#it was mid. he spent most of it getting in trouble and then getting punished for getting in trouble

[sae-mian]

🧸

Does Minasha have a stuffed animal or item he’s kept from when he was a kid?

thank you for the ask!! ♥

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🧸 Does Minasha have a stuffed animal or item he’s kept from when he was a kid?

to answer plainly - no! nothing at all. he took nothing but the clothes on his back and a borrowed dagger when he was evicted from his village.

(of course, he did have things as a child - mostly little wooden toys and figurines of various woodland animals. none of it went with him when he left.)

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[♡~OC Asks~♡]

[chouettecrivaine]

BREAKING THE DAWN - an OC introduction template link - @youngmrclaus lark art cred qilan belongs to @yuechicake lark exists in the @shepherds-of-haven universe!

Lark has gone through a ton of lore upheavals and additions, so I decided a reintroduction was in order! and also this template was beautiful so i had to use it :3c I also wanted to see how her backstory diverted from the canon story with her soulmate Qilan thrown into the mix!

(Having trouble reading? This post is transcribed beneath the cut!)

LARK VAN LAAST

CALL SIGN - dawnbreaker

AGE / SEASON - mid 20s / winter

GENDER / PRN - female / she / her

SEXUALITY - bisexual

TRAINING - self-taught

OCCUPATION - commander

RACE - hunter-mage

"

They are singing all around you

With heavy shovels holding earth

You're being buried to your neck...

Being buried quite alive now

The Antlers, Epilogue

"

HEIGHT - 5'5 (165cm)

COMPLEXION - very fair

DETAILS - scattered freckles (all year)

HAIR COLOR - navy blue (white streak on her right side)

EYE COLOR - stormy gray

EXTRAS - wire rimmed glasses (when not on duty)

Lark wears her straight, shoulder-length hair in a milkmaid braid style to keep it out of her face. If she’s really in a pinch, she’ll put it in a bun, but she rarely lets anyone see her with her hair down unless there’s an emergency in the middle of the night.

Her skin is pale enough that she almost looks bloodless, though she can easily blush. She has freckles dotting her entire body, even during the winter months when there isn’t much sun.

She carries two swords; her main, typical broadsword and a smaller xiphos style sword for closer combat and emergency situations. She is a psionic mage with an affinity for bewitchments and enchantments.

-

POS. TRAITS - sweet , patient , loyal / NEU. TRAITS - quiet , gloomy , clever / NEG. TRAITS - wily , self-sacrificing , hesitant

ALIGNMENT - neutral good

TEMPER - gentle

LIKES - birds, needlework, cold weather

DISLIKES - lies, raucous taverns, plans for the future

GOALS - To rid the world of the demons that lurk in the shadows, purging the land of all the parasites that bleed the life from those foolish enough to get close - even if she believes herself to be such a parasite, too.

After spending so much time alone and watching tragedy befall those around her, Lark eventually withdrew into herself and stopped making efforts to form strong bonds with others. She remained polite and helpful, but also cold and detached. She is a pack animal at heart, though, and dreads how easily her icy defenses can be melted.

Lark has developed a bit of a silver tongue and is an expert liar, but she can not stand when others try to fool her in a non-survival situation. She is frequently underestimated and assumed childish for her kindness and goodwill, which often erases her struggles and her capabilities. She can smell a lie from a mile away and cuts those people off before they can start - she’s much less fragile than others think.

-

AESTHETIC - spirit animal / AESTHETIC - element / AESTHETIC - flower / AESTHETIC - weather / AESTHETIC - texture

BACKSTORY

Lark spent most of her time in Maj running errands for the villagers who couldn't leave their work and taking lessons with each of them in the hopes of becoming a well-rounded leader one day. Her favorite skills are embroidery and the musical instrument taught to her by the village grump. She also takes care of her father’s chickens and hands the eggs out every morning. The village is dusty and far from well-off, but the people are kind and know how to celebrate their harvest, whether it be meager or bountiful.

After the destruction of Maj, she fled, unable to take the sorrow and guilt. She had no real direction, hoping instead for some mercy and perhaps a guiding hand. Instead, she was lured into servitude by a cruel Norm merchant. He ran a shop peddling antiques and oddities and blamed the various Diminished indebted to him for the failing business. He was prone to anger and wasn't afraid to punish them in ways that endangered their lives. Shortly after Lark arrived, she experienced the “mysterious disappearance” of one Diminished who dared to disobey. Another Diminished, a Wilds mage named Damiane, took Lark under her wing and became a sort of mother figure for her. Years ago, Damiane had taken a loan from the merchant to get medical care for her child, who unfortunately ultimately passed away. She stayed in his care to pay off her debt and bc she doesn't have any more family to go back to. Through her tutelage, Lark learns that she has an affinity for birds and begins to communicate with them.

Lark is eventually told to frame two twin Diminished wind mages, Calder and Inia, for stealing from the store, thus trapping them under the merchant's thumb. Inia is immediately suspicious of Lark’s involvement in the scheme, but Calder treats her gently. He is the one who teaches her to put her hair up in milkmaid braids. However, the twins don't take orders or instructions easily, and when the brother eventually gets sick, the merchant refuses to provide medical care for him as punishment. After Calder passes, his sister eventually enacts her revenge by setting the shop (and apartment upstairs) on fire. Lark barely escapes after Damiane pushes her into the street at the last second, trapping herself inside.

Lark ran from town and made a living by settling for a short while and selling embroidery and outfit repairs. Eventually she hid away in a large town and took up a guard position in front of a jewelry store. Working with her was a ket mage named Airell. He had the same stoic attitude as is typical of most with Ket blood, but he warmed up to her and agreed to teach her how to properly use a sword. As such, her swordsmanship is a combination of basic Ket techniques and an unrefined defense of a rural girl. The owner of the store was nice enough to Lark and Airell, but his son was a problem child. Airell eventually learned that the son planned to rob the store and frame the Diminished guards in a ploy to cash in on his father. Knowing the owner would never forgive them for harming his son to stop the crime but would also believe if his son said they robbed the store, Airell gave Lark false orders to wait at the town gate for a shipment while he apprehends the son. Airell is detained as a result of trying to stop the heist, and the son managed to frame him for part of the crime. The owner fired Lark, knowing she was close to Airell and no longer trusting her.

She then took up mercenary work, protecting merchants and traveling caravans. Finally, she has withdrawn inside of herself, keeping to herself as most employers want and parting upon reaching the caravan’s destination. On one of these missions, she met a mage named Qilan. This mage was private, just as she was, but Lark could tell that they had a similar story. For the first time since her thirteenth birthday, Lark felt content and at ease - though she didn’t dare speak these feelings out loud. She and Qilan share a brief relationship until they part ways…but they eventually meet again when they are both contracted to protect Prihine on the way to her wedding.

Lark doesn’t have much of a chance to reconnect with Qilan, but the same draw between them is there. When a demon breaks into the wedding, Lark is inexplicably pulled to reach out and grab Qilan’s hand as they both say a Word of Power, successfully saving both Prihine and Caine as they stop the demon. That is how they learn (partially, at least) that they are soulmates, and that their shared Words are stronger when they are cast in tandem.

[chrysoula]

The long day of training eased into afternoon and Kaeya finally allowed most of his soldiers a bit of rest and recreation. Then he strolled over to where Albedo was sketching some diagrams. “Keeping busy, I see. Well, since you’re such a smart guy, I’ll let you go work on the teapot for the rest of the day with Xiao, if first you help Zielle straighten out her map.”

Albedo kept his eyes on his sketchbook and did a credible job of pretending he hadn’t heard his fellow Knight. “Ah, Kaeya. I was just investigating a way to make a Geo construct ‘transport’ an elemental stone.”

Kaeya knew Albedo too well to be distracted, though. “I see your counter-offer and I raise you: if you don’t agree to work with Zielle in public, I’ll lock you in the lodge with her alone.”

That brought the alchemist’s gaze up from his work, his teal eyes very bright. Tension suddenly thrummed between them. In a distant, polite voice, Albedo said, “Oh? And how would you manage that?”

Leaning a little closer, dropping his voice just for the drama of it, Kaeya said, “How hard do you think it would be for me to convince the rest of the expedition that an appropriate punishment for your little experiment is a private half-hour chat with Zielle?”

Albedo’s eyes widened, and he took a half-step back. “Kaeya, no…”

Kaeya gave him a not-so-friendly smile. “Not that I get why you’re so afraid of her. If I were in your position, I’d be accepting whatever she wanted to give me.”

Albedo flinched, but from somewhere nearby came Xiao’s snort of disbelief.

Kaeya’s faint smile didn’t flicker. “She’s a nice girl, how bad could it be? And you’ve already spent so much time alone with her, right?”

Albedo looked at Zielle and wished he’d never been created; that his Master had died in her cradle; that Khaenri’ah had withered with the City of the Rising Stars. But he kept it to himself, because Klee was watching.

Instead, he walked over to where Zielle still sat on her table, staring at her scroll. “Hello, Zielle. I understand that you’ve been having some trouble making a map? Do you mind if I correct it for you?

She raised her brown eyes and studied him, steady and unsmiling. He waited, calm, attentive and ready to assist, without thinking about past or future.

Finally, she said, “I’d rather you teach me how to correct it myself. I know that will take longer, but you said you don’t want me to depend on you.”

“Ah, of course,” he said pleasantly. “I’ll need a moment to diagnose the source.” He glanced at the map, noting two different distortions: the skew that affected the entire map, and whatever had caused the village to pull away from the map’s edge. In his opinion, the skew was the real problem; the village issue just seemed like a copy malfunction, perhaps inspired by the overall skew. Now, how to fix that…

After a brief analysis, he said, “All right. I’m going to ask you some questions. Please respond to them however feels right.”

“Okay,” she said, still watching him with those serious brown eyes (that he’d once tried so hard to make sparkle.)

He arranged the photos of the playing field scattered around her into a mosaic image. “First, what shape is portrayed by these photos?

“A rectangle?” 

He raised his eyebrows at her questioning note. “Are you unsure?” 

“I mean, it’s sort of a kite shape but I know it represents a rectangle—wait, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about it. Now, tell me. Where are you right now?”

“Right here,” she said immediately, an answer given without reference to her map or even her surroundings. 

Ah, thought Albedo. “Good. Finally, will you draw me a circle?” He put his own sketchbook and pencil down in front of her.

Without a word, she picked up the pencil and drew a decent mid-sized circle near the bottom of the page; he could see it was something she’d practiced as part of her doodling.

“All right.” He took the pencil and begin to sketch. “Now I’m going to create a little design for you. If you draw it several times before trying your transfer technique, I think you’ll get a better map of the Rumbleway.”

She frowned. “That sounds like a superstition for a child.”

“Just temporarily rewriting a tiny part of your brain. It won’t last that long; looking at nearly anything but your scroll will probably reset it. Why don’t you copy it ten or so times to learn the movements?”

She began to do so, asking as she did, “What about the village?”

“I think something else is going on there—”

Xiao was suddenly standing half a meter above the table. “Enough hand-holding. Alchemist, you will come with me now if you wish to work with the teapot spirit to repair the damage you did.” 

“I’ll do that then,” said Albedo, moving after Xiao as he began to drift away. “I suggest you try a fresh village transfer after transferring the Rumbleway, Zielle.”

 Barely audible, Zielle muttered, “Damn you Xiao, I didn’t get to hold even a single hand.”

[this-is-my-procrastination]

hi honey! (●’◡’●)ﾉ could i request a oneshot with Dazai, and reader is just always sleepy? like if she sits still for longer than thirty minutes, she’ll be passed out? thank you!

pairing: dazai osamu x sleepy!reader

synopsis: sleepy y/n has trouble staying awake

request: hi honey! (●’◡’●)ﾉ could i request a oneshot with Dazai, and reader is just always sleepy? like if she sits still for longer than thirty minutes, she’ll be passed out? thank you!

a/n: omg im so sorry this literally took me 10 million years to finish!! i think i’ve rewritten this like more than four times at this point lmao but hopefully it turned out ok and you like it! as always, thank you so much for requesting ily <33

A pair of lips delicately brush your cheek. Your eyes flutter open, groggily blinking the sleep from your eyes as you slowly register the owner of the offending lips. To no one’s surprise, it’s Dazai’s smug face that beams back at you, grin softening as he teases, “Look who fell asleep again~ If you weren’t so cute, I might be offended y’know?” His playful pout causes you to giggle, your boyfriend already helping to make waking up so much less vexing than usual.

Retaliating to his teasing remarks, you attempt to ruffle his messy tuft of black hair but find that his head is sadly more than an arm’s length away, much to your dismay. Looking back down at your disheveled bedhead fondly, Dazai pulls you into his arms as you release a few indignant retorts. The movie you two were watching had been in its closing scenes, but when he looked towards you to ask your thoughts (and ask why you’d been so quiet after literally the first thirty minutes), he was met with your very cute, very endearing, very much asleep expression, eyes shut and mouth slightly ajar. Your head was adorably leaned against the crook of his neck, and he would prefer not to admit it, but he had spent more time than he realized just admiring your dozing features silently, appreciating and marveling at this human who made him feel so loved. Past Dazai would have scoffed at a serious romantic relationship that didn’t end in double suicide, but right now, the thought of not being able to spend peaceful moments like this with you was the most excruciating punishment he could possibly imagine. How could he imagine someone else when even just your sleeping face was so incredibly adorable to him?

Your freshly-awake ramblings brought him back to the present. Dazai lets his fingers drift and find its place loosely running down a stray strand of your hair, twirling it cheerfully as he listens to you continuing on.

You suddenly stop your rant, staring at him with an amused expression on your face before you gently prod his side, “What’re you so deep in thought about?” You pondered the possibilities, “Could you be thinking about what to eat? I’m pretty hungry too after that nice nap!”

“No, no,” Dazai dramatically denies your question, waving his hand dismissively, “Well - I’ll never say no to a snack, but I was actually mesmerized! You just look so cute when you’re sleepy~”

You playfully roll your eyes, nudging him with a teasing “uh-huh.”

“Is that why I can get away with falling asleep around you?” your smile is warm as you meet his eyes, and Dazai’s heart quickens just slightly, “I told you that you can wake me up since I sometimes fall asleep before I realize. I appreciate you always taking care of me though, Dazai. You’re a very good boyfriend for that~”

Your praise is music to Dazai’s ears as his lips quirk into a smirk, “Oh-ho, am I finally getting the appreciation I’ve been deserving? I’m glad you finally noticed!” Your boyfriend’s hand pats your head affectionately, and you laugh aloud as he plasters a quick sloppy kiss to your forehead.

You’re about to playfully call him out for his touchiness but your boyfriend’s chest immediately puffs out theatrically, “But don’t you worry! I’m self-sworn to protect my sleeping beauty for as long as I live - actually, even from the grave!”

Dazai’s sudden knightly attitude cracks you up as you swiftly duck out from under his hand. You grin widely at his antics before matching his energy with a statement fitting for a true princess: “oh, ya - uh! ok thanks buddy! so then, Sir Dazai, lead the way to the kitchen and let’s make a mid-movie - oh, never mind the movie’s over - a post-movie snack!”

Dazai’s cheers ring through your apartment as he eagerly yet still surprisingly delicately, always being careful to keep you unscathed and present by his side, grabs your hand and escorts you into the kitchen.

The plan was to make brownies. So, why is Dazai furiously beating a bowl of grainy “whipped cream” that he’d made using a combo of water and specifically granulated, not confectionary, sugar? Why is more brownie batter on cabinet doors than in the baking pan? Why is the salt tipped onto its side, spilling its entire contents into some kind of abstract shape on the countertop?

One reason: food fight. Maybe your abundant sleeping habits had finally caught up to you, but you had never felt as invigorated and actively mischievous as you had when you’d swiped some brownie batter onto your boyfriend’s face. It was worth it! You think. You thought. Dazai’s brown hues absolutely shined with mirth at your pathetic attempt of provoking him. You were prepared for him to laugh it off and call you adorable, maybe naive for playing with fire, but ultimately he would chuckle and move on. Except, that did not happen. Instead, he had immediately retaliated with an even bigger glop thrown into your hair, partly accidentally and partly to be a li’l gremlin, and oh boy, it just escalated from there.

The whipped cream Dazai had whipped up for “quick ammunition” was quickly used up - Dazai scooped it, and the heap had seemed to grow impossibly bigger with every additional spoonful. Currently, his smile was widening and creepily stretching ear-to-ear as his starry eyes zeroed in on your vulnerable form.

The ruthless battle continued for a while, but after finally agreeing to a truce, you both couldn’t help but stare at the resulting mess with equally blank stares.

“Mm... okgoodnightbabe! I’ll see you in the morning!” You almost trip over yourself as you flee, throwing a cursory glance at your incredulous boyfriend before giggling and rushing to close the bedroom door before he can follow. Dazai’s whining carries through the solid wood, but you playfully call back, “I’ll give you anything you want - just pleasee do the cleaning! And if it’s too much, come to bed and we can deal with it in the morning together, ok?”

You could clearly picture Dazai’s pout in your mind as the sound of his footsteps fades towards the kitchen. Smiling fondly, you quickly change into your pajamas and hop into your shared bed to wait for his return. However, listening to the distant clanging of bowls and whooshing of the tap water proved to be an effective lullaby, and you couldn’t help it as your eyes began to flutter and eventually stay closed.

By the time Dazai finishes cleaning, the dark night sky was starting to brighten and mix with the warm oranges and reds of sunrise. He quietly opens your bedroom door and is met, not really to his surprise, by your sleeping lump of a body. Dazai’s brows furrow slightly, but he quickly notices the open book laying by your form and realizes that you had been up waiting for him. He could also tell you by the blankets messily strewn around you - usually you preferred having them wrapped around you like a tight burrito.

At that, Dazai lightly chuckles, his heart warming at the thought. He takes his time putting on a fresh set of clothes and rolls his eyes as he ever-so-gently tucks the blankets over you. The bed shifts as he climbs in carefully, but Dazai quickly freezes as you start to mumble quietly. Your words are inaudible, even as Dazai strains his ears to hear any (possible) secrets that you could be spouting. Shifting restlessly, you roll around and suddenly shoot out your arm, making an interesting grabby motion. Dazai almost lets out a laugh as he wonders what in the world you could be looking for, but his eyes widen when you make contact with your boyfriend and immediately calm down, hand gripping his shirt loosely.

As your body relaxes, Dazai feels a wide smile creep up his face, adoring and almost grossly soft. And he lets it. He just can’t help himself - he leans in and places an affectionate kiss on your forehead, lingering there before pulling back and squeezing next to you under the covers. He shifts your arm into a more comfortable position, and as you unconsciously flip to face him, Dazai’s eyes soften into a sweet but intensely warm chocolate brown. If you had been awake to open your eyes, you would have witnessed a rare but genuine sight: your boyfriend’s peaceful expression illuminated by the quiet sunlight of dawn, his eyes deeply staring into yours with endless messages of comforting assurance and happiness, and his lips subtly quirking into a tenderly loving smile shared only for the two of you.

[papermoonloveslucy]

REMINISCING

August 14, 1977

By Frank Swertlow, Chicago Daily News 

BEVERLY HILLS - During the first years of television, Ed Wynn, the radio and stage comic, was trying to break into television with a half-hour comedy on CBS. (1)

One night, he invited a couple of second echelon performers to make an appearance: a comedienne, known as "Technicolor Tessie" for her blazing red hair, and a song-and-dance man, best remembered for hollering "babalu."

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the couple, and they, like Wynn, were sampling the waters of the new medium. CBS had asked Miss Ball and her conga-drum pounding husband to develop a comedy show for television. Later, after months of thought and testing their ideas on the vaudeville circuit, the couple came up with "I Love Lucy," the misadventures of Lucy and Ricky Riccardo. (2)

It made its debut on CBS in October 1951. More than a quarter of a century afterwards, "I Love Lucy" easily can vie for the honor of television's most successful show. It was the archtype [sp] domestic comedy, the bumbling husband and his daffy wife. It gave birth to two other Lucy shows, a host of specials and a giant production company, Desilu. 

"We spent months thinking about what we should do," Miss Ball recalled. "We didn't want to be the average Hollywood couple. Nobody would think you had any problems if you had a car and swimming pool and a nice house. 

"Ultimately, we wanted a show in which people could identify with us. Everybody could understand what it was like to struggle for a buck. I was an ordinary, everyday, middle class housewife. I wore the same dress often. My husband worked and tolerated my mistakes. It was something that everyone could identify with." 

With the debut of the TV series, Lucille Ball, the former Goldwyn girl who started her film career in the 1930s, had a new career. 

"I never expected the show to go more than a year," said Miss Ball. "I wanted to do the show on film so I could use them as home movies. Who knew about television then? It was a no-no to do TV work. The movie studios were against it." 

To Miss Ball, who was not a new face to the public, the impact of her show was incredible. "We went to New York on a trip once and we were unprepared for what happened. People rushed up and wanted to touch you. They knew you, and called you by your first name. I had been in pictures for years, and most of the time I was never identified." 

If the movers and shakers of the film industry who gave Miss Ball her start during the 1930s were alive, they would have been shocked. To them, simply and kindly, Lucille Ball was a B-movie queen, one of the many second-line actresses who never attained star billing, but who was an important ingredient to the motion picture industry. 

Unlike many performers who labored under the cruel studio system, Miss Ball fondly remembered her early years in Hollywood. "It was nice to be under the umbrella of a studio. You always had a poppa. I loved it. I loved being part of the business. I would have swept floors just to be in it." 

Miss Ball, however, did not forget the tactics of the brutal and disgusting lords of movieland. Harry "King" Cohn, the ruler of Columbia Pictures, stood out. "He made the biggest dent in everybody. He was ruthless. He always had to take a devious route." (3)

Miss Ball, who is not exactly a pushover, laughingly recalled the time she outwitted the sly Cohn. 

Miss Ball had received an offer to work in a Cecil B. DeMille film, but Cohn refused to loan her to the producer. He was being mean. Then, Cohn decided to drop her contract. To do it, he sent the actress a horrible script something that the trade called a lease breaker. "Oh, everybody was dying to play opposite John Agar and Raymond Burr," she recalled jokingly. "I was going to be a harum [sp] girl." Naturally, Cohn expected her to refuse and it would be the end of her contract. (4)

The savvy Miss Ball decided to do the film and collect her check. When she made this announcement there was an uproar. She coyly told her bosses: "Oh, I want to do the film. It's a wonderful film." 

Meanwhile, Miss Ball, who had been trying to get pregnant for years, found out she was going to have a baby. Now, she was in trouble. If Cohn found out, he would break her contract. "I only told my mother and my husband I was pregnant." 

Keeping her lips sealed, she went ahead with Cohn's film. "The wardrobe girl kept looking at me in my harum [sp] girl costume and saying, 'What's wrong with you, you are getting so big.' "So, I told her, 'Don't worry, I ate a big meal last night. Just put a little more taffeta on my dress.' Well, I finished the film and I collected my $85,000." 

"Then I had to go to Mr. DeMille and tell him I couldn't do his film. I was pregnant. 'What,' he said. And I replied. 'I'm going to have a baby. 'Get rid of it,' he said. And he was serious.' She declined. (5)

While Miss Ball's career as a TV star is secure (she still has a contract with CBS) (6) she is not so certain about the state of the industry. Today, unlike when she started on the air, shows are yanked off the screen within a couple of weeks. This, she said, destroys performers. 

"If a show is canceled, the actor takes the blame. He or she suffers for it. They suffer inside. The rejection - they failed. (7)

"I would fail. You can't protect yourself. It's out of your hands. It's always Lucy failed or Rhoda failed or Farrah Sauset Fawcett Sauset, whatever her name is, failed. It's rough." (8)

Even so, Lucille Ball, the red-haired girl from Jamestown, N.Y., would still be on top.

#   #   #

FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE

(1) Ed Wynn (1886-1966) was a vaudevillian who hosted “The Ed Wynn Show” on television from 1949 to 1950.  Lucy and Desi guest-starred on the show.  

(2) ‘Riccardo’ is probably a misspelling of ‘Ricardo’, but it was also the way their surname was spelled on “I Love Lucy” in early episodes!  

(3) Harry Cohn (1891-1958) was a much-despised executive at Columbia Studios.  Lucille Ball once facetiously told Louella Parsons that she liked Harry Cohn too much to ever sign a contract with him. What Lucille meant is that  Cohn had a reputation for being difficult.  Despite that fact, a casting draught forced her to sign with Columbia in 1949. 

(4) Lucille Ball had often complained to Cohn about the quality of the pictures she had been doing at Columbia. At the time The Magic Carpet was made, Ball was only obligated to Columbia for one more film, and Cohn had producer Sam Katzman, who turned out most of Columbia's low-budget "B" pictures, concoct a cheap Arabian Nights fantasy as a punishment to Ball for her constantly challenging him. More salacious writers insist that Cohn’s frustration with Ball was due to the fact that she would not submit to him sexually. 

(5) The DeMille film in question was The Greatest Show on Earth, a movie set at the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus. Lucille was set to play the elephant trainer, a role that went to Gloria Graham. It was a film Lucille really wanted to do - but she wanted a baby more.  Later in life, Desilu created a TV version of the film.  Lucille also guest-starred as the ringmaster on “Circus of the Stars II” in which Lucie Arnaz was featured as.... the elephant trainer!  

(6) Lucille Ball had started working at CBS on radio and was considered their premiere star. In 1980, after her television shows had ended, she signed with NBC, a partnership that yielded very little except that Ball was obliged to appear on Bob Hope’s many specials, something she frequently did anyway.  Both CBS and NBC declined her final series “Life With Lucy” which producer Aaron Spelling finally convinced ABC to air. 

(7) Although this article was written ten years before “Life With Lucy”, Lucille could very well be describing her own devastation when the series was cancelled even before all the initial episodes aired. She was widely criticized and the series often turned up on “worst show” lists.  

(8) Rhoda refers to a character on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” that was played by Valerie Harper, a performer that appeared on Broadway with Lucille. In 1974, the character was spun off into its own eponymous sitcom which aired for four seasons. 

Farrah Fawcett-Majors was a beautiful blonde actress and poster girl that burst onto the TV scene in the mid-1970s. A year after this interview, she was in the hit series “Charlie’s Angels” entering American iconography for her feathered hair and curvaceous figure the same way Betty Grable had in the 1940s.  

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

Before the Dawn AU | Vincent Valentine (long post)

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Music Theme Found Here

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Basic AU Info from Profile:

In this verse, Vincent stumbled into the grasps of two elders of a rather cult-like coven, seeking to make a Feral Vampire, a demon-power gifted blood sucker of legend. He had been investigating the disappearance of his father, which led him to a beautiful woman….and between her and her cruel mate who she loved by obligation of sire-hood and despised all at once, Vincent Valentine was trapped, tormented, and eventually turned before he had a chance to understand and break free. But not just turned, he was forced through many rituals; which involved foul blood of old, much pain on his part, and a few extra ingredients, not least of which a piece of sacred crystal that his two Sires risked a great deal to get, and would eventually pay for dearly--all in hopes to make him their success. And in a way, he was. Where most others became mute and wild, or died, or were barely strong enough to go out and hunt, he was strong, and held certain abilities connected to other beings that were unlike what normal vampires could wield (instead of just increased speed and strength and endurance, and immortality and enhanced sight, etc, he came to possess influence over some predators as well as predator like deformities he could summon (claws, a tail, horns, glowing eyes), blood influence over weaker vampires to where they could be glamoured like humans, and a small level of telekinesis, and telepathy with those he chooses to share a blood connection with, or is forced to). They intended to use him, though, and after years of torment and tests, he finally broke free of their control (to some degree, it was due to the Madame Sire, Lucrecia, and the fact that she seemed torn between cruelty and a gentle regretful heart that sought to help him and free him, as well as stop further unholy experiments of their Sire Hojo). His Madam Sire was lost to him, and it was some years before he learned of her true fate. And one he came to influence the rest of the coven himself, stronger than his Lord Sire, Hojo fled, with Vincent intent on hunting him down and ending him. From that moment on, Valentine sought to liberate vampires trapped by cruel covens, making one of his own that collected strays and those in need, and he makes a point to hunt down the disgusting wretches of the world. If he was going to be a monster, he might as well be the nightmare to other monsters.

~   ~.  ~

Name: Vincent Valentine (also known as the Blood Demon, or the Galian Fang)

Species: Feral Vampire (experimentally/ritually altered)

Role/Profession/Job: Former life = Paranormal Investigator and Handler (sometimes exterminator). Mid-Life during his time with the cult = Experiment subject. Current Life = Coven Leader (of the Valentine Coven), Hunter of the Irredeemable Damned, Shadow Aid to the Lost Damned

Age: 467

Nature: Before his change, he was a serious, committed human male, a hunter, trained by his father to know a monster/creature/abnormal being when he saw it, and know what to accept of it and what not, leading him to become a somewhat firm hunter and investigator. That ended when he found himself in the United Coven. After such time, he was angry, thirsty, and wild, being a feral being as he was. He knew how to handle a being like himself, but not how to be one. There was a time of chaos, but eventually, he found his control. Now, he is very much an intense, analytical Feral Vampire, only takes the blood of the willing and consenting, or the blood of those too damned to have any right. He was at a time ashamed of his more monster like state, but has sense come to have some level of peace with it and is known to be very intimidating and animalistic when on Hunts, but patient, quiet, and kind to those who deserve it.

Personality: Before his change, he was a bit secluded and inwardly curious with a big imagination--a bit of a story teller and artist, which bred a desire to see good in the world despite his family only searching for the bad. But years progressed and his role in life shifted. Seriousness and duty drove him, and drove him too far. He wanted to do right by his late father, and was a champion for the truth and balance amongst the dark. After his change, there was a secluded selfish streak as he tried to make sense of his new life, and had to let go of most of his self disgust and rage at his fate. Now, he thrives as a hand of justice, silent and secluded as he can tend to be, and an unconventional caretaker of the lost and misunderstood. 

History: He was troubled but committed. His family had made great strides in their work as Investigative Hunters, but they’d also lost quite a lot as well. For some time, he did not wish to follow his fathers work. But his father fell to an unknown Monster, and it left Vincent to carry on the legacy or leave their line disgraced and the world without a Valentine to make right the horrors of the truly damned. So he took up the mantle and the gun mad especially for him by his father, Cerberus, and began where his father left off. He found that his father was perhaps too old school and harsh on the subjects he would hunt, and made sure to study every facet of the situation before dealing out punishment--half of his targets would be left spared with warning and offer of support as well as absolute end were they ever to betray his trust and expectations, and the other half he exterminated without hesitation when it was made clear they were irredeemable. His hunt eventually led him to the Union Coven, very questionable and so secluded that he couldn’t get information on them without finding himself within the coven that turned out to be more of a cult. In the beginning he was welcomed, and treated as an ally, but he got too comfortable, and was taken advantage of. The Coven leader, Hojo, and his mate, Lucrecia, took him in, still trying to win his favor despite trapping him, and told him nonsense about a great and powerful breed of vampire, and how they sought to birth it into the world. He was against it, and the more he struggled, the more they restricted him, until he was locked away in a dungeon, slowly being drained. When he was near death, he found himself bitten by both mates, and his transition process was put on hold until they could get everything they needed to use him as an experimental trial for the Feral Vampire--something they had thus far failed with. It took a great deal of splicing, blood, and magical artifacts, but finally...they succeeded. Amidst it all, Hojo made it clear he was without a heart or care, he simply wanted to create monstrous wonders. And Lucrecia...was a mystery. One moment she was gleefully at her mates side, toying and testing, and the next she begged Vincent’s forgiveness and tended to him in a very doting fashion. A breed of conflicted, toxic love was coaxed within Vincent, and he was never sure if it was true, or just a part of their experiments. He hated and loved her, and wanted to be free, taking her with him. But it was not to be. In time, his power developed and grew, showing he was a success...and he took advantage of their success. Lucrecia was missing the day he broke free, and Hojo escaped. All beasts, loyal or mindless, within the coven, were wiped out by Vincent. He spent time hunting Hojo to destroy him, Lucrecia to demand answers, and then time struggling to come to terms with what he had become and the hunger within him. A great deal of guilt and suffeirng came, before he found his way again. In time, he sought to make right again the imbalance, but with a broader view than he had before. Now, he fought for the innocent humane beings, as well as the misunderstood creatures, and fought against the beasts without a shred of goodness or heart. In time it turned into a habit, to collect the misunderstood that were on their own, usually Vampires but sometimes other, and so his Coven began. It is a community of true, proper, balanced and caring unity and many of this within his coven follow in his footsteps to help better the world.

Powers/Abilities:

Normal Vampire abilities like increased strength, speed, durability, immortality, and very heightened senses.

Some level of the traditional shapeshifting, but sometimes tied into his Feral abilities.

Influence over susceptible/weaker predators (due to an Alpha-like nature to his Feral side), as well as predator-like deformities he could summon (claws, a tail, horns, glowing eyes). 

Blood influence over weaker vampires to where they could be glamoured like humans, along with his natural influence on what few Vampires he would ever create, if any. 

A small level of telekinesis, and telepathy with those he chooses to share a blood connection with, or is forced to connect with due to other reasons.

Shroud flight.

Presence/Authority amongst lower demons.

Some minor demonic magic.

Possible unexplored link to a demon.

[crimson-snowfall]

Jealous hc for Comte, Leo and Theo please! Really appreciate your writing!

Sorry for the wait, and thanks for your kind message! Here ya go~

Ikevamp HC request: Jealous Theo, Comte, and Leo

Theo

Theo is particularly vocal when it comes to Arthur playing around with you. Even though he knows Arthur does it on purpose just to piss him off, he just can’t let the flirt do as he pleases with you, so he makes sure to give Arthur a piece of his mind every now and then.

Theo doesn’t really get jealous nor wary about you interacting with the rest of the mansion’s residents, because he’s plenty confident about his ability to keep his hondje satisfied.

The only time he ever feels jealous is during those occasional instances when you would end up spending a lot of time with Vincent for days at a time, and Theo hates himself for it.

He has always admired his brother, and Theo has spent all of his life believing that Vincent is better than him, and in a good way. He thinks of his dear brother as the best person in the world, so it made him sick inside as soon as he realized that emotions of jealousy have ‘tainted’ his love for his brother.

He is deeply confused as well, because sometimes he’s not sure whom is he truly jealous about. Perhaps he’s jealous both ways?

As soon as Vincent realized how Theo feels, he promptly apologized to him. Theo visibly paled upon hearing Vincent apologize to him, panic quickly taking over him.

“What are you taking about, b-broer? You did nothing wrong, you know you can never do wro–”

“Calm down, Theo. Look… I’m just really happy that you finally found yourself a woman to love in this life. That’s why I wanted to get to know her better, and love her the same way as I do love you, Theo. Because soon enough, she’s going to be my sister-in-law, right?”

Vincent had that kind smile on his face as he said all those things to Theo, and it’s enough to make the strength in Theo’s knees leave. He pulled his brother in a tight embrace, insisting that he should be the one apologizing for even feeling that way.

It’s not often that Theo shows his weak side towards him, so Vincent had been more than willing to comfort him and dispel his worries.

After that, Theo’s subtle jealous episodes became far less often. However, when you finally realized it and confronted him about it, you could’ve sworn he got incredibly flustered for a moment.

“Huh? What are you talking about hondje? Why would I be jealous? This is my brother we’re talking about here, do you really want to get punished?”

Unfortunately, he didn’t sound nearly as convincing as he had hoped to be, and while you would’ve taken this golden opportunity to tease him, you decided against it. Theo can play really dirty if you tease him so much, and you’re not yet really ready for another night of him just teasing you until you’re nearly in tears. Instead, you spent the next few days spoiling him with sweets and fluffier servings of pancakes.

Comte

At first, you thought that Comte just really loved to spoil you. But after a while and as you get to know him better, you eventually noticed a pattern to these shopping sprees and fancy restaurant dates he often takes you to.

While the fact that he indulges spoiling you remains true, you realized that he does this mainly so he can have a valid reason to keep you all to himself, at least for the day.

Lately, he’s been starting to spoil you way too often, almost every other day. While you do enjoy the time you spend with him, your closet is starting to get crammed with all the clothes and accessories he gets for you. You’re also conscious that you may be starting to put on some weight as well.

Unsure of what to do, you approach Leonardo. Comte is good friends with him, so you thought that Leo of all people would know how to deal with your lover’s behavior.

You came to him in the library and much to your surprise, the pureblood is actually awake and not passed out on the floor like always. You told him about your troubles.

“Have you talked to him about it, cara mia?” A soft smile graced his features as he regarded you with concern.

“No. The thing is… I don’t even know where to start.”

“Well, this is actually the first time I’ve–” Leo stopped mid-sentence, his expression as though he had sensed something coming. His soft smile turned into a mischievous one as he stood from where he was seated and approached you.

“No, I think I have an idea.” With those words, he closed the distance between the two of you, pinning you against the nearest bookshelf. He tilted your head up, your eyes meeting his that were dancing with mild mischief. Leo leaned dangerously close, and it really looked like he was going to kiss you when—

“Leonardo Da Vinci.” A heavy voice came from the entrance, and there stood Comte, golden eyes on fire. Leo was shaking– surely not out of fear, instead he looked like he’s trying to hold back his laughter.

In mere seconds, Comte has you in a protective embrace whilst his vicious glare remained on his friend. The other pureblood shrugged it off.

“There you have it, cara mia. Now’s your chance. Go and tell him. There’s no way he could deny it anymore.” Leo walked out of the library as if he had done nothing wrong, and the sigh that escaped Comte’s lips nearly echoed in the room.

“What was that all about, ma chérie?” He turned you around so that you’re facing him, the rage in his eyes replaced with mild sadness.

You ended up telling him everything, how you loved spending time with him, but how deep down you wished he didn’t have to resort to spoiling you that much all the time.

“I appreciate everything, Comte. But, you don’t really have to go that far every time, I… I already have so much of everything. If you’re jealous, we could just always spend more time together– just simply the two of us, together. It doesn’t have to be always extravagant.”

“I’m sorry ma chérie. I just couldn’t help myself whenever I’m with you. I want to give you everything.” Comte placed a tender kiss on your forehead.

He continues about taking up on your offer about spending time together without being too extravagant. He suggests taking you off from your household duties for the next few days, and the tender look in his eyes made it impossible for you to refuse.

“I can’t guarantee that I won’t end up spoiling you… in my own other ways though, ma chérie. I hope you’re prepared for that.”

Leonardo

Leo’s room has always been messy, but lately it’s just a disaster. For the past two days, Sebastian has been taking care of most of the other household duties while he left you in charge of your lover’s room.

On that particular day, the butler told you that your sole task is to attend to Leo’s room, and after that you can take the rest of the day off as some sort of compensation.

You came to his room, already dreading the mess that’s about to unfold before your eyes as soon as you open the door.

“Leo, how do you even manage to get your room this dirty? I just cleaned up yesterday!” You made no effort to hide your frustration as you began cleaning his room. Surprisingly enough though, this time, he helped you out.

Soon enough with his help, the room looked far more decent and actually habitable. “See? It’s much better now. You’re actually good at this, Leo. If only you would do it more often, then–”

You were cut off when strong arms pulled you into a tight embrace. “It’s been three days and you still don’t get it, do you, cara mia?” Leo planted a soft kiss on your neck before falling back into his bed and turning you around so that you’re on top of him.

He wore a somewhat lonely expression as he played with your hair. He took a deep sigh, the signature scent of cigarillos wafting on the air. “Lately… I found myself feeling rather jealous.”

“Jealous of what? And what does that have to do with any of this?”

“You’ve been doing nothing but housework lately, cara mia. You attend to everyone, and sometimes I just want to keep you to myself. That’s when I thought, what if I made it so that all the housework you’ll ever do is in my room? Then maybe I’ll get to spend more time with you.”

You looked at him in absolute disbelief. “Leo, I can’t believe you…”

“You don’t have to, cara mia. But today I helped you because… I want you to do something other than housework.”

Hope you liked it and sorry for any ooc-ness and grammatical error, my mind’s really a mess right now with all the university work piled up on me ;w; I haven’t read Leo’s route yet either so sorry if his is a little bit shorter compared to the others. I need to read more canon facts and be able to read more interactions between these characters so I can write them better in the future, but on the meantime thanks for your understanding! As for the other request (and future reqests that may be made), I’ll get to you on the 1st week of February~

[nekojitachan]

it’s been a long week but at least I got this done. And now I have to get chapter fics done. Really. But the first part of the angsty Raven!Andrew soulmate not fic is done. Not that I’m already thinking of the second part. And hey! It’s a fic that’s under 40k...

Last part can be found here

Mentions of violence (being beaten) but not explicit, but I think that’s it? Oh, references to Ichirou’s past.

*******

Waking up in pain wasn’t unusual for Andrew, not after all the years in the foster system then his time spent in juvie. He’d gotten so used to it that it had been unexpected, living with Nicky and Aaron, when he woke up most days without the sensation of pain somewhere in his body, only to be replaced with the strain from overworked muscles once he joined the Ravens (oh, and a sadistic bastard who had a thing for caning his players).

But this? The stinging throb from punches and kicks? Definitely familiar. What wasn’t? The large room with black leather couches, large, flat-screen televisions on the wall, a fancy-looking bar, and expensive artwork scattered around the place, not to mention an expanse of windows on the one side. Andrew rubbed his bound hands through the plush red carpet he lay upon and suspected that he was in the East Tower where Nathaniel spent so much time.

He’d just started to push himself into a sitting position when he heard the sound of muffled footsteps. “Looks like the runt is awake,” a deep voice called out. “Just like Junior, he bounces back fast.��

Before Andrew could turn around, he found himself jerked upright by the back of his jersey by Nathan Wesninski of all people; the bastard was dressed in black slacks and a light grey dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He barely had time to take that in before he was punched in the stomach, right where his padding was the thinnest, with enough force to make him gasp in pain, and then again in the face. As he struggled to shove the bastard away, to do something, Wesninski laughed and slammed him against the wall. “And just like Junior, you don’t know when to behave and take your punishment, you little-“

“That’s enough.”

The firmly spoken command was enough to stop Wesninski in mid-punch; the bastard grunted as he let go of Andrew’s throat and stepped away. “I was told to teach him a lesson.”

“I believe you’ve done that,” a young Asian man, dressed in a tailored black suit, told Wesninski as he stepped forward; he looked to be in his early twenties, if that, with a lean build and black hair combed back from a face which was oddly familiar.

Andrew suspected that he’d finally met Ichirou Moriyama.

“Tetsuji said-“

“And I just told you that’s enough.” Despite Ichirou not raising his voice, something in his dark gold eyes made Wesninski stiffen and bow his head. “I’ll deal with Minyard, you can leave and inform my uncle that the matter is resolved on your way out.” When Wesninski moved forward, Ichirou spoke again. “And Nathan? I’ll also deal with Nathaniel.”

Something unpleasant flashed across Wesninski’s face at the mention of his son. “It’s best if I handle my-“

Ichirou cut off the man known as ‘the Butcher’ once again as he walked over to the bar. “He’s not your anything anymore, not after you sold him to my family. You have your orders.” He looked up from pouring a drink to give Wesninski a cold look, as if daring the man to make him say anything else.

He might be a sadistic, abusive bastard, but Wesninski apparently could get the hint; he bowed his head in a curt manner then stalked out of the room.

Andrew slumped against the wall and watched him go, then focused his attention on the unknown Moriyama; well, that was partially untrue. He knew that the young man was Riko’s older brother yet had nothing to do with the asshole, and that for some reason, he tended to look out for Nathaniel.

That he appeared to be here to ‘deal’ with Andrew.

“What, no drink for me?” he drawled as he raised his bound hands to dab at his bleeding lip.

Ichirou regarded him with cool appraisal while he sipped his drink, appearing in no hurry to answer. Once the glass was empty, he set it down on the bar and refilled it. “Nat tells me that you’re intelligent, almost frighteningly so, and never forget a thing. He also says you’re very stubborn, which isn’t a surprise if you’re his soulmate.”

Andrew merely grunted in response to those facts.

“I know that you’re rather talented at Exy, considering your stats, and that you’ve been protecting Nat.” Ichirou paused to sip his drink while Andrew gazed at him with a blank expression. “And that Nat has feelings for you, because he’s never tried to sneak anything out of here before, yet he’s suddenly discovered a new appreciation for sweets, something he’s always hated before.”

“That’s quite a guess, isn’t it? Maybe he took them for Moreau,” Andrew suggested as he stared at the zip tie around his wrists as if he could will it to melt away.

Ichirou huffed as if amused and swirled the golden alcohol around in the cut crystal glass. “I’ve known Nat for years, and the only time he requests anything for his partner is when we had marzipan treats. No, this was for you, his soulmate, the man who required seven people to pry him away from Nat.”

It would have taken more than that if that prick, Riko, hadn’t smashed a racquet down on his head; only his helmet saved him from a serious injury. “I do it for all the boys who bring me cupcakes.”

“I’m sure.” The right corner of Ichirou’s mouth twitched upward as he reached into an inner pocket of his suit’s coat and pulled out a knife.

“Gonna start on that whole ‘deal with me’ thing?” Andrew asked as he eyed the weapon with care; Ichirou had a few inches on him, but he thought he could take the Japanese man even with his hands bound – at least knock him aside and get a good head’s start.

“Hmm, something like that. Hold out your hands and remain still,” Ichirou ordered as he came to a halt just out of reach. He gave Andrew a bored look while he flipped the knife in his right hand. “Unless you don’t want to have that drink and talk about something that will benefit Nat in the end.”

That… was that a trick? Andrew frowned at the Moriyama for a moment before he decided he could always beat him up if it was and held out his hands. He tensed as Ichirou slashed with the knife, but only to sever the plastic tie holding his hands bound. “What about Nat?” he asked as he rubbed his sore wrists once they were free.

“He told me that you found out about his father selling him to my family, and about what we really do,” Ichirou said as he returned to the bar and poured another glass of what turned out to be a very nice whiskey. “Don’t be upset with him, as he knows better than to lie to me.”

Andrew’s eyes narrowed at that ‘knows better’ part; he forced himself to have another sip of whiskey rather than throw it in the asshole’s impassive face. “Yes, I know.” Between Jean and his truth game with Nathaniel, he finally did know why Riko thought he could do whatever the hell he wanted, consequences be damned.

“Yes, so you understand that my father is a very powerful man, one who doesn’t tolerate weakness, and he’s raised me to be the same way,” Ichirou explained as he removed his coat, which revealed a pistol in a shoulder holster, then he began to undo the cuff of his left sleeve once the coat was draped over the back of the nearest couch.

The whiskey helped a little with the pain, so Andrew poured himself another glass. “I know you’ve a pet serial killer in your pocket, and your dad disowned your little brother for some reason, which has given the psycho some serious daddy issues. Is there a point to this?”

Ichirou’s lips twitched again. “Very much so, especially in regard to Riko.” His expression turned flat when he mentioned his brother. “As I said, we’re allowed no weakness.” He turned his left forearm to Andrew, which exposed his soulmate mark.

What was left of it, that was.

Cold washed down Andrew’s spine when he realized that the shadow-like flower petals which surrounded the sword indicated that Ichirou’s soulmate was dead, and he instinctively reached for his own mark as if to confirm that it was unmarred (that Nathaniel was still alive). Ichirou noticed the movement and nodded once before he reached for his neglected drink.

“There is to be only one Moriyama heir at a time, to avoid splitting the clan apart with rivalries. My mother, my father’s soulmate, knew that, yet….” He paused for a long swallow of whiskey then refilled the glass once it was set down. “Perhaps she felt certain the child would be a girl, or that my father wouldn’t care if it was a boy since he allowed her to bear the child. Regardless, that child was Riko, and my father chose to punish her for risking the clan’s succession.”

Andrew suspected that the woman hadn’t had her credit cards cut up or something like that, not when Ichirou had another gulp of whiskey.

“It wasn’t enough that Riko took my mother away from me, but my father confirmed at his birth that he was a boy and noticed that he had no soulmate mark. He decided that was the one way that his unwanted child was better than me and resolved to spare me his own weakness.” He held up his exposed left arm and gazed at it without emotion. “When I found my soulmate, he immediately had her killed.”

Well, this was such a fascinating story, all full of fun trauma and everything, but Andrew had a living soulmate he needed to check on (and keep out of trouble). “Can we skip to the point of this? I assume there’s a reason you’re monologuing.”

Ichirou’s eyes narrowed as he rolled down his sleeve. “Riko should never have been born, yet here he is, a thorn in my father’s side. Soon he’ll be a thorn in my side, and that I won’t allow.” The young mobster’s voice grew harsh as he tugged on his suit coat. “Unlike my father, I pay attention to what happens here, I know that Tetsuji has created a monster who is one major scandal from bringing unwanted attention our way.”

“You listen to Nathaniel,” Andrew surmised as he debated one more drink but decided against it.

“Nat,” Ichirou acknowledged with a slight bob of his head, “and I’ve placed a few of my men within the Nest in the past year. There has been an increasing amount of Ravens who’ve washed out before graduation in the last couple years due to the ‘stress’ of the program, and now Kevin Day. It’s only going to get worse by the time Riko himself graduates.”

Here came the sales pitch, Andrew thought as he pulled away from the bar. “What do you expect me to do?” Someone like Ichirou didn’t save him from a beating and ply him with expensive alcohol for nothing.

The smile that had threatened to form on Ichirou’s lips finally was allowed free, though it was a slight, cold thing. “Riko has taken much from me, so in return I want him to lose everything.” He turned around to face the expanse of windows which overlooked Castle Evermore. “Everything he holds dear, I want him to see it slip from his grasp right before the life he never should have had ends.”

Andrew thought about that for a moment while he felt out the large bump on his head. “You want me to take down Riko.” Ichirou gave a curt nod. “And the Ravens?”

“The team will need new management to undo the damage Riko and Tetsuji has done to it and allow it to be useful once more.”

Okay. “That sounds like you want me to take down Tetsuji as well.” Not that he was complaining, especially after all the canings. Especially after all the canings to Nathaniel.

Ichirou looked over his shoulder, his expression impassive once more. “It needs to be done in a manner that the main branch can control, to ensure that our people are in place to pick up the pieces once those two are removed.”

Andrew clicked his tongue as he picked up the crystal decanter filled with whiskey. “You’re not asking for much, are you?” When Ichirou remained quiet, he clicked his tongue again. “What do I get out of all this?” A million bucks would be nice.

Ichirou resumed gazing upon the Exy court below. “Other than currently not being beaten half-dead by the Butcher? There is the matter of your soulmate.”

Mention of Nathaniel made Andrew stiffen, ready to throw the decanter at the first threat uttered against him. “What about Nat?” he asked, voice harsh with warning.

“He will always belong to the Moriyamas, he’s too useful and already knows too many things,” Ichirou said, his back still turned to Andrew as if unconcerned about being attacked. “But as with all things of value, he should be treated with care, not abused and locked away. Agree to this, and he’ll formally belong to the main branch. Once you’ve completed the task? Well, we can discuss allowing Nat a bit more freedom.” He turned around to give Andrew a stern look. “Within reason. He’ll always have obligations to honor.”

Andrew would deal with those ‘obligations’ one day, the main thing was protecting Nathaniel. If it also meant getting him away from the Nest by fucking up Riko? Not a problem, not a problem at all. “Can I rely on your people for assistance?” he asked, mind already busy thinking up possibilities; his biggest challenge was being restricted to the Nest most of the time.

“Of course, Nat can assist you with that.” Ichirou cocked his head to the side as he regarded Andrew. “I assume we are in agreement?”

“Make sure the assholes leave Nat alone and yes, we’re in agreement.” Andrew would be all in to kill Riko regardless, but anything that benefited Nathaniel on top was added incentive.

“Wonderful.”

Not really, that would be Andrew wiping out all the Moriyamas and the Butcher as well then riding off into the distance in a nice new Ferrari with Nathaniel beside him, but it was a start. He hummed as he walked away with the whiskey, done with the conversation (and Moriyamas) for the time being; he heard Ichirou huff behind him then speak Japanese a moment later, and found a guard waiting out in the hallway who ‘escorted’ him back to the Nest.

Ichirou might be a Moriyama bastard, but at least he knew when to pick his battles.

The halls of the Nest were unusually quiet and empty; Andrew suspected that everyone had gone to ground after their ‘king’ having a wee bit of disassociation from sanity earlier. He made his way to Nathaniel’s room and didn’t bother to knock before entering.

He found his soulmate huddled on his bed, right cheek bruised and expression startled, with Jean nowhere to be found. “Where’s Valjean?” Andrew asked as he sat down on the other end of the bed.

“Uhm, off with Toby and Leif.” Nathaniel gave him a worried look as he slowly unfurled. “Are you all right? Did Tetsuji do anything to you?”

“Just peachy.” Andrew set the bottle on the floor as he turned toward Nathaniel, sore body protesting from the movement. “Why are you alone?”

Nathaniel frowned as he reached for Andrew’s face but stopped just short of touching him. “Because Tetsuji said he called my father. I didn’t want Jean here when he comes.” He glanced at the door and shook his head. “You should go.”

Aw, was someone trying to protect him from the big, bad Butcher? “I already had the displeasure of meeting the walking sperm-bank who fathered you,” Andrew said as he got up to fetch a change of clothes, tired of wearing his uniform; he figured one of Jean’s shirts and a pair of Nathaniel’s loose cotton pants should fit. Somewhat fit.

“Wait, you did? Are you really okay?” Nathaniel asked in a rush as he got up, too (and fetched the pants once he figured out what Andrew was looking for). “Is he still here?”

“Ichirou sent him on his way and told him to leave you alone.” Andrew took the clothes and went into the bathroom to change, but left the door open a crack so they could continue to talk. He’d ache for the next couple days, but it felt good to get his gear off at last.

“Ichirou’s here, too? Great.” It sounded as if Nathaniel slumped against the wall. “Is he angry? I mean, not that he yells or anything when he’s mad, but you can tell because of how he goes all tense and fake smiley.”

Good to know. “Not with you.” If anything, Ichirou thought a little too well of ‘Nat’, especially since he didn’t have a soulmate of his own anymore, but one thing at a time.

“Oh.” Andrew stepped back into the room to find Nathaniel nibbling on his bottom lip as he dwelled on something. “Why did he talk to you, then?”

“Because he wants me to do something for him.” There was no reason to keep it a secret, not when he’d need Nathaniel’s help (and probably Jean’s as well).

And maybe a certain stubborn idiot would back down to throwing himself into trouble if he knew that there was an endgame in sight.

(Who was he kidding?)

“And what is that?” Nathaniel reached out to tug on the overlarge t-shirt Andrew wore and pull him closer, seemingly unafraid of his presence. “What does he want?”

Andrew leaned his forearms against the wall, which penned his soulmate in; Nathaniel gazed at him without fear but a growing amount of impatience. “It seems that he doesn’t care for his baby brother and wants me to take him down,” he murmured after he leaned in, his mouth close to Nathaniel’s right ear.

“You… Ichirou’s finally going to do something about Riko?” Nathaniel stared at him in disbelief. “And he wants you to help?”

Andrew clicked his tongue as he fought not to slide his fingers into his soulmate’s tousled hair. “He wants me to do all the fucking work, and he wants the psycho gone before he causes too many problems.” He’d keep quiet on the whole family drama for now, especially since Nathaniel had his own share of it.

“Oh.” Nathaniel nibbled on his bottom lip again, while Andrew struggled not to shiver in response, to lean in and suck on it to soothe the savaged flesh. “You… you don’t have to do it alone, you know. I’ll help.”

Of course he would. “I agreed to do the deal.”

“And I owe Riko for years of- I owe him,” Nathaniel argued, his voice hoarse and eyes alight with anger.

“Fine,” Andrew relented after a few seconds. “But you listen to me and don’t do anything on your own.” Nathaniel nodded and, after a moment, once more reached for his abused mouth, his fingers a scant distance away as he traced along his split lower lip.

“Are you really okay? I know… I know how my father can be.”

That was quite the understatement. “I’m fine,” Andrew insisted as he gave in and slid the fingers of his right hand into Nathaniel’s mussed curls. “What about you?”

The idiot shrugged and didn’t look away. “Tetsuji hit me a couple times but he was too busy dealing with Riko and willing to leave me to my father.” When his hand lingered near Andrew’s shoulder, Andrew caught it and rested it along the side of his neck; that time he shivered to feel his soulmate touch him.

“There and along my shoulder,” he said, his voice husky for some reason. “Yes or no?” he asked, unable to hold back when his soulmate looked at him like that, when he showed such concern, when he allowed him so close without fear. Unable to explain exactly what he meant.

Nathaniel blinked at the question, his pupils blown and reaction slow, and just when Andrew was about to pull away, used his hold on Andrew’s neck to gently pull him closer. “Yes,” he breathed out as his eyes drifted shut. “Yes.”

Later they would talk, would sit down and figure things out… but right then, all Andrew wanted to do was have Nathaniel’s lithe body against his, to do some of his own nibbling on that full bottom lip, to feel a heartbeat that pulsed in time with his own between his lips as he sucked on his soulmate’s neck…

His soulmate.

Nathaniel was addictive and almost docile in his arms, was mindful of his hands while he arched into Andrew’s touch like a cat which craved attention. He was… he was perfect, and only the aches from being hit earlier convinced Andrew that he was real.

He wanted so much more than kisses and lingering touches, but there was Nathaniel choking back on a ‘please’, was him smoothing his thumb over the ‘3’ on a flushed cheekbone. He wanted, and it seemed that his soulmate wanted, too (was it truly real?), yet he pulled away before he did something to ruin the one truly good thing that Fate had seemed to grant him in his life.

(Which he would burn the world to ash to keep safe.)

“Ohhh… wait, no,” Nathaniel breathed out as he grabbed the hem of Andrew’s borrowed shirt. “Why? Did I-“

Andrew flicked at a loose curl that fell onto his soulmate’s face. “That’s enough for now, sweetpea. Don’t want to overwhelm you with my sexiness.”

As expected, Nathaniel went from aroused to annoyed in less than two seconds. “Overwhelm me with your arrogance? Too late, hasenfürzchen.” When Andrew went to complain about his nickname, Nathaniel pushed forward and dragged him toward the bed – unfortunately, just to talk. “Now let’s figure out what to do while Jean’s not here.”

True, they’d have more time to talk about things between them on Friday, they might as well focus on getting rid of Riko as soon as possible. Part of Andrew chided him for being a fool in thinking that Nathaniel was such a ‘sure thing’, but each time his soulmate smiled at him and agreed to something long-term….

Nathaniel did the impossible and made him believe.

(Nathaniel also agreed to hide the rest of the whiskey so he didn’t have to share it with Ben, which meant he had something else to look forward to on Friday.)

He forced himself to leave eventually, aware that Jean was worried about his partner and intent on doing something before the Ravens met up for dinner. Nathaniel’s burner phone in hand (oh yes, Ichirou needed to learn some boundaries in regard to others’ soulmates very soon), he went out on court for some necessary privacy and called one of the two numbers on it (the other was going to be deleted very soon).

A familiar voice answered, sounding a bit confused. “Nat? It’s not Sunday, is everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine, but it’s not Nat,” Andrew told Kevin Day in French. “He did lend me this phone, though, if you hadn’t guessed.”

It was quiet on the end for several seconds. “Nat’s all right, yes? I mean, you’re his soulmate so-“

“Yes, he’s fine.” Andrew felt a bit insulted by the question. “Shut up with the stupid questions, I don’t have much time.”

“I- okay, what’s going on?”

Slightly better. “This is where you answer my questions and then listen as I tell you what’s going to happen if you want to remain free of the Moriyamas,” Andrew told him. “As well as pay back the friends who got you out of this hellhole.” Perhaps he was taking Ichirou a bit too literally with the whole ‘allow Nat more freedom’, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

(He’d kill the crime lord when he came to it, if necessary.)

All that mattered was that Kevin Day listened and obeyed, and played his part in Riko’s downfall.

(He wondered what it would take to get Nathaniel to go with him to Eden’s.)

*******

IDFK why it removes some of my italics. IDFK.

There you go, Ichirou dealing with Andrew instead of Neil/Nathaniel. I imagine it’s a lot of blank faces all around.

It hasn’t been a good migraine week and busy w/ work, so hopefully this isn’t too much gibberish.

Thanks so much, those of you who’ve stuck with this not-fic.

[chiseler]

Ginger Rogers: Curse of the Working Class

A natural-born mimic, ham, tease, hard worker, stoic follower and out-of-reach babe, Ginger Rogers has proven one of the most difficult to define of all the 1930s Hollywood stars. At her best she was a synonym for fun and high spirits while also conveying a dignified and skeptical kind of resistance to other people, and these contradictory impulses made her one of the most special and ambiguous performers of her time. Rogers excelled in her first seven musicals with Fred Astaire and in several of her comedy vehicles and even in some of the programmers she churned out in the early 1930s. She was beloved, and rightly so.

In Stage Door (1937), Rogers gives one of the most distinctive, most suggestive, and most perfectly judged performances of the period, molding every one of her bone-dry, wisecracking line readings (and what lines she has in that movie!) into something pleasurable, something unexpected, even something profound, delivering them all with her guarded, in-transit sort of face.

I’ve seen Stage Door probably more times than I’ve seen any other movie, but I always notice something new in it, some new line, some new angle. As a kid, I didn���t really understand the source of Rogers’s misgivings here, which is the same source that animates her outrageously and inventively bitchy yet somehow tender and worldly fights with Linda (Gail Patrick), her high-falutin’ former roommate. Linda is the mistress of Anthony Powell (Adolphe Menjou), a powerful Broadway producer. When Powell sees Rogers’s Jean Maitland rehearsing a dance routine, his little weasel eyes light up with lust. He thinks she’s just playing hard to get when she makes her habitual mordant jokes at him, but she is really just trying to delay the inevitable. She wants no part of sleeping with a man for his money not because she thinks it’s morally wrong, per se, but because she’s basically too tired-out to go through those motions.

Jean is so disenchanted that the disenchantment seems to be leading her to some kind of drastic change. She talks herself into going out with Powell but gets out of sleeping with him by getting, or pretending to get, disruptively yet vaguely drunk. Jean gets drunk the way she does everything else, at some very unusual kind of steady and wary behavioral half-mast. She cracks wise as a matter of course, but she sleeps with a doll and she plays a ukulele. These cute details don’t seem to fit her character, but they do express the divided character of the woman who was playing her.

Jean stumbles home from Powell’s penthouse to her new roommate Terry (Katharine Hepburn), a rich girl with airily la-di-da attitudes about life and the theater. Hepburn had not endeared herself to Rogers with her much-repeated remark about Rogers’s partnership with Astaire: “He gives her class and she gives him sex.” The competitive rivalry between Hepburn’s upper-class pretension and Rogers’s low-burning common sense is the heart of their conflict in Stage Door, and this conflict and mutual dislike reads as pure chemistry on screen, just as it did for Rogers with Astaire.

There is such chemistry between Jean and Terry that Stage Door has always been a kind of closeted lesbian classic just waiting to burst into full-on Sapphic love. Terry has no love interest and shows zero interest in acquiring one, while Jean looks more than ready to give up on poor, unreliable young men and rich, sexually demanding older men like Powell. Jean and Terry, in fact, are perfect for each other and wind up with each other, and in the last scene Rogers reaches a kind of epiphany as she reacts to their friend Judy (Lucille Ball) leaving New York to get married. “At least she’ll have a couple of kids to keep her company in her old age, and what’ll we have?” she asks. “Some broken-down memories and an old scrapbook that nobody’ll look at.”

I first saw Stage Door when I was eight years old. Now that I’m well into adulthood, these last few lines that Rogers tosses off with such face-the-facts casualness have the force of revelation, as if she has finally washed up on the shores of some final philosophy. They predict the real lives of both Hepburn and Rogers (though some people still do want to leaf through those particular scrapbooks) and Terry and Jean, and everybody else for whom the easy way and the conventional way of living will never fit or will never be acceptable.

Rogers was capable of that tough-minded and frank and bleak attitude on screen, but in life and in general she was actually, and alarmingly, one of the most clueless of stars, never quite knowing what it was that people liked about her. Starting as early 1938, the year she made Vivacious Lady and Carefree, something peculiar started to happen to Rogers. After years of the most unlikely and enormous success in her Astaire films, where she was up to any dance challenge he gave her and where her timing in both musical and comic and dramatic scenes was magically sharp, her timing started to go horribly awry. Rogers began to be afflicted by self-consciousness, miscalculation, cutesiness, self-infatuated archness and flashes of deep-rooted mean-mindedness. She slipped back into her best controlled star mode in several films after that year, but she started to deteriorate more and more by the mid-1940s, almost as if someone had put a curse on her.

Rogers was born Virginia McMath in Independence, Missouri in 1911. Her formidable mother Lela Rogers was a writer for silent films and a journalist, and she was seemingly joined at the hip to her daughter. It was Rogers who wanted a career as an actress, and Lela resisted this at first, but when Ginger won a Charleston contest Mama Lela knew which way the wind was blowing. She poured all of her own considerable energy and ambition into making Ginger a star and keeping her one (that first name supposedly came about because a cousin couldn’t pronounce the name Virginia).

At the height of her stardom, when Rogers was sent the script of The Hard Way (1943), she wonderingly said, “This is the story of my life,” and turned it down. In that movie, Ida Lupino works like a demon to get her malleable kid sister (Joan Leslie) into show business, and the comparison is not flattering to Lela, who made a fool of herself testifying before HUAC as an expert on Communist infiltration of Hollywood, citing particularly the time when Rogers had to say Dalton Trumbo’s line, “Share and share alike, that’s democracy” in Tender Comrade (1943). Lela herself actually turns up playing Ginger’s mother in Billy Wilder’s The Major and the Minor (1942), and she’s a rather low-key presence, but she talks and moves like a woman who has power and feels no need to make any outward show of it.

In that Wilder movie, Rogers spends most of her time pretending to be a twelve-year old, and this uneasy reversion to little-girlhood was one of her most troubling fallback modes. She had made her first successes on stage with “baby talk monologues” written by Lela, and her early style, as seen in films like Young Man of Manhattan (1930) and Honor Among Lovers (1931), was very much a hold-over from the 1920s, a Betty Boop baby vamp persona that was more suited to cameo roles than to leads (Claudette Colbert, the star of Young Man of Manhattan, gently mocks these baby affectations after meeting Rogers’s character).

She churned out lots of low-budget programmers in 1932, and in 1933 she made ten films. In two of those, 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933, Rogers nearly steals the show in fairly small parts. As Anytime Annie, a notoriously obliging chorus girl in 42nd Street, Rogers is first seen wearing a monocle and affecting a grand manner accent, and this was the first sign of her aptitude for two-faced disguise. As Manuel Puig once said of Ann-Margret, Rogers is anything but reassuring.

She’s close to surreal in her gold-coin outfit singing “We’re in the Money” with pig Latin verse in Gold Diggers of 1933, looking directly into the camera and not flinching as it travels all the way up to her face. Rogers gobbled up attention like that, and she had what it took, but she needed something or someone to stabilize her. When she strips down to her slip and stockings and gyrates in Professional Sweetheart (1933), an outraged Norman Foster spanks and then punches her, the first in an increasingly ominous series of punishments that would shadow her later career.

In the very horny Pre-Code musical Flying Down to Rio (1933), her first film with Astaire, Rogers is a hot mama, singing and swaying to “Music Makes Me” in a vagina power dress that even Marilyn Monroe might have rejected as too overt. When they dance “The Carioca,” Astaire starts out holding his head slightly away from Rogers, as if she might be diseased, but by the end their electric chemistry has fully kicked in.

Astaire had spent his youth dancing with his sister Adele and didn’t want to get stuck with another steady partner. Rogers had her eye on dramatic parts, announcing to an incredulous press that she wanted to play Joan of Arc. She was an ambitious and competitive person, and she knew that she was not even close to Astaire’s Olympian league as a dancer. But that’s part of the magic of their series of films, in which Rogers improves as a dancer bit by bit until she is fully capable of following his every step.

Astaire objected that no one would believe Rogers as an English girl in The Gay Divorcee (1934), and surely no one could mistake her for English, but this part gave her the reserve that she intriguingly used and toyed with for her best years as a star. Like most first sexual experiences between two people, their first real romantic dance together in that film, “Night and Day,” is both exciting and a little awkward. In their follow-up Roberta (1935), Rogers looks tense during their slow “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” routine, but she comes wonderfully alive when they casually tap to “Hard to Handle,” their first really great dance together.

She was always at her best in the lively comic numbers, where her wacky energy seems to warm Astaire, but she worked hard at the dramatic routines, so that when they do “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” in Follow the Fleet (1936), Rogers has somehow ascended up to Astaire’s level as a dancer. It must have taken nearly super-human will, but she did it, and audiences saw and felt her progress, and they loved it because it meant that anything was possible if you worked hard enough, even dancing like or with Fred Astaire.

Astaire didn’t like her feather dress for the “Cheek to Cheek” dance in Top Hat (1935), and you can see why he didn’t: it’s a little tacky. Costumer Walter Plunkett said Rogers always wanted to “add a crepe paper orchid or a string of beads or some goddamned feathered thing. She just never could resist little improvements.” But her feather dress in Top Hat does move beautifully when she dances, even if we do see some of the feathers floating away from them, as if she’s molting.

A more characteristic and winning image of her comes in the way she hikes up her skirt in the “Pick Yourself Up” number in Swing Time, which has a deeply charming kind of put-on nonchalance, or in the soldier-like way she executes a series of brutally exacting turns at the end of the “Never Gonna Dance” finale toward the end of that movie (while she shot this scene, her feet started to bleed in her shoes). One of the real pleasures of American moviegoing is watching Rogers as Astaire sings a love song to her: she would listen so intently, with barely any change of expression, but with such sensitive receptivity behind her eyes and in the set of her mouth.

People like to wonder if Astaire and Rogers hated each other. Maybe there were moments when they did, but mainly they just resented being tied together as a team, and those misgivings are part of what give their partnership and their best dances such impact, such crackle. Rogers reported in her autobiography that Astaire had taken her out on dates in New York when they were both working in theater, and at the end of one such date he gave her “a kiss that would never have passed the Hays Office Code!” But when they worked together in films, Astaire was married to a woman he adored, and he was a distant taskmaster in the killer rehearsal sessions for their dance routines. His friends, cultivated when he played on stage in London in the 1920s, were the English gentry. Rogers was not his cup of tea, and he made that known to her in subtle ways. She said either, and he said eye-ther, and they wanted to call the whole thing off, but no one else ever did.

In the many years after their partnership ended, they were still stuck with each other, and they both still resented that. Rogers would sometimes make friendly overtures to Astaire, and he would politely but firmly put her off, and this led to hurt feelings for her, so much so that she didn’t even go to his American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony. Film scholar Joseph McBride helped to put together that evening, and when I asked him about it, he remembered Astaire saying, “I suppose we’ll have to have Ginger,” in an irritated voice. When she didn’t come to the ceremony, it seemed like sour grapes on her part, but it had been made clear to Rogers that Astaire only wanted the bare minimum to do with her, and so she withdrew. It would do well to remember, of course, just how obnoxious Rogers could be. If you want to feel the full force of that, just look at any number of the films she made from 1944 to 1964 and you’ll see one garishly misplayed, mistimed performance after another, including the last one she did with Astaire, The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), where her dramatic aspirations were mocked and then the mockery was unintentionally confirmed when she did a goggle-eyed recreation of Sarah Bernhardt reciting the Marseillaise.

So what happened to Rogers? Why did she lose all of the qualities that had made her a star right after her stardom was confirmed? Many writers have tried to explain it. Analyzing Astaire and Rogers in The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book (1972), Arlene Croce says, “She’s an American classic, just as he is: common clay that we prize above exotic marble. The difference between them is that he knew it and she didn’t. Rogers always wanted to be something more. Probably no other major star has so severely tried the loyalty of her public by constantly changing her appearance and her style.” In his book Romantic Comedy (1987), James Harvey writes, “Can there be any other major star who was so variable, even from film to film, as she was?”

Harvey blames George Stevens, who directed maybe the finest Astaire/Rogers film, Swing Time (1936). He sees a softening of her character in the straight scenes in Swing Time, but the rot really sets in with Vivacious Lady, a romantic comedy that has all the elements for success but perversely ruins them with its taffy-pull pacing, its willful lack of coordination, its leaning on jags and cutesiness and bizarre sequences like the fight scene between Rogers and a rival that devolves into a series of unmoving tableaus broken only by a coy laugh from Rogers, as if Stevens wanted to turn her into Frank McHugh. In the same year, in Carefree with Astaire, Rogers exhibits such unpleasant sadism when her character is under hypnosis that it feels like a revelation of some inner nastiness that had always been prudently hidden from view.

The damage was reversed in Bachelor Mother (1939), a working girl comedy that has no right to be as charming as it is, where Rogers added a kind of moony dreaminess to her repertoire of personas. She then made two films for Stage Door director Gregory La Cava, 5th Avenue Girl (1939) and Primrose Path (1940). In her second La Cava film, Rogers is so deadpan that it reads as a lack of basic vitality, a first in her career; it’s as if La Cava is unearthing the suicidal or even homicidal side of Jean Maitland. “People annoy me,” she says in that movie, and boy does she mean it. In Stage Door, when Powell tells Jean he wants to put her name in big electric lights, she says, “Gotta be big enough to keep people away.” La Cava is the director who understood Rogers the most, discerning something anti-social and solitary behind her sunny audience-pleasing looks and manner. In Primrose Path, he cast her as a teenager who breaks away from her family before she joins their prostitution racket, and her work in that movie is stark, clean, unsentimental.

Rogers won an Oscar for Kitty Foyle (1940), and many have dated her decline from that point, even if she is modestly touching in what is a modest working girl soap opera. She was close to unbearable in Tom, Dick and Harry (1941), where director Garson Kanin seems to dote on every moment of her self-indulgent performance as a dumb and narcissistic telephone operator who must choose between three suitors. Something about playing dumb here makes Rogers’s style seem laborious and throws her timing all out of whack, yet the following year, in Roxie Hart (1942), she certainly gets her laughs with her broad playing of a very dumb murderess who lives for publicity and likes to do the Black Bottom for reporters. In her segment in Tales of Manhattan (1942), you want to say to her, “OK, you can have all that hair on the top of your head or you can have all that hair fanning over your back, but you can’t have both, Ginger.”

Leo McCarey’s Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942) did her no favors, but most writers agree that the real coup de grâce in her career was Lady in the Dark (1944), a Technicolor movie of the psychoanalytical stage musical that had starred Gertrude Lawrence. Rogers insisted on playing it, and she was at loggerheads with director Mitchell Leisen and Paramount studio chief Buddy DeSylva, who vengefully cut most of the Kurt Weill songs from the film. All in all, the mercifully little-seen Lady in the Dark looks now almost as if it had been made in a spirit of deliberate sabotage. It is has to be the most nastily misogynist of any major studio production of this time, constantly hammering home the idea that Rogers’s Liza Elliott is an unnatural woman unhealthily attached to her work, and her leading man Ray Milland warrants particular scorn here for the gleefulness he brings to the scenes where he humiliates Rogers’s character. In the one extended musical number Rogers has, “The Saga of Jenny,” she doesn’t seem to have been given any choreography or direction and she can barely move in the outfit Leisen designed for her. “After Lady in the Dark there was nothing left of the Rogers character,” wrote Croce. “She died on the analyst’s couch.”

Rogers’s career proceeded only through sheer determination on her part (and on Lela’s part). She floundered in an updated remake of Grand Hotel (1932) called Week-end at the Waldorf (1945), and the next twenty years of her career were a real trial for her fans from the 1930s. Howard Hawks’s Monkey Business (1952) was supposed to be about scientist Cary Grant reverting to childhood when he drinks an elixir of youth, but Rogers insisted that she “wanted to do the kid thing too,” and so she ripped into scene after scene of coarse-grained youthful impersonation, the wise child of her early ‘30s character bearing rotten and poisonously un-watchable fruit.  Cast as a hardened gangster’s moll in Phil Karlson’s Tight Spot (1955), Rogers is so heavy-handed and slow and cutesey with her dialogue that the effect is ghastly. If I were to make a simple diagnosis of her problems in the last half of her film career, I’d say that she caught a bad case of George Stevens-itis and never got over it (she had an affair with the married director during Vivacious Lady, which had Lela up in arms).

When she worked with a fine and sensitive director, as she did with Frank Borzage for Magnificent Doll (1946) and with Edmund Goulding for Teenage Rebel (1956), Rogers was still capable of restrained and acceptable if somewhat colorless work. But hateful things kept happening to her. In something like Storm Warning (1951), where she does battle with the Ku Klux Klan while also doing a transposed version of A Streetcar Named Desire, it seemed as if someone behind the scenes wanted to see Rogers punished. When Steve Cochran attacks her in Storm Warning, the scene is so prolonged that finally it is Rogers being humiliated and hurt, not the character she is playing.

Rogers went through five husbands, including the pacifistic and beautiful Lew Ayres, and most of them lasted for a couple of years, but Lela was her real partner for life. The last husband, William Marshall, got her to play a madam in a dire film shot in Jamaica, variously known as The Confession and Quick, Let’s Get Married (1964), and after that low point she made only Harlow (1965), where she was intriguingly cast as Jean Harlow’s mother, before retaining her star status in long-running stage stints in Hello, Dolly! on Broadway and Mame in London. After that came a little TV and nightclub work, where she ended most of her songs with a corny wink to the audience. A Christian Scientist like her beloved or at least inescapable mother, Rogers refused medical treatment after having a stroke, and she was ill for several years before dying in 1995.

The last forty-five or so years of Rogers’s long career basically ran on fumes of good will from her first twelve years in movies, and particularly those Fred Astaire musicals that she preferred to forget. Like many actors, Rogers had no real center or base that was really her, and this lack of center meant that she was able to in effect be something she wasn’t with Astaire, and transcendently so, but it also meant that bad habits and instincts were ready to rush in and overwhelm her when her guard was down.

“May I rescue you?” Astaire asks her in Top Hat, to which she snaps, “No, I prefer being in distress.” The Astaire/Rogers films are so romantic because part of her resistance is that she is suspicious of romance, and maybe she doesn’t believe in it at all. That lack of belief was what made her so sexy beyond her God-given but worked-on perfect figure (“Women weren’t born with silk stockings on, you know,” she says in Follow the Fleet). Look at how cool and unreachable she is when Fred is singing his heart out to her during “Never Gonna Dance” in Swing Time. She preached that God is Love and soda fountains were forever, but in her best work with Astaire and in Stage Door, she let darker and more movingly yearning things cloud her almost cartoonishly pretty brow, and those things are what should define her and what should be remembered.

by Dan Callahan

[limjaeseven]

Je Ne Sais Quoi 2: Electric Boogaloo

Pairing: Jaebeom X Jackson ft Namjoon of BTS

Genre: Smut, abo!AU

Word count: 2,386

Summary: Set the day after Je Ne Sais Quoi but set in an abo au featuring Alpha!JB, Alpha!Namjoon and Delta!Jackson. Basically pure smut. (Can be read as a stand alone, or the first part can be found on my blog)

Warning(s): Bondage, knotting, threesome, gay sex, oral sex, anal sex, lots of kissing, sensory deprivation, blindfolds, porn without plot

[a/n]: FYI Jackson is a stand-in for @triheartedhero​. You’re welcome, az. This fic is just self-indulgent also I myself forgot halfway through that it’s abo so expect random abo elements here and there. Also i spent an hour trying to make a fic banner and this is the best i could come up with, my sincerest apologies. Also applications for @got7writerscollective​ is open if you wish to be part of our network! Not beta read so apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors.

It was mid-morning by the time Jaebeom woke up, Jackson resting his head on the former’s chest, still fast asleep. Jaebeom looked down at his mate with a soft smile, letting his fingers card through the younger’s hair. The younger whined playfully as he roused from his sleep, curling closer to Jaebeom, burying his face in the elder’s warm chest.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty” Jaebeom chuckled at the soft kiss Jackson pressed to his cheek as a reply before attempting to get up to make Jackson and himself some breakfast but was pulled back by his boyfriend, who threw an arm over the man in order to cage him in place.

“I’ll make breakfast and come back, you’ll need the energy for Joon and I tonight” Jackson’s eyes shot open as he realised the implication of Jaebeom’s words. The younger had barely heard the exchange between the two men in the haze of lust and arousal. The elder just sent a wink in Jackson’s direction as he slipped from the younger’s arms to head to the kitchen.

Jackson felt pretty sticky from the night before so he headed for the bathroom for a quick shower, joining his mate in the dining room as he finished getting dressed. Seeing Jaebeom dressed in just a pair of shorts as he cooked, Jackson tiptoed behind the man to wrap his arms around his waist and place small pecks between the man’s shoulder blades.

The rest of their morning was spent lazing around, the alpha opting to read a book Jackson watched some random drama playing on the TV. At some point Jaebeom started working on his laptop, resting his back on the armrest of the living room couch as his legs stretched along the length of the sofa, Jackson sitting the same way on the other end, his legs resting on top of the alpha’s.

Jackson flipped through the channels to find anything to watch that would catch his eye, not wanting to disturb his mate but after twenty minutes of frustration, the younger just put on a kpop channel which turned out be showing a performance of Jackson’s favourite idol, Kim Yugyeom. An English song played in the background as the dancer started grinding against the floor, catching Jackson off guard and feel warm.

Looking over at his mate, Jackson smirked as he saw the elder absorbed in his work, not noticing the tv or Jackson’s state. Allowing himself to slide down the couch a bit, Jackson rested his ankles against the tops of the man’s thighs. Jaebeom, who had moved the laptop away to go through some papers ignored the younger’s motion, much to Jackson’s dismay. He let one foot move up and down his mate’s thigh before slowly circling his was up to his elder’s crotch.

Just before he could do much more though, a hand shot up to grab the younger’s foot, making him jump. Jackson looked up carefully to see Jaebeom still focused on the papers, his hand tightly wrapped around his leg. Allowing himself to take a bit of a risk, Jackson brought his other leg up the same way, only this time not waiting and directly stroking at the elder’s length with the heel of his foot, causing the elder to growl at the younger, dropping his papers to grab the younger’s other foot.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jackson could feel the chills run down is spine as the elder’s voice dropped an octave, his eyes boring into his own. Jackson just shook his head, turning back to the TV, but only feeling more turned on as they showed more of Yugyeom’s performances. The younger waited for a couple of minutes till Jaebeom let go on Jackson’s legs, picking up his papers from where they had fallen on the floor. He made sure to keep his eyes on the TV this time as he once more brought one leg down on the elder’s growing erection.

This time Jaebeom grabbed both ankles and bent them, moving his own feet under himself to kneel on the couch as he leaned towards the younger. Jackson let out a whimper as the elder effectively folded the man in half, a growl escaping the alpha’s lips.

“Someone is looking for trouble, huh? I thought we could wait for Joon but I forgot how much of slut you were. That desperate for your alpha’s cock are we?” Jaebeom got up off the couch to drop Jackson’s foot and instead wrap his arms around the younger’s waist and throw him over his shoulder, slapping his ass sharply before carrying him to their shared bedroom and dropping him onto the mattress.

“I wanted to us to have a good time together but since you’ve decided to be brat, I don’t have choice but to punish you” Jaebeom made quick work of pulling the younger’s clothes off, splaying him onto the bed, tying his hands and legs to the bedposts, much to Jackson’s dismay, who hated not being able to touch Jaebeom. To top it all off, Jaebeom picked Jackson’s favourite tie from the elder’s collection to blindfold him, making the younger whine. He was incredibly sensitive without being blindfolded but taking his vision away just made him feel on edge constantly.

Jackson jerked harshly as he felt a cold hand on his already burning skin, forcing him brain to calm down as Jaebeom slowly stroked the skin, close enough to make the heat pool in Jackson’s stomach but too far for him to actually stimulate him. Jackson heard the bed springs creak before felling a warm breath at his chin as Jaebeom leaned over him, the elder mouthing at the younger’s jaw, alternating between open mouthed kisses and nibbling on his skin.

A loud moan escaped Jackson’s lips as Jaebeom made his way down to the delta’s scent gland, letting his sharp teeth nip at the sensitive spot. Jackson’s neck was always a big weakness of his, the tiniest bit of stimulation riling him up. Jaebeom diligently littered the younger’s neck with hickeys big and small, working down to his collar bone and back up his jaw. Jackson could feel his orgasm already building from the alpha’s ministrations, especially when the elder sunk his teeth at the juncture of his neck and shoulder, where he was most sensitive.

“H-hyung, I’m close-ah!” Jackson moaned as Jaebeom doubled his efforts, hurtling Jackson closer to the edge. This close to the elder, Jackson could smell the heavy scent of the alpha’s arousal which just aided his push to his climax. A sharp whine rang through the room as Jaebeom pulled away just as Jackson was about to orgasm, making the younger writhe in bed, pulling harshly at his restraints. Tears pooled in Jackson’s eyes, soaking the tie as he felt as the pleasure ebb away as Jaebeom stroked the younger’s toned stomach.

Just as Jackson was about to protest when he bell rang, forcing Jaebeom to get up from the bed and move to unlock the door. In front of him was Kim Namjoon in all his glory, dressed in a pair of denim shorts that really accentuated his thighs, a loose hanging button up, left untucked and a thin silver chain that sat prettily on his collarbones. Jaebeom moved aside to let the man take his shoes off before pushing him against the wall in the hallway and capturing his lips in a bruising kiss.

“Hello to you too, hyung” Jaebeom chuckled as he pulled away for just a moment to catch a breath before diving back in, pinning the taller man against the wall as he kissed him harshly. The two stood there and made out for a while, letting his hands wander under the younger’s shirt, caressing his well-defined abs and making his way up to the man’s dusky nipples. Pinching and twisting both of them caused Namjoon to let out a soft moan as Jaebeom mouthed at the young alpha’s ear, the smell of his arousal permeating in the room.

“You like that, baby?” Jaebeom cooed as he made quick work of unbuttoning the alpha’s shirt, bending his knees lightly to suck on one nipple as his hand played with the other, switching back and forth every now and then. Namjoon bit his lip to try and supress the embarrassing whimpers that he was making but much to his dismay, Jaebeom snaked his free hand down to stroke at the younger’s growing erection, causing another broken moan to escape him. Just as Jaebeom was working open Namjoon’s shorts, the younger begging the older alpha to touch him properly, a ragged moan cut through the air, making both men turn towards Jackson and Jaebeom’s shared bedroom.

“Someone decided to try have some fun before you came, how about I let you have some fun with him instead?” Jaebeom’s eyes shown mischievously as they made their way to see a writhing, whining Jackson mumbling their names, covered in a thin layer of sweat, clearly affected by the scents of the two alphas who were just across a wall from him. Jaebeom casually walked over to the armchair in the corner of the room, where the elder used to curl up with Nora and a good book on normal days.

“Sseun-ah?” The alpha called softly, while gesturing Namjoon to touch the younger’s leg. Jackson just replied with a soft whine, continuing to writhe as the younger alpha moved his hand up to the younger’s thighs, massaging the soft skin.

“Since you decided to not wait for Joon today, I’m going to let him have his way with you. Just remember that you are not allowed to cum until I tell you so, understood?” Jaebeom knew that leaving Jackson alone for too long makes him a little unsettled, so he eases his mate into his head space instead of enforcing it harshly from the very beginning. Namjoon turns towards Jaebeom, a soft smirk on his face, which Jaebeom responds to with a light nod, spurring the younger alpha into action.

Soft kisses are pressed onto Jackson’s pelvis, down to his perineum and back up to the base of his length. Without much more ceremony though, Namjoon wraps his hand around Jackson’s cock, licking a long stripe from base to tip, letting some saliva pool at his slit before using his hand to spread it around, slowly and purposefully. Jackson threw his head back in a loud moan as Namjoon took his halfway into his mouth, bobbing his head and stroking the parts he couldn’t reach with one hand.

Jaebeom uncrossed his legs and spread them, clearly affected by the display in front of him, letting one hand wander down to the waist band of his sweatpants as he watched his mate squirm and pull harshly at his restraints in attempts to plant his feet flat on the bed in order to buck up into Namjoon’s mouth. After palming himself for a while. Jaebeom let out a small groan before getting up, the impatience building up as the arousal spiked in Jaebeom’s body.

Namjoon moaned around Jackson’s length when Jaebeom softly thread his fingers in the young alpha’s hair to pull him off, leaving the younger two panting harshly as Jackson begged at the loss of contact. The elder turned Namjoon’s head towards him to share a short kiss before pushing him forward to get on his hands and knees on top of Jackson. The elder searched through his drawer for the lube and returned to strike once sharply against Namjoon’s still clothed ass before pulling off his shorts and boxers in one motion. Getting the hint, Namjoon leaned up to take off his shirt, leaving him stark naked.

Taking his time to slick up Namjoon’s rim, Jaebeom sunk a single finger in, pulling back and pushing it back in experimentally. Hearing the moans that Namjoon let out, Jaebeom added a second finger before scissoring him open. Namjoon’s chain dangled over Jackson’s lips as Namjoon dropped his head when Jaebeom found his prostate, the elder massaging the spot gently with his fingers. Letting the cold metal touch the delta’s soft skin, Namjoon could visible see the shiver that ran down the boy’s spine at the sudden contact.

“Hyung” Jackson whined softly, long lost in subspace, enough to barely notice the change in dynamics over him along with the tear soaked blind fold that covered his eyes. Jaebeom merely hummed in reply as he finally pulled his fingers out to quickly undress himself before climbing up on the bed behind Namjoon, his hard length pressing against the alpha’s perineum.

Jaebeom leaned over to untie the fabric giving Jackson a few moments to adjust to the lighting in the room. A soft moan left his lips as he took in the scene in front of him, Namjoon breathing harshly over Jackson while Jaebeom entered the younger in one smooth stroke. The next few minutes went by in a blur as Jaebeom picked up his pace, thrusting animalistically into the other alpha as the pheromones got to his head and a need to knot the younger took over the elder’s brain.

Jackson moaned as Jaebeom snaked a hand around Namjoon to stroke his length in tandem with his thrusts. Namjoon was the first to climax, his orgasm tearing through his body as the elder hammered repeatedly into his prostate, coming untouched. Jackson followed soon behind, letting out a guttural groan as he spilled all over Jaebeom’s hand. Pushing against the small of Namjoon’s back, Jaebeom’s thrusts turned sloppy as he neared his orgasm. The younger alpha, unable to keep himself up with the overstimulation, collapsed on top of Jackson, choosing to capture the delta’s lips in a sloppy kiss.

Three thrusts and the visual of Namjoon and Jackson making out had Jaebeom reach his climax, knot swelling inside the younger alpha, making both men moan. In order to not crush Jackson, Jaebeom maneuvered them to lay down next to the delta, reaching his arms up to untie the younger’s hands and massaging the reddened wrists as the three cuddled, waiting for Jaebeom’s knot to go down. Twenty minutes later, they were all cleaned up, dressed in just their boxers, aloe gel applied to Jackson’s wrists and ankles, huddled together under the covers, sated and happy.

[helloprettybb]

previews

I have a lot of things in the works, so I thought, why not show some previews. I don’t know when a majority of these are coming out, but I promise they will eventually. There are a lot more than just these, but they aren’t as fledged out. The title names may change in the future, once I finish, but the summaries will be the same. The eta’s may be really off, but I’ll try to get them out.

orders

summary- you disobey Steve on a mission and now you have to pay the consequences.

current word count- 2.3k

eta- 8/17-8/21

“What did I say?” Steve asks, once you close the bedroom door behind you. His voice is low and angry, which is scarier than if he were yelling. If you were being honest, you deserved his exasperation. What you did was reckless and completely disobeyed orders, but in the heat of the moment, you didn’t really care.

“Retreat,” you mumbled, knowing how much trouble you were in. Steve hadn’t spoken to you since the mission ended and the two of you could be alone. The moment the jet landed, he stormed off to his room. Steve didn’t even need to tell you to follow him, because you knew whatever was coming would be much worse if you didn’t.

“And what did you do?” Steve questions, knowing you knew the answer.

“I proceeded with the mission,” you replied, head low and eyes stuck on the ground. You were usually confident and brimming with enthusiasm, but on the receiving end of Steve’s anger, you couldn’t even lift your head up. Steve senses your timidness, so he grabs your chin and forces you to meet his eyes. Unlike their usual softness, his eyes are tough and piercing. You fight a little to lower your head, but Steve’s strong grip stops any resistance. You know he’s angry with you, but you can’t stop the dirty thoughts that rushed in your mind.

“You did. And what happens when you disobey orders?” Steve asks, his tone leaving you trembling beneath him.

“I get punished,” you answer meekly.

-

captain idiot

summary- Steve finally tells you how he feels, but then tells you it won’t work. Maybe a couple of people can knock some sense into him.

current word count- 943

eta- late august-early september

It’s the day you’ve looked forward to since you joined the Avengers and you’ve never wanted a day to end more. It was actually a good day and when Steve told you he wanted to talk, you thought it would be even better. Oh, how ignorant you were.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” you ask, trying to contain your excitement. You bite the inside of your lip to prevent the giddy smile from forming. Sitting beside him in the common room, you force your leg still as you wait for him to speak.

You’ve had a massive crush on Steve ever since you joined the team. Actually, you liked him even before that, when you saw him on TV for the first time. You were only sixteen at the time, but seeing people like you saving New York inspired you. All of your life, you’ve been ostracized and cast out for your abilities. While your parents tried to be supportive, they still held some fear. You don’t blame them, especially after your accidentally split the house in half with a tree.

You were only seventeen when you first met Fury. He offered a position on the team. At the time, you wanted to attend college, so you declined, but you kept in touch and after graduating, you decided to join the team. Tensions between the team were high as Steve, Natasha and Sam just rejoined the team and the Accords were dropped. But gradually, strain eased and the team seemed back to normal. Tony started talking to Steve and Bucky even joined the group. Everyone lived in harmony, until today.

“I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just be blunt.” Steve states, his intense eye contact piercing into your soul. “I like you. More than just a friend.”

You try to remain calm, but you can feel the childish joy rise in your chest. Steadying your tone, you reply, “I like you, too.” For some reason, Steve doesn’t smile, but looks more serious.

He sighs and asserts, “I was afraid you’d say that.”

-

swindler’s trick

summary- Steve Rogers needed to clear his head. Haunted from the war and his past relationship, Steve sets sail for England to reunite with an old friend and hopefully distract himself from his life in America. His distraction comes in the form of a beautiful young girl, who proves to be a worthy distraction, but will she be enough to help Steve move on from his past?

current word count- 7.3k

eta- mid-september

“Perfection is relative, old friend. You’ll understand when you find it.” Anthony advises wisely and as if on cue, an angel walks through the doorway. Well, not literally, but you are the closest thing to a saint on earth.

With your smooth hands and polished nails, you don’t look like a servant, but for your status, you dressed rather simply. As opposed to a large, decorated dress, you donned a dark, modest gown. You dressed closer to a middle-class maiden than a noblewoman, yet Steve took note that no outfit could diminish your beauty. Instead of the intricate up-dos he’s seen many high-class women wear, you have your hair down and pulled back.

Anthony notices your entrance and greets, “Y/n, dear!”

Steve knew Anthony favored beautiful women, but he did not expect for him to marry someone so young. Steve’s seen his fair share of older men and young partners, but he didn’t think Anthony would be that kind of man.

Strolling up to Anthony, you greet him lovingly by placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. Turning to Steve, you acknowledge politely, “Hello, sir. To what name shall I call you?” The moment you address him, Steve forgets every word in the English language. His mouth runs dry and he starts to regret denying Anthony’s tea offer.

Your stunning beauty and air of confidence fluster Steve and he manages to stutter out,“I- I am Captain America Rogers. I mean, Steve Rogers.” Attempting to recover, he clarifies, “I’m from America and I served as a Captain in the Army.”

You laugh lightly and Steve could have sworn an angel acquired its wings. “Well, Captain America. I appreciate the background information, but I figured from your accent that you were not from here.” you quip.

Anthony glares as you and gently scolds, “He is an old friend, y/n. Please be nice.”

You smile softly and tell him, “Oh papa, I hold no malice. It was a simple jest.” You turn to him and say, “But if any offense was taken, I do apologize. I’m aware that my tongue can be quite scathing.”

-

powers of persuasion

summary- you’re an expert assassin with ‘powers of persuasion’ who happens to be at the top of S.H.I.E.L.D’s most wanted list. catching you was the easiest part, now comes the hard part: turning you into an Avenger.

current word count- 1.4k

eta- mid-september

You are one of the most insufferable, arrogant, rude people he’s ever met. You are the one handcuffed to the chair, not him. Yet you acted like you were the one in control. No, he had the upper hand in the conversation. You definitely did not fluster him when you implied something about the handcuffs and Steve certainly didn’t imagine a scenario where he’d put the handcuffs to use.

Fine, you’re attractive, but you already knew that, which is one of the worst qualities about you. You know that you’re beautiful and use that to your advantage just to mess with people’s minds. That and your actual ability to mess with people’s minds.

Steve didn’t think he’d get that angry in such a short span of time, but something about the smug look on your face and unfazed teasing made Steve want to snap the table in half. He had to leave and clear his head.

Steve leaves the interrogation area altogether, needing to get as far away as possible. He talked to you by yourself, which was his mistake. Hopefully back at the base, he can find someone who will sympathize and agree that you are selfish, annoying, disrespectful...

“She’s joining the team,” Fury states. Steve couldn’t even hide his reaction, as his jaw dropped and eyebrows furrowed.

“Fury, are you serious?” Steve asks instinctively. While they are basically the same rank, Steve still treats Fury with respect, but right now, all of that flew out the window.

“Yes, Rogers. She’s useful.” Fury responds, “Not only is she an expect fighter, her persuasion ability will be advantageous.”

“So what? She’s untrustworthy!” Steve exclaimed, his voice rising more than he’d like.

“Well, learn to trust her,” Fury says in his blunt tone that shuts everyone down. “Besides, it’s better to have her on our side.” His last sentence shut all of Steve’s protests down. When Fury sees that he ended the argument, he places a key in Steve’s hand and commands, “Bring her to the Compound. You’re training her starting tomorrow morning.”

Before Steve could start another argument, Fury walks away and leaves Steve alone with his angry self.

the flirt

summary- Peter’s a sucker for British accents. Especially when they’re attached to a beautiful girl with glowing eyes.

current word count- 1.1k

eta- unknown

Peter Parker is a very anxious person. Whether it was asking strangers for help or working in group projects, he found it very difficult to speak up to newcomers. So when Mr. Stark called from a mysterious location and told him the Avengers gained a new member, Peter instantly began to worry. He asked for any information on them, but Tony insisted that it should be a surprise.

“Do you know who it is?” Peter asked Clint. He’s spent his entire morning bugging everyone at the compound. So far, he’s received a groan from Bucky, a ‘go away’ from Sam and an ‘I don’t know’ from Wanda.

“No,” Clint replied bluntly. subtly turning the knob on his hearing aid to block out Peter’s pestering. Nat looks up from her phone and shakes her head.

“You’re not going to get anything from us, kid.” Natasha simply states. Peter plops beside her on the couch and Natasha doesn’t even try to hide her eye roll.

“Wait, so you do know something?” he asked. His bouncing irritates Nat and she puts her phone down.

“Yes, but I won’t tell you. Besides, Tony will be here in a couple hours.” Nat says. Peter flops on the couch dramatically.

“But I can’t wait a couple hours!” he announces. Fed up with his antics, Nat gets up from the couch and leaves Peter to his thoughts. What if the new person doesn’t like him? It took him years for the others to like him and they still get annoyed. Now he has to get another person to tolerate him!

Peter bounced between pacing his room and annoying the other Avengers as he waits for Tony’s arrival. He only stops when Bucky threatens to ‘put him to sleep.’ Peter then, on his own, decides that he’ll stay in his room for the rest of the time. He’s pulled out of his thoughts when F.R.I.D.A.Y announces, “Mr. Stark has arrived.”

“O-okay voice lady,” Peter replies nervously. He sprints downstairs and meets with the others at the compound’s entrance. Steve’s standing with his arms crossed and stoic like usual. Bucky’s arms are also crossed, but he has a bored expression on his face. He doesn’t know why he’s so bored. There is going to be someone new living with them!

Natasha and Wanda on their phones, probably texting each other so they don’t have to talk in front of the guys. Sam leans down and tells Peter, “They call her the Green-Eyed Monster.”

He knows Sam only said it to scare him, but what kind of name is the Green-Eyed Monster. She must be evil to get a name like that. And if she’s evil, why would Tony willing bring her in. Wait, Sam said her?

As if on cue, Tony Stark opens the doors and following behind him is the most beautiful girl Peter’s ever seen.

[otakween]

07-Ghost - The World (Part. 2)

Episodes 11-20 of the 07-Ghost radio show. I’m really enjoying listening to this. It makes me want to investigate which other anime have radio shows. The only other one I know of is Zetsubou Sensei. Pretty funny that the lesser known shows would be popular enough to be on the radio. Links below for anyone who wants to listen (raw Japanese only). 

Episode 11

This episode kind of feels like the beginning of a new season because they got a new opening and ending theme. They’re nice to listen to but not something I would want to download or anything. They have a cheesy mid-2000s vibe to them (gee, I wonder why?) This episode was cute because they had Hakuren’s VA as a guest. It’s fun to imagine Teito, Hakuren, and Mikage all hanging out together since that never happened in the series. 

This time around they discussed “what would you do if X happened to your best friend” scenarios and read a lot of fan mail. As usual Mikage’s VA lost every game lol. I think Jun (Hakuren’s VA) said at one point that he thinks of Mitsuki (Teito’s VA) as an “ikemen” looool. I just googled her name and she does look really androgynous. 

Episode 12

More of the same, more teasing of Namikawa (one of the fanmails was just asking if he got bad grades in school lol). This time around the beginning conversation was about “who would make a good brother, sister, mom, etc. in the 07 Ghost universe?” It kinda bugs me how surface-level and basic their answers are. They never really mention side characters or manga-only characters so they really only have a tiny amount of people to shuffle through again and again. On the other hand, Namikawa never read the manga so...

They played two games: “which thing is smaller?” and what’s in “Pandora’s box?” Saiga flat out said she didn’t want to do the second game lol. She’s getting bored with the formula. I do think the show is stronger when they’re just chit-chatting or bouncing ideas off listener mail, but the games are easier to understand language-wise so it’s good to have a mix of the two. 

Episode 13 

This episode had Kuroyuri’s VA on as a guest which was a nice change of pace. They discussed grades again (you can tell a lot of the listeners are very young based on the listener mail) and played shiritori using dialogue from 07 Ghost. I feel like they’re getting pretty creative with the games they come up with. 

This episode and the previous one had a lot of ads at the end for 07 Ghost content (DVDs, drama CDs, manga, etc.) They mention the “upcoming live event” which I’m guessing is the same one that was released on DVD. Are live anime events still a common thing? I know the Tales of series has an annual festival so I guess they must be. -sigh- why can’t I live in Japan :( 

Episode 14

This episode was fun to listen to, Namikawa and Saiga crack each other up a lot and have great chemistry. I feel like I’m enjoying this radio show more than I enjoyed the entire series? Loool 

Anyway, in this episode they spent a long time talking about and giving each other nicknames (they settled on “Wada” for Namikawa and “Ouji” for Saiga). Namikawa got roasted by the listeners a bunch, as usual, and they had a “dad joke” competition. Two listeners wrote in about their worries, one was worried about his sore neck and the other’s husband was mad at her for spending too much on anime (lol). I guess this episode came out around the mid-point of the anime’s broadcast because they referenced the Frau dolls and the weird noises they make, which was funny. 

I think I need to listen to more Japanese podcasts cuz this is fun and great practice. If anyone has any reccs, please let me know! 

Episode 15

Sho Hayami (Ayanami’s VA) returns!! His voice is sooo dreeeammy. One of the listener mail’s mentioned his fan club and I totally get it lol. I would join if I could. Anyway, this episode was cute. They talked about their first crushes (Hayami’s was a boy!) and played a game where they had to read some exposition from 07 Ghost and pick out what was wrong about it. Honestly, I struggled to understand that part because fantasy world vocabulary is tricky. Namikawa lost as he always does and his punishment was that he had to talk like a baby for the rest of the episode. He did a really good job lol. 

They did a “last supper” segment again where they ate pudding (flan) with soy sauce, which apparently is supposed to taste like sea urchin...ew. 

Episode 16

This episode was decent, a little meandering lol. They had Hyuuga’s VA on as a guest and he seemed surprisingly shy compared to the character he plays. He was very quiet and didn’t contribute much to the conversation. I was a little nervous when he lost one of the games they played and had to speak “rabbit language” (basically adding “pyon” or “usa” to the end of every sentence) for the rest of the episode, but that actually was exactly what was needed to spice up his debut lol. His awkwardness plus the vocal tic was pretty hilarious. 

This episode took place after the live event because they had some fan mail about it. One girl went with her mom which is so cute (I can imagine dragging my parents to something like that lol). They discussed what it would like to be a twin and played a game where they had to read a bunch of tricky words (mostly katakana) really fast. It sounded really hard! I kinda wish I had the script so I could try for myself. I really like reading katakana 

Episode 17

This episode felt really short, the nico nico video is only 38 minutes long! Castor’s VA guest starred this time and was way more energetic than Hyuuga’s VA in the last episode. He was hamming it up a lot. They discussed sleeping positions and played a game where they got a list of 3 07 Ghost characters and had to figure out what they all had in common. I had fun playing along (although I didn’t do very well lol). Namikawa lost and had to use “zamasu” language? I’m not really sure what that is. 

At the end of the episode they read some listener mail and gave love confession advice lol. Almost made it a third of a way through the show! 

Episode 18

A nice, simple no-guest episode. This time around they discussed what pets would suit them and played family feud basically (and failed miserably). Saiga and Namikawa both got “punished” for failing the game and had to speak like the opposite gender. They both really struggled to do so lol. Masculine/feminine speech is so weird to me. I’m sure English has some, subtle version of this, but if someone told me to “talk like a guy” I wouldn’t know what to do. (Lower my voice? Say “bro” a lot?) It’s always interesting when other languages have a quirk that there’s no real English equivalent for.

This episode felt kind of lazy. They spent most of it just chit-chatting and didn’t seem like they wanted to do the regular corner. They ended up running out of time for the final fan letter reading. I’m not complaining really, it was just noticeably less professional than some other episodes. 

Episode 19

Not gonna lie, the Japanese was a little tricky for me in this one. Haruse’s VA made his show debut and I didn’t recognize his voice at all lol. Haruse barely talks in the show so I was like “???” They asked him what kind of character Haruse is and he was like “...nice?” Lol poor Haruse. Not much to say about him anime-wise. 

This definitely felt like a “we’re running out of ideas” episode. The game they played was really weird. Basically it was “what do you do when X natural disaster occurs?” with 07 ghost characters illustrating what to do vs. what not to do. Haruse’s VA lost and his punishment was to speak in broken Japanese (like annoying foreigner characters do in anime). It was really obnoxious lol. The episode ended with a “Last supper” segment but I had trouble following what they were eating :/ Almost to episode 20!

Episode 20

Another Hyuuga episode, although I felt like he didn’t talk as much this time. These episodes are really starting to blend together. This one was recorded in October so they discussed autumn and things they like/dislike about it. Practically every fan letter was about Namikawa (either bullying or praising him). I finally understand the “Wada” joke (namikaWA DAisuke), it took me a few episodes.

Unfortunately I didn’t really understand much of this episode, especially the game they played. It sounded like they had to pick a symbol to represent a character from 07 Ghost, but I’m not sure if that’s the gist of it. Namikawa lost as usual and his punishment was to speak like an old man. I thought he did a great job! Sometimes I forget I’m listening to voice actors instead of regular radio hosts. It makes sense that all of their punishments would be impressions related. 

[perseusannabeth]

blame it on the alcohol

Summary:  Elain gets drunk and decides to sleep in Lucien's room. Also, she keeps talking about her boobs.

Elain was drunk. She was very drunk, not even just tipsy, all thanks to Mor who had convinced her to go to Rita’s with the rest of the girls. Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, her hair was slightly messy, her eyes were slightly glazed over. It was the drunkest Lucien had ever seen Elain, and it was endearing. Even when Elain was so drunk she could barely stand, she still managed to take Lucien’s breath away. He couldn’t quite believe that she was stood at the entrance of his room, panting like she had run a marathon, grinning from ear to ear.

They had been taking things slow in regards to the mating bond. He spent time in the gardens with Elain, sometimes watching, sometimes helping. They would talk about everything and nothing. They were slowly getting to know each other and were getting more and more comfortable around each other. The physical aspects of their relationship were limited to holding hands, linking arms, Lucien kissing her hands and Elain sometimes kissing Lucien on the cheeks. Although the mating bond tugged and gnawed at Lucien, he found he could easily ignore it, when just thinking of Elain’s face flushed, her beaming with happiness, her eyes shining with fondness and joy, and a happy, content feeling washing over him through the bond. As long as Elain looked and felt like that, Lucien could deal with whatever was thrown at him.

Or so he had foolishly thought, until now. Elain pushed past him and walked into his room, sitting herself down on the foot of his bed clumsily. He closed the door cautiously and turned to look at Elain, who had kicked her shoes off and was sat with her legs crossed on his bed.

“Is everything alright dove?” he asked as he walked towards the shirt he had draped over a chair when he had gotten ready for bed. His sleep-addled brain hadn’t thought to put a shirt on before he answered the incessant knocking at his door.

“Do you usually sleep without a shirt on?” Lucien couldn’t even tell if she was ignoring his question, or whether she didn’t even register that he had spoken.

“Yes, I do, unless it’s very cold.”

“Is it cold now?”

“No.”

“Then don’t put it back on.”

At that, he stilled, his shirt in his hands, hovering mid-air as he was about to put it on. He turned to look at Elain, who was openly staring at his chest. He felt a rush of pride that his mate was staring at him, appreciating his body. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t think of what to say. Instead, he watched as Elain stretched out her hand, until she was grasping the shirt, and slowly took it out of his hands, her eyes still roaming his torso.

“I want to sleep here tonight,” she said, snapping herself out of the trance she had been in as she finally met his eyes.

“That’s fine. I’ll sleep on the cha-”

“No! You have to stay with me!” she cut him off before he could even finish his sentence.

“Elain, dove, you’re very drunk right now. You wouldn’t want this if you were sober,” he said softly, trying to reason with her.

“Actually, I would I’m just too scared to ask for it,” she slurred her words but grinned as she spoke. Lucien decided that grin might be the death of him. “If you make me leave, I’ll cry and then tell Nesta you made me cry.”

Lucien’s eyes widened at such a threat coming from Elain. “Now you’re just playing dirty,” he huffed out with a slight laugh. “No need to resort to that, you can stay,” he held his hands up in surrender.

Elain let out a little giggle as she straightened her legs so they dangled in front of her, her dress still bunched up under her as she swung her legs. Lucien quickly looked away, before moving to try to help Elain to fix her dress. Elain was modest, and he knew she would be mortified at her behaviour right now, and Lucien didn’t want that to happen. Drunk Elain, however, had no problem with showing her legs, and tried to wiggle away from Lucien, laughing as she did, and almost kicking Lucien in the face for his efforts.

“Right then dove, why don’t we get you into bed,” he said, giving up on that idea and gesturing to the blanket which was still folded over from when he had gotten out. It was clearly safer when Elain was under the blanket, for both parties involved.

“Okay!” Elain jumped up onto the floor, turning her back to him, and then, to Lucien’s horror, started undoing the laces on her dress.

Lucien grabbed her hands quickly and turned her around to see her brown doe eyes filled with confusion. “What are you doing?” he asked, wishing his voice didn’t sound like he had swallowed sand.

“I can’t sleep in this,” she said slowly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I especially can’t sleep with my bra on, that would hurt my breasts,” she said, hugging her chest, frowning at the possible pain they might go through. Lucien let out a choked sound but couldn’t speak, which Elain took as a sign to carry on talking about her problems. “They always hurt already, if I slept with my bra on, they would definitely cause trouble.”

Elain shook her head, before continuing to undo her dress. Lucien’s eyes widened, and he quickly turned around, not knowing what else to do. He heard the soft thud of fabric hitting the floor, as well as another smaller fabric, hitting the floor after. Lucien tried to think of something, anything to take his mind off the fact that his mate was stood, almost naked in his room, but it was no use. His face heated, and the heat seemed to run through his veins.

“It must be so easy being a male, you don’t get people staring at your chest,” Elain said with a sigh.

“Who stares at your chest?” He growled, the thought of others ogling at his mate making him feel a simmering rage deep inside.

“Lots of people do. Sometimes I think males forget that females can see that their eyes wander. Still, it was worse when they first started growing. I used to want to rub them because they were so tender and sensitive but then that drew attention to them.” Lucien bit back a groan at the thought of Elain touching her breasts, his mind drifting to her touching herself in other ways before he could stop himself. He cursed silently, as he thought of Tamlin, Eris, Beron, Nesta, anyone to stop his thoughts. His sleeping trousers were already tightening uncomfortably. He quickly adjusted himself, before turning around to see what his mate was doing.

She was covered, thank the cauldron, however, she was wearing the shirt she had insisted he couldn’t wear, and cauldron boil him, the sight of her in his shirt, her cheeks flushed and her hair dishevelled nearly had him on his knees. This was clearly a punishment for all the terrible things he had done, he decided.

“Let’s get you into bed,” he managed to rasp out quickly before she decided to carry on torturing him.

Elain nodded and let him guide her into the space that Lucien had vacated in the bed, and Lucien couldn’t help but watch as those long, smooth legs slid under the covers, which he then pulled up under her chin, hoping it would be enough to stop him from seeing anything he shouldn’t.

As he walked around to the other side of the bed, lying on top of the covers for some semblance of propriety in the situation, Elain decided to continue her torture session.

“I used to wish my breasts weren’t so big. They always cause so much backache, and the men always used to stare. When we were poor it was difficult to buy bras that fit me, because the bigger the breasts the bigger the price for the bra. Then when the bra didn’t fit me they would fall out of the bra, which drew more attention to them, or the bra would dig in and leave bruises and marks. My nipples are always sticking out at the slightest thing too, I think that must mean they're really sensitive.”

Lucien pushed the palm of his hands into his eyes, rubbing them as he wondered what he had done that deserved this much punishment. Perhaps in a previous life, he had human slaves, or maybe he had murdered people in cold blood. Maybe he had drowned baby animals for fun. It had to be something terrible if he had to listen to this.

“Feyre said that males prefer bigger breasts though, is that true?” she asked, turning those big doe eyes on him.

“I, don’t really, I’m not, I don’t know?” he managed to stutter out, his eyes drifting to her chest almost automatically, the blanket had shifted slightly, before berating himself and looking away. Looking at her chest would mean he was no better than the people he just contemplated running his sword through.

“Do you like big breasts? Or my breasts?” Lucien squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that this was just a terrible dream, nobody could give him blue balls this cruelly, surely. “Maybe you can’t comment because you haven’t seen them.”

Lucien’s eyes flew open at Elain's comment as she moved the covers, her hands going to the bottom of his shirt to lift it up. At the flash of black lace, Lucien grabbed her hand and pulled it away, pulling the shirt down as far as it could go and pulling the covers up again.

“I can’t comment yet, but I’m sure they’re lovely dove,” he said, slowly releasing her hand. “However, I think you should show me them another time, not right now,” he said, marvelling at his own self-control when he could feel his dick press against his trousers, the mating bond begging him to touch his mate, to please her, begging to break free. He thought of what Nesta would do if she saw what was happening, and imagined the kind of pain his balls would suffer if she could hear the things he was thinking, and the painful need started to slowly ebb away, thank the Mother.

“I can show you another time?” she asked, yawning slightly.

“Any time you’re sober dove.” he leaned in and kissed her forehead. She sigh, and pressed her body up against him, Lucien managing to angle his hips away as Elain rested her head against his chest and breathing in his scent as she started to drift off slowly.

Lucien held his breath until her breathing slowly evened out, and he was sure that she was asleep. He smiled as he looked down on his sleeping mate. She would be embarrassed in the morning, he knew, but he could enjoy the fact she was here, sleeping in his bed for now. He watched her, the smile not falling from his face until he fell asleep, holding his mate.

♥♥♥

Elain woke up to the sun streaming through the window. She groaned, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, hoping it would help the hangover. As she slowly became more awake, she realised her bed smelt differently, like pumpkins and freshly cut grass. Then she noticed how warm she was, and - oh.

She opened her eyes and saw Lucien’s sleeping form next to her. Her eyes widened with panic as she looked around the room, noticing her dress and bra on the floor. She looked under the covers and saw she was wearing Lucien’s shirt! Her panic subsided slightly as she noticed that Lucien had slept above the covers.

“Good morning dove” Lucien’s voice, raspy from sleep made her jump. She looked up to see him smile as he kissed her forehead.

“I - what am I doing here?” she asked him cautiously.

Lucien grinned. “You decided you wanted to sleep here. But of course, you couldn’t sleep with your bra on, so you decided to start stripping.”

Elain’s face went bright red. “You didn’t end up…” she trailed off, unable to finish her question.

“I saw your lovely legs, but nothing more, although you did try.” he laughed.

Elain gasped, as the memories flooded back, hiding her face in her hands and groaning. “I tried to show you my breasts!” she groaned out, horrified at her behaviour.

“Don’t worry dove, I didn’t mind it. You were drunk, and rather adorable, even if you caused a few problems for me. Still, nothing that couldn’t be fixed by thinking of what Nesta would do to me.”

“I can’t believe it. What came over me?” she said, slowly looking up at her laughing mate.

“I can’t say I know dove, but if you ever need anyone to give an opinion on your breasts, I’m always willing to sacrifice my time for that noble cause,” he teased.

Elain couldn’t stand the teasing and wanted him to be quiet. In fact, she wanted to be the one laughing at him, and so, without letting herself overthink, she leaned in and captured his lips, his laughter quickly dying, as he froze at the feeling of her lips on his. Elain started pulling away when Lucien wrapped his arms around her and kissed her slowly.

Elain pulled away, out of breath from the kissing. She felt her face flush as she looked up at her mate, whose face was frozen in shock, his eyes glazed over slightly. She felt a rise of smug satisfaction as she saw him speechless from a kiss. It gave her the confidence to get up and get her discarded clothes and walk into the bathroom to get dressed.

When she emerged, Lucien was sat up on the bed, smiling at her as she came out. She blushed slightly as her eyes roamed his naked torso, remembering how she had been hypnotised by it last night.

“Well, that’ll teach you to be so smug.”

“El, if that was to stop me from being smug then you’d better think of a better deterrent. That was not a way to deter me,” his eyes drifted to her lips.

“No, but just think of what happens when Nesta finds out that I was almost naked in your bed and I kissed you.”

Lucien’s eyes widened as Elain left the room quickly before she did something else to embarrass herself. The thought of Lucien’s horrified face had her laughing all the way to her own rooms. She decided she didn’t care who found out where she had spent the night and would be able to calm Nesta down easily, but Lucien didn’t need to know that.

[imaginebabygurl]

Can you do a oneshot of Alec Volturis human mate pulling pranks on other guard members and Demetri catches her mid prank and takes her to Alec telling him to control his human.

Hey, love Finally finished editing the story I hope you enjoy it!!!

AM I IN Trouble? Alec Volturi

Y/n was Alec's mate and, it was unexpected because Y/n was a trouble maker, mischievous, the total opposite of Alec. He followed, rules she broke them, he listened to the master she would run off somewhere without orders. I'm honestly surprised they didn't punish her multiple times and make her stay in the room. Despite her over ecstatic personality, everyone likes her presence. But one thing that got on most of the guard's nerves was Y/'s pranks, mostly Demetri. Felix was pretty chill about them and found some of them hilarious. Alec did find them amusing, and jane like seeing others tormented but, every time you pranked her she, would find it unamusing and threatened Alec. "next time pranks me, again it will be her last." But all three of you knew those were just empty threats, and there would be many more pranks for Jane to come. Little did she know what she was getting herself into, but Y/n didn't find much amusement in pranking them, but the one she liked to prank and found most amusing was Demetri and, he would fall for it every single time. For example, since Demetri was an excellent track and had a higher acute sense of smell than the rest of the vampires, she put sardines in Demetri's room every corner and crevice she could think of. It was hilarious to her because it took him a whole month to find all the fish that was hidden and it drove him crazy or the time Y/n told Dem that he had a secret admirer, but then caught Y/n slipping notes under his door that was something he didn't find amusing and oh boy the list could go on but one day he had finally caught her.

Y/n was in the middle creating the most disastrous prank for Dem, she spent all morning blending up garlic to make buckets of garlic juice at that time her Mate Alec jane dem and Felix were out doing a mission so she thought it would be the perfect time to set up but what she didn't realize was that they had come back early and since they had acute smell Y/n made sure to mask the strong scent with something pleasant so they would be too suspicious as to the way it was so strong, she thought it worked because no one had said anything. After all, she usually cooks meals for herself in the castle's kitchen. But then Y/n stopped dead in her track from hanging the garlic juice at Dem's door.

"Am I in trouble?"Y/n did her best to play innocent because she could feel the anger radiating off of Dem.

Y/N!, stop it this instant and get rid of this revolting smell and after you have finished we'll be going to the kings, I've had enough of your ridiculous behavior."

"Okay..."  was all y/n said in a timid voice because she could tell that Dem was enraged at her, and this was the final straw.  Dragging Y/n by the arm, the door to the main hall where the kings were having their meeting, the door would be slammed open.

"Alec !!! I've had enough of your mate's silly pranks you best control her or else we're gonna have problems!" Dem didn't realize that he was hurting Y/n in the process.

"Owww!!! Deeeem your hurting mmeeee!" Y/n whined like a child and Demetri immediately leg go hearing a hiss come from Alce he sped to your side and looked at your arm and saw a slight bruise.

"Y/n, I'm sorry I-" Demetri was cut off by Alce "Silence! you have no right to talk to her, I should-" "Hey! Alec stop it was an accident, Dem I'm okay and I'm sorry for pranking you so much I'll cooldown on the pranks"

"Thank you"  Demetri replied

Aro then said, " Well, it seems that everything is resolved. But I guess Y/n could use a light punishment, Caius would you care to take over this punishment."

Caius " Glady and I have the perfect punishment and with a wickedly toothy grin."

Caius made Y/n wear a clown costume for an entire two months that jingled that would make People stare and laugh at Y/n.  Y/n was embarrassed and learned her lesson and laid off the pranking for a short while, that is until  Y/n wondered who else could she push to their limits.  

"Oooohhhh Feeeelix" Y/n mischievously smiled, and Felix heard every thought that went through her mind prepared on high alert. Alec kissed his mate on the cheek and smile at her wanting in on her next prank.

[danni-chuu]

The 7 brothers with a 10 year-old lilith (+ side characters & mc)

This is an hc is inspired by the chapter 14 flashback, so the gist of this Hc is what if lilith gets turned into a 10 year old child try as diavolos way to save her. This is gonna be a really long post so strap in~❤️.

This hc post is made with the help of my friend, @heeminchan, thankiez.

General info about 10 year old lilith:

She has no recollection or memories about the celestial war or being an angel at all.

The post might say 10 years old but she's probably already pass the 1000+ mark, but still is and acts like a child.

She looks like ruri chan ( for reference here)

So without further babbling, lez go❤️

Lucifer

" if you behave I'll give you a princess poison apple and play with you "

Lucifer being the eldest takes it upon himself to be a father like figure to her. In front of the others, he makes sure to keep a strict front but in private, he's alot more softer on her.

Lucifer's room has a toy chest for her since she likes spending time and playing in his room. And being the child that she is, she even dresses up the skeleton in his room. If he's not busy, he would play with her, simple playing house and all.

One time while lucifer was doing paper work,lilith wanted to help him . So to keep lilith busy, he handed her a bunch of void documents and told her to sign them. In the end she got bored and decided to draw her with her 7 older brothers. Which luci decided to frame and put up at the entrance hall.

If lilith gets into trouble, luci doesn't shy away from punishment. But rather than stringing someone upside down and leaving them like that for 100 years, he would just ground lilith and take away her toys. (Buuuuut her other brothers would just sneak some of her toys to her room, especially beel and belphie)

Mammon

" heh you should be greatful you're brothers with the GREAT mammon, shortie! Huh?! w-wait dont cry! "

Mammon loves teasing lilith. Be it calling her a pipspeak, shortie, cry baby, etc. He's said them all, buuuuut he always takes it back because lilith might tell lucifer and he gets punished AG A I N.

Lilith as much as possible doesn't leave any of her things in mammon's room, because her other brothers warn her that he's going to sell them away.

One time mammon stole something from lucifer (probably something to profit from), and lilith was in lucifers room because she was playing hide and seek with beel. Seeing mammon stealing, she gets out of her hiding spot and tells mammon that she will rat him out to her big brother lucifer.mammon taking non of this shitz says he'll do whatever she wants. By the end of the day, lilith gets a new plushie and mammon still got ratted out because how can she lie to her big brother lucifer?

Mammon does try to get her involved in his schemes sometimes. Making her ask money from her other brothers and other more shenanigans, but when he's feeling it he will in fact spoil her with little treats such as candy.

Leviathan

" wooah you look so much like ruri-chan! Can you sing too?"

Levi is still as much of a shut- in, having a younger sibling that he can teach TSL or play games with is his dream come true. Lilith goes to his room to watch anime (for her its cartoons but dont tell levi because he will be very triggered) with him and play video games.

If lilith does go to levi's room , he's always watching out just in case she ends up using his precious figurines as dolls or touching his precious merch. Sometimes( most of the time) when he's too busy playing his games, lilith will just talk to henry 2.0 and feed him.

Levi is a mega ultra super duper (insert more hyperbolic words) fan of ruri-chan, so during lilith's birthday..he gave her a ruri-chan costume (the other brothers already knew where this was heading but they couldn't stop it since lilith liked the cute clothes). She wore them and levi literally freaked because she looked just like her! He posted a picture of her on devilgram and the pic got a decent amount of likes.

The only time that lilith gets in trouble with levi is her staying with him past her bed time, she gets pouty about it but in the end she still gets taken to bed by her big brother lucifer.

Satan

"i can read you a story or we can play tea time, what do you prefer? "

Satan acts alot like a tutor to lilith, he teaches her about manners, reading and writing, and many other things. Satan loves teaching lilith especially when he sees her trying to pronounce big words, which he finds adorable.

Satan for the most part wants lilith to stay out of his room because there are too many dangerous books around. But he would rather play with her in her room instead, either reading a children's bed time book before going to bed or playing tea time with her. They both share a love for pets and animals, so in his free time, he will take her to a kitty cafe where she can play with the lil furballs.

Satan was regulary teaching lilith about different animals, until they got to the cat. Lilith became so intrigued by cats that satan spent a good 30 minutes to an hour of answering her questions about cats. One day, he saw lilith crying by the stairs. He quickly went over and asked her what's wrong, only to find out that she asked lucifer if they can adopt a cat wherein lucifer completely dismisses the idea. Knowing that Lucifer's mind wont change, the next day satan surprises lilith with a black cat plushie with a red bow tie thats as tall (or alitte bit smaller) than her. Until this day, the cat plushie satan gave her is her favourite. She is never seen without it, and she even gave it a name, mr. Momo.

The only time that lilith ever gets in trouble is if she joins in on satan's pranks on lucifer. But most of the time she's let off the hook if they're harmless ones.

Asmodeus

" waahh~ lilith's so adorable, but not as adorable as me"

To lilith, asmo is the closest thing to a sister she can have. Being the only girl in the house( before mc, if mc is a girl ), asmo likes to doll her up and make her his little dress up doll. He often buys clothes for her because he just LOVES making her pretty.

She doesn't spend as much time in asmo's room because there isn't much to do there, but when asmo calls her in after a shopping trip. She already knows he's going to make her pretty as a peach!

It was lilith's birthday and Asmo wanted to dress her up for the occasion! Hair? Check! Make up? Check! Clothes? Check! She was looking as pretty as ever (but not as pretty as him). After dolling her up , lilith went to her other brothers to show Amos work. All of them asked if a child should be wearing that much make up, but asmo tells lilith to shrug them off because they can't appreciate beauty even if it hits them in the face!

The one thing that gets lilith in trouble is lucifer seeing her being dressed by asmo , wearing clothes not fit for a 10 year old girl. Seriously, devilgram level make up on a kid is not appropriate (well in lucifer and some of the other brothers point of view)

Beezlebub

" the eggs taste like plastic..huh? I'm not supposed to eat them? Sorry, they looked too realistic"

Beel is very close with lilith. He spends most of his time watching over her or bringing her to his favourite food joints to eat. Since beel is so big, she loves it when he carries her around, either on his shoulders or just being carried in general. Beel wants to protect lilith at all times, so if sorcerers or witches want to summon lilith, he comes along to watch over her still.

if its not Lucifer's room, lilith's next stop is always the twin's room. She goes in and jumps on either of the beds and having her toys there as well she can already entertain herself. When beel is there to play with her, she likes to play chef and make him food using her plastic kitchen toy set( though some pieces are missing since beel keeps forgetting that its plastic). If she doesn't want to play with her toys, she tries to tickle fight beel and always wins.

Beel was in his room eating a box of cupcakes until lilith barges in and sees him eating cupcakes, she pouts at beel asking why he didn't tell her that he had cupcakes. Beel, being beel just says to her, " they're my cupcakes". She pouts even more and says that she wants a cupcake as well. Beel couldn't resist and splits the cupcake, giving the other half to her. After finishing the cupcake, he promises to buy her a box aswell next time.

Lilith having a sweet tooth herself will often look in the fridge for sweets. She sometimes ends up eating beels food(custard), and hides the evidence. Beel rampages again and breaks the kitchen. Lucifer then lines all of them up and ask who ate the custard, and all of them immediately suspect mammon. But being a good girl, lilith admits her mistake and apologizes to beel, who calms down and says ," you could have left me some..".

Belphegor

" how about later...? Im still too sleepy to teach you..."

Belphie, same with beel, is pretty close with lilith. If he isn't cuddling her as his favourite cuddle buddy, he's teaching her how to dance ballet(Based it off his dancing sprite). Lilith spends most of her afternoon napping with belphie.

Besides playing with beel , lilith also loves playig around with belphie. She makes it an everyday challenge for herself to wake him up in the most creative ways. It can be things such as ice,drawing on his face, tickles, etc. When belphie is too lazy to stand up from bed( which is often), she just plays with his hair and does whatever she wants with it. When he finally does stand up, he teaches lilith some ballet. While she's even wearing her full ballet attire, with tutu included.

It was the middle of the night and lilith had a nightmare, she wanted to go to her big brother lucifer, but it was already late and she might be disturbing him. But then she remembered that mid nights is when his big brother belphie is awake, so she goes over to him with mr.momo. belphie is alittle confused since its way past her bedtime so he asked her whats wrong. She climbs up his bed and hugs him, after calming down she tells belphie that she had a nightmare. Belphie was well acquainted with nightmares, so he knew exactly what to do. They went to the kitchen and both had a cup of warm milk. Going back to his room, he cuddled up with lilith and made sure she had a good nights sleep.

Lilith ends up over sleeping and gets very cranky if she gets rudely awakened.the others find it very adorable.

Mc

"...." * Huwgs*

So this depends on the mc's personality but lets start from the beginning. After being sent to the devildom and having the basic run down of what is to come, mammon takes you to the house of lamentations. The first thing you notice once the door opens, is toys scattered all around the entrance hall. Not only toys, but you see a height lines at one of the door frames. Mammon gets more annoyed because he stepped on one of the toys and he shouts out," lilith!". A small girl carrying a black cat plushie almost her size comes down the stairs. Mammon scolds her for leaving her toys out like that and he introduces you to their 8th sibling, lilith. Lilith immediately hugs you (no matter the gender), because it's been a while since she's seen a human. And you become her instant play mate.

The mc's room already has a toy chest, filled with lilith's favourite toys. She likes to play around with the mc and actually gets quite attached to them.

Lilith gets so comfortable around the mc that she ask permission from her big brother luci if she can make a pact with the mc. Of course, lucifer is skeptical but he allows it because of liliths enthusiasm.

Diavolo

" ah lilith , I didn't think you would be accompanying lucifer today. "

Dia acts alot like the rich uncle that only comes back during the holidays to give out presents. Lilith rarely gets to see diavolo because most of the time it's only lucifer that gets to see him. But, when lucifer does come back he often gives lilith sweets that barbatos made by diavolo's order.

On the rare occasions that lucifer brings lilith along with him, she acts very reserved and shows off the manners lessons that satan has been teaching her.

On one evening, lucifer brings lilith along to dinner with diavolo. While eating, diavolo jokes around saying that lucifer should just stay in the castle with him. Suddenly, lilith bumps in and protests against the idea, " no big brother luci's staying with us". She hugs as much of lucifers arm that she can, giving diavolo her most pouty and "menacing face". Dia loves seeing how much she cares for her brother, while lucifer is trying his best to hide his embarrassment.

Luke

" ahhhhh! Im not a child! I dont want to play with a demon!"

When lilith first saw luke, her mind immediately said," playmate! ". Though luke always complains about being treated like a child because he's short, he tries to bare it because simeon convinced him to play with lilith.

When in the purgatory hall, she brings along mr.momo and some other toys. luke sometimes pretend he isn't there so he doesn't have to play with lilith, but once he hears a sniffle of her almost crying. He couldn't help but open the door for her and play.

Upon first meeting luke, the key difference in height was..still... apparent. Somehow, lilith is still a few inches taller than luke. Being the giddy child she is, she tells her brothers about it and they all start laughing their lungs out. And when luke finally got wind of it, he was so flustered and embarrassed, he almost refused to leave his room.

Solomon

" why not make a pact with me?"

All her brothers warn her about solomon and to stay as far away from him as possible, she rarely gets to interact with him. But most of the times they do meet, he often ask her to make a pact with him. She always replies to him, " i have to ask big brother luci's permission first". Solomon just smiles and pats her head.

Huhu not much i can say about him since im sure the brothers distance lilith from solomon as much as possible.

And that concludes this very very long post , hope you guys enjoyed it❤️❤️❤️

[drwcn]

haha this kid has it hard. There is not a single functional romance in this entire family. None. I wrote a little something :) I do take prompts, I just might not be very timely to respond, depending on my inspiration reserve and work schedule/exams etc. Again, btsf!verse (or post btsf!verse if you will, that’s where my brain is at these days), but can be read independently. Hope you don’t mind.  

Warning: this is a fluff piece but a servant gets slapped in this. she is a minor, a trope frequently scene in historical dramas and traditional households. 

When Jin Ling was seven years old, he developed his first crush. In the many years to come, he would develop many crushes - pretty girls, tall boys - but his first crush was on one of Jinlintai’s servant’s daughter, an older girl with shiny braids and soft dark eyes. And because he liked her, he found all sorts of reasons to see her (read: pester, command, annoy). 

Jin Ling was a menace, and xiao-Rui had up until this point in time tolerated his behaviour, but this last straw was the one that finally broke the camel’s back. 

Clack!

Jin Ling didn’t know the right vocabulary for it yet, but an older him would reflect on this as the moment he “fucked up”. The yin’er congee splattered across the marble floor and up the hem of his brocade robes, staining it. Beside the upturned cherry-wood tray, the jade bowl and ivory spoon laid in pieces. 

Oops. 

Jin Ling wouldn’t have panicked, because truly this was no big deal. He was sure the kitchen had lots of other bowls and could whip up another congee in no time. But then xiao-Rui slowly knelt down, curled up into a ball and began to cry. 

Jin Ling felt all the calm instantly evaporate from his small seven year old body. Oh no! Crying girl?! What to do, what to do, what to do???? 

What did father do when mother cried??? Ah heck, what was he thinking? Mother didn’t cry. Crying was beneath Mother. 

“What’s going on here?” A harsh voice echoed from down the hall. Jin Ling blinked, surprised. Nobody here ever dared use that tone of voice with him. At Lotus Pier maybe, he and his little sister Jiang Rao would get reprimanded for being particularly naughty, but that was usually their mother and she never needed to raise her voice to put the fear of immortals in them. Jin Ling swallowed nervously, looking over his shoulder, praying that Jiang Yanli didn’t somehow magically transport herself from Yunmeng to appear behind him. 

She didn’t. Thank the gods. 

From spring to fall of every year, Jin Ling spent his time at Lanling under the care of his uncle Lianfang-zun who he would one day succeed. After several months, Jin Ling had come to realize that his Uncle A-Yao was itching to spoil him due to having no children of his own. This meant outside of his daily lessons in cultivation and etiquette (sprinkled with just a little bit of politics), Jin Ling was allowed to run wild, something he was rarely allowed to do at his a-niang’s Lotus Pier unless his a-die championed on his behalf. Jiang Yanli was a gentle mother, sweet, soft-spoken, and loving. But everyone under the sun with half a brain knew Sect Master Jiang was a woman made out of diamond, forged by the war, beautiful and unbreakable. Up against her, even with his father and his two uncles backing him up, Jin Ling had no chance.

The voice that called out belonged to an older woman, a momo, neatly attired in pale orange and earth brown - servant’s colours - with her grey streaked hair tightly coiffed back into a severe bun. She walked briskly, back straight and face grim, until she came all the way up to them and their mess. [momo - an older female servant]

Once she saw who he was, she quickly relaxed her posture and curtsied deeply, “shizi*, shao-gongzi*, I apologize on behalf of the servants for not tending to your needs that you must trouble yourself to come down to the lower units. What may I do for you? What has this undisciplined yatou done to upset you?” [1)shizi = heir, 2)shao-gongzi = young master, 3)yatou = girlie, referring to a young girl, or a servant girl].  

Jin Ling blinked, much confused. Surely, he was the one causing the upset. He certainly wasn’t the one crying. 

“Uh....” 

“Oh no, you stupid girl, that’s Qin-zhangshi’s yin’er congee and her favourite bowl!” The momo yelled angrily. [zhangshi 长事 - head of staff] 

Qin-zhangshi? Oh yes, that was his aunt Qin Su, Jinlintai’s Head of Staff who handled all the internal affairs. This would be the duty of the Lady of Lanling if his uncle A-Yao had had a wife, but he didn’t, hence the burdening of his only sister to rise to the task.  

“Zhao-momo, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to -” xiao-Rui squeaked as Zhang-momo pulled her up by the ear. A second later, a loud clap was heard and she cried out in pain. Zhao-momo had slapped her soundly across the cheek, leaving red to bloom where her hand had been.  

That jostled Jin Ling out of his trance. “Hey!” He exclaimed, using all the power of his seven-year-old barely-cultivated body to shove the momo out of the way.

After that he barely remembered what he did. 

-

Qin Su was having an exceptionally good day. Jinlintai for once was running like a well-oiled machine, so much so that she felt in the mood to call for a bowl of yin’er congee as a mid-afternoon snack. It was one of her favourite treats...but it was taking a rather longer time than usual to get here. 

Before she could ring to see what was the hold up, the door to her study burst open, revealing her seven-year-old nephew, a servant girl he dragged by the hand, and a flustered Zhao-momo, the supervisor of the kitchen staff.  

The front of Jin Ling’s robe was ruined by a large patch of food stain - congee from the looks of it. The girl, sobbing, had clearly been struck, and Zhao momo.... 

Qin Su took one long hard look at the situation and was instantly reminded of what Jin Zixuan had been like at this age. As Qin Cangye’s daughter, she had  crossed path with him frequently all her life. She wasn’t quite sure how Meng Yao might’ve behaved at seven, and xiao-Yu had always been too timid for a Jin, but this...this had Zixuan’s bullshit all over it.  Though, Qin Su internally rolled her eyes, even without his father, Jin Ling had plenty of bad examples to learn from: 

Jiang Cheng, for one, never outgrew awkward, not with the way he still stared at Wen Qing every cultivation conference. At least it was difficult for most people to discern between his deathly stare of murder and his thirsty stare of sexual frustration. 

Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-jun, as saccharine and grossly in love as they were now, only learned to communicate after one of them faked their death for a year. 

xiao-Yu visited Qinghe every month and stayed for most of it. Qin Su never asked him what he did there, and frankly she didn’t want to know. 

As for a-Yao, if Zewu-jun didn’t do more than play his goddamn instruments and talk about philosophy every time he invited A-Yao to Cloud Recesses, Qin Su was afraid her poor brother would soon physically combust.  

Thus, with the full fondness of a doting aunt and the exasperation and wisdom of a woman who once almost married her own brother, Qin Su said, “A-Ling, my sweet dear, that is not how you treat a lady, and certainly not how you treat a lady you like.” Jin Ling dropped the girl’s hand like a hot potato. “San-gugu! I don’t - that’s not - I mean - I -” [san-gugu = third auntie] While she left the boy sputtering, Qin Su turned to the older servant. “Zhao-momo, you may return to your duties. You’re an efficient supervisor; I’ve always liked that about you, but if I hear of you hitting another one of the girls again, you and I will have words, am I clear?”  “Yes, Qin-zhangshi. Of course, of course.” Zhao-momo backed out the room and fled.  Softening her tone, Qin Su waved the girl over. “Come, child, come closer and let me take a look. My, you are pretty one. Now, now no more tears, or you’ll redden those lovely eyes. Oh geez,” she clicked her tongue as she tilted the girl’s face to examine it. “It’s a bit swollen. Luoti,” She looked to her handmaid. “Bring her down to get some ice and ah...some cream. For the inflammation.” “Yes, ma’am. Come on, xiao-Rui.” 

“Thank you Qin-zhangshi! Thank you Qin-zhangshi!”  Luoti led xiao-Rui away, shutting the door behind them with a click. Jin Ling, shame-faced and embarrassed, stood before his only aunt with his head bowed low. “Gugu...you’re not - you’re not going to tell a-niang on me are you?”  His uncle never tattled. If Jin Ling did anything wrong, Uncle A-Yao would give him a stern talking to that would often turn to a long boring lecture. But then after, Uncle A-Yao would simply have a word with his a-die, and his a-die would just give him another Jin-styled talking to and then brush the whole thing under the rug so his a-niang would never find out. (She still does though, more than half the time, like goddamn magic.) Now his gugu, his gugu was the best, the absolute best, and he’s yet to receive any kind of reprimand from her. 

Well there’s a first time for everything - as his da-jiujiu would say. 

Qin Su rose from her dais, came up to him and lifted his down-turned chin so he could look her. “A-Ling. Are you going to tell me what happened?” “Uhm....”  “Hm?” “Will you tell mother? I promised her I would be good.” And I haven’t been.  

“Of course I will. She is your mother and deserves to know about your well-being. But, remember this: honesty will grant you forgiveness, but dishonesty will only see to punishment. Your a-niang has always been fair with you and your sister, hasn’t she?”

The boy visibly sagged. “I was bothering xiao-Rui. And I made her drop her tray. The congee spilled everywhere and the bowl broke,” confessed Jin Ling. 

“And why did you do that?”

“Because...” 

“Because?” 

Jin Ling grumbled something incoherent. 

Qin Su sighed. Taking his hand, she said, “Let’s get you changed, my love. And then after, you and I will have a long talk. Don’t worry, it’s not one of your Uncle A-Yao’s boring lectures. If you’re good, maybe we can go to town and I’ll let you pick out an apology gift for poor xiao-Rui. How does that sound?” 

Jin Ling nodded fervently, his smile wide. 

Qin Su chuckled, thinking that while her generation may have been thoroughly fucked over by the circumstances of their youth, there was no need to continue that tradition. Not when the times have been so peaceful. Tonight, she will write to her lovely sister-in-law who will surely have a good laugh over her son’s antics.