#not sure if its allowed but ask oliver things

[totentnz]

i dont know how to say this without sounding problematic but i wish you could romance kerry without romancing him

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for Cheshire behind the cut; Billy adopts Conner and it actually goes pretty good! (( chrono || non-chrono ))

Lynn gives him a funny look a couple of times, for some reason. Billy hopes he’s not, like, being weird or getting in the way. He just thinks it’s kinda cool to watch somebody cook, and it’s Lynn’s first time, even, so–well, that’s kinda cool too. 

Maybe he should be taking pictures, actually, since it is Lynn’s first time cooking and he’s got a phone he could do it with now anyway, but Lynn might think that was weird? Like, baby pictures are usually of literal babies who don’t really have an opinion on being cooed over and stuff, that’s all. 

. . . well, it’s probably not too weird to take pictures once the food’s done, Billy figures, sneaking a speculative peek at the oven. People do that, right? That’s a thing people do. 

Even though it’s his first time cooking, Lynn definitely looks like he knows what he’s doing. Billy figures that makes sense, ‘cuz Lynn doesn’t walk or talk or move like he’s new to any of that either. He’s careful and deliberate about it, but not, like, really awkward about it. Like . . . it’s unfamiliar, maybe–not reflexive, maybe?–but Lynn clearly still knows how to do it all. 

So like–Cadmus taught him some stuff, at least, Billy allows grudgingly. A little bit. Definitely their priorities were stupid, though. 

No stories, even. 

Assholes. 

Lynn seasons the potatoes–mostly with the olive oil and garlic, but a bit of salt and pepper too–and then puts them in the oven. He gets the asparagus seasoned too–more olive oil and garlic–but doesn’t put it in the oven with the potatoes, just sets its pan aside and moves onto mixing up a little . . . sauce, Billy guesses? Like, kinda? The mustard and brown sugar and more garlic all went in it and not much else, but it looks like a sauce once Lynn’s done with it, which is also when Billy realizes he stopped helping him to just watch him and is immediately embarrassed. 

“Um, what next?” he asks quickly, glancing towards the recipe again. 

“The glaze goes on the salmon,” Lynn says. Okay, Billy thinks; not a sauce, then. Apparently not a sauce, anyway. Unless glazes are a kind of sauce? Billy doesn’t actually know, come to think, it’s never really come up before. 

. . . Solomon is really letting him down here, actually. Can the wisdom of Solomon not cook? 

Admittedly the wisdom of Solomon thinks of pottery when Billy thinks “glaze”, mostly, but– 

Focus. He’s focused. Definitely he’s focused. But also Lynn is already holding the little bowl of glaze for the salmon, so he’s not sure how to be, like–helpful or anything without being weird or pushy or getting in the way or anything and– 

Um. 

“Okay,” Billy says very awkwardly, hiding his hands behind his back and only wringing them a little while they’re back there. It’s fine, he figures. Lynn can’t see it, so yeah–it’s fine. 

. . . probably, anyway? Does Lynn have X-ray vision, or . . . ? Well, actually, does Lynn know if he has X-ray vision, even, or– 

Yeah. Um. Billy should probably, like, concentrate on dinner for right now. 

So he concentrates on dinner, which mostly means concentrating on following Lynn around the kitchen–it is such a big kitchen, geez–while also trying to stay out of his way. Lynn glazes the salmon, or maybe sauces it, and then sets it aside with the asparagus and starts washing the dishes they’ve used so far–well, the dishes he’s used, mostly, because Billy hasn’t done very much there, admittedly–and then Billy really doesn’t know what to do. He rereads the recipe a couple times, but he’s not actually sure how closely Lynn’s actually following it, he’s realizing? Like–he’s kind of following it, yeah, but not, like, exactly following it? 

Or maybe Billy just doesn’t understand recipes. Because, like, that might also be a thing? 

That’s probably a thing, yeah. 

“What’s a ‘tsssp’?” he asks curiously, frowning at the recipe. 

“. . . uh. You mean a teaspoon?” Lynn asks, looking up from the dishes with a frown of his own. 

“Maybe, I guess?” Billy squints at the page. The wisdom of Solomon, again, is not proving helpful. Like at all. 

Well, he guesses kings probably don’t cook, considering. And definitely they don’t cook in modern American measurements, if nothing else. 

“. . . it’s a teaspoon,” Lynn says, still frowning. He looks–weird, a little. 

“Um–sorry,” Billy says, a little worried about that. “You okay?” 

“Am I in trouble?” Lynn asks, his voice going sort of–tight, sort of.

“For wh–” Billy starts to ask in bemusement, and then realizes–oh. Duh. “You’re not in trouble. I’m not gonna get mad if you know stuff I don’t or, like, if you tell me you think I’m wrong about something. Especially if I am wrong about something. Which, yeah, um–I don’t know anything about cooking, so yeah, definitely I’m wrong about any cooking stuff. I don’t even know if a glaze and a sauce are the same thing or why you only put the potatoes in the oven?” 

“. . . potatoes take longer to cook,” Lynn says slowly, watching him warily as he says it. “Glazes go on while you’re cooking. Sauces go on after.” 

“Oh!” Billy says, brightening a little. “That’s cool, I didn’t know that! Uh–well, yeah, I guess I already said I didn’t know that, obviously, that’s–um. Cool.” 

“. . . sure,” Lynn says, staring blankly at him for a moment. Then he turns back to the dishes and goes back to washing them. Billy should probably be the one doing that, actually, since Lynn did pretty much all the cooking and all. And like, he’s like four days old, that’s really early to be letting him wash knives and stuff, even if he’s knifeproof and all. Like, it’s the principle of the thing and all.

[letstrythisout4]

James Sirius Potter

Big brother, sooooooo big brother. 

Incredibly powerful, his accidental magic was insane growing up. Unintentionally was made into the golden child, he just had a lot of expectations put on him early on because of how intense his magical range was demonstrated to be at such an early age.

Looks more like Fleamont than James or Harry (but like they are all clones of each other). You had to know each of them to really see the differences ( in other words when he showed up at Hogwarts the staff was like “omg he looks just like harry” and flitwick was like “no that’s monty”) (the thought just occurred but I like the idea that monty and flitwick were buddies cause they both were into dueling)

Menace but good at hiding it. You cannot catch him doing anything wrong. And I mean from harmless pranks to criminal behavior, you cannot catch him. No reliable evidence. Sure, maybe you saw him, but can you prove it? No.

McGonagall and Flitwick are on it though, some days something will happen and no they can’t prove it was James but look at the way he’s smiling, he’s so smug. “Potter, do you mind helping me reorganize my classroom?” “...Your classroom?” “Yes my classroom” *4 hours later, he finally leaves, knowing that was his unofficial detention*

(He always agrees to help because 1) he was raised to be helpful when available. 2) Its best to take the punishment now, then let them simmer in their suspicion)

Fighter. 

James feels like the kind of guy to punch first and ask questions later. I think all of the Next Gen are fighters but I think James is the easiest to rile up. Like you don't really need to do much, one comment about his family, done (really, just look at any of them weird). The kind of guy where you can damn him to hell but if you look at his mom the wrong way, he’ll jump you. Fighting is the only thing he ever gets caught for and he never denies it.

Guilty pleasure is smoking. He doesn’t do it super frequently but he only smokes magical cigarettes that don’t fuck up your lungs so is it really that bad? (Yes, it's still bad. I like to think that for every magical solution, there is a new problem yk. No wizard cigarettes don’t fuck up your lungs, but it can’t be incredible healthy to inhale magic like that frequently. Maybe it messes with your magical control so like it may make you put too much or too little power into your everyday magic) If it wasn’t bad he wouldn’t hide it from his parents. 

(Doesn’t feel like the kind of person to do anything other than smoke and drink. He doesn’t think less of anyone who wants to do more but I think his magic is really reactive and what he does already is more than enough.)

Speaking of parents, dude loves his parents a lot. (More of a dad harry headcanon but I like to think that the Potter kids can tell Harry anything, do they always? No, they are kids, but when push comes to shove they know they can trust their dad with anything.)

Like to think that he has really good intuition. He just knows. 

He’s also good at Divination. I love the idea that Divination to a certain degree is just a "gift", some people are more adept than others and James is one of those people. It’s well known to the point where when people want advice on the Divination homework, want a tarot reading, tea reading, etc etc, they go to James and he’s always right. 

Is a true student athlete. Like yeah he loves Quidditch but he has a potions exam coming up and the potion exam takes priority (Oliver Wood just shed a tear somewhere). 

That said he is freakishly good at managing his time and keeping up with all of his classes, tutoring and quidditch. I feel like after the Golden Trio era, Hermione would push against time turners being given and in turn James wouldn’t be allowed to take as many classes, SO to get around what he harassed like half of the staff to tutor him in the advanced material of their subject. 

Loves his name but also feels a lot of pressure. Named after two wizards that are greatly admired, at least by his father, he wants to do right by them.

Doesn’t get into arguments frequently but when he does he’s brutal. James loves his family, but when he’s hurt, he’s hurt, and he is going to bring whoever put him in that mood down with him, family or not. 

The kind of person to never date and when they finally do it’s miraculously the love of their life who he will marry and spend eternity with.

Best class is transfiguration.

Letterman jackets.

Baseball fan.

Kind of person to see a first year looking lost and walk them to the otherside of the castle where their class is. 

Definitely prefect and head boy.

Was the one to break the silence and start clapping for Albus when he got sorted to Slytherin.

Loves his siblings, but like he’s definitely closer with the twins and Teddy. He’s close with his siblings too, don’t get me wrong, but he wants to be a good role model for his siblings and he doesn’t really have to when around the older cousins. 

Listens to Mitski and Childish Gambino.

Not incredibly talkative or extroverted, he has a solid three friends plus the army that is his family and he’s good with that.

The kind of kid to walk into the living room where Harry and Ginny are sitting, do a backflip, and walk out.

(as a neurodivergent person myself i like the different neurodivergent James headcanons, in particular the idea that he is bipolar, i think writing hp characters as having these types of disorders can be so important on a representation level but also in a large worldbuilding scale as the question of how does the wizarding world perceive mental disorders etc. lemme know if anyone would care to hear my thoughts on these ideas cause i have many)

[kcrossvine-art]

Heya folks! Its been a bit, food insecurity is a bitch, but today on the quest of cooking our way through Lord of the Rings we're gonna be making a dish exclusively mentioned in the 2007 MMO-

We will be making a Rohan Pasty! 

(As always you can find the cooking instructions and full ingredient list under the break-)

MY NAMES CROSS NOW LETS COOK LIKE ANIMALS

SO, “what goes into a Rohans Pasty?” YOU MIGHT ASKBasics. Meat n potatoes of your meat-in-dough food. .

All-purpose flour

Salt

Baking powder

Vegetable oil

Olive oil

Ground beef

Garlic salt

Ground cumin

Chili powder

Dried oregano

Waxy potato

Garlic

White onion

Egg

"A delicious local pastry filled with beef and potatoes."- LOTRO Rohan is a kingdom of humans in middle-earth, and the description point towards a cornish pasty (yes, pasty not pastry). Oddly enough the image is more of an empanada but you win some you lose some. This heritage informs much of the shape and ingredients of this dish, however we're opting to cook most of the ingredients before adding them in, contrary to going in raw as a cornish pasty calls for. I chose to deviate here because cooking beforehand allows more seasoning to be crammed in. The english hate seasoning.

AND, “what does a Rohans Pasty taste like?” YOU MIGHT ASK

Tastes like the best pot pie youve had, less soggy

Excellent for an after-rugby/martial arts/soccer dinner

The potatoes are foundational

Despite needing the least work

Pasta salad (cucumber, olives, pepperocini) would pair well as a side

And would also pair well with beer

This meal bears the gold star sticker of not having any major issues! Hooray! Maybe its increased comfortability in the kitchen, or maybe its because of how very simple this one is. Chopped roasted bell pepper might be good in the filling in the future.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get the dough ready ahead of time- its mentioned in the recipe below but i also wanted to say a foreword here that it needs to sit in the fridge for a few hours. Just so ya dont get everything out and realise itd take too long for dinner tonight. Speaking of dough, i feel like it could have more flavor added to it. Its bland and although its not part of the tradition of the meal its based off of, cornish meat pasty, it might be nice to add some spices like cumin or black pepper to the flour. 

The meal reheats perfect- wrap in papertowl and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds per pasty.

When picking your potatoes make sure theyre "new" potatoes (baby ones) or whichever potato with the least amount of starch you can get. Its important for it to cook inside the pasty that it not have too much lest it get Mushy Bad.

Another thing about its real-life inspo; Cornish pastys were workers food, stuff you could carry into the mines, stuff thatd reheat well. You could hold the crust with your dirty hands and throw it away once you ate the rest. I always feel partial to these foods. Although I'd still eat the dirty crust.

This recipe earns a solid 8/10 (with 1 being food that makes one physically sick and 10 being food that gives one a lust for life again.) 

🐁 ORIGINAL RESIPPY TEXT BELOW 🐁

Dough Ingredients:

370g all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

74g vegetable oil

240g warm water

Filling Ingredients:

2 tablespoons(ish) olive oil

1 pound ground beef

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Garlic salt to taste

Ground cumin to taste

Chili powder to taste

Dried oregano to taste

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 white onion, diced

Method:

Combine flour, salt and baking powder.

Add oil and water into mixer with dough hook running at medium speed. Mix for 1 minute, stopping several times to scrape the sides of the bowl.

When mixture comes together and begins to form a ball, decrease mixing speed to low. Continue to mix just until dough is smooth.

Take the dough ball, safely wrap it, and transfer to fridge. Let sit for at minimum 2 hours.

For the meat, get a large skillet, and add some olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and garlic salt, cook until the beef is cooked completely.

Drain the beef and set aside.

In the same pan, add the garlic, onions, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and salt.

Cook until the onions are softened but not brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Re-add the beef and cook over low heat for about 5 more minutes.

Back to the dough, transfer dough from fridge to well-floured work surface. Roll into log and divide into 10 equal portions. 

Preheat oven to 350f.

Form each piece into a ball and flatten each with a rolling pin.

Add a layer of diced potatos down the middle of the pastys. Add the meat filling to each. Fold the sides of the dough up to seal on top in the middle.

Gently turn the pasty on its side and crimp the edge, alternating a braid pattern. Use knife to cut an "X" shaped slit in the top. Repeat for each pasty.

Place the pastys on a greased baking sheet. Lightly coat each pasty with an eggwash using a basting brush.

Cook for about 50 minutes, or until golden brown, and let cool!

[valenschmidt]

what's the lore behind buddie tim and tarlos??

Hi nonnie!!! Well that's a story...

There is a very strong rumor that has a lot of back up that Tarlos was written because buddie wasn't a possibility that Fox wanted. So let's begin

Tarlos was created when lonestar was because Carlos and TK hooked up in the second episode which is pretty much part of the pilot which premiered in January 2020. At the same time og 911 was shooting its third season so it was around the time the lawsuit storyline. The thing is that before the lawsuit we got the tsunami storyline which includes one of the BIGGEST buddie moments in history (the beginning of Eddie considering Buck as someone he trusted completely when it came to his kid.

This moment is for me the actual turning point for buddie... where it went from a funny thing of them having chemistry to something Tim said "you know what? We should make it happen" The Elf scene back in S2 was not it. It was confirmed by Tim that it was a gag he did for buddie shippers but it got such a positive response back then that it may have caused Tim to actually consider buddie

Getting back on track... during s3 things changed so I'm 100% sure that Tim pinched in the idea to Fox to make buddie canon and probably got shut down saying that a gay relationship between two mains was gonna make them lose viewers so to me Tarlos was the experiment. He created a gay couple between two mains. We can all agree that Buddie and Tarlos share a lot of similarities starting with the obvious that in both ships 1/2 is a Texan man with Mexican ascendancy and the other half is a white boy with blue eyes and parental complexes. So Tim created Tarlos in order to prove to Fox that you could have two gay main characters in a relationship and they would have a positive review (which Tarlos totally did)

So Tim with that under his belt continued to make buddie get closer and closer to canon, adding the lawsuit and the well storylines (which we know are very buddie being more than friends coded)

So buddie was getting closer and closer and then s4 came and Tim was ready to make it happen...

Tim approached Oliver with the idea of making Buck bi and Oliver said yes and the whole Will storyline was born

But then Fox (and this is not confirmed but I'm sure I read it somewhere and it stuck with me) was never going to allow to characters who were """presented as straight""' to have a romantic relationship and at the very beginning of s5 with the EddieAna breakup it was shut down for the last time

Which makes me believe that it pissed Tim so much to the point he decided to move to LoneStar full time and dedicate himself to Tarlos

And now that he's back and in a new network we got bi Buck 4 episodes in so that is why I believe Tarlos was the experiment to convince Fox that two men who are mains in love with eachtoher was NOT gonna xost the show viewers (which is true since it actually brings more viewers)

So there you have it! Hoped this help and if you have any questions don't hesitate to Ask!

[realchemistry]

"Masks" - A few things about tonight's episode and what's ahead

~9-1-1 spoilers ahead~

Let me get this out of the way first: Eddie sucking on that ring pop... I never understood the "don't ask me the color of anything" and "babygirl" concepts more than I did then. Also: both Buck and Eddie having the same Christmas picture of them with Chris and abuela? I'm fine. The ending montage with Eddie being alone looking at his pic from Halloween with Chris... no, I'm really, I'm okay.

The BuckandEddie of it all:

It's interesting that they kept pairing Eddie up with other members of the team during calls but Eddie was all over Buck still. Like... they are partners, and they continue to be like at the pumpkin call (LUBE? PLEASE, I AM BEGGING), but Eddie was with Buck at the hospital (both for Buck and Denny) and at Buck's loft and at the station too.

Buck and Eddie are always entangled in each other's business but this season's been like a whole other level. The framing, the dialogue, everything about them is pointed as fuck and it's no coincidence (the lube, I can't get over it!!!), of that I'm sure.

This episode, which had a lot of Buck and T, had a ton of Eddie in between them which allowed us to see their dynamic and it was a sight. We had Eddie in the hospital room, by Buck's bedside, asking the doctor questions, while T was on the other side of the door, observing. Eddie was there to tend to Buck's boils and reassure him it'd be fine and even bet and shake on it to try and keep Buck from spiraling while T was just... there. Eddie was apparently distracted on his phone, sucking on a freaking ring lollipop (looking at Buck like that!!!!!) but he was actually well in tune with Buck and what he was doing and Buck protested his boyfriend's claims that he had been picking on his boils but he didn't argue with Eddie about it at all.

So yeah, Buck has a boyfriend that could fit right in, being a firefighter and getting more into the 118's business and sharing time with Buck and his BFF in the whole wide world. This episode showed in part how T didn't fit exactly right (why were they not sleeping on the bed, I'm so confused...), how Buck realized that and sent him a message that he wanted him to. And I think they will make it past the next episode, actually, because I have a feeling that if tptb are going where we all think/want them to go with Eddie, they might want to establish that on its own.

And they would also want to do what Oliver said and take it slow on the Buddie front, and I know it's been slow enough, but Oliver and Ryan have alluded to wanting the story to develop naturally and to not have them be bi/gay and into each other because of the message that could send. I have a feeling that means reaching Buddie after both have time to go through self-realizations away from each other and having Buck be in a relationship actually serves that scenario better. At least for a little while, then they can let the pining begin.

Some other things:

The thing about this show that I both adore and dislike is that I know every main is gonna be okay (there was only ever one exception to this) and they're not going to kill one of their children either. So I simply couldn't get into the mindset of feeling sad over Denny dying because I knew he wasn't going to.

I love that we got more HenRen and I wish next time Karen and Eddie share a scene, it'll be a less tragic one. I love Denny so much, the actor is so good and such a cutie, I'm glad he got to shine. It's also funny that once you get old enough in the show, you're fair game to be in harm's way. Rite of passage.

Chim was so scary and cute and great as well. I just think Kenny's so good at everything and the show sometimes failed to properly take advantage of his skills so I'm glad they're finally getting to showcase his range fully and all at once.

Peter was also having the time of his life being a carefree version of Bobby, and I'm here for it.

Josh's whole costume being Eddie's mustache. Plus Buck also having one. Ryan, the man that you are.

Maddie, once again, going for the kitty ears.

The teacher... I know her pain.

About the next episode ~more spoilers~:

They really are having an "Eddie Begins" type of emergency on an episode called "Confessions" which will focus on Eddie. I'm sure it's gonna be just fine. I'm sure nothing major will happen with my favorite character in the world, Eddie Díaz. I'm sure.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Hi Kym! I apologize if you have answered an ask like this before, but I am curious for your opinion.

You've talked a lot about how intentional all the Buddie parallels are in terms of costuming for several seasons now, both with Buck and Eddie together, then with their respective girlfriends, and in comparison to Bathena. We are now even getting throwbacks to season 2 and Eddie's first episode with Buck's stonewash jeans! Tim is adamant in interviews that he never planned this bisexual awakening in advance (we know that Eddie was originally meant for Maddie ofc) and that he doesn't know where the characters are going yet, but even Oliver has said he intentionally leans into the Buddie of it all with his acting, or at least into Buck's then-presumed bisexuality.

My question is, with just how pointed and intentional the costume choices have always been, is Tim is lying? Or are the costume designers secret Buddie shippers and intentionally lean into this storyline too? How much of what we see in terms of costuming is the decision of the show runners/directors vs creative expression of the costume designers? Is there a point in the show for you where it became clear how intentional it was becoming with the costuming, where they may or may not have said, "we're going to commit to telling this story in subtext until we are allowed to tell it overtly"?

Thanks :)

Hey Cookie-Kat!!

How lovely to have you in my inbox, and what a great question!

putting my answer under the cut - because it got long!!!

The answer I give is going to have to be a bit vague I'm afraid because the reality is that as I don't work on the show and I'm not 100% sure on the set up of their various departments, I can't categorically state how they are going about things in 911 land! I can share my experience and knowledge of how things can be done and try to give you some sort of framework - but I can't definitively say that this is how they are doing things.

First up let's address the whole Tim lying thing.

Tim is all about subterfuge in interviews - its literally his job as a showrunner. I would take every thing he says in an interview with a giant grain of salt. the entire purpose of his interviews is to tease and hook people, without giving anything way becasue why would he spoil all the things he has planned that make people watch the show he is creating. If he came out in an interview at the start of the season and said

'yeah, we're going to do a cruise ship disaster and all these things are going to happen, and in episode 4 Buck is going to get kissed by a guy and figure out he's bi and Eddie is going to find out his girlfriend was a novice nun and its going to send him into a catholic guilt spiral, and maddie nad CHim are going to get married, but x, y and z are going to happen before they can get down the aisle'

Why would anyone tune in to watch the show? we'd already know what was going to happen so there wouldn't be any point - there would be no buzz and the viewing figures might be ok, but they wouldn't be remotely close to what they are. I know for a fact I probably wouldn't be tuning in - people like to be surprised, they like to speculate - we in fandom take it to a higher level, but even the general audience speculate - water cooler conversations about what you watched the previous evening and how you think it's going to play out are part of a show's appeal - part of how it keeps people watching - shared experiences are a powerful commodity, especially in network television and they cannot be shared if we all know what is going to happen.

I would also add that this season is the most explicit acknowledgement of buddie that we've had in interviews and that means something. The show - writers, actors etc have all been incredibly careful before no to ensure that they haven't crossed over into queerbaiting the audience - which is something I really appreciate them for. But this season, things have definitely changed. whether that is down to being on a new network, that actually has a marketing strategy and that actually seems to care about the show and the stories that they have wanted to tell, I don't know, but it is so refreshing and exciting to see.

Tim is a clever person - he knows exactly what he is doing and every single season, without fail we have him saying things in interviews that can be read in multiple ways - none of them have ever been lies - subterfuge is the name of the game - then if you reread them in the aftermath of the season, you can see what he said did in fact play out as he hinted at - he has the context that we didn't have at the time and that is why he can subvert and talk his way around things.

I genuinely don't think Tim planned to give Buck a bisexual awakening from the start - we know he never planned on the buddie of it all, but a good writer will go where the characters take them. As soon as you create something and put it into the hands of others (the actors, directors and crew) things can very quickly take on a whole new direction and a life of its own.

If you ask me, I genuinely don't think Buck could've had a bi awakening before this point - it wouldn't have made sense from a narrative perspective (and his death and rebirth actually make the perfect jumping off point to explore) until now because of the very nature of Buck.

There isn't a single show (by show I mean one that isn't a limited series which will by definition have a planned arc) on network television that knew where each and every character would end up at the end of the show or that characters journey (by this I mean when cast chose to leave a show). Yes they might have planned a few beats to hit along the way, but they wouldn't know the end point for the character. We have a perfect example on 911 - Michael - the show hadn't intended to end Michaels arc in the way it did - his journey as a queer man coming out later in life was an important part of the show - important for representation as much as anything - they had to adapt and change in light of what was going on with Rockmond and write out a character that they would've had other plans for.

The other thing I should mention is that When Tim says he hasn't decided or written the scripts for upcoming episodes, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a plan. He very much will have a plan. There would've been clear arcs for each character laid out at the start of the writing process for the season - they would want to get character a from one point to another by the end of the season. Its the how they get there that is the unknown - at this point we don't know the end points for any characters this season, but if we take season 5 Eddie as an example - at the start of the season he is post shooting and back at work, seemingly perfectly fine. By the end of the season he is genuinely in a good place having gone through his trauma arc. The arc they would've decided on for Eddie that season was to explore his trauma and how to get him from a 'seemingly' good place to a genuinely good place. From there they would've decided on various touchstones - so Ana being mistaken for Christophers mother and them being a family is his trigger to launch his arc. Chris being scared of loosing his father a major touch stone, pushing him into leaving the 118. His then feeling on the outside - left out and replaced by Lucy is his next one, followed by the fact all his army buddies are gone, another touchstone - coming in quick succession to build momentum and leading to his breakdown. Pushing him to actually get help - therapy is another touchstone - one that helps to get him to the end of the season in a vastly different place - healing but still working on things.

So you see - they generally plan an overall direction, but how they get there is the bit that is a bit fluid and can be determined to a certain extent by audience reaction (I don't mean that they would out and out rewrite the entire plan for the season for a character, but they might chose to lean into different aspects if the audience react in a certain way - we saw this with Lucy - planned for a bigger arc, but the audience reaction to her was pretty negative, so they changed direction with her character and cut her part down).

In terms of Bucks bi arc - they will have been waiting on how it was received before fully determining how to play it out for the rest of the season - I genuinely think we'll be seeing more of Lou as Tommy later in the season as a part of Bucks arc - The way Lou has spoken about it being initially a 4 episode arc, suggests to me that its always been intended to run it longer if reaction was good - which we know it was. My explectation remains the same - that Tommy will be around until either the end of episode 9, or the middle of episode 10, to get Buck to where he needs to be by the season end.

I am on the fence as to where exactly that is - Everything from set, costuming and the script is screaming at me that it's about Buck figuring out not only that he is bi, but that he is also in love with Eddie. That is his arc for the season. What I am unsure of is how they are going to leave things at the end of the season (and I think a part of that will have been determined by audience reaction), whether or not we'll leave him acknowledging his feelings to himself, to a third party (Tommy and or Maddie), or to Eddie himself. Of course part of it will be determined by Eddies arc and how far they plan on getting him in regards to dealing with his catholic guilt and what form and direction t hat is going to take, but I cannot see any reason to start exploring that aspect of his character if you weren't going to use it for a queer arc of some description.

In terms of costuming - which was the main point of your ask - sorry I get rambly in these replies some times - I always view it as the first 2-3 seasons at the very least will be about establishing a characters look and vibe within the wider show, and from then on you can start to play into themes and colour theory etc. Somethings you can establish earlier - especially if they are centric to a character more widely. Examples of this are Eddies army green tees and shirts - establishing him visually as ex military, or the black singlets that he wears when in an emotionally vulnerable place, or Buck wearing his white trainers as part of his search for self, or his white shirts as a signal of him being in danger. You can do this, because they aren't playing on anything in relation to other characters at this early point.

So the decision to take Buck out of jeans (stone wash jeans specifically - he's been wearing jeans they've just been black or dark navy) and have him in very obviously shorter trousers, creating a specific aesthetic for him - this smarter, fitted clean cut style that is different from his season 1 looks, has been about playing into his journey of searching for self - that is his big overarching arc - the one that spans multiple seasons.

The intent to do that, wasn't about Buddie (or bi Buck) when they started to use it as a visual marker for him. It was (and always has been) about Buck. about his search for meaning in his life and who he is, who he wants to be - about being his authentic self.

The reason I got so excited about seeing him in jeans once more, when the first stills dropped at the start of the season - was because I knew that it was a signal that this bigger arc was coming to fruition and moving into its next phase. The costume team have been sitting waiting for when the time was right to do this - its being done with such intention.

Of course I hoped that it would be buddie related - things were pointing in that direction from other costuming choices. And to me at least, I still think its very much buddie related - because to do this now - for this bi awakening arc - its too loud and too big for 'just' a bi awakening arc - its about something bigger for Buck - something long term (and I'm not saying Buck being bi is't long term, because obviously it very much is - bi rep is so important!) him figuring out he is bi is a smaller part of a bigger whole for his character. The implication of the jeans returning is that this part of himself he has unlocked plays into a bigger story. Bucks search for self has always been about finding love - about being wanted and seen and accepted for who he is. As a costume designer, I wouldn't personally be putting him into jeans at this point unless it was related to his endgame - being bi isn't enough on its own for them to decide to visually show that he has fully found what he has been looking for on his search throughout the seasons (the white trainers still being in used also play into this) because he is still looking for that lasting happiness - he's just taken a massive step forward to figuring out what it is and where it lies.

With regards to colour theory and the paralleling of Buddie with other ships such as Bathena or Madney. Colour theory alone it wouldn't be enough to convince me, it is in combination with other factors such as the paralleling of Bathena and Madney that it comes into play. The thing is, creating those parallels and colour theory combinations doesn't have to lead to something. I'm going to do a terrible job of trying to explain this, but I'll give it a go.

Various people, who work on the show in some capacity have all commented over the years that they weren't expecting the level of chemistry that Oliver and Ryan have. We also know that they have played into the buddie of it all with some of the scene choices they've made - sort of an acknowledgement of what we're seeing - the elf scene in s2 is a prime example - a nod to fandom and the fact that they are being shipped together - and an acknowledgement of the chemistry - without it necessarily needing to mean more (the same goes for things like the text comments on the botfly influencer livestream call etc).

Back then wardrobe are still very much in character establishment mode - creating and defining the looks of the characters, and playing into colour theory on an individual level, not necessarily on a partnership level (S2 Bathena would've been treated in this way as they were already intended to be an end game couple so you can play into colour theory much earlier), that comes later. I wouldn't have been able to write costume metas in season 2-3 in the way I do now, because the parallels didn't exist and the ground work hadn't been laid.

Once you get past that intial establishing phase, hat is when you can start to play into the colour theory much more in relation to specific characters and pairings. One of the clearest examples of this is Eddies black shirt green trousers combo that he wears at the loft when having serious conversations with Buck. He first wears it in season 3 at the end of the lawsuit/fightclub arc (3x09), and then we dont see it again until season 5 (5x04) at yet another scene in Bucks loft.

The meaning of the colours in that scene are important sure, it is playing into colour theory, but what is happening visually is that we're subconciously connecting dots and remembering that Eddie has worn this outfit before to talk to Buck - that means it must be a serious conversation, one very much focused on something Buck has done (or hasn't done depending on which way you look at things). Eddie has been in Bucks loft on multiple occasions between those two scenes, and Buck and Eddie have had multiple serious conversations in the intervening episodes as well. so why that scene if its not meant to make us connect dots?

Now on a fundamental level, those two scenes can be read as establishing the close friendship Buck and Eddie share - that they are following through on their s2 promise to have each others backs. its entirely correct to assume that - it is after all what those scenes are establishing. But what it is also doing is laying the ground work for if they want to take Buddie further. we know that the conversations about Buddie have been happening in the writers room and on set for a good long while, and even if you don't yet know if you're going to go in that direction, you would be foolish not to lay the ground work in a subtle way if you can, so that the option is there if you did decide to take that direction.

A show will use what ever tools are at its disposal to lay various foundations that it can then pick and choose to build on as it wants or needs to. It is why we see the pictures in Eddies house moving around, why things on the fridge change (fridge theory is not as out there as some people would have you believe - there is a whole thing coming up on Eddies fridge in reaction to guts and the digestive system - which will very much be playing into his catholic guilt arc!) in Christophers room move around and change - its not just about him being a growing (soon to be teenager) boy, its also about laying foundations for story arcs they might choose to develop down the line and the Buddie groundwork is no different.

Its not about the wardrobe team being shippers of Buddie - its much more about them knowing where a season is headed (in brad strokes, even if they don't have specifics) being really good at their job and now being able to bear the fruits of their labour from earlier seasons - they had been doing the same with buck and Taylor - now they're doing it with Buck and Tommy (and Eddie). It would've been super easy to spin the costuming for Taylor into more positive colours - especially on Buck - in season 5, but they had the bigger picture and knew she wasn't going to remotely be endgame, so they were able to play into that throughout the season. Establishing Tommy as a version of Eddie is building on the Eddie groundwork they laid and using it to make it very clear that we are supposed to see the similarities between them - its steering us as viewers towards thinking 'oh Buck has a type - He's dating someone like his best friend - he should just date his best friend' is all about subtly nudging the audience in the right direction - towards Buddie - its just most people won't pick up on it in a conscious way.

I'm not sure if this makes any sense or if it even answered your ask, but essentially the show is using everything at its disposal to tell the story its telling and they have been laying groundwork that can take things in various directions - they are just choosing to push the buddie agenda to an increasing degree (and I have said groundwork far too many times in this post!!)

Thaks for the great ask 💜💜💜

[unabashegirl]

Enticing 30 (HS)

Summary: Harry is a young billionaire and CEO of his own company. He mostly keeps to himself, he is stern and very meticulous when it comes to business. He also likes to keep his personal life very private for the sake of his newly born son Oliver Styles. It isn't until he meets Y/N Y/L/N that everything changes. She becomes his new nanny after his previous one quits due to personal reasons. She is young, caring, and sweet. Will they ignore their feelings? Will Harry's girlfriend accept their love and leave them? Will she be able to cope with his busy agenda? What about Oliver's mother? Where is she? Who is she?

Words: 1.5K

masterlist

For the last time, Y/N looked at herself in the mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair and made sure that nothing was sticking out. She exhaled loudly and pulled down on her button-down shirt. Y/N just prayed that she didn’t spill anything down her white shirt.

“You look great. Let’s go, or you are going to be late” Patrick said as he walked into her bedroom.

“You look stunning,” Elizabeth told her as soon as she walked out into the living room. “Very professional. Here, I packed you both some coffee and some snacks”.

“Thanks. What are you going to be doing today?” Y/N asked her mother. It had been incredibly fun. She had been an incredible support to her. They had gone to the doctor, and everything had been checked out. Y/N was four weeks along. She was healthy, and everything looked just fine. Y/N was very nervous, but her mother made her feel secure.

Unfortunately, it was Elizabeth’s last day in the city. Violet was waiting and expected her to return promptly. Elizabeth also knew that it was a bad idea to leave Violet alone for so long. She just wanted to be around for Y/N's first day of work.

“I might go out and do a little shopping” Elizabeth was planning on buying a few items for her first grandbaby. She knew that with Y/N’s new job, she would probably need any financial help, but she wanted to gift the baby its first item of clothing.

“What are you getting?”

“Nothing” She smiled and tried to hide her excitement. Y/N and Patrick could tell that she was buying something for the baby. They looked at each other and smiled. “Anyway! It’s getting late! Go on!” Elizabeth urged them out the door. “Have a great day, sweetie”. She waved.

“Oh, God! I am nauseous” Y/N said to Patrick as they stood outside the big building. Patrick turned to face her.

“You are perfect for the job, and you are more than capable” Patrick threw his arms around Y/N and hugged her tightly. He knew how terrified she was and all the challenges that were coming her way.  He wanted to transmit to her the confidence and the support that she had given him.

“Thank you” Y/N felt like crying, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the hormones or because she was very anxious. Suddenly, she wanted to run home and hide. “I think I’ll be alright,” she said just after exhaling heavily.

“Alright. I’ll meet you out here for lunch. Text me” Patrick slid her purse over her shoulder and handed her the bag that held some snacks that Elizabeth had packed for her. She kissed her forehead and allowed her to enter the building.

“Good morning. My name is Y/N Y/L/N. It’s my first day, and I was told to ask for William” Y/N said to the secretary that sat behind the desk. It reminded her of the day that she had gone to Harry’s office. She just hoped that things would be smoother than before.

“Ms. Y/L/N! We have been waiting for you! Let me give you access to the presidential floor.” The woman kindly said she was younger than Y/N. She could tell that she was still in college or straight out of it. “My name is Mia” She shared after they had gotten into the elevator and the doors had closed.

“It’s nice to meet you!” Y/N smiled, “Tell me. Should I be warned of something?” Mia laughed and shook her head immediately.

“Honestly? This is the nicest company that I have ever worked for. Mr. William is genuinely delightful and very accommodating. Don’t be fooled by his perpetual silence.” She had started working a few months before graduating from college. William had personally interviewed her and had asked for her class schedule. He made sure that her work didn’t interrupt her schooling. He also made sure that the job was going to continue being hers even after giving her a week off to celebrate her graduation with her family. For that, Mia was eternally grateful.  “It’s very exciting to have a woman in a predominantly male-dominated job It’s very inspiring.” Y/N smiled at Mia. She could tell that they would be friends. She was obviously younger than her, but she didn’t mind.

The elevator finally arrived at the top floor. The view was stunning. It had tall ceilings. The furniture was upholstered with different tones of gray fabric. A huge book self-decorated the corridor that led to a double-door office.

“There you are” William startled her as she looked at the paintings that decorated the foyer of the floor. He smiled at her as he walked down the corridor. “As always you look great” He smiled and kissed her cheek.

“How’ve you been?” He looked like he always did. He looked very sharp and clean. Out of all four men, he was the most peculiar about his things. William lived his life by following a schedule. He had issues when things were done unexpectedly or out of the blue.

“Good. Better now that you are here. Let’s go into my office. Would you like something to drink?” He offered to which Y/N declined. William led her to his office. “How are you feeling?”

Y/N exhaled loudly and allowed her body to relax as soon as the door was closed. She felt comfortable with William. She had shared a house with him for a month when they had gone to Italy. She considered him Harry’s brother.

“Very nervous and anxious. What if I am not enough?” William chuckled and pulled out a folder that held her contract and other files she needed to sign. “This would be my first job as a data analyst, William. I mean I’m grateful for the opportunity, but I am going to need guidance” She shared.

“That’s fine, Y/N. I don’t expect you to arrive as a senior analyst. I have assigned someone to help you for the first month” William was relieved that she had taken the job. “I am simply happy you accepted the offer. I needed to fill that place and what better option than hiring a close friend” He smiled. “Things have been rough lately” he admitted.

“Oh yeah?” He raised an eyebrow at her. William had set out the bait. He just required her to bite and ask. It was silent for a few minutes. William could tell that she was in deep thought and having an internal discussion with herself. “And how is he?” Y/N finally asked.

William didn’t know where he should start. So many things had happened. He was barely unrecognizable. Everyone had suffered after she had left him that day.

“Terrible. He doesn’t sleep and he doesn’t eat. He just works like a machine. His temper is shorter than usual. And let’s not talk about the drinking” William had gone to his apartment just to give him some advice. The men had planned a trip to leave upstate just so he could get some fresh air, but Harry refused profoundly. He had kicked him out of the house. “I have never seen like this, Y/N. I know that you don’t want to hear it, but couldn’t you just talk to him?”. William had never reached out to any of his friend's ex.  He found it inappropriate and distasteful. However, things were different this time. Harry was struggling severely, and William needed to help him. He was someone far from what he remembered.

“Please don’t — “She stopped herself just as the knot in her throat grew. Y/N quiet down before her voice cracked and she started crying. “How can you ask me that?” Y/N whispered; she looked down at the words typed on the contract. She could barely make out the words because of the tears. They made the writing blurry. “He doesn’t care about me”.

“Y/N. He is the one who called me and asked me to reassure him that your job was still available even though both of you had broken up” William admitted to her. “He was very insistent”. He added.

Y/N was quiet. She wiped the tears, trying to impede them from falling and wetting the documents.

“I can’t William. I will be forever grateful to him for helping me to get this opportunity, but I can’t. I can’t do this right now. I am not ready yet” She missed him terribly, but she knew that it entailed contacting him. She would need to tell him that she was pregnant with his baby, but she wasn’t ready. At least not yet. 

TAGLIST: @0oolookitsme, @happycupcakeenthusiast, @kennedywxlsh, @hsfics, @stylesbrock, @cuddlingwithharry, @sucker4angstt, @bluemoonedwings, @cherriesrae, @vornilla, @mellamolayla, @harryscurls21, @stilesissaved, @be-with-me-so-happily, @harryssattelitestomper, @jerseygirlinca, @tenaciousperfectionunknown, @lomlolivia, @stylesfever, @daphnesutton, @n0vaj3an

[streets-and-sodium-lights]

your love is a murder

Roman Sionis/Victor Zsasz (Birds of Prey), Rated M, fluff, but it's them so it's unhealthy af. more or less a missing scene from the movie after Roman talks with Mr. Keo.

beta'd by @jowoanofheart

~~~

“Mr. Zsasz,” Roman said, his voice a drunken drawl over the noise of the Black Mask Club. It was almost three in the morning, and Roman had been indulging in his club more than usual tonight. As Victor walked over, Roman grasped at his collar roughly, like he was trying to pull Victor to the ground. “Mr. Zsasz, would you get me a drink?” he asked sweetly. “A martini, the way I like them?” His head lolled to one side as he spoke. He was absolutely wasted.

Victor put a hand on Roman’s shoulder to steady him. “Sure, Boss,” he replied as Roman leaned into the touch. God, he was an affectionate drunk. Victor slowly pulled his hand away and Roman tried to reach out for it, trying to follow it back to his lover. No one was supposed to know, according to Roman, but when he was drunk, it was more than clear what they were to one another. The other people at Roman’s table- a group of three twenty-something girls and a smug-looking man- all diverted their gazes, knowing that this moment was something they weren’t supposed to see.

Victor pulled his hand away and walked across the club to the bar without so much as looking back, but he knew Roman’s eyes were on him. Victor knew damn well that if that fool had another martini, he’d black out, and Roman hated to be seen as weak.

“One vodka martini, dirty, two olives, no lemon twist,” he said to the bartender; some new guy who was under-experienced but pretty enough that Roman hired him anyway. Roman liked pretty things. Often, Victor wondered why in the world Roman kept him; scarred, aging, and jaded, when he had all of them.

He returned to the table with Roman’s favorite drink. It was said that putting two olives in a martini was an omen of bad luck, but that hadn’t served Roman poorly yet. “Here,” he said, holding out the drink. Roman looked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes. He had his arm around one of the women at the table, a beautiful blonde with small, high breasts and a sheer blue dress. When she saw Victor, her smile disappeared and she leaned away from Roman.

“What was that for?” Roman asked, and although his tone was still calm, Victor could feel the man’s anger rising to the surface. 

Victor swallowed tensely. He hated watching Roman when he acted like this, so he did something he didn’t usually do when Roman was this drunk- he brought out the marionette strings. “Seems like she’s scared of you, Boss.”

Roman quickly turned his attention to Victor. “Scared of me?” He grinned and turned back to the blonde, who had now fully recoiled away from him and moved towards another woman at the table, probably a friend who she’d started the night with, entirely unaware of who owned the club she was headed to. “You should be,” Roman said. “All of you should be!” He was yelling now, making a scene. “Do you know who I am? I don’t need cowardly filth like you in my club!” He got up from the booth and stood beside Victor, one arm around him and the other pointing towards the door. “Go! GO!”

The four civilians took little time to disperse before Roman reached for the martini Victor had brought him. Victor knocked over the glass before Roman could reach it, spilling its contents onto the rich, dark wood of the table. 

“What’d you do that for?” Roman asked as if he was personally offended by the act. “You’re dead drunk, Boss,” Victor said. He shifted the weight of Roman’s arm on his shoulders, allowing him to lean on Victor. Sure enough, he did.

“Are you saying I can’t handle my liquor, Mr. Zsasz?” Roman asked with a small, weak hiccup.

“Of course not, Boss,” Victor said quietly. “That was upsetting… how those four betrayed you. Let’s go upstairs, finish this night well.”

Roman considered Victor’s words before he finally nodded. “Right. Good thinking, Mr. Zsasz.”

Victor nodded and adjusted Roman’s arms so that he was leaning most of his weight on Victor as they walked. The club would be fine. They’d left it unattended enough nights now that the workers knew how to manage without Roman’s watchful eyes, not that he had to know that.

Roman more or less stumbled upstairs to the apartment, where Victor led him to the bathroom and sat him on the floor in front of the toilet. It was only a matter of time before Roman’s body realized that it needed to purge itself of the mix of expensive spirits he’d downed. 

“I don’t want to throw up,” Roman said, suddenly distraught. “It’s so gross. I hate gross things, Victor.” There it was, his first name. Roman was his again, not some random blonde’s. A sickly happiness bloomed in Victor’s chest.

“I know,” he said with a sigh. He sat down on the floor with Roman, his back against the cabinet under the marble sink so he could watch him. “What did you have tonight? Just alcohol?”

Roman shrugged cluelessly. 

“It was that Keo jackass, wasn’t it?” Victor took out his folding knife and popped it open and closed, open and closed. “We’ll kill him, slow and painful. We’ll peel his face off.”

Roman looked at him with adoring eyes. “Victor,” he said, the name leaving his lips like a dead man’s last breath. Then he looked back at the toilet and Victor got up to hold the crime lord’s hair back as he threw up. 

“So fucking gross,” Roman choked out. “Fuck.” Then he retched uselessly for a while before he threw up again.

Victor leaned his head against Roman’s back. “Done?” he asked him.

“God, let’s hope so,” Roman groaned. 

Victor nodded and picked Roman up from under his arms like a cat and guided him into the shower, where he got to work on undressing him, starting with his monogrammed gloves. “Feel better?” Victor asked, making quick work of the buttons on the man’s velvet blazer. 

“Not by much,” Roman replied. When Victor’s hands drifted to try and take off Roman’s tank top, he brushed them off and did it himself. He started to bend over to take off his shoes, but stopped himself suddenly. Evidently, he was still nauseous. 

“Don’t,” Victor said as he knelt down to untie his partner’s shoes. He removed them easily, then stripped Roman of the rest of his clothes. Another time, all this would lead to a very different night, but at the moment, he was just here to take care of his drunk partner. “Cold or hot?” Victor asked as he reached for the handle of the shower’s temperature valve. 

Roman reached for Victor’s hand and kissed it. “Hot. Will you join me?”

Victor sighed. Roman was drunk enough that he didn’t care that his designer velvet blazer was on the bathroom floor in a pile. “Come on. You’re wasted.” 

“I just want to be with you,” Roman said, his rarely-seen romantic side emerging once again. “Please, Victor?”

He nodded and stepped out of the shower to pile his clothes next to Roman’s. He said nothing as he got in beside Roman and turned the water on. Everything about Roman was at least slightly sexual, and he usually didn’t mind one bit, but tonight he just stood behind him and helped him clean himself off. There wasn’t much to clean. In Roman’s eyes, though, he was sure they both seemed grimy. Once Roman figured out that Victor was helping him wash off, he gave up trying to do it on his own and stood there, lifeless, and watched as Victor scrubbed at his arms, his hair, his back until he was clean. Even now, he was Roman’s right hand, doing all of the things Roman lost patience for.

Roman traced one of Victor’s newer scars. “Who was this?” he whispered.

“That idiot acid dealer you had me kill last month, the one who was broking deals in your club without your permission.” “It’s brokering,” Roman corrected crossly. “I don’t remember him.” 

Victor slicked Roman’s wet hair back to get it out of his face. “You don’t need to, Boss, that’s my job.” 

Roman leaned his head on Victor’s scarred chest and wrapped his arms around him. Victor was done bathing them both. At this point, they were just standing under the warm water. “What would I do without you?” he asked. 

“You would be the crime lord who owns the finest club in the city, just as you are now,” Victor said, although he knew that probably wouldn’t be the case.

Roman said the truth for them both: “I’d be in Arkham.” Victor was the only one who could calm him down, the only one who could reach him during an episode. They both knew that Roman had little power or sense of self on his own, despite his claims that he owned Zsasz like he was an object. No, Victor was there by choice, but no one outside these walls had to know that.

Victor turned off the water, and Roman crowded even closer to him, shivering in the sudden cold. “Let’s get you to bed,” Victor said. 

It was raining outside the tall glass windows of the apartment, Victor realized as he walked out to get Roman’s robe, buck naked because he couldn’t care less these days. He found Roman’s robe and walked back to the bathroom.

“Someone could see you, you know,” Roman said as he walked back in. He was definitely still drunk, but now he was content and clean, and that had sobered him slightly.

“So what?” Victor replied. “Get dressed, brush your teeth, and I’ll find you something to eat.” As he walked to the kitchen, he spotted a group of young blonde women laughing, stumbling down the street. He tried not to think about that blonde in the sheer dress, but she came to the forefront of his mind all too easily. Roman needed him. Roman should want him, too.

“Thank you, Victor,” Roman said as Victor walked into the bedroom- their bedroom, really, as the one that used to be Victor’s was rarely used these days. Victor set down a tray of charcuterie the chef had prepared earlier that day. “Wine?” Roman suggested.

“Water,” Victor replied, handing him a glass of ice-cold water with a thin slice of lemon in it. He sat down on the bed next to Roman as the man began to pick at his food. “How’s your memory of tonight?” Victor asked.

“Vague, but not absent,” he answered, gesturing to the tray. “You can have some too.”

Victor shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

“No, you’re upset,” Roman replied. “What about, I don’t know. You’re insufferable sometimes.” He plucked a grape off of the tray and fed it to Victor with a careful hand. Victor crunched it obediently, despite his annoyance.

Roman sighed. His hand drifted to Victor’s upper thigh, but Victor shook his head negatively and pushed it away.

“Pity,” Roman replied. “What is it that’s on your mind?” He reached over and brought Victor’s face close to his own and looked him in the eyes before he kissed him. “Hm?” he prodded. He ran his hand down Victor’s chest, but Victor moved it before he got too far.

“The blonde,” Victor said, his face still inches from Roman’s. “The one in the blue dress, the one you were flirting with.”

“I was flirting with a blonde?” Roman asked. “I don’t remember her. All I remember is you walking me upstairs, taking off my blazer, your hands in my hair in the shower,” he murmured, kissing Victor again. “You should kill her tomorrow,” he suggested. “Make it agonizing. Show her the cost of flirting with the Black Mask tonight.” He ran a finger down a scar, old enough to fade, but young enough to be a kill he made at Roman’s command. Years of death, all for him. “Mark your territory, Mr. Zsasz.”

So Victor kissed Roman again and crawled on top of him possessively, pinning Roman’s arms to the sheets. The man looked entirely unthreatened. “What happened to ‘no sex, I’m upset?’” Roman asked, but he was smiling. Victor kicked the tray of fruit and cheeses across the bed and onto the floor, prompting Roman to grin even wider and lean in for another kiss, violent and fast. Roman should’ve cared about the mess, but he was distracted. “Go on,” Roman encouraged. He wrenched his arm out from under Victor’s to trace the edge of his jaw. “I enjoy pretty things, you know that.”

He kissed Roman again as he worked on the loose knot that held his robe closed.

~~~

The next morning, Victor woke to find Roman tangled up in blankets, sleeping with his head on Victor’s shoulder. God, what the world would think if they could see Roman Sionis now, asleep on his subordinate’s shoulder. Victor ran his hand through Roman’s matted hair. He’d be mad about that when he woke up, but for now, he was nothing more than a sleeping lover, with no sign of the Black Mask’s aggression or mania. Victor couldn’t decide which version of Roman he preferred. After some time, the spell broke, and his eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning,” Victor greeted him. “How do you feel?”

“Hungover,” Roman responded, his voice rough from sleep. As he ran his hand through his hair, he paused, shocked. “Shit, I slept on it wet.”

“It was probably more than just you sleeping on it wet,” Victor said.

Roman exhaled frustratedly. “This is unacceptable. I have things to do today. Where’s my robe?”

Victor picked up the red robe off the floor on his side of the bed and tossed it at Roman. “Here. You should go get ready.”

Roman nodded. “I should. And I should fix this fucking headache.”

“You should let me make you a little hangover cure,” Victor suggested. When he was fully sober, Roman was always more receptive to orders when they were phrased as suggestions.

“Yes, do that,” Roman agreed. “I’ll be right back.” Actually, he would be about an hour, maybe more if he decided to put on eyeliner, because he was particular about that. Appropriately, Victor allowed himself a few more minutes in bed while Roman showered yet again and preened his feathers. Victor’s timing was perfect. Just as Roman emerged from the bathroom, he handed him a weak cocktail that would ward off his hangover a bit longer. “You look good, Boss,” he said as he handed it to him.

“I do, don’t I?” Roman agreed. He ran his fingertips across Victor’s short bleached hair and pinched the collar of the bowling shirt he was wearing. “Change your shirt and throw this one away while you’re at it,” he ordered. “This puce color makes you look absolutely pallid.”

Victor nodded and left to pick something he knew Roman would like before he returned, dropping the sickly pink shirt in the kitchen trash on his way back into the living area.

“Well, well, well,” Roman mused as he leaned on the windowsill, his robe slipping down his arm. “Could that be our little Miss Lance? All these years I thought she was just a pretty face and a fine set of lungs.” Roman sighed, calm and happy as if he’d been drugged. For a split second, Victor started to feel jealous, but then Roman turned around to look at him, and all the jealousy left Victor’s body, only an obsessive, all-consuming attraction left. “Oh, Mr. Zsasz,” he breathed, wrapping an arm around Victor affectionately, “I’ve had an amazing idea.”

[nightmyst14-blog]

Regaining treasures pt 1

Welp, I'm keeping my promise. Time for angst and hurt/comfort in the Golden Cheese Kingdom.

This is in my Rebloomed Lilies Au, but I am not sure where yet. But I hope you enjoy!

Setting: Golden Cheese Kingdom ruins. The ancients receive a letter from Golden Cheese Cookie, asking for their help with something important, needing a few ingredients. She didn't explain why, but it was urgent.

Pure Vanilla: Well, here we are.. *looking around*

White Lily: *looks around at the broken buildings and fallen statues* Oh witches… Her oasis… Her temples…

Dark Cacao: From what the children told us. It is.. *frowns* Much more troublesome seeing it in person…

??: There you are!! 

*The three turned to look, seeing Golden Cheese flying over to them, the wielder of the light of Abundance was dressed in a more casual outfit, followed by a green haired Cookie with glasses.

Golden Cheese: You made it! *hugs Dark Cacao* Well, most of you.

Pure Vanilla: *smiles sadly* Sadly, dear Holly couldn't make it, and is caught up with things in her own kingdom.

Dark Cacao: *hugs her back* She has asked us to bring gifts for you. Are you alright, Birdie? You look exhausted.

Golden Cheese: *pauses, smiles* ...Let’s get inside first. Get out of this annoying heat, yes?

*Golden Cheese leads them inside the temple, where cheesebirds and a few cookies were seen, the cookies seeming to be tending to others who was injured.*

Pure Vanilla: *soon looks at the green haired cookie* Um, Goldie? Who is this?

Golden Cheese: Oh this is Olive cookie. She’s a friend of that Adventurer Cookie you all hired to find me.

Olive: *smiles, giddy* That’s me! I-I must say, It is an honor to be in the presence of even 4 of the ancients!! Your majesty, I am a FAN of each of your civilizations' work!!

Dark Cacao: Nice you meet you madam.

Golden Cheese: She has been extremely helpful with her vast interest in my kingdom. With her help, I've managed to awaken some of my subjects. Its a slow process but its working.

??: *small girl wrapped in bandages approached the group, reaching up to the queen herself.* Nana?

White Lily: *confused* A tiny mummy?

Golden Cheese: *smiles, picking the girl up* Hello sweetie. How are you?

Pure Vanilla: Such a cute little crumb! Who is this?

Golden Cheese: This is Fettuccine, my grandchild.. Fett, these are my friends. Dark Cacao, Pure Vanilla, and White Lily.

Fettuccine: *giggles* Hi hi!

Dark Cacao: Grandchild?

Golden Cheese: *nods* Found her in archives. She kept allowing me around, so I adopted her.

Pure Vanilla: *chuckles* Never expected you to be so fond of children, dear Cheese!

Golden Cheese: hehe, yeah. *frowns a bit, shakes her head* How about we get something to eat?You three must be tired from your journey.

*By midday, Golden Cheese offered her friends a nice lunch in the river spot in the middle of the temple. Her servants continue to help, despite her adamant waving off for them to go rest. She was a queen, but not helpless. She relished in the gifts her friends brought her, her wing flapping in happiness *

Pure Vanilla: *reading over Olive’s notes* Ms. Olive, this is amazing research! The details are immaculate!

Olive: *chuckles* Aww gee, thank you your majesty! Golden Cheese Kingdom is a mysterious and fascinating place. I’m just glad my research is helping restore this place.

Golden Cheese: *offering Fettuccine a cheese bun,smiles* I’ve been thinking of making her my scribe once my palace is complete! *sips on a glass of berry juice*

Dark Cacao: *twiddling with his fork* But Golden Cheese, I must ask.. Why did you call us here? 

*Pure Vanilla, White Lily, and Olive looked at the golden queen, seeing her face go from happy to pained to sad.*

Fettuccine: *touches Golden Cheese’s arm* ..Faba?

*Golden Cheese frowned a bit,soon picking up Fettuccine. She nodded to the little mummy, looking at the others*

Golden Cheese: *sighs* I guess I cant waste anymore time huh? Follow me. 

*soon leading them into a hidden room.*

*Three sarcophagi laid there, each with a different animal head on them. A bull, a falcon, and a jackal. Etched on the coffins were each different times of day, morning dawn, midday, and midnight. The queen approached one, a shaky hand touched the middle one, looking sad.*

White Lily: *worried* Golden Cheese…?

Golden Cheese: Heh. This is my hidden treasure room. I.. I keep the most sacred of treasures… Ones birthed from my feathers…

Fettuccine: *waddles to the jackal sarcophagus, touches it* Faba..

Pure Vanilla: Birthed from your feathers..? *frowns* You mean…

Dark Cacao: Children. She means children, Vanilla.

White Lily: *shocked, covers her mouth*

Golden Cheese: *nods* I came back to my kingdom, I found them dead. I managed to collect their souls and their bodies back together, crumb by crumb. But.. I can't wake them up…

Pure Vanilla: So that’s why you asked for our help.

Golden Cheese: *nods, hears something* Oh, um… excuse me. *leaves the room*

White Lily: *falls to her knees* I… She.. *sniffs* I did this…

[f0point5]

Toto is in a pretty hard situation. Next year is way to early for Kimi to go to merc. He is fast and talented that is not a question but he is young and he makes mistakes. And thats fine. Thats what feeder series are for, to develop drivers. But he is not given enough time. Making mistakes in f2 is one thing, making them in merc very different. The social media reception after he finished p14 in his first race were quite brutal. That would be way worse in an f1 team. The drivers are also using social media, Im sure he saw the people making fun of him. That cant be helpful long term.

Toto finally noticed that overhypeing an 18yrs old before his f2 debut wasnt really a good idea.

Announcing him while he is p9 in the f2 championship would be a pretty wild move…

https://www.fiaformula2.com/Latest/5oAWBWT5LJNkTvQFdlQBw5/antonelli-on-his-fast-start-to-f2-working-with-oliver-bearman-and-his-title

All he is talking about in this interview is how much he is learning. Which is good. But putting him on f1 testing while he is still learning f2 is an interesting choise. Its great that he is getting testing opportunities but they are really rushing him. And sure it worked out with max but he was one in a million.

Yes Toto doesnt want to lose an other Max level driver, but he could easily be the one to destroy Kimis carrier by rushing him so much.

Sorry rereading this ask I realised that its quite a mess🫣

Tbh, I half agree on Kimi but i think Toto is the biggest problem facing kimi.

While yes, Kimi is p9 in the championship, he is beating his teammate. Yes Ollie missed Saudi so you could argue he could have won or whatever but realistically, there hasn’t been a chasm between their results that would suggest Ollie would be ahead. Kimi is learning very fast for someone who didn’t have the experience of being in f3 at all. I don’t think it’s that crazy to consider giving him a seat.

BUT. Is Toto the TP he needs as a young driver with next to no experience? In my opinion, no. Apart from the fact that Toto doesn’t develop drivers, and is used to dropping them off at the Williams day care and picking them up when they’re ready, or just picking an already finished driver off the market, Toto makes no allowances for the antics that young drivers come with. Even in 2016 he made no allowances for Max, who wasn’t even HIS driver, to be “getting in the way”. He doesn’t like his drivers complaining or inventing. He doesn’t seem like a team principal who would have the understanding that yeah, a kid is going to end up in a first lap incident sometimes, he is going to fuck up qualifying. He is going to impede someone, and you are going to have to go to the stewards with him and fight for him, and not hang him out to dry when he does something a bit unorthodox. And I don’t think Toto is that guy.

Max was one in a million but he didn’t get there in his own, he had a Christian, Helmut, GP, and Jos, but largely Christian in a professional sense, fighting for him, letting him make his mistakes, and swallowing those fuck ups as part of the cost of putting a kid in a car. I don’t think Max would be the driver he is if he’d gone through Williams and Merc, I think he would have been encouraged to be more conservative and ultimately not developed in the same way. You would rather go over the limit and then come back, than never reach the limit.

I don’t see Kimi reaching his potential if he is under Toto from the beginning. And for that reason I don’t see Merc in 2025 being the best idea for him.

That being said, if Merc weren’t who Merc are, taking 2025 as basically live testing for him before the new regs come in is not a bad idea. If watching F2 this year has taught me one thing, it’s that those races will not adequately prepare you for driving in F1 in terms of speed, strategy, awareness, or a long calendar. A burner year to experience that where no one is expecting much from you in a midfield car is the best gift that could be given to Kimi. But coming from Merc, I don’t know how it will go for him.

As for the social media aspect, all you can hope is that Kimi has a good team around him and that he is consuming as little of it as possible. The way he always focuses on the learning says he is taking the right approach to it so far, but only time will tell. I do think there is a twisted positive in the amount of eyes on him, because most of these guys have no clue the amount of scrutiny they will get once they get to f1 and it’s a baptism of fire. As harsh as it sounds, Kimi being eased into it might not be the worst thing. Especially considering he is already associated with such a high profile team.

[iseos]

: BOOKSTORE

wc. 506 archive. pairing. sim jaeyun x fm!r synopsis. an accompanied walk home genre. fluff

  it was noon on the dot when y/n walked into the quaint bookstore and waved at her coworker jieun, who was standing behind the counter.

  despite the store's small size, its location in central seoul still brought in enough customers to typically require at least two people working at a time.

  y/n put her things down in the back and quickly got to work organizing misplaced books or putting new ones on the shelves.

midway through y/n's shift, she had switched to waiting at the register, which is where she was now.

as much as y/n loved her job, it did get quite boring as the day comes to a close and fewer people stopped in, causing her to zone out.

the girl watched as the sun started to set through the shop windows to her left while virtually unaware of her surroundings. she faintly heard her jieun welcome someone as they entered but paid no mind to it yet.

y/n jumped out of shock at the sound of a book being dropped onto the counter. she expected them to take longer to find the book they wanted.

looking up, she expected to see a random customer but instead made eye contact with none other than jake sim.

"oh— hi, what are you doing here?" she asked, still slightly recovering from the shock.

"just buying a book...from a bookstore," he said with a smug smile.

y/n furrowed her eyebrows at his weird behavior before looking down at the book he put in front of her.

"oliver twist?"

"what?" jake's confusion made her laugh slightly before she held the book up in front of him. "oh... it looks interesting?"

the girl slowly nodded her head, not believing anything he said, "sure, sure. now what do you really want?"

"am i not allowed to just want to talk to my girlfriend?"

"while i'm at work? no."

"fine, i was passing by and wondered if you wanted to walk home together since we're going to the same place."

y/n knew walking with jake would be a lot more enjoyable than walking on her own, and he was right, they were going to the same place since their apartments were in the same building.

"i wish i could, but i still work for thirty minutes..." y/n looked over at a nearby bookshelf where jieun was supposed to be organizing a bookshelf, she instead was giving her an enthusiastic thumbs up. since the store was closing soon there shouldn't be too many people coming in anyways.

"...fine, i'll walk with you, let me go get my stuff."

y/n pushed the book off to the side, knowing he didn't actually want to buy it while jake looked more than proud of himself as he followed the girl toward the back.

the two walked out the front doors together, jieun shooting y/n a wink making the girl shake her head at her friend, and the two began their walk home together.

© iseos

[kassandrasdisciple]

I think I've seen posts floating around about a potential back up to Jon if he died during his markings, but I'd like to make a comprehensive post for why I firmly believe it was Oliver Banks.

Firstly, why would there be a back up? The Web isn't omniscient, their plans can be messed with and they can make mistakes, as we see with Annabelle admitting, her calling Martin in the eyepocalypse was "sloppy". The reason their plans usually don't fail however is that they make contingencies and plan things far in advance, decades if necessary, you can cut many threads of a web before it collapses.

Moving on to why I think Oliver is a prime candidate, firstly his immediate loyalty, the End, means he's not dying any time soon, it wasn't the first power to mark him (more on that later) but neither was the Eye the first to mark Jon. By being an End avatar the Web could keep him on ice for centuries, slowly adding marks, whilst using more suitable but unfortunately more perishable avatars like Jon in the mean time. Secondly the Eye and the End are both very passive, the Eye sees all but doesn't comprehend and the End knows it claims all in time, the Eye was exploited by the Web as it wouldn't act against the mother of puppets in time to stop its grand ritual as it cannot act on the knowledge it aquires, in the same vein if an End avatar was to be used I don't think the End would fight the Web, atleast not like the Desolation or the Stranger would.

The hitch here is that the Eye was comfortable to let the apocalypse slowly fizzle into a heat death scenario, whilst if the End assumed total power it might of been more aggressive, however from how it acts in the show I think it wouldn't create an apocalypse so different from the Eye, it is patient, I don't think it would gorge itself by killing everyone in the new world immediately. Most likely instead of the domains being reset it would just allow victims to die after each act, so not disastrous for the Webs plan, just scaling up the time frame.

On to the marks, going through the supporting characters, Oliver has a suspiciously high amount of marks only being beaten out by the archives crew, namely Martin. I'll make a list and explain my reasonings as I go and I'll list them in how confident in the event being a mark I am. I will note that both Jon's Slaughter mark and Vast mark were very brief and if they count I'm sure some of my less tenuous ones do too. I'll also include references when I can.

The End - the most obvious and unquestionable mark, being the one that propels him to avatarhood.

The Eye - giving a statement to Jon to awaken him from his coma, we know giving a statement makes you relive the trauma in your dreams and he says as such before his statement. (Mag 121)

The Web - in the same episode as his statement Oliver says the Web sent him, most likely compulsion as he says it's best not to fight the mother of puppets, Jon's mark was similarly him being compelled by a Web aligned Leitner. (Mag 121)

The Corruption - whilst giving her statement to Gertrude, Jane Prentiss says she worked in the same magic shop as Oliver, saying he looked at her with sadness and then once with fear, most likely the corpse roots showing him her grizzly fate, I think it's safe to say that the corpse roots, as an extension of the End, serve only to show and provoke fear in their observer, in this case Oliver, not dissimilar to Jon and taking statements. (Mag 32)

The Slaughter - similar to Jane, Oliver pops up in another subjects statement as an observer, seeing premonitions of their fate, this time it's Jennifer Ling, the victim of Grifter's bone where he asked what she was listening too, and likely saw corpse roots coming out of her ears, predicting the affects of the Slaughter. (Mag 42)

The Stranger - we're still dealing with a manifestation of the fears but this time less direct, Graham was the victim of the NotThem in Across The Street and was also Oliver's boyfriend, although they broke up just before Graham got Got. However it's unlikely Oliver never learned of Grahams demise and, once he became more immersed in the supernatural, what really happened to him, I think it's unlikely the NotThem wouldn't of orchestrated atleast a few run-ins as it loves toying with the loved ones of it's victims. (Mag 3)

The Buried - no longer dealing with confirmed supernatural manifestations however it is talked about, in both his statements I believe, that Oliver worked at the Barclay's building before cracking under the pressure and having a mental breakdown, talked about most in Dreamer. We know from Mag 129 that financial debt can invoke the Buried, and when Gerry summerizes the Buried he says it feels like the whole world is coming down on you. I think given the fact it kick-started his descent into the fears, and it's where he starts all his dreams in dreamer, the breakdown was atleast supernatural adjacent if not fully, regardless he still felt the inherent fear of the Buried even if it was mundane in nature. (Mag 11)

The Desolation - the previous entry was actually me prepping you for this leap, all of Jon's marks had a supernatural component so it's unclear if the fear being supernatural is necessary or not, I.e. interviewing a desolation avatar vs losing your home and family to a mudane house fire, the fear is the same but the supernatural is unique. I personally believe it's the fear itself that's needed, creating a specific trauma/phobia of the fear, Jon's were all supernatural just because it was a reliable way to get a specific trauma. If this holds true then Oliver's Desolation mark is easy, the Satalite impact killing not only himself but over a dozen crew and scientists, spreading the Desolation to their friends and loved ones, no bodies ever recovered or laid to rest.

That leaves us with 6 unaccounted for, when I first made this theory I thought the satalite was the Daedelus reentering earth's atmosphere, which I used to neatly cross of the Dark, the Lonely and the Vast, but not only is there no evidence to them being the same, I don't think that would mark Oliver simply because evil money sponsored the space station. The other 3, the Spiral, the Hunt and the Flesh I also have no evidence for, although if the weight of his 9 to 5 didn't class as a Buried mark, the following breakdown might be claimed as a Spiral one.

However having 8 marks still makes Oliver one of the most marked characters, only behind Martin and Jon, the antichrist and his plus one. Also Jon was going to get himself killed or expire within a century possibility, depending on if he would have to body-hop like Elias/Jonah, and so the Web had to speedrun their plan. Oliver most likely would be around for far longer so the Web could afford to take her time and mark him at a leisurely pace, as a back up to Jon if that plan failed.

I hope you have all enjoyed this meandering mess, the word Mark has truly lost all meaning to me at this point, I do think I'm on the right track however as the Web wouldn't put all her eggs in one sac as it were, the only other candidate being Martin, though thinking about it he also had heavy Web ties as well.... a theory for another day. Thank you for reading and stay scared.

[21stcenturyschizoidfag]

OK SO. HERE IS.. avery 21stcenturyschizoidfags very silly impromptu mewtuals hunger games simulator thingulator post. this thing was fucking long i didnt realise maybe i'm just crazy and beautiful. will post the next bit after

AS A REMINDER HERE IS THE ROSTER.. i didnt really have any specific metric for who i added i just added who i thought would find this funny to be totally honest. and the caroline polacheks mole v azealia banks spoon thing is a reference to this i just find it really funny because i dont personally like caroline polacheks music also i ahve a facial mole like hers too. OK LETS BEGIN. BTW click on the images to see them better :)

da bloodbath

shaan being so scary like halloween time... ANA FUCKING DOWN LIKE STRAIGHT AWAY due to famed non-binary lesbian ally nicolas cage dracula in the movie renfield 2023... papa pavel and baby emilio working together ahh so cutes.. ram said im NOT starving in here. dee plans to FIGHT. everyone else gets the hell out of there

I FUCKING STRANGLED ISA TO DEATH ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ann doing everyone a favor and scaring that mole out of here.. aviv and cassis working together awww so friendlys. Someone gave proxy bombs which is very scary dont trust him with those his icon is the joker for a reason

day one and fallen tributes

dee and pavel each get stuff from one of numerous stans worldwide. mia sneaks up on mr. flow3 while hes busy writing dracula flow 4.. mr cage dracula and my friend olive feeling adventurous. mariam gets craftyyy and ellie wellie is homesick for equestria.. scott is a feminist as expected and scare-ah lives to see another day

cassis doing some tom and jerry stuff to accy OKAYY.. carolines mole uses its connections to caroline polachek proper (its attached to her face -_-) to get UNFAIR support from a stan. Nobody is surprised. BIGENDER TEAMUP from me and shaan.. I dont know how xe can bear to be around me after i STRANGLED ISA. TO DEATH. The oomfs are going hunting.. and then proxy takes my son hunting. I SURE HOPE NOTHING HAPPENS TO MY SON. & we mourn the loss of two souls. gone too soon.. gone too soon

night one

this broke my heart the fact that emilio is having trouble sleeping like EMILIOOO ): I LOVE YOU.. max doing everyone a favor by killing carolines mole BUT with the INCREDIBLY tragic loss of ELLIEEE.. mia and proxy chilling.. vi being an incredible chef and resourceful at that. is anyone surprised (smiles beautifully). the INSANE triple combo death of two incredible gay men and a beautiful and insane bigender. TRAGIC TRAGIC SHIT? Pavel spares the life of mr. flow3. Cassis has a little nap in a tree.. mariam having a mariam moment and ram REFUSING to allow it. mariam LIVES. ann like vi is very skilled in the kitchen and everyone claps and smiles. Me and that FUCKING spoon seem to have hit it off

day two and fallen tributes

emilio, accy & cassis are feeling adventurous asf.. me + olive + ram + sarah decide its time for food innit. AVIV PAVEL DEE AND MIA DIE. JUST LIKE THAT? THEY JUST DIE. THEY JSUT DIED? LIKE THAT. THEYRE DEAD NOW. LIKE BYE EVERYONE THEYRE JUST DEAD? i will mourn them. mariam and max are IN. THE TRENCHES. watch out please.. proxy and mr. flow3 are getting their battle tactics in

Rest in peace to these fucking legends. We lost so many in ONE FUCKING ROUND. so many incredible individuals just gone like that. Greyed out pavel kitten and slay sister callie is making me scream laughing. Scoot and paddington greyed out is like who are these two little scamps. Good lord. GOOD LORD.

night two

Ram is sick what the hell when did that happen. IM IN TEARS OVER MARIAM BEGGING ANOTHER PERSON TO KILL HER. LIKE GIRL I KNOW ITS THE HUNGER GAMES BUT IM IN TEARS RIGHT NOW CAN YOU STOP? & LIKE ASKING MY SON TOO?? trenches. cassis sabotages THE SAD FROWNER scare-ah (maybe its for the best..) A spoon climbs a tree. i would love to see that. mr flow3 and ann also climb trees.. Olive is so focking cold. Dogboy bonding.. theyre giving proxy more fucking explosives i swear to g-d. OK accy looking at the night sky did make me a bit emotional because like he IS an alien.. is he homesick too? im so sorry. they took your ufo away from you to put you in these sick and twisted games..

TO BE CONTINUED..

[eirinstiva]

Eye of the tigress

What ho! Bertie Wooster sent a letter and now we know that Heloise Pringle, the woman who looks a lot like Honoria Glossop is her cousin. HER COUSIN!

Even at the moment, something about that look had struck me as oddly familiar, and now I suddenly saw why. It had been the identical look which I had observed in the eye of Honoria Glossop in the days immediately preceding our engagement⁠—the look of a tigress that has marked down its prey.

Another smart and strong woman choose Bertie Sippy has her prey. Why are this kind of women so attracted to this kind of man?

“I mean to say, I know perfectly well that I’ve got, roughly speaking, half the amount of brain a normal bloke ought to possess. And when a girl comes along who has about twice the regular allowance she too often makes a beeline for me with the love-light in her eyes. I don’t know how to account for it, but it is so.” “It may be Nature’s provision for maintaining the balance of the species, sir.”

It took some time to Bertie to recognise the signals of attraction from the tigress Heloise, but something he learnt from his engagement to Honoria and now he's ready to save his and Sippy's arses. Time to ask for Jeeves' help!

“Do you know Bertie Wooster?” And then I saw that my name was scrawled right across the titlepage, and my heart did three back somersaults. “Oh⁠—er⁠—well⁠—that is to say⁠—well, slightly.” “He must be a perfect horror. I’m surprised that you can make a friend of him. Apart from anything else, the man is practically an imbecile. He was engaged to my cousin Honoria at one time, and it was broken off because he was next door to insane. You should hear my Uncle Roderick talk about him.”

Would his fame help him? I'm sure not. And having Sir Roderick as the one who discovered the true behing Bertie is the cherry on top of this story. Thanks, Jeeves for the suggestion of running away. The truth will set you free!

“Well, he seemed depressed, don’t you know, and rightly or wrongly I thought it might cheer him up if he stepped across the street and collared a policeman’s helmet. He thought it a good idea, too, so he started doing it, and the man made a fuss, and Oliver sloshed him.” “Sloshed him?” “Biffed him⁠—smote him a blow⁠—in the stomach.” “My nephew Oliver hit a policeman in the stomach?” “Absolutely in the stomach. And next morning the beak sent him to the Bastille for thirty days without the option.”

Mr. Wooster, I really admire the strength you had to say this.

“You aren’t annoyed?” I said. “Annoyed?” She chuckled happily. “I’ve never heard such a splendid thing in my life.”

So this aunt is slightly acab and Jeeves used this information on Bertie and Sippy's favour... That's an amazing idea!

Poor Bertie, he was almost captured (and kissed!) by Heloise Pringle, he has another encounter with Sir Roderick and had to run away. At least Miss Sipperley enjoyed the adventure of his nephew Oliver and Bertie had quality time with a cat.

[jxtina-86]

The Third Date

Roman brings the car to a halt outside the apartment building. He casts a sideways look to the passenger seat and Katherine catches his eye.

It's the end of their third date. He'd decided to up his game this time after the first two more casual affairs where they'd met for coffee and brunch. This time he'd booked a table at some fancy steak joint, and phoned to ask if they could put them somewhere quiet and out of the way. That had somehow translated into a private dining experience with minimal interruption from the staff. Tonight had been more flirty than before, the privacy allowing them both the opportunity to say things a little more bluntly than when in a packed restaurant with families on one side and a loud group of women on the other.

"You spoiled me tonight," she says with a smile. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

They've kissed once. Briefly. After the second date when he'd dropped her back right here. She'd put her hand on his arm and leaned up to kiss his cheek and then their mouths had met for the briefest of moments. He'd wanted more but pulled himself back. Katherine had blinked up at him and then felt his fingers push the hair back from her cheek and had to bite her lip to stop herself from letting out a sound. It was too much. Too soon. Take a breath, she'd told herself.

"When are you back in town?" She asks as she unclips her seatbelt and shifts to angle her body directly at him.

Roman's head rocks back on the headrest as he drags his eyes over her. "Two weeks," he sighs, not even trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow evening."

He watches her chew her lip for a second, his eyes darting down to take in the neckline of her shirt - if you can call it that. He's sure it's some sort of optical illusion, defying the laws of physics in the way that it seems to reveal so much yet so little all at the same time. The red material makes her olive skin glow and he's sure it's no coincidence that her lipstick is an exact match.

"Do you want to come up?" She sounds hopeful and he's not one to disappoint.

"Sure."

She leads the way and yet his hand on her the small of the back by the time they reach her apartment. As Katherine moves to flick on lights and offers him a drink, Roman takes in the huge bookcase that adorns one side of the lounge.

There are books squeezed into every possible gap and as he approaches, he starts to pick out that they're in alphabetical order. He immediately drifts towards the mid-way point, a finger drifting along the spines but he can't find her name. Most authors only appear a few times before a new name gives way, but he stops when he sees half a shelf dedicated to the works of Lydia Ratchford.

He picks one at random, raising an eyebrow as he reads the back cover.

Seductive Surrender is a scorching and explicit romance novel that will leave you breathless and begging for more. With its captivating characters, tantalizing sensuality, and emotional depth, this book will take you on a passionate rollercoaster ride that will leave you yearning for your own forbidden love. Brace yourself for an erotic tale of seduction, surrender, and true intimacy that will leave you begging for more.

"Interesting choice," Katherine's voice murmurs behind him and he turns to face her, still holding the book. "I thought you'd be more of a psychological thriller kinda man."

He chuckles. "Big fan I take it."

"Huge. She's got a talent."

"Yeah?" Roman flips the book over and starts to thumb through it. He looks up to see her grinning sheepishly. "Hey, no judgement here."

"I didn't say you were judging."

He replaces the book, drumming his fingers along the shelf. "I was actually looking to see if I could find one of yours."

"Oh yeah?"

He runs a hand over the back of his neck and Katherine notes the faint flush of red creeping over his skin. "I looked in every damn bookshop whilst I was away and I can't find anything by Katherine Pritchard."

"You looked for my work?"

"Yeah... I wanted to see what you were about. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. It's just that well, no guy has ever been that interested."

"Is it a work in progress?"

"What?"

"Your book..." Roman is scanning the bookcase again.

"Nope, they're out there."

"Given your only copies away then?"

She shakes her head. "You're looking right at them."

She watches his brow furrow for a second and then the penny drops. "Shit, you write this? Why not under your own name?"

That's not the response she was expecting. She's never told a guy before. No-one has ever been that interested in her career before she realises.

"It's technically a side project," she explains. "The plan was to write a few to make enough to sustain me to do a completely different kind of book. I didn't want to risk not being taken seriously later down the line. This kind of thing is sneered at by publishing houses."

"So are you writing something else?"

"On and off," she shrugs. "My agent thinks I should stick to this. It sells, she makes money, I make money, my readers are more than happy to give me that money."

"Who else knows?"

"My agent. A friend or two." She pauses. "And now you."

"I won't tell a soul."

She eyes him warily. "Because you want to protect me... or protect yourself?"

He stares back at her wide-eyed. "To protect myself? Why would I do that? You clearly don't shout about it, so I'm happy to respect that."

Even more interesting, Katherine thinks, her guard slowly backing down again. "I appreciate that."

"Although I am interested to know one more thing."

"What's that?"

"Is this all based on research or fantasy?"

Katherine laughs. "Wouldn't you like to know..."

He's reaching for her, her wrist captured as he slowly tugs her closer. A hand on the small of her back again, pulling her to him. His fingers trailing up her arm, across her shoulders, making her shiver.

"I'm just saying," he breathes against her cheek. "More than happy to offer up my services."

She giggles against his neck, her hands skimming up his thick biceps. "Smooth. But you forget, I write characters like you for a living. I know all the tricks."

"Yeah? Wanna test that theory?"

"Do your worst."

He chuckles, his eyes flashing darkly. "I ain't got a worst, baby girl."

She rolls her eyes. "See, classic line. Although I'll give you baby girl, that's a nice touch. I usually go for sweetheart, darlin', little one, that kinda thing."

"I can switch it up."

She shakes her head. "Don't. I like it."

"See, I'm teaching you something new already."

"I'm always open to new ideas," she whispers against his lips before she kisses him. His arms wrap around her, pulling her closer still. Her mouth is warm and open and he can feel himself melting for a second.

She starts to pull him off the bookcase, towards her bedroom. But he's too strong, shaking his head as he pulls back and instead spins her so she's now backed against the shelves.

"Here."

"Here?"

Her head is spinning as he looms over her, an arm outsretched above her, his fingers slowly easing the strap of her shirt off her shoulder. He leans down, his mouth on her neck, gentle, warm. Slow.

"For now at least," he rumbles against her shoulder.

For once, Katherine is lost for words. All the quick-wit has left her as she cups the back of Roman's head, stifling a moan as he places whisper-like kisses across her collarbone, long fingers caressing her back as he seeks out the zip to her shirt.

His hands cup her bare breasts and Roman doesn't even attempt to hold back the groan as he does. They fit perfectly in his palms and he smirks to himself as he rolls one nipple and then the other between his thumb and finger and Katherine lets out a gasp.

Her hands claw at his back, tugging his shirt up and over his head.

"Holy fuck," she breathes as she takes him in. Her hands ghost over his abs, his chest. "And this is why I stopped Googling you."

He gives her a quizzical look.

"Because I didn't want to talk myself out of seeing you again."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because guys like you, don't pick girls like me."

"Now that," he wags a finger at her. "Is a line. And a bullshit one at that."

"Why do you think I became a writer in the first place?"

"Nah, not playing this one, baby girl. You're hot. And you know it. And I ain't gonna let you say anything else."

"I'm being deadly serious."

"So am I." His hands slide down quickly, scooping her up and looping her legs around his waist. "Knock it off."

Her breasts press firmly against his chest and Katherine is sure that he can feel her heart pounding fast. His hands cup her ass, squeezing firmly.

"You got me," she breathes against his ear and he pulls back to smirk.

"I got your card marked, Katherine," he tells her, his voice so low it vibrates through her. "You can't play a player."

---

A/N: Will I ever write an actual smut fest between these two... I'm undecided. I just love the tease. Thanks for all the love so far. No idea where I'm going with it, just enjoying the ride.