last night about Vendetta's early days on the Farm, and boy! It spiraled a bit out of control. ^^;; Sometimes, you just gotta let the nonsense out tho. So, idk. Ven getting distracted by strange thoughts and emotions on a mission. As ne often does.

=====

It's dull, this muted room bathed in warm light, and you are bored. There’s not a thing that pops out, nothing that you can make a game of. Your Handler is off to the side, chatting absently though her eyes never leave you.

And while you fidget mindlessly with the glass a waiter handed you, a string of thoughts hit you: running, sneaking, hiding, stealing.

It fits the bill, both to report on and make a game out of. You're not supposed to decipher things on your own, that's for the Handler to do. But, you’re bored and she’s busy, talking and watching, so. You look around, admiring the art along the walls as you filter through thoughts.

Thrilled. Trite. Faked. Oh.

It’s from a young woman, older than you but not by much. She smiles tightly as a boorish man talks animatedly. Behind her, a painting of the sea. An easy cover as you investigate further. The brushwork is exquisite.

“Isn’t it?” She says, and you look over your shoulder. Oops. Thoughts should stay inside. Always hard to remember that. Her smile turns more tight as she bids the man farewell. Her heels click, click, click against the cold stone below, and you feel those fragmented notions again, sharper than a dagger.

Running to a room, sneaking through darkened hallways, hands linked, hiding together, hands over giggling mouths. You taste something sweet, entangled in the thoughts she’s desperately trying not to think about but consume her absolutely. 

“It is. I’m always pulled in by how much life artists can pull out of form alone. It’s a true talent.” It's not a lie, you are. It’s just paint, layered over a canvas in color and depth. But it feels so alive, the waves crashing in a storm. Like it might still be wet if you touched it. You don’t. It’ll bring her over, so you bite down the urge and mimic the young woman’s tight smile. Dig more.

“I’ll admit it’s all very new to me. My brother was the artsy one in our family.” Brother. That stabs through everything. Painful. Screaming. Two kids sneaking out of their beds at night, just to steal some sweets. Their secret. Meaningless. And yet, it hurts so so much.

“I’m sorry.” Because death tastes peculiar in thoughts, memories. Real ones, unlike yours. She did say 'was', so it's an acceptable reply. You think. She stiffens, and smiles more. Biting down the emotions is such a strangely familiar motion.

“Thank you.” A common societal nicety. Those are always hard to parse, laying in between the idea of a truth and a lie. “He was …too young.” This children's crusade. Bitterly thought. Her, not you. You’re thinking about Lot’s wife again. It was the same book, wasn’t it?

“So it goes.” What else can you say?

And for a moment, her smile softens and you dig in a little deeper. It's not hard. She's broadcasting so loud you're amazed no one else can feel it. Maybe they do. People aren't as nosy as you, it seems. The sweet taste is back, a bowl of cookies laying between the pair under a blanket. Still at night, maybe the same night. They're conspiring, said in giggles. The memory is so, so very sharp. Painful. Over the bowl of the cookies is a book, colorful and childish. She likes the words, and he loves the colors.

Ah, you never heard the word romantic said with such disdain before. Said? You look over at her, and she just tucks some hair behind her ear. Every thought she has hurts, you feel it so easily. In your younger days, you might've offered some advice. If it hurts to think about it, don't. People can be so needlessly complicated, their emotions strange and consuming. 

Like tonguing a cut in your mouth, you know it hurts. You should stop. But you keep touching. Keep thinking. The Farm told you about family and siblings, all distance and clinical. There's parents, and they have children. Related children are siblings, and they typically live together. Not always, so a topic best to avoid. Family can be messy.

And it is. A storm threatens to overturn a ship on the sea, and the woman is smiling through a pain you simply don't understand. Why come out? Why not stay at home? Why keep thinking? These memories and thoughts aren't kind. Cruel words dance around in the edges, bitter fights that refuse to come out in the open but infect everything she thinks. He never listened to her. He should've. Idiot. Bastard. Left it all to her, she hates this. Him. His death. Same thing.

"I'm sorry." She says softly, after too many silent moments pass by. "It seems that I'm very poor company tonight." A laugh follows, and you want to reach out and grab her. She's not poor company. She's the most fascinating person you've ever met. You want to explore her thoughts forever, take them apart piece by piece. It enthralls you, these memories. You've never been a child, not like her.

You're standing outside, looking at the alien lights in the sky. Stars. Constellations. Easy to name. There's snow on the ground, and mittens around your fingers. Cold, you should feel cold, right? But you never do. It's too distant.

Not your memories, but yours in a sense. They don't feel as real as hers. Why can you taste the cookies, but not feel the cold?

"I enjoyed our time together." You say instead. It's wrong, inappropriate. People find you off-putting when you deviate from the script, especially in places like this. Even her, she thinks you're weird. She just wanted to know a little more about art. Why he liked it so. Thought you'd know. 

"Ah, well. As it is." She's going to leave. There's things that must happen, events that need gentle touches to come to fruition. Ah. Your Handler would enjoy that thought. Your hands want to grab, reach out, and hold her. No. That's the wrong word.

"As it is." It's easy to repeat. "I do hope you find peace tonight though." Touching is not allowed, not unless it's absolutely required. You learned how to skirt that rule, so they took it from you. Confused, they thought. You weren't. You just liked feeling the textures under your fingertips, both in reality and outside. 

But words can touch too. Hug people even. You want to hug her. But the only connection between you is a simple flimsy smile, forced and awkward, and then she turns away. Her eyes never pass over the paintings again. She's like you now, on a mission.

How unfortunate you caught those thoughts too, you think. Frowning and turning back at the painting, you try not to think about it. Maybe your Handler won't ask. Over the shoulder, you can still feel her eyes on you. She probably will.

Hopefully then, if the worst comes to follow, maybe the young woman will find happiness. She might be seeing her brother again soon, after all.

[kryptonexorcius]

🌷 doing the @baeby-tc TC July stuff in December 'cause yes (now I have time to do everything I want)

1. describe your tc's physical appearance.

🪞: G's a kind of short man, maybe 160cm or 165cm, he's about my Height. I don't know how to explain his physical type, I think he has the typical "dad's body". His hair, omg his hair is perfect, it's short and Straight and has this color mix that reminds me of salt and pepper. Also, he has the most beautiful eyes in the world. They're green, in the sun they get a golden yellowish and in the dark they get a more greenish blue tone.

2. what was the first thing you've ever said to your tc?

🪞: I giggled 'cause the first thing he said to me was that I was such a quiet girl. The second thing was "I also like the Beatles" (he asked me if I liked them, actually I hate them)

3. is your to single or taken? or are you unsure? and are you single or taken?

🪞: G is taken (married) but I'm not sure if he's happy in this relationship at all... When I met him I was kind of dating a boy, but I ended our relationship 'cause I saw that I didn't truly like the boy and didn't want to hurt his feelings (now he's an asshole to me lol), so I'm actually single, UGHHH.

4. is your to more of the athletic type, the nerdy type or the artsy type?

🪞: At first I thought he was just a nerdy and artistic (musician type) man, but I saw him playing volleyball and I can tell y'all, the way he punched that fricking ball, I wish that shit was me

5. if you and your to were in high school together, do you think you'd be friends?

🪞: He was soooo extrovert and I'm pretty introvert, even if I like to talk A LOT with my friends and love company and everything about socialize, it's very hard for me 'cause of some of my life events so I think he would bully me (he actually told us the kind of guy he was when he was younger so I'm pretty sure he would be my bully).

6. name one song that reminds you of your tc and explain why that song reminds you of them.

Dois Rios - Skank (He told us to listen to this song to do a philosophy work and to chat about what that means in some kind of Socrates stuff)

You give love a bad name - Bon Jovi (idk, I just read a book about an age gap relationship and the guy was literally my TC and he enjoyed that song so, yeah)

There's a light that never goes out - The Smiths (He liked the smiths and he also likes that movie w the couple that are not a couple, I hate that movie)

Paparazzi - Lady Gaga (I REFUSE TO EXPLAIN)

7. is your to fashionable or are they more of the simple type? what is one outfit you'd love to see them wear?

🪞: HES SO MINIMALISTIC UGH I HATE THAT. EVERY TIME HES W SOME SOCCER TRAM SHIRT OR SOME SHIT LIKE IT. But I wish he wore these clothes everyday:

8. would you be willing to become a teacher and teach your tc's subject if it meant you two could be together?

🪞: For sure! I mean, I have a lot of options to teach because he teaches me a lot of subjects but I would love to help him give a science politics class 🥹

9. does your to drink or smoke?

🪞: Neither

10. name one item that is always on your tc's desk.

🪞: His red pencil case and those fineliner bic pen

11. has your tc ever done anything that has either thrown you off, annoyed you, angered you or bothered you in any way? if so, what did they do?

🪞: Yes, everytime. When he ignores my opinions about some kind of project or when he was just so insensitive when I literally told him the most significant thing in my life and that made me cry a lot and I told him I never talked about it with anyone, even w my family and he just stood there like I was only talking bullshit but when one of my friends cried cause she lost a SOCCER GAME he fucking HUGGED HER 👹👹

12. does your to have any past jobs that you know of, before becoming a teacher?

🪞: He was a tour guide, a music journalist and did something like analyzing music shows.

13. does your tc have kids or siblings? if so, how many?

🪞: He has a son (he told everyone that it was an unwanted kid and he never wanted to be a dad but when his kid or his wife is near he acts like he's soooo proud, idk what to think about it) and he has an older brother.

14. are you taking your tc's class next year?

🪞: Yes, I have no option ahaha

15. has your tc ever met your parents? if you were there, what was the meeting like?

🪞: Yup, we have parents and teachers council. Also, my father was a teacher where I study and my TC was one of his friends, he actually liked to chat w my father a lot, maybe my own father was his father figure lol (even if my father is like, one year older than him). When he met my mother he came to tell me this like a dog when it sees their owner.

16. has your to ever given you detention? if so, what was it like?

🪞: Nope, thanks god

17. has your tc ever failed you? if so, how did you react? if not, how would you react?

🪞: I don't think so. But I would be so sad and mad at the same time. Silent treatment probably would be what I would do 'cause that's what hurts me, but I wouldn't talk w him, even if it was for school purposes.

18. what are your tc's hobbies/interests? are they similar to yours?

🪞: He enjoy to listen to music (don't play anything, but I do play piano, bass, guitar and I sing), he liked to read (me too ahaha), go out to bars (even if he don't drink, but he only that the ones that have shows)

19. have you ever spoken on the phone with your tc? what did you talk about?

🪞: I never made a call w him. We just text each other sometimes. The first time he texted me was to thank me for going to his class.

20. if you had your tc's class during quarantine, what were your zoom calls like? if not, have you spoken to your tc since quarantine?

🪞: I met him in 2021 🥹

21. if you had the chance to go anywhere in the world with your tc, where would you go? what would you do?

🪞: I would go to Germany, it's my dream since I was a little kid and we would visit every museum we could.

22. does your to have any nicknames for you?

🪞: I don't think so, he never called me anything

23. have you ever cried in front of your tc? why? how did they react?

🪞: Yes; personal problems, classmates problems; HE DID NOTHING BOTH TIMES

24. have you ever walked/drove to/from school with your tc?

🪞: Nope

25. do you know which teachers your tc is friends with at school? if so, do you like those teachers?

🪞: Yes, one of them I don't like and the others I really do like

26. why does your tc's voice sound like?

🪞: It's nothing like a mature man, more like a mature teenager who had a lot of problems to deal in his life.

27. do you like your tc as a teacher? are they a good teacher?

🪞: Yesss, a lot. He's so smart and his classes are very good

28. does your tc prefer books, shows or movies?

🪞: Hard to tell, but I think movies

29. is your tc stern or easy going, in class?

🪞: pretty easy going w who make some effort to make the work he gives good, very strict if they are students who don't want to do anything

30. how would you describe you and your tc's relationship?

🪞: confusing, very confusing. Sometimes he acts like he does care about me but sometimes he just ignores me and I feel like a trash lol

31. do you address your tc by their first or last name?

🪞: by his first name. Where I live it's kind of weird to call them by their last name, it's something very particular. But when I talk to him I call him only teacher and mister, I feel it's too intimate to call him by his name ahaha, he never gave me that freedom.

[annabtg]

hello dear anna, i sent this to another person and now i'm deathly curious about it for all my pals, so: what do you think you'd be like if you were at hogwarts? yknow, what kind of student, friend, would you play quidditch, be in a club? what would your favorite class be? how would you feel about the ghosts? favorite places in the castle? etc etc tell me how you'd fucking wear your tie, whatever comes to mind

Jamie! ❤️ Well, let's see:

I would be a Ravenclaw, definitely. I have always valued knowledge for the sake of knowledge first, and my teenage self even more so.

I expect I'd be a top student, probably a prefect - I was the equivalent in my school. I'd probably be best at the more theoretical subjects, less so at what requires dexterity - the fine chopping and crushing at Potions would take me a hot minute to master, but my perfect understanding of the theory would carry me over until I'd have had enough practice (as evidenced by 2nd year of uni me vs 4th year of uni me). My electives would definitely be Ancient Runes (which would be my favourite subject hands down) and Arithmancy. Muggle Studies if I wasn't Muggleborn. Divination would intrigue me but I think I'd find it too vague to do it as a school subject.

I wouldn't play Quidditch - or not well enough to make the team, anyway - but I would be very much a House Pride sort of person and wouldn't miss a Ravenclaw game! I'd definitely be in one or more clubs, however many I could fit in my schedule! What kind of clubs are there? Duelling and Chess sound like good candidates, also anything artsy.

I've always had resting bitch face and have also been the annoying person who takes a lot of pride in her grades, so I wouldn't have many friends. I'd get along decently with several people without forming deep relationships, and I'd have one BFF girlfriend. Either someone who was exactly like me, or someone meeker who would be drawn to my intense personality. Depends on which one would be available in my dorm.

I'd have a crush on a very intelligent and skilled boy with a sense of humour. If we're talking Marauders era, James and Sirius are prime candidates - which one of the two depends on who would be nicer to me and who isn't the most sought after between girls, lol. Maybe I'd go through phases over the seven years, fancying first the one and then the other. :p But I think if given the opportunity, between the two, I'd become better friends with Sirius.

I expect I'd get used to the ghosts as well as everything else magical! My favourite place in the castle would be our common room by the fire, unless it was too noisy. Then maybe the grounds on a sunny day. Or the library! I'd definitely want to explore all the rooms and open all doors - I would rather not break curfew to do it or break any explicit rules, but you'd definitely find me snooping around the castle on a lazy afternoon. Maybe I'd find some quiet, cozy place to use as a hangout.

My uniform would be the most basic thing possible. I'd be super proper with it. But if allowed, I'd wear all sorts of jewellery.

That's me at Hogwarts inspired by teenage me! Curious to see yours!

[storyshark2005]

Fic Excerpt - Part IV of "Been and Gone" series. Lunch with Uncle Liam.

I should be writing but it's hard so I'm wasting time making a silly banner for a fic excerpt so ENJOY some boozy lunch with Uncle Liam and the girls:

They all laugh, and Molly waves for another round of drinks. Anais pulls out her phone and snaps a photo of him and Molly, and then comes around for a selfie with all three of them. 

“I’ll tag you both,” she promises, tapping away.

The sun breaks out from a bank of clouds overhead, and Liam wonders if Noel’s awake yet. If he’s got the curtains pulled shut like a dark cave, or if he was stirring fitfully in a mess of sheets, caught in a knife beam of sunlight.

“What’re they like?” Liam asks after a couple of drinks. 

Anais hums and sits back, smiling at her thoughts. “Well, let’s see. Donovan’s like...he’s a bit quieter. Internal. Really sweet, and thoughtful. And creative, he’s always been really good at drawing, and artsy stuff. He plays a lot of video games, adventury-y type ones.”

“Is he into music?”

“I mean...not really. Not like Dad. I think Dad wishes he’d sort of catch on to something besides his computer to be interested in. But he’s still young. He’ll figure it out.” 

“Bit of a daydreamer, then?” 

“Yeah,” she nods.

“That was our Noel.” Liam feels himself smile; he can still see Noel at seventeen, in his narrow little bed with his headphones plugged into the stereo, the window open to let out the thick, curling wheels of smoke. Eyes half-closed, drifting somewhere a thousand miles from Manchester, from Liam, from everyone.

“And Sonny’s the opposite. He’s like me-- super outgoing, energetic, always talking, chatting away. Dad always says he could make friends in a bucket.” She laughs. “He goes through these little obsessions-- for a while Dad was so excited, ‘cause he was really getting into the guitar. He had a few mates from school, and they all got together and did this talent show gig where they played ‘Bang a Gong’, by T-Rex. And Dad was like...freaking out, he was so excited! I think he thought they were doing Cigarettes and Alcohol for a few seconds.” 

Molly grins, shakes her head. “That’s so sweet.” 

Anais rolls her eyes. “But now it’s just football, football, football. Actually it’s really good, because he’s got football camp all summer to keep him distracted. I sort of wish Donovan would find something to keep his mind off of things. 

“But anyway, yeah. Sonny just wants to be Erling Haaland when he grows up.” 

Liam had stayed at home with Paul and the boys to watch the championship, not up to the stress of hobbling around the Etihad, and with him and Noel in the same place, it would have been a madhouse. But he’d seen the pictures of Noel holding Sonny over his shoulders, his tiny, joyous little face. 

He remembers a couple of weeks after he was born. Almost a year after the band broke up, Liam had thought things couldn’t get worse with him and Noel; and he hadn’t minded so much, because he was still so angry. But he remembers picking up a photo from his mother’s coffee table: Noel in the hospital holding a little bundle of blue, Donovan standing at his knee tugging on Noel’s trousers. A strange second where he’d almost forgotten everything that had happened, and nearly asked out loud, why didn’t he call me, he forgot to call because Noel had been the first person Liam had called after Lennon, after Gene. 

“D’you think they’ll like me?” 

It sort of slips out. He’s still not all there, still thinking about the blue bundle in Noel’s arms, about the end of the band; Liza in New York, and Nicole next to him on the sofa asking him, where are you? It’s like I don't even know you anymore. Life all splintered up into pieces, and none that really fit together.

Anais puts her fork down, mouth pulling fondly to one side, knowingly, like she had a secret. “Uncle Liam. They’re going to love you.”

He doesn’t know if he believes her, but it’s too dear a thought, too much to wish for and too far away. He’s got to figure Noel out first, and Noel’s got to figure Sara out, and somehow, somehow, they’ve all got to make it through in one piece.

[jenyifer]

Childhood friends BostonRay + SandNick

part 5 is complete now with smut and choose your own ending

So didn’t intend for it to become poly just kind of happened. But anyways let’s talk about it being done. First a little promo incase you haven’t seen this before

Camp is part 5 of my Growing Up series that’s BostonRay childhood friends. I wanted to give Boston and Ray a more fleshed out back story. I write a lot in the meta about BostonRay. Boil it down to I think Boston and Ray were actually friends and would have a chance at friendship in the future. So because the ending was shit I decided to give Boston what he deserves cause he isn’t a villain. I’ve never written fic before. So we start out with 4 year old BostonRay to 17 year old BostonRaySandNick. Camp is the first fic with all of them in it. Part 4 Shattered Glass was so depressing because it’s Ray’s mother’s death and spoiler alert Boston ends up not being able to care for Ray properly and he regrets it. I wanted camp to be a sweet childhood friends BostonRay once met soulmates SandNick fic however it became bigger because my characters have their own plans haha. Camp is about the boys being camp counselors and falling in love admitting feels. Is it better to have loved and lost? Are shining moments worth it?

Now… Camp doesn’t have a happy ending because I am committed to getting close to canon so I can say FUCK OFF EPISODE 11 12. Also I do have a plan I have the final parts written. I think I’ll end camp here. There is a time skip and no more camp lol. Also wish I had named it something more artsy but Camp started as a 1 shot but then my brain exploded

I’ll probably continue adding in cameos of diff shows so far we have had.

Mae, Ter, NuengDiao, Porchay, Dr. Prem, Uncle Jim (sadly LeeMing got cut with the Top subplot R I P baby) upcoming is Shin Kinn Porsche (if I have my way one of Gun’s characters cause I am simp)

[screenmaven]

Films I’ve Loved This Year

I have already written reviews on some of them (not seen in this post), that you can already read here. So make sure to also do that.

I’m completely laid out in bed extremely sick, I thought between the delusional fevers, bomb exploding headaches, and literally feeling like I’m dying, I’d share the other films I’ve absolutely enjoyed watching this year.

I started up a separate account via Instagram to just post film, but having multiples is beginning to be too much, so from now on any other film content aside from the blog here will be on @ starrymayx.

So to start off the list here we go…

These 90s “Noir” films started my whole new movie Escapades, and I’m so glad they did -

Bad Influence, Guilty As Sin, Pacific Heights, Whispers in The Dark, Dream Lover, Untamed Heart, White Palace

Here are the others…

Thrashin - 1986

Starring: Josh Brolin, Pamela Gidley

Brooke McCarter (RIP homie), Sherilyn Fenn, Robert Rusler, & Josh Richman

Anthony Kiedis + RHCP

Tony Hawk, Kevin Staab, Mike McGill, Jimmy Star

What I liked: There was so much awesomeness in this film and a feel good story of triumph. Basically it’s about two skateboarding gangs, having beef, mix in lots of skating, graffiti, punk rock aesthetics, and a love story, and you have yourself a pretty badass film. Plus they overcome their rivalry in the LA Massacre challenge, and there’s even several rat tails. 🤣 Definitely worth a watch!

I really wish I could skateboard. I would have been so rad. To all my skater friends and Bo’s over the years, mad respect. 🤘🏻

The House on Sorority Row - 1983

Director: Mark Rosman

I swear Scream Queens was influenced by this film.

I really liked it. Loved the lighting, still had a seventies type feel, storyline was really good. Definitely a film to check out if you like really good horror, without all the super special effects.

*For any strobe light sensitive people* like myself out there, there is a scene where it’s wild,

Pump Up The Volume ✊🏻 1990

Director Allan Moyle

This movie is 🔥 Definitely a pioneer for all things talk radio but from a non-narrative perspective. Films like this and indie radio programs paved the way for our now podcasts. I loved the way it was written, the development of the characters personal selves, and breaking the rules.

I love me some Christian Slater 💓

The soundtrack is also amazing!

From Richard Hell, Leonard Cohen, Beastie Boys, Ice T, & more! I’ll link the soundtrack in my stories.

*trigger warning: there is a scene that deals with suicide and those scenes always get me. So I wanted to mention that.

Out of Bounds - 1986

Director- Richard Tuggle

Cinematography - Bruce Surtees

Starring: Anthony Michael Hall

Siouxsie and the Banshees 🤘🏻💓

& Meatloaf (in like 3 scenes)

What I liked: The cinematography of downtown LA & Venice Beach California, (actually the whole film is beautifully done). The 80’s colors, Dizz’s home, her style. The fact that Anthony Michael Hall was a badass hero, taking down a heroin drug man with his knife throwing skills. Really good film.

2 Days in The Valley - 1996

Written and Directed by: John Herzfeld.

Starring: James Spader, Eric Stolz & Charlize Theron

Synopsis: 48 hours of intersecting lives and crimes in The Valley of Los Angeles.

Why I liked it: Artsy Cinematography, James Spader obviously, and the correlation of numerous parties all being connected, going through individual stuff but being thrown into the mix of chaos. Plus sunglasses just seem to add viable cred to it. Why are sunglasses so cool yet mysterious?

Shampoo - 1975

Director: Hal Ashby

Starting Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, & Warren Beatty

I throughly enjoyed this film mainly due to the Jim Morrison/Sharon Tate style vibes it gave off throughout, and all the stylish decor/fashion. The Morrison looking guy played by (Warren Beatty) is basically a lover to many of his women hair clients (he does hair).

I really appreciate the 70’s swank and aesthetic appeal in this film. I’m also obsessed with Julie Christie’s glam Tate starlet look and I wish I could pull off bangs! Goldie Hawn is also in here and a younger Carrie Fisher.

From the 70s eye shadow, purple outfit I want, the main girls style, glamorous hair, river grotto, la house party with body paint and strobe lights (which that part I had to turn away - sensitive), it still rocked.

Based in the LA canyon/hills it’s definitely worth a watch to see the web of desire and aesthetic unfold. Keep your eye out for the creepy art in one of the scenes that just didn’t quite belong. 😳

Additionally there was some dialogue between two parties in the kitchen about questioning the lead male’s (hairstylist) orientation, and the f word was used a couple times. Didn’t like that part.

Really glad we’ve evolved on how we should identify people and what’s right to say and not to. A person can be gay or even not, but using derogatory terminology to hurt them is very low par. If you still do that. Stop.

Chopping Mall - 1986

Director: Jim Wynorski

Mall Location: Sherman Oaks Galleria

I loved this film. For reals.

Nothing better than a mall unleashing new technology security robots, only to go horribly wrong. Which I already knew where it was going as soon as it started 😂

Anyways a group of mall employee friends and two others throw a party in a bedding home store and get freaky - typical 80s horror, which I love. Then basically the robots go crazy and savage, hunting down all of them in a terminator/stranger things vibe kind of way. The aesthetic, 80s style, and scenery are very appealing, all the way down to even the playboy underwear from Miss Virgina Slims herself. Camel ciggs just won’t cut it. 😂

Lots of greats here, and I hope you check them out if you haven’t seen them.

Happy Filming 😘

[thiswasinevitableid]

for the winter prompts, #16 Indruck nsfw

16. I’m an adult film star trying to break into Hollywood and this Hallmark movie could be my big break… if my costar and I can get along

What is it with Hallmark and the woods? Most of Indrid’s shoots have taken place in studios or houses or other places with some kind of temperature control, but from the script and the schedule Ned sent him, he’ll be outdoors for much of his first “respectable” screen appearance. So he parks his car in front of Mountain Man Pizza and walks up the closed off main street, stripped of it’s Christmas decorations so they can pretend it’s late January instead of early November. 

Late Winter Love is one of two shoots Amnesty Productions is running in Kepler. The other, Dead of Night, is about a killer stalking a sleepy mountain town, and Ned kindly gave him very clear directions for making sure he ended up on the set of one and not the other. Splitting resources between romance to sell Hallmark and Lifetime and horror to sell Tubi and, occasionally, Netflix, is an odd combination that’s Amnesty’s bread and butter. 

Indrid appreciates said odd approach; it’s probably what convinced the studio to take a chance on a guy whose screen credits all have titles like Tent Pitchers, Bear Hunters Two,and Little Red Riding Shorts.

Oh no, did someone think those were indie, outdoor-set film titles?

No, nono, he heard someone mention Glory Hole Confidential. They know what they’re getting. 

As he smiles at production assistants scurrying about to ready the street for the days filming, he tucks his hand into his pocket and wraps it around his fidget cube, reminding himself that he’s watched every rom-com Amnesty put out in the last three years and he knows he can do this. 

“Indrid! There you are, dear boy.” Ned, the director, appears with remarkable silence for such a large man from around a trailer, “I trust you found accommodations and such without issue?”

“Yes, thank you. Bit of a coincidence, there being an Amnesty Lodge where we’re filming.”

“Not in the least; Amnesty is where our studio took it’s name from. The founders did all their brainstorming and writing there and shot their first film right here in Kepler. Mama, who runs the Lodge, was our first ever final girl. In fact, if you look just there…”

Indrid lets Ned talk as he leads him through the roped off chunks of the street forming the set, immensely grateful that the older man is clearly trying to put him at ease. As Ned is showing him the make-up trailer, a man with bright green eyes and a deep green bomber jacket steps from it. 

Indrid knows him instantly: Duck Newton, the most handsome, most engaging part of Indrid’s deep dive into Amnesty’s videography. 

Duck is playing Drew, a carpenter in the sleepy mountain town that Ryan, Indrid’s artsy, trust-fund laden character arrives in. Being attracted to him will be the easiest part of Indrid’s job. 

He raises his hand in a little wave as Duck looks up from his phone. A round face goes through a dozen emotions before landing on a small smile and an awkward, stiff wave in return. Indrid tries not to read into it; after all, his porn never went mainstream. The odds of lots of people on set, let alone his co-star, having seen it are incredibly low.

—------------------------------------------------------------

Emperor Moth is his fucking co-star. Emperor Moth, the guy Duck has jerked off to at least once a week for years, is apparently the exact same person as Indrid Cold, who Duck has promised to help feel comfortable on his first movie set. 

What the fuck is Duck supposed to do?  

His mind supplies his favorite scene from Bar Room Brat in reply and he shakes his head like that will somehow bang all those memories from his brain and send them out his ears. The guy is probably nervous, Duck knows he was the first time he stepped on a real film set, and Duck wants to help him out, wants him to feel comfy and safe and maybe stay on as part of Amnesty. He’s betting saying “hey, I love your movies” isn’t as welcoming when it means “I’ve seen your dick and know exactly how many piercings you have.”

Joe always says that, while Hallmark doesn’t show it’s actors fucking, he wants his characters to at least seem like they want to. Duck likes to think he walks that line, but what if having Indrid next to him makes him come off as slavering instead of charming? What if he makes him uncomfortable?

He slumps against a brick  wall under the sign for Dave’s Dehumidifiers and takes a deep breath. He’s a professional. Indrid is too. They can just do their scenes and chit chat between them, and no one has to be the wiser that Duck thinks Indrid makes the cutest noises on earth when he cums. 

Rain patters on the pavement and he makes tracks to the Lodge cafe, finding a solo table to read through his script. He’s glad Ned–and, to a lesser extent, Joe–cast him in this one; he knows Late Winter Love is written to fill Hallmarks programming gaps between Christmas and Valentine’s day, but he likes the idea of a love story that takes place after all the bright lights and whimsy of the holidays are past. Yeah, kissing under mistletoe or out in the snow on Christmas Eve is romantic, but so is finding someone who’ll stay by your side when it’s grey and slushy and summer is a thousand years away. Someone who thinks all the presents in the world can’t compare to one rainy afternoon with you. 

His phone dings with a text. It’s a photo from Aubrey, who’s over doing special effects for Dead of Night. It seems Dr. Harris Bonkers, her fifteen pound rabbit, got into the fake blood again. As he’s teasing her that she better shampoo the bloodthirsty monster before Joe finds out, the door dings and Indrid walks into the Lodge. 

Off camera, he favors red-tinted glasses and keeps his silvery hair half-up, making him look even more like someone mashed the one a.m fantasies of a dozen, horny goths and weirdos into one body and set him loose to roam the night. 

Indrid flashes him a smile and he manages one back. As soon as the taller man turns to order, Duck stands, not quite ready to make an ass of himself in front of his co-star, and heads for the door, grateful the whole way that he can’t get a noticeable hard-on. He doesn’t need that embarrassment and neither, for that matter, does Indrid. 

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Don’t play this too flirtatious just yet. You’re feeling each other out, but neither of you is seeing the other correctly.” Ned hops into his chair, “action.”

“Well, well, back already, city boy?” Duck leans against the wall of the hardware store. 

Indrid turns, arms crossed, and glares at him, “I don’t have to buy anything here, you know.”

“That you don’t. But if you know another place to get the gear to fix busted front door hinges, a stuck window, and a draft that’d kill a polar bear, you better tell me so I can scope out the competition.”

He raises his eyebrows, “How did you know that’s what was wrong? Were you spying on me?” Before Duck can answer he stalks forward, “look, if you think you can pull some kind of, of Deliverance thing on me-”

“Whoah, whoah, hang on.” Duck is bright pink, “I, uh, I was just, I used to live there, uh, uh, fuck” he spits out the last word, “sorry Ned.”

“No harm done, let’s take it again.”

They get the scene in four takes. And so begins a pattern of Duck continually missing lines or coming across as stiff or awkward during their scenes. They always get it in the end, but Indrid’s been in  orgies that were more efficient. 

When he combines this with the fact that Duck is polite but evasive with him off-camera and constantly leaves when Indrid arrives in a space, there’s one, obvious conclusion: Duck’s figured out who he is and his previous line of work. If he wants to be weird about it, fine, that’s his choice, but Indrid worries the awkwardness will be unavoidable in the final take and make them both look bad. At which point he can count his film career as a dead fish in the pond of his dreams. 

It’s time he and Duck have a little chat. 

—------------------------------------------------------------

Duck’s reading his Best Science and Nature Writing compendium when there’s a knock. Opening the door reveals Indrid, whose smile is tight as he says, “May I come in?”

“Oh, yeah, uh, sure.”

He catches a whiff of vanilla as Indrid slips past him, closes the door just as the taller man whirls on him, mouth set in a line. 

“I want you to know that I am not ashamed of my past work. Whatever fears you have or, or ideas you have about it or me are yours to deal with, so please stop fumbling through your lines because you can’t handle talking with someone who’s had sex for money.”

Indrid’s hands, which usually conduct a symphony as he speaks, are jammed in his pockets, and Duck gets the feeling he’s rehearsed this. He also feels like a dick. 

“I, uh, I do know that you’re, uh, you’re Emperor Moth. I actually watch your stuff.”

“Lovely, you’ll get off to me but-”

“Lemme finish. I really, really like your, uh, your other work. Which is why I’ve been so goddamn weird. I didn’t wanna come across as this drooling fanboy who wants you to know he’s seen you gettin’ fucked. You’re my co-star. I, I wanted to make sure you were comfortable and I guess I didn’t pull it off the way I was hoping.” He scratches the back of his neck as Indrid’s hands slip from his pockets and cross his chest. 

“No, you most certainly did not.” He looks at the zig-zags on the carpet, “All the same, I apologize for assuming the worst.”

Duck shrugs, “Guessin’ you’ve had folks be weird about it before.”

“And then some. I, ah, I’ll let you get back to your book.”

He sets a gently hand on Indrid’s shoulder, “How about we get dinner instead? My treat. Feel like we got off on the wrong foot, and since you’re kickin’ ass on set so far, don’t think this’ll be the last time we work together.”

“I’d like that.” Indrid falls into step beside him as they head to the cafe. They give Billy their order and sit in the corner booth, Indrid tracing shapes in the condensation on his water glass. 

“So, uh, how’d you end up auditioning for Amnesty?”

“A friend of mine, Barclay, got cast in the horror side of things. Not Dead of Night; The Woodsman. He’s playing the killer.”

“Damn, that’s a score. That’s gonna be the second, no, third Amnesty one to get a theatrical release.”

“He’s overjoyed.” Indrid smiles, genuine and shy, “and he’s a good friend; he didn’t have to put me in touch with Ned and the casting team, but here we are. As for why I actually tried for it, I want to make them jump to movies. It’s not that I hate what I do, but I like acting much more and I figured the worst they could do was turn me down. Plus this script didn’t make me gag or roll my eyes out of my skull.”

“I hear you.”

“How’d you end up with Amnesty?”

“Had a bit-part as a ranger in Blood Cabin and both Joe and Ned encouraged me to read for more parts. Lucky they did; I like doin’ romcoms, but there ain’t a lot of studios that see me as the romantic lead type. Comic relief if I’m lucky, background dude if I’m not.”

“Which only confirms those studios are run by people with no taste.” The waitress sets their drinks on the table and Indrid dumps sugar into his tea, “I like A Cowboy for Christmas. You wear a Stetson and boots well.”

His smile is turning flirtatious, which is ten times more distracting than when he does it on camera. Duck’s not going to think about anything else for the rest of the night. 

“Thanks. Joe keeps pushing to see if Hallmark will take a movie called A Werewolf for Christmas. Or if they’ll take an actual, decent Halloween rom-com.”

“Now there’s something I’d watch of my own volition.” Indrid rests his elbow on the table and his face in his palm, “out of curiosity, what were you reading?”

“Essay about how carnivorous plants might be able to count.”

Indrid leans a little closer, and Duck realizes he wants him to continue. So he chats about plants until dinner arrives, and which point they switch to debating what genre is hardest to make porn of. And by the time they’re walking back to their rooms, Indrid is sticking close enough to him that his goodnight consists of bumping, cat-like, into Duck’s shoulder and murmuring, “See you tomorrow.”

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------

“You know, I told you my favorite film of yours. But you never told me your favorite of my work. That hardly seems fair.” 

The bag of chips crunches between Duck’s hands and Indrid cackles, laying back in the rare burst of sunshine they’re sitting in to eat lunch. 

“It’s alright, you don’t actually have to tell me. I was simply curious as to what you would do.”

“Jerk.” Duck playfully whacks his knee. The best part of them clearing the air has been the ease with which they can talk, how they can joke, how Indrid feels like he’s flirting with his high school crush all over again. 

“Were the Doritos damaged in your alarm?”

“Nah. And, uh, it was Silverlocks and the Three Bears.”

“Mmm, that one was a very nice shoot. Though it’s seldom where people know me from.”

“I watched it the first time because you were in it and there was a trans guy bein a dom, which still feels fuckin impossible to find some days. But I like to re-watch it because…I dunno, it’s so playful? You seem like you’re havin fun.”

“Oh I was.” Indrid stretches out in the sun, relishing the image of Duck on his couch on splayed on his bed, fucking himself with a toy or rubbing his dick with his fingers all because he likes how Indrid looks smiling and on his knees. 

“You know I had a guy dump me because I ‘didn’t take sex seriously? All I did was laugh a lot, and I, I really can’t handle certain kinds of dirty talk. Even if I think it’s hot, if it sounds corny I can’t help it. I crack up.”

“Goodness. That hardly sounds like a dumpable offense. Then again, if my work proves anything, it’s that what turns people on, and off, is incredibly diverse.”

Duck’s smile still seems a bit glum as he asks, “You have a favorite of the ones you made?”

“Not really, though I’m partial to the Bear Hunter series.” He winks Duck’s way, “I like the subject matter.”

Before he can say that he thinks Duck is the best bear to ever cross his path, Ned is calling for them. He’ll just have to wait to show Duck how lucky someone would be to have him.

—--------------------------------------------------------

Wrap days don’t mean much at Amnesty; most of the cast and crew return for multiple shoots a year and keep in touch with each other, so the bittersweetness is reserved for fact they all have to drive back into the city instead of staying out here in the woods.

Ned’s all but confirmed that they’ll cast Indrid opposite him again. Which is good, because they shot their final kiss scene this morning and Duck’s lips are still burning for another. What’s strange is that he hasn’t seen Indrid since they finished the shoot; he can’t have left, he promised Duck he’d see him at the wrap party. 

He unlocks his hotel room and sees the silver hair on his pillow before he even turns on the light.

“Well now, seems like someone’s been sleeping in my bed.”

There’s a snicker and Indrid disappears further under the covers.

He pulls off his shoes, “If he ate my leftovers I’m gonna be pissed.”

“In my defense, they were delicious.” Says a voice muffled by the red-checkered bedspread. 

Duck steps to the edge of the bed, grabs a corner of the covers, and flips them open. 

“Oh no” Indrid, wearing only some tight boxer briefs and a smile, throws a hand over his head, “I’ve been found by a bear.”

“Pfft, teddy bear maybe. I…are those fuckin bear-patterned boxers?”

“Yes. I bought some for a shoot but they’re a very nice texture so I bought more. And I, ah” a blush slides up his chest, though Duck’s gaze stops to admire the silver bars in his nipples, “I thought about being naked when you came in but I didn’t want to presume.”

“Awful thoughtful for a fella who broke in.” Duck crawls onto the bed, “or did someone let you in?”

“I picked the lock.”

“All that trouble just to surprise me? Ain’t you a sweet thing.”

Indrid whines adorably and hides his face in his arm. 

Duck chuckles, “You’ve done porn for years and it’s sweet talk that makes you blush?”

“Yes. Especially when you do it. I love your voice.” Indrid’s breath catches as Duck fiddles with the band of his underwear. 

“Tell me what you want, sugar.”

“You. I want you, I’ve wanted you for weeks and I, we, we don’t have to do anything wild or kinky, just because I do it at work doesn’t mean I need it now, we can just do what you feel comfortable if that’s…what…oh.” Indrid hums happily as Duck kisses him, and when his tongue slips into Duck’s mouth he can feel the piercing. 

“I asked what you want ,sugar.” Duck straddles him, stroking his hair as they kiss and snickers when Indrid’s hands instantly grope his ass.

“Will you tie me up with something? I, I’ve been dreaming about being at your mercy.”

“I can do that.” Duck hops up, searching the room as he sheds his clothes. He settles on using the tie from the complimentary robe instead of his leather belt. When he climbs back into bed, Indrid growls softly and grabs his waist, kissing his belly and pawing his ass and thighs.

“Sugar, if you want me to tie you up you gotta give me your hands.”

“Ugggggghfine.” Indrid puts his hands above his head but keeps his face pressed against Duck. This makes tying his wrists tricky, but Duck doesn’t mind at all. 

“You want me to drive?” 

“For tonight, yes. But know I don’t come by my reputation as a bear tamer lightly; I fully intend you have you tied in all sorts of lovely rope and then fuck every hole you’ll let me.”

“Christ.” Duck straddles his chest, “yeah, yeah let’s do that soon as we’re back in the city. But for now….know you already had dinner courtesy of my fridge. So open up for dessert.”

Indrid “mmphs” as Duck lowers onto his face, and a welcoming mouth and clever tongue set to work on his dick. For a moment, all his insecurities rear up and he wonders if he could ever compare to someone who does this for a living. Then Indrid is moaning and squirming beneath him, and he forgets why he was so worried. 

Bound hands sneak towards his thigh, so he grabs them and pins them to the pillow while his other hand tangles in silver hair, “Uh uh, focus on what I told you.”

There’s a whine and he tugs on Indrid’s hair, grinding against his face, “That ain’t negotiable. Make me cum and, and then we’ll talk oh, ohfuck.” He tightens his grip as Indrid doubles his efforts, losing himself in the eager attention of his mouth and the muffled squeaks and moans as he treats him like a toy. 

His orgasm hits him out of nowhere and remarkably fast. Whether that’s due to the weeks of pent up desire, Indrid’s skill, or some kind of sex magic, he’s not sure, but as he slumps and crawls off his partner, he’s hit with a brilliant idea. 

“AH!Ahhhhhhn Duck please.” Indrid thrashes as Duck strokes his dick. When he tugs one of the nipple piercings, Indrid yelps and moans and fuck does it sound even better in person. 

“Always wondered if that was fun.” He tugs again, “Turns out it is.”

“Ohhhhhgod. A, again, more” Indrid bites his lip as Duck tugs harder. He thought, if he ever get this chance, the hottest thing about this would be Emperor Moth coming apart under him. 

Turns out it’s much hotter to have Indrid, his Indrid, twisting and begging to cum. 

“Okay sugar, since you asked so sweet and look so goddamn cute.” He strokes hard and fast, bending down to tug the silver bar with his teeth, and then cum is spilling down his hands. 

He pants, wiping his hand on Indrid’s discarded underwear. Even in the aftershocks of his orgasm, Indrid turns and wiggles into Duck’s arms, humming happily and peppering his shoulders and chest with kisses. 

“You okay there?”

“I’m wonderful. As are you. So very wonderful.” Indrid cuddles closer, holding him tight, “mmmm, you’re right, you really are a teddy bear. So perfect to hold.”

“Be your teddy bear any time, darlin.” Duck fumbles with the blankets, pulling them up to cover them from the draft coming under the door. 

“Have dinner with me Friday?”

Duck brushes silver hair out of the way to meet Indrid’s eyes, “I can’t fuckin wait.”

[apoorplayer]

december tcc challenge but i did the whole thing bc i was bored lmao

* What music genre fits your tc the most?

early 2000s pop punk , lol . he has the voice for it

* What's your favorite personality trait for your tc?

his confidence for sure . he says everything like he knows he’s right and it’s so hot

* Do you think they fit into a certain aesthetic or two? If so, which ones?

closest aesthetic i could fit him into is like ,, soft artsy boy ?? that’s the way he dresses at least lol

* If you could, how would you comfort your tc?
(Like if they seem to be having a rough day)

whenever he seems like he’s having a rough day i just try to make him laugh :)

* What type of winter activity do you think is their favorite?

he seems like a snowball fight type of guy tbh lol

* If you could (or have) what book or movie would you recommend to you tc?

any emily henry book !! i think he’d like the humor in those books + would love for those romcoms to give him some ideas ;;)))

* What's their sense of humor like? Is yours similar?

he’s obsessed w “cringe” things lol , we have very similar senses of humor and he’s told ppl he thinks i’m rlly funny hehe

* What's the nicest thing your tc has ever said to you?

sometimes he compliments me in this super low voice and it actually makes me MELT but one time he basically said he loves the way i act and it made me never want to change myself lol

* What wintery activity would you love to do with them?

cuddle up together and watch christmas movies <333

* What do you think your tc's love language is?

prob quality time . he’s all ab spending time w ppl :)

* Do you have a quote or poem that you associate with them?

plentyyy of song lyrics ,,, like the entirety of using you by mars argo <333

* Do you prefer emailing them or talking in person?

talking in person BUT emailing him feels so special esp since he always emails me first hehe

* Do they have a signature cologne or perfume?

nooo i wish he did tho lol

* Is your tc someone you can go to for support?

yeah i think so , he can tell when i’m having a bad day and tries to comfort me :)

* Have you ever pictured yourself with their last name or vice versa?

all the time tbh

* Is there anything you don't like about your tc?

we have completely opposite political opinions hahah and we both feel very strongly ab those opinions

* Have you ever seen them in a really bad mood?

not a RLLY bad mood , but he did get super sick awhile back and he would legit come into lunch and just lay on the floor lmao

* Does your tc ever laugh differently when they're with you?

yeahhhh hehe i made him laugh harder “than he ever had before” :))))

* What's your tc's staple drink? (If they have one)

vanilla coffee for sure

* Is there anything that the two of you have in common? Is there a lot?

we’re both gaming and coffee nerds lol

* Have they ever targeted you directly in class or in the halls?

he comes up to me a lot in the halls , we don’t have class together tho so </3

* Have you ever said anything that might have given away your feelings?

i don’t think so , i try to keep my feelings pretty hidden lol

* Do you dream about them often?

WAY TOO OFTEN

* Is your tc more physically or verbally affectionate? Or not at all?

def more verbally affectionate :)

* If you could, (or have) what would you get your tc for Christmas?

prob some rlly nice coffee beans hehe

* Do you like them in a romantic sense or in a more platonic way?

tbh more of a romantic sense but i know nothing would ever happen and i’m 100% ok with our current dynamic

* Are they a cozy sweater person?

no he literally wears short sleeve button ups in december 😭

* What color looks best on them?

green :)

* If you could see yourself the way they see you, would you take the chance?

yes ofccc

* What little habit they have is your absolute favorite?

when i’m talking i use hand movements a lot , and he always mimics them after i do them so i’ll get embarrassed . he thinks it’s so funny lol i love seeing him laugh ab it

* If it was legal, would you share a midnight kiss with them?

yes hehe

[vintage-brass-tc]

July TC Challenge Days 1-7

Made by the lovely @baeby-tc !!!

It’s the summer and I know we’re all thinking about how our TCs are holding up, and even some are starting to adjust to being without them like I am ….. so I took it upon myself to crawl back into the deep pit of my infatuation with them to fill out this form 😭 ‘tis the season!

~~

1. describe your tc’s physical appearance.

M is simply bald, has dark brown stubble, big dark brown eyes, and black glasses, as well as a smaller figure and a “dad bod”.

U, obviously, is younger, so he has sort of a sharp jawline, stubble, wide and bright, piercing blue eyes, slightly curly brown hair, and a more toned figure as he works out a TON, but no abs!!! I find this super endearing, because I love pudge ^^

2. what was the first thing you’ve ever said to your tc?

Probably “Hi” 💔, but I remember being really intimidated by M and thinking U would be a fun guy to hang out with, and was relieved that I probably wouldn’t fall for him. Boy was I wrong.

3. is your tc single or taken? or are you unsure? and are you single or taken?

M is married and has kids, while U, however, can never really keep a girlfriend (but he can keep me….. /hj). 😭 I almost never know if he’s single or not, since he is quite attractive and has had a lot of people flirt with him.

4. is your tc more of the athletic type, the nerdy type or the artsy type?

M is more of a total nerd, maybe a bit artsy too? He works out (and have made this super obvious to me) but he doesn’t talk about it as much as U, a more athletic type, does.

5. if you and your tc were in high school together, do you think you’d be friends?

M was cute in the high school photo he showed me, but the kind of personality he described to me that he had would probably clash with my own, as I’m one to listen to directions and he’d constantly talk in between reps and get called out on for doing so. Maybe it’d be an opposites-attract sort of deal, but I have a feeling he’d want to settle for someone prettier. I’m not ugly or anything but he seems like the kind of high school guy that has unrealistically high standards….

U probably wouldn’t talk to me??? But he was quite popular with the ladies, based on pictures I’ve seen. I don’t know how he really was in grade school so I cannot answer this, but I have seen him in a couple of old marching videos, and he looked to be … really weird and quirky 😭 I might have had a crush on him, if only by appearance alone. Maybe. Again, I don’t know enough about how he was back then to answer.

6. name one song that reminds you of your tc and explain why that song reminds you of them.

“Industry Baby” reminds me of U because it was the first stand tune he composed for us all, and because he played it so much, I just associated the song with him. The vibes check out as well!

“The Humpty Dance” reminds me of M because he told me in a sectional that he sang it in karaoke once. Absolutely traumatized after listening to it and imagining him singing it behind the mic…but the story checks out.

7. is your tc fashionable or are they more of the simple type? what is one outfit you’d love to see them wear?

M dresses fairly well! He always tries to match his shoes with his outfits and his pants and hats and whatever, and he looks quite nice (most of the time). My favorite outfit of his is his little dark green vest and white undershirt, or ANY SHIRT THAT IS OVERSIZED (I saw it on him ONCE and it was SO ADORABLE).

U dresses pretty well too when he feels like it!!! A lot of the time, though, you’ll either see him in a branded band/school T-shirt, a hoodie, or a tank top, and shorts or sweats, and a random pair of multicolored shoes that don’t really match, but I guess he has pretty privilege because he always looks good, even when he’s all groggy and tired. EVERY TIME HE WEARS SUITS (this goes for M too) I AM BLOWN AWAY…SO THAT’S MY FAVORITE KIND OF OUTFIT ON HIM.

[bookish-black-girl]

MG book 1 of 2023 reads

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova

Peppi Torres is just doing what any new kid at a new school is trying to do: survive. It’s middle school to boot, a stressful and awkward time. Things get messy when bullies get to her and she pushes away the nice boy from the science club who’s just trying to help her. 

New year, new series! I’ve actually been meaning to read this series since booktuber/author Fracina Simone recommended the books in a video. The art is fun, the story is funny, and a lot of the characters are loveable or at the very least, understandable.

It’s the classic artsy peeps verses the logical peeps (or art club vs science club) tale, and our girl Peppi is just a girl who loves her friends, her place in the art club, and feels intense guilt for pushing away Jamie (a science club kid) who was only trying to help her out when they first met. 

Rating: 4/5 stars 🌟

Would I recommend: Yes 

Takeaways:

Quick read

Cute art style

Great balance of situational humor and funny dialogue, and more serious moment  

Very reminiscent of middle school life and those of that age and even a little younger might appreciate this book