#nun lumine

[hengaii]

CW ⚠️BLOOD Priest diluc x nun lumine

Linktree

[daisychainsandbowties]

THE STAR WARS AU [4/10]

word count: 30k

rating: m

summary: Ava is a fugitive Jedi. Beatrice is an Inquisitor. Things go about as well as you’d expect.

excerpt

//

She felt Lilith approach. Her steps were firm, audible even on the carpet, not like Crimson’s prowling softness, her sneaking-up-on-you gait. She half-expected Lilith to reach out and hit her, but the Third Sister only stopped.

When Beatrice opened her eyes very slightly she could see where the scuffed knees of Lilith’s pants almost touched the bare and slightly-wasted curve of Beatrice’s own knee. Lilith reached out, her fingers slipping softly under Bea’s chin – the barest touch – and then she pressed her lips down to where the scalp was ruined.

And the pain of it disappeared.

Later, Beatrice only remembered the way Lilith took the filthy handful of hair and blood and skin out of her hand and dropped it almost reverently into the recycler, which ate the lot in a gasp of escaping air.

She took her into the bathroom, first pulling her up off the bed and not flinching whatsoever when Beatrice simply collapsed against her. Slumped, loose-limbed but for her elbow, which she kept tucked into her ribs. Beatrice’s head fell against her chest, which was not covered with the chest plate of her armour. They were on the station. They were safe. It was soft.

Lilith’s hands distracted her, their lacework of scars and how it loaned an odd terrain to her touch. The contact might have made Beatrice shiver. She wondered where those scars came from, who they came from, but she found herself soothed by them, unexpectedly.

More than scars, they felt to her like the writing you read in the dark, or if you cannot see; bumps with meaning inside. Beatrice found herself trying to read them as Lilith lowered her onto the little stood in the bathroom, as she slipped one hand down behind her ears to gather up all the hair.

But it wasn’t any language - just touch.

She took the razor out of Beatrice’s hands and stood behind her, running it over the scabs on her scalp, brushing the hair away when it feel onto her shoulders. Lilith’s fingers were warm, tacky with spots of blood, but wherever she found a wound she would trace it with her thumb, and then with her lips.

It was strange, unwelcome, necessary – her warm breath when she leaned in to blow the tiny, prickly hairs off the back of Beatrice’s neck. Her movements stilted as she put both her hands down on Beatrice’s shoulders, thumbs pressing into the little nub of bone that marked where the acromion and the clavicle meet. Her voice, mercifully invisible in the dim bathroom light, the hair shifting beneath their feet like discarded feathers as she said, “There. You’re free.”

And Beatrice – stupid stupid – said into the relapse of their silence, “No, I’m not.”

It was as if a thin sheet of glass stood between them, and every touch, every word, all the halfway-honest looks, all of their tenterhook movements, put tiny cracks into the surface. They bloomed out from the scars on Lilith’s hands, and when Beatrice turned her back the glass grew mimicries of the scarring on her back. When she reached out, it took the reflection of her arms.

Then there were moments when a word or a gesture would suddenly and violently bring the whole superstructure of glass down around their feet. That time, Beatrice got to witness it in the bathroom mirror.

Lilith with the razor in her hand, one palm pressed flush into Beatrice’s scalp, angling to take in the artful mess she’d made. It would have been enough for Beatrice if Lilith had simply run the razor through and through and through on the highest setting, shearing everything down to the scalp, but instead she’d attacked each section with a delicacy that came out of her and felt, to Beatrice, like a shock of cold water.

Tilting her chin back to trim her hairline, mussing to upset the little errant hairs away when the razor clipped them. A too-soft murmur of “Close your eyes” as Lilith dusted her scalp with an open hand, very carefully placing both palms to either side of Beatrice’s head to tilt it, just so, or to coax it straight again.

Then the glass broke, and Beatrice watched Lilith freeze, fist curling white around the electronic razor. Dressed down to the blank pants and shirt she wore under her armour, tight around the shoulders but untucked at the waist. A shadow crossed her face and then decided it wanted to stay, settled down underneath her eyes, slipped black tendrils inside until her gaze shone, wetly.

She walked out of the room without saying a word, leaving the razor on top of the bedspread, scattering a few flecks of black around it.

Beatrice had, by dint of vomiting onto the bed in the middle of the night, contrived to switch out the velvet black bedspread for something the colour of cream. There were better dreams in that fabric, but even after she dusted the hair away and put the razor back into its drawer, the bed held onto the image of Lilith tossing the razor down as she swept past.

That night Beatrice dreamed she was back in the chair again, with one arm unlatched and the other tucked tight to her chest. She hit Lilith again and again and again, until her face turned into a smear of blood.

continue on ao3

[knightsofrayx]

"Second Sister Beatrice, your darkside girlfriend needs a snickers bar"

-Ava (probably)

a little something for @daisychainsandbowties star wars au

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins)—Oh where to start .... I'm not sure I even know how. She's just perfection. And it's not fair I can't bring post 70s work into this, because she just gets better and better, and her drag performance in to die for. But in the era I CAN talk about, she shows she has THE RANGE. Beautiful, feisty, funny, holding her own against Christopher Plummer, Paul Newman, Rock Hudson. Oh she's luminous.

Nadira (Shree 420, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai)— She had a blast playing the femme fatal in Indian films in the 50s. Also the costumes she wore in Shree 420 are absolutely iconic. It's important to mention that she was Jewish. She was born Farhad "Florence" Ezekiel in Baghdad to an Iraqi Jewish family. They moved to India sometime in the 1940s. The funny thing is that she originally wanted to convert to Catholicism and become a nun but joined the film industry instead as her family desperately needed money. Even though she was unfortunately typecast in femme fatale roles after playing the nightclub entertainer Maya in Shree 420, she always gave 110% to every role she was cast in. Apparently she acted in a German film as well? She was also one of the most highly paid actresses in the Indian film industry and was one of the few Indians to own a Rolls Royce.

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Julie Andrews propaganda:

"She has such a simple but amazing beauty to her. Not to mention her amazing and melodic singing voice!"

"Roles like nannies and governesses can make us forget how attractive she was! A perfect combination of elegant and adorable, with the most incredible vocal range to boot!"

"Besides having one of the most amazing singing voices ever to grace the silver screen, Julie always had an understated beauty to her that wasn't always shown off on screen. But it's there nonetheless because her characters managed to pull some of the hottest men ever to grace the screen."

"The juxtaposition between carefree Maria and stern but fun Mary Poppins shows the power of the acting of this HOT VINTAGE MOVIE WOMAN"

"Charming, genteel, incredibly charismatic, beautiful, and has an angelic singing voice to boot. Her screen roles as Maria in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins are absolutely iconic for a reason and she originated several well-known Broadway roles before those."

"the most beautiful woman 12 year old me had ever seen possibly"

"OMG OMG OMG she’s definitely been submitted before how could she NOT but!!!! I loveeee her so muchhhh rahhhh prebby!!!! cool!!!! mary poppins the beloved <33333 some people dislike it but I love jolly holiday so much because it IS a jolly holiday with Mary!!! no wonder that it’s Mary that we love!!!!!"

"I know many people who were taught in singing lessons "when in doubt, pronounce words how julie andrews would pronounce them." THATS CALLED INFLUENCE. THATS CALLED MOTHERING THOUSANDS."

Nadira:

I just submitted a whole list of golden-era Bollywood stars without whom I thought this tournament could not conscionably be considered complete BUT Nadira has got my personal vote for Hottest of the lot. She played a bunch of delicious vamp roles in her youth before graduating to being a creepy spiderlady antagonist type in middle/older age. Rare is the still in which she looks like she's NOT about to gnaw your face off. Yow!

[1800-page-not-found]

Being drunk and complaining how you think your bfGF is prettier than you (genshin men WOMEN x fem reader)

meow i love women <3

im so gay for genshin women lol

characters(SEPERATE): yae miko, beidou, lisa, mona, deyha, ninguang, rosaria, shenhe, yelan,

doing nilou, ganyu, jean, eula, keqing, ei(baal), kokomi, yoimiya next!!

be sure to comment if you want any other characters!!

ILL ALSO HAVE A SEPRATE LITTLE LUMINE AND AETHER ONE BC I LOVE THEM

i just fucking realized that rosaria is a nun, which means she is not allowed to date or have any sexual interaction uh my bad haha

Yae miko rather laughed at your pitiful state. As a shrine maiden, she is not allowed to drink, but rather seeing you intoxicated was rather enjoyable. "fufufu...what do we have here?" She laughed as you collapsed onto her, crying. "How are you so gorgeous?...what if-what if someone steals you from me? Do you even love me?" ...this was what came out of your mouth in a series of lisps and blabbering. "Oh? And what would make you think there is anyone else that could win me over? If you really want to be assured, I'll let you know that I dont just fall for anyone..." She smiled slyly at you. "R-REALLY?.." You looked up at her. "Yes darling, really." You ended up in a sobbing fit and cried yourself to sleep, waking up to puffy eyes and a teasing yae miko who wouldn't tell you what she was had happened last night...

Beidou, is a drinker all right. And so were you. Unfortunantly, the rather large difference between the two of you drinking was your rather awful alcohol tolerance. One or two drinks and you were saying your deepest darkest secrets. Which is why it usually ends up with you and beidou drinking alone. "Gosh..." You fangirled at your wife. "So hot, pretty, cool, smart, strong, hngg" You hit your head on the table as your hand which was supporting your head slipped. "OW!" You yelled in pain, crying to your wife. "Wifey it hurtttttttsss." You cried to beidou, and she just laughed. Which resulted in you staring at her in seriousness. "That laugh...."You suddenly gush, warmth rising to your cheeks. "That was so hot!" sparkles appeared in your eyes. "Do it again! Do it again!" You eagrly begged her to laugh again...and again...and again. How happy beidou was to have someone love her as much as you did.

Lisa, was actually the one to intoxicate you in her office after you gifted her multipole bottles of fruit wine, insisting that it would taste better if she drank it with you. However, rather than drinking it for herself, she took small sips while encouraging you to drink more. And you, somewhat of a people pleaser (or maybe just a lisa pleaser), drank until you couldn't tell how many fingers you had on your hand. "Lisaaaaaaa" you groaned, holding your head. "Yes cutie?" she smiled slyly, swirling the wine in her glass. "I envy you so much.." You laid your head on the office desk sighing. "You're so cute, gorgeous, and pretty...how is it even possible? And your voice is so soothing..." You blinked slowly, perhaps it was the alcohol (or lisa's voice), that made you tired. "Haha, are you a fan of me?" She gazed into your eyes smiling as her hand lifted your chin to look at her. "I think your cuter, isn't that right my little cutie?" You shied away from her embarrassed. "I was trying to complement you...not turn it around to me" You kissed her and giggled, "Hehe, you're my girlfriend! I'm so luckyyyhngggg" You blabbered, drifting off to sleep giggling.

As a rather wealthy person (or at least, richer than mona), you brought mona to your house for a little dinner date at home. You were quite nervous, even after months of dating, trying to impress her. Mona found it a bit cute, you've already stolen her heart, you still want to impress her? This 'cute' intention and nervousness made yourself drink the whole bottle of alcohol for a confidence boost. "Ah! [n-name] dear, you shouldn't drink so fast!" Mona stood up worriedly and rushed to your side. She held your arm as the alcohol started doing its job, and you started to loose balance. "Monaaaaaa I love you sooooooooo muchhh" You turned to her smiling drowsily, but unfortunately loosing your balance which caused you to topple over her on the floor. "[n-name]! Are you okay!?" she sat up, perhaps a bit embarrassed with a tint of pink dusting her face. You, arms wrapped around her neck and staring at her a bit too intently, spoke. "You're the prettiest astrologist-no the prettiest person ive ever met, how did i even get to date you?" You gushed at her. "P-pretty? Well of course I am!" She boasted, turning her head to face the wall to hide the redness of her face. "You're so cool...I wanna be just like you" You stayed like this for a while, sitting in her lap on the ground until you dozed off. "You're so silly [name], I love you for who you are..." She mumbled under her breath, staring at your sleeping figure on her lap.

An eremite and a scholar..dating? Yes, perhaps it was a bit unusual, but you were so in love with Deyha, sometimes you couldn't even look her in the eye. First meeting when you commissioned her to protect you in the runes, as you were a haravatat student. You asked her out, and rather very surprisingly, she said yes. And now it comes to this, having a date in a treehouse? The picnic blanket was spread on the wooden floor, and a candlelit dinner was set on the blanket. "[name]...you can't get drunk alright?" Worried for your safety, she set the bottle to the side, away from you. You were quite the infamous scholar at the akademiya known for your alcoholism, which made many other scholars shy away from you. Deyha paused for a moment, seemingly trying to process something, then picking up the bottle and shaking it, only to hear the airy inside of the bottle, without a single drop of wine. "[n-name]?" She went over to your side and looked at your face, in which turned out to be pink. She sighed. Truth to be told, you were trying to fix your alcoholism, which was (kind of?) working, you only got drunk every other week or so. It seems that the wine was too tempting to resist. You looked at Deyha and took her face in your hands. "Your makeup is superb pretty and gorgeous and cool and hot today." Deyha sat up straight, blushing. "I'm not wearing any makeup today [name].." Covering her face with her hand embarresed by your compliment. You snaked your hands around her waist and closed your eyes. "Mmmm...youre warm too..." You cuddled next to her as she laughed. "Of course, I'm your little heater." You smiled, breathing in her scent. "You smell good too..ehe" You took a deep breath and sighed.

The jade chamber was rebuilt, so you decided to have a mini party with only Ninguang. "I've brough some high-quality wine from mondstat for us to celebrate." She opened the bottle, the two of you a drink. Savoring the wine, she smiled at you gently. "Do you like it?" She asked you, waiting for your reply. "YES! Ahem, sorry i meant yes, i do like it." You blushed, flustered of your outburst. It was still hard to wrap your head around the fact that you were dating the ninguang. Perhaps it was the alcohol slowly taking effect, or maybe just the nerves, but you suddenly blurted out, "I think you're the nicest and prettiest lady in the entirety of teyvat! I-I'm really happy that you gave me a chance to date you considering our vast diferences..." You stuttered, fumbling with your hands. She let out a slight chuckle and stood up, walking in front of your chair to bend down to look at you. As here hands were on both of the arm rests, pining you to the chair, she spoke sternly, yet also in a loving tone. "It should be me who's the grateful one here, someone as cute and charming as you is hard to come by you know?" She teased you, showing her rather playful side than her work personality to you. After all, you were someone who truly loved ninguang for who she is and perhaps her no.1 fangirl and supporter.

As someone who was kept void of emotions, Shenhe was always learning new things about love and emotions when she was with you. She always felt calmer(less homicidal ykyk) near you, which was something quite new. And blushing and being embarrassed...was a bit confusing sometime. You invited her to your house for a drink or two, which caused shenhe to panic a bit and cloud retainer to have her little 'my baby's growing up!!' moment. Appearing at your front door step, you invited her in. "Oh! I bought this bottle of alcohol when i visited Snezhnaya, I've been really wanting to try it with you!" You smiled, which instantly caused shenhe to be a melting mess. "R-really...you wanted to try it with me?" "Yes!" You took two cups and poured some alcohol in each one. "Cheers!" You smiled as you downed the whole thing. "Ack-" You coughed, choking a bit on the alcohol. "Are you alright?" Shenhe asked worried about your wellbeing. "Yeah haha..and this alcohol seems to be wayyyy stronger than I thought it would be." You silently apologized to shenhe for the person you were about to become once drunk. Taking another shot (which actually was more like 5 shots in your cup), your face started turning red, and your words started to become more carefree and slurred. "Mmmphhh i really lov your eyes their soooo pretty...Just like you entirely ya know? Gosh how did i get someone as cute as you?..." You smiled at her, as she was a mush of shyness. "You're doing it again...saying these things that make me feel weird..." She mumbled, but you heard her. "Do you not like how it makes you feel?" You looked at her, tilting your head in curiosity. "N-no! I really like these um-compliments you give me." She covered her face. "Awww whats wrong?" You smiled, pouting. "Those expressions of yours...so...cute..." She fangirled internally at you. Tonight, shenhe will be receiving all the affection she deserves <3

"YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN" you yelled rushing to the front door of your rather luxurious home you shared with your wife. "Hello love, I'm back from work." You jumped onto her as she caught you. "You're such a child...I haven't even been gone for that long." You sniffled and sobbed. "Yes it was! You were gone for two days! I missed you so much!" You cried, and yelan took one smell to know you were drinking. She sighed and laughed "Drinking without me?" She said. "Im sorry...I just missed seeing your pretty face and your touch i thought the alcohol would help...It's-It's a weekend so its fine!" You tried defending yourself. "Well I'll say, I missed you lots too. I got you a little souvenir" But you were already fast asleep. Well at least she loves taking care of you at times like this, she found it pretty cute.

[pinkworldone]

When you like girls/boys that are short

Yandere(?) Genshin Impact x reader

characters from:

part 1:

Mondstadt: Rosaria, Amber, Kaeya, Albedo

Liyue:, Shenhe, Xiangling, Zhongli, Xiao

part 2 will contain:

Inazuma: Ayato, Thoma, Gorou, Kazuha, Raiden Ei, Kuki Shinobu, Yae Miko

part 3

Sumeru: Tighnari, Cyno, Alhaitham, Dehya, Candace, Wanderer, Nilou, Kaveh

NOTES!!.: I still exploring Fontaine and the characters, so for now, I’m not writing for any Fontaine characters! Have a good day/afternoon or night, hope you like it! This is my first time writing in English.

Thank you, @nervousdelusionballoon, for letting me use the idea!!

ROSARIA~

Rosaria was liking you for a very long time, she always watch you, saying that it’s for your protection, but she knows very well that isn’t for just protection.

Rosaria is a really quiet woman and many may consider her difficult to deal with, so your approach to her took a while, but it happened. You would go to Church almost every day to thank Barbatos and she would stay by your side or just watch you from afar, Rosaria don't believe in the Archons, however, if it meant staying close to you, having the slightest touches of your skin, she could accept that a bit,  always spelling the Archon' name wrong, which you complained about at first, but now you just accepted it and is happy with the company of your dear friend.

As a nun, Rosaria cannot get involved in certain personal relationships, even so, she seeks at least something more than friendship, just let her protect you, but don't have a relationship with anyone, okay? Rosaria has this kind of thinking, she doesn't stay with anyone and neither do you, they would just be friends... So, when you say you like someone, she just listens in silence, thinking about how to end that person. And if you said you like shorter men and women, she'll be freaking out inside, you said you found Albedo attractive! 

Rosaria felt strange, because she didn't trust him and also didn't want to see you with anyone. You also started to praise Amber quite often, which made her angry and hurt, was it because Amber believed in Barbatoes?! Was because of this? Did you want a devout person to the Archon?!

No, no, no! She will look for the deepest secrets and if she doesn't find anything compromising enough, she will stay by your side and invite you to the Church, after all, she needs to participate in certain activities and when she can't escape them, she always calls you to keep an eye on her. in you. Albedo and Amber have already realized how much Rosaria is by their side, especially, silently judging them and they feel that any wrong step or word would lead them to a not very good end.

KAEYA

Kaeya is quite attentive when it comes to his sweetheart (but you still don't know that you are destined for him), always winning over and trying to flirt with you, giving you hints that he liked you and only you! Those nights at the bar weren't enough for you to realize?! Kaeya knew you were weak to drink and so he could take advantage of that. 

What shocked him was hearing that you thought Aether (or Lumine) and Albedo were cute just because they were shorter, he stopped drinking for a few seconds, listening to you ramble about how cute they were. This makes him angry, so all those days, months of flirting were useless because you liked shorter people!? 

Kaeya tried to smile for you, support you through it all, but it was difficult, he didn't want to share it and  he won't. Slowly moving you away from the "cute" or short guys, flirting in public so they know they don't have a chance, the smile getting bigger when they mention you two as a couple. 

“a cute couple” they say, making his smile bigger and you flustered, even Albedo and Amber noticed that…

everything is going according to plan.

SHENHE

Shenhe wasn't a person fond of "humans", after all, she barely knew the concept of humanity and people didn't consider her as one either. So, being treated like a human and with so much affection, care and patience was a good experience. So good that she didn't want it to end. Hearing you say that you liked Xiangling for being shorter left her genuinely confused, she was conflicted as she didn't know how to react. Did she let you go or did she fight for that good feeling of kindness? Ant the bad thoughts began to fill her mind, did you like Xiangling because she was more human?

humanity is weird for her, so, the way she acts towards you is weird too.

Shenhe is strange towards any loving or more human sensation, so when the source of her jealousy appears, she wants to get rid of this evil so that she can become calmer and return to her normal, stoic state. But the moment you said you liked short people, she just didn't know what to do. Even if she got rid of them, there would always be someone else who caught her attention, and Shenhe can't change her own height. leaving her conflicted. In any case, Shenhe will remain by your side, she knows that she can be scary and that many may be afraid of her, so why not take advantage? So maybe you can see that height is not that important....

ZHONGLI

His passion for you was so gentle and obvious by the unintentional touches, the way he always called you and stayed by your side, but you were oblivious to all of that. Maybe he was just a good friend and since you received some advice from Zhongli, you thought about saying your preference for a love interest.

He was interested, maybe he was your type? Maybe you liked him and that was an excuse to say you loved him? so cute! So, he heard that you liked Xiao, he just looked at you in silence, which might scare you at first. Zhongli was in shock, as long as you are happy, he repeated to himself several times. Zhongli started to ask what made you interested in Xiao, and when he heard that it was time, he realized that there was no way to get your heart that easily. Those hours, days, months of courting you weren't useful?!

No, no, no! He wanted to stay in that idea “as long as you’re happy”, but you can’t be happy without him! You can’t see it? He will make you see that he is perfect for you, Zhongli first told you that Xiao probably wasn't interested in anything romantic and when that doesn't work, he'll talk to Xiao about you, asking him not to accept you. Zhongli had made you more and more dependent on him. Acting more and more like a "charming prince", even if he is eliminating the rivals.

[wolfes]

—The Screaming Staircase, Jonathan Stroud

[Caption: 3 gradient gifs of the main trio from Lockwood & Co. Each gif has a ripped paper effect revealing words from the novel. 1: A yellow-to-orange gif of Lockwood leaning against the wall and smiling. Highlighted text: “Lockwood’s teeth aren’t quite as luminous as my watch, but when he grins it’s a close-run thing.” 2: A blue-to-green gif of George speaking impassively. Highlighted text: “His face was uniquely slappable—a nun would have ached to punch him—while his backside cried out to heaven for a well-placed kick.” 3: A purple-to-pink gif of Lucy speaking earnestly. Highlighted text: “I was quick on my feet, if not especially clever with a rapier, and ambitious to do well.” End caption.]

[wastemanjohn]

size zero, please! for your wip ask game :)

of course <3

femchesters under the cut!

Deanna scoffs. “Hey, it’s not even midnight. I’m practically a nun.”

Sam ignores this. She never feels too good, when Deanna’s out all night like this. Sort of melancholy and flat, but angry too. And she kind of wants Deanna to know about it, without really telling her, so she lets the silence hang.

Deanna gives no indication that she notices. She strolls into the room proper, all swagger even though there’s no one around to impress. She’s wearing a tight AC/DC t-shirt that she’s modified to a crop top, the bit where she cut it crooked hanging loose above her belly button. Her jeans are a little too tight, and those fleshy bits above her hips that Sam sees her pinching and grimacing at sometimes are visible. As expected, there’s a plum colored smudge on her chin where that lipstick got displaced, patchy remnants still on her lips. She’s even gone for eyeliner this evening, with a thick black wing that’s patchy too with sweat, dark enough to dull out the luminous green of her eyes. Her hair, just like Mom’s, Dad says, is sticking up at various angles, but it still suits her somehow.

Sam briefly tries to imagine trying to dress like that, do her makeup like that. All she can think about is that time in eighth grade she heard Danny Griffin murmuring to another kid that you never get two hot sisters, it’s not fucking fair.

Deanna’s standing at the foot of the sofa bed, brows knitted a bit, like she’s picking up on Sam’s mood but doesn’t want to touch it. “Did Dad call?”

“What do you think?”

She could feel bad for the way Deanna’s face falls, but it’s not her fault Dad’s AWOL again. Not her fault Deanna always seems to forget that he’s AWOL more often than he’s not. She says he just loses time on a hunt, he always means to call, he just forgets. She believes everything he says.

“What you reading?” Sam raises the cover to show her Ulysses. Deanna raises an eyebrow. “You never put that down. Must be really good.”

“I don’t think you’d like it,” Sam says, not kindly. 

When Deanna scowls at her and swaggers towards the kitchen, Sam thinks she’s pissed her off. She panics faintly about that, the thought that Deanna won’t be back for her this evening; but Deanna returns a moment later with a beer from the fridge. Its slick with condensation, and Sam watches her pop it open with one of Mom’s rings, the one Dad gave to her, likes her to wear; she perches on the edge of that stained arm chair. Her crossed legs cover the mould ring on the upholstery.

“Isn’t that Dad’s?” Sam asks, against her better judgement, as Deanna takes a sip.

She shrugs. “Like you said. He didn’t call.”

Sam’s not sure how that answer makes sense, but she lets it go. She sits up a little, discarding Ulysses and the hidden book inside sprawled out on the bed beside her. “So where’d you go tonight?”

Masochism can be the only reason for asking; and Deanna wipes her mouth, still leaves a shiny residue of beer behind on her lips. “Nowhere, really. A bar, for a while. Then I met a guy, so mostly his car.”

She chuckles, and Sam wishes it would sound forced. “Spare me any further details.”

“You’re such a fuckin’ prude.”

Sam isn’t glaring, she doesn’t think, but Deanna still sort of looks away, like she’s uncomfortable. Takes a longer slug of that beer, her throat moving gently as she swallows. She looks as delicate as an elegant girl sipping a glass of wine, her small fingers wrapped around the bottle, her plump lips popping off the opening. Because Deanna is delicate, at face value, in ways that Sam can easily forget, knowing how deft those little hands are with weapons, how easily they can kill. She’s small and feminine, which is an observation Sam knows to keep to herself if she doesn’t want broken bones.

It’s just - Sam feels gargantuan next to Deanna sometimes, pushing 6 feet in height and still growing, her limbs cut with muscle, her neck long and her shoulders broad and her stomach hard, hard like a guy’s. Not soft and cute like Deanna’s. 

Dad says Sam’s built perfectly for the job. There are few things that make her want to shrink to the point of disappearing quite like that.

[itsevidentvery]

FFRMC Day 2: AU of my Heart

I missed Day 1 on Tumblr (though I did celebrate on Twitter) but wanted to make sure I cover my bases for Day 2.

The Terror fandom has so many fantastic AUs it's impossible to pick just one. Below the cut is a non-exhaustive list of some of my darlings.

A sparkling Howl's Moving Castle fusion: moving, thrilling, unputdownable.

2. @soft-october-night's fleet-footed, deft imagining of Thee Sexiest Dynamic Ever: cross-grained detective Crozier giving chase to dashing thief Fitzjames on the rooftops of London.

3. @veganthranduil is responsible for so many gorgeous AUs, but this one really has all of my heart. It's about colonialism, it's about personhood, it's about an obsessively engineered piece of machinery who will break your heart into tiny pieces.

4. I was given, some years ago, this exquisite, thoughtful story about anarchists, expressionist poetry in a flawlessly-rendered turn-of-the-century setting, and I really do think everyone should read it.

5. @areyougonnabe gave me this sparkling, barnstorming 60s spy caper absolutely stuffed to the GILLS with My Favourite Things, and I think we should be talking about it all the time.

6. Old Devil Moon is @corinthes's absolutely luminous Western, and is its own prestige drama adaptation.

7. I thrilled from head to foot when I read this gentle, thoughtful, lovingly-crafted AU of Mediaeval Lesbian Nuns waiting out a plague.

8. One of the abiding joys of the insanely talented Terror fandom is its ability to find the inherent Terror-ness in the most unlikely of sources. For example: you could probably guess that George Hodgson is the most PG Wodehouse of all Terror characters, but did you know how simultaneously hilarious, poignant and terrifying a Wodehouse pastiche could be?

9. Earthrise is a series about finding oneself, coming to terms with what it means to change, and the mortifying ordeal of maybe allowing oneself to be happy... in space!

[cashewally-sarcastic]

(Venlumi) Venti,,, keeps cuddling Lumine with his wings,,, one time they are by Vennessa's tree and he subconsciously puts his wings around her as they cuddle.

Cue some passersbys (hunters from springvale going to mondstadt city to trade) and suddenly there are rumors that a certain archon has reappeared (note Venti's face was covered by his wings) and that they really like the honorary knight (who's face was not covered)

"I wonder why about 5 merchants has given me discounts today? Also Flora keeps giggling when I buy flowers????"

"Oh it's probably nothing!" He gives Lumine a peck on the cheek before walking away and then is stopped by a knight.

"Careful bard. Don't you know that Lord Barbatos likes her?"

"Huh!"

"Yeah so-"

"HUH???? (￣▽￣) ???" <- has been dating Lumine for months <- why are people bringing up the archon??? <- what do you Mean someone saw them cuddling??? <- WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE CAN'T HOLD HIS BELOVED'S HAND WITHOUT BEING SIDE-EYED BY THE NUNS????? (TヘT)

Venti wing hugs,,,favorite venlumi idea,,,

But also dbdjdbd “watch our Bard, Barbatos likes her” and venti just immediately “?!?!” is so funny. The nuns side eyeing them too dbdjfbc sister victoria is JUDGING

[citrinitxs]

STARTER CALL FOR: TRAVELER @viatrixtravels

Normally, ALBEDO doesn't get visitors in Dragonspine often. He's quite used to the familiar faces that go there, like the adventurer's guild, maybe Bennett if the poor boy got into trouble, and even the nun that comes to keep an eye on things.

However, today was a special occasion, as he decided to go down to see Sucrose and Timeaus... And was promptly greeted with an odd feline right at the tree that was made of agate and frost.

"Hm? I never thought a cat like you would come here."

Kneeling down, the alchemist examined the feline before him. It was rather small from the ones he's seen, with a scarf, inteyvat...

...

Ah. The only one I know that has an inteyvat of a flower...

"... Lumine, how did you get here without your floating companion?" he asked quietly, reaching over to gently scoop up the cat into his arms. "I'm surprised you didn't catch a cold out here."

I wonder... How did she even turn herself into a cat?

[daisychainsandbowties]

THE STAR WARS AU [3/10]

word count: 39k

rated: M

summary: Ava is a fugitive Jedi. Beatrice is an Inquisitor. Things go about as well as you’d expect.

chapter excerpt:

‘I haven’t been in space for five years,’ Ava says abruptly. She peers up at the dark bank of clouds squatting over the shipyard, ‘I’ve barely even seen the stars.’ The sentence is raspy, split into pieces by the quickstep of her breaths.

They stand there, both of them, looking up. ‘Do you miss it?’ Mary asks. It isn’t really a question.

‘I love it up there,’ Ava says simply. ‘It’s where I belong.’

The rain touches mostly their boots when they sit down. It slants, pattering over the toes and sliding down towards the laces. Mary made Ava spend half her first paycheck on a pair of sleek waterproof boots made from a durafiber hybrid. They’re scuffed now, but they’ve never let in so much as a drop of water, so Ava figures it was worth it, even if she did spend a whole month eating nothing but unsweetened synth-porridge and algae crackers.

‘Space is beautiful,’ Ava says. ‘It has no boundaries. If you shoot a blaster out there the bolt will keep going until it collides with something. That’s inertia,’ she adds, though everyone knows. ‘Things keep going until something stops them or changes their course. I miss never stopping.’

Another moment slides past before Ava admits, for no real reason, ‘But I miss it mostly because we lived there. We were happy there.’

She is tied up in her own inconsiderate breaths, but Ava is what she is (a death, a legacy) and so she hears Mary’s breath hitch inside her chest. There are no echoes wrapped up in Mary’s jacket; just a body, and so it is easy to keep clinging to it even as the faintest tremor travels through.

‘You’re so warm,’ Ava murmurs, which is nonsense, but it causes Mary’s grip to solidify again. More than nonsense after all. Necessity.

Mary sighs, ‘I had someone too.’ She puts her chin down on the crown of Ava’s head. ‘More than one, I guess, though the other was… she was more like a student; someone I was supposed to look out for.’

Muffled by her chest, Ava dares to ask, ‘What was she like? Your student?’

Ava watches a muscle flutter in Mary’s jaw, but then, almost reluctantly, she dips her head back and grins.

‘Too smart for her own good. Brave.’

‘Mine too,’ Ava says, before she can stop herself.

‘Yeah?’

Red light battling with green and Shannon standing resolute, awash in it. This woman who loved to sway to shitty music and drink in dive-bars on asteroids; this woman who loved to slop stew into their chipped bowls and pull the ship into atmosphere just to buy fresh bread. Her life, which she loved, set down at Ava’s feet.

‘I’m all that’s left of her,’ Ava breathes, and Mary makes a noise in her throat like an aborted cry.

continue on ao3

[knightsofrayx]

sooty grease puppy

@daisychainsandbowties SWAU Ava as a sooty little grease puppy on Bracca

inspired by the comment of: "can't wait for them to meet their sooty grease-puppy of a girlfriend and immediately try to kill her with lightsabers"

[hotvintagepoll]

More propaganda for Deborah Kerr: she was the first person from Scotland to be Oscar nominated for an acting role! Local pride! And she died in Suffolk, not too far from where I grew up, weirdly. Also local pride! I can't believe she never won an Oscar, but she *was* awarded an Academy Honourary Award in 1994 for her "impeccable grace and beauty" and a career that "always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance." She's just luminous, I love her.

Here she is in a publicity shot for Quo Vadis:

As a dodgy nun in Black Narcissus:

A sex symbol in From Here to Eternity:

And being good with animals in The Sundowners:

I also love this look for her in The Prisoner of Zenda:

So many great films! Truly, she has the range!

Anyway, thank you again for running this tournament. 🥰 I can't wait to suffer further in the next round!

Deborah Kerr vs Devika Rani

[armen-the-quote-guy]

Here in Florida the seasons move in and out like nuns in soft clothing, making no rustle in their passing. It is common for me at least to fall on a certain kind of sunny day into a sort of amnesia. I think with a start, “What is the time of year? Where was I yesterday? And is this May or October?” . . . All year the orange grove is luminous. The oleanders glisten. The palm trees shed the cold as blandly as the rain.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

[thistleation]

I’m so obsessed with your eldritch space fic, I just can’t get it out of my head! I swear I catch myself thinking about it at least once per day. It’s got me really wanting to finally get into sci-fi media again and I’m wondering if you happen to have any recommendations?

Oh wow.

Damn.

Okay well first of all, holy shit, thank you!

I knew BoSaS was well liked by a handful of people, but until now I didn't think anyone besides me belonged in the "thinks about it daily category" 😭💖

As for sci-fi recs... well this is going to be a bit scattershot.

I've honestly not really kept up with recent sci-fi due to over a decade of major depression and not having my shit together, and I'm not a huge fan of a lot of the sci-fi that comes out these days in visual media, so I'm trying to make some time to read some of the sci-fi stories of recent years, but again, that's a work in progress, so can't really rec much in that regard.

First things first though, if you like Beyond our Space and Starlight, I absolutely have to rec luminous beings by @daisychainsandbowties .

It's warrior nun, it's star wars, it's got the suffering and the crying and the patented Cas poetic beauty amid the despair. It's SO fucking good and if you've not read it (and its companion pieces in the same setting) you absolutely gotta.

And also before I go any further, shouting out the Bifrost Incident which @the-darkness-does-not-bargain so kindly introduced me to. (don't look up anything about it, just listen). I assume that the main motivation behind you asking is something along the lines of "what kind of sci-fi was the inspiration behind this?" To which I'd have to say it's a mix that's a little eclectic and mainly old.

But let's talk about them because why not:

First off, the biggest influence is probably the original Star Wars trilogy, with dashes of the prequel trilogy.

I could write an essay about this, but I guess I could condense my opinion on Star Wars (and its relation to BoSaS) very simplified into something like: "Yes! You SHOULD bring swords and myth/magic into sci-fi... no, not quite like that!"

Rogue One brought it back and did it pretty well. (Only truly good recent Star Wars movie) I'd also draw from other sci-fi classics like the original Alien movies, the first two Terminators and Blade Runner.

Not to be all "the original is always better," but I feel like an issue with a lot of modern sci-fi is that the setting is too effaced, it lacks story and it's just a vehicle for spectacle. I like sci-fi stories where space is BIG and scary, and being on a ship surrounded by millions upon millions of miles of vacuum, utterly hostile to life? That should feel a little claustrophobic! Or at least occasionally unsettling.

If you hit the original movies, you're more likely to catch more of the vibe of the setting itself being an important character in the story, which to me is an essential aspect of my favourite kind of sci-fi content.

Okay this is getting long, let's go over the rest faster.

Ghost in the Shell

The original movie and the Stand Alone Complex (second season especially).

This is probably one of my biggest formative experiences on my "didn't realize they were trans at the time" adolescent brain.

High concept, transhumanism, guns, fast action, and enough of a spiritual/philosophical vibe to keep it from getting bland.

Then in a similar vein of physical dissociation and occasional body horror, but you want it to be even more fucked up?

Battle Angel Alita/Gunnm

The original run in particular. This along with Ghost in the Shell was what shaped my interest in sci-fi around my adolescence. I liked how both weren't afraid to introduce philosophical, almost spiritual and mythological elements to their futuristic stories.

Ghost in the Shell especially is like, the powers of mythical creatures, achieved through technology, and it leans into that and so you get an almost spiritual experience as an end result.

This story gets fucked up at times, but it's beautiful and heart wrenching all the same.

Prey

In contrast to my "watch the originals" statement of earlier, this is a recent predator movie that's actually good.

Thorgal

Okay this one isn't sci-fi, but I'm adding it to the list because this takes my love of adding magical/fantasy elements to sci-fi, but from the other direction: a story of a viking outcast, featuring gods and mythical creatures, but ALSO sci-fi elements as the lead character is of a race of spacefaring human(oids?)

Again, the first 20-odd books especially.

A powerhouse of the classic Franco-Belgian comics, nothing quite like it.

It's getting late and this is getting long, if any mutuals wanna tag on their recs for weird and not-so-weird sci-fi, please feel free.