#its like 1am i'm doing my best

[oliapfel]

Culinary school is to a real service line the same way College prep in High School is to College

Gives you a false impression on how the "real world" works. The moment you step foot on the line the whole "you have to do everything alone" mindset becomes more a hindrance than culinary school leads you to believe.

Don't get me wrong, I get the need to learn all the individual skills yourself to be more prepared, but they pretend like you have to do a whole menu of varying items completely alone when that's just not the case. You are a team that works together and if one falls behind, the rest are there to help pick up the slack. If the person in charge of omelets is overwhelmed, you take some tasks off their hands.

[butchhamlet]

do you have any good shakespeare retelling book recs?

what a beautiful time to ask this, says guy who has left this ask collecting cobwebs in his inbox for months! because guess who has two thumbs and just finished queen goneril by erin shields! WHAT a fucking play, holy SHIT, this is some of the best characterization of the lear sisters that i've ever read and the exploration of womanhood as filtered through class + race + shitty families + political maneuvering is so so so good. also the things shields does with the og playtext... chef's fucking KISS

anyway, recency bias aside, i've been meaning to make a post about my favorite shakespeare retellings for a while, and i think i never actually did it because i wanted to make a lear retelling ranking list and then i never read some of the ones on my TBR. so whatever. the learlist will happen someday. here are my favorites in general. (here is my goodreads shelf for the retellings i've read, good and bad, and here is the shelf for the ones i have yet to read.)

in no particular order:

a thousand acres by jane smiley: outsold. epitome of what makes an effective retelling--a book that clearly has something to say about and to the original text, but that also isn't afraid to diverge, to exclude here and zoom in there. ungraciously, this is "lear on a farm" and it starts a little slow, but holy fucking shit, i can't do justice in a paragraph to the way this book unraveled me. one of the best books of all time mayhaps. also, introduced the edmund character by describing his ass. 10/10

the last true poets of the sea by julia drake: i don't read that much YA anymore but jesus fucking christ. books tailored for me specifically. twelfth night retelling about siblings + mental illness + being bisexual + love triangles that actually make sense (emotions are confusing!) instead of being contrived + beautiful description + excellent dialogue + THE MENTAL ILLNESS. books that made me start crying in zoom class in 2020

rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead by tom stoppard: kind of a cop-out answer because we all know this one. but that does not detract from how good it is. this is one of those plays, at least for me, that makes me think, "ohhhhhh, THIS is what theater can do. this is using its medium to the absolute utmost." it is so clever and it makes me want to cry. i think about "i don't know. it's the same sky" more often than i can say

american moor by keith hamilton cobb: not exactly a retelling, but a one-man play about a Black man auditioning for the lead role in Othello, tangling as he does with his relationship with shakespeare's work and cultural dominance. suuuuuch a good fucking play even beyond the analysis of othello (which is excellent); the language is so fucking incredible. everyone who likes shakespeare should read this.

teenage dick by mike lew: modern teenage richard iii; this one's more reimagining than retelling, because it diverges pretty sharply from the plot of richard iii, but god, it's so fucking fun. and upsetting! really upsetting also.

foul is fair by hannah capin: i will be so real. i read this in high school and some of the YA books i've revisited since did not hold up for me. so idk if i can tell you this is "good" with my full chest. but the pitch is "lady macbeth gets sexually assaulted at a party and decides to fucking kill the boys who did it" and i stayed up until like 1am to finish it because it was such a vicious gleaming wild ride

the stars undying by emery robin: does this count? hard to say, because it's just as much a retelling of roman history than shakespeare's antony and cleopatra (honestly, more, since it focuses on the era where caesar and cleopatra were lovers, which is before shakespeare's play). but i'm counting it anyway because it's bisexual space opera cleopatra and it's the best book i've read so far in 2024 and it's making me crazy and i'm writing a thesis on it < genuinely

peerless by jihae park: macbeth, but college applications, featuring asian macbeths (they're twin sisters >:3) who think their classmate has taken their place in their dream school because of affirmative action/DEI. this play is absolutely VICIOUS. it's macbeth x heathers. think it mirrors macbeth in faltering a little in its final stretch, but it still fucks hard

the wednesday wars by gary d. schmidt: okay, not a retelling; this is about a preteen boy in the 60s. but it's one of the best most genuine and heartwarming books i've ever read and it manages to be hilarious while also foregoing cheap slapstick punching-low humor for a hell of a lot of warmth and passion. and the main character interacts with shakespeare a lot as a running theme so i can justify putting it on this list. #evangelizing

of course, i would be remiss not to mention that @suits-of-woe / @mjulianwrites has written the best take on Two Gentlemen of Verona to ever exist, and i mean that quite seriously. unfortunately it hasn't been published yet so we'll all just have to prayer-circle about it. i would also be remiss not to take the opportunity to. uh. coughs. do a bit of casual self-promo. if you 1. have ocd 2. have gender or 3. think about malvolio a lot. boy do i have the novella for you

will definitely add to this when i read more retellings; feel free to drop recs in the tags/replies/reblogs/my askbox!

[nishirikiluv]

Twisted Love

Strange Encounter

pairings: yandere!jay x reader

chapter warnings: fear, drugging, a bit of noncon, please let me know if i missed anything!

a/n: sorry for taking so long to post this! I hope everyone enjoys this, I love feedback so please feel free to let me know what you think! This is my first series as well so I will do my best to make it a good read :) This is not proof read btw so I apologize for any spelling mistakes or other errors!! 🥲

masterlist | chapter 1 | next

It was nearly 1am and you were still in the office finishing up your work. All of your coworkers left around 10pm and the only sound filling the office now has been the click clacks of your keyboard. You haven't taken a break once today, not to eat, get a drink of water, nothing. There was some commotion earlier over a handsome new hire but you didn't have the time to worry about it. The only thing on your mind was finishing this project.

You had been assigned as a group leader for the first time since you started working here. If everything went well you could end up being promoted, so you were determined to not mess anything up.

You had been feeling hungry for a few hours now so you decided that a break would be okay if it was very short. When you got up from your chair you only then noticed how eerie the office looked when it was dark and empty like this. You pushed that thought aside and went to grab your unopened lunch from earlier. It was just some instant ramen and a bottle of soda.

You quickly made the instant ramen and sat back down at your desk to eat. Of course. you didn't want to waste too much time, so you worked a bit while you ate. Suddenly, a strange sound rung out through the large building. It sounded as if it came from afar, maybe not even the same floor you were on. Goosebumps rose on your skin and you suddenly felt extremely uneasy.

You quickly slurped the last of your ramen tossing it away, opting to finish your work tomorrow when people are still present in the office with you.

You made your way down the long narrow hallway to get to the elevator. The already dim lights flickered off and on, between flickers you could see what seemed to be a figure at the end of the hallway. After another moment, the lights settled and you realized there was someone else here with you.

You were completely struck by fear and your body froze up. The figure made its way towards you slowly. You wanted to run but you couldn't get yourself to move. The more he came in to view the more your anxiety heightened, his face was unfamiliar to you but you wondered how he could've gotten in if he didn't work here as well.

It was only a moment more before he stood directly in front of you. He seemed to tower over you, your eyes were leveled with his chest. The strange man reached his hand out to you. "Hello, I'm Jay. Nice to meet you."

What the hell?

You then looked up at him to see quite a good looking man. His facial features were chiseled and his hair was blonde and looked soft and silky. His eyes bore into you in a way that had the hairs on the back of your neck sticking up.

"Are you just going to stare at me? Or are you going to introduce yourself as well." He gestured to his hand that was still awaiting your handshake.

You hesitantly took his hand in yours to shake it. His grip became uncomfortably tight but you gulped down the anxiety that started to rise. "I'm... Y/n. Um it's late, I should probably head home now." You forced a smile, pulling your hand from his and rushing down the hall, not giving him another chance to speak.

He turned to watch you. His eyes never left you through your entire walk down the hallway until you entered the elevator. The lights flickered again as he stood in the hallway, a sinister smirk painted across his face.

It won't be long now, my love.

You rushed home as fast as possible, triple checking the locks on your doors and windows. You don't know what this extremely uneasy feeling was, but you wanted to avoid that man at all costs.

You tried not to think about him and chose to change and get into bed. His face kept appearing every time you closed your eyes. You'd even been startled awake so many times by phantom sounds of his voice calling your name.

You got up to grab a cold bottle of water. You weren't sure if it was paranoia but you heard a cracking sound coming from your room where you'd just left. You grabbed a knife from the kitchen, holding the water bottle under your arm and slowly approached your room.

You took a deep breath before slowly opening the door. You looked everywhere and there was no one to be found. You were relieved but you felt embarrased for hearing those mysterious sounds all night and ruining your sleep over them. You also weren't able to finish your project and that bothered you even more.

You laid down, attempting to sleep once more. Of course having the same outcome and not being able to get enough rest.

Before you knew it your alarm was ringing and it was time to get up and get ready for work. You rushed to the bathroom, splashing cold water on your face and haphazardly applying your makeup. You could see dark circles under your eyes but you were too tired to care and the throbbing headache you had was an additional factor to your lack of energy. You quickly got changed and rushed out of the house to get to work.

When you arrived at work you heard more commotion of that new hire. You couldn't have cared less until you caught sight of him. You could see everyone crowding near the desk he was working at. He payed them no mind, just focussing on getting tasks done. Thats when it hit you, it all suddenly made sense. Jay was the handsome man everyone was talking about. That's how he got in last night.

You didn't realize you'd been staring at him as well until he looked up and his eyes met yours. You snapped out of your trance and hurriedly got situated at your desk. After a couple moments he was behind you, spinning your chair to have you face him. You jumped in your seat with a gasp, grabbing onto the arms of the chair. "Jay- What are you-" "I'm joining your group for the project, our supervisor told me to let you know." You looked around seeing the shared whispers between your co workers. You never liked attention, it made you anxious. "You could've told me that without scaring the shit out of me." You rolled your eyes turning your chair back around, but he stopped you. "Is.. there something else." He nodded. You stared at him, shifting uncomfortably and waiting for him to speak. His eyes traced over you, leaving you with the same feeling from the night before.

He leaned closer to you, causing you to back up and leaving you pressed into the desk. His face was inches away from yours and your heart was pounding in your chest. His eyes scanned your face and he softly chuckled, "Stay late after work today, Y/n."

You couldn't formulate a reply, not that he would've waited for one anyways. He left you stuck to your desk and returned to his work without another word. You took a deep breath and gathered yourself, turning back around. You sat idle at your desk for a while.

"Y/n, what was that all about?" One of your coworkers sat at the desk next to yours with a judgemental look on her face. "What? Oh, you mean Jay. Nothing, he was just letting me know he's going to be part of my group for the project." She sighed, "Ah that makes so much sense!" She turned away to her group of friends. They all whispered loudly enough for you to hear. "Of course it was just because of work," one of the girls scoffed. "obviously he wasn't interested in her, shes not that attractive." You rolled your eyes, ignoring their remarks.

You glanced up to see Jay looking over at you. You tried your best to ignore the feeling of his gaze but at one point you'd had enough. You made your way over to the restroom just to have a few minutes without being watched. What's his deal?

You carried on with your day, zoning out everything around you. Once it hit 10pm, everyone began packing up their things and leaving.

"Y/n." You looked up to see Jay hovering over your desk. "Ah, Jay.. you'd asked me to stay late after, right? " He nodded, taking the seat next to you. He pulled your chair in front of his, you sucked in a breath making eye contact with him now. "Is... is this about work..?" He chuckled, placing his hand on your knee. "Of course, I'm just curious about the project." He rubbed your thigh, causing your body to go stiff beneath his touch. "Jay- I-" You quickly grabbed his hand, forcing it to stop. "I have to go." You stood up grabbing your bag and heading for the elevator. He followed shortly after you, his steps matched your pace. He walked slower when you slowed down and he walked faster when you sped up. Once you were inside the elevator you rapidly pressed the button waiting for the door to close. Unfortunately you weren't quick enough, right before it closed he swung his bag through the small gap causing the doors to re-open.

You gasped and harshly pushed your back against the wall of the elevator. He slammed his hands on either side of your head. The dark look in his eye made shivers run down your spine. "You know, it was quite rude how you left just now." You lifted your head to look at him, your eyes welled up with tears formed by fear. You weren't able to speak, he didn't seem to mind your lack of reply though.

You felt uncomfortable by the close proximity between the two of you. The ride in the elevator felt like an eternity to both you and him, for different reasons though of course. Neither of you were able to take your eyes off each other. For you, it was fear. For him, it was lust.

The elevator finally came to its stop, the door opening. "I'II let you go now. Baby. But we'll talk about this later." He left a soft kiss on your forehead before exiting the elevator. You were left with a single tear rolling down your cheek.

You eventually made it home, but of course you were pretty shaken up. You felt so dirty. The second you put your things down you got into the shower. The steaming hot water was all you needed right now. You took a nice long shower and prepared to sleep.

You sat on your bed checking your missed messages when a loud thump was heard. It sounded like it came from your balcony. You got up and peeked through the blinds but there wasn't anything there, so you sat back down. But it happened again. And again. And again. This time you went outside, you looked below, to the sides, and above. But there was nothing. What the hell is going on?

You leaned against the railing, looking out at the street. It seemed to be peaceful, the road wasn't too busy, and the sky was full of stars. It would have been a perfect night

You took a deep breath getting ready to go inside when a hand suddenly clasped over your mouth. You kicked and screamed into the hand. The person's other hand held tightly onto your waist to prevent your thrashing. Their hand was removed from your mouth for less than a second before a cloth was pressed back against it. You tried prying it off but their grip was too strong and so eventually, you lost conciousness.

You woke up on the floor of an empty room with white walls. It was dark but not to the point where you couldn't see. You sat up holding your head in your hands, you felt groggy and had a painful headache.

You looked around the room but there were no windows and no way out other than a single door that you assumed would be locked.

As if on queue you heard the locks being opened and someone came through the door. The lights flipped on and your breath hitched in your throat. "Jay..."

"Hello, Y/n." His saccharine smile made you feel sick. "Why did you bring me here." He knelt down in front of you, brushing a strand of your hair behind your ear. "Isn't it obvious, I wanted to see you." You pushed his hand away, "Well I don't want to see you." He cooed at you, lifting his hand back up to caress your cheek. "One day you won't feel that way anymore." You pushed him away again but this time he wasn't having it. He pinned you against the cold floor, holding you by your waist. You pushed at his shoulders but he wouldn't budge. His eyes studied every inch of you. Oh how he loved to see you vulnerable like this beneath him. You felt his lips on your neck and immediately you were kicking and punching. He had no trouble holding you down, he liked it more when you put up a fight.

He only stopped when he heard your soft frustrated sniffles. "Shhh Baby, It's not that bad. You'll get used to me." You shook your head, holding back a sob. Jay got up leaving you on the ground. He left the room momentarily, but came back within seconds. He got down and pulled you in for a hug, inhaling your scent. You were too tired to fight him this time, he could tell, so he placed a short peck on your lips while he could. After that you felt a small poke in your neck and you were out like a light.

You woke up to your usual alarm. You shot up looking around, feeling distraught. You were in your bed in your room. But you could've sworn you were with Jay? You had been very stressed with anxious thoughts after the incident in the elevator so could it have been a dream?

It just felt so real..

[jinnie-ret]

chan getting a call from 9th member reader, its late and hes still in the studio. he hears readers quiet voice telling him that theres someone following her as she walks back to the dorms from a late night solo dance practice session. chan has that Protective streak that makes him Panic the moment he thought something was wrong with how they were speaking into the phone so to find out they were in genuine danger and not just scared because there was a spider?? i just know that man is Terrifying to anyone who puts his members in danger, especially their only female member knowing how dangerous the world is for women

night stalker

bang chan x ninth member!reader (platonic)

genre: angst

content warnings: stalking, violence

word count: 1.1k

summary: chan does his best to save you in time after you call him in a panic about someone following you late at night.

Hi! Sorry it's late but I hope that this fits the vibe you wanted! I ended up writing it as a platonic relationship but it is still a Chan focus x reader!

As always, like, reblog if you enjoyed, and my asks are open for any requests you may have. And let me know if you'd like to be tagged when I post :)

BANG CHAN'S MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

Chan was a leader through and through. The leader of Stray Kids. A protector to his kids. Being the oldest member too, as well as being the eldest of his siblings, gave him these instinctual habits to always check up on his members. So when he got a call from you, at 1am, scared out of your mind, his brain went into overdrive. One, because the way your voice shook, and two, because he didn't know you were walking back to the dorms, alone and in the dark.

"Hey, Chan? I-I think there's someone following me..." you whispered into the phone, your hand shaking as you did your best to maintain your pace of walking.

Being the only female member of the group, and being the youngest, Chan couldn't help but look after you in a slightly different way to the other members. Of course, he loved all of you the same, but unfortunately there were differences in being a female idolised figure. The sexualising comments... he hated how it came with you being a girl. And he knew, that the fear of someone following you late at night, would have come true eventually. He just didn't prepare himself for how he'd feel when it happened.

"Y/Nnie? It's 1am... where are you? Talk to me," Chan rushed out his words, face frozen in horror as he pushed himself back in his desk chair and started grabbing his belongings to leave and find you.

To save you.

"They're definitely following me... shit. I'm near those 24 hour convenience shops," you did your best to inform Chan of your surroundings, despite the pounding of your own heartbeat overwhelming your senses when you realised your paranoia had struck gold this time because you were right to be scared.

One pair of footsteps followed yours.

"Ok, listen to me, Y/Nnie, stay there, I'll come and meet you and I'll take you home, yeah?" Chan rushed out of the company, speed walking his way along the route to where the road of convenience shops.

"No, no, I can't just stay where I am... what if something happens? I'm scared, Channie," your voice broke as you did your best to keep a hushed volume.

"I know you're scared sweetheart, but I'm on my way, just stay on the phone," Chan spoke through his slightly heavier breaths, doing his best to get to you ASAP.

"I'm going into a shop, I don't want to be outside anymore, I'm scared if something will happen to me," you rambled, the ding of the chimes on the door heard by Chan.

"Ok, tell me where you are, can you do that for me?" Chan reassuringly asked.

"I'm, in that blue shop, you know the one with the dodgy neon light?" you tried to calm yourself down, beginning your path of going up and down the aisles, but the chimes were heard once again, "they're here. They followed me in."

"I'm about 3 minutes away, just stay on the line, it's ok, it will all be ok, is there anyone else in the shop, Y/N?" Chan spoke firmly, wanting you to know he was close by.

"N-no, just an elderly cashier, but she wouldn't be able to help if-"

"There will be no if, Y/N, don't finish that sentence sweetheart, I'm nearly there," Chan cut you off, maybe because he didn't want you to take your mind to that place, or maybe because he didn't want to be in that place either.

"Ok, please hurry I'm - hey! Get off of me!" your whispers turned into shouts as you were grabbed and winded by the punch of your night time stalker.

"Y/N! Talk to me! What's happening?" Chan's fast footsteps pounding against the concrete roads would have been heard by you if it weren't for your phone's abandoned spot on the ground.

Your stalker said nothing, yet had clear intentions as he hauled you into a free standing shelf of jars of cooking sauces. And your body took it with you to the ground as several of them smashed.

"Ahhh!" your shout of pain was heard before your body went flying.

"Y/N?!? Shit, I'm nearly there, I can see the shop from here!" Chan's words speedily echoed into the night.

Your attacker fled. Like the true coward he was. Yet you were thankful for your saviour that entered the shop moments after.

"Y/N??"

It took you a moment to realise that it was his voice playing out in real life, and no longer over the phone.

You groaned as you sat up, crawling away from the smashed glass behind you.

"Y/N! It's ok I've got you, I'm here now sweetheart, I'm sorry, I should have got here sooner..." Chan fussed over you, lifting you into his arms and checking you over as you held your stomach and stood in wobbly feet.

"Home, want to go home," you cried out, but no tears left your eyes, you were just feeling overwhelmed and in so much pain.

"I know, I know, I texted our manager to meet near us in a car, we'll get you home," he hushed you, supporting your weight as you left the shop.

"Where? Are they here? Are they close?" you panicked, not wanting to be waiting around in the open any longer than you needed to be.

"It's ok, calm down, I've got you, yeah? The car is over there," he guided you into the back of the car and sat with you, dealing with explaining things to the manager as the drive home began.

"How badly are you hurt? Let me see," Chan pushed your hair back out of your face, looking for any trades of pain which were so clearly written amongst your features.

"My back and my stomach, it'll probably just bruise though..." you winced, head resting against the seat of the car.

"Do you think you'll need the hospital?" Chan worriedly asked.

"No, but... I think I'll need a break... maybe... I don't know I just need to get my head around this, oppa," you leant against him, reveling in the comfort that not only his presence brought you, but the soothing circles he rubbed into your shoulder.

"Ok, ok, we can do that, we'll take all the time you need. I'll get you straight to bed and I'll explain it all to the members, don't worry, ok, I've got you," Chan laid out his thoughts, his priority right now being you. Everything else that came later he would deal with. He didn't want to put you under anymore stress than the current experience you just had. It was only fair that way, he thought.

tagged: @skz-streamer @kiraisastay @backintomykpopphaseagain @hannahhbahng @sakufilms

[ms-demeanor]

HELLO i have been directed here from @/unpretty bc im on a HUNT for a post from i dont even know how long ago that i now do feel like you may have made - it detailed the actual causes of computers slowing down and how to boost computers so they work again/better and also mentioned ram vs cpu vs memory and i feel like i remember it mentioning what specifically to buy and then crack open your computer to add to make it faster and it wasnt what i expected - ive HUNTED through your blog but tumblr search is WHIMSICAL AT BEST so nothing showing BUT pls inform if you remember this and if you may possibly still have it available - i didnt see it in the posts linked in your pinned and i know you apparently delete stuff every so often so idk if it even still exists but my laptop from like 2015 (yes its old yes im attached) is running at 100% cpu and is about as quick as dialup and i Cannot afford a new machine rn but still want to enjoy The Internet Outside Of My Phone so if said post IS gone ill take any and all advice you have available please and thank you and you rock and keep being awesome and ur mafia coffee shop experience was a delight at 1am <3

Oh hi hello yes this just made me realize it would be a good idea to add that post to the links in my pinned post.

Here's the version of that post with all the advice about linux and info about firefox added to the end.

And just in case you or anyone else needs it here is the information about specs and expectations for buying a computer (this was put together in 2023 but the information in it is still valid; just make sure you're checking processor generations)

Thanks for reading and I'm glad that coffee shop is still entertaining people all these years later.

[billie-reportingbadnews2you]

a liar?/ A Wanda Maximoff fanfic

warnings: swearing, marijuana use 18+

The air was fresh but cold and slow, you just got out of the shower and put a towel around your hair ring ring you dialed your girlfriend Wanda who had said she'd be hanging out with vision, but it was

pretty late and you wanted your girl home ring ring, your phone just kept ringing, than voicemail "hey its Wanda, obviously 'm not able to take your call right now, but leave a message!" you sighed, maybe

she just lost track of time, she's a goddamn superhero she's safe, 6pm went to 8pm to 10pm to finally 1am you had already gotten dressed and slumped on the couch the light from your dimly lit tv

was the only source of light in your apartment, you were breathing heavily the sound of your clock ticking echoed in your ear, in the corner of your eye you saw the front door handle glow in a scarlet red

shade, Wanda was home, the slim figure crept through the entrance of your apartment, "hey babe" Wanda firmly placed her hands on your shoulder a view of her soft long fingers barely painted with her

signature black nail polish, she lightly kissed you on your head "why are you home so late?" you could sense her freeze "oh uhm I'm sorry

me and vision lost track of time" you got up from the couch and leaned up against the kitchen counter, Wanda switched the kitchen

light, she searched the fridge her head bopping up and down the shelves "what's for dinner" you chuckled in response "Wanda, its 1 in

the morning" she looked around laughing in disbelief "Ok you only call me 'Wanda' when your upset, what wrong babe" you wiped your

face with your palms exhaling "oh i don't know maybe because my girlfriend is hanging out with a guy who clearly has a crush on her

and you were 4 hours late and didn't even answer my call" she looked

at you in a angry tone "Oh my fucking god why do you always think vision likes me? he's my best guy friend, nothing wrong with that,

YOU are my girlfriend, and I'm sorry like i said we lost track of time and my phone died" you looked at her coldly "phone, now." she

looked up at the ceiling passing you her phone, you opened her phone seeing vision's text's "had a great time tonight, another time?"

you looked at the visions name for Messager ,Wanda looked at you anxiously "dead huh? your phone doesn't look very dead to me"

Wanda tried speaking but nothing but broken sentences "u-uhm u-uh o-oh hmmm" you shushed her "and why is there a love heart in

vision's contact, and why is HE your background" she begun to fiddle

with her finger "oh uhm well he's been my friend forever a little heart wouldn't hurt you know a-and he's my background because i-it

changed automatically" you nodded your head is disbelief, "password" she went pale "v-v…." you mocked her "v-v-v 'v' what?"

she sighed "vision.." you scoffed "your fucking password is 'vision'? will this get any better?" she had an apologetic face on "sweetheart,

princess, handsome, lover, all of these nicknames don't seem so 'friendly'" she started to panic, slightly tearing up "all these fucking

face times and you couldn't even answer a call huh" "n-no no babe its not what you think i-I'm sorry" you slid her phone across the island

"I'm done with this bull shit, sleep on the couch, or go to visions anywhere away from me is preferable" she went to grab your arm but

you shrugged her off.

As you went to your room you couldn't sleep, you re-watched memories of you and Wanda, pictures of anniversary's just for all of that to be thrown away because of a fucking cyborg, listening to her

laugh and smile at the camera made you tear up, the Luke warm liquid slid down to the corner of your frown, after a couple hours by

the time it was around 4am you crept into the lounge seeing Wanda fast asleep with her phone open with messages of her telling vision

'you' were getting suspicious, of course you already knew she was cheating but you couldn't bring yourself to think that a beautiful kind

lady like her that you fell in love with would just throw it away, you walked outside to the balcony and sat, you lifted up a flower pot, you

picked up and old blunt you had been keeping there just incase of the worse, you took the blunt between your two fingers and raised it to

your mouth, you covered the tip and stroked your lighter, you felt the weed course to your brain and watched as the smoke arise

disappearing, your mind going dumb and your skin pale, before you knew it the weed had really gotten to you, you were seeing double,

the blunt was very close to your finger, you put it out on your flower and walked back inside, you already knew you had to break up with

her, but doing it face to face would hurt to much, so you sent her a voicemail, you had to stop yourself from tears before ringing her

number "hey Wands listen, i don't think were working out, please don't lie to me because i know you have been seeing vision, he's

better for you, if it takes as much as lying to me and going behind my back to love him, he must be great, this is my last goodbye before

cutting off all contact, your still so beautiful and kind and i hope he loves you better than i did, i-i i love you Wanda and i will never stop"

beep you stopped the voicemail, wiping your eyes and catching and uber to a hotel, you crashed there for the night, when you woke up

you checked your phone, 14 missed calls, 7 voice mails, and 26 messages from Wanda

you knew she was trying to apologize and get you back

but you can't win somebody back that you've already lost.

[lemon-russ]

hoooo boy. It is 3am. I started this at 1am. Almost stream of conscious writing. Lots of sex. Like, 3k words of sex. And I got emotional so like. Bone apple teeth, you heathens.

Fuck forgot tags, its too late lmao: @sleepyfan-blog @undeaddream @scriberye, and thanks @squishyowl for dividers

Part 17/ ???

< previous || next >

Ao3 || Taglist request ||

Cato Sicarius x F!Reader

CW: Sex. Just. Lot of sex.

Summary: Cato and ambassador reunite

word count: 3,219

Song: Like Real People Do - Hozier (even get some easy listening with all this porn)

There is a sharp knock on your office door, making you jump a little. It wasn't Guilliman's knock.

“It's Open” you call out, standing and trying to tidy yourself and your desk. You'd been daydreaming and doodling again, not actually working, and tried to hide the evidence of your slacking with other papers.

Your door slides open, and to your surprise, Cato stands there, leaning in the door jamb, smirking.

It takes you a moment to process what you're looking at, but in a second you're scrambling around your desk, knocking papers on the floor as you sprint to the door.

Cato looks a little surprised himself when you fling yourself into his arms. He catches you, chuckling as he lets you cling to him.

“You weren't worried, we're you, little Ambassador?” He asks through a soft laugh.

You pull back and look up at his face in astonishment. “You're- You're home!” You gasp in shock.

“That I am.” He said smoothly.

“You found a ride? From all that way?” You ask, leaning back in to hug his chest.

He chuckles and pets your hair. “That I did. Surely you didn't expect the Captain of the Second Company to be bested by, what, finding a ride home?” He replies with some disbelief.

You laugh, burying your face in his shirt and sighing as you take in his scent, like wood and spices. For a second you realize he must use cologne to purposely smell nice, and almost laugh at the thought of him preening himself so much when he acts so aloof.

“I didn't think you'd like, die-” you say, muffled by his fatigues shirt. “-but I also expected you to take longer getting back.”

He pulls you back to look at your face, smiling and sighing as he lifts your chin. “Ye of little faith, Ambassador. After sorting things out with Titus, I had secured a ride home by the next morning.”

You smile wide. You were surprised to see him but, he's right, as much as he is cocky, it isn't unearned.

“Still,” you say, leaning your face into his palm as he moves to cup your face, “I'm so, so happy to see you.” You say softly.

He makes a soft hum, “And I have been loosing my mind missing you.” He says, mirroring your tone.

He lifts you up a bit and takes a step into your office, hitting the control panel on the door and setting it to locked. You raise an eyebrow and look up at him curiously.

Before you can formulate a question, it's already answered by the look in his eyes.

Hunger.

“Cato…?” You ask anyways, but squeak when he picks you up and plops you on your desk. He cages you in with his arms, towering over your little human size desk and grinning ear to ear.

“I have really missed you, my little Ambassador…” he says with a huskier tone. He moves his mouth to your neck and starts trailing warm kisses down.

You shudder, chuckling shyly. “Seriously? I worry for 3 days, thinking you were dead on some back water agriworld-” you stifle a gasp as he nips at your throat gently, “-and th-the first thing you want to do is-”

“Fuck you? Yes.” He purrs, pushing you gently onto your back on the desk. You flush, but it isn't not working on you. You feel your core warming as his hands roam up your curves and he nibbles at your collar bone.

“I walked into my Primarchs office today expecting to be given a death oath.” He says in a low voice.

You gasp softly. You thought he'd be in trouble, but, a death oath? A chill runs down your spine at the thought of your Cato having to swear himself to a suicide mission for the dishonor of bedding you…

He sees the look of worry in your eyes and gives you a reassuring smile. “Ah, don't stress about it. I was being a little dramatic.” He chuckles.

He goes back to kissing down your chest, humming happily and tugging your shirt away. “But dramatic or not, I thought I was going to at worst be sent to die, and at best, never see my little Ambassador again.” He sighs against your skin. “Though I think I'd prefer the death oath to knowing you were there and I just couldn't be near you…” he murmurs between kisses.

You let out a sigh, running fingers through his hair, letting yourself be comforted by the fact that he's here and safe right now. “So… you're not in trouble…?” You ask.

He grimaces, resting a cheek on your breasts and looking up at you. “Well, I mean, I'm suspended for a minute. But, thankfully a little diplomat worked her magic over on Guilliman.” He said with a smirk. “He said he, what was it, pinky promised not to kill me?”

You chuckle and blush a little. “Hey, you're not supposed to know that. The contents of a pinky promise are highly confidential.” You tease.

He grins up at you, nuzzling into your chest. “Well, thanks to you, I'm not only not going to be killed in some fashion, but I've been given permission to keep seeing you.” His expression softened into one of warm admiration. “Have I ever told you you're quite skilled at your job…?” He chuckled.

You gasp and put a hand to your chest, mouth agape in feigned shock. “Captain Sicarius! Was that… was that a genuine compliment?!” You say aghast. “And of my silly diplomacy skills, no less! Don't I recall you once saying my job was, what was it-” you tap your chin. “Ah, ‘frivolous and a waste of imperial resources’ I believe were the words…”

He rolled his eyes, laughing gently. “Oh be quiet, don't make me regret being nice” he said, turning to playfully mouth at your chest with his teeth.

You laugh and push playfully back on him. “What? I'm just trying to get clarification, because surely the great Cato Sicarius isn't actually admitting some things can be talked out-”

You're interrupted by him tugging your shirt up and snapping your bra off in a quick motion, making you melt into giggles as he pulls you closer to the edge of the table by the hips.

“You can be quite mean to me, you know that?” He chuckles playfully, mouth assaulting your breasts and making you giggle harder, punctuated by light gasps when he finds your nipple.

“You-” you gasp, “you're calling- me mean-?” You stifle a small moan as his hand finds your other breast and starts playing with it in tandem.

“Yes.” He says between kissing and sucking your nipples. “Quite mean, actually. You're a little bully.”

You laugh and give him a small smack on the shoulder, only eliciting more chuckles from him.

“No no, you aren't turning this on me Cato Sicarius!” You try to scold between breathless giggles. His hand has started working its way under your pants and tugging them down, which greatly distracted from your indignant rage. “You're the bully here- you tripped me for fun! You would hide my paperwork and tell important nobles crazy rumors about me!”

He pops his mouth off your breast, laughing in a low growl as he tucks you further against him and finally pulls off your pants. “You have no proof that you weren't raised on an agriworld entirely dedicated to manure farming.” He says with a mischievous grin.

You huff and smack his chest uselessly. “That's not even a real thing! And you didn't say ‘manure farming’, you told the planetary governor I was raised as a shit shoveler!”

“Tomato tomato.” He says, flippantly waving a hand. You start to growl out an argument but your words die in your throat as he tugs off his pants and kicks them to the side in one movement.

“We're-” you rasp, eyes glued to him stroking himself between your knees, “We're coming back to this later, I won't forget it.” You manage.

He rumbles a low chuckle in his chest, pushing your knees apart. “Oh, of course. Can't miss an opportunity to berate me, can you, little bully?” He needles at you playfully, but your frustratingly are having trouble keeping your thoughts straight while his fingers are trying to work into you.

He makes a happy hum as you interrupt yourself with a sweet, soft moan when his finger gently pushes into you at last.

“What was that, Ambassador? It sounded like you had a well thought out argument to make-” he chuckles as he pushes it deeper into you, pulling another noise from your throat.

“Y-you- mmhhhf-” you moan, squirming under him as he leans in and starts kissing you across the neck and jaw.

“Speak up, Lady Ambassador.” He chuckles, “why, this is no way to conduct yourself in a negotiation, making all these noises…”

He cuts off your next attempt at words by capturing your mouth with his own, and pulls his finger free of your clasping depths. You whimper against his mouth at the emptiness, but you aren't left alone long as you feel the head of his cock prod at your now somewhat more prepared entrance.

He releases you from the kiss, pulling back to grin mischievously at you. “Well?”

You blink, bleary eyed and confused. “…well what…?” You rasp breathlessly.

“Well, aren't you going to defend yourself against all my ‘bullying?’” He teases, rubbing his head along your soaked lips.

You blink again. “D…defend….” You frown, “What- you're the one who always bullies me-”

He stops you with another kiss, making you whimper a needy noise. “Well, maybe do your job you're so good at, hm?” He grumbles in an amused tone. “Go on, negotiate.”

The gears slowly turn in your hazy brain. “Negotiate… so you'll fuck me…?” You mumble.

He pushes the head of his massive cock just barely into you, making your hips instinctively rock, seeking more. He holds you by the waist and chuckles. “That's right. Maybe if you can argue your way into it, I'll bully you over it less.”

You frown, furrowing your brow. “You are such a brat, Cato.” You sigh.

You try and think through your sluggish, hazy thoughts. To negotiate, you just need to know what the other actually wants, and what they aren't willing to give up. Cato might think himself clever- and in all aspects of war he is. But when it comes to emotions, especially his own? The man barely figured out he liked you romantically, then was snappy while fucking you in a cave.

You clearly have the advantage.

“Fine.” You say, crossing your arms and putting one leg over the knee of the other. “I don't feel like playing your games today, Cato. You can't come into my office, days after me worrying for you, toss me on my desk and then push me around.”

He frowns, hands still holding your waist. “What?” He asks flatly.

“I don't want to play this game.” You repeat, huffing. “You can go. Find me when you actually want to fuck me.”

He looks like he was slapped. “You-” he sputters. “You're not serious.”

You shrug, turning your face away. “Nope, lost your chance.”

His mouth falls open a little. “I- I mean- I was just joking-”

You shrug again.

He frowns, scrunching his forehead hard. “Come on, little Ambassador, I just thought we were playing-” he says, voice tinged slightly with desperation as he rubs your crossed knees.

You pout. “I dunno. Didn't sound like playing.” you huff.

He frowns harder. “I- I mean- I'm sorry. Please don't throw a tantrum.”

You give him a small scowl of annoyance, and he snaps his mouth shut so fast you can hear his teeth click. “Sorry, sorry, not a tantrum-” he says, nervously clearing his throat. “Please, can we just…?” He smiles nervously, rubbing your thighs.

Your suppress a smirk. He's so easy to tease.

“Please what?” You say, unable to keep the amusement out of your voice.

He blinks at you, then grimaces. “Oh, come on-” he starts before you smile and shake your head.

“You won't be coming on anything if you can't use your words. Go on, Captain. Negotiate. I'm open to begging.” You smirk.

His jaw falls open again. “You crafty little-” he shakes his head and sighs, leaning over your legs. “Please, little Ambassador?” He says, cheeks tinged pink.

You grin. “Use your words, Captain.”

He groans. “Please can I fuck you?” He mumbles, cheeks warming further.

“You don't sound like you want it very badly.” You say with a mischievous grin. You uncross your legs.

He sighs and smiles, eyeing your teasing sex before leaning over you again. He cups your face, leaning his lips down to your ear.

“I need you, my little vixen.” He whispers with warm breath ticking your ear.

You swallow to sooth your suddenly very dry throat. “Oh-?” You rasp.

He prods at you with his head again. “Mm, I need you. I've thought of nothing but how you feel wrapped around my cock for three days…” he purrs, nuzzling your jaw. “Please, please let me have you…” he whispers huskily before nibbling at your earlobe.

You have a split second thought that you may need to get rehydrated after this with how quickly wetness rushes between your legs at his sweet, desperate words.

He feels your slickness and chuckles, rubbing the head of his cock between your lips and making lewd, wet noises from it. “Is that a yes, little vixen?” He rumbles softly.

“I- I suppose- I think I can spare a moment of my- busy schedule-” you barely rasp out.

He grins against your neck. “Then we have come to an excellent, mutually beneficial agreement. I suppose my earlier praise stands, you're pretty good at your job.” He teases, then lines himself up and pushes into your slick entrance.

A deep, husky groan is ripped from your lungs as he stretches you. Your hands instinctively cling to his neck and tangle in his hair.

“Uhnf- Cato-” you moan, head falling back and hair cascading across the still paperwork covered desk.

He lets out a deep, primal groan of his own, voice shuddering. “By the throne, you feel-” he moaned gruffly, “-amazing- I don't think I'll ever tire of this feeling-”

He sank deeper, filling you in a way you've been craving since he last had you. He bottoms out and sighs. He pants softly and grins down at you, flushed and squirming and panting little hitching noises.

“Holy Terra, you're beautiful like this.” He says almost dreamily. He tucks some hair behind your ear. “You're mine, right?” He purrs, rocking slowly in and out of you.

Your eyes roll back a moment as he starts to move. “Cato-” you groan.

He chuckles again. “That doesn't answer my question, my lady~” he slows his movement, making you whimper. “Tell me you're mine.” He demands in a soft, heady voice.

Your mind wipes blank a moment. “I- I'm yours-” you rasp, and you're rewarded with his cadence picking up again.

“That's right-” he pants, falling forward to cage your head in with his arms. “Mine-” he growls. “A-again-”

You gasp needily as his hips start slapping to yours faster, the sound of your thighs meeting his muscular stomach echoing with his balls slapping against your ass as he moves.

“I- I'm yours-” you pant out again, “yours- yours-”

He lets out a primal noise as he curls around you and begins hammering into you, losing himself in instinct. “Mine, mine, mine-” he snarls softly into your ear, pulling you sharply down to meet him every thrust like a toy. You worry a moment as you hear the wood creak on your poor desk, but it's drowned out in your mind when he slams back into you.

You feel your mind going hazy, lost in the feeling of being stretched over his cock over and over. As your gasps get higher and higher pitched, he pulls back just a little to watch your face with a dazed smile. “Mine…” he murmurs, cupping your chin and tilting yor face to meet his eyes. “I want to watch your face when you come for me.” He rasps huskily between pants. “I want to see that sweet face fall apart with how good I make you feel. How good it feels when I make you mine-” he growls softly.

You feel your stomach tighten at hia words, and its hard to keep your eyes on his as you feel your orgasm edge closer each deep thrust. “Cato-” you gasp. “I- I- unff-”

He grins at you, eyes lidded and breath coming in ragged gasps. “Good girl, look at you, so pretty like this-”

You whimper again, fists grasping desperately at the papers on your desk.

“Cato-! Cato!” You pant.

“Cato- I- oh throne-” you desperately grab for him and he holds you up by the back so you can press your forehead to his, looking up desperately into his eyes.

You gasp sharply as you feel the tightness snap in your belly, your walls squeezing his still pistoning cock in you.

“I love you-!” You cry out as you come.

He stumbles for a half second, eyes going wide and jaw slacking. Then he follows suit with you, and you feel him start to twitch in you as he snaps back into thrusting.

“Oh, throne-” he groans your name, then pants it hazily as you feel the full force of him like you haven't before, filling you to almost uncomfortable tightness before his come can spill out from you.

He hilts into you a few times more before collapsing around you, one knee on your desk, elbows holding him from crushing you while he gulped air like he was drowning.

Your fuck hazed mind slowly catches up with you.

Did you just-

During sex--!?

Your delirious warmth starts creeping with cold panic as you look up at his face- but it's quickly stopped when his mouth crashes into yours.

His tongue pushes needily around yours, and you quickly return it best you can, losing the fight against his aggressive, possessive need.

He breaks the kiss, both of you gasping, and holds your face between his hands.

Your eyes go wide again when you see his eyes are wet with unshed tears. He's fighting back crying clearly by the way his mouth keeps trying to tug down at the corners, the way his forehead is scrunched between his brows-

“I love you, too.” He whispers.

You don't realize you're crying until his thumb wipes a tear from your cheek. Much more softly, he leans in and kisses you again

[adamsmasher]

Okay it's after 1am and I've had a lot of wine so obviously it's time for a late night wall-of-text post, but this time it's less likely to piss off your weird uncle or whatever because once again, I gotta talk about the best $4.99 a month I've ever spent.

Please, if you haven't yet, I'm begging you to look into all of the incredible content available on the Dropout.tv streaming service (formerly known as College Humor) . Not only did Whose Line Is It Anyway's Wayne Brady say that the Dropout crew are the only ones doing improv comedy on the same level as Whose Line, but they were also one of the only studios/streaming services allowed to work during the writers' strike because their contracts went above and beyond industry standards. (And, from my own observations, Dropout LOVES hiring queer, trans/nonbinary, and BIPOC performers + crew. Obviously I don't know much about the industry, but they seem like one of the most inclusive companies in Hollywood.)

"Alex, thanks for the recommendation! What shows do they have that you think I'll like?" Oh, you're asking me to gush about my favorite tv shows? Don't mind if I do!!!

Are you D&D curious, but took one look at actual play shows like Critical Role and thought "6 hours an episode? and there's like 750 episodes or whatever? oh baby not my adhd ass..." Don't worry, me too (sorry CR I love you I promise). But Dropout has a show called "Dimension 20" where comedians play Dungeons and Dragons with emotional, immersive storytelling, gut-busting laughs, and spectacular set design that makes you forget it's a fully improvised series controlled by the roll of the dice. They even did a miniseries perfect for D&D beginners called "Dungeons and Drag Queens" where absolute novices and Drag Race royalty Jujubee, Monet X Change, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Bob the Drag Queen embark on an adventure full of mystery, intrigue, and stupidity. I mean, Alaska plays a muscle-bound, axe-wielding, caveman-grunting Orc named Princess, what more could you want? Plus, the primary game master Brennan Lee Mulligan is so easy on the eyes. Oh, you're not into dorky ginger dudes? How about Aabria Iyengar, a 6 foot tall goddess who's equally as nerdy as Brennan but loves basketball. that's right, if nothing else, there's eye candy for every person in every season.

"Oh, why aren't there any good game shows on TV?" you wonder, wishing that the Game Show Network could come up with something that isn't a lame remake of a free-to-play phone game. Well how about Game Changer, "the only game show where the game changes every show (except for [...] Game of Games, Taskmaster, and a few others that have come to light AFTER [Game Changer first aired]. That's right, [the] players have no idea what game it is they're about to play. The only way to learn is by playing, the only way to win is by learning, and the only way to begin is by beginning." And yes, I did sit there and watch the beginning of an episode to make sure I was accurately quoting Game Changer host (and Dropout CEO) Sam Reich's description of his flaghship game show that has THREE separate spin-offs. (for context, he only mentions the other shows that copied his in the one episode I pulled up to get an accurate quote. could you imagine how uncomfortable it would be if he said that every episode? hah!)

Are you more of a traditional Whose Line fan? Look no further than Game Changer spin-off Make Some Noise, where contestants act out "improvisational prompts that [they have] never seen before, isn't that right contestants?" ("We won't know if we've seen them before or not until we see them!" Brennan insists every time he's on...)

You like musicals but wish they were less... ya know, scripted? Check out "Play It By Ear", a fully improvised musical! (you may be familiar with its primary cast members Jess McKenna and Zach Reino from the podcast that inspired it all, "Off Book: the Improvised Musical Podcast with Zach and Jess")

Or maybe you're more into trivia, cuz you're a total nerd like me (and every single performer that's ever appeared on dropout.tv). How about "Umm, Actually" where contestants are given an incorrect statement and have to buzz in to correct it - but you have to say "Umm, Actually" first!

Straight up, you can't go wrong on Dropout. Please, check it out. They're nearly doubling the amount of original shows they have in 2024, and no other streaming service is doing it like them. If I haven't convinced you yet, get the 7 day trial and give em a chance. There's no referral code I can give you that gives me some sort of kickback or whatever, I genuinely wrote what looks like a thousand word essay about Dropout at 1am just because I love them so much.

[lakesbian]

anyway what i was going to say about why redditors are wrong about shipping aisha and alec is they always want to turn them into some like. functional established relationship between two 20yos in terms of dynamic when they are in fact two 14-15yos with nightmarishly bad relationships to sexuality and the busiest deadliest lives on the planet. that's a lie taylor has the busiest deadliest life on the planet but aisha and alec are up there.anyway my point is i think you can decently textually support & am endeared to the idea of them being First Ever Best Friends (i think aisha has had elementary school best friends before but not middle school ones and the junior high genre of best friend hits different. alec has never had any close friends at all though so it's doing things to his brain like you wouldnt believe he's out there texting her memes like his life depends on it for the dopamine hit when she responds) with tiny little crushes on each other that theyre traumatized-teen strange about. but its crucial that neither of them want nor are capable of the typical trappings and mores of a romantic relationship. like i think in aisha's 1am falling-asleep daydreams about the Cool Supervillain Future they're ambiguously together but all she's actually doing is putting her hand on his hand when they're hanging out sometimes and then immediately casually pulling it away if he actually does anything acknowledging that she's doing it. and alec has like 50 psychological walls in place to keep him from ever acknowledging that he likes anything because he's used to having anything he likes too much taken away. so he'd never admit to himself that he likes her and he's only capable of directly complimenting her if he's ironic about it. but he would still rank the night they stayed up watching bad reality tv (aisha's choice) together & then he woke up at 4 am and realized she was asleep leaning on his chest and drooling all over his t-shirt as his favorite night in the past 15 years. do you see my vision. i'm not tagging this one as worm spoilers this is targeted aisha alec propaganda for tumblr user taylorhebertstherapist.

[teawithnosugar]

Late Nights

Bff!Ellie x Street Racer!Reader

CW: a little angst, a little fluff, situationship things WORDS: 0.7k SYNOPSIS: You and your best friend Ellie aren’t made for relationships, but that doesn’t stop the lingering touches and kisses (Modern AU) SONG: Heat Waves - Glass Animals

"Sometimes all I think about is you"

AN: I'M SO SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT BUT I WAS OUT YESTERDAY AND HAD NO TIME TO WRITE SO THIS WAS KINDA RUSHED 😭 Kinda inspired by this video I saw on Pinterest

Knock

Knock

“Jesus Christ I don’t have the ti-“ Ellie pauses after harshly opening her front door, eyes finding yours. You stifle a laugh, you marveled at how her anger crumbled in that instant. "Well hello to you too, Sour Mood~" you chuckled, playfully taunting the brunette. Rolling her eyes, she restrained herself from scanning you from head to toe, the sight of your short skirt dancing in the gentle breeze was an irresistible spectacle.

“The fuck are you doing here at 1am, shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” You retorted with a grin. You wrapped your arm around hers, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. You tried to calm the butterflies that flapped their wings violently in your stomach. You did this with everyone, you kissed and made out with all your friends, but Ellie reserved such intimacies for you alone... and the occasional girls she dated, a realization that now lingered awkwardly, causing you to clear your throat.

She tried to seem unamused with your response, but your lips on her skin sent a wave of…something all throughout her body.

“Shut up, what do you want?” she said with a sigh.

“Wanna go for a drive?” you smiled widely. You had gone to a party before going here. You met up with Dina and she told you Ellie was feeling down so you wanted to cheer her up the way you always did.

She groaned softly, “who told you? Jesse? Dina?” You snorted “not gonna drop names dude, I got you some weed too anyways. It’s in the car~” you sang, wiggling your brow at hers.

With another sigh, she made her way towards your car. Its pink exterior was adorned with decals, reflecting your passion for street racing, ensuring that your vehicle garnered as much adoration  from your audience as you did.

You skipped to the driver’s seat, Ellie already buckled in. The inside of your car had all kinds of buttons, neon lights and screens no normal car had. Towering speakers were affixed in front of the passenger seat. When you first revealed your car to Ellie five years ago, during high school, she fell head over heels for you. Reaching into the cup holder, you retrieved a ziplock bag filled with weed and tossed it her way. “Bought it with my prize money from the last race,” you declared with a grin. She chuckled softly, whispering a heartfelt "thank you."

The drive was quiet, windows down, the city whizzing past as you maintained a pace slightly exceeding the legal limit. You didn't ask about the cause of her anger; you never did. You knew her well enough to know that if it was really worth it, she’d talk about it immediately. You were wrong this one time though. Yesterday, at another party, a girl was talking about you and it pissed her off. She belittled you, reducing you to another good fuck. Ellie was pissed at the way that girl talked about you like you were nothing because you were her everything. She seethed with an overwhelming jealousy because you let someone like that bitch touch you so intimately and it frustrated her. You noticed the ride barely lightened her mood, her brows still furrowed and an intense anger in her eyes as she kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead. So you decided to put a hand on her thigh as you drove, hoping your touch was enough to pull her away from her thoughts just a little. You both knew of the mutual affection that had simmered for years, yet you also knew that neither of you were suited for relationships. It was something unspoken but you both understood it. You were too needy, craving more than what one person could possibly provide. You both had no safety or love for years and while you were making up for it by searching for what you lacked in the touches of strangers and friends alike, Ellie wasn’t like that. The years turned her cold, freezing her emotions, casting others aside, and leaving her adrift in the sea of detachment.. You’d never make it as a couple, but as friends? It was manageable somehow. So you settled for stolen moments, stolen glances, stolen touches, and the sweet kisses you’d give her tonight and every night after that spoke volumes without the need for words. Under your touch, she visibly relaxes. She places her hand atop yours, gently turning it over to entwine your fingers with hers. The rest of the drive was quiet and peaceful. You didn’t need the formal commitment of a relationship, not when in the depths of these late nights, the only thoughts that consumed you were of one another.

[atzjieun]

[240805 FROMM UPDATE]

[02:15 PM KST] | [01:15 AM EDT]

JIEUNIE SOPHIE hiiii tinys~ (PM 02:15)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE it’s been a while since i’ve been here, right? (PM 02:15)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE sorry for not being very active 😓 (PM 02:16)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE i’ll try harder in the future! (PM 02:16)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE wow so many international atiny are awake (PM 02:16)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE it’s 1am here though? (PM 02:16)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE ah i see. i guess people just don’t sleep during sunmer break (PM 02:18)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE yes i’ve been exploring all the cities! (PM 02:19)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE i know my reputation ㅋㅋㅋ but i promise i’ve gone out (PM 02:19)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE there were a few days i stayed at the hotel because i was tired, but the members drag me out often (PM 02:19)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE i went to a restaurant with mingi-oppa and yeosang-oppa the other day! (PM 02:20)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE the food was so good!! best steak i’ve ever had and i ate so much i thought i’d explode (PM 02:20)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE toronto and illinois atiny!! please give me some food recommendations 😊 (PM 02:21)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE i like trying local food places 🥰 it’s fun to see what different foods are popular here (PM 02:21)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE ah, what did i do today? (PM 02:21)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE well earlier i went out for brunch with hongjoong-oppa (PM 02:21)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE then i worked out at the gym for a bit (PM 02:21)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE and then took a shower and have been resting since (PM 02:22)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE wooyoung-oppa and i were watching a movie (PM 02:22)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE mamma mia of course <3 (PM 02:22)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE you guys want a tmi? (PM 02:23)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE hmm… (PM 02:23)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE ack it hurts (PM 02:24)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE wooyoung’s laying on my leg and cutting off my circulation (PM 02:24)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE he fell asleep while watching mamma mia!! a crime, really (PM 02:24)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE that’s why i came to talk to atiny~ (PM 02:25)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE no, i’m not going to send a photo of him asleep (PM 02:25)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE i did take some, but those will stay between the members for now ㅋㅋㅋ (PM 02:26)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE maybe i’ll use them for blackmail later (PM 02:26)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE some people are asking for another mamma mia cover (PM 02:27)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE maybe one day! (PM 02:27)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE i've been working on a lot of things in between shows (PM 02:27)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE no spoilers~ (PM 02:28)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE LOL someone's asking what i'm getting mingi for his birthday (PM 02:28)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE nice try mingi-oppa (PM 02:28)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE i know its you (PM 2:29)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE i might try to sleep soon (PM 02:29)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE i forgot i'm going out with the others tomorrow (PM 02:29)

JIEUNIE SOPHIE goodnight north american atinys <3 please go to sleep (PM 02:30)

a/n: jiwoo are officially no longer fighting in real time :) the details of their fight will be shared one day LMAO

a/n 2.0: the layout for the fromm post was inspired by the lovely @ateezjuliet :”)

[thatwitchrevan]

I finished the game again and unlocked the gallery! it's honestly very confusing and idk if it's because it's 1am or because there's so much missing right now or I just don't get it yet, but it's definitely not clear to me at this point what exactly each category is - like is everything under 'the end of everything' a full ending or is it versions of endings?

(The sound design for it is very icky and cool tho)

it not being retroactive is very unfortunate since I'd already 100%ed the game, meaning that I have to do it again if I want the gallery completed and the achievement for 100%ing the game again, and also leaving massive holes making it harder for me to figure out what I'm missing. but I will complete it all again and in a way the necessity of essentially starting over makes it easier to discover and rediscover everything without having to wiki everything.

I have no clue yet where a new ending would be. I'm extremely curious. but I played through the new Damsel chapter, the new Spectre chapter, and the expanded versions of the Fury, Apotheosis, and Den. My favorite was absolutely the Happily Ever After route.

Spoilers now, just a bit.

But god, that was both exactly what I wanted from Damsel's character and far more than I could have expected. I've always liked the Damsel and wished there was more that could come of her deterioration into a satellite love interest and object of our fantasy. I wanted an eventuality where she could either degrade to her ultimate conclusion, rebel, or actualize, or ideally a combination. The chapter we got was just so fulfilling and well done. I think what I like about this game most is that it never stops feeling fresh and taking new and meaningful approaches to its characters and storyline, and doing things you don't expect but that make perfect sense.

Smitten splitting off and enforcing this pantomime of a domestic fantasy of romance was just such a natural arc of corruption and failure, and the chapter was just so aesthetically interesting. It's also one of the sweetest bits in the game if you leave and dance with her. I adored it.

I also really loved the Spectre's new route, especially for changing the game even more. I am not over that. You are probably not over that either. Holy shit dude. I am gonna sock Opportunist in the nose. Beak. Whatever.

I haven't got to play the Prisoner's new bit yet but I hope there's a similar aspect of the voices doing weird stuff and getting to see them from an outside perspective because that would be some great narrative symmetry and I loved it in both these other routes. I think there's something about the voices being such distilled embodiments of their driving traits that makes them utterly fantastic and sympathetic at their best (like Paranoid keeping us alive in the Nightmare and Smitten and Cheated having compassion and love for the Thorn), and terrifying, cruel, and craven at their worst (Smitten holding the Damsel hostage, Opportunist just in general). The duality of man and all that.

I love the new additions to the Fury, Apotheosis, and Den, they're all my best girls and I love how much more there is to explore with each one. Overall the new music and art and sound design is all so tasty.

And as far as the horror, I have definitely got more of it, lmao. I think the most disturbing thing is the unsettling dinner in Happily Ever After. But the Dragon was also. Incredibly unsettling.

bird man...

[auroratumbles]

VARIOUS // middle of the night

you text your significant other in the middle of the night.

literallt just pure crack

wanderer, kaeya, childe, diluc, ayato

CHILDE

YOU - hi pookie snookie dookie lookie 😋

CHILDE - i- uhhh… love, you do realise it’s 2am? 😨

YOU - yeah, and?

CHILDE - why are you up?

YOU - I could ask you the same question 😋😋

CHILDE - stopp why do u always know how to shut me upppp 😭😭

YOU - it’s part of dating me lololol

CHILDE - well… i was thinkifn of ur birthday and what i should do

YOU - …my birthday’s in 3 months-

CHILDE - i- um- i like to be prepared! anyways, why r u up?

YOU - i was thinking...

CHILDE - DONT LEAVE ME HANGINGGG

YOU - i was thinking of you ;)

KAEYA

YOU - hey male elsa my bbg ;)

KAEYA - ...snowflake, it's 1am.

YOU - soo?

KAEYA - go to sleep

YOU - nty :)

KAEYA - do you want to find me at your window telling you to sleep at 1am?

YOU - ...it was a mistake telling you my address.

KAEYA - but you still love me <3

DILUC

YOU - hi love~

DILUC - you are in the other room right now. i will walk into your room and force you to sleep because it is currently 4am and not sleeping is not healthy.

YOU - but whyyyyyyy?

DILUC - you're gonna be tired the whole day. do you want that?

YOU - but we aren't going anywhere! it's going to be sunday!!

DILUC - i will personally arrange a dinner with many guests at 5pm just so you will sleep to look your best.

YOU - no thanks~

diluc walks into your room to see you still on your phone. he silently steps in front of you and glares at you.

"go to sleep."

WANDERER

YOU - hi loml my pookie bear my one and only

WANDERER - go to sleep. right now. i will literally hunt you down.

YOU - :o for once you didn't protest at the nicknames!! i'm screenshotting this!!

WANDERER - ...why must you be so irritating?

YOU - but you love meee~

WANDERER - i hate that i love you.

YOU - YOU ADMITTED ITTT SCREENSHOTTING AGAIN

WANDERER - just go to sleep. please? for me?

AYATO

YOU - ayatooooooo my loveeeeeee

AYATO - it's currently 3am. are you alright, my dear?

YOU - i'm not alright whenever i'm not with you :(

AYATO - you saw me just a few hours ago. however, if you wish, i can come to your room and stay there for the night.

YOU - NONO ITS ALRIGHT IM FINE I WAS JUST TRYING TO FLUSTER YOU

AYATO - oh? that's quite amusing. i'm usually the one that flusters you. however, i do know that you like a challenge.

YOU - nopeeee you never fluster me

AYATO - mhm, sure. then how about i take you out on a date tomorrow? then we'll see if you are indeed correct.

YOU - *CONFUSED SCREAMING*

A/N: screaming giggling blushing kicking my feet while writing this

also, @yelshin your bbg ayato is here

[shmreduplication]

the crazy thing about watching the same handful of rwrb clips too many times is that eventually you realize that the movie part of the movie is actually also very good

basically: the location of the two men gives insight into what Henry is thinking about at any given moment. When Alex is on his right, Henry is thinking about his public (heterosexual) persona. Alex on the left, Henry is thinking about his private (homosexual) persona. With some caveats, like sometimes they are facing each other and Alex is still on the left from the camera's perspective.

OK let's get to some pics:

This is right after the first comment about Alex needing to be on the right because of protocol (camera's left, which is the direction i'm going to use for the rest of this post for the sake of consistency and ease)

This is the first time they are on screen together in the movie

In the lead-up to the incident, they are being rude to each other to hide (to themselves and each other) how attracted they are to each other. So in this moment Henry's thoughts are more about him being gay than about his public image, and lo, Alex is on the right

there's a little bit of a tussle that results in them on the floor and this slow-mo shot of their reaction to a giant cake falling on top of them. Alex is on the left again as Henry takes this split second to think about what his life is going to be like after the cake falls on them

literally shoved into a closet together, god I love when stuff that has gay text and gay supertext also has gay subtext. Henry is thinking about "why does this beautiful man I have a crush on hate me so bad :'(" and Alex is on the right

ok they're on the phone in this scene and not actually in bed next to each other but the topic of conversation is how much Alex has learned of Henry's private persona so Henry is thinking about how much of it to reveal because they're almost real friends at this point (Henry's real friends know he's gay). There is also continuity that every time one of them is on a bed, they're on the same side shown here, which could cause inconsistency with my whole premise of this post BUT i'm going to say it actually further justifies everything I'm saying because Henry really is nearly always thinking about his public persona

Henry is trying to come out to Alex. It is not going as planned. This is one of two shots that inspired this whole post

Henry went into this room thinking Alex was going to yell at him for being gay so he's just having every possible thought at once now, and also they're facing each other so even tho they just kissed and Alex is on the left, my point still stands

Henry takes a second to figure out that rn is the time to think gay thoughts, not sad thoughts about acting hetero in public and they IMMEDIATELY SWITCH SIDES OF THE SCREEN

A secret service agent walks in and Henry fucking dives back to the right side of the screen

The euphoria of finding out his crush likes him back is all he can think about in the next scene, even tho they are extremely in public and have just talked to the US prez/Alex's mom and the UK PM

ok it's 1am and it would be insane to do every scene and I fee like i've made my point but I do want to post two more pics:

NOO ALEX DON'T LAY DOWN THERE!!!! that's his right side even tho from the camera's perspective you are kinda on the right! that's so risky!!!!!!!!!! Also the straight lines are pointing downward to the right which is often a visual metaphor for things about to go downhill (in cultures that read left-to-right)

Alex starts talking about collapsing their private and public lives together and wow look at that, the camera also did its best to collapse Alex being on the right and being on the left together in the second shot that inspired this post

[magical-shoujo-anon]

★ You clearly have not seen any magical girl media! I personally recommend the manga Magical Girl Incident, based off what I can tell from your personality right now! ★

... Someone seems to have been magical girl-fied without my knowledge, it seems.

Should I treat you like all the people I gave magical abilities...? Should I just forget about you...? This is very confusing.

Magical Shoujo anon

… There’s an entire guy for this?

[mylivejournalsucks]

Bottleneck.

I went to Minneapolis for work: the birthplace of Brenda and Brandon Walsh, the city where Mavis from Young Adult calls home. I was being interviewed at a college in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I do college talks as often as they'll have me. To be frank, the money is good. I think back to all the colleges I visited back in my Thought Catalog days—Princeton, Yale, UCLA, McGill, Emerson, University of Vermont—when I didn't have an agent and students would ask me what my quote was.

"Um, just pay for my flight and hotel? IDC!" I said.

One time I gathered up the courage to ask for $500. Now I know I could've made more than my yearly salary.

But it's not about the money. Not entirely. I've realized, especially in recent years, that I love dedicating chunks of time to things that have nothing to do with my Real Life. Getting flown to a city I would never go to ordinarily, researching restaurants, eating the local cuisine (aka going on Grindr) feeling beholden to no one, getting to talk to a group of kids who've been spent the last few years living primarily with Ideas, it's heaven. It feels luxurious, like a nibble of dark chocolate before bed. Sometimes I think if I could live the bulk of my life as a bottle episode—nothing of story consequence, could stand on its own or be cut for time—I would. Bottle episodes are typically the strongest, anyway. They don't have to be bogged down with exposition or serialization. They can just exist and show off the good bones of a TV show.

As you get older, it's harder to just exist. Suddenly everything has consequence, everything is connected. We've designed our lives to to be constantly building, building, building. Go here to get there.

When I'm in these random cities, I'm going fucking nowhere. I'm laying in my hotel bed, AC blasting, watching episodes of Chopped at 1am, my jet-lagged face lit up by my laptop. I'm Googling "Best coffee in Minneapolis" I'm drinking the best coffee in Minneapolis (really good, tbh) I'm working out in the hotel gym with the other mentally ill freaks who can't go three days without exercise endorphins, I'm thinking about going to this museum everyone is raving about while knowing full well I am never going to go, I'm answering an email or two, I'm accidentally getting a huge chunk of writing done—writing that would've taken me a week in Los Angeles—because nobody knows me here, nothing is expected of me. I have nowhere to be. I am really horny all of the time. Hotels put you in that frame of mind. The bed says: "Why are you not having sex with a stranger on me? That's what I'm here for." And then sometimes I do have sex with a stranger. If it's good, the place I'm visiting will suddenly feel like home. Now that I've had a local's penis inside of me, I get why people live here. If it's bad, the limits of the bottle episode will be tested when I fly back in a rotten mood.

Does my enjoyment of these "work trips" belie a larger dissatisfaction with my real life? Yes. No. Maybe. Fuck off.

A state of unease has settled on my chosen city, Los Angeles. The industry I work in is like a weather forecast. And just like the real weather, there's been an inordinate amount of rain. Something's not right. (actual weather: Climate change, Hollywood: Monopoly is being adapted into a movie.) No one knows how to fix it. When will the person in charge come back? Wait. You're telling me there was never a person in charge? Oh no.

Of course, my ego requires me to say I am one of the lucky ones in that I currently, as of this writing, have a job. But even in bustling times, a writer feels insecure. Being prosperous means knowing what the next six months of your life looks like. That's it. And then it's back to planting those seeds knowing most won't bear any fruit. (I spend three days in the Midwest and I'm trying out farming metaphors.)

When I am in these cities or small towns, I am there for a job, which means I know money is coming in. And anything happening back in Los Angeles is none of my goddamn business. Until it has to be.

These cities I visit are full of ambitious people but I project so much on to them. They've chosen to live in cities with affordable housing and James Beard award-winning restaurants. Any unease they feel comes from within and not from watching the Hollywood stock market, otherwise known as the trades. Their lives belong to them whereas I don't know if mine totally does. There's so much powerlessness that comes with my profession. What if a network that is paying my mortgage merges with a Sbarro's tomorrow and, poof, no more job? I wish I were joking but the only comedy getting made right now is Real Life, streaming everywhere.

I want to figure out how to live life more like a bottle episode. How can I take this back to Los Angeles without becoming irresponsible? I don't want a different life. I just want my life to stop feeling different. I want things to go back to "normal" which, for Hollywood, is still crazy but, like, I'm not scared of Sbarro's taking my job.

I am a cynical optimist. Everything is cyclical. It will land somewhere. But, in the meantime, how do you stay inspired when you are told everybody is looking for things that are "safe" which is code for "nothing that comes out of your faggot gimp brain?" How am I supposed to feel when I see my business chasing after IP no one gives a shit about and spending $200 million because they can only conceive of teeny tiny or big bang boom? Baby Reindeer is one of the most popular TV shows right now. I haven't seen it yet but it's a show with no stars (no offense!) and no action figures. Just people trying to figure out less painful ways to be alive, like all the best kind of art explores. It reminds me of Fleabag's success. When your premise is simple, you can be complex. And, yet, I feel like the wrong lesson will be metabolized. "Stalkers! Let's reboot the movie Disclosure, even though no one watched it the first time!"

The thing is, we're all miserable living under these mandates. And, yet, we made the rules. If only someone would just realize no one is coming to save us. We have to save ourselves.

Anyway, my favorite bottle episode is Girls, season two, episode five "One Man's Trash." A show everyone is rediscovering but probably wouldn't get made today for reasons that are made up and nobody understands or agrees with.