#hes sooo pretentious...... but i love him for it....

[toxxtt]

whenever alhaitham speaks I hear the nerd emoji

[grimsneverendingfuneral]

I’m so obsessed with my characters

[thehorsewaslee]

The highest bidder

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Sejanus plinth x Heavensbee! Reader(f)

Wc: 6.9K (hehe)

Warnings; No reader body/race descriptions (if any pls lmk) A little ooc. NO USE OF Y/N. English is not my first language. Also, it has been sooooooooooooooooo long since I read the book, expect inaccuracies. My own headcannons in there, obv. Uhhhh idk, anything you'd expect from the capitol I guess. Two mentions of kys. I probably misspelled Hilarius as hilarious at least once but I'm lazy.

Summary; You had a huge crush on one district boy, and you were not going to let the chance go to waste, whisking him away the night of your father's party. Sooo much fluff, tiny bit of angst. (Idk how to write summaries just trust me bro)

A/N: Shout out to every single Sejanus Plinth writer and reader I love you all so much you're all gorjous. Or however you spell it. This is the only man to ever, actually. No.1 snow hater btw.

Masterlist

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He often spends the short car rides pondering what exactly his father thinks his presence is worth at these things, seeing as business is usually the topic of the evening. The number of times they’ve repeated the same night with different families is beyond countable, having been doing this ever since they moved to the Capitol, and it always goes the same way. They’ll have a bland dinner prepped by some pretentious chef in an uncomfortable silence, then his father will be whisked away to a private room to talk freely. His ma, charismatic as she was, will drag a boring conversation out of the wife, most often about some current non-issue he knows she doesn’t really care about. That leaves him alone with whomever his playdate was set-up with, though they always seemed to have one excuse or another as to why they needed to be alone at the moment. 

Sejanus preferred it this way. 

It’s not like he had much of a choice; being district and all, but it never really got to him. Well, he tried to not let it get to him, anyway.  

Tonight, however, the event seemed to be different. They were all dressed way more formally than what is dinner-appropriate, his Ma a bit more giddy than she usually was for something like this, she even helped his father fashion a better trim to help ease his nerves. 

His father, nervous. How absurd. 

“The Heavensbees cordially invite you to their first celebratory gala, commemorating the end of a fortune-filled business quarter.”

The Heavensbees. 

One of -if not the most- prestigious families in the Capitol. Deep pockets of wealth ranging from liquid assets to glamorous estates. If there’s a nice mansion you pass-by, nine times out of ten it belongs to them. Every company, whether it’s a multinational or a puny start-up; they’ve got their claws in it. The Plinths have money- that's not a secret, but no one in the Capitol even comes close to the Heavensebees. They’re also untouchable, creating this little bubble for themselves, not allowing anyone to really get close to them, so this gala was definitely unexpected, to say the least. All of the elites and their families will be putting their best show on tonight in an attempt to impress the esteemed host, his own classmates included. It was almost like a party.

Whatever it was, he just hoped the night would go well, for his father’s sake at least. He’ll stick to the usual plan of retreating to a corner and people watching for the night. 

…

Being this close to the residence only put into perspective how comically massive it was, the walk up from the park to the front door alone being long enough that they had golf carts picking guests up by the gate, zooming through the colourful gardens that held exotic plants from all the districts. Fairy lights scattered around these fields twinkled as they approached the mansion door, finding some other families making their way up the grand stairs. He could recognise a few of his peers, not bothering to even think about greeting them. The Avoxes lining the entrance and hallway pointed them towards the grand hall where the gala was held. Sejanus took a moment to observe the architecture of the walls, adorned with masterful woodwork that the untrained eye would not recognise as a display of money, but he knew better. The hall itself was a large circular ball room with captivating gold tile work, the walls draped in the finest red silk curtains pulled away from their respective windows, allowing the moon in. The central piece was a flashy, intricate chandelier that hung down from the ceiling, its patterns matching those on the tiles. There was a long dining table off to the side, beaming with flower arrangements and fine china, lacking food but ready for the guests when the time comes. Of course, the appetizers were already floating around the room with several Avoxes, who were dressed in a neat black uniform with the Heavensbee family emblem on their chest.

Sejanus wondered how all this wealth would look had it been put to better use. 

They were a few steps into the hall before being spotted by the host, who dropped his conversation with whomever it was to greet his father with open arms.

“Strabo! You made it!” 

We really didn’t have a choice…

Trailing behind him, was his classmate, Hilarius, whom he exchanged a quick, tight lipped smile with and called it a day. His father will probably tell him off later for not giving the boy a proper greeting, but neither of them wanted that. The man’s treatment of his father gave Sejanus a glimpse of his own status in the Capitol; it must be rare for the Heavensbees to interact with people of wealth these days. His mother had attempted to strike up a conversation with the wife, but she was clearly uninterested, being a ‘woman of business’ and all. He rolled his eyes internally.

No amount of money could buy manners, I guess. 

Shortly after, his family dispersed, each finding their own entertainment for the night. His father, as usual, was posted with a group of investors. His mother over where some ladies were chatting some gossip, and his sorry self in a quiet corner watching the party-goers dot around the room. His hand nursed a glass of champagne from a region he’d never heard of before, expensive, clearly. A shame it tasted disgusting, but he tried not to grimace. It was only 6pm, so it was going to be a long night. He tried to toss his gaze around the room in hopes of finding Snow, but that proved difficult considering Coryo wasn’t that tall, his blond head of hair blending in with every other one in this place. He was so lost in thought, he didn’t even notice your presence by his side. 

“How are you finding the party?” Your voice was a much needed break from the noise. He whipped his head around to look at you, an unfamiliar face. He did a quick up and down, observing your stunning orange dress. It complimented your figure well, the colour bringing out your best features.Your eyelids were painted with a similar shade in the inner corners, specks of gold over the rest of the lid, your lips housing a smile much more genuine than anything he’d seen since he moved here. 

It felt like he was looking at sunshine in human form, quickly turning his attention away from you to avoid staring. 

“It’s fine…could use better Champagne.” He shrugged, putting his guard back up. He knows how this conversation usually goes anyway. At that, you giggle a little, reaching by him to grab a lemon from the table nearby. 

“Here, this is what I like to do.” You squeezed a few fresh lemon juice drops into his glass, nodding for him to try it now. He took a small sip, his eyes on yours as you waited for his opinion with anticipation.

“It…still sucks.”

That earned a small laugh from you, causing a smile to form on his own lips. “I guess it’s just acquired taste…Sejanus plinth, right?”

It wasn’t unusual for people he didn’t recognise to know who he was. It just meant that there was an ulterior motive there. He tore his eyes away from you, “Yeah.” Bringing the glass to his lips for a sip. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be so forward.” You clasped your hands in front of yourself, sensing his discomfort. “Hilarius brings you up from time to time and I just thought I’d-”

Sejanus choked on his drink, his eyes widening as he coughed a fit. He looked back over to you, struggling to catch his breath as you placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, grabbing a tissue to hand him. He straightened himself out, stood back upright, catching the emblem on your chest he must’ve missed the first time around. 

“You’re uh-the other Heavensbee?” Is that seriously the best you could come up with?

“The other…” Your smile widened in amusement. “Yeah, the irrelevant one, that’s me.”

He sighed, a smile forming on his own lips. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s ok, it's true.” You shrugged casually. 

“I’m Sejanus Plinth.” He stuck his hand out for you to shake. 

“I know,” You giggled, shaking it anyway. 

He sighed, dropping his head down at his own sheepishness. It worked for you though, allowing him to look past your own nervousness. The truth was, you knew a lot more about him than you let on and, whether it was through Hilarius’ retellings or brisk moments in the academy hallways, you’d developed a not so little schoolgirl crush on Sejanus. He was in the grade above yours, which is why you hadn’t really met before, so you weren’t going to waste this night. You admired him from afar, how outspoken he was. It seemed like he was the only other sane person in this place, unafraid to call out the Capitol’s ridiculous ways. Unapologetically district and proud. Contrary to what people may assume, money does not grant you the protection they think it does. If you were to behave the same way Sejanus does, your father would put a bullet in your skull himself, so it’s not the money that allows him to speak like this, it’s his character. You’re sure he does not care about nor fear any possible consequences, bravery, that’s what it is. 

You bit your lip, an uncomfortable silence settling between the two of you as you watched the crowds and cliques interact. It was now or never, you guess. 

“Wanna get out of here?” Maybe it was a bit ballsy, but you hated this atmosphere and were desperate to get to know him. 

He gave you a confused look, “And go where?”

“I’ve got a few ideas.”

The main door wasn’t an option with the amount of people observing it, so you took his hand and slipped through the kitchen hidden at the back of the hall. It was filled with a fury of Avoxes whizzing about to put the food together, none of them paying either of you any mind. You then led him through a series of winding hallways that housed family portraits and memorabilia, ending your adventure in a large hallway with grand windows. There were vases worth an entire district’s fortune on either side of the carpeted floor, each pair standing guard next to wooden double doors. You stopped at a particular door with a small book sign on the front, your actions cut off by a whistle from the end of the hall. It was a woman- an avox, clad in uniform, approaching the two of you with a stern expression. She was maybe in her mid-40s, the signs of age and tiredness wearing down on her. 

She stopped between you two, sizing him up before raising an unamused eyebrow at you. You smiled. 

“Nora, I can explain…” you began, to which she shook her head disapprovingly. “We won’t take long, please?”

The woman sighed, looking towards the end of the hallway that led to the ballroom before finding your eyes again. She brought her hands up to gesture- no, sign something to you. 

What would your father do if he found out you were sneaking around with a boy!?

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him…”

Your presence is important at the party, but here you are hiding around like a little mouse. Taking him to the Library no less! 

“I’m just going to show him the map-”

Once again, her gestures were frantic. 

The map! And if he tells your father? If he finds out that you’re letting someone in on your views?

“No! This is-” you looked over to him before cutting yourself off, opting to sign the rest of the conversation to save yourself the embarrassment. 

Nora, this is Sejanus, the one Hilarius talks about sometimes. The district boy, remember? 

The woman stood up straighter, giving Sejanus an intimidating up and down. 

Tell him that if he even thinks about doing anything funny, I’ll see to him turning into one of us myself. 

You chuckled, “That’s unnecessary…” turning around to Sejanus, who had an awestruck expression on his face.

 “She says you better behave, or she’ll turn you into an Avox.” 

The woman nodded sharply and he couldn’t contain his smile, bowing his head slightly in respect. 

“Yes ma’am.” 

“Just- please make sure no-one comes by?” You pleaded with Nora, who sighed, then nodded. 

With that, she turned on her heel and left to do her job. You turned back to him. 

“Sorry about that, she gets a little protective.” You said awkwardly as you fiddled with the lock on the door. Clearly, neither of you were supposed to be in that room. 

“How come you can speak to her? Sign like her?” He asked with genuine admiration in his voice. 

Your hands stilled at the door as you pressed your lips into a thin line, picking your next words with care. 

“Well, they practically raised me, so we had to communicate somehow.”

He had noticed your absence from family portraits, magazine issues and the general public eye. Though you were not a secret, the Heavensbees clearly didn’t want much spotlight to be shined on you. Almost like they were hiding something. He wanted to ask, but it was clearly not a normal thing to talk about with someone you just met. But if he had to guess, he’d say you’re probably a lot more trouble than the family would like to show. He’d say…you might be just like him. Whether you were district or not- he wasn’t sure, since you didn’t really resemble Ms. Heavensbee in any way, but he really shouldn’t attempt to dissect your family secrets right now, in case it bothers you. With a sigh, you undid the lock and let him into the dim room. 

The library. It was way less grand than other places in the house, a layer of dust coating the shelves. Scattered around were boxes full of books, forgotten and unimportant. Cobwebs and paint chips made for odd decor, especially in a mansion like this. Clearly, you’re the only person that frequents this room. 

“I’m not really supposed to bring anyone here, but…”

Most of the books ever written had been lost to the war. Whether it was propaganda, censorship, or a need for warmth and survival. But you had a whole library of them. It housed a significant collection of pre-war books. Even some that were pre-Panem, which were your favourite. Stories and tales of how people lived together before the divide, it all sounded like a utopia. Your family didn’t really care for this particular display of wealth, some books in the collection even being banned, meaning you could probably get arrested for preserving them. That was mostly why it hadn’t been renovated with the rest of the house. 

Sejanus had a twinkle in his eye as he looked around the room, unsure of where one would even start. He followed you helplessly to the far corner where you crouched down to wiggle away one of the loose floor tiles, beneath which was even more books. 

“These are…were…supposed to be burnt, but I kept them.” 

He could recognise a few, most of them having covers that were too old and frayed to identify. 

“You’ve read them all?” His eyes found yours, a proud smile on your lips. 

“Most.” 

You reached your hand down to grab a small key hidden underneath, placing the tile back where it belongs then picking yourself back up and dusting your dress. 

“I’ll have to borrow one sometime.” 

You gave him a playful look, “You could get me in trouble,”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

The silence of the library was broken only by your nervous breaths, standing so close to him as he looked down at you.

This was definitely not how you planned for this night to go.  

“This way,” you jiggled the keys, grabbing his hand softly once more to lead him into one of the aisles with a door at the end. You struggled with the key in the darkness, hands shaking from your nerves as you twisted the lock, leading him into a smaller room. It was so dark, he couldn’t even see his own hand, until you turned the overhead light on. 

It was a tiny office of some sort, the ceiling lower than a normal room’s. There was a large window that overlooked the side of the mansion, giving a comforting view of the back gardens. He didn’t even realise how high up they were, not really recalling climbing up any stairs. This place was a maze. He watched as you messed around with some papers on the crickety shelf, pulling out things and moving boxes around. You then moved some Knick knacks off the desk before laying out a large paper, unfolding it until it filled out the tabletop entirely. 

‘Map of Panem’ 

He couldn’t tear his eyes away. You’d gone and drawn out sketches of some of the districts as well as the capitol with detail he could only assume came from first hand accounts. 

“Okay, so.” You dusted off some eraser parts and laid fresh paper on the side with some pencils. “I only have some of the districts down, I was hoping you could help me with 2? If you remember it, of course. These are just some rough sketches for the time being, I’m hoping I could improve on them with time before finalising it.” 

He noticed how the canvas was actually just several sheets of paper stuck together with some tape. Clearly, this was a project you’d dedicated a lot of time to. 

“..district 4 is my favourite, can’t wait to paint it in, will probably be the most vibrant…”

He hadn’t even noticed you were speaking, too engrossed in studying the details and lack of in his own district. 

“Where did you get all this insight?” He glanced over at you with a smile so big it almost hid his eyes. 

“The househelp! They come from all around. They tell me what it was like and I try my best to capture it into a small space.”

“An’ you?” 

“Pardon?” 

“Are you from the districts?” 

Maybe it wasn’t an appropriate question, but it was beyond him as to why someone who’d grown up with this much money would go out of their way for the districts, especially being surrounded with so many elitists. He was only the way he was because he knew what his home was like, so why were you this way? 

“No I’m capitol born,” you shrugged, furrowing your brows a little. 

“You know most capitolites would rather die than associate themselves with anyone from the outside. But here you are, calling Avoxes ‘househelp’. Js’ don’t make any sense.” He wondered out loud, voice matching the quietness of the room. 

“I know basic human decency is not a usual Capitol trait, but it is not exactly district exclusive either, you know?”

“And why did you call me up here? To show me your humanity?”

“I wanted to show you this so that I could stop talking to myself so often. Look, I know drawing maps and reading books won’t stop the hunger games. I wish I could be more useful, and I wish I could do more to fix things. I feel like a damsel in this stupid house. But not all of us have the ability to speak so freely. You say these things and they brush it off as you being homesick, I say these things and they’ll have me hung by first light.”

Sejanus didn’t mean for his tone to come off so accusatory, he just couldn’t wrap his head around how the daughter of the richest family in Panem spends her free time having mini-rebellions in her room. He wondered what Mr. Heavensbee thinks of his daughter's morality. It must drive Hilarius insane, too. 

“M’ sorry, didn’t mean to come off like that, m’ just shocked s’ all.” He clasped his hands behind his back sheepishly. 

You sighed, meeting his eyes. “It’s ok, I know you’re probably used to the other side of the spectrum.” 

You turned around to grab two small stools to bring them to the table, setting one down for each of you. It was an uncomfortable position, especially giving his height, but he persevered.  You grabbed the pencils and blank pages, waiting for him to begin. 

You two spent the better part of that night in that room, where he recounted stories of cozy apartments and gold mines. How the sound of metal clanking was always there, even when it wasn’t. How the mountains by the side made the district colder year-round. He told stories of the square, how he and his friends would watch peacekeepers train sometimes, how the buildings were all a monotone shade of dull gray, but he remembers his childhood in colour. He told you of the people, how they’d rip the shirt off their backs for one another. He’d often trail off on little anecdotes of stray cats in dark alleyways or snowball fights with the neighbours. How the sound of bombs used to frighten him, and how his mother would hum him to sleep.

Most importantly, he told you how much he missed it. 

It was around 10pm when you decided you’d had enough for the night, getting up to stretch your backs. You moved over to the window, opening it completely to let the air in. 

“Wanna see something else?”

You stepped out onto the little window ledge, reaching your hand out for him to grab and follow. 

“M’ not fond of heights…” He leaned over, observing the distance from the ground.

“You won’t fall…I think,” This was clearly amusing you. 

He swallowed his fear and stepped out, the cold night air chill making the distance to the ground seem longer. He gripped onto your hand tightly, as if it would make a difference somehow. He held his breath, avoiding the urge to peak at how high up he was, keeping his eyes fixed solely on your figure. You both took careful steps to where the little room ended and the slanted roof began, the wind hitting both of your  faces head-on, he felt like he was going to fly away. Once you finally made it to safety, you kept your grip on his hand to take him to the top, lying down on your stomach slowly to watch some windows below. 

Said windows were the ones in the ceiling of the ballroom, giving you a private viewing of all the attendants. He chuckled at the whole situation, what kind of adventures do you possibly go on? 

“Look! That’s your father, right?” You pointed towards his father, who was deep in conversation with someone he couldn’t recognise from this height. 

“Yeah…there’s my Ma!” She was laughing about something someone said, the sound bringing a bigger smile to his face. 

“Is the accent a habit or is it part of the charm?” You bit back a smile, looking up to meet his eyes. 

“Habit. It comes out more when m’ nervous.” He chuckled. 

“She seems really nice,” You pointed back down to her.

“Yeah, she was the only thing keeping me sane all those years. All I got, she is. Makes the best food, too, js a bonus.”

As Sejanus spoke, a soft smile on your face formed as you watched the woman speak animatedly to a guest, and Sejanus watched you. 

He swallowed, “You close with your ma?”

You looked up suddenly, as if the question was an attack on your person. 

“She’s…not my mother.” You bit the inside of your cheek. His brows formed a knot. “I’m only a half-Heavensbee, that’s what Hilarius calls it anyway.”

“I’m sorry- I didn’t know-”

“It’s okay. It’s not really a secret anyway. Uhm my…mother is dead. I think. I’m not sure.”

He shook his head questioningly. 

“My  father won’t speak about her. I’m the forgotten affair child, so, I was hidden away for most of my childhood. Then they sort-of never really mentioned me to people, so no one ever dug around. The house help have been changed since then, and communication isn’t always easy. I’ve heard a dozen different stories. 

‘She’s capitol-no she’s district. She died in childbirth-no, my father had her killed-nope it was Ms. Heavensbee. Actually she’s alive and well, still in the capitol, no! Away in some district. I think she killed hers-’ 

You get the point. I know they don’t mean any ill intent, but I got sick oof hearing theories about who she was, so I just gave up.” You puffed your cheeks out, blowing air through them slowly. 

How awful must that be. If there was one person Sejanus would cross the seas for and back, it would be his ma. He didn’t even want to begin to picture how his life would’ve been without her. He’d always been called a ‘mama’s boy’, but he wore it like it was a badge of honour. So for you to have grown up like this, all alone. It hit him harder than he would admit. 

His empathy is more often a curse. 

“M’ sorry, didn’t know it was-”

“Huh? Oh, it’s fine. Can’t really mourn someone you never knew, right?”

“That’s not true.” He shook his head.

“Well…can we pretend it is for the time being?”

He gave you a comforting smile, taking his eyes away from yours in pity, nodding his head.

You both went back to people watching from your post, pointing out things that people did when they thought they were alone. 

“Your father is parading Hilarius around like he’s some trophy,” He chuckled. 

“Oh don’t worry, he’s definitely enjoying it.” You watched as your father whispered something in his ear and Hilarius exited the room in a hurry.

“So, who gets the fortune?”

“Take a wild guess.”

“And where does that put you?”

“Where it puts most Capitol women, heirs or not; sold off to the highest bidder.”

He grimaced , unsure of what to say to that.

“It’s not a big deal, I’ll probably kill myself by then anyway-” He gasped, eyes widening at your words, “I’m kidding! A little-”

He sat up straight, moving from his position to sit next to you instead. You were no longer hunched over the window, but looking out into the night.

“The stars are a lot clearer in the districts, you know?”

You looked at him, internally surprised at the proximity. His leg was just barely touching yours, but by Capitol standards, for two people who had basically just met, this is something.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Could see the whole night sky from there. I had a friend whose pa used to tell us all about em-their names, and how they used to use them for navigation.”

You weren’t going to comment on how he called his friend's father pa, but didn’t use that title for his own, it was already obvious. 

“Well, pass some knowledge on then.”

“Uhh…m’ sorry, I was really young.”

You both erupted into a fit of giggles. A gust of wind caught you off-guard, making you shiver a smidge. 

“You cold?”

“A little.”

“Here,” Ever the gentleman, he carefully undid his suit jacket and swung it over your shoulders, the gesture bringing heat crawling up your neck. “Better?”

“Yeah…”

He was infinitely closer now, practically just one burst of confidence away. You tried to keep yourself from casting your eyes down to his lips, opting to keep them on his eyes instead. But he didn’t put himself through that self control, exaggerating the way he drew his gaze up from your mouth to your eyes. The shift in the atmosphere was so sudden, and your heart was seconds away from beating out of your chest. 

“Sej…” The nickname just slipped out, voice barely above a whisper. He leaned in slowly, testing the waters. You shut your eyes softly, mirroring his action-

A call of your name pulled both of you out of your trance. Your brother. He knew you’d be hiding up here, and he found a different entrance to your secret spot a long time ago. He doesn’t usually care for bothering you, really prefering to keep you out of his way, but your father had wanted you there. 

It would be less than a minute before you two came into view, meaning you had to think fast. You practically tore off Sejanus’ jacket, shoving it his face a little too harshly. 

“Get to the window!” You whisper-yelled, and he wasted no time obeying. He rushed back with as much care as there was urgence, stepping slowly onto the stupid ledge. He held his breath, this time to be able to overhear the conversation with your brother that was taking place at a different window. 

“Why are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding, just wanted some fresh air.”

“You’ve been gone since the beginning. I don’t care, obviously, but father requests your presence.”

“Okay, I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Now!”

“I need to straighten myself out first, man, m’ not gonna take long.”

“M’?”

Sejanus could hear your slight intake of breath, pressing his lips into a thin smile to avoid laughing. This was serious, you two could get caught! But he couldn’t help the warmth that spread through his chest. 

“That’s how Plinth talks. Come to think of it, he has been missing all night. You didn’t happen to..run into him?”

“Who?” You were never that great of a liar.

“Don’t aggravate me- if you’re with him I-”

“Why is this Plinth always on your mind, like get a life!”

“Come with me now.”

“I said I need a minute. Or I could come now, but then I might accidentally tell father that I saw you making out with-”

“Hey! Okay fine. But you better zip it!”

“Fine!”

“Fine! One minute!” He turned away to make it back towards the hall. 

Once he was out of sight, you rushed back to the window where Sejanus had managed to safely make it back into the room. You poked your head from the top. 

“Guess the bidding has begun,” You sighed, dreading the events about to take place. He gave you a sympathetic look, owning nothing else he could give to you in the moment. 

“You’re not gonna join me?” He couldn’t keep the whipped smile from housing itself on his features. 

“We can’t walk in together, they’ll get talking.” You snorted

“Is that so bad?”

“S’ actually worse for you than it is for me, Sej.”

“S’?” He mimicked your brother’s tone. 

“Your parents never told you it's rude to eavesdrop?” You scrunched your nose in embarrassment. “Just go down the hall, out the same way we came in. You shouldn’t get lost. I’ll use the other entrance. Just hope I don’t forget to lock things up later.”

He nodded, turning around to head on his way whilst putting his jacket back on. You shamelessly took this moment to watch how his muscles flexed under the dress shirt, so lost in your own head you didn’t notice that he turned back to watch you watch him. Your eyes widened, and you pulled yourself up quickly out of view. He chuckled softly, reaching for the door handle before you called for him, finding your head poking down once more. 

“I hope I didn’t ruin your night!”

“You kiddin’? This is the most fun I’ve ever had in my life!”

That earned a giggle from you. 

“Bye Sej,” You smiled.

“Bye, sunshine,”

You both stared at each other, the nickname just as a surprise to him as it was to you, but you had to pick yourself up quickly to avoid melting into a puddle there and then. Or falling off the side of the building. You were sure he heard your little celebration though. This was your longtime childhood crush, after all. You used your imagination to put yourself together due to the lack of a mirror, and hurried through the other window. 

He guesses your route was the shorter way through, since by the time he got back, your father’s arm was already around your bare shoulder as you conversed with one of his business partners. You held yourself with so much poise and grace, to anyone else, you’re just as stuck up as every other soul here. 

But he knew better. 

The party goers had dwindled down to just a few left. You must’ve spotted him out of the corner of your eye, since you glanced quickly then back at the man you were being introduced to, not being able to help the tiny smile that broke through your poker face. 

He strolled slowly to where his ma was. 

“Oh, baby, where have you been all night? Was worried sick!” 

“I’m alright, ma. More than alright.”

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. “What’s goin’ on?” She teased. 

He didn’t get the chance to recount his night to her, his father approaching them frantically. 

“Come on,” He nodded over to where you and Mr. Heavensbee were wrapping up the talk, then began approaching you. 

“Oh, js’ what did you do to your hair?” His ma didn’t wait for an answer, reaching up to tame the curls back into their place. He scrunched his nose, this is exactly why they call him what they do. With all his presence as a man, she still treats him like he’s her little boy. And he doesn’t mind it one bit. 

He interlaced his arm with hers as they followed in step with his father. 

“Did you know they had a daughter?” She whispered over to him. 

“What? She’s a Heavensbee?” He smiled, knowing she couldn’t see his face. 

“Yeah! Guess they like ta’ keep their secrets. Her father wants to wed her off, you know how they are with their women.” She tsked, “It’s all business to them. A business union- he called it.”

“And how do you know all this, ma?” There was some teasing in his voice. He doubts that this is what the ladies were chatting with her about. She shrugged, looking away guiltily. 

“I may have overheard a thing or two. Your father is considering going in for that bid, seems like Mr. Heavensbee wouldn’t mind either, you don’ got great competition I think. What do you think? She’s pretty, ain’t she?”

“Hmm. Why not?”

“I mean- What? Why not? Didn’t you say you’d rather keep by my side than wed one of those- what did you call em? Frog-faced pigs?”

“Did I? M’ memory must be blurry.”

“You swore celibacy an’ all,”

He laughed, nodding over to you, “She…ain’t so bad.”

They stopped behind his father, who was bidding your father a goodbye. Thanking him for the evening and all. Of course, both of them had ulterior motives, but they’ll ease into that in a minute. His ma took this moment to face him, narrowing her eyes at him. He tried to keep his gaze away from her face to avoid laughing. 

“Sejanus Plinth, what has gotten into ya’? I never thought I’d see the day-” She cut herself off, noticing the two of you exchanging glances awkwardly. She grabbed his chin harshly to force him to look at her, earning a little ‘ow!’ from him, right in front of you. You bit your smile back, observing the pair as she whisper-yelled something over to him. 

“Sejanus, you tell me what is goin’ on right now boy, you know I don’ like bein’ outta’ the loop.”

He was about to tell her ‘later, ma!’, but was cut off by his father’s strong hand guiding him to the conversation. 

“-and this is my boy, top of his class, he is!” His father bragged as he reached a hand out for Mr. Heavensbee to shake. 

“The night was delightful, Mr. Heavensbee, thank you for having us, you were a wonderful host.”

“You’ve got a strong grip, Plinth! And the pleasure is all mine. Before you go-” He slipped a hand around your shoulder to lead you into the conversation, “I’d like to introduce you to my daughter, she’s in the academy as well,  quite the brain on her.”

You stuck your hand out for him, instead, he grabbed it, bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss to the back of it. You bit the inside of your cheek to avoid giggling. 

“Chivalrous, too. Oh my boy, you are just a treasure.” Your father boasted, before turning his attention back to a rushed, final talk with Mr. Plinth. 

“You’re in the university?” He feigned innocence, unaware of his mother's presence by his side, observing the stupid smile on his face. 

“Yeah- uhm,” You cleared your throat, “m’ just the year below you, I think,”

Your eyes widened, so did his, then his mother’s, who looked between the two of you. You both turned to her slowly, hoping that maybe she didn’t catch it, but the realisation slowly dawned on her face as she got more excited. She pointed her finger between the two of you several times before Sejanus gave her a look that made her stand up straight with a neutral expression. Of course, she then nudged him a couple of times, rocking on her feet to contain her anticipation. Sejanus laughed a little, dropping his head down in defeat. She then took this chance to wiggle her eyebrows at you, which caused you to giggle. 

“It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Plinth.” You cleared your throat.

“Please, call me Ma!” She was a little too enthusiastic, causing you to smile.

Strabo began walking away, having said his final goodbyes to your father, whom you found your spot back next to as you watched them all turn around and head out. Ms.P- Ma, began hurriedly whispering something to Sejanus, pinching him a few times for good measure. At what looked like her request, he turned around to face you while walking backwards, bringing his hands to his mouth so that his words are louder. 

“I hope I can see you again!”

You smiled, your father leaning down to you; “Would you like that?”

You looked at him, “I’d love that!”

“We’d love that! Strabo, we’ll be in touch soon!” 

Sejanus’ father nodded proudly, having seemingly secured the grand prize. With that, they all turned back around to leave, for real this time. 

Your father walked you back towards the direction of your quarters. 

“I like the Plinth boy, he’s got manners.”

You were just about to agree when Hilarius chimed in; “He’s district”

Your father raised a brow at him, “Don’t matter to me, boy.” For a split second, you thought you may have misjudged your father. “He’s money. It ain’t like he’s taking the family name. At least with him, we’re getting a little, not just giving.”

Of course, that’s all it ever was. The highest bidder. 

But he’s not so bad. 

Your father found a different set of guests he had to attend to, leaving you to walk in  step with your brother. 

“Over my dead body. It doesn’t matter to me if father doesn’t care, I do. The district scum will not taint my bloodline.”

“I will marry him.”

“No-”

“And I will have his children-”

“Stop-”

“16 of em-”

“Ew! Stop!”

“I’ll name them all S.J-” You mused, your brother bringing a hand up to cover his ears before running away, “as in Sejanus Junior!” You called out, sure that he heard your little tease. 

All you would think about for the night is that silly nickname. 

Sunshine.

…

His father was engrossed in more work on their ride home, giving him the freedom to whisper the night’s events to his mother. 

“Oh!” She brought a hand up to her heart, some tears forming in her eyes. “Oh, Sejanus, I might cry! The poor girl.”

“S’ ok. Not much we can do for her,”

“Maybe I can ask the ladies at the club if they know something?”

“No, ma. I think that would make things worse.”

“Okay…did you kiss?”

“Ma!”

“What?! M’ js’ askin’! Your hair was a mess…”

He brought a hand over his face in embarrassment. “No, ma…Her brother came just in time.”

“I knew it! Oh, baby, I haven’t seen you this dopey since that girl from 1st grade! Remember? You used to take a slice a’ cake for her every week. We should bake her something togetha’!”

“That sounds nice, ma’.”

“I figured it out when she spoke like us, ms’ really like ya.”

He snorted, putting an arm around her. 

“Anythin’ else happen?”

“I gave her my jacket, cs’ she was cold.” She poked at his sides in amusement. “Then I called ‘er sunshine. Didn’ even mean ta’.”

“Oh, cause of the dress? She got a nice smile, too.”

“Yeah…” he sighed looking out the window. “Yeah, she does.”

[feral-cryptidz]

Everything cool i can recall from Cats at the Fulton :3

Before jellicle songs for jellicle cats:

-There were thunder sfx and lightning effects, and before the show started there was an announcement about "hazardous weather"

-After that, the show opened on Grizabella walking around through various set pieces and rubbing against them. There was a magician's box (No idea what it's actually called) that had Griz and Misto's names on it, which kind of implied that they used to have an act together

-Eventually, Griz opened a large trunk on stage and took out her dress, which she wore for the rest of the show

Jellicle songs for jellicle cats:

-Can't remember too much unfortunately, i was honestly still just trying it get myself to fully realize i was actually there lol

-During the chorus, in the part where the boot usually falls and the singing pauses, they instead had Mungojerrie go off and do his own solo while everyone stared at him disapprovingly until he stopped and they could finish singing, which i thought was really funny

The naming of cats:

-Super intense, just how it should be. Lottsss of eye contact

White cat dance+invitation to the jellicle ball:

-Not much specifically to say, but the actress who played Vic was fantastic. Sososo fascinating to watch from the perspective of someone who has never done ballet in their life lol

The old gumbie cat:

-INCREDIBLE. OHH MY GOD I LOVED THAT NUMBER SO MUCH

-One of the BEST Jenny costumes EVER imo

-They had her be a sort of ex-showgirl, and had a set of curtains come in to give her a different background for her tap number.

-Her song outfit was gold and super sparkly and soooo fun to watch while she danced

-Honestly i need to draw that jenny at some point i loved her so much

The rum tum tugger:

-Such a fun number to watch, and SUPER interactive with the crowd

-Tugger flirted a TON with the people in the front row

-During the chorus of his song, they had Mungojerrie in with all of the kittens, and he had another solo bit similar to the one he had in jellicle songs for jellicle cats. I literally can't remember anyone else who was in the kitten group lol

-They gave the "terrible bore" line to Tantomile and Coricopat, but whateverrrr man. they had a bigger role in this version anyway, so it made sense.

-Honestly the whole number was just super extra, juuusstt how it should be :]

Grizabella the glamour cat:

-Not much in specific I can remember, but the Demeter from this show has an AMAZING voice. Actually gasped when she started singing.

Bustopher jones:

-at the beginning and end of the number, Bustopher rode in and out on a little car. In the middle/end, he stood on the hood, and sang from there. I'm also pretty sure Bombalurina was on the roof of the car!

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer:

-All of the lights shut off when the other characters ran offstage, and Jerrie+Teazer came in from the sides and shined flashlights through the audience while giggling

-Plenty of fun choreo in this number, they really managed to get the characters personalities to show!

Old deuteronomy:

-Uhhhh i don't know dude. i forget 😢

-tugger and munk sang from the platforms+back on the sides of the stage which was cool i guess?

-sorry i genuinely don't remember anything :(

The jellicle ball:

-I said it before, but the whole cast were such amazing dancers, it was sooo fun to watch!!

-Tugger and Bomba danced together most of the time, so tuggerlurina enjoyers do with that what you will :)

-some time around the beginning Tugger yelled "Party time!!"

Memory (Medly):

-not much to say

-The Griz from this version has an amazing voice dude. sooo pretty

The moments of happiness:

-GOD I REMEMBER NOTHING I'M SORRYYYY 💔

Gus the theatre cat+Pekes and Pollicles:

-Jellylorum was super sweet <3

-The pekes and pollicles bit was in place of Growltiger, and had Gus play the rumpus cat

-the flashback sequence was super funny, and kind of painted Gus as less of a respectable actor, and more of a super pretentious guy who considers himself a good actor

-He spent a bunch of time interacting with the audience, asking if they'd seen him as various roles in various plays which were all titled as some sort of cat pun version of famous plays/musicals

-Honestly though it was such a treat to watch, and a really fun interpretation of Gus that i never really considered before！

Skimbleshanks the railway cat:

-the guy who played Skimble actually wasn't there, so his understudy took over, and so instead of it being sung by skimble, it was sung by Alonso in overalls

-Honestly though it was kind of weird seeing that number being sung about a guy who was clearly NOT skimble

-Don't take that as me not liking it though!!! It was such a good number!!!

-During the song, Skimble jumped into Coricopat's arms, which Coricopat was very unhappy with lol. He ended up dropping skimble, who was completely unphased and just kept singing. what a joyful guy.

-Tugger was getting super into to the song when they were all laying on the floor :3

Macavity the mystery cat:

-he started by jumping out of a jack in the box!!!

-The moon in the background turned red, which was a nice detail

-Such a gorgeous Macavity?? he did not need to be that pretty /hj

-I actually cannot stress how much i liked that Macavity costume.

-The song itself was sung sooo nicely :)

-They had most of the girls on stage, not just Bomba and Demeter. I know there were 8 of them in total, and besides Bomba and Demeter i can remember Jenny and Jellylorum in specific, but i know there were more of them

-During the fight scene, Tugger tried to kidnap Bomba, not Demeter (I THINK, i'm not fully sure of this part)

Mr. Mistofelees:

-WOW

-Great conjuring turns, my moms couldn't stop talking about them lol

-during the chorus, after old deut is brought back, there were a bunch of balloons that the cast members tossed into the crowd, and were incouraging people to bat around.

-I had full cat makeup on at the time, and the woman playing Bombalurina smiled at me :)

Memory:

-Grizabella sang from on top of a jack in the box, the same one Mac came out of

-SO beautiful oh my god

-i stopped breathing during the chorus omfg it was so beautiful

-RAHHH I LOVE MEMORY RAHHGHHGHHHH

Journey to the heaviside layer:

-Old deut started by pointing to jenny and gus and asking the rest of the tribe which one they thought should be the jellicle choice. They all shook their heads for both of them, so he asked them who they thought it should be, and they all pointed to Grizabella, which was so cute <3

-They had Griz get into a roller coaster car and drive off. there was a projection of a roller coaster on the back wall, and when she eventually went off stage, an animation played of her car going along the coaster and eventually flying off towards the moon

-a little detail i noticed was that Macavity was actually watching this number from the very top of the back scaffolding :3

The addressing of cats:

-I. i literally can't remember anything from any of Deuteronomy's songs. what the flip.

-I think it was pretty good tho!

Extra bits that i didn't know where to put:

-GOD i loved the Tantomile and Coricopat from this production. So gorgeous. So so so gorgeous. oh my god i loved the,

-I loved the use of the scaffolding in the back, as well as the platforms on the sides. having people up there during the parts where the whole tribe is together really did a lot for the overall affect

Okay, that's it!! sorry if this had the most booty ass grammar ever, i am NOT editing all of that lol. This was literally the highlight of my whole year, i was shaking from excitement the whole time <3

Such an amazing production, such and amazing cast, and such and amazing experience <3

[tillythemenace]

Hello!

I hope I am not annoying! Apparently, as you have watched the remake and didn't like it, it feels a bit uh .. well... out of the seemingly "omg it is sooo good" consensus I am seeing all around, like, it's rating is incredibly high on imdb. I don't plan on watching it in theaters as I don't support the trend, no matter how good or bad it is. I don't support this as animation is a medium that shouldn't be in the shadow of live actions and seen as "for kids". So it's very disappointing and sad to me that HTTYD is getting the same treatment. (don't look at you the same way anymore, dreamworks!). I am cusious, do you think most people around you were completely in love with it? as i have not watched it, I don't want to spit on the movie itself or actors or whatever, but damn am I angry at the execs!

Hello anon! You're not annoying at all I love to ramble :3

Agree. HTTYD falling into this trend is heartbreaking and infuriating tbh... Like HELL I know it's to promote the theme parks but FUCK, 15 years waiting for them just so they can do it with a REMAKE is baffling. Just do the parks and be done with it cause at least they have more soul than THIS....

So ok I know this sounds depressing, but I don't trust reviewers or imdb lol fuck that. Like sure the movie is fine as an adaptation cause it did what it was supposed to do. Anyone will tell you that. But that's all that is it: A mediocre retelling with less substance, visual storytelling and bad dialogue. You can say is a fine adaptation. Like in terms of things that they do, yeah it's the same as the animated version but with a few additions (none of which I like tbh except Snotlout lol), period. You COULD say some visuals are cool? but I wholeheartedly disagree... Most of the scenes were weirdly shot and lit, and the composition, volume, framing, ALL those things were so lacking in the movie which is what makes visual storytelling, animation as a medium AND the first HTTYD movie GREAT. As a person who studied animation, multimedia and audiovisual production, those things MATTER, and in ALL these live actions, they're SORELY lacking. Cause they don't care about any of that stuff other than the CGI looking somewhat ok.

The fact is that regardless of if these live action remakes are "good", they're making millions upon millions of dollars. The quality is the last thing they care about and it shows. And I wouldn't trust some ppl that glaze over the live action just because "they are just happy to have new httyd content" cause.... idk stand up??? they have turned the essence of this franchise into a cynical money making machine because they wanted the bank Disney is making and you're ok with this??? I personally don't care if it's "new httyd content we haven't had in years", like if it's BAD I don't want it. Period. I wanted to see the movie just cause I wanted to know what it changed and what new fans to the franchise (sadly with THIS as an introduction) would be dealing with.? idk SORRY if that sounds pretentious or gatekeepy? but it BREAKS my heart that ppl are being exposed to THIS version of this story and not the ACTUAL GOOD ONE. And THAT will NEVER end to piss me off... I want to have honest and nuanced discussions about this phenomenon that is the plague of these godawful remakes.

I have talked here about how I don't care that it was Dean who made it btw. and I firmly stand by that. If you value your work as an animator, you should stand up for it and be agsint these remakes in the first place. Dean saying "if you prefer the original to this one I don't blame you" seems like such a lackluster and spineless thing to do imo. I think it's painfully obvious that even if Dean wasn't part of it, it would've still been just as bad but AT LEAST his credibility would be intact, I would've respected him more if he said he doesn't wanna be a part of it. And no HTTYD being "his baby" doesn't matter cause 1. CHRIS SANDERS IS THE ONE THAT MADE HTTYD GREAT! and 2. he already ruined his "baby" with httyd3 so........

Now I didn't expected nor wanted it to be great, cause tbh I don't want MORE remakes just cause this one did "good". I'm against the concept of live action remakes as a concept and I hope they all die SOON cause I'm TIRED.

I went to see with my friends who, not surprisingly, thought it was just fine, like the word "fine" is the problem to me, (They also didn't like how Astrid was handled at ALL and that they skipped certain scenes)

I think ppl are conditioned to give it a "good review" cause, unless you're deep in the fandom or a movies critic that goes to movies to actively analyze it, ppl WILL say it's was cute. Cause it WAS, but not because of its own merit, it's because it's the same (amazing) story, and that in itself is "cool". I've seen plenty of ppl say it was good like amazing ohmy god my heart i love httyd! but like? yeah? I was excited to BE around HTTYD stuff, I still am. But that has nothing to do with genuine love for this movie. Most of it is nostalgia and ppl being happy to have the fandom revived. It's the ATMOSPHERE that ppl love and tbh me too. The atmosphere of love for this franchise and the fandom being active is GREAT. I love being back in the fandom and revisiting, but yeah that has nothing to do with this movie. So ppl being happy? I guess it's ok but sadly the new Live action is getting a lot of the credit....

But hey! At least ppl are more aware that the theme parks have more soul in them so I wanna give MORE credit to those. I personally won't let this movie affect my love for this franchise cause it's been 15 years and TONS AND TONS of content they CAN'T take away from me lol they CANNOT erase anything for me. I will NEVER care about the live actions remakes, think they're relevant to the story or count them as canon cause they're not (except if they completely change the third movie then maybe I would consider it LMFAOOo cause yes please rewrite that godawful thing from scratch and do a completely whole other thing and if you manage to pull that off MAYBE I will care but even THAT will piss me off lmfaoooo)

[thatblackstarinleo]

Sooo... I've got two suuuper long work trips this month (aka the last two conferences of my PhD that somehow landed in the same month... I’m gonna die) which means I won’t have time (or the brain power) to write. One of them has me giving a massive oral presentation that’s already making me want to crawl under a rock and never emerge😩

BUT, on the bright side, I’ve been weirdly inspired and have chapters prepped for both trips, so you won't even notice I'm gone (anything to avoid thinking about how I’ll probably faint or combust on stage)

Anyways, here’s your Saturday snippet! Hope you love it. 💕

"You know these are, like, stupid expensive, right?" Macklin says around a mouthful of chocolate, even as he pops another one in his mouth.

He's perched on Will's kitchen counter—hoodie sleeves shoved halfway up his forearms, legs swinging lazily against the cupboard doors. The light spilling through the kitchen window catches in the messy halo of his hair, glinting off the smear of melted chocolate at the corner of his lip. He licks it away without thinking.

Will watches it happen like it's something dangerous.

"They're good," Will says, a little too flat. "That's the point."

He shrugs like it's no big deal, like he didn't sit through forty-five minutes of traffic after practice to hit that pretentious little chocolatier in Back Bay—L.A. Burdick, all dark woods and crystal jars and soft music playing over hidden speakers. A place where every truffle came in its own tiny gold paper cradle and the cashier had looked Will up and down in his Boston College Hockey hoodie and sweatpants.

Whatever. Macklin likes them.

That's the whole point.

From the living room, Gabe—half-sprawled across the couch, one leg kicked over the back, eyes glued to Love is Blind and half-warm Red Bull on his chest—glances at Leno, who's elbow-deep in a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. They exchange a silent, pointed look across the coffee table. One of those are you seeing this shit glances that makes Will want to throw something at both of them.

Macklin, meanwhile, is clearly not in the mood to let him off easy.

"Oh, so we’re just... casually dropping seventy bucks on fancy handmade chocolates now?" He arches a brow, teasing, rolling another truffle between his fingers. "You trying to make me fat?"

Will doesn't move from where he's leaning against the fridge—arms crossed, jaw clenched, doing a bad job pretending he hasn't been watching Macklin this entire time. Watching the way his tongue darts out to catch a crumb, the way his scent's curling through the kitchen air, thick with warmth and mint and something new—sweeter than usual. Soft and golden and maddening.

Will huffs, heat creeping up his neck. "Eat your damn chocolate."

Macklin just pops another truffle into his mouth and kicks his heels lightly against the counter, humming as he chews.

He doesn’t say anything. Just lets it settle under his ribs.

Across the room, Leno whispers, "Twenty they kick us out of the house to fuck."

"Fifty Smitty doesn't even know where to put it," Gabe mumbles.

Will throws a dishtowel at his head without even looking.

[genericpuff]

You probably don't want to talk about 'Kaos' anymore so you don't need to respond to this, I just want to tell my thoughts

At first I thought that "Hades and Persephone love each other", "Demeter is a helicopter mom" and the famous "Hades is misunderstood and the least bad of his brothers" 🙄 good thing I was too shy to say those thoughts on the internet

Ironically, thanks to "Lore Olympus" I realized the altered perception that almost everyone has about this couple and poor Demeter (now she is my favorite goddess ♥️). The clearest example is that pretentious webcomic.

When I saw the HxP version of 'Kaos'... I liked it

I feel like it's because I don't really see them as Hades and Persephone, I just see an old couple who genuinely love, respect and support each other and not a bastardization that only exists to fulfill a twisted fantasy (*Cough* LO *cough*)

I've only seen up to the beginning of chapter 6, but so far I like this version of Hades, he's not a hypocrite who feels superior to Zeus, he genuinely cares about his family, he doesn't want Zeus' pride to destroy it and tries to warn him and that went very wrong 😞

Well, that's all I wanted to say, bye 👋

I actually don't mind talking about Kaos at all, it was a great watch!!!

I was a little sigh when Persephone was like "ACTUALLY I went down WILLINGLY" but I'm glad at least that so far that it was more so just a brief, inconsequential mention and nothing that seemed to imply toxicity between her and Demeter. That said, there's still clearly meant to be a second season (whether it gets renewed is a whole other issue) so I'm reeeeallly hoping it doesn't go "haha psych!" and pull the rug out from under me with Demeter slander, but we'll see.

Again, thankfully it wasn't too major of an inclusion that it doesn't ruin the overall presentation of H x P in the show, the casting is genius (I hadn't even realized at first the actor portraying Hades was David Thewlis until my husband pointed it out and that made me love him even more hahaha) and the dynamic between Persephone and Hades is very fun as they're both clearly on the same playing field in terms of age and life experience, Persephone never seems like she's just an accessory to Hades and if anything it's Persephone who's often having to run the show (but it doesn't ever put Hades down either, he's just overworked and tired and his wife is trying to make him do self-care aahah)

And yeah, I mentioned this in a previous unrelated ask but I really feel like there's too much focus around teenagers / young couples / May-December couples (i.e. "old guy x young girl") in a lot of romance these days so seeing Kaos' depiction of H x P as a middle-aged couple who are clearly in love but also have a lot of burdens between themselves and their responsibilities was very refreshing and needed. I know a lot of romances are centered around younger couples because then they can play on the whole dramatic, "whirlwind romance" trope, but people older than 40 can have great romance stories too! And frankly considering how many romances are centered around the "first love" couples who are just constantly making out / flirting / having sex / etc., it's weirdly fun to watch a couple who are clearly past that puppy love stage and are now just working together as a unit the way experienced couples would. The love has moved past the short-term excitement of kissing and sex and moved into the long-term strength of simply committing yourself to another person and tackling life's problems together.

That's not to say that young couples can't be depicted in that way, either, but again, a lot of it often gets thrown to the wayside in favor of the more "exciting" stuff like the "will they won't they" trope and the love triangles and moments of "firsts". Ironically, those moments of "firsts" aren't so special when every romantic couple in media is having them 💀😆

Sooo yeah! Hades and Persephone in Kaos are very fun and endearing to watch, they genuinely feel like two people committed to both each other and their responsibilities as rulers of the Underworld and it shows in both their actions and how they behave together while standing against Zeus. I really hope that it gets a second season, and that whatever is contained within doesn't fall into the same "Demeter was the villain" shtick. I don't see what's so difficult about having Persephone choose to go to the Underworld without it being at the expense of her mother, it's wild how so many stories can't seem to play to both sides of the myths.

[weirdbrothers]

Dune Fic Rec

Are you worried that AI is going to ruin humanity? Do twinks on a power trip turn you on? Would you call yourself a fan of pretentious cinema? Or maybe you just have a fetish for arranged marriage?

I was a moderate fan of the Dune movies, but after diving into the fandom I've become obsessed with the characters and the world. There is political intrigue, complicated family dynamics, questions about the role of gender, and a lot of people tripping on space drugs.

Below the cut are my favorite fics so far. Almost all are Paul/Feyd. Shoot me a message if I didn't list one of your favorites, or if you'd like to see a part 2. Happy reading!

this bleeding heart, pierced by @saltwaterpanda | Paul/Feyd

Omegaverse AU. Plans within plans are destroyed when alpha Feyd kidnaps omega Paul with the intention of making him his husband. To prevent both embarrassment and a devastating war, both their families pretend that the marriage was arranged to end their feud. Meanwhile, Feyd wonders why his fated mate is so cold to him, Paul must endure Giedi Prime and Feyd's attempts at courtship, and the Atreides plan to take Paul back.

Notes: Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I stayed up until 4am catching up on this fic. The dialogue and world-building is really good, not cheesy or contrived to fit the AU. Major GOT/HOTD vibes.

closeness / proximity by @bittcrblue | Paul/Feyd

A meeting with Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen triggers Paul's first heat. Leto Atreides comes to terms with what this means for the future. Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen tries to behave for his new in-laws. Paul Atreides has other ideas.

Notes: I want to giggle and kick my feet when I read this! Its sooo cute! But also horny? Perfect depiction of love-sick teenagers. It's also shifting perspectives which I love. The ABO world-building is top-tier, everything is so natural.

Corrida by mnabokov | Paul/Feyd

“It is not a good morning,” Gurney growled, “When the son of Duke Leto is to be married to a Harkonnen.”

Notes: I think this was the first fic I read for this fandom. Immediately it opened up the world and showed me other fleshed out possibilities to this pairing.

Changing of the Guard by @saltwaterpanda | Paul/Feyd

Omegaverse AU. Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen is to become Paul's husband and mate, and Duncan, Paul's designated heat partner, must oversee their first time together to make sure Feyd can be a proper alpha.

Notes: Feyd and Duncan covertly fighting for dominance in a threesome with Paul in the middle? Yes, please! I'm just in love with Feyd here, he's so confident and crass.

i've pulled you in, nowhere to hide now by @spicedrobot | Paul/Feyd

It was not the call of the divine that bent Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen’s knee. But there was no need to dissuade the rumors. Controlling Feyd requires peculiar methods.

Notes: Just beautiful writing that paints vivid pictures of Paul and Feyd. Very biting and harsh in the most delicious way. The push and pull for control over the relationship is great.

Westermarck by @granolapack | Paul/Feyd

Paul suffers through an awkward weekend at his Grandpa's house with his cousin. It's even more awkward than usual after he accidentally sent his cousin a picture of his dick.

Notes: Modern Day AU! Really fun and mischievous story. The dialogue is very natural and like the opposite of when you're watching a TV show and all of the teenagers sound like Gen Xers (can you tell I really care about dialogue? haha) I like seeing the subtle outsiders view as other people watch Paul and Feyd dance around each other.

your burning body, waiting by @granolapack | Paul/Feyd

The distance between he and his boy bride — both emotional and physical — does not lessen after the night that they both stand either side of their marital bed, and Atreides fixes him with a cold, resolute stare and tells him, in no uncertain terms, that there will be no love between them. Feyd-Rautha realises shortly after that when he’d said love, he’d meant sex.

Notes: SEDUCTION!!!!!!!! FEYD BEING A SEDUCER!!!!! FOR 6 CHAPTERS!!!!!!! the end

Like a Slow Blade by @jolinarjackson | Paul/Feyd

After House Atreides suffers a devastating attack by House Harkonnen on Arrakis, a now orphaned Paul is forced into an arrangement to live as Baron Harkonnen’s ward, alongside the Baron’s nephew Feyd-Rautha. With only Gurney remaining as his protection and Feyd-Rautha unexpectedly becoming something like an ally, Paul is determined to find a way to escape before they lose their lives… or themselves.

Notes: A story that is impossible to put down! Warning though it is pretty gut-wenching, I cried a few times. But also an addicting slowburn romance.

A poem for sad times by kullwahad | Paul/Gurney

Paul's first heat turns out to be an unexpected summer vacation for Gurney Halleck.

Notes: This fandom just knows how to do ABO right! This story is a really nice slow burn. So sexy it will have you on the edge until they finally fuck. Great dialogue and fleshed out characters here. Also stayed up super late finishing this, couldn't put it down.

(Also the title has "poem" in it, so I can't not share Josh Brolin's poem for Timmy! Actors, ammiright?)

The Burning From Within by th_esaurus | Paul/Duncan

If asked to describe Duncan, Paul’s language would not have changed from then to now. But the feeling was different.

Notes: Love the little details about Paul's resistance to arranged marriage. Some good insight to what the Atreides family dynamic is.

[autumndragon]

Rewatches always make you think more about the random stuff that gets swept under the rug. For instance, after Viggo betrays the dragon hunters and gets buried in a mountain, a random monstrous nightmare just…appears. It also ends up saving the man and we just….never see it!? People always picture Viggo with the skrill but forget about that nightmare. Just makes you wonder how that whole thing went down.🤔

yes it does!!

viggo and the nightmare have suuuch good potential, it's such a shame there wasn't enough time to include it in some kind of way, or to show the audience what happened in the cave. on one hand, not showing their bonding leaves something to the imagination, which i think works well enough, it's just a pity we couldn't see what exactly changed viggo's view on dragons so drastically.

viggo's change in general is so interesting to me, i would have loooved an entire season (or ten) to analyse! there are hints in every episode after the volcano that he's began to change, one of the most notably instances being, in my opinion, when he wants fishlegs alive though krogan wants to kill him. it's just quite a difference from earlier seasons viggo, who wouldn't have cared at all.

as for the monstrous nightmare, what i think happened is that the nightmare wasn't actually chasing him, it reacted to the cave-in and tried to get out as well. most dragons don't seem to do well with tight spaces, so when the entrance collapsed, it must have been frightened. and then, seeing that the entrance was closed off, it might have been angry, but not at viggo. we've seen the gang's dragons get angry and scared and "attack" the rocks that closed off the cave, so it might be that.

then for "saving viggo's life". i think maybe the nightmare could have pulled him out of the way of collapsing rock, or maybe the dragon helped him find a way out of the cave system, saving him indirectly.

viggo and the nightmare would have been such a power duo, especially since nightmares are fierce and stubbornly proud themselves, they don't let others walk over them!

either way, i'm sooo sad we never got viggo naming either of his dragons! i love seeing the names characters give to their dragon, whether it's something deep and profound or just overall silly. i think viggo would give his dragons symbolic names, he's pretentious like that.

thank you for the ask!!<3

[neomedievalist]

3 4 5 RYOMINA GO GO GO

3. Are they into PDA? Who initiates most?

I have always always thought that they just touch eachother without realizing it..in p3movie 3 you can see them just standing close to eachother and theres that scene where minato grabs ryojis arm then seems to be confused about the fact that he did that. WHICH IS SO CUTE. another angle is that ryoji is v aware hes in love so hes reeling himself back constantly but minato is the one unaware of it and ryoji is like ??!??!? Maybe he does this with everyone...I have only known him for a week... and he asks junpei and hes like i have never ever seen this guy willingly step within 2 meters of another person in my life. SO CUTE. SOOO CUTE

4. Their favorite show to watch together?

I suddenly got this vision that ryoji watches absolute garbage television and thinks its peak. mina walks in on him actually fucking crying to the finale episode of icarly so minato has to actively force him to watch things that have an actual plot but i think minato is an exceptionally pretentious 16/17 year old and makes him watch idk twin peaks. i do think that ryoji would be fascinated by literally anything you could put on baby sensory videos and hed be like hoooly shit. so i guess their favourite show to watch is whatever minato wants to watch

5. Who is the cheesier one of the two?

*strangling ryoji with my hands* I just couldn't say... this cunt "my love" this "my dearest" that .. hed send a giant delivery of roses to their classroom and minato would get a QTE of throwing them out the window before anyone fucking sees. its so bad for a Grand Romantic Gestures popular guy and a Dont Fucking Percieve Me emo boy. Hope he dies. Again.

[sommerregenjuniluft]

hmm okay now and how do you feel about teacher reg student james for a change

AHHH hi i totally forgot about getting back to this after seeing it i'm sorry hjskfh

(related to this post)

oooooooh very intruiging. very much so, yes. yes. always gotta love james pushing and challenging the boundaries if he's in a lower position that the half of the dynamic, regulus here. i can totally see reg having slipped into teaching because initially he's like a researcher or something but if he wants to get that dough from the university to help support his projects he gotta teach a few classes in return. like he couldnt give a shit less about his students but then james is just a full on wake up slap in the face. it's impossible to ignore him and he's totally weaseling his way into regulus' daily thoughts. while he's correcting papers and thinking of something james had tried to argue with him about during a lecture. when he's getting groceries, walking by the fruit aisle and thinking of james peeling clementines (regulus always smells it all the way to the front, the distinct scent wafting in his direction without anywhere to flee). when he's fresh out of the shower on a sunday morning, the sun is gentle and he's wrapping a hand around where he's filling out and suddenly he thinks of james' smile and *gunshot*,,,,,, and james is just sooo horny for this mildly suicidal looking, resting bitchface, never happy, meek ghost of a man. his pretentious fucking turtle necks and slacks and dress shoes and his scowly face and his knobby slender fingers that are almost as pale as the chalk he's scribbling with on the blackboard. he wants to get a reaction out of him sooooo bad. james wants to see what he looks like smiling, snorting, grinning, ugly laughing. wants to see him giggle and hold his stomach and also see him lashes fluttering and moaning helplessly, whimpering when james is deep ins-*GUNSHOT*

[ocielot]

hiiiii i just started getting into metal gear like a month ago and ive been enjoying reading everyones thoughts and headcanons as i get to know the series sooo tell me about your favorite metal gear ships :3 you can just yap about any thoughts or headcanons you have about them (and also maybe if you have any headcanons about any of the characters sexualities?)

hi! thank u so much for this, welcome to the fandom, you’ve already made some banger posts haha. if i start getting into all my hcs this post will be wayyy too long (and i will end up talking about those at some point anyways) so i’ll just give my general overview of how i see each, plus a “theme song” because i am addicted to My Playlists. under readmore bc i am Unhinged and this is Unbearably Long

ships

otasune - THE mgs ship of all time. only pure and stable relationship in the series. those guys were so in love and needed eachother so bad in many ways. their gay love really did save the world. lots to say about them but i keep writing too much and deleting it but if i may emphasize one thing it’s that the end of mgs4 is BASICALLY A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL? can everyone get more insane about this please? theme song: night sky patrol of tomorrow by orangestar ft ia (despite being vocaloid, this is snake pov)

bosselot - i love unrequited love. the only thing better than unrequited love is bonkerballs crazy unrequited love. and that’s what bosselot is. everyone needs to start playing with me in this unrequited love space right MEOW! big boss appreciates ocelot and sees him as a close comrade but he is not at all in love. ocelot is so in love it’s all consuming. both parties know how the other feels. this doesn’t mean they never fucked. theme song: i’m your man by leonard cohen

bbkaz - when it starts, both parties just see it as Intricate Rituals to let off steam (kaz)/assert dominance(bb), but a certain blonde catches feelings, though he would never admit that to himself or others! maybe big boss is fully aware or how kaz feels for him, maybe not. big boss enjoys feeling power and leverage over kaz and feels a possesiveness which is probably the closest he gets to romantic love for anyone in the series. and then they have the most destructive situationship breakup EVER! it’s so delicious. theme song: only time will tell by asia (stole this from kojima himself, it’s a casette tape in mgsv)

strangeboss: sorry i ALSO see this one as unrequited love, but it is still great. maybe they slept together a couple times and i think the boss did genuinely appreciate strangelove but i think she was like damn this lady is too crazy and young for me. like ocelot tho, strangelove’s love was not deterred. it’s just hers resulted in less evil shit lol. i think this ship is underappreciated, and people should talk more about strangelove, her love for the boss, and the ripple effects of that love. also the otasune parallels can we talk about the parallels. theme song: landslide by fleetwood mac

sexualities

ok i actually have a post in my drafts about this, but what interests me more than characters’ sexualities is how they identify. because i love Denial and it’s realistic considering the characters and time period. i’ll go into it more in another post but here are my hcs for their real sexuality and what they call themselves.

theboss: bi, id’s as straight, but could admit to an attraction to women if pressed

bb: gay but romantically stunted (not aro! it’s a diff thing!) id’s as interested in dominating men, but uninterested in sex or romance

ocelot: gay, probably id’s as such but could get pretentious about it

kaz: bi, id’s as straight even with a gun to his head

strangelove: canon out lesbian!

venom: straight, id’s as whatever big boss’ deal is thanks to Ocelot’s Reverse Conversion Therapy™

solid: gay. thought he was bi for a long time but realized his “attraction” for women was just something he felt he was supposed to do. i think he has always been surprisingly accepting of his attraction to men, but obviously was not out for various reasons, including don’t ask don’t tell.

gray fox: gay but like solid doesn’t ask doesn’t tell

liquid: gay only bc he is a clone of bb and i believe sexuality is innate but i am so uninterested in him it’s whatever

solidus: gay bc he is a bb clone, but absolutely had a wife and shit for his presidential career. probably never was able to confront his sexuality even a little bit. aw damn am i gonna start feeling bad for solidus? (probably not)

otacon: bi, but in denial until he realized his feelings for solid snake, which recontexualized a lot of stuff about how he reacted to the jjba guys

raiden: metrosexual. sorry.

ee: fujoshi

everyone else has a clear cut sexuality (vamp), i don’t care enough about to write about (volgin, raikov, that guy vamp banged) or i just see as straight.

[aeyumicore]

ikevil player spotted! can i ask what your impressions are of the characters? i'm curious to know!

omg i threw up i got so excited to see this ask esp bc im really burnt out of the love and deepspace fandom

1. william - my first and current route! i love him and his route but he’s def not my obsession or my number 1. i absolutely love the juxtaposition of his whole “do what your heart tells you/what you want” vs his power it’s very poetic. overall love him and his vampire vibes, he’s also such a sweetie

2. jude - if it wasn’t obvious….this is my man…..i’m not normally into the rude brash guy or even into gap moes but i realized after liking jumin from mysme and jude that maybe i am! what i like is the desperation and like development of “this isn’t how i am but for you….i go insane” like that seNDS MEEEEE. plus he looks like gojo and i just…..weak in the knees. he’s also so fuckin funny i can’t handle

3. ellis - while i know very little about him i LOVE him he’s prob my second favorite rn. he’s SO ATTRACTIVE and he’s shooooo sweet and u just know something dark lurks under….im so sad i couldn’t get his “every inch of you” mem but i saw spoilers and i was DECEASED

4. elbie - just finished his welcome event today!! my bestie’s fav is elbie so i feel like i know so much about him!! i love the tragedy about him and i like that hes open to being sweet and touchy…so very handsome. i love how tragic he is and i love how he’s never collected people before (prob bc al would stop him from it) but with kate he has his own…will?

5. alfons - i’m reading his translation via @kurishiri (they are so amazing pls read their translations) and i’m SAT….looks wise i wouldn’t have loved al but i love his story (im horny) but also his tragic end is so very dark and i love it so much. i loooove his story

6. liam - i didn’t like him at first but i looove his interactions with kate in the other routes!! i didn’t like the overplaying into the whole cat thing but i kinda like him now…maybe not as an LI for me but i can’t wait to try

7. harrison - he’s cute and his power/curse is very intriguing to me but other than that i know nothing about him and don’t care about him at all LMAO i was deterred bc i heard his story is a bit boring like it’s not bad just tame

8. roger - i love that roger is bold with what he wants but he comes off a little desperate to me 😭 and when i first met him in the prologue i felt like he was pretentious LMAO. i also don’t like being called “lil” lady but little lady i would like. he’s growing on me tho

9. victor - i know literally nothing about this man and also i don’t like long haired men LMAOOO

as for the vogel twins i think they’re called and the other LIs not out on N.A. servers yet i think ring is SOOO CUTE…..i don’t know anything about the rest

[haevenward]

hi everybody ! it's your resident sloth here, eight (any, cst) and i'm here to introduce you to my loser boy: kwon haeil. under the cut, there's some brief info on him and below are the links i have prepared. please fill in the heart if you're interested in plotting and i'll raid your ims or beg for your d*scord.

PROFILE. / BACKGROUND. / WANTED CONNECTIONS.

aussie born, child of divorce, lived in sydney until his mother pulled the 'your dad has to teach you how to be a man' card and shipped him off to live with him in seoul.

within the first year of being in his new environment, he's diagnosed with adhd & depression.

parents are lawyers, mom's a crown prosecutor in new south wales, and dad's a divorce lawyer here in seoul. they are sooo thrilled that he's studying something that he has no 'guarantee' of making a living off of. (he took a gap year just to convince them while working as a receptionist at his father's office.)

until his decision on what he'd like to study in uni, he was so close to being the ideal son. he was well behaved, had good grades, and never got caught staying out late.

closer with his mom than his dad, she makes the effort to try to see his side on things more than his dad does. he tries to call her as often as he can (and she's available.)

he has a younger sister that he's relatively close to. they have a three year age difference. despite her being a pain in his ass at times, he loves her sm.

relatively well-liked by his peers, he holds up his own end of the group projects and makes up for the slacker so everyone can pass their class.

an outgoing introvert, he likes people but he also needs time to recharge from people. he will visibly deflate while being out once he runs out of social battery. #savehim

he was more of a party boy in undergrad, he's much more of a homebody now. but hey.. at least he's a homebody with a better alcohol tolerance..?

very passionate about music and sound in general!!! but he's not pretentious about it, just very enthusiastic. likes to listen to all genres. (let him support your local band)

his career aspiration is working in sound design for films or video games. he's the kind of guy that's casually jamming to the hades soundtrack working out at the rec center.

resident eavesdropper, sometimes he's listening on purpose other times he just happens to overhear things. likes to keep an ear (and eye) for gossip because everything starts with an inkling of truth to it.

his label, the oracle, comes into play because of his interest in gossip as well as him being observant. cause yeah it's a no brainer when you hear about someone who mumbles how much they hate someone under their breath, found keying that same someone's car the next day.

takes personality inspo from minamoto teru (tbhk) and takashi mitsuya (tokrev). he's kind and humble yet not someone you want to be on the wrong side of.

[mscaseys]

i genuinely don't understand why so many people think gemma willingly went to lumon? maybe she was somehow tricked in signing something shady at the fertility clinic, but her goodbye to mark refutes the theory of her not being abducted pretty well: she suggests that he go with her, she suggests she stays home, she references future plans with him, she gives a specific time she'll be back (and if she knew that was the last time she would see him it was way too casual of a goodbye). i think it was very obvious that she was abducted that night. and why tf would a character established as intelligent and perceptive agree to effectively sign her autonomy away?? even if she DID initially go willingly because lumon tricked her (maybe by saying it was a fertility trial or smth), she obviously changed her mind and did not agree to be severed & have all her loved ones think she is dead? she would still be held against her will and forced to do things she did not want to do and would be just as much as a victim in that case?

sorry for the mini rant, it just annoys me how eager some ppl are for gemma to have done something "wrong" so they can undermine the horror of what she went through at lumon (and probably tear her character down). "morally dubious" does not equal a complex character imho

i'm with you anon, no matter how you spin it, i think a twist that gemma was secretly evil is very much a route i do not want the show to go down as it's almost insulting to the audiences' intelligence if they do. and everything you've said, coupled with the fact that they've shown gemma to be intelligent and pragmatic, very much denies the possibility of her volunteering to be there. i just think a lot of mental leaps have to be taken to come to that conclusion and dare i say misogyny because what do you meannn she fell for lumon's manipulations and agreed to fake her death... that doesn't even sound right.

i think it's frustrating because the character we are presented is so layered and complex to me, and focusing on the circumstances of her abduction rather than what her potential s3 storylines could be is such a boring point of discussion to me. like isn't it more interesting if we see gemma coming to terms with this seriously fucked up thing that happened to her virtually against her will? the desperation for her to be 'evil' and hiding behind the excuse of wanting her to be more 'complex' is sooo pretentious i'm sorry. and it's clear 90% of people theorising that she's evil very much don't want to contend with the fact that their favorite characters are directly or indirectly involved in gemma's abduction + torture. it reads to me like wanting the story to shift just to 'even the playing field', when one of the most interesting things about the show is that it will never be a fair playing field, and how the oppressed can also be oppressors.

[budgieflitter]

i drew that last picture for jules with the knowledge of our Lore tm we're discussing like all the damn time

but it's also fun to read the interpretations in the tags!! i love johnny being at his shitty retail job in his 40s lmaoooo

sooo in our timeskip johnny and ophelia are divorced bc in the end they had different views on life, their kids are with ophelia but johnny still visits like a cool dad who takes you to mcdonalds and bowling and shit johnny used to be an actor who gained quite some fame for some of his roles but now he kinda fell into obscurity and is only offered some shitty commercial roles so he can't afford the lifestyle he is used to anymore. jenny is still coddling him and suggests that he moves back in if he's really struggling but that's just not cool for a grown ass man.. well he still has his cool sports car i guess tank is also divorced with almeric lmaooo yes i love this ship yes they're divorced 😁 well almeric has no one to blame but himself bc he's a pretentious asshole light yagami kinnie who's hungry for power even being the whole ass simnation president tank kinda had to take a lot of time to realise he's being taken advantage of more and more especially his military position they haven't been talking to each other for years and then they meet in strangetown's grocery store both being like "what the hell are you doing here" bc they moved to some more.. prestigious places and the next moment they're in johnny's apt catching up on each other's life and stuff idkkk why i made this post but if anyone is interested in more context.. also here's a sketch for the early version before i decided on something else entirely