#pretty sure I have an old concept for it in my notes but then again there's so much unhinged shit in my notes overall lmao | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kasaslovr · 2 years

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ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ in which no girl has even looked his way so what makes him think you will. he's just not getting the hint that you want him to have little taste of your love

❈ warning: f!reader, college au, mutual & m!masterbation, fingering, praise, pet names, hair pulling?, teasing, he's like kinda subby at first then dom teehee, porn with plot. wc: 3.5k

❈ notes: i changed the concept oops, idk maybe ill write a fratboy!gojo fic later, idk my friend was talking about how they dislike a playboy gojo so shoulder shrug. likes and reblogs r much appreciated mwahh anyway please enjoy my official first piece !

its not like he was hated, not at all. its just he never stood out and was never labeled anything more than basic. he just wanted to get through his college life peacefully. he didn't need those parties that lasted till 2am or those saturday night hookups which would leave him heart broken. sure he's had friends talk to him here and there, but he would never get super personal with anyone, ever.

it was a study hall in a library where there should’ve been just silent but instead, there would be students gossiping or making out in such a public place. how vulgar. he wasn't a nerd either, just an average guy honestly. he was finishing up notes that he could use for his next unit test, until the aroma of warm vanilla and marshmallows filled his nose, he usually wouldn't look, but he couldn't help it since it was right next to him. you were right next to him.

he slowly turned towards you and was met with such a winning smile with your head tilted and hand under your chin. your eyes were staring right at him like you were trying to see through his own eyes. you had the cutest cheeks he's ever planted his eyes on, they were just a little rosy and rose just a bit when you smiled at him. and your lips, they were beautifully plump with a little shine from your gloss and it was moving–shit you were talking and soon he was convinced. he's never had a taste of love like this before or ever.

“hello? i asked if we had biology together?” there was a concern look on your face, he snapped out of his thoughts and looked anywhere else besides your face. “uh i’m not to sure..” he responds with his hand reaching to the back of his neck, god you must think he's such a big loser cause of course he wouldn't know, all he does is keep his eyes down at his paper or at the floor.

a sign of nervousness. how cute you thought. you knew satoru was in your class, of course you did, ever since you transferred all you wanted was a new start and to live out your life so you did that, went to any party possible and made as many friends as you could while sticking with old ones. but there's one thing you wouldn't do and that was to let just any guy to have a taste of your love, you were gonna be in the one to control who you want to love and such and you chose him. gojo satoru.

“gojo right? i’ve definitely seen you around, you feed those cute cats behind the building!” you exclaimed, way louder than he would've liked and loud enough to make his ears red. “uhm yeah..look are you following me around for fun or something because there are more entertaining things to do.” he suddenly felt discouraged like he wants to cry or never find someone attractive again.

“no no no, of course not! that was just by coincidence and since then i kinda told myself ‘i have to get to know such a cute and sweet guy.’” you said smiling ever so sweetly. what did you just say? cute? sweet? he's never seen himself in such way nor has anybody else, maybe when he helps the old ladies open the door or when his friends sees adorable baby photos of him, but he's never felt these kinds of butterflies about it before.

“you-you think im cute?” he turned towards you again to see if there was any sign of jokingly behavior, but no, you were being genuine. “yeah i do. i’m y/n, i think i need to be caught up on stuff in biology and you seem pretty smart so maybe if you wanna stop by my dorm sometime and help out i would totally appreciate it, im in room 318 in wing c.” you informed, you were starting to feel a little nervous now cause what if he thought you were just messing with him or gave him stalker vibes, you didn't want that at all.

yes. a million times yes. he thought, he got so excited that he all of sudden stood up, giving you quite a shock, but made you giggle a little and he found his favorite sound ever. “yes i will..i mean i will take you up on that offer. is there a certain time or day you'd like me to go over?” he asked, he didn't think you guys were gonna be at that point where he could just go into your room anytime soon. “hmm doesn't matter to me, i’m never really busy.” you shrugged and now he's thinking of showing up tomorrow morning, but soon he’s interrupted by an alarm on your phone.

“shit! i’ve got lessons, here,” you grabbed a pen off of his notebook and wrote your number in the corner with a little heart. “now you should contact me whenever. i’ll see you around.” you smiled and wave then left the library while adjusting your tote bag on your shoulder. gojo put your number in his phone as soon as he could, in case he forgot of course, but how could he? you've made his day maybe his whole week–hell his entire month. he gathered up his stuff and walked to his dorm quickly.

he searched for his keys in this bag which were usually hung on his tiny key chain that geto gave him, he likes to deny him and gets undying friendship, in reality he was his best friend and almost brother, but gojo denies it all. he opens the door and expects to see geto laying on the couch with a bag of chips on the couch and a Red Bull on the little coffee table, but no there was a small post, which geto stole from satorus room of course, it on the fridge saying ‘heyy im out to go bang a super hot chick from wing b, she's so hot and let me tell you when her boobs were bigger than my hands, i had to get in on that lmaoooo see ya tmrw - super hot playboy sugaru’ gojo had to blink of couple times until he reacted to it, he gagged with disgust and rolled his eyes, ripped off the note and threw it in the trash.

geto was almost the opposite of gojo, get had plenty of people follow him, guys he played sports with and some who just thought he was cool and wanted to tag along, there were girls too and they had the smallest articles of clothing and would throw themselves onto geto, it was almost like geto was some kind of cult leader. gojo chuckled at the thought, no way. what makes geto different is that he was kind and acknowledged everyone around him.

gojo opened the door, turned on the lights and set his glasses on the table, grabbed some clothes that looked comfy and made his way to the bathroom to take a shower early since he ended sweating lots more than he usually would. after a half hot half cold shower since college bathing is shit he decided he would order some KFC knowing geto wouldn't be here to steal everything in the bag. gojo knew it was gonna take a while so he went into his room, closed door and lights off. some him time after a long day of classes.

soon satoru got curious, he was thinking back on gets note, did you know him?hes quite popular so maybe, but you were new so he was conflicted. gojo opened his instagram that he barely uses and only got it cause geto forced him to, but he logged onto his account with only 14 followers and got to searching, he went to gets that he has around 10 times more followers than gojo, but he doesn't mind since he doesn't even post anything. he went to search for your name in getos follower list and there you were, gojo felt his heart leap out of his chest of what? he doesn't know just yet. he's excited he found your account even if its a bit stalkerish, but you followed geto so were you using him to get with his roommate. he hopes not, he prays not.

with trembling fingers he pressed your account, he examined your account. your profile picture was a cute mirror picture with a white sweater on and studying something and you used a table mirror to take the picture, it was so cute, he moved onto to your recent post and he felt his heart drop even farther down and his eyes slightly widen. its you, of course, in a tiny blue swimsuit a two piece to be specific.

there's three different photos, one of them is you closing your eyes with your knees bent onto the sand and hands cupping your own face and squishing your breast together, it must be unintentional, it has to be because gojo wouldn't know what to do with himself if it was on purpose almost like you knew he was gonna see this and get the hardest boner he's ever received in his life, he swiped to the left, not to exit but to look at the next picture. you're by the shore now and it looks like you're walking with a hand out and another holding your hat to cover your face and finally the last one. youre in the water just above thigh length and you're facing the sunset and your ass is on full display.

gojo couldn't do it anymore, either he was to go throw his phone away and take another cold shower or die because you were just so breathtaking, he scrolled to the first one and he didn't mean to look at your breast, but he didn't and then getos note came into mind again, damn geto, could his hands fit over your boobs? he had to do something about his problem. with his phone in one hand and his other snaking down to pull down his sweatpants, his dick was already leaked with precut ever since he found your account.

he used his thumb to spread the precut around tip to down to the base then back up. his mind was racing and imagining how would you play with his cock. would you make him beg for it? edge him over and over again until there's tears pooling in his eyes? or maybe you would make his sit on his knees like how are in that first pic and make him eat you out without any hands as you play with his cock and just use him as you please. all these fantasies has made his hand speed up and his groans louder now becoming words as he gets lost into wanting you so badly. “f-fuck..wanna cum inside you, baby.” he threw his head back and soon dropped his phone not even caring if it broke. his other hand ran through his hair then moved it down to his chest where he played with his nipples over his shirt, he's never masterbaited like this before, never with this much emotion.

he was so close, pants and boxers by his ankles and the ends of his shirt caught in between his teeth. he wasn't taking it slow anymore, he just wanted to cum and the shlick slapping noises have just gotten wetter and almost heavier. he was pinching and pulling on his nipples now, they're both red and swollen, but it only adds to his pleasure. his face was red with blush and sweat built up on his forehead while moaning and whimpering your name over and over again like a prayer. would you moan his name like this? imagine you getting lost into so much pleasure where your toes are curled and eyes are crossed and screaming his name with moans followed right after, oh to make you feel that good. it got him painting his hand white and your name on his tongue. he felt his breath staggering back to normal as he cleaned up and when he completely snapped back into reality he wondered how was he supposed to face you.

its been 2 weeks, 5 days, 6 hours, and 27 minutes since gojo spoke to you. of course you've tried to say something to him, but he gets all flustered and leave or ignore you if he must. its really throwing you off so you text him. “hey gojo! could u come over and help me over this unit, but if ur busy that's ok, i don't wanna bother u. just lmk! <3” and sent, you hope your words can convince him to stop whatever phase he is in to talk to you.

gojo is sitting on his bed with his glasses off and hands on his face. what was he supposed to do? you sounded so distressed and he wants to help you, he truly does, but how can he face you when he's done something so lewd. ok fuck it, he has a plan he’ll result to pointing and yes and nos that's easy enough. he grabbed his textbooks and shoved them in his bag and rushed out the door and storming over to your room.

around 20 minutes later he's appeared in front of your door with three quick and panicked knocks. when you open the door you can see his face flushed with red from speed walking his way here and his breath is heavy. you say something first “i didn't know you were coming, i would've changed.” you joked, maybe lighting the mood would make him feel better, but all he did was scan you from your brown slippers to your biker shorts and at your black bra and he gulped “would you like to come in?” you asked him and he nodded.

this was getting quite annoying. you didn't really need to study since you were pretty smart anyway, but your love for gojo hasn't left at all, you still find him the sweetest guy ever and really adorable and you thought inviting him over would settle things, but the tension only grew. until you stood up and asserted your dominance.

“okay satoru, i don't know what's been going on with you or why you won't talk to me at all, but if i did something im sorry and if i didn't then what the fuck! i feel like im putting all this effort to be with you and you all of sudden don't give a shit about me!” you shouted almost on the verge of tears. it wasn't your first round of rejection, but to be ignored and humiliated like this was a first and you hated it and felt strong urges to just punch his face if he continued to portray this silent treatment.

“i..i uh” he stutters, god you can feel tears dripping down your face. “do you hate me or something?!” you asked, not even caring if the neighbors next door are listening in. “no! i don't, its just..i really like you and i don't want be a loser in front of you and i was stalked your instagram and ended up jerking off to one of your photos and im sorry!” he confessed with a panicked expression. why did he admit that? his confession was also lame as fuck? was he in middle school? gojo felt so light headed suddenly and closed his eyes shut and braced himself for a punch anywhere on his body and he held his face.

he's never felt such way for someone before and this time it was his fault that they were gonna walk away. he hates himself so much right now and wishes he wasn't some weird loser kid and wishes he was someone more popular, more social, more like geto.

when he peered through his fingers he saw your face and you were..laughing? why? he just told you the most shameful things he's done in his life and you laugh. “sorry sorry, you know because its you i don't mind.” you blush a little while wiping your tears. “and i like you too if you couldn't tell..” you mumbled, finally gaining eye contact with him. he's looking down and playing with his fingers, he's confessed to girls before, but for someone else to want him first. it makes his self confidence sky rocket honestly.

“im still sorry for what i did, but can i ask you for something?” he asked, you nodded slowly, truly having no idea on what it is, “can i kiss you?” he asked shyly and you didn't even responded, you couldn't tell what was moving faster, your mind racing a million times per hour or feet rushing to put your lips on his. it was nowhere close to shy or calm. it was kiss full of madness, want, lust, and love. with noses colliding teeth clashing with one another, and tongues only making the kiss less collective and messy.

you grabbed his hand and led him into your bedroom without breaking off the kiss, you locked the doors and turned off the lights only leaving your little yellow lamp on your table as a light source. “off. i wanna see you.” he said his voice hoarse from being breathless while trying to rush you, you worked as quick as you could only for satoru to help you as you shoved your pants off he got your top and latched his mouth onto one of perky nips and playing with the other, he closed his eyes and moaned loudly without any shame which caused vibrations through your body adding to the pleasure. “satoru, baby lemme make you feel good too, please.” you moaned softly while trying to get his pants off, anything to return this favor of lust, he pulled off for a split second just to take his shirt off and as soon as that was off he continued ti mark your body with big red splotches that will soon turn people in due time and all over your neck and finally his pants came out and before you could make a move on him, he grabbed your hands

“show me. right now how you play with yourself. put a show on come on.” he encouraged, letting your hands go then peeling off his boxers, slowly moving his wrists up and down his leaking dick. while watching him it felt like your mind was on autopilot, you slipped off your panties and gathered some wetness that has been developed from the kissing and such. you didn't care that you making a mess everywhere, spreading your juices all over your already drenched until you stick a finger in, moaning so light almost with a relief cause the sensation was just so good. then another one, but it wasn't enough your fingers couldn't reach into the deep spots your toys usually could, but why do you need it when you have one right in front of you. with his mouth agape and his abdomen flexing and a flush covering his entire body, to the tip of his cock to the blades of his shoulder. “t-toru s’not enough. want your dick now.” you whined, wording slurring as your brain turned into mush.

his eyes traveled down to your messy cunt and there was a faint smirk on his face. “oh needy little thing, you want me to help you out, sweetheart. you gotta open those cute legs of yours further then.” he said letting go of his crimsoned tip cock and taking the fingers that were in your pussy to spread them farther and when he saw the sight, he felt the wind knocked out of his chest. all he could do was stare. “stop looking, ‘s embarrassing” you mumbled looking away, honestly the fire in the bottom of your stomach only grew as he continued to play with your pretty little pussy.

he moved your fingers away as he plunged his own right in without an ounce of hesitation. he wasn't being gentle at in nor nice. he wasn't your toy, you were his and he loved it like that. “ill look if i wanna, ‘s mine now isn't it? tell me, pretty girl, who's your cute lil pussy gushing all over for?” he was merciless and he didn't hold back, not at all. “you! satoru! its yours, ‘m all yours, please wanna cum!” you were so close, moans only got louder and higher in octaves at that point, “’s lucky you're so cute, cum for me, baby.” he says leaning in to kiss you and your swollen lips from deep heavy kisses and from biting on it to keep quiet, though it didn't work in the slightest. he moved his head down back to your neck, he loves this taste of you and he’ll never ever get enough.

with your hands in his hair and a slight tug, you came and it completely drenched the sheets and almost the entirely of his hand, as your brain became cleared of fog and passion you rested your weight on satoru only for him to push you down and get on top of you and the feel of his tip kissing your clit, teasing your already worn out cunt.

“you thought we we’re done? nah baby ive gotta taste more of your love.”

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streets-in-paradise · 6 months

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A Man of Honor - Odysseus x Trojan Princess!Reader

Troy 2004 Oneshot

Requested by @alysinwonderland-at-tea

"Ok ok ok, so..... here's the idea.

Odysseus, with the younger sister of Paris and Hector, like she gets captured because she bought Briesis time to run. She fought off some of the men but couldn't get all of them. Anyway, quite like the movie scene, Agammenon "gives" her to the men to "play with" (throws her to the wolves). But instead of Achilles rescuing her, it's Odysseus. He suggests that hurting her would not be in their best interest because she is the princess of Troy, and if they harm her its gonna be really bad for them. Anyway, the reader falls for him because he's so honorable. Idk man, he seems honorable, and men with honor got me"

Sure, dear!! My twist on the concept is a bit fluffier, but hope you will enjoy it anyways.

Warnings: Kidnap, Agamemnon and Menelaus being creeps, threats and an attempt of sexual assault ( stopped by Odysseus), age gap.

Note: For this i'm pretending he is single, simply because i don't picture Odysseus as a cheater.

Tags: @yerevasunclair

The gathering of the kings celebrating the first greek victory of the war finished abruptly because Agamemnon of Mycenae, supreme commander of the forces, wanted to scold his rebel soldier. Used to act as intermediate between them, Odysseus of Ithaca intended to follow the matter closely. He was the last one leaving the tent, trying to prepare Achilles for the meeting hoping he wouldn't loose his temper again. Sensically suspicious of the situation, he waited outside pretending he cared to talk with the guards of the mycenaean king.

A good amount of them were watching over a girl, likely a spoil from the looting of the temple. Two aspects of that scene got the sharp observational skills of the ithacan king on alert. The first one, knowing that the myrmidon leader would never handle a prisoner of war to a man he often adressed as an old pig. Second, that the escort was too great to watch over her. There were way to many men gathered arround her.

" Don't you all have orders to follow?" He mocked them in a friendly tone. " Just two of you would be enough, she is clearly going nowhere. "

The cleverly delivered callout brought a half smile from her, and in a closer look Odysseus noticed that her eyes were more vivacious than normal for a captive.

There was still fire in her glance, a sign of life.

" The myrmidons warned us to watch out, they say she fought bravely for her freedoom. " One of the mycenaeans informed him. " We brought her for the King, she is the treasure he has choosen."

No flicker of fear in her face as she was hearing her fate, what made Odysseus wonder if she was too brave or completely unaware of the dangers coming at her.

" Two were actually left in charge, the rest are just watching." She commented him. " They won't stop talking about how pretty they find me."

He felt as if he was being invited to share an opinion on the matter, probably being tested by her because she wanted to know if he would hurt her.

" A young slave as beautifull as you must worth more than everything I keep in my tent." He joked in return. " Even if Troy would be sacked tomorrow, like Agamemnon hopes, none of this men would afford to have one like you. They know it, so consider their vulgar admiration a reflection of their powerlessness. "

It wasn't enough to work as comfort, but she didn't mind.

" I don't mind, as long as they won't touch me."

Her pridefullness was out of place, as if she tried to prove she was still weilding some sort of authority she may have had in the past.

" Sadly, I think that's the first thing Agamemnon would want to do." Odysseus informed her, trying to do what he considered was waking her up to the new reality. " ... You were lucky of not being exhibited in front of all the other leaders in the celebration, he likes to brag about his prizes."

The latter comment seemed to have offended her, she even dared to give a few temptative steps in his direction to verbally fight back.

" I'm not a prize, I'm a hostage. " She quickly corrected. " And I'm ready to bargain the terms of my liberation."

The mycenaeans laughed, but Odysseus could tell she was being serious because the fire of her eyes could have burned him alive. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep interrogating her because the men in charge were called to bring her inside.

He watched her following them calmly and couldn't help smiling. Partially, because he wished he could ease such horrible moment for her, but also given how impressed he remained of her attitude. As if she already knew that Agamemnon wanted to see her humilliated, she quickly put together what was left of her honor and dignity walking inside with the grace of a royal.

It was in that moment when the clever king of Ithaca discovered that you, new treasure of the mycenaean king, could be hidding something of importance. After Achilles stormed out of the place he was too angry to acceed any questioning, so his curiosity had to wait a little longer.

During that first encounter you couldn't tell exactly who he was, but you knew he had some sort of authority over men due to how they listened to him. However, his way with words was astonishingly pragmatical. To them, he sounded like a friend making healthy advices before a greater power figure could reprimand them and, to you, like a fair ruler. Never taunting your anger like Achilles did, or threatening you like you later discovered was custom of Agamemnon.

Nightfall was the dealbreaker of your fate, signaled time for the accomplishment of the dark promises he made to you. After having dinner, he would make you give him a bath to later have his way with you. Playing wise with your only advantage to save yourself, you waited untill then to start the negociations.

The king's table had guests, more commanders that you didn't know. When his brother heard that you were the only daughter of King Priam, everything seemed lost. A third leader arrived to hear the very stubborn brothers discuss what would be the most efficient way to make you suffer instead of accepting your more wise proposal of a bargain with your family.

Awareness of his coming silenced their wicked planning, like if they suspected he would have a say against that.

" Odysseus! " Agamemnon saluted him. " Welcome, old friend! "

You recognized the kind man and his friendly smile, paying high that short distraction. The King of Sparta tried to grab you from behind and forcefully sit you on his lap. Reflexes reacted fast and you fought him, but in the scape you accidentally stumbled with the newcomer.

He catched you gently, holding your shoulders so you won't fall.

" Forgive me, ... Odysseus." You inmediately responded, your voice turning slightly sweeter with the pronunciation of his name, then moved away after finding balance. " ... Please, take a seat. I'll get you some roasted meat from King Agamemnon's feast."

He smiled in polite agreement, but the calm enviroment didn't last long.

" GET BACK HERE, TROJAN WHORE!" Menelaus complained, angry because you didn't behaved with the docility he expected. " YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOUR BROTHER DID TO ME! "

You refused to move and swallowed hard, then replied.

" Your wife's choices aren't of my concern, but become more understandable to me with the display of your brutal manners."

Your refined insults amused Agamemnon, who thought that your flamboyant manners were hilarious.

" ... A trojan princess. Can you believe our luck? " He commented to the freshly arrived king. " My brother wants to go first, reparations for his honor. "

Odysseus was frankly horrified by the scene, there was no honor in the sort of justice that Menelaus seeked.

" It's a terrible idea. If you hurt her, this girl could become a symbol even more powerfull than Helen. "

" I told them, but they won't listen. " You interrupted him. " King Menelaus doesn't understand the concept of bargain, perhaps you can explain it to him."

You shouldn't have say that, but the presence of the ithacan made you feel safer as the anger of Menelaus keep growing.

" YOU INSOLENT LITTLE .... "

Odysseus gave him a path on the shoulder right before claiming his sit.

" My friend, calm down! She is just a girl, maybe even young enough to be your daughter. " He minimized your insults for you. " And, unfortunately, she is right. Having her is too riskfull and we can't allow more reckless mistakes. "

You realized he was subtly referencing the fight of Agamemnon and Achilles, what made you stiffle a chuckle in reminder.

" Postpone your vengeance for the right targets. " He concluded, deviating the topic. " You are here to kill Paris, not to take advantage of his little sister. "

The excellently delivered speech was enough to calm him, but not to make him desist.

" Odysseus, you are a good friend, but the use I will give to my brother's slave is not your problem. "

" ... Not yet wed, certainly untouched. " Agamemnon provoked him. " Pretty virgin princess will make for a fine revenge. "

You spat on the ground, a wordless curse, but that only increased the hate of the spartan king.

" I can't wait to taste you ... And tomorrow, I will tell your brother exactly how i had broken you. "

Terrified in the inside, you still won't let him knew it.

" Before you would get to finish bragging the sword of Hector would have already pierced you. " You recalled, as serious as if you would be sentencing him to death. " He wont care about your hurted honor if your sense of justice damages his siblings. He tossed our familiar honor to the sea to save Paris' life once, we are fighting this war because of that. "

Your elocuency was the surprise of the night, the King of Ithaca was very attentive to your words.

" It's true, Paris had no honor proceeding the way he did, but if you force me you give up your right to claim you are the victim here because that's not the justice of an honorable man. " You bravely kept exhorting the spartan king to save yourself. " Your mistreated wife, who not all trojans simpatize with, will win credibility. "

Odysseus began to chuckle, a subtle expression of pride.

" Right again, your highness! " He pointed out. " The ruin of your virtue would unify trojans at the precise moment we are on the edge of loosing Achilles. The Kings should respect you, not even because that would be the action of an honorable man. From the most selfish standpoint, it's still the wisest solution. "

Agamemnon evaluated the advice with disdain. The goal of unifying greeks against a common enemy was an essential part of his plan. Previous attempts of presenting Helen as a victim of kidnap had failed, everyone knew she ran away on her own and the moral approach changed. She was a whore who left her husband, but you were an innocent virgin dragged away from a temple.

A perfect victim, everything in that story highlighted your purity and a direct threat to it could cause a response even more violent than than Paris taking Helen did.

" May you care to suggest us what to do with her then, Odysseus? " He sarcastically critiziced. " Giving her to you, perhaps? I won't fall for your trickery if what you want is fooling me into gifting you a prize that was too fine for Achilles. "

You hide your face using your hair so he won't see your excited reaction to hearing he could want to take you out from that tent.

" Offer her hospitality, show her that we are not savages. " Odysseus simply proposed. " Menelaus should also work on his impersonation of an honorable man wanting his wife back. We are all here claiming to be victims because of him and the control of this narrative gives our army a moral advantage. If he turns Paris into the savior of a frightened Helen escaping the brutality of her husband, this motivation falls apart. An insulted king who demmands justice can't brag revenge forcing himself on the virgin princess captured while she was innocently praying for the salvation of her homeland."

You directed a triumphal smirk to the youngest of the despicable kings, but Odysseus warned you against that with an impercepible glance.

" Do you play any table games, little one? " He asked you right away, resolving for everyone else. " My favorite way of getting to know someone is learning how they think."

You couldn't believe your ears because the kind offer seemed so out of place.

" Table games? After this two were deliverating on who should hurt me first and what would be more painfull, you offer me to play games with you? " You repeated, in disbelief. " You are a strange man, King of Ithaca, ... but quite lovely. "

To your even greater surprise, he even helped the greek servants on settling you a spot where you could be comfortable. The disgusting brothers gave him freedoom of action because they believed he was up to something, a scheme of the kind he often used to save them many times before. They respected his opinions allowing him to treat you kindly so they wouldn't have to do it themselves. Agamemnon suspected he wanted to make you talk for them, but nothing you were saying was of any importance for him.

The trickster king was deceiving them, making them suspect a deeper reason for his comfort of the unlucky, but beautifull princess. To some extent, he was even deceiving himself pretending he would only do it because winning your trust could be usefull, yet you had awakened enough curiosity for it to be a bit personal.

After a while, it became obvious that you enjoyed the company of the smartest leader arround. He was a smoother, more interesting talker than the pigs surrounding you. If you would have been in front of your father's table instead, he would have easily enraptured all the attention of your relatives as he had gained yours. Odysseus ruled a kingdom of poor sailors, but he had travelled everywhere, and he gave you a good moment sharing some of his stories. During the hours he spent there that night, you were able to escape from your sadness even at the moments he wasn't paying direct attention to you.

If that dinner would have taken place in Troy, Paris would have teased you for staring at him for too long while Hector would have scolded you both and warned that significally older man to stay away from you. That was fun to imagine, but you had to remind yourself that he was still your enemy. Perhaps the most dangerous, for how well spoken and handsome he appeared to you. Harder to hate, specially because you couldn't take your eyes off him.

Before leaving to get rest in his own tent, his farewell to you was a kiss on your knuckes that showed he still respected you as a princess. It made you blush furiously, mostly because you thought that kind of consideration was lost to you arround greeks.

Menelaus noticed your reaction and, as his brother accompanied the king outside, let you know of that.

" Turns out you do like older men." He commented, in a falsely cassual tone. " Is that how your brother got my wife to spread her legs for him, or only his looks did the work?"

Everything he said was always so repulsive, you seriously couldn't imagine how Helen managed to stay by his side for so long.

" You are not bad looking, for a man of your age. Neither is your brother ... You are just horrible people. " Was your honest reply. " Paris has seduced married women everywhere, but all the others stayed with their husbands because they gave them reasons. Fear of death was all Helen had with you, and when she lost it, she left. "

The answer surprised him, perhaps because your explanation of what happened resembled nothing he had ever heard.

" You have a strange wisdown, hard to explain in such young girl. I'm hearing you speak so lightly of things I never cared to see. " He oddly praised you, then sipped more of his wine. " When I was a child, our mother cheated on our father with our uncle. Agamemnon, being the eldest, had more awareness of what was happening. Ask him about what Atreus did to the cheaters and you will find out we are not so horrible. "

" Being less horrible than your father is not the great, comforting excuse you think it is. " You warned him in return. " A good man would have came here peacefully, presented his complaint in the city's council, and maybe ask for a private talk with his wife offering her actual reasons that could make her want to go back home. You are an evil man posing as a victim, and your thirst for vengeance will bring your doom. "

Dark chucking interrumpted you, Agamemnon was back inside.

" Nobody told us the princess of Troy was a seer! " He mocked you. " I have another prophecy for you: tomorrow, I will take over your city and my brother will kill yours. "

" You don't know Hector, or how far he can go to protect his family." You insisted one last time. " Your brother is a fool, he will get himself killed trying to kill Paris. "

" Hector is a man of honor. " Menelaus pointed out. " He will understand that Paris had to die."

You directed him a cold look, as if life would have started to abandon him.

" His honor won't protect you from his rage of brother. "

It was the last time you spoke to him, and the last moment you saw him alive. Exactly as you warned, the king perished by the hand of Hector, who saved Paris while he was begging for his life. You never imagined it would happen so fast, because you weren't prophetizing. Knowing your family so well made you suspect it would be a matter of time untill the rage of Menelaus would be forever stopped by your protective eldest brother.

Still, they weren't there to save you from the rage of brother displayed by the mycenaean king. You were all he had to damage Hector, since even the result of the battle turned against him. The only pain he could inflict on him that night was hurting you, but he decided he wasn't going to be the man doing it.

Odysseus noticed your absense on the tent during the gathering of the war council, at first thinking it was due to the needed secrecy that the discussion of strategy required.

" Where is she? "

The answer Agamemnon had for him overpassed any expected cruelty coming from him.

" I gave her to the men ... They need some amusement after today. "

Careless for the thoughts of anyone else on that meeting, he stormed out searching for you. It was clear that the King of Kings wanted to unleash over you a vengeance even worse than the one Menelaus considered before.

More humilliating than warming the bed of a king was becoming the whore of his troops.

Odysseus was guided by the sound of the complict mocks of the very same men who one day before observed you as some unattainable luxury item. Temporally forgetting their looses, they were cheerfully bragging on how they were about to feast on you.

Despite you presented a good fight, they were too many. Their hands roaming you with desperation and trying to tear your clothes off in the process.

" STOP, YOU FOOLS! " The strong voice of the King of Ithaca interrupted the horrible scene. " YOUR KING HAS SENT YOU TO DO HIS VENGEANCE FOR HIM BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT WHOEVER TOUCHES HER WILL BE A DEAD MAN! "

A few of them reacted, but two were still holding you and Odysseus spoke directly to them.

" Do you even know who this woman is? " He warned them. " She is the Princess of Troy! Do you want to be the next ones Hector will slaughter ? LOOK AT WHAT HE DID TO US TODAY JUST TO SAVE HIS COWARD BROTHER! He killed Menelaus, he broke the pact ... Imagine what he would do to you for raping his sister. "

They tossed you to the ground, sudden fear making them act as if they would have just heard a deathly curse had spread among them.

When Odysseus picked you up, you had no more tears left to cry. Or at least you believed so, untill you clinged to him as if your life depended on it.

He took you to his small tent in the little corner of the greek camp he ruled. His own men seemed weirded by the sudden arrival, but followed his orders of not disturbing you.

Your spirits were even more broken than your body, and the safety you temporally found in him made it hard for you to separate. He understood it, and craddled you by the fire while silently hearing your sobbing.

" He is a monster. " You were saying between your crying. " He did this to me in honor of his brother. "

He guessed it, and he cursed himself for not thinking ahead of him.

" Honor? There is no honor in any of this." He commented in a comforting tone, caressing the top of your head. " Don't worry, beautifull. You are safe now."

He inmediately regretted to have adressed you in a way that could be very uncomfortable after what you have gone through, despite he didn't mean it in the same way of your attackers.

" I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have ... "

You raised your face so your eyes would find his for the first time since the arrival.

" It's allright, I know. " You calmed him, tears still flowing. " Crazy, isn't it? When you say it I don't feel the danger. "

Softer by the blow, burning slowly, but the fire in your eyes was still there.

" How does it make you feel? "

Despite the pain, you still had a shy smile for him.

" Good, but strange ... I never felt like that before. "

As if you attempted to thank him with the only thing you judged a man would want from you in that hole of doom, you gave him a rushed peck on the lips.

" Thank you for saving me, you are a man of honor. "

Even hurt as you were, he found you beautiful to the point of cruelty. The brush of your soft lips made him tremble, but he replied with a chaste kiss on the top of your forehead.

" No need for rewards, princess. I did what i had to do. "

Noticing that you were finaly calm, he stood up and peeked out of the tent to command orders from its entrance.

" Eurylochus! Get this woman the means for a proper bath, she will wash herself. Send some men to roam the camp and find her decent clothes. She is our temporary guest now. If Agamemnon has something to say about that, tell him I would rather expose us to an argument with him than face the rage of Hector ... Understood? "

By the time his attention was back at you, he discovered you already self tending your wounds with water from a basin and the nearest cloth you found.

" Resourceful girl ... Mind if I help you out? "

#troy 2004 #troy #odysseus #sean bean #odysseus x reader #sean bean x reader

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gaystayzennie · 7 months

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I Did Everything I Was Supposed To Do (pt.1)

Haechan x male reader

Summary: Finals week turns out to be the final breaking point for y/n, but luckily Haechan is around right when you need him

Warnings: fluff, some angst: homophobia, allusions to panic disorder, stress

“Fuck. I can’t believe I forgot about the final on Monday. Fuck fuck fuck” Y/n cursed under his breath as he walked as fast as he could toward the entrance to his boyfriend’s place. Y/n had a million things to do the next few days already, and now he had a final to cram for on top of it all. “One thing at a time” he told himself knowing it’s what Hyuck would tell him if they were together right now. He didn’t really listen to this advice of course… especially coming from his own mouth instead of his cute adorable boyfriend.Oh God. I wish he was here so bad. But Haechan was still at the dance studio and would be for the next several hours. That’s why y/n was even entering Haechan’s apartment right now in the first place; Daegal needed to be taken out while Haechan was gone.

He HAD to have his stupid extra long dance rehearsal today of course. On the day where he already had to finish a ton of assignments and now cram for a test. Y/n quickly threw his backpack on the ground and sprinted over to daegal scooping her up before she even knew what was happening. While he waited for Daegal to do her business and walk around a little, y/n got back to planning his study schedule in his head. If I start by studying for the exam… I can trade every 45 minutes from cramming to working on the lab report for my other class. Fuck! That depends on whether the others ever filled in their data. Ok so I’ll save that for the end and work on the PowerPoint instead even though it’s due the longest from now. As long as I cut myself off at around 1:00 am, that should be enough sleep to take the exam at 9:30 the next day. It was going to be a rough night, but y/n decided he’d just have to work away and hope for the best.

Y/N went back inside and scooped his backpack up again to go work in Hyuck’s bedroom. He found the smell of his boyfriend clinging to the room to be extremely comforting and he hoped it would help him stay calm and focused on his work. He opened up his laptop to the lecture notes for the exam and began skimming them for any confusing topics that jumped out at him. What the? I only know like 2 of these concepts?? I’m screwed. Y/N new from plenty of old tests that it would only make things worse if he worried about it now, and feeling himself start to panic, he decided to work on the PowerPoint instead. He figured he should just finish all his other assignments so that he could then spend the entire rest of the night studying.

An hour into working on the PowerPoint y/n’s phone buzzed. He opened it to find a message from one of his lab partners that read “hey y/n I’m really sorry but I’m actually boarding a plane right now so I’m not gonna be able to finish my part of the lab. Maybe you can ask [partner name 2] for her data? I think she got mine down too.”

Y/n: “I’ll ask her.”

Partner 1: “KK.”

“Gotta go, sorry again!”

Partner 2: “Shit. I don’t have her values either y/n. I’m pretty sure that part of the lab was online though, so one of us can just do the lab at home right now.”

“Oh wait actually, I have to take both of my finals on Monday. It’s due Tuesday right? So I won’t have time to do her part. Y/n any chance you can do it?”

Y/n: “ I only have one midterm tomorrow… I guess I can do it if no one else can.”

Partner 2: “Ur the best bro! Tysm <3”

Y/n: …

Fuck me. How am I supposed to do [p/n 1]’s work for them on top of everything else? Y/n barely had enough time to do all his work as it was. And he had done all of HIS work on the lab already too. He thought he’d just quickly analyze his partner’s data and then turn it in… but no. This is totally unfair. I have more work than either of them, and I’m doing their work for them too on top of it all. Y/n’s eyes grew misty for a second threatening to turn into tears, but y/n shook his head hard and the urge to cry went away for now. He had to get back to— wait no. He needed to cook dinner. With no Hyuck home to cook dinner like usual, he was going to starve if he didn’t make something for himself. Standing up quickly y/n smacked his arm on Hyuck’s dresser skinning it in the process. Great. Now he was bleeding. And it had gotten on his white shirt too. Except it wasn’t his shirt, it was his boyfriend’s shirt that he had borrowed. Y/n was this close to screaming in frustration, but stripped off the shirt quickly and made his way to the bathroom to clean the spot before it stained. And of course, he needed to throw it in the washer if he really didn’t want it to stain, and that meant he should really just do all of Haechan’s laundry now. So heart now racing in a slight panic, y/n gathered the laundry and started the cycle as quickly as possible so that he could start on dinner.

Opting for the most time efficient option, y/n grabbed some pasta and left it to boil while he got back to work for a few minutes. There sure was a lot on his mind now between the pasta he was cooking, Daegal (who he suddenly remembered needed to be fed as well), the lab report, the final exam in a day, Haechan’s laundry that still needed to be dried, folded, and put away, and the millions of other things he needed to get done before going home to his family at the end of the week. And the trip home would be another ordeal that required a lot of planning and prep work. Y/n had a lot of problems at home due to his conservative family and their recent discovery that he was dating Haechan. But that’s silly. I shouldn’t worry about that right now. And it’s not like it’s anything new knowing they all disapprove of my “lifestyle choice”. That’s old news, and I need to focus on this. Y/n went back to his multitasking and eventually got Daegal fed, the laundry in the dryer, and got a good portion of the lab done.

At 10:30 y/n finally felt satisfied with the PowerPoint and had finished collecting most of the data his partner was supposed to do. So he went to wash all the dishes he had left out at dinner and put away the leftovers as a quick study break. He smiled at the pasta he’d saved for Haechan knowing it would make his boyfriend’s day to find food ready for him after a long night of dance practice. When he walked back into Hyuck’s bedroom to finish the lab, he noticed several notifications on his phone again.

Mom: Hey you’re coming home on Wednesday right? You’ll be done with finals week by then?

Dad: Hey y/n you better have a gift ready for your mother when you come home on Tuesday. She’s still pretty upset about Haechan, so you should really try to make her feel better.

Bro: Dude mom and dad are pissed cuz dad thought you were coming home Tuesday after your final, and then mom told him you said Wednesday. So he flipped and said you were probably staying longer to fuck Haechan or something

Y/N: I told them both Wednesday. I AM spending Tuesday night at Hyuck’s place. But I just wanted a night to relax before immediately coming home

Don’t tell them that… just say I’m busy or something

Bro: sorry bro, that’s not gonna work. You better come home Tuesday or they’re gonna make the trip absolute hell for you

Y/N: fuck ok fine, I’ll make it work

Y/n was getting more and more stressed by the second. And now he wouldn’t even get any sort of buffer between finals week and seeing his family. And fuck he had that feeling in his head- that feeling of anxiety setting in- making him slightly dizzy and his chest tight. Fuck. Fuck. I’m gonna have a panic attack. I know it’s coming. Should I call Hyuck? He should be on his way home by now anyway right? Ok fuck. Yeah he should call his boyfriend. Maybe he could talk him through it. He prayed he was right and Hyuck would actually answer his phone, and to his relief, Hyuck answered right away.

“y/n! I’m on my way home and practice went pretty well! I think the show is going to be really good this quarter. Have you made dinner yet? And how’s the studying going?” He was so excited to hear his y/n ie’s voice on the phone. “Hyuck.” Y/n felt the lump in his throat form and wasn’t able to get out the rest of your words as he broke into tears. “Y/n? What’s wrong love? Are you ok?” No words came out of y/n as he began to hyperventilate. Haechan could hear y/n’s shallow breathing and put together that he must be having a panic attack. He assured y/n he’d be there in the next ten minutes and stayed on the phone with him until he rushed through the door exactly ten minutes later, Immediately making his way over to y/n huddled in the corner of his bed crying and hyperventilating. From past experience he knew y:n liked him to stay close until he was able to calm down and talk.

Haechan slowly climbed into the bed, sliding his body between your back and the bed frame, wrapping his arms around you in a comforting bear hug. “I’ve got you y/n. I’ve got you, and I’m not going anywhere.” Y/n began shaking in Haechan’s arms unable to fully process what was happening with his mind completely taken over by panic at this point. Haechan rested his chin on y/n’s soft hair and hummed a song. Y/n did his best to focus on the light vibrations on his head from Haechan’s tune. “I’ll just talk about my day a little too ok y/n? Squeeze my hand if you’d like that.” Y/n’s eyes remained squeezed tight, and his body was still trembling, but he gives Haechan’s hand a light squeeze back. “Ok love. Let’s see… I saw Jungwoo today! I know he’s your favorite dance major right? He was really cool to watch, you were right! He might even be more charismatic than me” he teased. Y/n didn’t laugh out loud or acknowledge him, but he appreciated Hyuck trying to lighten the mood. “I spent most of the night working on my duet with Mark though. They have us doing this really acrobatic hiphop song and it’s a lot of work. I’ve memorized all the footwork though. It was kind of funny watching Mark struggle with it more than me for once honestly. Next time you should tag along and watch. When it’s not finals week of course!” He adds, giving a small pec to your forehead.

“Is that why you’re stressed by the way? Finals?” He doesn’t really expect y/n to give any responses yet. But much to his surprise you shake your head in response. “No. More.” Y/n says quietly, starting to breath a little more evenly. “What else baby? What’s stressing you out.”

“Everything!” Y/n exclaims. “So much. TOO much” y/n squeaks out bursting into more tears. Haechan gently shushes you and squeezes his arms tighter around your body and begins planting little kisses all over your head to comfort you. “It’s ok y/n. It’s ok.” Hyuck can feel y/n’s body body relax a tiny bit despite his sobs. Y/n spins around melting into Haechan and burying his face in his chest

To be continued…

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bilbao-song · 3 months

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ulterior motives: an unnecessarily elaborate guide & review

okay literally no one asked for this but here is my full synopsis of the ulterior motives album. i wish more secret time capsule-ish albums from past decades would be released so i can start doing this type of thing more often

🐬 disclaimer: i think only like two? three? people who follow me are (currently.....) interested in this as far as i'm aware. therefore it's going to be sooooo self indulgent and tbh partially just for my own satisfaction <3 but hopefully someone will find it useful/enjoyable/etc.!! also it's super long but like...idk it's a Review. also if ur interested but otherwise have no clue what this is about, i'm putting some useful links at the veeeery bottom :-)

🐠 relevant introductory notes: im not rlly a lostwave person actually. like as a concept i think it's very cool, but this is litcherally the only one i've come across that appeals to me thus far. i was somehow exposed to it like a year ago and went bananas bc i enjoy funky little 80s songs and i desperately wanted that song in particular. i think some people have kind of dismissed this as like, a ~tiktok thing~ and well <3 i don't care. tiktok didnt exist in the 80s but this music sure did. anyway i would urge you to ignore that entirely at this point and just enjoy the funky 80s bops no matter how they got here (actually that's like part of why i'm even making this post. consider this like...a guide. forget tiktok exists and learn to love this album full of 80s music w me)

🐬 preliminary assessment of vibes: half cute 80s synthpop and half things that make me want to pretend to be really elegant on a cruise ship somewhere between like 1987-1992, a period of time in which i was not alive but enjoy pretending i have some kind of experience with anyway. sometimes it kind of feels like music that someone would put over an old video of people walking around a mall, which is probably really appealing to a lot of people tbh. that seems to be a well-liked vibe recently. *not* an album to listen to if ur looking for something deep/poetically meaningful/super serious, 10000000% an album to listen to if u want something catchy/fun/zesty/poppy/very 80s!! it is very muchly unpretentious music for a good time

also may i just say that throughout this album there are like, random elements that remind me of like 68769376386896 different other artists who are varying degrees of wildly unrelated to this album. i mean like, there are brief moments that give me michael jackson vibes (tangentially related!), and every once in awhile something reminds me of frankie valli (??????????). that's only the tip of the iceberg tbh but if i made an exhaustive list i feel like it would just look like me listing off every third thing i have ever heard of. also a lot of people have made comparisons to wham! and i can definitely see why, soooo if that’s your type of thing!! ur in luck

anyway:

🐠 a track by track analysis & review:

to preface this: if ur skeptical...the sweet spot for me is like, tracks 8-11, and if you like those, try 4 as well. i like the album start to finish tbh, but if you just want a little sampling for now, i suggest starting with those. beyond that, upon putting this together i have noticed that you can kind of break this album into categories vibe-wise. tracks 1-4 seem like they wanted to be long lost singles, 5-7 = Vibing Music. smooth and pleasant sounds to have on in the background. not the sort of thing you’d probably sing along to but the vibes are immaculate. a calm moment before things get zesty again, 8-11 = back to back hits. cream of the crop. exquisite cuisine. all pretty upbeat and poppy and i genuinely cannot imagine not enjoying this at least a little. 12-13 = very nice closing tracks to put a neat bow on it <3

pink titles = my top recommendations (i'm trying to be selective here)

here is the full album on youtube and here it is on spotify. individual youtube links next to each song title :-)

#1 - chemistry - [x] - excellent choice as a first track bc the quality is very Crisp and it kind of encompasses both the whole 80s synthpop vibe and the smooth, kind of classy thing that a lot of these songs have going on. this one is very popular among those of us who have been eagerly waiting for this album to be released and it’s super nice to have a full version available now!! we had like a minute long sample of it there for awhile and i kept listening to a three minute looped version on youtube bc i was desperate. anyway!! there’s a LOT going on here. it flows well, is super catchy, and i really like it. would probably be fun to dance to if ur into that sort of thing

#2 - your guy - [x] - smooth and snazzy!! makes u want to light some candles. spoken portions in songs are always kind of funny to me for some reason but i can lean into the overall vibe and embrace it. very cute. one of my favorite things about it are the moments where the backing vocals are like, drastically deeper than the lead vocals (around 1:42ish). love that

#3 - ulterior motives - [x] - this one needs no introduction i guess lmao. tbh i feel like i still kind of need more time to absorb this version as compared to the old version — being entirely honest, if i pay very close attention, i CAN pinpoint a few little odd things going on with it quality-wise. idk what that's about (definitely doesn’t seem to be a skill issue lmao these guys know their shit) but it also doesn't ruin it for me or anything. i feel like a major part of the issue is just down to being sooo used to hearing one particular version. any difference good or bad is going to stand out. whatever, it’s still a delicious song (and there are pleeeeeenty of different cleaned up versions ripped from the movie to be found on youtube if anyone is just fully unsatisfied w this one)

#4 - man needs love - [x] - THIS is one of the best ones hands down. once again we are monologuing in the middle of a song but imo it works pretty well here. it feels veeeery of the era and i definitely feel like this could've been tremendously popular if not for the whole Never Got Released thing. it is super fun and catchy. if u came for the wham! comparisons this should be ur starting point

#5 - so in love - [x] - the beginning to this one is soooooooooo exquisite to me. my overall take on this one is that it's kind of...well. Vibing Music. like i would never choose or recommend this for karaoke night but it is excellent for having on in the background while you do basically anything else. smooth and snazzy yet again. definitely creates some kind of vibe. also i really like a lot of the vocals on this one

#6 - you turn me on - [x] - when i first saw the title i did not expect to enjoy this one quite so much, BUT it's actually pretty great.......visceral subject matter notwithstanding (that's just rlly not my thing usually but i think i'm the odd one out here so disregard this lmao). very chill vibes; kind of in a similar category to the previous track re: Vibing Music status. lots of interesting sounds and things, very very VERY of the era. importantly, it contains that instrument that i can only ever think of as "lizard noise thing" (apparently that's a vibraslap), and that appeals to me immensely.

#7 - rock me to sleep - [x] - more Vibing Music. initially i wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole whispering thing but i’ve concluded that they pull it off well. it reminds me of something but i really can’t place what it is — some kind of particularly funky and vibey 80s background music type of thing. late 80s/early 90s fashion show music!! for sure

#8 - think i'm gonna cry - [x] - back to the more upbeat vibes. another one of my favorites!! possibly THE favorite for me. seems a little underrated among fans thus far imo so allow me to champion it here. kind of similar vibe-wise to man needs love, so if u liked that one then you'll probably feel positively about this one too. definitely another one that should appeal to anyone for whom the wham! comparison sparks interest. i honestly think this is like...one of the best tracks. if i didn't know any better you could have easily convinced me that this was popular in its era bc the overall quality is there and it reeeeaaaaally has a poppy vibe that feels almost universally appealing. it feels like a fun song for summer. also pretty short in length, so v approachable to anyone feeling impatient <3

#9 - potion of emotion - [x] - another one that i thought i wouldn't be a huge fan of when i saw the title lmao but i was wrong!! i love the deeper vocals here and just ?? well. basically everything about it. not to bust out a technical term but i do just absolutely love the synthiness. there's something kind of satisfying about the lyrics...i mean they're not like, deep elaborate poetry lmao it just sounds neat from like, an auditory perspective. anyway, it’s smooth yet fun. i want to be hearing this on a cruise ship

#10 - one last look - [x] - deliciousss. i feel like this one is almost a sssslightly different flavor of 80s vibe but i have no idea how describe it. maybe ummm idk more pop-rock than just straight pop. feels pretty summer-y. very 80s classic rock-sounding guitar parts (delicious). if i had heard this on the radio at some point i would've wholly accepted it as just like. idk a normal popular 80s song i just never happened upon before (this applies to a Lot of these tbh)

#11 - nothing lasts forever - [x] - another solid favorite for me!!! suuuuuper catchy, has been stuck in my head for like three days!!!!!! i love it!!!!! fun horns!!!!!! idk what else to say but it's fun, upbeat, and ummmmmm. one of the best songs here imo

#12 - language of love - [x] - actually probably my least favorite, but it's still fine. from what i've seen it seems pretty popular though so who knows!! i feel like putting it second to last was a good idea because it does kind of seem like…idk, calming down after four very zesty ones in a row.

#13 - lie school - [x] - if u feel dissatisfied with the new ulterior motives, this is like...the next best thing. very similar vibes both in terms of theme and sound, but not in like, a repetitive way. i actually rlly like that it's the last track bc it kind of feels like sort of a callback to ulterior motives, and i looooooove when albums do that kind of thing. anyway i definitely feel that it’s a little……hmmm. idk the whole school thing is just such a highly specific theme and they really stick with it. but i like it >:-)

🐬 closing thoughts:

i just really really like it tbh. i hope i have converted at least a few people not only bc it's a worthy cause but also bc i spent literal hours spread across two days writing this. shoutout to christopher and philip booth, thank you for this whole entire album and also for inexplicably moving to my town in the midwestern usa despite being from the uk. idk why you did that but i think it's very cool and learning that information after a year of hoping somebody would find ulterior motives made me feel like i was living in some kind of weird dream. also. vinyl release when?? <3

additional links:

rolling stone article that pretty thoroughly explains what this is about

my tag where i've been putting relevant posts thus far

album on youtube

album on spotify

#idk why i just Decided to do this but well. here it is #80s music #music #ulterior motives #who's who #christopher saint booth #everyone knows that #lostwave #new music #80s #eighties #1980s #ekt #queue

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lazymonth · 5 months

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( I have an idea and need to note this concept / AU and for some reason OTHER PEOPLE need to know it with me! )↷

✰ King candy / Turbo if he got adapt into the popular Disney Villains media ✰🍭🏎️

In this case I have two ideas and probably the only two popular Disney Villains media I know. Twisted wonderland, Descendants <-

( Also sorry for my English.. and some swear words )

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

;; I have completely retired from this fandom since 2022 and promise myself I'll never go back to it. It's all because I lost my game account in my present phone and all my progress in the game ( more than 5 SSR cards specially Idia dorm uniform and I already in Chapter 6 ) even though I still have the game and the same account in my old phone but I'm too afraid to open it.... Well, it has been a year now since I lost it and my feelings for this game are better now. But I still retired from this fandom

Ok, back to the concept. Twisted Wonderland mostly focuses on classic types of Villains but I wanna know what it would be like if one day Disney feels a little bit funny and put the modern villains in and adapt his story into this game

Just like in WIR He starts at being Turbo does something very bad and gets kicked out but comes back as King candy. So here's the idea

☆ The character lore ;

Terlos " Kingan " Candás ( Definitely quick makeup name ) or Terlos Candás was a student of Night Raven College and belonged in the Ignihyde dorm. He's a low percent of Ignihyde students who are kinda active people but Terlos not much of a good guy doing to his power-hungry personality.

Just like most Ignihyde dorm students. He has intelligence on Technology specific hacking and gaming but the thing that makes him different from other is he's a Magical Shift player too that's literally only him and his Twins friends who's playing it in this dorm

But during one of the Magical Shift Tournaments something happens. Night Raven Battle with another school and Terlos being the spotlight. Sadly the longer the game goes player from another school start to make a score more than Night Raven and steal Terlos's thunder

He's so jealous, jealous enough to attack that player with fury. The damage is more than enough to make the Tournaments stop immediately. That poor player gets sent to the hospital, sadly the damage from the magic put him in coma

from what happened Terlos got banned for playing Magical Shift forever but not only that Terlos got fired from Night Raven...

.... but he's not giving up yet. A year later Terlos disguised himself making a new identity name Kingan Candás or KC for short and this time he's getting into another school instead of Night Raven he goes to Royal Sword Academy being the fake royal among them. KC knows that RSA is a competitor with NRC so it's a chance for him to get revenge on his old school

☆ In game story ;

The storyline runs pretty similar to Chapter 5 about NRC vs RSA kinda thing but this time the difference is it's Magical Shift Tournaments between these two schools and the one who cheats and Overblot.. is Kingan himself

While the tournaments are running Yuu and other characters found some suspicions on KC during the event. And at the end they found out about his true identity of him being a wolf in sheep's clothing. After that KC snapped so hard he got Overblot and it's Yuu and other characters to deal with it before the tournaments start

.... After that the headmage of both schools know they think about how to deal with KC this time. Luckily he doesn't get fired from Royal Sword but gets banned from playing Magical Shift ( again ) Being kept a special eye on by all teachers and staff in RSA to make sure he won't do anything wrong again

☆ Unique magic concept ;

" Cheat code! " This Unique magic has the ability to make Terlos see through every movement of what's going on like reading his own hands. Know what other people are going to do next, know their weakness or see them even if they're hiding behind stuff. It's like using a cheat code in video games to win

;; After listening to What's my name, Rotten to the core and It's goin' down so many times I start to have an idea. I know it sounds so crazy and literally almost impossible for King candy / Turbo because he's a game characters. But hey, if we high enough anything can be possible

Similar to Twisted Wonderland that focuses on classic types of Villains but Descendants Mosley focuses on their children instead. At this point I’ll throw a lot of " logic " things out of the window and trying my best to use my imagination to make things make sense as possible

☆ How KC got to Isle of the Lost ;

Just like other villains that they get brought back to life to be imprisoned in the Isle of the Lost. In this case is quite special than the other

After King candy-bug survive from the beacon he’s hiding for a while in Sugar Rush until he change the hiding spot to other arcade. Somehow can avoid Surge Protector and other game characters by going in time that Litwak's Arcade still open and no characters out of their game

KCB has hiding in another game for a while but that game get unplugging because of the unpopular. He thought he’s died already until… his eyes open again and found out the arcade gets transported into new places. It’s not normal an Arcade Central but it’s some places that’s dark but full of colorful lights. Dr. Facilier’s Voodoo Arcade

The arcade plug straight to the wall, limited him from leaving the game but in the same time KCB doesn’t hiding himself anymore that makes the characters in the game scared and hiding from him instead because there’s no one who can help them now. Well, that’s mean he’s kinda succeed on take over the game this time

Even the game probably doesn't work like what Dr. Facilier think but this little weird thing makes him interested and designed to still keep the arcade like this

☆ Royal child...? ;

Descendants of course focus on the villain's child so like.. what if KC has a kid? It might sound crazy and impossible but hear me out. Your question might be " who's the mom " but what if.. KCB doesn't need her?

" They don't know they're in a game. All they know is eat, kill, multiply "

This dialog from the movie gave me an idea about " multiply ". KCB of course still has a cybug code and I'm pretty sure the cybug doesn't give a F about gender so... Yah, you know what I mean gonna skip that egg laying part

Maybe there's a lucky one that hatches and being a Cybug Hybrid with flexible code makes them can transform between humans and The hybrid

Oh boi, it's getting more unreal and fictional every minute

☆ Get out of the Arcade ;

Now here's the " it's magic britch. I ain't gonna explain shit " parth

KC's child ( that I don't think about the name or gender yet ) because they also have a cybug code making them grow up fast and becoming a teenager in just a few weeks. So many days pass one of Dr. Facilier's daughter Celia finally found out about the truth why their arcade game acts weirdly. It's because the characters have their own subconscious and awareness

She tells her dad about this and bolt of them gets really excited about this information. Dr. Facilier and Celia designed to communicate with KC and his child tell them that they know about the character's awareness and don't need to hide anymore with promise they won't unplugged the game

After that both sides of them have become a friend specialty Celia and KC's child. One day Ceila designed to bring her digital friend to the real world. There's nothing magic can't do so she's looking for the magic that might take her friend out of the game

And guess what? She found the spell that can take something unreal to exist ( it's hard to explain and I have no idea what I am talking about ). As soon she cast the spell to KC's child the magic pulls their body out of the arcade. The effects of the magic giving KC's child and new body to fit in the real world while they still can transform to hybrid-cybug form ( similar to Mal turn into dragon and Uma turn into octopus mermaid )

☆ Auradon Prep ;

Celia recommended KC's child to come to Auradon Prep with her so they could study together in the same school. KC's child who already wants to go explore the outside world answering it and moving to Auradon Prep

Even that KC's child hiding their identity of the original being video games character and telling other people that they're just another person from Isle of the Lost

But sometimes they go back to the isle to meet their dad and update about the outside world

•─────────•♛•─────────•

♛ Bonus part ! ;;

In this part I'll explain about some of the references I put in and something that you guys might have a question with ;

【 Twisted Wonderland section 】↷

> Why did I put Turbo in Ignihyde?

: Turbo or King candy might sound more fit in other dorms like Heartslabyul doing to the red color ( and the fact KC have a reference design from Mad Hatter ) or even Pomefiore doing the purple color and royalty feeling. But the reason why I'm putting him in this dorm instead is because of his skill that is related to technology like video games and hacking and both of these seem like a skill that is especially on Ignihyde dorm. ( Also it's my favorite dorm too )

> The Turbo twins in this concept

: Turbo twins have a similar role like Jade and Floyd in the main game. They're both sticking around T. being a good partner but deep down they both kinda dislike T. a bit just like other people. And of course they're also in Ignihyde. This time it's kinda fit because the dorm main color is blue

> Unique magic reference

: " Cheat code! " It's a reference to konami code King candy used to entering The code space

【 Descendants section 】↷

> Why I don’t bring King candy to the real world too?

: Simple. It’s feel curse and I feel like it’s more good for KC if he still stays inside game ( Live action KCB it’s feel.. wrong to thinking )

> The timeline

: Timeline of this concept it’s between Descendants 3 to Descendants: The Rise of Red for making it kinda present as possible

¸ .　　★　° :.　 . • ° 　 .　 *　:.　☆

For who to reading it to this part I want to thank you for watching me writing about all this Concept, What if, AU kinda thing sm. It’s taking me a few days it finished it and don’t think it’ll be this long, LOL

Anyway I might drawing about both of this concept in future… If I won’t forget it first

#disney #wreck it ralph #twisted wonderland #disney descendants #descendants #king candy #turbo wreck it ralph #turbo tastic #concept #concept idea #au #?#long writing

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fernsnailz · 7 months

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February 2024 Review Roundup

well i sure did watch some stuff and read one book this month

the things i finished this month reminded me that for every incredible piece of art i find myself enjoying, i end up watching some Hot Garbage immediately after to balance things out again. idk why i do this.

i have quite a bit to say about both the things i enjoyed and the things that brought me physical pain this month, so there is um. a lot under the cut. any previous desire for brevity i had in january has been completely thrown out the window as i use these roundups as an outlet to gush about things i like and complain about things i didn't. fair warning, if you open the readmore you will be scrolling for a while. enjoy i guess

House of Leaves

does any other book out there have the balls to write a completely fake interview with stephen king

House of Leaves is a novel you gotta throw around a little bit. It feels really weird that my copy is still in the pristine state I bought it in - It seems like it should have water damage and smell like mildew with its pages falling out and spine cracked into pieces. Getting the full story from this book requires flipping back and forth, turning it around, searching for answers. All things considered it’s not that difficult of a read, but its format still allows you to feel like you’re discovering every hidden piece for yourself, and I really liked that interactivity. I was engaged pretty much the whole way through.

I don’t really think I’ll be able to revisit this book anytime soon though. It’s difficult for me to format what else I’d like to say about it because to be honest, it caught me off guard and disturbed me on a fairly personal level. There’s a relief I feel when I remember that I don’t actually know what was going on with the house - maybe that was intentional on the book’s behalf, maybe I just didn’t look hard enough for answers. I don’t know. But the implication that something divine was down there was enough of an answer for me. The book's good. read it if you want a spooooooky time or if you never want to look at a hallway the same way again

Doctor Who (Series 1-4) (rewatch)

ok so this is a fuckload of doctor who to cover so i’m gonna give some thoughts on a few of the characters and my favorite + least favorite episodes

9th doctor: My favorite butch lesbian. Christopher Eccleston truly embodies the concept of The Doctor so, so well: otherworldly guy who knows too much, genuinely cares about life across the universe, and also has a bit of deep, unresolved rage. His moments of joy and careless fun stick with me the most, he absolutely radiates with life and brings so much to this character.

Rose: I first watched Doctor Who when I was in middle school, and I didn’t like Rose that much back then. And guys. I have bad news. I'm still not really much of a Rose fan

I definitely understood her more this watch through - that desire for adventure and some sort of control over her life, emotions so strong that she’s willing to throw near everything away. That’s just what being 19 is like sometimes. I think Rose is a very compelling character who just happens to frustrate me a bit. And that’s kinda the point, her co-dependent relationship with the Doctor is doomed to fail and it's meant to hurt. Ultimately, I think when I first watched the show I was too young to understand Rose, and now I’m just too old to relate to her.

Captain Jack: Jack is my favorite character. I fucking love this guy. Dude has the worst luck in the whole universe and still cannot be stopped. Legendary. Every episode with him is a goddamn delight because he has so much chemistry with every single cast member. No notes 10/10 i love my problematic bisexual king

10th doctor: About four episodes into David Tennant’s run I realized that he dresses like a Hazbin Hotel character and it made me very sad. Still, there’s a reason this guy inspired every middle schooler to buy a pair of converse in 2008. He has style, he has depth, he’s got the sauce. It’s genuinely terrifying to see his anger, I like that a lot of 10’s run is about his denial of godhood and power over life in the universe, something that the rest of the time lords desired. idk i like my sad pathetic little weasel but he's also a huge fucking asshole sometimes which sucks. especially when it's directed at Martha.

Martha: Martha I am so sorry for what this show put you through. Martha was my favorite companion when I first watched the show, and I still have a huge soft spot for her. Her ability to hold her own and navigate foreign worlds using her own intelligence absolutely rules, and her drive forward is unbreakable. But the show seems to put her down at every possible opportunity, most notably with how 10 treats her. Her struggles and wants are constantly ignored, and she's often treated as a rebound from Rose. And I like that she eventually chooses to end it by not traveling with 10 anymore, but it hurts because it feels like she was never given the same chance or care that Rose and Donna were. This era of Doctor Who really doesn’t treat its black companions well because Mickey goes through something similar - both Martha and Mickey are characters designed to be ignored or left behind, and it sucks.

Donna: Donna Noble is one of the greatest fictional characters to ever exist. Despite seemingly living a fairly average life and working a fairly average job, Donna reflects the idea that no one is truly "average" and every single person is brimming with personality, life, and love. I love that her relationship with 10 is purely platonic, personally their friendship feels like it has a lot more depth than either of the romance-oriented relationships 10 had with Rose and Martha. 10 and Donna bounce off of each other so well and it's delightful, Donna brings so much humor and life to every world she's taken to and it's incredible. I wish her and Captain Jack could have interacted more.

My favorite episode: The Runaway Bride is hard to not choose as my favorite. I have a blast every time I watch this episode and it’s such a good introduction for Donna. Also the Tardis car chase kills me, I love when it cuts to the kids in the back of another car clapping and cheering. I was also surprised by the episode Midnight - it’s dreadful to watch and I kinda loved it. So much spirals out of control when shit hits the fan, even though no one has any idea what they’re trying to fight against. Really interesting exploration as to how fear can drive people apart.

My least favorite episode: It’s Love & Monsters. I wish I liked this episode - stories that follow regular ass people living in this world are often some of the best episodes in the series (Weeping Angels and all that). And this episode definitely has some of that. It’s honestly really touching to see this group of nerds get together and enjoy life in the first part of the episode. I think the antagonist of “guy who absorbs people” ends up dragging down any charm this story had because he just. eats all of the interesting characters. But despite me disliking this episode, I honestly have a deep respect for it - it’s fucking crazy. It ends with the main guy telling us about his sex life with his girlfriend who is now stuck in a piece of concrete. Where else are you going to get a story like this. It fucking sucks and that’s hilarious

oh also the production design: GODDDDDD I FUCKING LOVE THE PRODUCTION DESIGN AND SETS ON THIS SHOW. I love how dirty and rundown a lot of the spaceship sets look with wires and lights scattered everywhere. And a number of alien designs also go CRAZY with the prosthetics - I keep thinking about the Hath from The Doctor’s Daughter and how every head prosthetic had liquid inside it that could bubble. Absolutely crazy. I also love the moments where you can clearly see they did not have that much time and just had to throw something together or pain a bald cap green. Jank is the nature of sci-fi production design and I dearly love and miss that Doctor Who jank.

Rebuild of Evangelion

Last year after finishing the original Evangelion series + End of Evangelion, I remember going through the Evangelion tumblr tag and being very confused by the number of slice of life/found family-esque fanworks of the cast. It left me puzzled and thinking “...did we even watch the same thing??”

APPARENTLY NOT

[spoiler warning here because these movies are very good and i give the best parts away. if you want to watch these movies then DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!]

I honestly never expected a world where these characters got a happy ending. I so, so badly wish I could see 3.0 and 3.0+1.0 in theaters - these movies are stunning. I know I say things “go crazy” a lot, but man. They go fucking CRAZY.

While I have a few issues with how the first two movies adapted the original show, I do think the changes they made better serve the story this rebuild is trying to tell. For example, my favorite episode in the original Eva series is episode 18, where Toji is chosen to pilot Unit 03. It’s absolutely terrifying because Shinji doesn’t know who 03’s pilot is, yet he’s forced to be inside Unit 01 as it tears 03 apart. His resolve not to kill anyone despite not even knowing who’s in danger is an aspect of that episode I love and speaks to Shinji's inherent humanity, and when he learns Toji was in there it hurts even more. The rebuild movies change Unit 03’s pilot to Auska, and Shinji knows she’s in there from the start. I think this choice works for the movies and is still an effective emotional beat, but personally I still prefer the version where Shinji had no idea who was in there. That lack of knowledge is infinitely more terrifying to me.

I really like what these movies did with some of the angel designs though. The sixth angel (the fuckin. blue diamond cube thing) works really well in 3D/CG animation. The way the thing warps and moves is otherly and terrifying - and it’s just a fucking cube. I’ve always really loved how the Eva series approaches angel designs and the divine - despite the alien-like designs, there’s often something extremely familiar about them. They’re often reminiscent of an animal, a machine, or a human. This is also how they approached the anti-universe in these movies, I loved how it takes the form of various locations from the series and turns them into a movie set. It’s deeply familiar, but ultimately just an illusion of familiarity like the angels and the divine.

Also I gotta say. I fucking love Mari. I think she’s hilarious. She first meets Shinji by accidentally parachuting into him and then immediately starts crawling on all fours to sniff him. This girl also introduces “Beast Mode” where the Eva pilots can go wild turn their mechs into a fucking. superpowered beast of some sort. And also she defeats a whole army by using the Eiffel Tower as a spear. She’s such an absurd character and I honestly kinda love it. The only thing I knew about these movies before watching them was this gif of her Backing That Shit Up and she truly lives up to the insane nature of this shot.

My favorite section of these movies is definitely the first part of 3.0+1.0 where the pilots are basically just living a domestic life in a small town - it’s truly beautiful. The growth that Rei’s copy goes through here is fantastic, I love stories about seemingly emotionless beings learning how to live. And right after she dies, we get the shot that absolutely broke me the first time I saw it:

This shit. The way you can just barely tell he’s been crying from the red around his eyes. They don't talk about it, they barely linger on it, but it's allowed just enough time to punch you in the gut. I don’t know why this shot got me as hard as it did but goddamn. jesus christ. i want to throw up

There’s some goofy shit in these movies. The infinite synch rate. Misato’s stupidass hat and sunglasses. Some goofy ass 3D animation that doesn’t age super well. The rainbow that shows up every time an angel dies. But these things really didn’t take me out of the core of these films, and there’s so much genuine emotion and beauty in this series that had me absolutely hooked - especially in the last two films. They go crazy. My favorite line is 100% “The only thing a son can do for his father is pat him on the shoulder… or kill him.” and man. ain’t that what Evangelion is all about. i love these movies

High School Musical 3

kinda slaps just a little bit

High School Musical 3 starts with a finale number. The last high school basketball game of Troy Bolton’s life - and it goes kinda hard. The classic pep band brass that’s essential to so many High School Musical numbers returns, and the constant theme of two feuding cheer teams in the background? Genius. This is truly art. I love listening to Now or Never without visuals because in the middle Troy just starts coughing and gagging seemingly out of nowhere

Unfortunately, starting the movie at such a high point means that the rest of the runtime doesn’t quite match up to it. The story lags and meanders quite a bit, but part of me kinda appreciates that - it’s their last semester of high school, which is always a time of confusion and turmoil. However, I do have a pitch for how they could have countered the constant falling action this movie seems to go through:

The Wildcats should have lost their last game at the beginning of the movie.

What if the game is instead the inciting incident that leads Troy and his besties through their tumultuous last semester? Troy is still torn between basketball and theater, but his identity would be even further challenged here - is winning and success all that matters for him, or is it the love of sport and performance that keeps him going? idk whatever this movie came out 16 years ago i can’t be out here writing AUs for it jgnfsgfnjdksg

Some miscellaneous thoughts about this movie that i don’t care about formatting into larger paragraphs:

Ryan and Sharpay’s number (I Want It All) slaps as usual. The part where Ryan shouts “MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!!!!!!!” makes me so happy every time i hear it

The production design and sets go absolutely fucking crazy. I still have no idea how they pulled off the spinning hallway in Scream.

One of the classic staples of HSM is Chad’s shirts. Most of them are fairly silly and like something you would expect to find in the walmart clearance section. However, there’s one shirt he has in this movie that confused the hell out of me. It’s this one:

What the FUCK does Greenster mean. Is it just a combination of Green and Monster?? Why??? What green monster are we talking about here????? Where the fuck did this shirt come from?????????

Avatar The Last Airbender (2024)

There’s really only one word I can think of to describe what this show is like: sauceless. No flavor. No depth. No character. No sauce. This show is honestly so fucking boring and seems to fundamentally misunderstand what the appeal of the original Avatar series is - not necessarily because things are changed or removed from the original, but because nothing of substance is added in return.

Most of the characters are mere echoes of their original counterparts when compared to their source material. Sokka is reduced to a guy who wants to fight good, Katara’s stubborn and confrontational nature is very rarely utilized, and Aang’s mischievous antics and love of fun is sorely missing. One of the major reasons for the dull interpretations seems to be the directing - While I have faith that most of these actors are trying their best (especially since a number of them are kids/young adults), the direction seems to be incredibly lackluster and takes away nearly every cast member’s stage presence or personality. There’s a number of reaction shots of the main trio that just look like this: 😐😐😐 as if they were just told to “look concerned” at the events unfolding before them. And these issues are apparent in the majority of the performances - for example, General Zhao talks like he’s in a board meeting up until the last episode, and it’s an incredibly flat performance. He talks somewhat monotone in the original series as well, but this live-action take on the character often meanders with his dialogue and lacks that sharp, terrifying quality that I think this character needs. Uncle Iroh also feels incredibly stiff in this adaptation, and it’s a goddamn crime that they took away the cunty little outfit and chains he was originally wearing when he gets captured by earthbenders. wait who said that

Credit where credit is due, there’s a few cast members that seem to be giving their best. It’s clear that Aang’s actor enjoys the role and does pretty well despite the lackluster direction and dialogue he’s given. On top of that, I think Zuko’s actor is honestly the best part of the show. His take on Zuko leans much more into teenage tendencies and sarcasm, which, although it can be silly, is a welcome take of the character in my opinion and pretty fun to watch. There’s this one line he has at the beginning of episode 2 where, in an incredibly whiny tone of voice, he goes “He RAN! The ultimate warrior! He’s a Coward :((((“ and the read is so. fucking funny

The case of bad direction isn’t limited to the performances, however. It’s also stunningly apparent in how everything is shot. Despite being in a widescreen format, most shots are incredibly centered - you could crop the entire runtime into a 4:3 frame and you wouldn’t be cutting out much of anything. I’ve seen some speculation that this was an intentional choice to make things more adaptable or readable for TikTok/phone video, but honestly I think that’s a dumb take. I think the issue stems from a lack of creativity and thoughtless composition. Keeping everything staged in the center can make shots feel disjointed, lacking much depth, or completely empty. It’s a boring way to shoot and indicates that the show lacks any unique vision at all.

Overall, this show doesn't really seem to understand what makes Avatar interesting in the first place. It's more interested in spectacle and action than the characters' relationships, emotions, and mistakes. I try not to compare it too much to the original since it's allowed to take liberties with its adaptation, but very few of its changes add much to the end result or give it a unique voice. It's just sauceless and boring.

Some YouTube videos i liked in February:

💥 My House.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod (some supplemental House of Leaves material for ya) 💥 Martha Jones Deserved Better (this video explains how Doctor Who did Martha dirty better than i ever could) 💥 bringing JUSTICE to the worst garfield game 💥 Selling Kids for Clout: The Downfall of Family Channels

And that’s my roundup for February! Thank you for reading, I promise there are no more reviews left to scroll through below this goodbye. Nope, nothing else I watched this month. Bye!

…ok is everyone gone. phew, i’m glad no one noticed i pulled an hbomberguy and hid the largest part of this post under a false ending. Anyway holy shit i need to talk about hazbin hotel

Hazbin Hotel

well i didn’t like it

Hazbin Hotel is a weird, fascinating mess of a show. Every episode left me wondering what creative decisions (or lack thereof) led to the sequence of images I just watched. There’s been a lot of discussion of this show recently and I’m not interested in covering every critique I have, but there’s a few things that I'd like to talk about somewhat in-depth.

Hell is real and it's just Red Chicago

The setting of Hell is kinda boring in this show.

Let me try to put this into perspective. Aside from the hotel, here’s a list of the locations we see in Hell:

A boardroom

A video store

Vox’s evil lair (it has cyber sharks which is kinda cool)

Various streets

Another boardroom

A BDSM club

Carmilla’s house (it’s gray and has. balconies?)

A porn studio

A bar

Another bar

A town square (full of cannibals)

None of these locations really take on any sort of otherworldly form besides some vague demonic imagery scattered throughout (and the cannibals. i guess. whatever). In short, Hazbin Hotel’s setting resembles Chicago more than it does Hell.

I can see a world where that’s intentional. Perhaps making Hell resemble a modern city could be used as a thematic tool or point of relatability? But Hazbin doesn’t really do anything like that - since the characters rarely ever interact with their environments, these locations end up seeming like they lack creativity, like they’re just cardboard sets where characters go to swear. They all start to blend together after a while - every street feels the same, every boardroom fades into the background, and every bar feels like a google image search result for the word “club.” This world feels stunningly empty despite the busy designs and colors. Even though the backgrounds are painted and designed fairly well, nothing of substance is ever really added to them through the story.

However, a few musical numbers take effort to break away from these settings. This felt like a weight off of my shoulders whenever it happened, it was nice to see some interesting setpieces and backgrounds that weren’t red. I liked the bombastic and over-the-top broadway lights in Loser and the glowing alternate world in Charlie and Lucifer’s song. But these moments are few and crowded by the dull locations in Hell - or worse, the Hotel itself.

Despite being the namesake of the show, the actual Hazbin Hotel is… lifeless. Which, yeah, it’s a hotel where dead people go in the afterlife, but it’s missing any sort of personality or history besides “it’s old and falling apart.” I expected the hotel to be full of secrets - like maybe some hidden passages or rooms, or mysterious cabinets full of rotted meats, or old valuables hidden under the rugs by the previous owners. Something for the cast to explore and discover, and as they get closer to each other they also start to understand the hotel more. Alastor seems very intent on keeping the physical hotel standing for some reason, but I never really understood why. There’s nothing there. And that nothingness is fully realized when at the end of the show, they just rebuild the entire hotel to be grand and beautiful - an emotional beat that didn’t hit me at all because I never felt like I knew the hotel in the first place. Despite rebuilding it from the ground up, it will feel just as empty.

3 SHOTS THAT DRIVE ME CRAZY

I was truly baffled at how some of these scenes are timed and put together. Multiple sequences left me feeling nauseous and dazed - the camera moves like it’s being swung on the end of a rope, and there’s so many misplaced or meaningless cuts scattered through these episodes.

There’s a sequence of three shots in the first episode that I want to dissect. I will fully admit that I'm breaching nitpicking territory here, but the shot composition issues in this show are pretty rampant and my analysis here is just a hyper-specific look at a single part of that larger problem. Hopefully you can also use it as a quick storyboarding lesson too idk

First, we see Adam teasing Charlie.

Then, it cuts straight to this shot:

A few things here.

Shot 2 is just closer on the characters, which is not a great idea to cut to after the previous waist-up shot. On top of being a jarring jump cut, there is no purpose for this new shot. All the information we see here (Adam laughs, Charlie fake laughs) could have just been conveyed in the previous shot.

Despite the characters being in the same position as the last shot, the background changes. This straight up just feels like an error. I think the idea is supposed to be that the camera is at a different angle, but the position of the characters does not convey that. It looks like reality changes behind them.

And if that’s not enough, this is the shot we get immediately after those two:

In this shot, the residents of the hotel sit on the couch as Vaggie walks into the shot, framing them between her legs. But there’s something… off.

Vaggie either looks like she’s floating or she’s three stories tall. Quick storyboard lesson as to why:

The main problem with this shot is that the perspective of the background doesn’t match up with where Vaggie is placed. The couch is framed as if the camera were above it, but Vaggie is framed like the camera is floor-level below her. I’ve traced the shot and added a perspective grid to hopefully better illustrate this:

Do you see what I mean? If the camera WAS actually on the floor like Vaggie’s position in the shot suggests, the composition would look more like this:

Notice how much closer the floor grid is to the bottom of the frame and how you can see the underside of the couch.

And to be fair, this is probably what the original storyboard for this shot looked like! Personally I think something went wrong in the compositing stage - this might be a couch background from another shot that was reused here to save time, or whoever approved this shot just let the error slide since the shot is so short (i've been there. sometimes you let the jank slide). Most animated shows will have some poorly framed shots and continuity errors because mistakes are bound to happen, but two egregious ones right next to each other like this is. pretty bad. It's so noticeable from a directing perspective.

Here’s the thing: these three shots happen in the span of like 10 seconds. Most viewers probably wouldn’t notice these issues, and that's fine. But even though these errors are quick, they stack upon each other so fast that even if you can’t pinpoint exactly what’s wrong, something still feels wrong. There’s so many other moments where the show breaks extremely basic shot composition, continuity, and staging rules - for example, the second musical number of the show breaks the 180 rule like four times for no good reason. The whole show feels like a dizzy, nauseating mess because the shots rarely feel like they form anything cohesive.

MY ROOMMATE TOLD ME TO GO TO BED SO HERE ARE SOME FINAL THOUGHTS

Here’s a rundown on some other thoughts that I don’t care to format into larger sections:

The show seems to lack much to say about sin and redemption other than “redemption good.” like sure, but what are they being redeemed from? Is heaven truly the place they deserve to go after being redeemed, even though it’s shown to be unjust? Are there sins that are too great to be redeemed from, or others that shouldn't be considered sins at all? I asked myself a number of questions like this, but never got many answers from Hazbin.

This show has a bad relationship with kink and sex. Both are mostly used as a punchline or a form of control. I didn’t like it. Perhaps the reason Hazbin never really comments on the nature of sin is because it needs you to consider sex and kink sinful or otherly for these jokes to hit.

Some of the animation is crazy good. I will praise any animator that even attempts to make these character designs move. A number of extremely talented people worked on this show, a few of the musical sequences in particular have some incredible movement.

Alastor is a very boring character. It’s wild that most of the side characters in this show only exist to talk about how much they like or hate Alastor, he mostly just stands to the side of some shots or kills random nameless goons. I expected him to have a much larger role in the story, but he just gets his ass kicked in the final episode and then crawls back to the hotel.

Episode 4 is the most cohesive, and i think Angel is the best character in the show. Unfortunately, the fact that Hazbin takes so much effort to show Angel’s misery left me… concerned? None of the other characters get treated as poorly as Angel by the narrative. There’s a few smaller explorations of trauma, but nothing remotely compares to what Angel is put through on-screen. This isn’t to say that I think the whole cast needs to be extremely traumatized and constantly miserable, but rather that I find it concerning that the only character subjected to incredibly graphic abuse and torture (that we see or hear about) is the gay sex worker. Which sucks, because I think the concept of hypersexuality resulted from sexual abuse is an important topic worthy of discussing in adult media. I just think they tried to execute this theme without much critical thought beforehand.

I think the voice cast does a fantastic job for the most part. Keith David is way too good for Husk.

I really liked the one shot where Charlie opens her phone and we see that she has a contact for every individual egg minion.

I was very brave and got through this whole review without talking about my new least favorite character of all time, Vox. here’s what I think of him:

The overall vision and end result of Hazbin Hotel is just mediocre. While I don’t know what led to the messy state this show ended up in, my guess is that it was probably the result of inadequate direction, sloppy writing, and lacking creative support from the studios involved. Because of this, please understand that I have no desire or intention to put down any individual artists that worked on this show - I hope it's clear that most of my criticisms are directed at the larger vision these artists were given to execute and/or the lack of creative support they received while working on this show.

I also don’t really have much desire to participate in any further Hazbin discussion or discourse because it has wasted enough of my time already and I want to be free of this curse. please spare my inbox from hazbin hotel discourse. please. i'm begging.

You want to know what the most fucked up thing about this is though? Despite everything I said about Hazbin, Avatar the Last Airbender 2024 is still the worst show I watched this month. I would take Hazbin over Avatar 2024 literally any day.

well if you got this far. thanks for reading. also sorry you read all that. whelp alright back into my hole i go bye bye

#to get to my hazbin hotel opinions you must first read my pitch on how i would have written high school musical 3 #jesus christ. either i gotta watch less things or learn to shut the hell up next month this is a longass post #review roundup #long post

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xoxoemynn · 3 months

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Had a very shitty cranky day yesterday for reasons I won't bother going into, so today I'm trying to focus on the good things I have in store for July, in no particular order, with emojis because I feel like it:

Have a mini fandom meetup next week! I'm very excited because it's my first time hanging out with a group of OFMD friends. I am also nervous excited because it's going to be the longest drive I've made since my car accident but I'm pretty sure the rules are if I can do this I can do anything, so. 💪

Got a really cute Daphne-shaped air freshener to cheer me on. She smells like orchids. 🥰

I think I finally cracked the code on the next clock boys fic and it's romantic as heck! (And smutty but that goes without saying.) 🕰️

Also have a silly lil AU-gust fic I'm very excited about, finally getting to do some fake dating! 🏡

On that note, not to jinx it, but writing actually feels fun again? I feel like I've turned a corner with my big WIP and I'm once again excited to work on it and share it. (That will not happen in August lol it's going to be a Big Boy and though I am excited, I am also slow.) 📽️

I won the bookbinding prize through the AOC raffle and I'm feeling weirdly emotional about the idea of seeing one of my fics in print! 📔

I've started embracing this bold new concept called "reading fic doesn't need to be an all or nothing game, just read and comment what you can," and this sounds very rudimentary but when I tell you I've read more fic in the past week than I have in the past 3 months combined? Groundbreaking. I'm having fun. 💕

Found artwork for my office and hanging that this weekend. Not to brag but I have the prettiest Zoom background of all my coworkers. 🖼️

I don't have to see my extended family this month. 💃

Been catching up with some old friends I haven't talked to much since my life exploded and their lives also exploded and it feels good. 👯‍♀️

Manifesting a good July. 🕯️

#personal #trying very hard not to dwell on crankiness #and remind myself of all the good #so here we go #(if work makes me cry again today I reserve the right to say all bets are off and crankiness returns)

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blorbologist · 11 months

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OKAY OKAY OKAY

So I wasn't sure if this was just not relevant to Burrow's End, but Bennett being described as having his white winter coat come in has me thinking....

Why is Ava in her winter coat when no one else is?

As someone who has done character design before (and calico is a thing in cats, not stoats, so they are already playing with the realism for distinct and fun looks) I do acknowledge that it's likely just 'oh she's old and grey but she's an animal so it's her Whole Body'. And until this tidbit that's what I was happy to think of it, given that factor of their biology didn't seem to come up despite Burrow's End being set in the fall (I think? Can't find a solid ref atm).

But as Aabria notes, stoats change color during the winter, to better blend with the snow. Like this:

youtube

... and maybe it's not just 'haha she's old'.

There's circumstantial evidence of humans going shock white (I had a teacher growing up who had), which is pretty debated... but, y'know, this is far more feasible a concept to get behind with a species that grows a white coat every year. She just never lost it again.

Maybe she's stuck in time, the most stressful time of her life, and her body thinks it's always winter. Perhaps it was a change, and she went from having coats more like Tula's (Viola seems to take after Kenji) to keeping her white coat no matter the season. Or maybe loss of much of her litter during that harsh winter kept her in that state.

Or maybe, looking at her again, she's albino. She doesn't have the distinct black tip stoats keep over winter (or was her tailtip bitten off? Hard to tell), but the black nose would say otherwise.

I just take animal coloration too seriously and it's fascinating to poke at. Not something I can research in my field, At All, but! Hey!

We'll know more when we see these 20+ year stoats mentioned in the preview, I'm sure.

But! Very curious.

#burrow's end #d20 #burrow's end spoilers #stupendous stoats #ava burrow’s end #Youtube #also Olliver why do you have a mask like a ferret. are you some sort of hybrid? can stoats and domestic ferrets hybridize?

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 1 year

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Do you think Kalim’s unique magic has healing properties or at least promotes growth in plants? In chapter 4 the rain made everyone feel better(though I imagine getting a drink of water after THAT work out would be good either way) and after a few days the oasis grew back. I know after rain fall in a desert plant life grows back, it just seemed like Kalim’s magic made it grow faster.

In the game itself, Kalim's unique magic, Oasis Maker, is described as being able to produce a large amount of water using only a miniscule amount of magic. Additionally, as noted by both Kalim and Grim, the water that he conjures is the most pure and delicious around.

There are no other explicit mentions of additional effects or properties, but I think the idea of Kalim's water having the power to heal is a neat concept. I'm not going to count the act of drinking the water since these homies just marched through a desert so any hydration would feel like a godsend). However, the actual physical properties of the water could be such that it provides more relief over normal water. For example, water that has been enhanced with electrolytes can replace some of the minerals that have been lost via sweating excessively. Grim also comments on the temperature of the water being perfect--not too cold, not too warm.

The example brought up of the oasis becoming lush again is really interesting! I believe that Kalim casts his UM once there (to refresh the students), but the oasis is still dried out the second time Scarabia comes to the oasis. The third and final time they pay the oasis a visit is at the very end of the episode, and the place has suddenly become lush and full of water again. Since the events of episode 4 take place over what is winter break, this means that it took about a week or a little over a week for the oasis to be restored. I actually don't know if this is possible in real life or if that's a realistic recovery time 💦 When I looked it up, Google tells me that it usually takes a few weeks to a month minimum to see change in a dehydrated plant. If we're using that as a point of comparison then yeah, the oasis blessed with Kalim's UM water did indeed experience a speedy restoration to its former glory. This could imply that Oasis Maker water has other benefits that aren't clearly exposited in the narrative or the dialogue.

What I find really cool about this idea is that it seems plausible enough given the lore and the attitudes of the characters surrounding Kalim's magic. Kalim himself doesn't think of it as a big deal; he says that maybe it would have been really useful back in the old days before potable drinking water was readily avaliable in arid areas, but nowadays it's pretty useless with how accessible water is. (Think of Silk City's canals and modern irrigation system!) However, Azul points out to Kalim that he's casually overlooking the true power he has. The game kind of just goes for a joke about Azul's greed (as he laments how profitable Oasis Maker could be), but in a sense, Azul's right. Kalim can do so much more with his abilities, it's just that he doesn't know how to really apply them and he underestimates what he can do.

Let's think of it like this: sure, the Scalding Sands are fine with their water. But you know who isn't? The Afterglow Savanna. The people there are pretty opposed to anything that interferes with their philosophy of living in harmony with nature; some of them live on well water which may not be entirely safe all the time--but with Oasis Maker, Kalim could literally make it rain clean, safe to drink water for all their needs with just a smidgen of magic. Even better, because the water comes down like natural rain would, it doesn't harm nature (and in the case where his water does have healing properties, it would actually promote the growth of plants). In other contexts, Kalim's UM could do immense good. (My thought is that perhaps since Kalim grew up so privileged, he takes some things for granted and therefore doesn't think too much in depth about things outside of his immediate environment or people who are lacking what he already has an abundance of?)

Kalim seems to adopt a somewhat flippant attitude towards his UM; he doesn't hate it or anything, but he definitely talks it down. He doesn't really seem to think it's useful or has large applications outside of reenergizing his friends-and for him, that's enough! Kalim's happiest when others are happy, and they can all sing and dance together, just like the incantation to his UM says. It's possible, then, that he didn't bother experimenting with Oasis Maker to determine its other properties outside of just producing nice water (which would sort of explain why Kalim doesn't see its broader uses, but a big brain like Azul, who is far more results oriented, can).

ADDENDUM: Interesting detail on Dorm Uniform Kalim; with M3 (magic 3) that comes with his third uncap, he has a healing water spell.

#Kalim Al-Asim #Azul Ashengrotto #twst theory #twst theories #twisted wonderland theory #twisted wonderland theories #twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #question #notes from the writing raven #spoilers #Grim

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sophieinwonderland · 4 months

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im a bit nervous to say this cause i really dont involve myself in tulpa discourse other than stating im accepting of tulpas, but its my understanding in life that people can't own actions. yes certain cultures and religions may have their specific way of doing something and make it their own, but that doesn't mean they own that action, they own the way they do the action. (im using own kinda liberally im not trying to imply they have some sort of legal ownership lol) but so with tibetan buddhist tulpamancy (i cant for the life of me remember the word they actually use) they dont own the concept of creating another entity in your mind or "self" but they do own the way they do it and their beliefs attached to it. im trying to relate this to something but i cant think of any analogies that would be as specific as this, and i dont want any anti-tulpas to see my general example and think im comparing to very different things.

Yeah, I think tulpacourse can be pretty difficult to wade through sometimes. Personally, I'm not entirely sure I even agree with the concept of owning your own beliefs. Even in a figurative way. Aside from, maybe, actually totally closed cultures.

I see beliefs as things that are meant to be shared, adapted, or sometimes even torn apart and scavenged for scraps. And sometimes, I do think the way these things happen might be offensive to some people who feel connected to them.

I don't really feel like this applies in the case of tulpamancy at all because I think it's so far divorced from Tibetan Buddhism as to not share any beliefs with it whatsoever.

But this was something I thought about a lot during the whole thing about God being plural. Because there, I'm playing directly with people's very sacred and personal beliefs. And I'm doing so in a way that some people are going to find offensive.

And the thing I decided is that... I don't feel like Christians have ownership over their beliefs. Not in a way that they would get to dictate who can use them or how they're used.

Yes, they can complain if they find something offensive or blasphemous. And some will do that very loudly. But I don't think I should feel obligated to avoid offending people either.

Especially when Christianity is itself based on Judaism. In fact, basically every old religion is a permutation of a permutation of a permutation, dating back thousands of years to religions which would look very differently from anything that's practiced today.

And I also think again on certain practices that some might consider offensive, such as the conversation on Godspouses where some people believe they both can communicate and marry certain deities. I don't see that people from those religions have any sort of right to police the beliefs of others. They can be offended by godspouses if they want. But that doesn't mean the godspouses are somehow in the wrong for their beliefs and experiences nor should they feel obligated to change how they worship and connect to their deities to please others.

...

As a side note, there was another fun note to come out of the tulpa AMA that I wanted to share. Michael Lifshitz is working with a scholar of Tibetan Buddhism to write an article on the practice tulpamancy was based on, going over texts that have never been translated to English!

So that's something pretty cool to look forward to! 😁

#syscourse #tulpa #tulpamancy #religion #pro endogenic #pro endo #pro tulpa #endogenic #plural #plurality #buddhism #system #systems

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spaceorphan18 · 1 month

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Umbrella Academy Thoughts

So. I did end up finishing Season 4 last night.

I need to preface this with -- I actually really do love this show. The first season of it is still one of my favorite TV stories. I love the characters. I love the sibling dynamics. I love superhero element - where the powers feel fresh or interesting spins on old things. Five and Klaus are just everything.

I didn't love love Seasons 2 or 3, but they were solidly good.

But they could have left things be after Season 3. They could have left well enough alone. Because Season 4, man. What???

Okay, onto spoilery things.

I will say, I really love the concepts and ideas the season had. The strange alien goo stuff wiping everything out while enhancing powers? Sure, fine. The train station that went to different time lines -- inspired, loved that. Even the idea behind the ending -- I could get behind if done correctly.

They had six episodes to tell a really compelling story and just... didn't. Most of it was a waste of time, a bunch of it didn't make sense, and some of it was just plain stupid, and it really breaks my heart that a show that was so, so, so brilliant when it started descended into this mess.

One thing I did like was Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally as the two cult leaders. They were fantastically cast, and did a great job even when the scripts descended into nonsense. I wish they had a stronger ending, but great choice in the casting department.

I have to wonder - the first episode is pretty solid, and I actually like the idea of their lives kind of sucking in their happily ever after era, which thematically makes sense when they wrap around to being erased. Another great idea. But I wonder -- did they get the note that it'd be six episodes after they started writing? But there's a definite shift after the first couple episodes that started to feel like both they were trying to cram in too much to the episodes and that there wasn't enough plot to really make an interesting story. The pacing was incredibly weird.

So... let's talk about the rest of the characters, shall we?

Luther -- I honestly loved his characterization in this season. He was great! He also had really nothing to do, and the whole thing at the CIA's office was a waste of time. Why did we need that sequence, especially when it took up an entire episode?

Diego -- I feel like they made him a little too much of a loser? I also kind of missed his banter with the other siblings. He just felt like a shell, which was intentional, but never got any redemption? Which -- like, if you're going to erase the characters, and this goes for everyone, give them some kind of satisfying growth or ending before they're gone.

Allison -- I'm amused that everyone just kinda let it go (honestly, I don't even remember what she did do, I only watched Season 3 once, but I remember it was bad) but I am glad she got to not be the bad guy this season. Finally. She had some nice moments. Again, didn't really do much ultimately.

Klaus -- my god, the biggest waste of time during the whole season. I love where they started him. But why did he get the stupid subplot of him being a medium? Why did we go there? It's like they needed him out of the way, and buried in a box. You can see the -- how do we get there of it all. But none of it was needed. And it's clear they had no actual idea of how to get him into the main plot. Because he does nothing. And it just... breaks my heart because I love his character so much.

Five -- *sigh* Five is my /favorite/ character, and just... what?? The biggest BIGGEST wasted opportunity was not having more shenanigans related to the train station. Could you imagine if he brought everyone and they all had to timeline jump? It would have been so cool! The concept was brilliant and amazing and just... what?? I did love the diner of Fives. That was inspired and a taste of what i really wanted. But instead they waste all that opportunity on a love triangle. And I get that maybe they were going for Five having character growth of thinking about more than himself? Kind of? But then they missed idea of their whole character who spent three seasons trying to save EVERYONE and not himself, I just... I can't with it. I can't.

Ben -- I'm fine with the Ben stuff, mostly. He was the main plot, it worked until the end when it dissolved into stupidity and shit monsters.

Victor -- At least he got to be part of the main plot in a meaningful way. I did like he and Hargreeves teaming up. It was one aspect that did work for me. I've always felt they never gave Elliot Page enough to do, when he's one of the stronger actors, but at least he didn't get the worst things to do.

Lila -- Oh my god. back to the love triangle stuff. I don't mind her, or the fact that she and Diego had a shitty life. It's fine. But the love triangle was so uninspired. So felt like I've seen this kind of thing a hundred times before. It was so terrible that they needed to waste their time on it. Why? What did any of these characters do to deserve it? It's like, the show, every time it diverged from interesting sci-fi concepts and attempted human drama just kind of failed. And it's sad.

Jennifer -- I... still have so many questions. How did the anti-marigold stuff get into her in the first place? Why was she in a squid? Just... what??

Regi and his Wife -- They've always been so vague about them. I wish they had explained just a little bit more. Just have a little more context and I think it would have gone a long way. The characters just didn't ask enough questions of them, and the story felt thin and unrealized as a result.

Okay... The ending...

When you get to the point in your story where you're CGI'ing a giant shit monster, don't you think it's time you're probably done, done? Like if you are doing this creatively? You've run out of ideas and you're just scrapping the bottom of the barrel. It's just... kind of sad. Everything about it is sad.

As for being erased, I don't actually hate the concept, but man do I hate the execution.

There was a way that could have been incredibly narratively satisfying. You erase them, and then go back to the beginning, and the kids get to live and grow up on their own. Then for the last sequence (loved that they brought I think I'm alone now) you have seven strangers pass each other in the park not knowing each other. And that would have been fantastic, you know? A way for the characters to live on and still uphold the ending.

But what we got? It just felt... so muddled? Like -- how is Claire's kid alive when she never existed? Same with Diego and Lila's kids? I don't understand it!! And the cameos were cute -- but why not bring back everyone? I just don't think it makes a whole lot of sense the way it plays out.

The entire season needed a rewrite, better editing, stronger character focus, and it would have been brilliant. Because the ideas are there. The concepts of this season are great. But maybe they ran out of time? Maybe Netflix switched things on them last second? Or maybe the powers that be aren't that great at their jobs?

Idk, idk. I don't blame the actors (or the crew) they did what they could to salvage the messy, messy script choices.

But I think what makes me the saddest is that it's such a botched ending, this show, that really was so good in the beginning, will end up being forgotten by time because of its ending. In ten years, people will probably forget this show ever existed because we've all moved on not wanting to go back to it.

What a disappointment.

#umbrella academy #spoilers #my reaction - which is not positive about the season but positive about the show overall

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ghosts-and-apple-pie · 1 year

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Okay, so the concept of Michael somehow ending up in the foster system has been spinning around in my brain like a little dish in the microwave for the past several hours, but I can't draw so I've reached the conclusion that it's time to try and dust off my old creative writing skills to get this out of my brain-

Welcome to my foster kid Michael AU that's a result of my foster kid ass wanting more foster kid rep that *isn't* just ones who run away from every home and eventually find The Good One(tm)

CW for mentions of death because this takes place shortly after the bite of '83.

~~~

Fourteen-year-old Michael sat in the social worker's office at his middle school. It wasn't his first time here, not by a long shot. Honestly, you'd think he would be used to it by now. To an extent, he is- he knows the routine of things he's meant to say, the list of things his father has told him to lie to the DCFS caseworkers about, the same questions repeated every time.

"Are you eating well?

"Yes."

"..and sleeping well?"

"Yes."

"Do you feel safe at home?"

"Yes."

Michael isn't completely lying. Yeah, his home life isn't great. He knows that. He knows it could be better, but he's happy with life the way it is. Besides, he's got a roof over his head and a bed- plus, some kids have it worse. Honestly, all he has to do is stay out of his dad's way when he's upset. That's not that bad, right?

"Okay.." the caseworker nods, writing down a few notes on her clipboard.

Michael knows this is typically the point where they determine nothing is wrong, and the interview ends. He's been through this song and dance one too many times. He grabs his backpack and starts to put it on.

"Can I go back to class now?" he asked, although he wasn't waiting for an answer. He was already up, standing by the door, his backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Actually, I have a few more questions for you, if you wouldn't mind sitting back down, Michael," the caseworker replied calmly.

Michael hated how calm every caseworker on Earth was. They act so casual, like if you don't say one wrong thing your whole life won't be uprooted. he sighed and sat back down.

"I had a few questions regarding your father's diner. Can you tell me about it?"

This was a new one. Michael was not prepared to answer this- what's the right thing to say here? He thought about it for a moment. It's not his house, so whatever he says should be fine, right? It's not like they can put him in a foster home because his dad's a garbage businessman, right?

"I uh- okay, well.. My dad usually brings.. or uh, brought, I guess.. Evan and me to the diner while he worked- it had pizza and an arcade and stuff, so we were fine. We'd always have other kids to talk to, too" he hesitantly replied, trying his best to frame their family's diner in the best light possible.

"And did you feel safe there?"

Michael hesitated. Did he feel safe there? He knows she wants to hear yes. That's the answer they always want. That's the answer he decides he should give.

"...Yes..?"

It came out far less confident than Michael had hoped, but he's hoping she'll buy it. There's a few other questions asked, but they're all a blur, really. Stuff about Evan, stuff about the animatronics, stuff about whether or not there were adult employees watching them.

Michael walks out of the room around half an hour later, unsure of what to think of all the extra questions he was asked. That's never happened before, but then again, his brother dying was a pretty big deal. That was his fault though, not his dad's! They can't take him away for that, right?

"Right..?" he thought to himself, standing in front of his grandparents' house with a duffel bag full of his stuff less than a week later.

~~~

I will for sure be writing more soon!! Just had to yell my thoughts into a void somewhere, get 'em out into the world. Thank you for reading this far!!

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purplelupins · 2 years

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Happy Together

Part I Part II Part III

|The Black Phone|

The Grabber/Albert Shaw x reader

Summery: Nothing like a new city. You just wanted a fresh start, and something comfortable, but what happens when you start to see the exact same patterns in Denver as you did before?

Warnings: the following warning are for the full fic, and not just this first chapter. PLEASE READ THEM. This is a DARK fic.

Dub-con (note that this is a link so it is actually wanted), Daddy kink, size kink, pet names (princess, kiddo, sweetheart, honey and more) mentions of death (including murder, torture etc), cumming in pants, overstimulation, multiple orgasms (f and m) begging, breeding kink, innocence kink, biting, adultery, infidelity, stalking, mentions of kidnapping, home break-in, fighting (verbal and physical)…more will be added.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IF YOURE A MINOR DO NOT READ DO NOT LOOK AT THIS DO NOT BREATHE NEAR THIS!! THIS IS NOT FOR YOU

Note: yes we know I’m bad at summaries. This is an extended fic request for my dear friend @mandowifey

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Some say it’s pointless to believe in love.

Soulmates.

Devotion.

They say these concepts are fruits grown from fairytales told to children to ease the horrors of the world. Figments of our imagination. What we might dream of love as, is simply lust paired with blind complacency; soulmates are really just two people settling for the comfort of having another person there for them; devotion is more of a domestic weakness.

And how right they are; perhaps not all right, but closer to the truth than most. There are, however, a select few who chose -or perhaps are cursed- to see life through those fairytale expectations.

True love and a happy ending.

Perfection in all its glory.

And they will stop at nothing to replicate exactly that.

Absolutely nothing.

There was something almost comical about the days following New Years; the odd party hat rolling in the frozen streets, colourful streamers handing haphazardly from bar signs, and a few used condoms barely concealed by an alleyway.

Almost everywhere you went it was the same.

The bitter winter breeze whipping down from the mountains burned a blush onto your cheeks. The bus driver on the Greyhound worriedly asked you again if you were sure you’d be alright in a new city. With no one to give you a warm welcome like he thought you deserved, there was a prominent inkling of worry in his weathered face.

“A pretty little lady like yourself ought to keep ‘er wits about her.” He said, tugging your suitcase out from the bottom of the bus for you.

It was refreshing to have someone offer such concern to a stranger like you, but the distress you saw from him made your heart ache. It wasn’t your place to make an old man worry; especially not so early in the New Year. So to ease his tight shoulders, you just smiled and patted his arm, pulling your large jacket closer around yourself.

“Well I can’t quite stash you in my pocket to keep me safe can I, Simon?” You teased him, taking grip of the handle of your bag, “I’ll be just fine. I’m tough.” You flexed your arm as if you had anything to show- even if you did they were hidden under your many layers.

The aging man cracked a smile at your antics, and fiddled with the gold ring on his finger. You knew the chill from the precious metal was affecting the arthritis he had told you about halfway through the journey across the state. It hadn’t taken long before you realised he was a very talkative man, and while you enjoyed the watching the scenery in quiet as much as the next person, having his babble to distract you was also very welcomed. There was something about learning the story of another person that never ceased to fascinate you- where they placed importance, what they took pride in…what brought them sadness and joy. Simon was just another face you would meet briefly, but just like the other passing acquaintances moving through your life, he gave you a small reprieve from the harsh world.

You eyes caught the movement of his hand on the good band, and your smile faltered slightly.

“Don’t work too hard. You’ll be home soon.” You tried to reassure him, which evidently worked as he nodded and gave you a quick smile that told you if he stood there any longer he would have given you ten phone numbers and half his day’s wages to help you out.

He was a kind man.

Too kind.

One of the few.

Simon clapped his hands once, ensuring that the other three passengers offloading were done. He called out to you to have a happy new year, and you replied in kind with a wave before the bus pulled away.

Now with the full weight of your new home resting on your shoulders, you let your smile fall and your eyes glaze over as you took in your surroundings.

Denver.

A frozen park.

A grocer down the street.

A coffee shop with what looked like a hungover barista.

A pub that made you itchy looking at it.

A deep breath filled your lungs just as a couple of well liquored men stumbled out of said pub- clearly enjoying their last day off before the first Monday of 1978 hit them like a brick. One of them eyed you as they walked past like a couple of huge toddlers, and you offered a friendly grin and a nod in return.

It wasn’t as if you were looking to be eyed-up -what with your several layers, aching back and itchy eyes- but this was a celebrated time of year. Everyone was a little…loose. Besides, you never knew who would turn out to be in your personal circle as you established yourself in your new home. That man might be your new boss for all you knew.

The more sober man of the two continued to almost pull the other to a car, and you noted -albeit a little uncomfortably- how the other’s drunken stare contributed to flicker over your frame. Once he finally looked away, you would hear them bickering in slurred voices.

Best not to pry.

So you found yourself dragging yourself and your suitcase over to what you assumed was a communal bulletin board, and inspected it for any rooms available in the vicinity. But even still, you could hear the two men arguing, growing louder and louder.

Something about how the staring man needed to get his shit together.

Quit it.

Knock it off.

About how he told Nancy that he would stop with that shit.

That he’d do better.

They finally drove off when one of them slammed their car door, which prompted the other to follow suit. Your stomach had started to tighten the longer you listened to them, and you sighed into your scarf once the street fell quiet again.

Home sweet home.

Home was always a strange concept. You were more inclined to believe that home ought to revolve around a person you loved or where you felt happiest, instead of a specific place or house.

And look where that got you.

Falling into a routine after your arrival to the mountain city was as easy as the pie you served at the local diner.

Sure the stiff, and starched blue and white uniform you had to wear wasn’t luxury nor was the smell of cooked food you had to wash out of your hair. But it felt domestic and easy. Being a waitress wasn’t exactly what you dreamed of, but you didn’t mind. After two months, you had regulars who made paying for groceries easier, and made you laugh with their horrid jokes.

Of course there were those who stared too much and tried to get a handful of your dress and what lay beneath it, but again, you didn’t want to make any bad impressions, so you pretended to be alright, and moved on; you swatted playfully and reprimanded when needed- always being sure to never snap- the last thing you wanted was to have to move again.

But for now, it was comfortable. Exactly what you needed.

The sun began to disappear behind the buildings outside the diner window, and you could feel your eyelids dripping with it. It was only when you heard your name being called that a smile eased back onto your face. The boisterous form of your manager, Anett, leaned onto the counter next to you; she was a nice lady with a stern sense of justice and wore a liberal amount of hairspray. Needless to say, you rarely had to worry about any customers heckling you, though you did worry about her hair catching fire.

“Time to go home, honey.” She said with a sigh as her hand found her hip. It was a slow day, like many, but somehow there had been more messes to clean and teenagers to remove than usual. Slow, but long.

“Tired of having me here?” You teased her, slipping off your white apron that was usually fastened over your blue dress.

A tired grin stretched over her red lipstick, and she shook her head, “I’d keep you here all day if I could, you Angel. You know that.”

Her words made you breathe out a laugh, “Well if I could stand these uniforms a second longer you know I would stay happily.” You replied, and she barked out a cackle that only made you smile wider. Anett was frightening to most, but somehow you had managed to worm your way into her soft side.

Once she recovered, she tapped her hand on the counter and said, “Get yourself home safe, alright?”, and took her leave as you folded your apron and stored it away.

Safe.

You pondered that word as you pulled on your sweater and coat to brave the cool walk home.

You weren’t sure you could remember what safe felt like. Not that you particularly felt unsafe…it was simply the way the world felt. Everyone lies, cheats, holds more importance over themselves than those around them like they shat gold. There was little chivalry, and everyone seemed to have ulterior motives…you wondered if perhaps you had ever felt something akin to safety, or if perhaps that feeling had just been the innocence of being a child.

Now that you had been in Denver for a few months, you had to admit it was a dull place. There wasn’t a great deal to do in your new city unless you wanted to go for a hike in the mountains or attend a baseball game. And it seemed that neither was an option thanks to the cool air.

Then speaking of childhood innocence, there were the disappearances of those two boys right there in your new home. You could still remember the exact moment you heard about the first one. It wasn’t a week after you’d moved to that mountain city that you heard the whispers. Then a month later you had had to clean up a shattered coffee cup at the diner after a man had read the morning paper; another one had been taken.

It twisted a sharp pain in your heart. What would possess someone to take those boys? You’d heard about so many other similar cases and trials over the years, and it was almost always the same profile for each psychopath.

Outcast.

Pathological liar.

Exposure to extreme pornography.

And a lack of consciousness.

…and somehow always something to do with the torture of animals.

From what you had seen in Denver, everyone you met were the loveliest, simplest people. They all had their little routines, and dramas that swallowed up their lives, and their favourite kind of cake to eat in Sundays.

Just people.

They were all like you, and you like them.

It made you wonder who you could trust, knowing you were all the same.

By the time you reached your front yard, your cheeks were flushed and your bones had a chill in them. The sheer sight of your little house warmed your heart. Just as your work- your home was comfortable.

Your safe place.

Blue sky greeted you the following day when you drew your cream curtains back. Birds chirped, and you had to admit you almost pinched yourself by how idelic it was. Outside your kitchen window, you could watch the cars go by as people made their way to work, and the children walking past to get to their bus stop.

You thanked your lucky stars that the heat hadn’t begun yet, and nestled into your sweaters and jacket before turning the key in your front door to start your day. While you didn’t have to work, you made a deal with yourself that you wouldn’t hide away there and alienate yourself. You went to a new city for a new start, and you couldn’t do that very well if you just watched your neighbours. While that in itself was good fun, most of your neighborhood was made up of seniors and a few families down the street…and while you loved them and their kind welcomes, they weren’t the most fun to dissect; though it did mean that you had a fantastic stock of baked goods and food in those heavy glass containers you never bought for yourself.

The air was cold, but smelled so good that you didn’t care about how it burned your nostrils when your breathed in.

“Morning Harriet!” You called to the house next to you. The familiar grey hair in their mint rollers were visible between the rose bushes as the elderly -but lively- woman checked her mail. She made the best brownies- you always felt so relaxed after.

Harriet looked up from her mail, and cast you a smile and wave, “Good morning, dear.”

Old or not, you liked your neighbours. Certainly they were a touch too nosy and watched everyone’s every move, but it made it almost a game. Who would catch who in a lie, would would get someone flustered by acknowledging them staring…you loved waving at the old biddies who thought you were odd then watch them pretend like they weren’t gossiping over their white-picket fences.

But Harriet was nice.

Most of them were nice to your face, just as you were to theirs.

Even so, the welcome you had been given when you moved into that little house had been a warm one. Maybe not all the visits to say hello were sincere, but the gesture was still nice. And the food was good.

“Where’s that cheeky husband of yours? Shouldn’t he be getting the papers?” You asked as you walked to your gate. She rolled her eyes and you had to laugh a little at her response, “Let me guess, he threw his back out again?”

Her exasperated nod was all you needed, “The man forgets that he’s not a spry chicken anymore…” she gasped out, crossing her arms as a breeze whipped by.

“Not like you!” You grinned, enjoying the bashful look on the woman’s face.

Harriet waved you off, tucking her papers and mail under her arm, “Oh hush you…off with you now. Go find a nice young man and wait 40 years, you’ll see what I mean.” She began walking back into the house with another roll of her eyes.

Your smile dropped ever so slightly, but you paid it no mind, “Doing my best!” You called to her.

The old woman smiled at you as she closed the door, and you had already begun to turn away when your face fell completely. The dull twinge behind your ribs pinched as you walked, and your shoulders slumped slightly.

You had been called a hopeless romantic for years, and you couldn’t help but envy those with gold bands on their fingers; they had something so precious. Someone to depend on. Someone to love. To hold.

The walk into the city was a fairly calm one. With most people sitting behind their desks or waiting for a customer to enter their shop, there were few people to navigate around. You admittedly did not feel in the mood to converse too much that day.

Before long, the small coffee shop you had begun to frequent came into view, and you quickened your pace as another gust of wind snuck down your back. You looked both ways to cross the street just like your momma had told you, and walked briskly to the door; a smile landed on your face as soon as you stepped inside and the smell of coffee, and butter wrapped you in a hug.

To your good fortune, there was only yourself, the waitress, and a man you had seen in that same shop a few times, and he was very nice. You truly couldn’t have orchestrated a more perfect day.

With your order placed, you took a seat at one of the tables by the window. It was fun to watch the people passing by go about their days. Families, women, men, wives, mothers, fathers, husbands…

It only took a moment before your coffee and muffin were being placed on your table- which you accepted with a smile and a polite smile. One that turned a little more genuine when you caught eyes with the man sitting a table away from you.

“Good morning.” He said briskly. Evidently, he had consumed far more caffeine than you had.

“Morning. How’s the crossword?” You asked, taking your first sip of your much needed coffee. On more than one occasion you had seen him working away at the morning paper, pen or pencil in hand, and had helped him a few times with the odd word.

“It’s going. I’m stuck on an 10 letter word for “cut”…any ideas?” He asked with a certain charm that made your heart beat a little faster.

You scrunched your face up in thought, and hummed to yourself. You had a fairly good idea what the answer was, but didn’t want to give it to him too quickly lest he think himself stupid.

“Um…what about laceration?” You offered with a little smile.

The man’s brows shot up, and he looked down at the page to scan the other boxes to ensure it would fit and sure enough, he looked very appreciative. “I’ll be damned…” he murmured, and quickly scribbled in the word before looking back up at you, surprised.

“Thanks a lot. Quick little thing aren’t you? You got a whole thesaurus up there?” He asked, turning his body towards you. As he did, the light caught the gold of his ring, but you kept your smile.

“I wish…just luck I suppose.” You shrugged it off like it was nothing. Seemed like he needed to read a thesaurus. You went to turn back to your coffee, but your heart jumped a little when he spoke again, eager to talk to you.

“H-Hiding from the cold too?” He said, nodding to the outside.

You let out a gentle laugh and nodded as you leaned in to talk, “Yes I-“

Your words, however, were cut off rudely by the sudden opening of the door. A gust of cold air rushed inside following the person who had carelessly stumbled into the quiet shop. Your shoulders tensed and you body temperature quickly descended, and out of the corner of your eye you saw the man you had been speaking to do the same. You both looked at the newcomer with an air of distain for having been interrupted. Said newcomer was another man, looking to be around the same age as the man you had been talking to, and he shot you both an apologetic look but the damage had been done- you were now freezing cold, and you could have throttled him for his inconsiderateness.

But to end the awkward interruption, you turned back to the man who still seemed interested in speaking with you.

“As I was saying, yes I am hiding from the cold…though it seems it still found me.” You added with a little wink and raised brow, and to your joy the man laughed, but hid it with a cough, “I- I’m still new to town…I wanted to explore the city a bit today but I don’t think I’ll be able to without some warm liquid courage!” you lifted your now lukewarm coffee.

The man breathed out a laugh, and his brown eyes crinkled at the sides, “You picked a hell of a time to move to Denver- I hope someone showed you how to dress warm. Where’d you come from?” He asked, giving you his undivided attention.

You laughed softly and shook your head, “I’ve seen worse actually- I just moved fro-“

“Hey I know you!”

A voice from the service counter called out, and you deduced it was the same made who had already interrupted your pleasant conversation once. Your eye twitched in time with your fists clenching and stomach dropping. Why couldn’t you just be left in peace? Who was this-

Then it clicked.

You looked up at the other man who was now standing over your table with a smile on his face like he’d solved a mystery. You knew exactly where you knew him from.

Thick moustache, always a bright button up, and a fur lined jacket. Yes you knew him.

“Yeah, yeah you’re my neighbour! 7739 Irving st, right? The little house with the bush on the side?” The man snapped his fingers and sat himself down across from you like you were old friends catching up. You watched helplessly and your conversation was hijacked, and your eyes flicked between the two men- hoping that maybe the one you had been in conversation with would help you out. But it seemed neither of you could get a word in as this new man slipped off his coat and had started a conversation of his own. You couldn’t even confirm your identity to him; for all he knew you could be a complete stranger he had mistaken for one of his neighbours.

Then, to your upmost disappointment, you watched as your previous conversation partner awkwardly picked up his things and gave you a nod before leaving the shop. You closed your eyes to calm yourself, and opened them on the notably animated man who was now going on about something without a care in the world. You hoped the other man had a nice day…though you were certain you were a better conversationalist than his wife Nancy.

“-lived there our whole lives you know? Well I’m off sometimes, but I always come back- work not going how I thought and what not. But Al’s always there for me, you know? I hate to be a bother to him but he’s rarely home anyways…worka…what are they called? Workaholic! Yeah. Swear he’s more like my dad than our dad was…but anyways you said you weren’t from here right?” He looked at you expectantly, and you schooled a pleasant look on your face.

Don’t be rude. Just breathe.

“I…yes I was. I just moved here. Bit of a transient myself.” You said, and took a sip from your coffee that somehow tasted a little more sour now and was fully cold.

The end of his sentence caught your interest, and you were trying to wrack your brain to recall what he had been babbling on about. His brother being like a father? You almost laughed to yourself- this man definitely needed someone like that in his life. Now that you thought of it, the house across from yours was very quiet save for the times someone left for work at 8:30am every morning of the week, and when you saw the man across from you…though he was usually with a female partner.

“Where from? Maybe we’ve actually been following eachother.” He joked with a smile and a wink.

Unlikely.

But you laughed, “Came from Salt Lake city. Even harsher winters than here.”

The man whistled, and leaned back as he crossed his arms, “Don’t blame you for leaving there…hope you weren’t there a few years ago…nasty stuff going on if you ask me.” He looked at you expectantly and you could feel a cold sweat break under your sweater and your stomach tie in knots. You hoped he just meant what went on in 1975…who was this guy? A cop? A crime enthusiast?

You shook your head apologetically, “I’m so sorry, I think I missed your name?”

His brows shot up in surprise.

“Oh, shit I didn’t even tell you! I’m Max.” He extended his hand to shake yours and you smiled, “Max Shaw.”

“Well Max, can you tell me what you mean about…the nasty stuff going on in Colorado? I was only there a couple years.” You asked, stomach twisting tighter.

This seemed to spark Max’s interest, and he leaned over the table as if he was about to relay a deep secret. Thankfully, you saw no nosiness in his face. The last thing you wanted was to think about…well…to think about less than good times.

“Well you know…those bodies found in the mountains and whatnot? Bundy or whatever his name was sure liked that city…they got him down in Florida now.” He said in a hushed tone like anyone could be listening.

Ah. A conspiracy theorist.

You sighed and nodded, “Oh yes I heard…That happened right before I got there…have to admit I locked my doors religiously when I lived there.” You laughed off your nerves.

“You’d better do that here too, you know.” Max said suddenly.

At this, you gaze jumped to his, “Why?…do you mean the-“

“Grabber.” He nodded and it was like his eyes lit up at the subject.

While you were still a little bitter towards him for being interruptive, you had to admit that your interest was peaked. This man might be a little nuts but it was true you were intrigued by the strange disappearances, no matter how horrible.

“Max, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you know a thing or two about the town terror. Should I be worried?” You raised your brow in faux accusation.

His eyes widened comically, “No! No I just…I don’t know I feel like there’s something more to it all, you know? Someone has to be doing this for a reason…”

You leaned forward a little and nodded. “I know exactly what you mean.”

While Max had indeed ruined your morning and subsequently the rest of your day, you had to admit that the man made up for it with wild theories that had you pondering the world around you even further. He had begun with zeroing in on the mass amounts of disappearances over the past decade and a half that had never been linked to any event or person- how he was certain there were some kind of underground tunnel system that people used to get around or hide in. Which then led to the possibility of an underground city or country under your feet; operating just like the one around you.

Then from there he leapt into a tangent regarding the untrustworthiness of the government and how he was certain President Carter was a Rockefeller Republican and not much of a democrat at all.

Somewhere along the way, the morning had turned into afternoon and Max insisted on buying you lunch, though it had turned out that he was -very apologetically- short on cash. Not that you had a problem covering it; this man seemed to be in need of a human sound-board.

Now you knew why those lady-friends you always observed him with would leave after an hour of being at his house. You wondered if his brother was even aware of the female traffic…if he was a hard worker like he seemed to be -what with being out all day nearly every day- then you could only feel a pang of pity for him. Poor man probably just wanted to come home and relax but instead he likely came home to his brother with his tongue down a new woman’s throat or knee deep in a new theory.

At some point the two of you slowly meandered back to the direction of your respective homes. Along the way, however, you began to question if Max even fully lived with his brother or if he just stayed there; he insisted on taking blatantly wrong turns, and you had to gently point in the correct direction.

Eventually, however, you did see your little home, and the one across from it that you knew now at Max’s- questionably. While you knew you should have just said that it had been nice to meet him properly - true or not- he somehow managed to coerce you into coming over. It wasn’t as if you had anything to do after your day had been eaten up…but perhaps he would have something good for dinner or you could get a look into another neighbour’s life to see if they were worth befriending.

The Shaw household was comfortable. It was definitely more lived-in than yours, but you noted that there was only a light smell of smoke in the air -rather than seeped into the wallpaper- and a simplicity to everything that you found quite inviting. You gathered the smoke smell was from Max, rather than his brother…and you presumed the half-cleaned line of cocaine on the coffee table was the same.

Your observation was cut short when you heard the low growl of a large dog; sure enough, there were two huge black eyes peering from the hallway into what you imagined were the bedrooms that caught the light of the living room.

Just as you were about to ask who the beautiful beast was, Max came to your side and handed you a beer- one that you accepted politely but knew you wouldn’t drink from.

“Down Samson…sorry about him. He’s a real softy under it all- just a good guard dog.” Max said as he flopped onto the couch.

You took a seat in one of the armchairs, and cast a smile at the black hound. “Aren’t you a handsome boy?” You cooed to him as he took a few steps out of the dim hall. Though his growling calmed, you kept your eyes on him, and your smile widened as he came closer. The beer in your hand went onto the table so you could beckon the dog over, which it did slowly. “Hello!” You gushed and as soon as Samson was within reach, your hands slipped into his fur. Within a minute he was a puddle in your hands and placed his head in your lap once you sat in your seat.

“You some kinda dog whisperer or somethin’?” Max asked, wiping his nose once you turned to him.

“Nah…I think we’re just two animals who recognize something in each other.” You grinned, and Max’s brows rose up.

“Lucky he didn’t bite your hand off…he’s not usually one for cuddles.” He eased back into the sofa and took a drink from his own beer.

You nodded, “I’m pretty good at getting along with just about anyone. I like the challenge of a hard nut…not everyone is all gruff.” You smiled fondly down at Samson, but looked back up when Max snorted and laughed.

“You’ll just love Al then!” He said, and sat up to run a hand through his hair.

“Oh?” You asked.

“Good guy but uh…let’s just say him and his pup there are pretty much the same.”

Noted.

“Y/n I’m telling you there’s got to be something in the water or food that’s making all these killers!”

You perched your head in your hands and nodded along as Max continued on his third tangent that evening, “Yes, yes…and can you tell me why?” You asked, though you didn’t think you would get a real answer this time- just like the other times you asked him for clarification.

Max thought for a moment, and rubbed his nose- you were certain he was going to get a nosebleed. Then he snapped his fingers and stood up, “Population control. Like a…like a secret mustard gas.” He nodded to himself, eyes getting wider.

You nodded and hummed patiently, so thankful for your furry companion that still sat by you, “Right. But if they kill everyone off…doesn’t that go against their favourite scheme of all?”

“What’s that?” Max’s eyes darted around.

“Capitalism.” You said dead serious.

You both stared at one another, then after a moment you both broke out into laughter. He was nuts, but Max was good fun and made for good entertainment when he fell down a rabbit hole.

The laugher between you died down when you were both brought back to reality as the door swung open and you were greeted with a new face all together. You didn’t know what happened then, but something in you froze. You were utterly fixed to the spot.

Greying hair that brushed his broad shoulders, nice build, sharp jaw, weathered face with crows feet and a deep line between his brows that you assumed was there even when he wasn’t glaring like he was then; and then his eyes. Damn well the bluest fucking eyes you had ever seen.

He was certainly older than Max, just as he had insinuated, and you could almost feel the frustration permeating the air around him. The air from your lungs felt sharp all of a sudden like you couldn’t breathe. A butterfly with a metal pin through it waiting for his dissection and approval. Cut you open and see what makes you tick.

Was it the guilt of being in his home without consent? Was it his direct irritation? The second-hand exhaustion? Or the extra beat your heart seemed to take when you saw him. You felt fuzzy, but you tried to stay calm.

Albert was tense. It was very obvious.

You had hoped he might have been a little easy going with maybe an exasperated sigh at his brother’s antics, but it seemed you might have been the last straw. Not that you blamed him…hell you found yourself feeling like a real ass right then.

He cast Max -who had frozen on the spot- an incredulous look.

“Max?”

You hadn’t realised your hearing had become muffled until he spoke. His voice alone made a slow blush rise to your cheekbones. The one word was rasped out in a tired tone, and you wondered if that was how he always sounded or if it was just from talking a great deal at work mixed with tiredness. It was a ragged rumble in his chest, and while you were feeling quite guilty for doing to him what Max did to you, you wished he would say more.

Max had started talking, likely explaining who you were, but you couldn’t bring yourself to listen. He babbled and babbled, following his brother into the kitchen like a son trying to justify something to his father.

Your heart beat even faster.

“-she’s actually your neighbour! We just ran into eachother-“

You watched his elder brother, and took him in.

“-you know and I just thought it would be nice to-“

He must have had a good 10 years on Max, and you found yourself transfixed by the deep line between his brows that framed his cornflower blue eyes so beautifully. You also noticed that while the smile he gave Max was bitter and sarcastic, you could see what startlingly sharp teeth he had; each tooth had a distinct tip to it that looked like it could leave a blatantly and equally distinct bite mark on your skin.

Now you had a much better appreciation for Max’s comparison between him and his dog.

“-I know I said I’d be out of your hair but it’s just a couple more days, Al-“

But there was something in his gaze that made you stare a little longer. Something that shouldn’t be there. Something that you had seen before…but not there. Something you had hoped you’d never see again. A shiver ran down your spine and you could half feel goosebumps springing up as realization creeped into your mind.

To break your deep trance, you blinked a few times and dug your nails into your palm before standing in up and crossing the living room with your head tilted in an apologetic manor. The two of them continued to bicker under the fluorescent lights, but as soon as you had taken a step towards them, Al’s eyes shot to you. Your body told you to freeze, but your mind was far more powerful and made your legs move.

You gave him an impish smile and couldn’t help but wave a little uncomfortably, “Hi!” You started, and the elder of the two stared you down hard.

Get it together.

You swallowed and shifted on your feet, “I’m real sorry about all this…I should have just gone home. It’s Al, right? I’m y/n…” you extended your hand to his that was braced on the counter as he told his brother off.

Albert could see how uncertain you seemed to be on your feet- he almost laughed at it. Looked like you might damn well bold out of there if he breathed wrong. His gaze flicked to your hand then to Max before he took it slowly.

“Albert.” He said shortly, wrapping his long fingers around your much smaller ones. He looked you up and down with his brows pinched and a firm mouth.

Something felt…off to Albert. There was a look of recognition in your eyes as they trained themselves on him. Like you could…see him. But not the him Max saw- not Albert.

Him.

You smiled a little more to try and set him -and yourself- at ease, “Right. I’m so glad to meet you, though it’s not the best circumstances…” one of his brows rose slowly as if to say “Bet your fucking ass it’s not” but you tried to continue, “I know I’m not a welcomed guest…but I am your neighbour and I’d like to make it up to you if you’d let me? I can put these groceries away for you so you can-“

“I can put groceries away just fine.” He rasped, fixing to you with the same hard stare he gave to Max, and you felt very small. Al turned away but not before casting a pointed look at Max who was sulking slightly.

This man certainly was indeed a hard nut. But you were persistent. You were not about to leave that house without fixing that mess or you wouldn’t sleep.

“I’m sure you can, but nothing bad came from being nice.” You said, taking another step up to the older man and held his unwavering stare though his stare made you squirm, “Right?” You hoped against hope that you weren’t being too pushy, and make the situation even worse. If you pegged him correctly, he probably appreciated a woman taking charge of the kitchen; likely seeing his mother do exactly that. And if appealing to that aspect of him would make things blow over, then you’d do that and bark like a dog if he wanted.

After a very tense moment, Al finally sighed, and pointed to the fridge, “You can just put things in there…I’ll fix it later.”

With that, he walked past both you and Max and gave the Samson a pat on the head as he disappeared into what you assumed was his bedroom.

“Sorry about all that…”

You turned your attention to Max fleetingly before making quick work of the groceries.

He sure likes eggs…

“Oh don’t apologise…this is his home after all. You’re his brother but I’m an unfamiliar face…I can’t blame him for being a little grumpy…” you gave him a small smile and hoped your hands weren’t shaking too bad, “You said he works a lot?”

Max nodded.

“I swear he doesn’t have a day off…even when he’s not working he’s doing something, especially lately…”

You turned slowly, and looked at Max sitting now at the small table, your calm face slipping into a far more serious one. “What do you mean he-“

“So you’re the one who moved into 7739?”

Your heartbeat moved into your ears, and suddenly you couldn’t remember how to move. But you forced yourself to look to where Al was now standing just outside the kitchen; now out of his uniform.

“Yep!” You chirped, putting the coffee in the cupboard.

He reached into the fridge and pulled out a soda before leaning against the counter- sufficiently in your space. It was obvious that he was trying to intimidate you, but you were having none of that- he might be a man and much older than you but he didn’t know who he was dealing with. You might have been squirming under his gaze, but you weren’t weak.

“You know…that house had the same old couple living there for as long as I can remember…you remember them, Max?” Albert began, nodding to his brother. You watched Max nod, “Yeah…you know it’s just so funny how they just up and left town right in time for you to move in.” He took a long drink from the soda, staring you down.

That certainly was a surprise.

“Is that so?” You asked, “Well I guess it was destiny!” You added with a laugh.

Albert breathed out a laugh that neither made his eyes sparkle nor made him smile, “Right. So it’s just you?” He asked, nodding in the direction of your home.

“It sure is.” You confirmed.

“You know you should be extra careful these days…weird stuff happening.” He said.

You just smiled and shook your head, “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

He nodded again.

“Well I know why Max is still alone but what about you? How come no one’s scooped a little thing like you up?” Albert asked, with a tilt of his head.

He was pushing.

He wanted to see what was going on inside your head…how far you’d let him go.

Don’t be rude, y/n.

But your smile didn’t falter, “Still waiting for the right guy to come along. You start to get tired of them letting you down…and it gets messier and messier to cut them out of your life once the fun is over.” You said, tilting your head to the side, “Harder to make up stories about what happened too.”

Albert lowered his drink, and felt every one of his facial muscles go lax.

You watched his eyes- the windows to his soul. Or lack there of.

“I think I know exactly what you mean.” He murmured.

Both of you completely forgot about the other person in the room who seemed completely oblivious to your interaction. It’s not like he would understand, since he didn’t know what was so off about his own brother’s eyes.

Max didn’t see those eyes every day when he looked in the mirror- he wouldn’t know what the eyes of a killer looked like.

But you did.

And Albert did too.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

@dogmatic255 @wayward-persephone @ethanhoewke @fuckerofevilmen @honeycovered-bandaids @dancingisdangerouss @tuttifuckinfruttifriday @theroadreader @lxdyred @eth1calcannibal @al-shaw @ebiemidnightlibrarian @katehawke @littleredmuneca @blep--bloop @astroo-babe @Ixdyred @ethanhawkestan @ratpackash @doc-blu @possessedjoker @destiel394 @darkvoidz @belladonnaaura @ang311te @pecter-specter

#the blackphone fanfic #the black phone #albert shaw #ethan hawke #albert shaw x reader #the grabber #the grabber x reader #slashers #Ethan Hawke fanfic #horror

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