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thesightstoshowyou · 5 months ago

Note

begging you to elaborate on the "Asa tells Marena that Jesse is into dead body stuff" idea from earlier

~@slashhinginghasher

Hehehehehe hoohoohahahaha 😈 For anyone that missed it, here’s what this ask is referencing.

Into the Cricketverse - Welcome to my Death Talk

Part 1*, Part 2, Part 2.5, Part 2.75, Interlude*, Part 3*

(Asterisks denote the parts written by the fabulous @slashhinginghasher )

Warnings: Graphic discussions of necrophilia and torture, Marena and Cricket recieve a million hits of psychological damage

Needle pierces fabric and the pull of thread fills the relative silence of the penthouse living room. Late afternoon sun spills in through the windows and warms Cricket as she sits on the sofa, legs curled up under her. She still can’t decide if she should add a little cactus flower next to the embroidered scarab beetle or not.

At the kitchen counter, Marena fiddles with something, but only the woman’s wild mane of hair is visible from where Cricket rests. Asa and Jesse sit side by side at the table, reviewing some undoubtedly heinous footage on Jesse’s laptop.

Chromeskull’s shoulders shake, a quiet wheeze leaving him as points to something on screen. Asa scoffs, “Was that necessary?” His tone might sound petulant to the uninitiated, but Cricket can hear the sly smirk in his voice.

In the interest of preserving her mental state, she doesn’t look up to see what Jesse signs in response. When she finishes this next stitch, she will nonchalantly ask to be excused. However, what Asa says next has her slowly raising her gaze to the two men seated at the table.

“That reminds me of Jacksonville. Remember the one with that ridiculous tattoo? What was it you put down her throat…?”

‘A fucking fluorescent lightbulb,’ Jesse signs with a silent chortle and a shake of his head.

“Broke halfway in, if I recall.”

‘Bitch wouldn’t stop flailing. It was her own damn fault.’

A quick glance toward the kitchen shows Cricket that Marena has frozen in her seat as she listens and watches out of the corner of her eye. In her own chest, her heart hammers. Time to leave, she must get away before hears any more—

“The way you had her bent back over the edge of the casket wasn’t doing her any favors,” Asa chides as though he’s teasing Jesse about a faux pas and not the brutal torture of some poor, nameless woman. “Though I believe it was the rutting that did her in.”

As though forced by an unseen hand, Marena stiffly twists around to turn her icy gaze on the conversation. Cricket wishes she could shout at her to flee, that nothing good will come from hearing what will be said next. Instead, she tightens her grip on the embroidery frame until it creaks.

‘Hey, dead pussy’s still pussy. And you’re one to talk. I’m pretty sure I remember you mentioning some similar proclivities before your little Cricket showed up.’

Asa chuckles and shakes his head. “Perhaps, but when it comes down to quantity of occurrences, there is only one clear winner, Cromeans.”

“Shut. Up.” Guffaws cease and the two men turn to look at Marena. With how she’s shifted, Cricket can now see she’s holding a knife in her white-knuckled grip. Her words are as sharp as its blade, but in her eyes is the unspoken plea: ‘Please tell me you are joking.’

If only.

Cricket clenches her jaw and looks down at her trembling hands. She lets her gaze go out of focus. Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it….

“I thought you would know better by now than to speak to me that way,” comes Asa’s frigid reply. All levity has left his voice. Cricket snaps her eyes closed.

There’s silence—Jesse signing maybe—and Cricket peeks up to see Marena shaking her head like she’s trying to rid herself of the visual he undoubtedly just painted in her brain.

Cricket wishes she was telepathic. She would scream into Marena’s head and tell her she would understand if the other woman went ballistic on the both of them, no matter what consequences it incurred. She tries to convey the sentiment with her eyes, but Marena’s are firmly locked on Jesse’s grinning face.

“Come here, Cricket.” Asa says it lightly, but the intention behind his words drops her heart into her stomach. The sewing supplies clatter when she hastily places them on the coffee table. Bare feet pad quietly across marble as she comes to stand before the Collector, hands wringing, eyes on the floor.

Asa wraps his arms around her waist and eases Cricket into his lap. He positions her back to his chest so she’s facing Marena. One warm hand comes up to rest on her throat, rough fingers tracing each of her scares reverently. She tries to ignore the way her skin crawls due to the newly revealed depravity

“Look at her,” he commands, lips brushing the shell of her ear. Mismatched eyes find cold blue. Marena’s face is expressionless, but it’s forced, like she’s put every fiber of her being into remaining impassive. Asa’s next words are hushed, meant only for Cricket, “Do you think that, because you are my favorite, your corpse will not suffer a similar fate?”

Her throat dries and nausea churns in her gut. Laboriously, lips part to release a tremulous exhale as she gives a single shake of her head. Marena watches blankly, but Cricket can see the tense set of her shoulders.

And if Cricket sees it, Asa can see it too.

Then, Marena turns and stalks away. Her pace is not hurried, but neither is it slow. She is measured, deliberate in her movement, her control barely maintained. The master bedroom door closes with a soft click.

The Collector hums thoughtfully. The hand lifts from Cricket’s throat and she flinches, prepared for the hurt, but Asa only murmurs, “You may start dinner.”

She scrambles from his lap and utters a shaky, “Yes, Sir,” in acknowledgement. As she retreats to the sanctity of the kitchen, she doesn’t listen to what Asa says to Jesse.

#thank you for the ask #asa emory #asa emory x cricket #asa emory x oc #cricket oc #jesse cromeans #the collector 2009 #chromeskull #laid to rest #the collection #marena polunochnaya #other’s ocs #midnight star #into the cricketverse #this spring break fucking sucks

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desceros · 1 year ago

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wip list

i decided that instead of having a list on my masterpost since this list has gotten so, so goddamned long it'd be easier to just have a linked post that i keep (relatively) up to date with ideas that are in my pile.

here's a list of my ideas. if one of them makes you particularly feral you can lmk. i can't promise i'll work on it right away since i write whatever makes me foam at the mouth the most at any given time, but it'll push things closer to the top of the pile!

updated: 17 july

these aren't in any particular order, but if they have asterisks** that means they're something i really wanna work on. i’m using the following format:

pairing, anticipated rating (ref here); description

question marks mean i’m still waffling about

rise

**DREDGE AU (i have abt 20 wips. i'm not listing them all) donnie, ?; donnie bonds with draxum donnie, E; donnie has a hand kink now donnie, E; donnie likes fingering you donnie, E; donnie's dtf leo, ?; 5 times leo catches you doing something embarrassing leo, E; the pube fic leo, ?; night blooming flowers on the roof mikey, E; having sex with mikey is vanilla... until it isn't leo, E; the penpal au donnie, E philosophy major/biology major enemies to lovers donnie, E; SWEATPANTELLO leo, E; the amnesia fic donnie, E; the one where donnie fixes your shit donnie, E; PAPATELLO leo, E; fake marriage fic donnie, E; sex pollen in the lab sequel donnie, E; wearing more clothes over time donnie, E; yoga instructor ?, ?; the apocalypse fic donnie, E; the other apocalypse fic leo, E; the other other apocalypse fic **leo, E; day job au raph, E; day job au mikey, E; day job au donnie, E; long-hair donnie leo, E; leo learns how to meditate leo, E; the leo bruise fic

bayverse

leo, ?; 5 times leo asks for advice on flirting leo, E; GFMP sequel leo, ?; angry chinchilla-esque reader leo, M or E; leo texts the wrong number raph, E; photographer-chan leo, E; vern's PA donnie, E; you and april have trash taste in men raph, T or E; we make each other worse raph, E; hawk-coded character donnie, E; donnie's a virgin. you're here to help donnie, E; donnie wants a baby **raph, E; the cinderella fic leo, E; leo likes bossing you around

idw

donnie, ?; a moment in the barn (volume 4) leo, ?; city fall angst

2003

donnie, ?; reflecting on the breeding program episode

undecided tmnt

donnie, ?; devotion bordering on worship ?, ?; the hand that wants to be held, needing a glove donnie, E; brumation fic

#this isn't all of them. just the ones that are uh. firm enough in my head to make the cut to a wip page i guess. dont judge me ok.#this also doesn't include the stuff in my inbox that you people have been sending in. you dogs. as always i will publish them

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mappingthemoon · 10 months ago

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Movies/TV Watched 2023

The Postman Always Rings Twice / Bob Rafelson (1981)

Secretary* / Steven Shainberg (2002)

Spirited Away* / Hayao Miyazaki (2001)

Watcher / Chloe Okuno (2022)

The Talented Mr. Ripley / Anthony Minghella (1999)

Pride & Prejudice / Joe Wright (2005)

Moonage Daydream / Brett Morgan (2022)

Volver / Pedro Almodóvar (2006)

Belfast / Kenneth Branagh (2021)

The Last Picture Show / Peter Bogdanovich (1971)

I, Tonya / Craig Gillespie (2017)

The Postman Always Rings Twice / Tay Garnett (1946)

Rocketman / Dexter Fletcher (2019)

The Unholy / Evan Spiliotopoulos (2021)

Mara / Clive Tonge (2018)

Frogs / George McCowan (1972)

Prometheus / Ridley Scott (2012)

Men / Alex Garland (2022)

All the Right Moves / Michael Chapman (1983)

Poseidon / Wolfgang Petersen (2006)

Saint Maud / Rose Glass (2019)

Monstrous / Chris Sivertson (2022)

Wander Darkly / Tara Miele (2020)

Howl’s Moving Castle / Hayao Miyazaki (2004)

Iris / Albert Maysles (2014)

Lamb / Valdimar Jóhannsson (2021)

In Fabric / Peter Strickland (2018)

The Elephant 6 Recording Co. / C.B. Stockfleth (2022)

The Visitor / Justin P. Lange (2022)

Smile / Parker Finn (2022)

Yellowjackets [szn 1-2] (2021-2022)

It Comes at Night / Trey Edward Shults (2017)

Everything Everywhere All at Once / Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (2022)

Black Bear / Lawrence Michael Levine (2020)

mother! / Darren Aronofsky (2017)

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story / Eric Appel (2022)

X / Ti West (2022)

I Heart Huckabees* / David O. Russell (2004)

The Right Stuff / Philip Kaufman (1983)

Goliath Awaits / Kevin Connor (1981)

Poltergeist* / Tobe Hooper (1982)

Doctor Who [TV Movie]* / Geoffrey Sax (1996)

Earthstorm / Terry Cunningham (2006)

Lake Eerie / Chris Majors (2016)

Fantastic Planet* / René Laloux (1973)

Synecdoche, New York* / Charlie Kaufman (2008)

Flight of the Navigator* / Randal Kleiser (1986)

NOPE / Jordan Peele (2022)

Women Talking / Sarah Polley (2022)

Striking Distance / Rowdy Herrington (1993)

Vivarium / Lorcan Finnegan (2019)

Saw* / James Wan (2004)

A Peculiar Noise / Jorge Torres-Torres (2016)

In the Earth / Ben Wheatley (2021)

Cats 2 / Jake Jones (2023)

Bringing Out the Dead* / Martin Scorsese (1999)

The Last Blockbuster / Taylor Morden (2020)

The Dance of Reality / Alejandro Jodorowsky (2013)

In the Mouth of Madness / John Carpenter (1994)

The Chamber / Ben Parker (2016)

Tenet / Christopher Nolan (2020)

Synchronic / Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead (2019)

Paprika / Satoshi Kon (2006)

The Menu / Mark Mylod (2022)

Sunshine / Danny Boyle (2007)

Devil’s Island / Sean King, Taylor King (2021)

Benedetta / Paul Verhoeven (2021)

Scotland, PA* / Billy Morrissette (2001)

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover / Peter Greenaway (1989)

The Color of Pomegranates* / Sergei Parajanov (1969)

Face/Off* / John Woo (1997)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial / Steven Spielberg (1982)

The Gilded Age (PBS American Experience) / Sarah Colt (2018)

Aniara / Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja (2018)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas* / Chuck Jones, Ben Washam (1966)

The Quake / John Andreas Andersen (2018)

The Guilty / Gustav Möller (2018)

The Muppet Christmas Carol* [VHS] / Brian Henson (1992)

M3GAN / Gerard Johnstone (2022)

Caught / Jamie Patterson (2017)

Shot / Jeremy Kagan (2017)

A Charlie Brown Christmas* / Bill Melendez (1965)

Body at Brighton Rock / Roxanne Benjamin (2019)

Trancers / Charles Band (1984)

Higher Power / Matthew Charles Santoro (2018)

*Asterisk = rewatch

Favorites first watched in 2023: Men, In Fabric, Yellowjackets, Everything Everywhere All at Once, mother!, NOPE, The Dance of Reality. (ETA: Vivarium and Aniara, which I wouldn't necessarily call "favorites" but they've stuck with me.)

Favorite rewatches: Secretary, I Heart Huckabees, Poltergeist, Bringing Out the Dead

#movies #tv #lists

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wellntruly · 2 years ago

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M*A*S*H - Viewguide, S10

Are you interested in the long-running anti-war situation tragicomedy M*A*S*H (1972-1983), but there are simply so many asterisks and so many episodes?

Well I can’t help you with the asterisks, but nor can I help myself: I started watching all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H, and bringing back for you my viewing selections, chosen for The Qualities.

— — —

Hiiiiiii guuuyys. So something new has happened, here in the tenth season. Her name is Karen Hall. Who is Karen Hall? Well I've looked into this: a young writer Alan Alda met in a workshop he was teaching, was like, uh, you rock totally, pulls a Daniel Craig on James Bond, and gets M*A*S*H to hire her for last season's ‘Father’s Day’ (none for Margaret's dad with left beef). This season, she’s got four more scripts, and her name is on every episode as the series' new story editor. I kept thinking I was seeing “Karen Han” and going, well of course Karen would freak this, and the thing is that sentence is still right: Karen freaks this. Season 10!!!! My favorite season since Season 6?? Itself my favorite since Seasons 2-3??

And just one more (!) after this, oh my gOD....

M*A*S*H - Season 10 Recommended sequence

10x01-02 ’That’s Show Biz: Parts 1 and 2’ - A U.S.O. troupe gets stuck at the MASH for a couple days, and unlike all the other two-parters they’ve done, this one really uses the pace of having a full hour, seeding so many elliptical details and unexplained behaviors that they are in no hurry to answer just yet. It gives these two an intriguing depth. Also: former burlesque dancer played by GWEN VERDON. Aah-aah-aaaah!!

10x06 ‘Wheelers and Dealers’ - I’m including this one for two reasons. 1) Rizzo, whom I don’t believe I’ve featured yet, and when he’s in the pocket, boy does this raspy Bayou weirdo make me laugh. And 2), I *think* this is gonna prove the last big blow-out finale of BJ being such a jerk to everyone over his family, and we definitely should go out with the bang that is Margaret tearing into him with a perfect diatribe that’s been two seasons coming. Cathartic! And then this seemingly clears the way to shift gears, or change roads, whatever episode-apt vehicle metaphor you want, and set us now humming along the rest of this season with pretty much exactly the BJ I would have expected we’d have at this point when I was in Season 5 or 6: tall mid-tempo California-goofy sweetie who mostly does actually like other people, including his Army-issued boyfriend.

10x07 ‘Communication Breakdown’ - Like, to wit: very next episode, BJ’s slow adorable amazed grin to the mess ceiling at Charles showing his whole ass over the PA (foreshadowing) had me, confusingly, going: [Trapper voice] Hawkeye, I think I’m in love. It’s another Karen/Alan co-pro, baby, and Season 10 is now really kicking OFF.

10x10 ‘’Twas the Day After Christmas’ - Two visiting Englishmen straight out of WWI Britfluence Colonel Potter into adopting their topsy-turvy Boxing Day tradition of having the enlisted ranks swap roles with the officers, and oho, are they also All SO COLD about it, and oho are they doing [short shaky exhale] this:

10x10 you mean 10/10?

10x11 ‘Follies of the Living - Concerns of the Dead’ - The ‘Written & Directed By Alan Alda’ contribution this season is this Distant Voices, Still Lives ass title (affectionate) heading the episode where Klinger has a fever and is seeing ghosts. HIGH degree of difficulty on this one, my good friend, and for the first part I was like, maybe?, and then we get to the dead soldier hanging out with Margaret in Furious & Marvelous mode, and then the best drinking scene this show has ever done. The pitchest black wry comedy, mostly just gutting. Mostly just exquisite.

10x12 ‘The Birthday Girls’ - Outrageously boyfriends Hawkeye & BJ are trying to become cow fathers, while Margaret & Klinger finally get their mandated bond in adverse conditions outside of camp arc and are like, we have been waiting for your call. Riotous and sweet with an ass script that won’t quit, it's Karen Hall’s ‘The Birthday Girls’, [opening locket meme] my Beloved. ❤️

10x13 ‘Blood and Guts’ - The fact that the villain is a misleading writer is honestly so tasty for this show to do.

10x14 ‘A Holy Mess’ - A riveting turn that features a sort of semantic legal battle around religious sanctuary (COOL), but above all, this is an episode about eggs. Talking about eggs, thinking about eggs, the consuming drama of how the eggs will prepared....this is what I meant about riveting.

10x17 ‘Where There’s a Will, There’s a War’ - Sorry to end a second season list in a row with an aid station episode (and third season I've done this overall), but just, my GOD, take this—

Charles: “I hope you manage to stay beautiful until Pierce gets back to see you.” BJ, sudden quiet dread: “Back from where?”

and go, go!!!!

Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7 • Season 8 • Season 9 • Season 10 • To be continued

#M*A*S*H hours

#M*A*S*H #M*A*S*H hours #viewguides #Tarra watches

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crowjodojocasahouse · 10 months ago

Note

hii sorry if it sounds weird but are you still drumming? if so do you have anything drum related you want to say ? :)

hi!! not weird at all! i am still drumming, and i assure you i'll never stop. it's not just a hobby, it's my pride and joy, my lifestyle. i moved to the city and am currently pursuing a music degree.

the drumming related thing: just do it. so many people always say "ooo that's so cool that you play drums i wish i played drums" DOOOO IIIIT. i know starting is scary, and can be expensive, but here are five relatively cheap things to help you get started.

● a standard classic, 5A drumsticks (i know, vater, controversial, i'm a vater guy what can i say): https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VHP5AW--vater-american-hickory-drumsticks-power-5a-wood-tip

● an evans realfeel drum pad, closest drum pad to feeling like a snare that i've played (i linked the cheapest option, but there are larger ones and also double-sided ones): https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RealFeel6--evans-6-inch-realfeel-mountable-pad

● Tommy Igoe's "Great Hands For A Lifetime" curriculum. This curriculum starts from the very beginning. It teaches you the basics of hand technique, then goes all the way up to advanced hand patterns. You can buy it online, it comes with the full book (pdf), a poster with his Lifetime Warmup on it (pdf), complementary videos that accompany the text, and mp3 files of Tommy Igoe taking you through three different iterations of the Lifetime Warmup (basic, intermediate, and advanced). i'm not sponsored i promise HAHAH, i just swear by this program. i've been studying it with my teacher for over a year now and my technique has improved so much.: https://hudsonmusic.com/product/great-hands-for-a-lifetime/

a book to help you begin reading music, even if you don't stick with drums, this book is the bible for every musician. Progressive Steps To Syncopation For The Modern Drummer by Ted Reed. it begins with simple rhythms and they get a bit more complex as the book progresses. nothing outside of 4/4.

here's the International Drum Rudiments as outlined by the Percussive Arts Society. the asterisks indicate the original 26 traditional rudiments. this website not only has a pdf, but also downloadable audio files of every rudiment so you can hear them and read them. it's all free!

all together, this stuff costs about $80. it's not super cheap but it's cheaper than a whole kit and private lessons. it is possible to at least start playing drums without spending over $100. DON'T WAIT!!! NOW IS THE TIME!!!!! you get out of it what you put into it. if you put your heart into it, you'll get everything you could want out of it.

cheers!

#can you tell i want to be a teacher #drums #drumming #drumming education #music

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roman-catholic-mass-readings · 1 year ago

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11th June >> Mass Readings (USA)

Solemnity of Corpus Christi

(Liturgical Colour: White: A (1))

First Reading Deuteronomy 8:2–3, 14b–16a He gave you a food unknown to you and your fathers.

Moses said to the people: “Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments. He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.

“Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 147:12–13, 14–15, 19–20

R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. or R/ Alleluia.

Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you.

R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. or R/ Alleluia.

He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you. He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word!

R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. or R/ Alleluia.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. He has not done thus for any other nation; his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.

R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. or R/ Alleluia.

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 10:16–17 The bread is one, and we, though many, are one body.

Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Sequence Lauda, Sion

The Sequence may be said or sung in full, or using the shorter form indicated by the asterisked verses.

Laud, O Zion, your salvation, Laud with hymns of exultation, Christ, your king and shepherd true:

Bring him all the praise you know, He is more than you bestow. Never can you reach his due.

Special theme for glad thanksgiving Is the quick’ning and the living Bread today before you set:

From his hands of old partaken, As we know, by faith unshaken, Where the Twelve at supper met.

Full and clear ring out your chanting, Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting, From your heart let praises burst:

For today the feast is holden, When the institution olden Of that supper was rehearsed.

Here the new law’s new oblation, By the new king’s revelation, Ends the form of ancient rite:

Now the new the old effaces, Truth away the shadow chases, Light dispels the gloom of night.

What he did at supper seated, Christ ordained to be repeated, His memorial ne’er to cease:

And his rule for guidance taking, Bread and wine we hallow, making Thus our sacrifice of peace.

This the truth each Christian learns, Bread into his flesh he turns, To his precious blood the wine:

Sight has fail’d, nor thought conceives, But a dauntless faith believes, Resting on a pow’r divine.

Here beneath these signs are hidden Priceless things to sense forbidden; Signs, not things are all we see:

Blood is poured and flesh is broken, Yet in either wondrous token Christ entire we know to be.

Whoso of this food partakes, Does not rend the Lord nor breaks; Christ is whole to all that taste:

Thousands are, as one, receivers, One, as thousands of believers, Eats of him who cannot waste.

Bad and good the feast are sharing, Of what divers dooms preparing, Endless death, or endless life.

Life to these, to those damnation, See how like participation Is with unlike issues rife.

When the sacrament is broken, Doubt not, but believe ‘tis spoken, That each sever’d outward token doth the very whole contain.

Nought the precious gift divides, Breaking but the sign betides Jesus still the same abides, still unbroken does remain.

The shorter form of the sequence begins here.

*Lo! the angel’s food is given To the pilgrim who has striven; see the children’s bread from heaven, which on dogs may not be spent.

*Truth the ancient types fulfilling, Isaac bound, a victim willing, Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling, manna to the fathers sent.

*Very bread, good shepherd, tend us, Jesu, of your love befriend us, You refresh us, you defend us, Your eternal goodness send us In the land of life to see.

*You who all things can and know, Who on earth such food bestow, Grant us with your saints, though lowest, Where the heav’nly feast you show, Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.

Gospel Acclamation John 6:51

Alleluia, alleluia. I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel John 6:51–58 My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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archivelondonfalling-rpg · 2 years ago

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Diamonds are Forever

A london falling event - Starting on the 26th of April

The Jolly Rogers have been taking advantage of the shift in leadership in the opposition’s ranks to prepare a bold and extremely lucrative heist. One of the advantages of working in a company is that the workers are always more important than the CEO.

They’d hit the Jabberwocks on their turf, and they would come home with a lot of money in their pockets.

The event at the casino was announced many months ago: every year the casino hosts a large-scale auction, featuring one star element, bound to draw in investors, collectors, as well as every curious citizen in town. Last year, it was a private collector willing to part with a Goya; this year, an emerald that is said to have belonged to none other than Queen Victoria herself.

Paintings, diamonds and antiques will be displayed in the lobby but it is only during the auction that the pièce de resistance will be revealed.

This is when the Jolly Rogers will strike.

For the perfect heist to be pulled off, the gang needs the following roles to be filled:

The Distraction

-As the title already entails, The Distraction's job is to distract. It's up to them to be the center of attention to pull the prying eyes in their direction instead of what's happening behind the smoke screen. Example: posing as the groom/bride of a stag/hen night party to keep the casino's staff catering to them.

The Ball & Chain

-They enter the auction room with an eminent investor* on their arm, potentially harnessing the interest of a Jabberwock who is hellbound on keeping a close eye on them.

The Imposter(s)

-They neutralize and impersonate members* of the private company mandated to handle the objects being auctioned off.

The Quick-Change

-A critical role that requires the one to fill it not to be caught under any circumstances. They have the fake gem in their pockets, ready to change it out for the real one to give the Jolly Rogers as much time to get away before being found to be the fake. They'll be working in tandem with the rest of the crew, a precise dance, while weaving through the wild cards* of the guests and Jabberwocks alike.

In addition to these designated roles for the characters already within the Jolly Rogers, you may have noticed in some of these descriptions an asterisk by some keywords. These roles are encouraged to be played by our members during the event. For those who are interested in playing these temporary (and very possibly in-game disposable) characters, let the main know! We hope this becomes a great opportunity for all our players to enhance their muse since these characters are just for fun without any pressure to continue with them!

For those who play characters who are in neither gang, there are plenty of opportunities built in!

From gathering the major storylines of the night to upholding the laws of London or being a V.I.P. for the night, the Red Casino welcomes all making it the perfect opportunity for characters to mingle with all sorts of people, criminals, law enforcement, government, etc.

Ask Memes

Here are a few ask memes to find inspiration from. Feel free to reblog them onto your blog ( link to your accounts’ ask box if you have multiple characters)

#lf.event #crime rp #skeleton rp #semi appless rp #appless rp #mafia rp #mob rp

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roleplaybook · 3 months ago

Note

Hi!! I hope this is the place to ask!

An issue I've ran into on tumblr now that I've recently moved here is that I can't find roleplayers my age in the circles I am around currently.

I am 17, and from what I see most of the people in my age bracket are in more of the "non-literate" RP sphere (the one with the asterisks for actions is the best i can explain it, I guess) as well as ask blogs, but that sort of RP isn't really it for me personally. I stick to full literate, multiple paragraphs with graphics sort of RP myself! I just moved here from discord RP since I like the style of RP here more, if that adds.

Most of the RP community here is pretty grown in comparison to the discord RP community and I have nothing against it! RP is a great hobby for everyone, but adults want to explore more mature themes which ofcourse are just not for me. This makes it pretty hard to find people around age to write with ("pretty hard" as in I have found no one really yet in my threeish months of being here, only an adult who is comfortable roleplaying with me and two other adults who are sporadically active so I haven't had much opportunity to RP with them).

So, I guess that is sort of my question, how can I find people my age around here more easily?

Hello, and thanks so much for sending in an ask to this fledgling advice blog! ❤

Good on you for being upfront about your age. I remember the struggle of trying to find RPers in my age group back in the Jurassic period - in particular, writers who wanted to write.

The good news is, they're out there!

I know you specified that you like the Tumblr scene, but I am going to provide a couple different platform options on the off-chance another works better for you.

But! For starters, Tumblr:

Are you posting ads?

Throwing an age range somewhere near the beginning of your RP advertisements is common practice. You might also specify what age range you're comfortable with, personally, such as 16-18.

Also bear in mind that Tumblr only searches through the first five tags; the rest are for categorization/organization. So, when you do post advertisements, the first five should be the tags people might search. Fandom and literacy level are good to have toward the beginning of the taglist.

I hope they don't mind the shoutout, but @roleplayfinder is a great resource. This blog helps roleplayers find each other, and they tag age ranges (as well as require the writer to specify age). They have an #under eighteen tag you can search through.

It can also help to search tags like #16+ RP on Tumblr or roleplay seeking blogs. Someone over, say, 25, will likely specify 18+ or 21+, so searching for 16+ or 17+ RPers is likely to help you net writers in your age group.

The more community you build here on Tumblr, the more you'll be able to get your blog out there to relevant roleplayers. Mutuals tend to share one another's advertisements and promos on the site, so once you accumulate a few writing buddies, they'll hopefully help you get your blog out there to more folks in your age and post length demographic.

As for Discord - it's actually my favorite platform for RP! It can be so difficult to find the good stuff, though, and it seems like you run into a lot of reaaaally young writers, rapid-fire and chat style RP, and overall just not what you're looking for. In my experience, sites like Disboard.org aren't the best. While tons of servers advertise "semi-literate" or even "literate" in their tags, you find they're anything but upon joining.

There's a little more curation on RP finding hub servers.

Most I know are 21+ or 25+, but there's one I really like that does accept writers in the 15+ range. It's Roleplay Central, and it used to be an RP "matchmaking" website. It's very well organized and well-run, and I think worth checking out if you still have your Discord account. Here's the join link:

Finally, forum RP tends to err on the novella side. I believe it can be challenging to find forums that aren't 21+ - especially in the Jcink sphere - but there are well-established spaces that cater to SFW RP and permit minors.

One great example is RPNation (https://www.rpnation.com/). They don't allow anyone to solicit sexual RP on the site, meaning you can write comfortably with adults on site if you feel comfortable doing so.

As a caveat, they of course can't monitor what happens off-site. People aren't supposed to solicit sexual RP there at all, period, but of course it still can happen.

I hope any of this was helpful! I know you're looking to find RP buddies here on Tumblr, but I think the other platforms are also worth exploring.

I'll also note that I only scratched the surface pointing you toward the three specific links. There are more like them! So, for example, if you really want to stick to Tumblr, you can find blogs similar to rpfinder that can help you connect with the kind of writing partners you're seeking.

Best of luck to you!

#rp tips #roleplay advice #rp resources #rp finder #roleplay resource #seeking rp #qna #seeking roleplay

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alchelist · 2 years ago

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Oof it’s a bit embarrassing to come back to this blog to see what past me has felt was “sustainable” or “environmentally friendly”. However, I have come to recognize a lot of things about myself over the years, one being how much of an impact Capitalism has on my behavior, including how I use consumerism as a way to self soothe…

Well, this consumerism is why I am here today to tell you about something else you can buy to try to make yourself feel less shitty about where humans are taking this planet!

Blue View Footwear makes biodegradable* shoes! Wow, shoes you can wear. On your feet. Shoes that are supposed to biodegrade* in less than 100 years (like most shoes, which contain polymers). And I bought some! Both out of curiosity and also out of consumer guilt about buying too much stuff (so of course, buying more stuff - that’s better for the planet - is the right solution.)

You may have noticed that little asterisk I included after biodegradable*. That’s because that’s what they use on their website! Of course, after seeing it written that way so many times, I was highly sus:

Peeping their FAQ it seems like they want you to ask about this and they break it down into a few components: their shoes are biodegradable* not “compostable” as it’s legally defined in some places (i.e. reaching 90% biodegradation in 90 days) so they want to make it clear that not all the components of the shoe meet this requirement. However, it is true that all components of the shoes will biodegrade eventually, and none of those will degrade into micro plastics because they don’t use plastics. They use an algae based foam for the soles! Some of the shoe components (insoles, uppers), are intended to be more durable so they would just take a bit longer to completely (and by “complete”, I’m assuming 90%) biodegrade. My guess (no proof behind this) is that the asterisks are there for transparency and accountability.

The rate of decomposition depends on the environment in which the shoes are left so they don’t recommend tossing the shoes in the trash after their useful life, but actually sending them back to Blue View for recycling.

Look, there they are! Just some nondescript, low top, lace-less sneakers. Pas mal (“not bad” en Français) actually!

The fit however leaves a bit to be desired. I recognize that feet come in all different shapes as sizes (luckily for fans of wikiFeet) so maybe the people who fit tested this had very narrow feet. I, however, do not. I found the footbed felt very narrow around the balls of my feet. The heels were narrow too, but also loose somehow? My heels would slip out and then be too wide to easily slip back in to the sturdy cloth uppers. I knew this was going to be a problem since I’ve experienced a lot of blisters on my heels before with other shoes.

As with many ill-fitting things I’ve purchased, I modified them. Added another insole (from my old Allbirds) and that helped to widen the footbed to a much more comfortable width. It also made the uppers fit more snug which helped prevent my heel from slipping. I also added to the back of the shoe some of those protection pads that are meant for high-heels to prevent your heels from slipping out of the shoes. They worked pretty well but it also requires very careful placement to make sure that padding sits at the top of the calcaneus, or heel bone. I’ve included a map of the bones in your feet below, in case you are not currently, or soon to be, podiatrist. (Does this do anything for you, wikiFeet fans?)

So, long story long, I bought the shoes, I wear the shoes, they are nice after you make them work for your feet. When you’re done with them you can send them back! Like a rental, that you can customize.

#ecofriendly #shoes #sustainability

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otonymous · 3 years ago

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To Know Your Love: Part I (Tears of Themis: Artem - NSFW)

Description: What could the picture perfect Artem Wing have yet to master? The top attorney reveals his secrets and more to you in To Know Your Love. Part I of a two-part mini-series.

Warnings: Please stay away if you are allergic to fluff. Aside from that, slight spoilers for Artem's Side Story and the story from his "Sparks" SR (nothing major that would interfere with the game, but please be warned in case you don't want any spoilers at all 😊)

Word Count: 3822 words (~19 mins of that yearning, slow-burn sweetness)

Author's Notes:

To celebrate the official release of Tears Of Themis, I present to you my first ever smut written for the game - and it's for the absolutely lovely Artem Wing! I tried to make this as true to (what I currently know of) the character as possible, hence this is one long ass read 🤣. That being said, I hope y'all enjoy it! ❤️

PS. Lines marked by an asterisk were taken directly from Artem's "Sparks" SR card story or from his side story. The first section of this fic was inspired by the story associated with the "Sparks" SR.

(Originally posted on Pa*treon on July 11/21)

“Artem, you’ve been grilling for almost two hours now. Why don’t you let me take over? I know I’m no master chef, but it’s a great chance for me to get a few pointers from you!”

Azure eyes warmed by orange flame meet yours over a massive number of skewers, meticulously lined up on the grill as they’re cooked to perfection by an even more meticulous man.

The sharp angles of that handsome face soften as Artem shakes his head, lips pulling into a faint smile. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine. Why don’t you bring these over to the others instead?”

Placing the last of a batch of satay beef skewers onto a serving tray, he lifts its hefty weight with one hand to place it gently onto your outstretched arms, all the while continuing to cook with the other.

Glancing at your coworkers, you hesitate. There they were, sitting in a group some distance away from where you and Artem stood at the barbecue, the sound of their raucous laughter drifting over amidst lively conversations you couldn’t quite make out. You knew they could smell the sizzling meat though; the eager heads that popped up periodically to look in your direction provided ample confirmation.

And there, in the heart of the tranquil woods where Themis Law Firm had decided to hold their annual team building getaway, the discontent that had been simmering in your gut ever since you arrived finally boiled over.

Slam!

You set the tray down so hard onto the picnic table beside you that Artem’s head snaps up. Blue eyes wide, his surprise lasts for all of a second before he regains composure, quickly setting aside the meat thermometer he had brought from home to wipe his hands on the front of his apron (also his own), face apologetic as he approaches.

“I’m sorry. You must be exhausted, having helped me with the fishing and food prep earlier. Here, give me the tray and I’ll accompany you over to the others. You stay and have fun. I’ll come back and take care of the rest.”

His expression — all soft consideration — is the final nail in the coffin.

“I’m not exhausted, Artem, but you must be. You’ve been doing everything for everyone this entire trip. The whole point of going camping was for all of us to get a chance to kick back and relax, yourself included. The least they can do is come over and get their own damn food.”

…especially after they’ve been avoiding you like the plague, you think, before good sense made you bite your tongue. So you follow with a meek “I’m sorry” instead, cheeks warm at the vehemence of your outburst, especially when you notice the way Artem stiffens, sitting on the bench beside you.

Looking off into the treetops swaying in the distance, Artem blots perspiration from his brow with the back of his hand. “Everyone is nervous around me. Whether as their senior or superior, my presence means they won’t be able to relax. The purpose of today’s team building is for everyone to relax. This is the best way for everyone to do so.”*

His deep voice was the same as always but the words give you pause, sinking in slowly like a skipping stone descends to the bottom of a lake. You remembered the way Celestine ripped into Artem for taking that work call on the bumpy ride up to the woods; how practically everyone had felt pressured to follow suit, pulling out laptops or cell phones and attempting to read or type until their faces turned green and the bus driver had to pull over so a puke queue could be formed by the side of the mountain.

Everything Artem said was true, of course. Your colleagues made a habit of fawning over his abilities and good looks at the break room as if he were an idol, elevating the man to such a degree that they couldn’t even work up the courage to look in his general direction. But you knew that it was also due to Artem's staunch work ethic and attention to detail, traits practically unmatched by anyone else in the field, let alone at the firm. To put it simply, your colleagues were afraid of messing up in front of him, preferring to shy away like one refrains from staring at the sun.

"Doesn’t it ever bother you?” you wanted to ask, the situation not sitting well with you at all. Aside from Celestine and yourself, you could hardly recall anyone else taking the time or effort to engage Artem in conversation that didn’t involve work. Behind his back, however, Artem was a hot topic amongst your colleagues, like how they arrived at the conclusion that there was no way the senior attorney could've had a significant other, not with evenings, weekends and even holidays he spent at the office.

So capable, so handsome and yet…so lonely.

Taking a deep breath, you derail your train of thought before it veers into pity territory. Artem was a grown man; he didn’t need anyone to feel sorry for him. Especially when the way you felt about him was decidedly more…

…complicated.

When you first joined the firm, you weren’t all that different from your colleagues, viewing Artem with a mixture of reverence and awe — the seeds of which had been planted during your time at law school when talk of both his legal and scholastic feats were already circulating amongst the student body.

What set you apart however, was the staunchness of your own ambition: you aspired to learn from the best so you could stand amongst them. So when you were given the chance to work directly under Artem, you did not shy away but jumped at it, taking the opportunity to carefully observe the wunderkind and his methods...while discovering the man behind the myth.

Because the truth was that Artem was as caring as he was strict, like a mentor who demanded excellence because he wanted to see you grow into someone capable of standing on their own two feet. And for someone as accomplished as he was, he surprisingly had very little ego, more concerned with acting in his clients’ best interests than resting on the laurels of his 99.9% win rate.

You had even come to find his seriousness endearing, how he would apologize for the way it seeped into other areas of his life — like bringing an entire complement of his own cooking utensils for this camping trip, or admitting to not knowing enough about “trending topics” to carry on a conversation that went beyond how to properly massage a fish to enhance its flavour.

“I’m sorry, I must be boring you,” he had said, cheeks faintly pink as his gaze dropped from yours back to the fish on the cutting board.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

You weren’t bored. You were in love.

Somewhere along the line, respect and admiration had mixed with glimpses of sweetness in a man who demonstrated sensitivity and consideration in ways you never expected, ways that gave you courage to think, to hope, that you weren’t the only one to sense the magic simmering beneath the surface of a relationship that was, to an outsider, solely professional.

Which was why you reacted the way you did, letting emotions get the best of you when you thought Artem Wing was being taken advantage of by your colleagues on this camping trip.

“Here, how about a compromise. I’ll stay and help you finish grilling up the last batch of skewers. But in return, we’ll go for a short hike afterwards so that everyone can have a chance to relax, yourself included. Deal?”

Azure eyes sweep from the pinky finger you held up before settling onto your face, Artem staring so intently at you that it takes a moment before you realize you had stopped breathing. Finally, he smiles, wrapping his finger around yours like mischievous children sharing a secret.

“Deal.”

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

A gentle breeze whistles between trees, carrying the scent of pine and cedar and accentuating that of Artem’s cologne — so faint now that had you been standing farther away, you wouldn’t have caught it.

As it was, the path of the trail was propitiously narrow and as neither of you wished to walk in single file, you found yourselves hemmed in so closely together that the backs of your hands almost touched.

“Um, it was nice of Celestine to loan us her flashlight for the hike. It’s getting so dark I can already see the stars.”

The sound of your voice seemed almost jarring in the quiet woods, but the two of you had been walking in near silence for the past ten minutes and with dusk descending, it was getting harder and harder to see the expressions on his face.

Artem had seemed somewhat put-off by Celestine’s reaction when he went to inform her he was off to take a short walk with you. And while you couldn’t hear the words exchanged at the distance from which you stood waiting, the giant smile on her face was obvious, as was the enthusiasm with which she shoved the flashlight into Artem’s hands, waving like a proud mother seeing her child off on the first day of school.

“Ahem, yes, it was very generous of her. Do you—"

“Artem, do you—"

Speaking at the same time, you share a sheepish chuckle before Artem smoothly motions for you to continue.

“I was just going to ask if you ever had any interest in stargazing. One year, when I was a child, my parents bought me a telescope for my birthday. Back then, I would spend hours looking through it, wondering about these balls of light that shone like diamonds in the sky and thinking that if only I were patient enough, I’d catch a glimpse of a UFO.” Turning towards him, you smile. “Silly, right?”

Artem shakes his head, neck extending to look towards the darkening sky — the posture highlighting the masculine bulge of his Adam’s apple in the most captivating way.

“Not at all. That sounds very sweet, like how a childhood should be.”

There is a hint of melancholy in his tone, so faint you couldn’t be sure if you had only imagined it.

“I liked it too,” he says. “Liked reading the skies and searching for different constellations, learning the stories behind them. Do you see that one?”

With a long, tapered finger, Artem points in the direction of a broad cluster of stars, twinkling much brighter on this mountaintop than you'd ever see amongst the lights of the city. You nod, trying and failing to focus, consumed as you were by how close Artem was standing beside you, heat seeming to roll off his body in waves despite the windbreaker he had on.

“That one’s Perseus, the hero from Greek myth. And that one over there is Princess Andromeda.”

The forest around you falls into a hush, as if the trees themselves were just as intent on hanging onto his every word as you were. The pleasant timbre of Artem’s low voice was rich and soft; warm breath caressing the shell of your ear as he patiently continued with his story, tracing each constellation as he does.

“Perseus was returning home after having successfully slayed the gorgon, Medusa, when he came upon Andromeda. The princess had been chained to the face of a cliff, forced to act as a sacrifice for the sea monster, Cetus, as punishment for her queen mother’s continual boasting of her daughter’s beauty, which angered the gods. The hero, having fallen in love with the princess at first sight, decided then and there that he would be the one to save her from her sad fate or die trying.”

He pauses then, leaving you on a cliffhanger. Curiosity peaking, you turn towards the reticent storyteller, completely forgetting about the proximity of his body to yours.

Pulling back in shock, your lips burn from where they had accidentally brushed against the chiseled line of Artem’s jaw. You can see it clearly now, Artem’s face — the moon having risen in full to cast an ethereal glow over his handsome features. But none could compare to his eyes, almost indigo now like the night sea, reflecting the stars above.

To say that the sight was breathtaking would be an understatement.

Especially when you had literally been holding your breath when it became clear that Artem's gaze wasn't going to drop from yours.

“What happened next?”

Your voice is little more than a whisper.

There is a rise in his chest — subtle and shaky, as if he, too, was only now just starting to breathe. He wets his lips with a quick dart of the tongue; they glisten pink under faint moonlight, and you cannot help but wonder how your lips would’ve felt to touch his instead of merely grazing his jaw.

“It…it is at this point that inconsistencies appear in the myth. Some accounts say that Perseus slew Cetus with a sword forged from diamonds; others say he turned the creature to stone by pulling Medusa’s decapitated head from a sack and turning its gaze upon the monster. Sorry, I suppose that description’s a bit gruesome. I’m not very good at telling stories.”

With a self-deprecating chuckle, Artem looks down - breaking the spell that had held the two of you in its grasp.

“I disagree; you had me hanging onto your every word. But I have to say that I had no idea you were so well versed in Greek mythology. It really is quite amazing, Artem, the way you seem to know about…everything, really.”

“You flatter me. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“Oh yeah? Name one subject you know very little about.”

“Well, Celestine seems to think that I’m hopeless when it comes to lo—"

Catching himself, Artem purses his lips, suddenly silent again.

“When it comes to what, Artem?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing important.”

He smiles but the tone of his voice makes it clear that this was a topic he felt uncomfortable discussing, so you let it drop despite your curiosity. Just what was the infallible Artem Wing so terribly bad at that he would ever be referred to as a hopeless case?

The question continues to haunt you for the rest of the night, lying sleeplessly in your tent as Artem retired to the one pitched in the earth beside yours.

It didn't help that you could still feel the heat of his skin on your lips.

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

Monday morning rolled around, bringing with it a return to normalcy.

The team-building getaway seemed little more than a pleasant weekend memory, the only difference being that now, your colleagues had Artem’s culinary prowess to throw into the mix of things to fawn over. It seems they still remembered the savoury taste of his skewers even if they had forgotten to work up the nerve to actually talk to him.

As for Artem, he was back to business as usual — serious and meticulous as always going over the details of the latest case you were working on together; so much so that he hadn’t realized you were the only ones left in the office when Celestine knocked on his door to say she was heading out.

“As much as I’d love to be married to the firm like both of you evidently are, my fiancé is waiting for me in the car. I know it’s bad for business for me to say this, but don’t stay too late!”

For reasons you cannot fathom, she throws an exaggerated wink Artem’s way before leaving with a smirk on her face.

“Oh wow, it’s almost 9. Where did the time go?” you remark, stretching your arms up overhead as you fight to suppress a yawn. Sneaking a peek in Artem's direction, you almost balk to see that he looked much as he did when you first saw him early that morning. The only clue that he had worked thirteen hours lay in the fact that the tie around his collar had been loosened, and only slightly at that.

No wonder they called him a machine behind his back.

“I’m sorry I lost track of time. It’s late, I’ll give you a lift home,” he says, and that’s all it takes for you to feel like you’ve won the lottery, breathing deeply to calm the butterflies flying en masse in your stomach.

“Are you sure it’s not too much trouble?”

“It’s no trouble at all. Let me put away these documents and we can go. No, it’s okay; I can handle this myself. Perhaps you could get my car keys from the drawer in my desk instead?”

Artem’s consideration makes you smile as you watch him lift the heavy case files from the corner of your eye. Walking to his desk, you sidestep his leather office chair, reaching to pull on the slim drawer just beneath the tabletop.

And pull and pull.

But to no avail.

Bending down, you peer into the slim space between the drawer and the underside of the desk. It doesn’t appear to be locked, but rather jammed from something misaligned within. So grasping the sides of the drawer, you jiggle it left and right until something gives and it finally slides open.

The offending object turned out to be the cover of a book. A textbook, in fact, its title embossed in bold gold foil:

"Introduction to the Psychology of Love and Attraction."*

Ba-bump, ba-bump.

Everything in your training insisted that you not jump to conclusions, told you that this book could’ve simply been something Artem had on hand for professional purposes, something to refer to in an effort to help his clients.

But the intuition that lit up every corner of your trembling heart told you this wasn't so.

You had seen Artem’s reference books before - neat and tidy and practically pristine in that he barely even took a highlighter to them let alone made notes in the margin. But this...this book had the look of one that was well-worn, referred to often as indicated by the number of neon Post-its that stuck out at intervals from its borders.

“Flowers — which are her favourites?” read one sticky yellow square, the word ‘flower’ circled multiple times in black ink as if it were a matter of tremendous importance.

“Don’t be afraid to reveal your softer side. Vulnerability builds trust — a key ingredient in any serious relationship,” read another.

And then you remember.

That night on the camping trip; the expression on Artem’s face under moonlight when he let slip, “Celestine seems to think I’m hopeless when it comes to lo—." The way he abruptly dropped the topic without even finishing his sentence.

Could it be that the one thing Artem Wing hadn’t mastered was…love?

“Are you ready to go—"

Stopping short behind you, Artem’s eyes flit to the book you had been staring at, sitting in the middle of the open drawer. And it feels like the blood has drained from your face, from your entire body — so much so that for a moment, you actually feel lightheaded.

“I-I’m so sorry, this isn’t what it looks like. I didn’t mean to pry. This book was stuck in your drawer when I tried opening it to get your keys-"

“It’s fine,” Artem says, his calm reply making you feel like you had just further incriminated yourself by acting like a blubbering idiot. “That's, um, just something Celestine gave me to read.”

Ah. So your instincts were right after all.

“What I…what I was going to tell you before during our hike in the woods is that I’m actually pretty inexperienced when it comes to dating. I’ve never really been in a relationship before." He looks at you, azure eyes darkening almost imperceptibly as he holds your gaze with an insistence bordering on intense. "There's much I still have to learn when it comes to love. So you see, I really don't know everything at all."

You weren’t sure which you were more surprised by: that, at the age of 29, the gorgeous and brilliant Artem Wing had never before had a girlfriend, or the fact that he was readily admitting it to you.

You look at him; at the wisps of dark hair falling into wise blue eyes, at the strong brows accentuating the solemn masculinity of his features, at the tips of his ears — coloured bright pink with an innocence that seemed incongruent with the rest of the man…

…and your sanity was immediately swept away.

“I, um…I could help you, if you want.”

“I beg your pardon?”

And now, it is your turn to redden, cheeks blazing as you quickly shake your head, realizing after the fact the enormity of what you had just said and hoping he wouldn’t sue you for sexual harassment in the workplace.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry! Please, disregard what I just said! It’s late and I'm tired, my mind isn't working properly—"

Quickly turning away, you are about to forego your ride and would’ve headed for the door had long fingers not wrapped gently about your wrist, the sheer heat of skin on skin stopping you in your tracks long enough for you to hear Artem say:

“Could you…teach me about love?”

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Find out what happens next in the NSFW Part II of To Know Your Love, now up on my Pa*treon (please see link on my Pinned Post)! Hope you all enjoyed the read! 🤩💕

#tears of themis #tears of themis artem wing #tears of themis zuo ran #tears of themis smut #tears of themis artem smut #tears of themis fanfic #tears of themis zuo ran smut #artem wing smut #zuo ran smut #tears of themis fic #my writing

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the-cat-at-the-theatre-door · 3 years ago

Video

youtube

A compilation of pas de deux made for @indianasolo221 who asked for one a while ago! And as a connoisseur of the pas de deux, I had to rise to action.

Some notes, context, a transcript of Productions/Partners and a bonus under the cut.

There were a few more I wanted to add to this, but this video was already over an hour long so I restrained myself.

Note that this is not an invitation for ship discourse of any kind - this is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

Please also note that, if you are sensitive to this, Skimbleshanks gets *very* heavily involved in a lot of these (to the point that some of these are borderline Pas de Trois), particularly in the earlier videos/productions. Use your own discretion there.

Guideline:

An asterisk (*) beside the name of Victoria's partner indicates that this is not/was not (based on evidence that I have gathered and am aware of) a usual occurance in the blocking. There has been a substitution, for some reason.

A question mark (?) beside the name of Victoria's partner indicates that while I have tried my best to identify toaster quality footage, I am not 100% certain if I have identified them correctly. My assumptions are based on leotard patterning, warmers and general blocking knowledge.

"Admetus/Plato" refers to who you all are probably most familiar with:

Just "Admetus" indicates that this is a seperate character within the production named Admetus (not Plato) who has different markings/is a different character altogether.

Just "Plato" refers to any variation of this guy right here:

Sorted by date, then production groupings:

OLC 1981 - Coricopat Amsterdam 1987 - Pouncival Amsterdam 1992 - Mistoffelees (Note: I am unsure which was the standard for the time - Pouncival or Mistoffelees) Vienna 1988 - Carbucketty? (Possibly Plato) (According to crediting and first hand account, Carbucketty was usually the one to do the Pas de Deux with Victoria - Carbucketty in this case being a seperate character from Pouncival, who was also in the show. However, that being said, in this clip's case, there is also a possibility that this is Plato doing the Pas de Deux with her) Vienna 1989/90 - Carbucketty? (Same thing - though in this case I am more sure it's Carbucketty due to facial markings. Would also suspect Pouncival due to warmers, though the makeup doesn't match.) Vienna 1990 - Carbucketty? (See above.) Paris 1989 - Mistoffelees Paris 1990 - Mistoffelees Mexico 1991 - Admetus Mexico 1991 - Admetus Zurich 1991 - Mistoffelees London 1992 - Admetus/Plato London 1993 - Admetus/Plato London 1994 - Admetus/Plato London 2002 - Alonzo* (Later in the London production, at least as evidenced in the last show, the role of Victoria's pas de deux partner was played by Alonzo. The reason I've put an asterisk beside the name is that it isn't clear exactly when the role was taken over by Alonzo, or if it was *permanently* given over to Alonzo later on at all. The footage available/accounts given from the late London production could be a case of what I'm going to call an "Alonzo sub" situation where, for whatever reason, the main partner was unable to perform the lift with Victoria and they called Alonzo's performer in to substitute. The role could have passed hands completely due to the run being near the end, or it could have just been an aligning substitution. Either way, it's unknown.) Buenos Aires 1993 - Tumblebrutus Broadway 1993/4 - Tumblebrutus Hamburg 1995 - Plato?* (This one gave me a whole hell of a lot of trouble. I have concluded, based on legwarmer colour, that this is a Plato costume. Whether this is actually Plato or a split track or emergency cover/sub or what have you is unknown. The role of Victoria's partner seemed to usually go to Tumblebrutus in Hamburg, ergo the asterisk) Hamburg 1999 - Tumblebrutus Video Production 1997/8 - Admetus/Plato Madrid 2004 - Admetus/Plato US Tour 5 2005 - Tumblebrutus US Tour 5 2005 - Tumblebrutus US Tour 5 2006 - Swing/Split Track Cover* (Usually done by Tumblebrutus. Note the two striped warmers. Tumblebrutus was not on stage this performance - I am unsure if this is a case of a split track officially or just a swing taking Tumble's place sans costume change.) US Tour 5 2010/11 - Alonzo* (Usually done by Tumblebrutus. Most likely an internal/emergency cover situation/"Alonzo sub", as Tumble is still noticeably on stage.) US Tour 5 2012 - Tumblebrutus Moscow 2005 - Admetus/Plato Dutch Tour 2007 - Admetus/Plato Dutch Tour 2007 - Admetus/Plato Wichita 2007 - Plato Brazil 2010 - Tumblebrutus German Tent Tour 2011 - Admetus/Plato German Tent Tour 2012 - Admetus/Plato German Tent Tour 2013 - Admetus/Plato China 2012 - Pouncival UK Tour 2013 - Admetus/Plato Mexico 2013 - Admetus Mexico 2013 - Alonzo* (This one is interesting - Alonzo is being understudied by César Iván Vázquez in this video, who usually played Admetus, who usually did the lift with Victoria as you saw previously. Admetus had, notably, been completely omitted from the lineup of toms on stage that evening with no understudy, leaving César!Alonzo to do the lift) Mexico 2014 - Admetus London Revival 2014 - Admetus/Plato La Mirada 2014 - Tumblebrutus La Mirada 2014 - Tumblebrutus Oasis of the Seas 2015 - Admetus/Plato Oasis of the Seas 2017 - Admetus/Plato Oasis of the Seas 2017 - Alonzo* (Another Alonzo sub, again most likely an internal/emergency cover situation. Note that Admetus/Plato is still on stage, and passes "permission" to dance with Victoria off to Alonzo on the left) Tecklenburg 2015 - Rum Tum Tugger Broadway Revival 2016 - Admetus/Plato Broadway Revival 2016 - Admetus/Plato (Pardon the jump with these two - the files were split right in the middle) Mexico 2018 - Pouncival International Tour 2019 - Admetus/Plato US Tour 6 2019 - Admetus/Plato

BONUS: Warsaw 2004 - Solo

DOUBLE BONUS: A GIF from Gothenburg's Pas de Deux w/ Admetus:

#CATS Musical #CATS the Musical #Victoria #videos #my posts #and finally nearly 12 hours later #note that if i have made any spelling errors in the video i will no longer be fixing them because i did it four times now #and it took an hour render every time #i mean it with the ship discourse thing #this is not about shipping #i have my favourites as well but you tell me what your favourites are #in regards to amsterdam it's interesting because i would assume the tom changed with the production change BUT #paris 1989 was a replica of amsterdam and they used misto from the beginning #which implies that amsterdam was using Misto before the 1992 change #so riddle me this: which was which tom?#the world may never know #(i'm kidding it doesn't really matter)

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ickle-ronniekins · 4 years ago

Text

embrasse moi

request: from nonnie! “please can you do a super competitive fred and reader story and idk do with that what u will I trust your judgement”

pairing: fred x french!slytherin!reader

word count: 1.7k

A/N: i am ~feelin~ this request rn. i know quidditch wasn’t a thing during the triwizard tournament when faux moody was teaching just humor me. didn’t realize how much i need a french speaking fred until i wrote this 😩 also i definitely do not speak french and i've used google translate so i apologize in advance if any phrases are wrong LOL. i'll put the what the translations are supposed to be underneath the paragraphs they appear in and @ the bottom with an asterisk *

warning(s): a curse word (oops sry); ~steam~

tag list: @mintlibri @seppys-return-to-madness @how-do-life-does @fopdoodledane @fredd-weasley @iprobablyshipit91 @semmelsemi @laneygthememequeen @snakesonaplane-7 @keoghans @helloallthethingsilove @dreamer821 @the-hufflepuff-of-221b @62442-am @wtfweasleyy @obsessedwithrandomthings @thoseofgreatambition @harrysweasleys @sleep-i-ness @shadowsinger11 @shadychaoticcollection @haphazardhufflepuff @afriendlyneighborhoodhufflepuff @hood-and-horan @letsfightsomeorcs @theweasleysredhair @purpleskiesstorm @hxfflxpxffs @wand3ringr0s3 @finecole @angelinathebook @highly-acidic @purplefragile @90shermione @zreads @susceptible-but-siriusexual @hollands-weasley @andromedaa-tonks @bbystrawberry0421 @princessof-theuniverse @cappsikle @mytreec @imseeinggred @idont-knowrn @flyingserpxnt @auroraboringalis57 @godricsswords @jejegu @annasofiaearlobe @starlightweasley @alwaysasadaesthetic @thisismysketchbook | message me to be added, loves!

“Slytherin wins!”

Fred watched as you threw your beater’s bat into the air while you did backflips on your broomstick in front of all of your teammates. He huffed dramatically; he normally didn’t fancy losing a match to Slytherin, but you showing off was just rubbing salt into the wound.

“Don’t think on it, mate,” George told his twin. He looked absolutely bloody exhausted. Ever since Slytherin had replaced their beaters who had graduated the year before, their team was unstoppable. You sort of stunned the entire school when you arrived at tryouts and crushed it, making the students question why in the bloody hell you hadn’t ever tried out for Quidditch in the first place.

As the Gryffindor team walked sluggishly back toward the changing rooms, the vile Slytherin team captain did not hold back from overly-complimenting his team, therefore firing shots in the Gryffindors’ direction.

“Never seen a more brilliant beater before,”

Fred rolled his eyes noticeably. As your teammates patted you on the back, Fred just scoffed loudly, hoping to grab your attention. When he saw that he had, he turned to George and Harry and said, “She wasn’t that brilliant.” George just shut his eyes and shook his head, sick of Fred’s constant complaining.

“Aw -- vous vous sentez mal, Fred? Ne sois pas si mauvais perdant.”

↳ “Are you feeling bad, Fred? Don’t be such a sore loser.”

You earned yourself another eye roll for that one.

“Speak bloody English, would you woman?” he said angrily.

You pursed your lips dramatically in his direction. If he hadn’t been so pissed off, he would’ve noticed how his heart rate had seemed to increase at the fluttering of your eyelashes as you winked at him. Except he’d always been too focused trying to one-up you to notice such things. “Better luck next time, Weasley.”

It wasn’t just Quidditch. It was everything. Charms, incantations, exploding snap games, hexes -- even things Fred absolutely loathed doing, like stupid readings in Divination. It had all started back in your first year, when you were able to kick off the ground first in your flying lesson; you were a Muggleborn and had no idea how to fly. This annoyed Fred to no end, because he’d been flying since he could walk! And ever since, you two fell into this intense competitive streak, not giving into one another. George sure was over it though. Had been for a long time.

He gently tugged on Fred’s robes to lead him back toward the Gryffindor changing rooms, but it was a lost cause. Fred was already ripping off his uniforms due to pure anguish. George sucked in a deep breath before leaving his brother on the pitch. “Bloody hell, here we go again.”

-- -

The next day, Fred was struggling to get through classes due to his lack of sleep from the night prior, and it didn’t help when he was partnered up with you in Defense Against the Dark Arts in Moody’s attempt to separate him and George. Begrudgingly, his feet carried him over toward your desk where you stood, arms crossed and smirk bright. George on the other hand looked particularly jovial to be very far away from the two of you.

“Professor?”

Moody growled. “Not now, Weasley. Time to practice nonverbal hexes with your partner. No complaints.”

Fred huffed a bit and turned toward you. You cocked your head to the side, “What’s the matter? Scared you won’t be able to out hex me?” You narrowed your eyes at him and deepened your grin.

Fred scoffed. “I can out hex you in my sleep.”

You rolled your eyes and muttered under your breath, “Pauvre, gentil garçon. Tellement naïf.”

↳ “Poor, sweet boy. So naive.”

He didn’t even bloody care what you’d said, he was just so ready for this lesson to be over. He positioned himself a few feet away from you and stood in a rather dramatic, annoyed stance, waiting for you to just do your worst, already.

Your eyes seemed to darken with concentration. Fred was hoping that the slight smirk he painted on his face would be enough to distract you, but he was unfortunately proven wrong. Suddenly his knees were reversed and he began to falter on his own two feet. You and a few others surrounding you both, including his own twin, fell into laughter.

“Walk much, Weasley?”

His eyes turned to slits as he reversed the hex back, ignoring the crimson colour flooding his cheeks and the laughs still bouncing around the room. You still wiggled your eyebrows at him as he took his own position, pointing his wand toward you. He really needed to bloody concentrate, but the sing-song sound of your voice as you rattled off phrases in your native tongue sent him spiraling. He focused his thoughts solely on the one word: Titillando. He might’ve been distracted, but still managed to hex you.

Your laughter grew due to the tickling that took you over. You fell to your knees and giggled like a little school girl, grabbing at your arms and legs and back as the tickling sensation only heightened. Fred waltzed over to you, confidence exuding him, and lifted his eyebrows at you. He grinned evilly. “Got you.”

Somehow he found himself centimeters from you. He slowly lifted his wand and reversed the hex, and you were now completely out of breath, staring up at him with beady eyes. He took your hand in a tight grip and pulled you to your feet. He could feel your breath on his neck. “Sanglant brillant,” you managed to say in a breathless whisper.

↳ “Bloody brilliant.”

He certainly didn’t need you to translate that one. He wiggled his eyebrows at you and breathed, “Glad you think so.”

Shit. You didn’t realize you’d said it aloud, and you hadn’t managed to realize how close he was to you. You pushed on his chest and walked out of his way, fixing your tie and cardigan before sighing deeply to rid yourself of your flustered feelings. You cleared your throat and said, “Again.”

Cheekiness overtook his expression. “Looking for me to out jinx you again, are we?”

“Just do it, Fred.”

“Why can’t you just finally admit that I’m better than you? Put this whole thing to rest --?”

You cut him off. “Tu n'es pas! You stupid boy --” you wandered toward the entrance of the classroom; you needed some air, he was driving you up a wall. You stepped into the empty corridor. “Don’t let this foolishness go to your head. I’ve always been better, I always will be better.”

↳ “You are not!”

Fred laughed. “You’re out of your mind, what on earth --”

“It’s obvious!” you cried, throwing your arms up into the air. You inched forward toward him, and you were able to see the veins in his neck protruding just a bit; you were clearly getting to him. The tips of his ears were bright underneath that red hair of his. “Just admit it to me, Weasley. You can’t handle a girl being better at you -- better at hexes, better at lessons, better at Quidditch. Better at everything.” You stood on the tips of your toes in an attempt copy his stance. “And it’s driving you bloody mad, isn’t it?”

Fred sucked in a very deep breath and clenched his jaw tightly to suppress his anger.

Still, you prodded. “Isn’t it?”

Fred just wanted you to shut up already. So in a moment of fury, he growled and immediately pushed you against the wall and pressed his lips to yours in an attempt to silence you. He felt your shock against him as he parted your lips with his tongue, willing himself to not be distracted by the faint taste of your cherry lip balm. When he was sure you’d be silent, he slowly pulled away from you and let the shock roam through him too.

There was fire in your eyes. You blinked slowly a few times and eyed him up and down, as if trying to make sense of your own thoughts. Fred was sure you were about to deck him for being a right git until you lifted your hand and yanked on his tie and whispered, “Encore. Embrasse moi encore.”

↳ “Again. Kiss me again.”

He didn’t need a translator for that, either. He watched you lick your lips before he pressed himself into you again. You both met one another’s hunger with an intensity you couldn’t quite understand, but Fred reckoned this was probably the underlying reason for all of the competition between you two. How could he have possibly missed it all these years?

The idea of heading back inside the classroom for the lesson completely slipped from his mind when you grabbed two fistfuls of his hair in your hands and pressed your chest hard into his. By the muffled sigh you emitted against his mouth, he was sure he was driving you mad, and he was hellbent on getting you to be the first one to break with a moan.

But a low, unamused grunt ripped you apart from one another -- Fred was shocked that something had managed to break the ferocity between you both. You bit down on your bottom lip as you both turned to be face to face with a very disturbed and annoyed looking Mad-Eye, and George cracking up right behind him. You quickly swatted Fred’s hand away from your exposed hipbones, but he was pretty sure Moody had noticed anyway.

“Back inside,” your professor growled simply to both of you. In a lower voice, Mad-Eye continued, “I’ve got to be barking mad -- I did not sign up for this..” George winked at his brother and mouthed something that slightly resembled a Knew it, I bloody knew it, before making his way back into the classroom.

Fred turned back toward you and glanced down at your red and swollen lips. “Ready for me to out hex you again?” he asked with a glint of cheekiness in his voice.

“In your dreams, Fred,” you replied, narrowing your eyes and swatting him across the chest in your usual irritated tone. He was about to drag you back into the classroom but you yanked on his tie once more. The sultriness in your voice that dripped from your mouth made him not want to focus on the lesson at all; he’d rather think about many, many other things instead. “First -- embrasse moi, you prat.”

↳ “Kiss me,”

“Mmm,” he replied hungrily, licking his own lips in anticipation of getting you alone later. But he could get you riled once more, right? In more ways than one? He absolutely adored the completely startled and impressed look in your eye when he replied to you in French, “Bien sûr mon amour.”

↳ “Of course, my love.”

* vous vous sentez mal, Fred? Ne sois pas si mauvais perdant. - Are you feeling bad, Fred? Don’t be such a sore loser.

* Pauvre, gentil garçon. Tellement naïf - Poor, sweet boy. So naive.

* Sanglant brillant. - Bloody brilliant.

* Tu n'es pas! - You are not!

* Encore. Embrasse moi encore. - Again. Kiss me again.

* Bien sûr mon amour. - Of course, my love.

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