#so that it was a nice clear evening when i got to the theatre

[currymanganese]

The Bear Season 3 gave me the courage to start Interview With A Vampire~ Among many of the things that I found darkly funny about the season are:

1. The whore house scenes:

a. The Alderman that rightfully got his head busted open for dipping his dick in Brick's poop chute without her consent.

b. Lily saying to her madam, "they're swapping Andouillie sausage recipes." over ldpdl and lestat's dick measuring contest / posturing over her with all the gay ass lust and tension over them being so thick and pervasive like the fog of war on a DOTA map.

c. Brick's ascent to being ldpdl's woman of business and ldpdl skirting around racist ordinance targeting his *ahem* 'facilities' by giving the ladies shares in the business.

d. "I have clean pussies walking the floor out there!" ~ okay ma'am, Brick my beloved, I believe you.😭

2. The period accurate homophobia:

a. Paul's gaydar going off if Louis and Lestat even so much as breathed, gurgling and screeching like a geiger counter going off at ground zero of the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor disaster - but not the defective geiger counter, "3.6 roentgen, not great not terrible.", but the accurate ones that could've saved so many lives and warned the reactor staff and first responders that they were all doomed in short order 😔

b. The police chief that came to loustat's home and shaded them for, "crimes against nature" at every opportunity

c. Ldpdl's mama basically calling him a filthy faggot in her mind at every opportunity, when unbeknownst to her he knew exactly what she thought of him after lestat turned him.

sidenote: actually it was heartbreaking how desperate ldpdl was for his family's love and approval, he tried so hard to hold onto them for so long - he's better than me in that regard, but it was so clear why that was ultimately an impossible task for multiple reasons namely....Bro you're a fucking vampire now! 😭

d. The crowd reaction to loustat having a 'dance of romance' at their family murder (unbeknownst to Lestat) divorce ball - the couple that walked right the fuck on out in disgust immediately at the sight of their pda might've saved their own lives if they were at risk of being lured in as prey. 🥴

e. "Daddy Lou and Uncle Les had a real funny way of being nice to each other!"

3. The unapologetic gayness:

a. "Ahhh! Lestat! Unpack your trunks (wdym by that lestat 👁️ that's innuendo there isn't it 😭) you're home!"

and the UNPARALLELED downbadism of "he ain't white, he french,!"

b. Lestat seducing Louis.

c. Claudia Louis divorce lawyer and power of attorney arc - he really couldn't have let that man go on his own. 😔🙏🏽

d. "Come To Me!" 😩🥵♥️✨💦🍆🌈

e. Louis taking Lestat back

d. Daniel being shady af and calling Louis a battered wife - he was so real for that.

e. Daniel in general - I know his old ass was lusting after "Rashid!" so bad and trying to act mad or like he was above it - but like sir! why tf did you want to know what he tasted like and how much he weighed etc. etc. but okay, no judgement, he IS fine as hell and *Spoilers* he's older than you anyway so good for you! 😉

3. Lestat's cheating ass,

a. he was almost as shameless a philanderer as my grandfathers, amazing.

b. him giving louis permission to indulge in an open marriage and obviously lying through his teeth about it - R.I.P Jonah

c. Him and Antoinette arguing over her finger.

4. Lestat in general. Sam Reid ILY - lestat my behated though but i see his appeal i really do.

5. Raising Claudia.

6. Claudia in general - she really is her fathers' daughter after all.

7. "Did you eat the baby?!" 🤨

Louis took so long to answer it makes me doubt his ✨ odyssey of recollection ✨ about the circumstances under review in this here interview

8. The 🧚🏾‍♂️💅🏽✨💖Odyssey of Recollection💖✨ 💅🏽🧚🏾‍♂️ smh louis - you spent way too much time with your huzzbands and they rubbed off on you - you were not always a theatre gay! but also go off king 👑🥰 because you have the talent for it.

9. The flashes of loustat coparenting baby vamp Claudia - the stakeout / ambush / you are grounded missy! moment in her room when she snuck back in the house.

10. Mr. Dr. "I'm not here!"

11. The poor tractor salesman that got got 😭

12.Nobody questioning why Louis' eye colour changed. "That information is on a need to know basis!"

13. realizing what moment that gif of louis' pov of lestat dropping him like it's hot was from - the vfx for this show is shit sometimes but I don't even care because everything else was so good 😭

14. Daniel a la Will Smith in Suicide Squad, "What is this, some kinda dark gothic romance?!"

..........

Well, duh! I know everybody involved in this show was giggling their asses off like this 😁🤭 on set for that line and Mr. Bogosian sold it with conviction, well done.

What a great piece of television this season was. Thanks for the recs! @ambeauty @melfinawins

[carcarrot]

this time last year i was probably sitting in the kitchen while my dad started making an early dinner of chicken bolognese trying not to get too nervous about the concert i'd be going to in a few hours

[rainydayathogwarts]

Curtain call - Spencer Reid

Summary: You're an actress. Opening night of the show, a cast member is killed. FBI finds out you were the real target... Warnings: mentions of blood, a kiss 2k wc

Adrenaline rushes through you as you run through the wings, catching your breath as you made your way across the backstage. You had just about a minute until you had to be on stage once more, the big number now coming to its end. Rushing into the costume room, you barely acknowledge the one thing obviously wrong with the messy space until you reach for your next costume on the rack, moving all other clothes aside to find it. There’s something inappropriate about your outfit. One, there isn’t supposed to be any blood on it yet there it is, a bloody handprint, running all the way to the bottom of your dress. That’s when your eyes trail down to the bottom of the clothing rack, where you get a clear look of the body lying underneath the row of clothes. Blood was soaking through her entire costume and her skin was turning blue. It’s only when someone runs into the changing room at risk of missing your cue that you hear a gut-wrenching scream. Later, you’d be told that it had come from you. 

Being called into the theatre the next day for “mandatory debriefing” was not what you had expected after such a traumatic experience, but you came in nonetheless, afraid of losing the job after the scene you had caused the night before. After screaming bloody-murder, half the cast ran into the changing rooms to find you hysterically crying over your cast mate’s body, holding her cold hand. The audience had been scared half to death, and after the authorities made it onto the scene, everyone was evacuated out of the theatre. By finding her body, you had cost everyone a night of the show. 

But once you got to the theatre, angry yellow tape cutting off access to the public, you were approached by a handsome man with a serious face and confident posture, offering you his hand even as he walked towards you. “Miss L/N? It’s nice to meet you, I’m Agent Morgan with the FBI, and this is Dr. Reid. We just have a few questions we would like you to answer for us.” Agent Morgan had been a very kind man, who told you every formality that was written in the book, however the man he had introduced to you as Dr. Reid caught your attention in a way you weren’t aware would be good or bad. Dr. Reid stayed silent as Agent Morgan questioned you, deeply staring at you as you answered all that was thrown at you, shooting you quizzical looks every now and then and glancing down at your fidgety hands. 

“Thank you so much for all this Miss L/N, that’s all our questions.” As Agent Morgan began to stand, Dr. Reid looked up at you, “Actually, I do have a few more if you don’t mind.” Agent Morgan shot his partner a confused look, slowly backing down into his seat once more. “Do you know why Evelyn was in the costume room when she was? With my limited understanding of the play, I was under the impression that her character didn’t have any costume changes up to the point you had gotten to before she was killed.” And then those that followed:

“Was anyone other than you supposed to be in the changing rooms at that moment?”

“Is there anyone in the cast who has taken a specific liking or dislike towards you?” 

“Can you remember any specific encounters with anyone as you were going in or out of the theatre?”

“Have you received any eye catching letters from fans recently?” 

Finally, Dr. Reid’s prying had gotten you somewhere, leaving you more terrified than ever, with Agent Morgan reassuring you “It’s just a theory that Dr. Reid has, so we’re only taking precaution. There’s nothing to worry about just yet.” The two agents drove you back to your place where you led them to the cursed fan-letter drawer in your study. "I don't usually read them because there are so many." You admitted, crossing your arms tightly over your torso, observing as the doctor starting frantically pulling letters out of the tidied drawer, eyes briefly scanning the name on the front of each envelope. He threw several to the side, dropping the rest onto the floor after reading the name until nearly ten minutes later, all the letters laid on the floor.

Dr. Reid scrambled to gather the letters he had tossed to the side, standing up hurriedly. You stared at the pile in his hands, glancing back up at the two men for an explanation. "These are all sent from the same person. I'd like to read them and see if I can analyse the language used. I think one of us should stay here with you for the mean time." You nodded at Dr. Reid's words, briefly looking over to his partner for confirmation. "I think Reid should stay here as he looks over the letters." He moved his attention from you to Dr. Reid "You can ask her any questions you might have and it'll be good protection." The partners nodded to each other and almost instantly, Agent Morgan exited the room.

Dr. Reid's hand came up before hesitantly placing it on your shoulder. "Do you mind if I get settled here? Ask some questions?" You shook your head silently before asking "Um, since you'll be here awhile, can I get you something? Coffee?" Dr. Reid nodded, muttering a quiet "That would be lovely." You don't know what it was: maybe the fact that he was here to protect to or trying to save your life, but felt your heart beat in your chest aggressively, as though trying to break through your skin. You brought him coffee, sugar and packets of cream on the side just in case and watched in awe as he emptied out the small cup of sugar. Sweet, just like him.

"Dr. Reid-" "Spencer. Please." You nodded, scooting your chair closer to him as he took a sip of coffee. "Did I make a mistake by not reading these?" The envelopes made loud unfolding noises every time he pulled a letter out of a different one, and he shook his head. "No. I know I wouldn't open so many of these and I have an IQ of 187." You grinned, your chest bubbling with a giggle. Spencer perked up at the sound of your laughter, smiling gently at you. He wasn't trying to joke around, but he was happy to uplift your mood. He studied all the letters laid out in front of him, and immediately noticed a pattern.

'02.02.18, I saw you in Oliver! today, you make an amazing Nancy.'

'14.02.18, I watched you in Oliver! again. You somehow get better the more I see you on stage.'

'07.03.18 I loved you today in the show. I watched the evening show. Did you see me too?'

'17.03.18 I saw your show again. I can be your Bill Sykes if you'd let me."

'11.04.18 I've been waiting anxiously to see you again since Oliver stopped touring. You make a wonderful Veronica.'

'15.04.18 We can be Seventeen together! Let me be your JD.'

"This isn't good." Without any further explanation, he pulled his phone out, dialling a number. "He's using obsessive language and saw her in Oliver! and Heathers, both of which have abusive partners who either kill or try to kill who Y/N's playing. You need to go visit his address right now." Coincidentally, just as he hangs up the phone, your doorbell rings. Your blood runs cold and you stand up instantly, but Spencer steps in front of you, blocking you from going anywhere. "Stay behind me, but stay close." He mutters, pulling his gun from his hostler. Spencer watches you closely, and the profiler in him notices how your breath begins to speed up and your eyes glaze with tears.

One of his hands comes up to cup your cheek and he whispers "Breathe. I'm right here so no one's going to hurt you, okay?" You nod, staying as close as you can to him without touching him until you get to the front door. He peeks through the peephole and his shoulders drop as an "Oh." Escapes him. He opens and closes the door faster than you can register, now holding another letter in his hand, identical to all the ones scattered on your desk.

Six words are written on the letter when Spencer opens him, and his face pales. It was meant to be you. Spencer grabs your hand, dragging you back into your study - the one room in your house with no windows. He locks the door, pressing numbers on his phone again before it's against his ear. "It's definitely him, he just sent another letter. We're in her study but he might be around the premises or returning to his house. I don't plan on getting her out of the study until you get him." The second the words leave his mouth you're processing them, and tears are welling in your eyes once more.

The sound of sniffling gets his attention back to you and his hands are gently coming up to your shoulders, leading you to sit down in a chair. "I'm scared." You whisper helplessly, looking up at the doctor. He crouches down to your level, and hand on your knee. "Hey, what did I say before?" He looks at you intently waiting for an answer. "No one's gonna hurt me." Spencer nods, a soft smile gracing his features. "Yes, exactly. No one's going to hurt you. I have an excellent team looking for that son of a bitch as we speak and I am right here with you."

You nod, not entirely convinced, which he can apparently tell, so he continues with "Come on, look at these muscles. You think anyone will get to you when I have these babies?" His tongue pokes out slightly as he flexes his arms, which are actually more toned than you realise. You laugh again and feel yourself launching your body at him before you can stop yourself, pulling him into a tight hug. He hesitates, but eventually, his arms are pulling you even closer to him, one hand rubbing circles on your back to soothe you. You break the hug, but before you can help yourself, you realise you're leaning into him, pressing your lips against his in a passionate kiss. To your surprise he immediately returns the kiss, his hands cupping your face as he deepens the kiss.

He's panting when he pulls away from you, whispering "This is unprofessional. I'm sorry, I like you, I do, but I shouldn't." Cocking your head to the side, you can't help but smile slightly. "It's only unprofessional for one of us so technically it's not unprofessional at all." His face twists in confusion as he tries processing your words. "That's not how it wo-mmph." the rest of his words are muffled by the second kiss you give him, which you feel him melting into as one of his hands comes to rest on your hip. "After- after the case. After the case, I'll take you on a date." His face falls at his own words, his face reddening in embarrassment. "That is- I mean that's only if you want. I wouldn't take you on a date if you didn't want to, that's totally fine."

The door to the study slams open just as he finishes rambling and you scream in fear, tightly gripping Spencer's hand and turning around expecting to find a middle aged balding creep, only to find a much sexier bald man, putting his gun back in his hostler. "Did you not hear us screaming for you? We thought he might have gotten to you before we found him. Ms. L/N, you're safe, we found him." Agent Morgan's gaze slowly trails to where your hand tightly grips Spencer's, and when he sees the flush on Spencer's face he makes a "Huh" noise, before walking out of the room once more.

taglist: @ineedtosusoutmyreadinglist

[piratefishmama]

Fake it Till you Make it | Part 16

Watching Eddie scope out his surroundings was… a sight to behold. He didn’t just walk from room to room like any normal person would, no, much like an adventurer, cautiously taking in their surroundings in a new place, in a new dungeon, stretching his neck to look around corners before stepping fully around them, gently touching walls to balance himself as he stretched.

Walking with his heel off the floor, quiet as a church mouse, going from room to room, appraising each one with varying sounds of approval while Steve watched in fond amusement.

It didn’t escape him, how lucky he was. How lucky he’d gotten, how rare it was for people like him, for people like Eddie, to feel comfortable enough to just be in a place that his parents also occupied. That running into his father on the second floor, midway through twirling Eddie from the master bedroom on one side of the hallway to the other where another door awaited his eager exploration, wouldn’t result in some kind of fight, that neither he, nor Eddie, had to hide who they were and what they were doing.

It didn’t escape him that he was lucky. Not just in the freedom he had either, but that he got to see Eddie comfortable. Got to see him light up like Christmas had come early, got to witness the exact moment downstairs when he’d relaxed in Steve’s space.

When he’d taken in all that stood before him and found comfort in it. Steve knew he was lucky that he got to see that. So he wasn’t about to take it for granted.

He wasn’t going to squander the opportunity to make the most of it. Of Eddie’s childish glee. Even if it was all based on a ruse. It was a mutual ruse. A ruse they were both aware of. There was no unfortunate reveal waiting at the end of the tunnel, no high school drama where some asshole pulled the wool from someone’s eyes to reveal none of it was real!!

He was going to make it as real as physically possible, and hopefully… just… continue. After the holiday. Maybe a conversation could happen to clear up any possible misunderstandings but… Steve wanted. He wanted the ultimate nerd currently scoping out the bedroom closest to the home theatre.

“We don’t want this one” Steve advised, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest as Eddie poked the mattress with a single finger, as if that would accurately test the quality of the mattress, as he’d been doing for each room. “The home theatre doesn’t have proper sound proofing, if someone wants to watch a film later, we’ll be able to hear it through the walls.” It’d been a solid DIY job on his grandfathers part.

No professional involved, just ‘yeah I can do that, stand back Mags, let a man work’ and that was that. He'd even put it on the second floor, absolute madman.

Steve always pictured his grandmother just standing there, in the same pose he was currently standing in, watching with fond exasperation as her husband went to work on a project he was deeply inexperienced in, and completely unqualified to tackle.

The fact that it looked good in there was a miracle.

“Okay so, not this room, not the bunk bed room, and not the hot tub room, that leeeaves—”

“Master bedroom, or either of the two on the right side of the house.” The options were actually limited when other people were staying, if it were just him and Eddie they could have any room they wanted, but with his parents there it cut down the options.

“Tch, why’d you have me explore all of em then! We should probably just take the master bedroom, right? Since it’s apparently your house, oh great and powerful Master” Steve raised a brow as Eddie dipped into a low bow, theatrical as ever, his tone teasing, his hair bouncing around his face as he righted himself again. Cute.

“Hmm, you looked like you were having fun, you’re cute when you’re having fun.” And his cheeks coloured so nicely whenever he was complimented, hid behind his hair in a way that made Steve’s heart do a funny little flip flop, he’d file that information away for later, continuing on as if he hadn’t just dropped a flirty bomb on the other man “but you’re right, we should probably just take that one, it does have its own private deck…” oh the things they could do on that private deck. If it were all real. “Usually I let my parents have it buuut…” he had company this time. He’d have more than enough of an excuse to get the private deck, even if he wasn’t going to use it for anything other than relaxing. He had a reason to want a little privacy. “I’m sure they’ll understand us wanting it more.”

Eddie rolled with it, quickly recovering with the out Steve had created for himself, or maybe the guy was just so smooth he didn’t even realise he was flirting. That was definitely it. “Or they’ll think they understand us wanting it more” Eddie winked all conspiratorially, which only served to make Steve laugh leaving Eddie looking upon what he’d done in pride. He made Steve laugh. He did that. He’d done that a few times and honestly the high kept staying pretty fucking high.

How had he been so wrong about Steve for so goddamn long? How long had Steve been this glorious thing, like sunshine in human form?

“Exactly” Steve chuckled before pushing himself away from the doorframe “let’s go get our bags then, our shit wont unpack itself.”

“Actually could you get them? I… I should probably call Wayne, let him know I’m safe. It’s not too late there so he should still be home, is that okay? I don’t wanna leave it too late and have to go through reception at the plant, it’s… not great.” Nine times out of ten he wound up speaking to one of the three other Wayne’s working there.

“Yeah, there’s a private line in the room, you go ahead, I’ll grab the bags.”

“My Herculean hero” it wasn’t even remotely fair how badly Steve wanted to kiss him for how little he did to earn it.

“Yer very quiet, Ed, considerin you called me.” He’d gotten through to Wayne after three rings, reassuring him about his safety had been the first thing on the agenda as he got comfortable on the frankly unnecessarily large king sized bed, but then Steve returned to the room with their bags.

All of their bags. In one go, and Eddie’s brain kind of short circuited. “Huh?”

“Yer quiet, somethin the matter?”

“Steve is carrying everything all at once.” It earned a scoff from the man on the phone, and an amused smile from Steve. “It’s awfully distracting, I dunno what to tell you, Wayne I am very distracted.” Steve’s smile only widened

“Uh huh, well, I’ll let you get on then, gotta head out soon anyway, money ain’t gonna make itself. You sure everythin’s alright though? No red flags?”

“Nah… all green flags here, they’re… they’re nice, y’know?” He hadn’t expected it, so many stories of rich people being awful, but… they were just two extremely hard working people who’d had their hard work pay off. Even on holiday they were still working, it was both exhausting to watch, and deeply admirable. Eddie could never. “I’ll call you again tomorrow to check in.”

“I’ll be waitin. Be safe, son.”

“Say hi to Garfield for me” there was a short laugh on the other end, before the line cut off, leaving Eddie smiling as he put the phone down

“Who’s Garfield?” Steve asked, “other than the fat cat.”

“He’s the fat cat shaped mug I can no longer drink from after the great mug smashing of ’86. That stupid earthquake killed him, but we had superglue, so it was fine, just can’t drink out of him anymore cause he’s fragile.” No amount of superglue could fix the tiny areas they hadn’t been able to fill in with pieces, slivers of pot lost to the dark underside of the cabinets. “Need any help?”

“Nah, you just sit there an look pretty for me.” It had the desired effect, Eddie’s eyes widening, a pretty blush blossoming on his cheeks and the final kicker, he hid behind his hair. Adorable. Perfect. Beautiful. Had they actually been dating he’d have pressed pause on the unpacking, instead, he snipped that last thread holding Eddie’s composure in place with a smoothly delivered “just like that, yeah, God, you’re such a good boy.”

The consequences were immediate.

Part 18

[asagaciousmind]

TOUR THOUGHTS

Saw the Les Miserables Tour at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto on May 21 2024; here are my thoughts (Long read, sorry I have a lot of feelings)

Prologue/Look Down/Valjean's Soliloquy

We got like, holographic waves crashing and the men are rowing a boat LIKE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE it's awesome

Oh my god the pipes on the background actors were so good. THE SUN IS STRONG ITS HOT AS HEEELLL BELOW

I miss Javert's stupid guard hat. Was bareheaded as he gave Valjean his yellow ticket

PETIT GERVAIS?????????? Valjean steals a little boy's coin when he's roaming the countryside 😭

Randy Jeter as the Bishop blew me away. Not just his voice but his acting was FANTASTIC every single movement was like. I am an old bishop. This is how an old bishop moves. Idk idk it was really good

Nick Cartell did a great job w Valjean overall, but I totally loved him as pre-MsurM Valjean the most. He acts like a feral animal, grabbing the wine out of the nun's hands and the bread from the priest all hunched over and practically snarling - very very cool and awesome

At the End of the Day

Not a negative but when we went to At the End of the Day there was very minimal lighting and my first thought was Oh no the lighting broke hope they fix it and we don't have to have a brief intermission but then when they went 'At the end of the day there's another day dawning' the lights went up and I was like OHHHHHHHHHHHH so that's just me not understanding lighting direction

Foreman killed it, so did all of the factory workers I love all the interactions and ad-libbing in the background it makes me so happy to see

Every time I saw a tall graceful ensemble member I was like '"That's Kyle Adams" and 8/10 times I was right. Otherwise it was Daniel Gerard Bittner

I Dreamed A Dream

OKKKK VOCALS???? Haley Dortch has such a beautiful, clear, emotional sound and she left not a dry eye in the house. Literally the second intermission hit my parents and myself were like. Holy shit dude what about that Fantine

I got her autograph after the show and she was so so sweet 🥺 She accidentally messed up her signature and had to redo it and was apologising to me and I was like GIRL you brought the house down you could stab me right now and I'd be like 'Thanks have a good one'

Lovely Ladies / Fantine's Arrest

Bamatabois (David Andino) was a standout performance, really chewed the scenery and I adored every second he was on stage (Plus his costume was fantastic)

The other girls defending Fantine 🥺

I like that after the police show up and they basically arrest all of the ladies and pimps, regular well-off citizens come out to witness Valjean defending Fantine from Javert. Thought it was a nice touch

Fantine's Death

My first and only cry of the evening, Haley Dortch no one does it like you

The Confrontation

If you've heard me talk about the confrontation you'll know that I absolutely hate the new chain choreography, HOWEVER. I really really liked it this time. Preston in particular gave it a lot of physicality that I enjoyed

Nick Cartell is a little guy and I don't really believe that his Valjean managed to knock out Preston's Javert

For some reason the percussion was really loud and I could barely hear the vocals so I don't have many thoughts on them

Master of the House / Waltz of Treachery

MATT CROWLE YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS

Both Thenardiers were fantastic, not a crazy amount of ad-libbing but when they did they made it count ("BYE, BAGUETTE")

Madame in particular was hilarious

Master of the House is very busy in a good way, everywhere you look interesting things are happening. Another number where the ensemble shines and you can tell everyone is having a blast

The Bargain was funny as hell, Thenardier tells Cosette to die in his arms and she goes limp when he's saying she's 'often been ill'

Valjean gives Cosette Catherine!

Look Down / The Robbery

Gavroche was super charismatic and confident, really great child actor (Milo Maharlika)

Eponine tosses Marius' book across the stage and he goes "I like the way you always ... tease 😐" They're such cute friends together

After Enjolras and the boys are done their preaching Enjolras gets stopped by a policeman and is told off 😭

During the robbery Montparnasse keeps Marius away by brandishing his little knife at him which I thought was cute

Also! Montparnasse is the only member of Thenardier's gang to escape during the Robbery!!! Which is a nice Brick reference

After Thenardier's 'In the absense of a victim' spiel he does this exact pose

Gavroche's little 'Clear the streets' 🫡moment is so cute

Stars

God I love Preston Truman Boyd

His Javert is so stalwart and reserved and dedicated, he's kind of robocop and it really really works, and you get to see just a smidge of vulnerability peek out in this song

ABC Cafe / Red and Black

I DON'T REMEMBER A LOT bare with me

Grantaire was absolutely the standout. Slapped Marius' butt with his coat. Stuck his wine bottle dick in Enjolras' face. Offered Combeferre a sip of his wine (who reluctantly accepted). Blew a kiss at Enjolras

Kyle Adams physicality is probably my favourite aspect of his Grantaire - he moves very assuredly, like a cat, in a way that is like okay he's drunk but he's so used to being drunk that his stumbling is more like dancing. I remember reading a fic that described Grantaire's movements in a similar way and I wonder if that was one of the fics Kyle took inspiration from?

OOH they did the wine bottle keep-away thing with Grantaire and Marius which I didn't know they still did so that was exciting

J.T Wood is such a cute Joly I love his voice

In Do You Hear the People Sing Grantaire grabs a gun and holds it at arms-length like it has cooties before handing it off to another student

Combeferre waves the flag both times (Here and in One Day More) and I'm not sure if it's always Combeferre who does that or if it's because Andrew Marks Maughan is clearly the most physically strong of the Barricade Boys

In My Life / A Heart Full of Love

Delaney Guyer is a really good Cosette in that she has a gorgeous voice and also has a lot of personality and actually reacts to things going on around her

Marius (who was played by Christopher James Tamayo for this performance) is such a cute little nerd. You can see him try to figure out what he's going to do, then he throws a rock at Cosette's window and kind of cringes at the noise - he's so unsure of himself and awkward

Cosette is very excited that he's here and closes the window right away, which prompts Marius' 'I'm doing everything all wrong!' until she reappears downstairs and they get to be cute dorks in love

Attack on Rue Plumet

I don't remember a lot but I DO remember that Eponine was really good here

When Valjean is like 'Tomorrow we'll away' Cosette goes 'WHAT? NO!'

David Andino is so good as Babet he is a chronic scene stealer at this point

One Day More

If you know Another thing about me you know I hate the One Day More box-step but it actually did not bug me this time. They put Grantaire next to Enjolras for the marching portion which is cute

On My Own

Holy shit Mya Rena Hunter delivered the most heartbreaking and powerful rendition of this I've ever heard

The Barricade

Loved Feuilly in his little part

Javert is a good spy. If I didn't know the plot of Les Mis I would've been like Holy shit that's Javert? Crazy. I love him drawing the 'plans' he'd overheard into the ground with a stick

Gavroche flipping Javert off >>>>>

Buff Combeferre is one of the two to drag Javert away to be tied up lol

A Little Fall of Rain

The only version of ALFoR that actually made me feel something

Marius and Eponine get a lot of time to be cute together before the barricade actually notices that she's dying - and Gavroche is the first to notice and gets a front row seat to her death which is heartbreaking

The First Attack

Grantaire's "AND SO THE WAR WAS WON!" was sooo scathingly sarcastic

Javert waited, like, 30 seconds to leave after Valjean freed him, with his back almost against the barrel of Valjean's gun as if he were hoping to be shot

When the gun went off the entire barricade abruptly snapped their heads to look at Valjean and the audience laughed 😭

Telling Valjean 'Well done' for shooting a tied up hostage is a strange choice

Drink With Me

I still hate 'For certain as the eagle flies' I think it's the dumbest line in the entire musical

Grantaire's part was very grand - His voice has like noticeably changed at this point in the musical to give it a sort of hoarse hopeless quality to it which absolutely hits you in the feels

Enjolras comforted him and I swear Grantaire let his hand linger on his cheek for a few seconds longer than normal before pushing him away

Gavroche hugged Grantaire from behind and Grantaire couldn't even turn around at first because he was so distraught and kind of blindly reached for him 😭

Chris Tamayo's Marius is such a poor little meow meow

Bring Him Home

Absolutely jaw-dropping performance from Nick Cartell

He sings Bring Him Home like it's a lullaby - which it's supposed to be

I don't exaggerate when I say that the applause went on for about a minute straight, and was the loudest of the night by far

Death of Gavroche / The Final Battle

Oh poor thang

Grantaire near the end of Gavroche's singing was turned away facing the audience like he knew Gav was going to die and couldn't bear to watch 🥺

Later on in the final battle Grantaire spends most of the time next to Gavroche's body in like a catatonic state

The SPOTLIGHTS representing BULLETS as Les Amis died almost made me lose it

Grantaire dies last, I'm sure he said something before he started climbing the barricade but I couldn't hear it 😭He and Enjolras still have their moment over Marius' body

The Sewer

Javert comes across Enjolras' cart-carried body (Still hate the cart but I can learn to appreciate it) and looks a bit uncomfortable

Then he stumbles upon Gavroche's corpse, kneels, and does the sign of the cross over him

Almost made me cry ngl

DOG EATS DOG WAS SO GOOD I LOVED IT

Javert looked like he wanted to shoot Valjean as he walked away with Marius

Javert's Suicide

HOOOOOOLYYYY SHIIIIITTTTT

It was so good

Preston Truman Boyd you will always be famous I fully believe that Javert had completely lost his mind at this point in the play

I don't have many thoughts on the rest but I loved Marius and Cosette reading Valjean's confession as he walked away with Fantine - and the Bishop hugging him as he arrives in heaven

Also Kyle Adams as Major Domo mincing about the stage in The Wedding was an absolute delight

Am very sleepy now but overall 10/10 I love this cast so much

[wukong-s-only-wife5000]

Let’s keep that Mac love going can I request “he asks you out” from the master list? Gotta love The Emo Monkie manss😂💜🖤

Gladly. :3 Hope you enjoy! First Date.

______________________________________

“Hey, Macaque,” your voice startled him. 

“(Y/n), hey, you're here early,” he managed his charming smile at the sight of you. He wore casually appropriate clothes for movies, his hoodie was up, hiding his ears and the majority of his head.

“MK said it was important, but seeing that we’re in front of a movie theatre, I was obviously tricked into having friend time,” you rolled your eyes. “What are you doing here?” you smiled at him, his world felt like it had frozen solid even though his face felt like it was on fire. 

“Oh, well…” He lost his voice. He couldn't remember why he was there for a second, but collected himself and cleared his throat. “MK invited me too,”

“Oh, cool,” you smiled at him then turned your attention to your phone as it went off. 

It was MK texting you to let you know he was on his way, but running late. Luckily for him, you didn't have a busy day, so you didn't mind waiting a bit for him. Especially now that it meant having Macaque as your company for an extended period of time. You stole a glance at him to find he was already studying you with a somewhat content expression. 

“What?” you smiled awkwardly at him, to which made him clear his throat and look away. 

“Nothing,” he tried to play it off as nothing even though his heart was skipping beats in his chest. “You just, um… look nice,” was his lame excuse, even though he did think you looked pretty.

“Thanks,” you glanced away to hide your blush. “MK said he's a bit delayed, so there's that,”

“Hm,” he nodded as he took in this new information. Not really something he didn't already know, he was the reason they were delayed in the first place, after all.

“I know we should wait for the others, but we can get something light to munch on while we wait.”

“That's fine,” he gave a nod. 

You and Macaque walked into the theatre and got in the short line at the cafeteria section. You both had looked over the menu in the hope to get a light appetizer while you waited for MK and the others. It was silent between you both, but not an awkward silence. You both unnoticeably stole glances at each other till you caught each other’s gaze, to which you both looked away with blushes.

Once your appetizers were ordered and collected, you found an empty seat in the waiting area and sat down. Silence took over the two of you once more. You spent a good five minutes looking towards the entrance in hopes to see the group, but had no such luck.

“So, (Y/n),” Macaque’s voice snapped you out of whatever trance you were previously in.

“Yeah?” you looked up at him with a curious smile. 

“I was wondering if maybe…” his hesitance caught your interest. 

“Yeah…?” you encouraged him to continue, which he did.

“I was wondering if you'd wanna do this again sometime…?” he asked. “With me… alone.”

“Like…”

“Like a date,” he nodded slightly and looked away to hide his embarrassment, which you thought was cute. 

“Like… a date date?”

“Yeah, a date date,” he nodded sheepishly. 

He’s too cute! You internally squealed before collecting yourself. 

“As long as you promise it's gonna be a shadow play,” you teased. He looked at you with a dorky smile. “I'd like that a lot.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” you couldn't stop smiling at him. “I really liked the one with the Warrior, the one with the Goddess was nice too,”

“I bet,” he chuckled deeply and shook his head at your antics. It was no question about it, he was so smitten with you. “Tomorrow then?”

“I'm free,” you smiled at him. You were now, anyway. “You have my number, let me know when to get ready,” you added, then glanced around as people started crowding. “This place is starting to wake up, where are those idiots?”

“No clue,” he shrugged, but he smirked to himself at the thought of how ticked Monkey King must be at that moment. 

“I'm hungry, let's get something to eat before the lines start to get long. Then we should catch a movie,”

“I could eat,” Macaque said as he lazily followed behind you. “Wait, a movie?”

“Yeah, who knows how long till they get here, I'm not gonna just wait around,” you stated and looked at him with a mischievous smile. “We can call it a practice date.”

That made him laugh.

“You get the food, I'll get the tickets,”

“Sounds good!” you grinned and once you decided on what to watch, and he told you what he wanted to eat, you divided to conquer.

Let’s just say… the unexpected practice date was a lot better than you'd thought it would be.

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

Note: another jealous!Sihtric request, thank you, anon! :)

Warnings: 18+! smut/suggestive, jealousy, mention of alcohol.

pairing: Modern!Sihtric x you (f)

summary: Sihtric was your best friend, and you didn't know he was in love with you. So when he got all jealous and territorial, you didn't understand him.

wordcount: 2,4k

Masterlist

'She's with me!'

You: any plans for the weekend?

Sihtric: nope

You: wanna go see a movie?

Sihtric: yep

Sihtric was so easy going and down for anything, you loved it. The short haired Dane had been your best friend for years, since you had met him at Finan's birthday party one day. You thought he was incredibly handsome, but he was in a relationship when you first met, so you never tried anything. But you both just loved how you had many things in common. 

A few months after you had met, Sihtric's relationship ended, but you were going on dates with other men every now and then, and as Sihtric never showed you that he had any romantic feelings for you, you just left it at being friends.

But you were both very single as of late, and you often went to see a movie together in the city. After that, he'd drive you home and you'd talk for hours in his car, or on your couch, before he went home himself. And you expected tonight would be just the same.

'Pretty lady,' Sihtric whistled when you opened the door, always being a flirt.

'Shut up,' you snorted and locked the door behind you.

'What are you all dressed up for? I thought we're just seeing a movie?'

'Well, yeah. But I saw this dress as I was clearing out my closet and it had the tag still attached. I had to wear it someday,' you said, 'why? Too much?'

'No,' Sihtric smiled and bit down on his lip when you looked away, 'not at all.'

'Well that sucked,' you laughed as you walked out of the movie theatre, 'nice one, Sihtric.'

'Well I'm sorry,' he laughed as hard as you did, 'I had no idea it would be this bad.'

'It literally said from the creators of Sharknado, and you didn't even consider the fact it might be… you know, just as bad?'

'Hey, I liked Sharknado!'

'Of course you did,' you rolled your eyes, 'I need a drink after this, I swear. Let's go to the pub,' you said.

Sihtric stopped walking and looked at you.

'You serious? You want to grab a drink now?'

'Hmm… why not?' you smiled, 'we never do that actually, why?'

'I don't know,' Sihtric shrugged, 'we just don't?'

Sihtric knew very well why he never had a drink with you in the city. You were simply drop dead gorgeous, and Sihtric was head over heels in love with you. He had been ever since the day he met you, and broke up with his ex because of you, but he never dared to make his move and was content with being your friend. More or less. 

Whenever you went to the movies together, Sihtric noticed how many men, and women, eyed you up, and it angered him. He knew you would get a lot of attention if he took you to a pub now, and he also knew he would not handle it well. But now that you said you wanted to get a drink, he would take you for a drink. Anything to spend just another moment longer with you.

'Well, I'm all dressed up anyway,' you laughed, 'so why not? But you're buying because you made me sit through that horrible movie.'

'Fine,' Sihtric huffed with a smile.

And soon enough you stepped into a packed pub. Apparently the World Cup was going on, and England played against Denmark tonight.

'Shit,' you yelled over the loud drunk cheers, 'it's crowded here! And loud!'

'It's crowded and loud everywhere,' Sihtric said as he circled his arm around your waist, and leaned in to make you hear him, 'it's the weekend and they show football everywhere right now. We can go home if you want?' he tried to change your mind.

'No,' you shook your head, 'let's join this madness.' 

You laughed and took his hand, dragging him along with you into the crowded pub. 

Sihtric was going to have a rough night pretending not to be in love with you.

Sihtric handed you a drink and you noticed how he stood awfully close to you ever since you had entered the pub. Yes, it was crowded, but not that crowded. You weren't complaining though. Sihtric looked good tonight, just like any night really, with his hair recently cut and the sides shaved, showing off that sexy tattoo he had on his neck that ran up to above his ear. He was dressed in a simple shirt, showing off his toned arms, and he wore black jeans with sneakers underneath. And you accidentally matched, as you were dressed in a little black dress, showing off your legs and those new heels you recently bought.

'Do you even like football?' you yelled in his ear as he held you close.

'Not really,' Sihtric shrugged lightly to apologise, to which you smiled.

'Then I'll find someone else to cheer with!' you yelled and stepped away from him, in between the drunk football supporters.

Sihtric watched you carefully from a close distance, and he saw how you got offered one drink after another. His blood simply boiled whenever some guy pulled you in for a hug, or how they wrapped their arms around you as you all cheered when England scored a goal. 

And he had enough of it. 

Sihtric moved into the crowd, towards you, harshly shoving a few men away with his shoulder as he reached you and ended up standing next to you, his arm around your waist, pulling your side against his chest.

'Hey?' you frowned with a smile, not minding his embrace at all, but it surprised you, 'you okay?'

'Yeah,' Sihtric said as he looked around, seeing if he had to keep any other men away from you, 'you seem to be getting a lot of attention, miss. Just checking if it's not unwanted.'

'I'm fine, Sihtric,' you chuckled and looked up at him, and you noticed that something in his eyes had changed.

His eyes were always soft when he was with you. Kind and friendly, sometimes you even thought you saw a sudden spark in them when he listened to your endless rambling. But now, his mismatched eyes were dark and hard. There was a certain fire in them, and you didn't know what had lit it, or why, and you felt he held you even tighter against his chest when another man offered you a drink.

'If she wants a drink, I'll be the one to buy her,' Sihtric said sternly, not even giving you a moment to answer, and the stranger turned away from you.

'Damn,' you snorted, 'jealous much?' you grinned at the Dane.

Sihtric looked down into your eyes and clenched his jaw, but said nothing. Instead, his eyes trailed down to your lips, and something suddenly changed in the air as he had both arms around your waist now.

You noticed Sihtric leaned in, and without thinking, you did the same. But then a man bumped into you, pushing you away from Sihtric, and he spilled his beer over your bare legs and brand new shoes. Sihtric was quick to step back to you, pulling you against his chest while the man quickly apologised numerous times for drenching you with his drink.

'I am so, so sorry,' the man said, 'please, let me buy you a drink.'

'Oh,' you smiled, a little embarrassed, 'eh, sure-'

'She's with me!' Sihtric cut you off and pulled you with him towards the toilets, through the warm and loud crowd.

'Sihtric, what the hell?' you laughed, almost tripping over your heels because he walked too fast.

Sihtric closed the door to the toilets and grabbed as many paper towels as he could, while giving you a hard stare by looking at you as he looked in the mirror above the sink.

'Hey, what got into you?' you frowned at his sudden behaviour.

Sihtric said nothing, instead he kneeled down and took off one of your heels, cleaning your leg up as best as he could before he cleaned your shoe. And he repeated the same action on your other leg and shoe, until you were beer-free again.

Sihtric helped you back into your heels and you felt your cheeks heat up, as it was almost a Cinderella moment, you thought.

'Sihtric,' you said, 'say something? Why are you so… territorial?'

'Because men are looking at you,' he muttered as he threw the soaked paper towels in a bin, 'without any fucking respect.'

'What?' you scoffed, 'I- I'm sorry, but I really don't understand how that is your problem? Why do you get so worked up over that all of the sudde-'

'Because I want you!' Sihtric hissed and pinned you against the wall.

'W-what?' you breathed, his body pressed against yours as he stared down into your eyes, 'what the fuck are you talking about?'

 'I… want… you,' he said slowly, almost threatening with the way he was all up in your face.

'Sihtric… since when are you like this? Or is this what you are usually like when you go out to a pub? No wonder your ex dumped you then, fucking hell,' you scoffed.

'I broke up with her!' Sihtric almost snarled, taking your face in his hands, 'because I couldn't keep my eyes off you,' he said, breathing down your mouth.

You looked at him, speechless, you didn't understand where this was coming from. But at the same time, you couldn't deny your own feelings for him either.

'Since… since when is this...' you stammered, and you felt his hands trail down your body, to your hips. And a pleasant feeling it was when he gave you a tug, pulling your hips firmly against his body.

'It's been this way ever since we first met,' Sihtric whispered and leaned his forehead against yours.

You stared into each other's eyes, until Sihtric simply couldn't keep himself together anymore. He took your hand, pulling you out of the toilets and back into the crowded pub, out the door. . And you didn't ask any questions, you knew what was going to happen and you had been desperate for it. Just like Sihtric. 

Without a single word being said, you both got into his car and he drove you home, where you took his hand, dragging him with you towards your front door. And as soon as you had closed the door behind you, Sihtric picked you up in his arms, pushing your back up against the door as his lips finally crashed into yours, and his heated kiss made your head spin with regret that you never confessed your feelings for him earlier.

You kissed until you both ran out of breath, and took him to your bedroom, where Sihtric wasted no time in ripping off your clothes and you did the same to him. He picked you up again and threw you on your bed, and he was fast to climb on top of you. You kissed him eagerly, pulling his hair and biting his lips, which turned Sihtric into a wild beast. He growled and grabbed your wrists, sat back on his heels and pulled you up to him. You only communicated through soft moans, deep breaths and loud groans, which only intensified when you finally guided his hard length inside you. And you fucked, hard. 

Both in love while also being hurt, and angry; both upset at yourself for hiding your feelings. For having to suffer through seeing each other with other people, while all you really wanted was to be together. And you both felt you had wasted years of your life, which you now had to make up for.

Sihtric flipped you over on your back and threw your legs over his shoulder as he thrusted into you, hard and fast, holding your thighs in a bruising grip. He simply had to fuck you relentlessly now. He'd make love to you later, when you had both calmed down after everything. Sihtric just needed you to know what he was capable of, that he could handle you, that he could please you. And he simply wanted to finally hear you scream his name as well.

You moaned loud at the new position he took you in, your back arched as Sihtric kept up his pace. His teeth bared and his eyes fixated on you, enjoying the way he had you now and how you seemed to love it all the same.

'Fucking cum for me, love,' Sihtric growled out of breath as he neared his own climax.

You couldn't bring out anything that made sense, and just before you felt the overwhelming, pleasant feeling you had longed for all these years, Sihtric pulled you back up to him. And you straddled his lap, just in time to feel him finish inside you with a deep, heavy moan as his fingers tangled in your hair and his lips rested against yours. You fucked him through his high as you reached your own, and you both fell back on the bed, wrapped in each other's arms, completely out of breath. And sore.

You laid there, all sweaty and cuddled up for minutes, until you both came down from your high and your heartbeats slowed back a normal pace.

'Fuck,' you sighed, and looked up at Sihtric, who was still more or less panting, his hair sticking to his sweaty forehead, and his tongue stuck out slightly between his parted lips.

He looked down at you, exhausted, but a half smile appeared on his face along with the sound of a chuckle.

'Yeah,' he breathed, 'that sure was a fuck.'

And you both laughed, until you knew the situation had to be addressed, and you had to gather the courage to bring it up.

'Where do we go from here?' you asked after a while.

Sihtric hummed, sleepily, while he traced his rough fingertips over your bare back as you rested your chin upon his chest.

'I just want to be with you,' he whispered, 'for you to be mine. I can't stand it anymore, seeing you with someone else. And if… if you don't want to be with me, then that's okay. I can't force you, but... then I can't keep seeing you,' he sighed, 'I can't keep pretending that I'm not in love with you, that it doesn't hurt me that you're not mine. That you're not my girl. I can't be just friends anymore, I'm… I'm sorry-'

'I don't want to be just friends anymore either,' you whispered as your fingertips drew meaningless figures on his neck, 'we've been pretending for far too long already.'

'Then be mine,' Sihtric said as he slowly sat up, cupping your cheeks, 'be mine only,' he smiled sweetly and nuzzled your nose before he kissed your lips, gently this time, 'just say it, my love. You know I'm yours already.'

'And I am yours, Sihtric,' you smiled, looking up into his mismatched eyes. And you saw that spark again, which you had seen so many times before, but you only understood it now; the fire inside him only burned for you.

taglist: @clairacassidy @finanmoghra @uunotheangel @hb8301 @bathedinheat @neonhairspray @anaeve @bubblyabs @travelingmypassion @sylas-the-grim @bubbles-for-all-of-us @andakth @bel-bottoms @willowbrookesblog @lady-targaryens-world @skyofficialxx @diosademuerte @elle4404 @alexagirlie @sweetxime @solango @gemini-mama @cheyennep3107 @little-diable @jennifer0305 @drwstarkeyy

[ingravinoveritas]

Hello, I hope you are doing well!! I am going to add into the growing pile of asks in your inbox, but I need to get this out of my system!! Seeing these new images (and the season 3 announcement) has watered my crops, cleared my skin and all that jazz ✨🌟 both of them look soo happy and soppy and smitten and I really can't stop smiling at those pics... They radiate warmth (and are a far cry from the last pics of MS we got) and the best thing is, the people around them are looking like '😏😏 yes homo 🏳️‍🌈? If it is then good for them, good for them' (I even edited the pics XD)

Would love to hear more of your thoughts on this and I hope you have a nice holiday season (if you celebrate). Cheers 🥂

(Grouping these all together for ease of answering.)

Good lord, my inbox has completely blown up since last night. I can see we've all been greatly affected by the photo(s) of Michael and David at the Donmar, and there is surely much to discuss.

I think I am losing my shit just slightly too, so I am with you, @enchantingdefendorarbiter. What a joyous turn of events--opening night of Macbeth and Michael in (almost) the front row watching David with rapt attention, and someone somehow capturing the exact moment when they lock eyes from across the room in a "movie moment" made into genuine reality.

When I first saw the picture last night, I was so struck by the intimacy of it. Part of me wonders if this is due to the actual space--the Donmar is such a small theatre that lends itself to intimacy just by its nature, with the audience being so close to the stage and the performers. But there is no denying the intimacy that exists between Michael and David themselves--deep friendship, certainly, yes, but after looking at this photo, unquestionably the possibility of more.

As I've said before, I will not ever tell anyone that they have to ship Michael and David. It is absolutely correct for people to look at this picture and see best friends, because they are best friends. But being best friends and falling in love aren't mutually exclusive, nor does the possibility become closed off just because both of them are in other relationships.

So, intimacy. Another thing that intimacy can mean is feeling comfortable enough to show your feelings openly. That was what also struck me about last night, was that this was so public, and yet we got this (non-staged, non-planned) picture of Michael and David looking at each other ostensibly the same way they do when they're alone together. In this instance, maybe they thought no one was paying attention, but more significantly, they don't seem to care either way.

I think we think of "being in love" as this big, grand thing that exists the way it does in the movies. But in real life, being in love isn't just one specific thing, or specifically saying "I am in love with you." Being in love can also be I am looking at you like this right now because I don't know any other way to look at you. And that can be in private, or it can be in the middle of a crowded theatre, proudly letting the world see what you feel without apology.

(I also agree with you, @yami-no-kokoro, that the new pictures of Michael (which to answer your question @angelsandfelines are indeed from last night) are worlds away better than the ones we saw of him at a previous event. I am never not moved by the difference between Michael smiling his 'showbiz' smile versus smiling his real, genuine smile, and I love that that's what we got last night and that he was beaming so brightly because of David.)

To your comment, @phantomstars24, I could very much see that as well. Because last night felt and still feels like it was David and Michael's night. It felt like something took center stage in a new and painfully lovely way. It felt like Michael could go to David's dressing room with flowers and wine, and that they could sit on the couch and snog slowly and sweetly while Michael holds David in his arms and no one would blink a damn eye. And that is truly a beautiful thing.

So yes, those are my additional thoughts on the Macbeth press night. I have to do some traveling today, but I will try my best to answer the other Asks still waiting in my inbox. Thank you all for writing in and sharing your thoughts! x

[jeniuyn]

KISS ME ✮ 1610! miles x fem reader

summary: y/n is one of the most popular girls at Visions Academy, so everyone thinks it's weird when she starts hanging out with the weird new kid... (just a ton of fluff lol)

a/n: my first post and i barely proofread this, sorry if it's bad LMAO

Everyone knew about the new kid Miles Morales. Miles had made quite the name for himself during his first few weeks at Vision Academy. Ever since everyone saw the incident between him and the new student Gwanda (hair incident lol), everyone steered clear of his direction. Rumor had it that he was even the reason for her sudden unenrollment from the school just a few days later.

You were one of the only very few people who didn’t believe this silly rumor. You had been partnered up with Miles a couple of times as lab partners and found him to actually be quite normal. He was surprisingly funny, nice, and actually kinda cute. During lectures he’d always crack jokes to you, resulting in you bursting into fits of giggles and being scolded by the teacher. Everyone questioned why one of the most popular girls at Visions Academy was smiling and blushing every time the new kid opened his mouth…

After a couple of weeks, you began to actually look forward to science class (a class you previously dreaded). You and Miles grew closer and closer and soon enough you found yourself taking extra time out of your day for your appearance before science. All your friends teased you for your little crush on the new kid, but nonetheless encouraged you to make a move. 

You took a deep breath and adjusted your hair before walking into class, taking a seat, at your and Mile’s shared table.“Hey Morales,” you said casually, Miles looked up from his sketchbook and took out his headphones, “Oh hey y/n, you’re here early.” He said quirking an eyebrow, “You look really nice today by the way, uh not that you don’t look nice every day but I mean you just look extra nice today. You got a date or something?” He asked trying to sound as casual as possible.

You giggled at his remark, “No, just wanted to put in the extra effort today…” You paused and looked up from the ground to meet his gaze, “Actually, I was actually wondering if you wanted to do something after school today…since it’s Friday I figured we could maybe go watch a movie or something.”

 Miles’ eyes widened, clearly flustered by the invitation, “Oh yeah sure I didn’t really have anything planned for tonight besides just staying in and playing video games with Gankee. There’s actually a horror movie playing that I really wanna see too.” He said with a hint of blush on his face.

Truth be told, you hated horror movies, but not wanting to fumble this amazing opportunity you decided not to say anything about it, “Okay cool! We can meet there around 7ish and grab snacks before the movie starts.”

Miles smiled. “Yeah cool.”

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

It was currently around 7:10 pm and Miles was nowhere to be seen. You stood in front of the movie theatre, looking a little too dolled up to be seeing a movie. You stared at your phone, Miles texted saying he’d be there in 5 minutes 15 minutes ago. Suddenly you saw Miles running full speed towards you, “S-Sorry I’m late I got caught up with something!” He panted, clearly out of breath. You playfully rolled your eyes, “Yeah yeah whatever, c’mon let’s just go and watch the movie.” You said before grabbing his hand and dragging him inside.

Throughout the movie, there was the occasional hand brushing and inching towards each other. Halfway through the movie, he saw you shivering and offered you his jacket, in which you happily accepted it with a shy thanks (it smelt like him lol). Sadly, just before Miles was going to make yet a move on you the movie came to an end. As you two were exiting the movie theatre you spotted a couple of boys who went to your school snickering and glaring at the two of you. 

“Damn, she’s wearing his jacket and everything it must be serious…” One of them said.

“How the hell did he pull her, he’s literally so weird” The other one said.

“What’s a girl like y/n doing with a guy like him…”

“She’s probably just using him for something I bet…”

Miles suddenly stopped talking and looked uncomfortably down at the floor. Your blood was boiling. Who the hell did these boys think they are? Suddenly, the perfect idea popped in your head.

“Miles can I kiss you?”

 His eyes widened and he turned beat red, “Uh what? You wanna kiss ME?”

“Yeah, we need a show these dickheads that they don’t know what they’re talking about…that and I also just really wanna kiss you..” The last part came out a little bashful.

Before you could say anything else, Miles crashed his lips against yours. It was pure euphoria, Miles tasted sweet and you quickly deepened the kiss. After half a minute or so, Miles pulled back.

“That should show them not to mess with us.” Miles said smugly

The boys stared at you both with wide eyes, you shot them a dirty look before pulling Miles by the hand towards the exit.

“Did you see the look on their faces? They looked so stupid!” You exclaimed, Miles nodded in agreement before the both of you burst into a small fit of laughter.

“That was really fun, we should do that again sometime,” Miles said, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“The movies or the kissing?” 

“Don’t play dumb y/n, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” 

You continued to play dumb, “Hmmm I really don’t know what you’re talking about Morales, I think you’re gonna have to show me.” You said smugly

“Oh yeah?” He asked before pulling you closer.

“Y-Yeah..” You said taken back by his sudden boost of confidence.

He pulled you into a deep kiss.

[dwreader]

iwtv pt 2 book vs. show

in the book the loumand courtship leading up to the sham trial feels like it takes place over a few weeks (???) but now that we know the show is extending that to more like 2 years, there's a lot more space for smaller dramatic arcs that help build to the climax. like in the book we pretty much immediately get one vibe from louis (horny for armand), one vibe from armand (horny for louis, wants claudia gone) and one vibe from claudia (hates the theatre/armand). loumand get together, madeline is made as a consolation for claudia and then the big climactic blow up.

idk what exactly the show's cooking but just from the trailers we've already seen multiple dynamics between claudia and theatre vampires. she's clearly excited watching their show and riding with them in the motorbike/mansion scene (there's also scene where they lift her in a chair and she's laughing some sort of initiation?), then her eventual annoyance with being tasked with dressing up as a doll and giving out flyers, and her diary entry where she's like fuck these vampires. in the earlier motorbike outing she gives louis a cute encouraging nod when he wants to stay outside to flirt with armand so how exactly that develops into the later anger towards them is again, way juicier to explore now that we have more breathing space. [which is again why i hope they don't rush these developments in favor of other less relevant flashbacks]

the feeling i got from the earlier released cafe clip is that claudia has grown a bit tired of louis latching onto her as his only sense of identity possibly because they've become so co-dependent during their harsh travels through europe, which matches nicely to book claudia wandering off alone at times and louis being confused/upset about it. that makes him easier prey for armand. so again how do we go from that to claudia feeling threatened by louis's relationship with armand after the initial encouragement?? this is all a lot more complicated than what's given to us in the book and hopefully a sign of better writing than what AR was capable of.

similarly loumand's courtship doesn't seem as straightforward as just them hooking up and killing claudia like armand basically wants her GONE right off the bat and doesn't wait long to do it. in the show, whatever's happening builds up over the course of years and while there is a clear courtship phase in the show, it also seems like loumand are in a real relationship for a while (and potentially with even a mini break up) before things finally come to blows. the rainy bench and museum bits seem to be the break up/goodbye but somehow these four end up happily drinking martinis before the trial (exact same clothes on claudia and madeline). wtf is going on??? did the break up happen as a result of claudia's accusation that he's choosing armand over her? is the making of madeline a reconciliation between both loumand and louis and claudia (also in book facilitated by armand's mind control)? it's potentially a good way to explore what i felt was an underdeveloped aspect of the book, that is why armand finally decides he has to kill claudia as opposed to just letting her and madeline leave town together.

that's not even getting into how and when madeline gets dragged into it cause the trailers haven't given us a lot of info on that. or what the hell is going on between louis and santiago since we've now gotten multiple hints in the trailers to focus our attention a bit more on that relationship. either way the relationships feel a lot more realistic where they go through sometimes contradictory spells of contentment and conflict rather than just point A to point B.

[a-gil-rebel]

Precision Cuts on AO3

Danny didn't know where to go at first. Sam and Tucker could only give him so much advice, so many supplies. He rubbed his thumb on the soft carpet of Sam's basement, an attempt at calming his nerves as Tucker double checked the backpack they made for him.

"Are you going to be okay all by yourself?"

"He doesn't have a choice Sam, we're too recognizable if we go with him. His parents will know where he is."

Tucker was right. He could avoid cameras, cover his face, hell, he could be invisible if he needed. But more people meant more people being looked for. At worst, a nationwide "kidnapping" scandal, and more reason for bringing him harm. He smiled, a confident bravado he was sure didn't look as hopeful as he liked.

"I'll be fine guys. I kept myself out of trouble before, I can do it again. If anything I can lay low in the Ghost Zone after I've recovered a bit."

Sam wrapped him a hug, loosening up at the sharp breath of pain that escaped. Tucker joined after a second, and it took all of Danny's remaining strength not to break down. Instead, he made sure to smile when the embrace broke. For himself or them, he wasn't sure yet.

"Tell Jazz I said goodbye, and thank you, and to be safe. I'll talk to you guys real soon okay." Danny's voice shook, and he knew he was stalling. But with sirens growing closer, he hoisted the backpack on his shoulders, feeling stiff. Some ghosts had volunteered to cause a distraction on the far side of town, but by the sound of things they must have already scattered than be caught like him.

Valarie was waiting out back. For all the times they butt heads, she couldn't help but stay silent as she got him out of town as quickly as he could.

"Be safe, ghost boy." Was the last thing Danny heard before leaving Amity Park for good.

---

The building he was squatting in for the foreseeable future had a few other 'tenants'.

"The landlord spent years making the living conditions bad enough to force us low income families out. Then bankrupted the building and bought a new one..."

In a more profitable side of town of course. They couldn't afford to move, so they just waited out the demolition the city wasn't willing to pay for, and moved back in as squatters like him. As he looked at the almost two year old in her mothers arms, he couldn't help but feel no one should have to live like this.

But what could he do? He hated how helpless he felt like this, hated hiding. Dana had been quick to invite him in when she found him nodding off in an alleyway on his first night in the city. She stuck up for him against some of the more untrusting squatters in the building, she had a good heart. She was a good mother.

Danny was lucky enough to not need to eat very often, so any food he get from handouts or shelters went straight to them and a few others in the building. He tried not to be too familiar, but they seemed nice enough for a city so ridden with crime.

But then, thats why he chose Gotham. A city full of oddballs, and just as full of vigilantes. He knew he'd be able to disappear in the crowd, and not worry about being anyone's hero. Still, he was surprised how hard it was to stay away from the crime.

If he tried to grab a snack from a convenience store, a trio of robbers-slash-kidnappers showed up to raz a Prince of Gotham, Tim Drake, only to be begrudgingly rescued by Red Hood. If he snuck into a movie for a little relaxation, Scarecrow pumped the theatre full of fear gas.

Actually, that one wasn't all bad. Apparently whatever is in that smoke was very nice to ghosts, and it was the most relaxed Danny had felt all week, even sitting invisible in the midst of the chaos as Red Robin and Orphan handled the situation.

The worst part about the constant crime was the fact his ghost sense could recognize people. Like how Red Robin was actually Tim. His senses cleared the second the gas was flushed out, and he recognized the soul he'd seen earlier in the week.

Groaning at the newfound knowledge, he walked undetected beyond the sudden chill in the air through to the walls of the theatre the same way he came, and headed home.

Using his powers drained him these days without a constant source of ecto, and his healing was still dragging its feet. Sam and Tucker had sent him with a thermos of the stuff they had salvaged from a few friendly denizens, which he was rationing out to himself un-optimistically. They'd take the time to scratch off his parents logo, which he was grateful for. Rubbing the scar on his face absentmindedly, Danny headed to his new 'home', trying to avoid any more excitement for the day.

---

Luckily for Danny, the only thing that stopped him getting home today was in the window of a jester-themed-toyshop. A $300, digital recording telescope. Mind rushing with ideas for plotting out a star map of the sky above Gotham, or recording the upcoming eclipse. His heart never stop wanting to learn about the stars, space, and the science of it all. He didn't have the cash but, well, when in Rome.

Danny stepped off the main street to wait till the shop closed, wrestling for a short while over exactly how ethical it really was. In the end, his need for hope, joy and downright whimsy overruled any guilt. He reasoned the store probably paid its employees poverty wages, considering it seemed to be a local chain.

It was always dark enough in Gotham to be night, something he hadn't been able to wrap his head around. Still, as night settled on the city and the shop clerk locked up, Danny made his way into the toyshop.

Reaching out his electrical 'field' to mess with nearby electronics, he picked his way through the store. He took his time, picking up items here and there, reminiscing about the childhood he never really had. Most of the family money went to his parents' projects, and occasionally food and clothing. Why spend it on toys for children when all the fun in the world could be had helping your parents go mad?

He was grateful in some ways to how he was raised, it drove his mind to be always looking and turning things around for answers, and his love for the sciences. But as he shuddered passing over a game of operation, he couldn't bring himself to feel remorse for escaping it all.

Focusing on the task at hand, he moved to the front window and hoisted the large telescope into his arms before turning it invisible as well. Walking a few blocks before switching back, Danny headed home, his heart filled with hope, if not a little guilt over lifting the item. He spent the night setting up his new find.

"If you're worried about the local night crew, don't."

Danny turned his head a bit quick at the woman standing in his doorway. It was Dana, up late over a fussy toddler. Danny relaxed and smiled as little Honey immediately ran over to the boxes, deciding it was the most imaginative toy possible. He couldn't help the warmth in his chest watching the child who doesn't yet know how much of life she's missing. Turning back to Dana, he asked, "Night crew?"

"The vigilantes." She nods out the window, and Danny caught a glimpse of two shadows dashing into town across the rooftops. "They aren't cops, sure. But that's a good thing in this city. They do their best to keep us safe from the worst of what Gotham offers. They aren't perfect, obviously." She gestures to the state she's been forced to live in.

"Is it true they don't have any powers?" Dana nodded.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if its a real law against Metas in Gotham, or if they just don't want to deal with the mess that is this city." She laughed, tired, and shook her head. "Even without powers, they look out for us. Especially that Red Hood, he stands up for the little guys like us against common thugs and wannabe villains."

Danny nodded in understanding, glad they seemed to have more than enough hands to hold the city together, the guilt in not being anyone's hero lifting off his shoulders.

Brought out of his thoughts at the feeling of cardboard smacking his knee, he found Baby Honey drooling on a piece of cardboard. She was pretending to be some kind of.... horse? Maybe a dog? Either way, before Dana could apologize and pull her back, he played along, slowly and dramatically falling over to his death.

Honey thought it the most hilarious thing she'd seen in her many years, squealing and blabbing about bringing him back to life. Which consisted of her punching Danny in the chest. He winced even at her tiny toddler fists, and Dana was quick to pull her away to put her to bed, apologizing.

Rubbing the scars through his shirt, Danny looked through the telescope to try to wind down as they left him be for the night.

"Dammit... is it always going to be this foggy?" He hadn't had any luck getting the telescope to see past the thick clouds, or maybe smog, that clung to the city. Giving up for the night, he curled up on his side facing the window, hope mixing with the sorrow in his chest.

---

Far away, in an unfamiliar cave underneath an unfamiliar mansion, an alarm goes off at the sudden loss of cameras in a neighborhood downtown. Whether anyone heard it before they restarted, is a question Danny wasn't even thinking about asking.

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

I went to see the fnaf movie in theatres finally. (about my fourth rewatch) so I was just picking up little background details.

They really didn't need to go that hard for this movie, but they did that. They did that for us.

And like, I really appreciate the character writing the more I watch the movie.

Like the detail how Abby would lock herself in her room and not eat at the beginning of the film, but later, when Mike starts taking her to work and being more present in her life, she's eating at the table with him, even asking for seconds.

It's not even clear how long ago her mom died and dad left, this could have happened very recently. I know Abby gives "autism vibes" but she also gives vibes of a child who is suffering from depression. Either way, love her.

Vanessa wearing her full cop attire at the start of the movie, but in the climax, dressed in a yellow sweatshirt to show her association with Afton.

A box that looks suspiciously like the Fnaf4 Box sits behind "Steve's" office.

(it's great that there's dumb easter eggs like this that they put in there for the fans to find)

Also, I got a poster from the theatre, which was nice. Gotta find room for it, but will probably buy a frame for it.

[acey-wacey]

Can I request hc of the guys (Lilia, Jade, Azul, Floyd, and Malleus) seeing their gn! s/o dancing and singing loudly with their headphones in, oblivious that the (guy/s) is watching with a smile on their face? You can ignore this if you're not up for it. Thanks!

This is so cute! Thanks for requesting, lovely! I chose fun, funky little Disney songs because it's fun and funky.

...

🦇 Lilia Vanrouge 🦇

You were just doing your chores around Ramshackle, trying to clean up the messy dorm.

Your headphones drowned out Grim's complaining as well as the ghosts taunts.

While getting your broom, you shuffled music from the popular children's cartoon movie company Gisnep (please tell me you know what I'm talking about).

When Beauty and the Beast came on, you couldn't help from singing along.

You swayed to the music, twirling your broom around in a mock waltz.

Lilia, who was just checking up on you, appeared right behind you, intending to spook you.

While his scare attempt was a failure, he was pleasantly surprised to hear your singing.

It honestly wouldn't matter at all to him if you were tone-deaf or a musical theatre major because he was in love with your singing.

It was terribly endearing to hear you caught off guard in such a way.

You didn't even notice he was there until you spun your broom around at the chorus, screaming in fright when your boyfriend was hovering right next to you

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to hear your captivating voice, my jewel."

You grew bashful at his comment, wondering whether to be flustered by the compliment or mortified by the sudden intrusion.

He assured you that your singing is the loveliest he's ever heard simply because it's yours and he loves everything about you.

He put your headphones back on your ears and stole a kiss, disappearing before you could respond.

...

🍄Jade Leech🍄

Ever since you started working for the Mostro Lounge, you liked to get there a little early to give you some time free of the Octavinelle tricksters.

You put your headphones on and started setting up for the day.

As you took chairs off of the tables, Kiss the Girl began playing.

You couldn't help from swaying with the beat, completely unaware that Jade had entered the room and was leaning on the counter, watching you fondly.

When it got to the chorus, you began to sing the words, dancing to the music.

You spotted Jade out of the corner of your eye and immediately stiffened.

You straightened your clothes and cleared your throat as he raised an eyebrow at you.

"Jade."

"Y/N."

You fixed your eyes on the floor in front of you, only seeing the black dress shoes that stopped in front of you.

Jade put a finger under your chin and lifted it to look at him.

You felt heat rise on your neck as Jade stared you down with a playful smirk.

"If I asked ever so nicely, would you sing for me again, my darling?"

...

🐙 Azul Ashengrotto 🐙

You were doing your homework in an empty classroom, since Ramshackle was too noisy to concentrate with Grim constantly making a ruckus.

You put your earbuds in and tapped your pencil along to the beat of the song.

When Poor Unfortunate Souls came in, you smiled and began to sing along.

You assumed that no one would be there that late after class had ended, but you were obviously wrong.

Azul heard your voice from down the hall and peered into the classroom.

He smiled to himself when he saw you dramatically singing along to a song he couldn't hear.

You danced around a little before noticing the boy standing in the doorway.

When you spotted him, you pulled out your earbuds and cleared your throat in embarrassment.

He too was lost in thought and became flushed at the sudden confrontation.

You both stood there in awkward silence, neither wanting to comment.

"Sorry you had to witness my horrible singing."

"My only regret is not hearing more of it."

Your skin heated up at the compliment and Azul turned bright red.

"I'm sorry, was that too forward of me?"

"Just the perfect amount of forward."

He chuckled and smiled lovingly at you.

"Well then, precious, might I request an encore?"

...

🦐 Floyd Leech 🦐

Over the holidays, most NRC students went to visit their family or friends.

You, however, had no family nor friends that did not reside inside the college.

So, you were stuck walking the halls of the lonely and unnervingly quiet castle for your entire winter break.

You put earbuds in as you strolled through the deserted courtyard.

It was chilly enough to warrant a jacket but not enough for discomfort.

You hummed along to Part of Your World, finding the lyrics had a sort of cruel irony in relation to your current situation.

Looking around to make sure no one would appear, you started singing.

You spun around aimlessly on the pavement, closing your eyes and singing lazily to the tune.

When you bumped into somebody, your eyes snapped open and you jumped back upon seeing Floyd's signature unsettling grin.

"That was awful cute, Shrimpy."

You huffed in embarrassment and looked to the side, avoiding Floyd's pointed stare.

"What are you doing here? I though everyone had gone home."

"Nah. Our family decided to go on a last minute trip to the Land of Dawning so me and Jade are stuck here. Anyways, you were singing."

You chuckled awkwardly and looked away again.

"So I was."

"Keep doing it."

You glared at him playfully.

"You know that I'm mortified and you want me to keep doing it?"

"Exactly! So glad we're on the same page!"

"I'm not even good at singing."

Floyd pouted and wrapped his arms around you, giggling when you buried your face in his neck.

"But I want to hear you. Everything that comes out of your mouth is pretty anyway."

"Alright, but you have to sing with me."

"Yay! I've always wanted a duet with my Shrimpy!"

...

🐲 Malleus Draconia 🐲

You were doing tasks for Crowley because of something stupid Grim did yet again.

As you sanitized the cafeteria tables, you looked around and, realizing no one was around, you started playing music on your phone, not bothering with headphones since nobody would hear anyway.

When Once Upon A Dream started playing, you giggled and twirled around, adoring the nostalgic royal feel of the song.

You sang to the lyrics, dancing the steps you remembered from the movie.

You spun yourself around, pretending there was someone there to spin you.

As you danced with the imaginary prince, you were startled when very real hands clasped around yours, leading you in the dance (it's a specific Sleeping Beauty scene, reference at the end).

You spun around to see Malleus, smiling softly at you.

He bowed curtly and extended his hand to you.

"May I have this dance, my dear?"

You weren't sure whether the heat on your face was from the embarrassment or from how flustered you were.

You composed yourself and smiled at Malleus with a relieved exhale.

"You may."

You giggled as you took Malleus' hand and he led you through a charming dance.

The two of you spun across the cafeteria, gazing into each other's eyes.

When you were properly winded, you collapsed into one of the benches, dragging Malleus with you.

As you caught your breath, you looked over to realize he was staring at you ever so fondly.

"What is it?"

"You dance wonderfully, darling. We must do this more often."

[allthingsfangirl101]

Seeing You For The First Time–Joe Keery

Joe's POV

I carried a box into the empty apartment. I couldn't help but overanalyze the safety of this place.

"That should go in the kitchen."

I turned around to see Y/N walking in with a box in her arms. I quickly put the box I was carrying down and ran over to her. I grabbed the box out of her hands and put it down.

"I can carry boxes," she teased me.

"Doesn't mean you should."

Y/N and I have been best friends since we were little. She moved in across the street and didn't have any friends. My mom was talking to her mom and they were worried about her. My mom asked me to befriend her. We instantly clicked and soon we were inseparable.

I moved to LA last year and it was the most depressing year of my life. Sure, I landed my role as Steve Harrington in Stranger Things. But it drove me crazy being away from Y/N. After weeks of begging and pleading and negotiating, I got Y/N to agree to move to LA.

Her new apartment is a ten-minute walk from mine. I plan on being over there all the time. Or having her at my place all the time. While I'm filming, Y/N is going to art school. She's an incredible artist. She won multiple awards and was the star of every art show in school. She also helped every theatre production with its backdrops. I have multiple Y/N Originals in my apartment.

My plan is to get Y/N a job working for Netflix. I may or may not have shown the Russo brothers some of her artwork. They loved it and were obsessed with the idea of Y/N working with us. They don't even care if she goes to art school or not. They want her to work with us starting next season. I just need to sneakily introduce her to the cast and get her invested before they officially offer her the job.

"Seriously, Joe," Y/N sighed as I carried in two boxes. "Please let me help you."

"Absolutely not," I said quickly. I put the boxes down, trying to hide how tired I was. But Y/N caught on. She grabbed her water and handed it to me.

"Thanks," I sighed.

"Please sit down," she begged. Before I could say anything, she grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the couch the movers put in a horrible place. She sat down, pulling me with her. She leaned her head on my shoulder as we relaxed.

"I'm really glad you decided to move here," I mumbled. "I've missed you like crazy."

"I've missed you too," she giggled.

"Want to come to set with me tomorrow? It could be fun," I offered.

"I'm in," Y/N shrugged.

"Great," I said, sounding a little happier than I should have. I cleared my throat, pretending like I was just coming up with this. "We could go to lunch. You could meet some of my costars. How about noon? We might be finishing the scene so you're probably gonna have to wait a little, if that's okay. I could take you on a quick tour of the set, head to my trailer, let me change real fast, and then I can take you to my favorite diner for lunch."

"Sounds great."

                                * * * * *

"Hawkins, Indiana is pretty cool," Y/N laughed after our tour. I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward my trailer.

"Who's this?"

We turned around to see Gaten walking toward us. He glanced down at our intertwined hands and smirked up at me.

"This is Y/N," I introduced, trying to ignore Gaten as he sent me his 'knowing' look. "She's my childhood best friend. She just moved here. Y/N, this is Gaten. He plays Dustin."

"It's nice to meet you," Y/N smiled.

"It's nice to meet you too," Gaten smirked. I really hoped she didn't catch on to the dumb look on his face.

"Well," I said, trying to get Y/N away from him, "we should get going."

Before either one of them said anything else, I pulled Y/N toward my trailer. Once we were safely inside, I let go of her hand and let out a sigh of relief.

"Everything okay?" Y/N laughed as she grabbed her purse off my couch.

"Yeah," I said, clearing my throat. "I was just. . . Gaten is a little uncontrollable. We always have to watch him."

"He's cute," she giggled as she walked over to me. I smiled when she looked up at me and stuck out her bottom lip.

"What's wrong, pouty?" I asked.

"I'm hungry."

I grabbed her hands and pulled her closer. "Then let's get you something to eat."

After lunch, we went back to set. We headed to my trailer and talked for a bit before I had to get back to work. I went the long way to the costume trailer so I could walk Y/N to her car.

"You're going to come over tonight, right?" She double-checked.

"Duh," I chuckled. "I'll pick up some food on my way over and I can help you finish unpacking."

"I'm already done," Y/N shrugged.

"What?!" I yelled making her giggle. "You did manual labor without your man?"

"My man has a full-time job," she laughed as she unlocked her car and opened her door. "He shouldn't be worried about me unpacking a couple of boxes when he's busy saving Hawkins."

"But his girl is so much more important to him than some kids in Hawkins," I said instantly. Y/N rolled her eyes as she laughed. She stood on her toes and kissed my cheek.

"I'll see you later," she said with a small chuckle. I stepped back as she got in the car. She started it and sent me a wave before pulling out of the parking lot. After making sure she was safely on her way home, I turned around and headed back to set.

                                * * * * *

"Where's Y/N?" Gaten asked as he walked over to me with his knowing smirk.

"She's probably at home, unpacking or getting things ready. Her semester starts soon," I said slowly, not sure why he was looking at me like this. "What's wrong with you?"

"The two of you are adorable," he smirked.

"Y/N and me?"

"I especially love how you become a different guy around her."

"I do not," I scoffed. "I'm the same guy. I don't change for Y/N. She's the only one who. . ."

I stopped talking when I saw Gaten smirking at me.

"You really don't see it?" Gaten laughed.

"See what?" I asked, losing my patience.

"How much Y/N affects you," he smirked. "You completely change when Y/N's around you."

"I do not," I scoffed.

"Yes, you do," he pushed. "I've worked with you for over a year, Joe. I know you. But the Joe Keery that I saw the other day when you showed Y/N around? I've never met him."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I stuttered.

"Come on," Gaten scoffed. "You were acting like a puppy following your owner who just got home from a long vacation, terrified she was going to leave again. You're whipped."

"I'm not whipped," I said quickly. "Y/N's my best friend. Of course I'm going to act a little differently around her. I don't want her thinking Hollywood has changed me."

"Bullshit," he laughed. "You're whipped. You're whipped. Joe is whipped. Joe is whipped for Y/N. Y/N and Joe, sitting in a tree. He's in love with her but won't admit it!"

I ran my fingers through my hair as he skipped away from me. My breath got caught in my throat when I saw Y/N walking toward me. She watched Gaten skip away with a confused look on her face.

"What's with him?" She asked when she got to me.

"He's a weird little guy," I stuttered. I cleared my throat before asking, "You ready for lunch?"

"Of course," she said, still studying me.

Y/N shrugged and grabbed my hand. I couldn't ignore the zoo in my stomach as we walked through set, hand-in-hand. My stomach turned sour when I saw Gaten watching us.

We walked down the street to one of the neighborhood ma-and-pop pizza places. On the way back, I took her the long way through the park. I pulled her out of the way as the sprinklers started. All of a sudden, I heard Y/N let out a devious giggle.

"What's wrong with. . ."

Before I could finish asking her what was wrong, Y/N pushed me into the sprinklers. I turned around to see her smiling at her with fake innocence.

"Are you okay, Joey?" She asked. "You must've tripped."

"How clumsy of me," I smirked. Y/N gasped, turning into a giggle when I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into my chest. I spun us around, the both of us getting completely soaked.

We started chasing each other through the sprinklers. We didn't care that people were watching us. Y/N always made me feel like this. I didn't care about anything anyone else had to say. As long as I made Y/N smile, that's all I cared about. She's all I cared about.

"Joe!" She shrieked. I wrapped my arms around her waist and picked her up. I walked over, out of the sprinklers, and set her down when we were out of the splash zone.

"We should go dry off," she giggled. "You still have three scenes to film."

My heart did a weird flip when she knew my schedule for the rest of the day. I grabbed her hand, unconsciously intertwining our fingers.

"We can go to my trailer," I said, pulling her with me. "I've got towels and you can steal one of my shirts."

"I love stealing your shirts!" Y/N said, jumping up and down excitedly.

"I love when you steal my shirts," I chuckled. "I should probably buy more if you're going to keep stealing them."

"One request?" She asked shyly.

"Anything, m'lady."

"Can you buy some that are a little bigger?" Y/N asked. "They're comfier to sleep in."

I'd do anything for you, I wanted to say.

"Sure thing," I said, instead.

We walked back to set without saying anything. I held her hand, checked before we crossed the street, and made sure she wasn't walking on the side closest to the street. When we got to set, we randomly started running and hiding around every corner.

"What are you two doing?!" Finn yelled at us.

"We're running," Y/N ran and giggled.

"Duh!" I agreed.

I grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her into my trailer. I slammed the door shut behind us and held her against my chest, wrapping my arms tightly around her.

"I think we're safe," I whispered.

"I think so," she whispered back.

I looked down, my breath getting caught in my throat when I saw her looking up at me. We stood in each other's arms, looking deeply into each other's eyes. A few minutes passed by without either one of us saying anything or moving.

"Joe," she whispered, finally breaking the silence. "I'm freezing."

"Oh yeah," I whispered. I let go of Y/N and quickly grabbed her a towel. I turned around to hand it to her and couldn't help but stare at her. We were both still pretty wet but Y/N somehow looked gorgeous.

"Thanks," Y/N smiled. She went to grab it but stopped. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," I cleared my throat. She looked at me for a second before finally grabbing the towel. She started to dry her hair but she kept looking at me because I wouldn't stop looking at her.

"Joe," she pushed, "what's wrong with you?"

"I need to confess something," I rushed out.

"What?"

I closed the gap between us, stepping in front of her. I took the towel out of her hands and tossed it onto my trailer couch without looking away from her.

"Joe?"

"The year without you was the worst year of my life," I started. "I missed you every day. Nothing I did was worth it without you by my side. But when you agreed to move here with me, I was extremely relieved. I need you, Y/N. In every aspect of my life. Work. Friendship. Relationship."

"Relationship?" She repeated, her voice under her breath.

"I'm crazy about you, Y/N," I whispered. "I've been crazy about you since we were kids. When you're with me, all I can think about is making sure you're safe and happy and having fun. When you're not with me, all I can think about is wishing you were with me. I never want you anywhere but next to me. I know this sounds kind of obsessive but, I'll be honest. I am obsessed with you, Y/N. In fact, I'm in love with you."

"You're what?" She asked, barely audible.

"I am madly, obsessively, completely in love with you," I said a little louder. "And I need you to tell me how you feel about. . ."

Y/N grabbed my face with both hands and smashed her lips to mine. I instantly tightened my arms around her waist, pulling her closer as I kissed her back. Things sped up as we collapsed onto my couch. It took everything in me not to push her onto her back, crawl on top of her, and fulfill every dream I've had about her.

I forced myself to break the kiss, both of us out of breath. I leaned my forehead against hers, catching my breath.

"Joe," she said, still breathing heavily. "I can't believe that you're in love with me."

"Of course I am," I said quickly. "How can I not be? I've been in love with you since. . ."

"I'm in love with you too," she cut me off.

This time, I initiated the kiss. I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. I felt her smile against my lips as she kissed me back. Our lips moved in sync as I gently pushed her back so we were laying down. I wrapped my arms around her, keeping her pressed between me and the back of the couch.

We jumped apart when my phone started ringing. I groaned, forcing my anger down as I reached into my back pocket and answered the phone.

"What?"

"Hello to you too," Gaten chuckled. "Are you and Y/N back from lunch yet? We need you on set."

"Shit," I mumbled. "We just got back. I'll be right there."

I hung up and sat up, pulling Y/N with me. "I'm so sorry," I sighed. "I'd really like to continue. . . this but I have work to do."

Y/N stood on her toes and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. She broke the kiss and smiled at me.

"Come over tonight," she whispered. "We can pick up where we left off."

I pulled her into my chest and leaned down to kiss her. Our lips fit together perfectly, just like I dreamed they would. I broke the kiss with a small sigh.

"I'll pick up dinner on my way.

[bluebird-the-seeker]

Let’s Talk about Rise of the Beasts!

So I just finished watching Rise of the Beasts in theatres, and here are some things I noticed:

Optimus acknowledges Bumblebee’s relationship with Charlie from the Bumblebee movie, confirming that the two movies take place in the same universe and that ROTB, while not exactly being a sequel, is a continuation of that universe.

Scourge’s badges display various Autobot badges, Decepticon badges, Predacon, and maximal badges. This confirms the existence of all these factions within the established universe and sets up potential new characters such as Blackarachnia or Dinobot.

Scourge mentions “Primus would be ashamed” when he discovers that Optimus is a Prime, introducing the cybertronian religious aspects we usually only hear about in the comics or in TV shows, such as the lineage of Primes or the original 13 and their connection with Primus.

I didn’t think Pablo could get any worse from the promo art and yet somehow he got way worse the moment he started talking and I’m glad he wasn’t in the movie all that much.

I still wish we could’ve seen the bot modes of the Maximals, we only see them transform in battle and it’s not very clear what they look like. Airazor didn’t transform at all.

The ending of the movie not only sets us up for a sequel, but an entire new continuity and expanded universe. Plus with the introduction of G.I. Joe, one of many references to things we really only see in the comics, there’s a possibility for things like Skywarp’s involvement with G.I. Joe, Marissa Fairborne, Thundercracker, etc.

The G.I. Joe operative that Noah speaks with mentions that they’re “in the middle of a war”. This can be connected back to the Bumblebee movie and the arrival of Decepticons on earth, and could potentially set us up with the main Decepticon/Autobot war in a next film.

They wrote Optimus so well and I love that it shows Optimus building trust with humans instead of having that trust already be established. Very refreshing. His dynamic with Primal was wonderful.

Mirage being able to turn into a suit that Noah can wear is something I personally don’t think has ever been shown in Transformers before in any media or comics? I could be wrong but it’s definitely very very rare if not a completely new concept.

Using Arrival to Earth for the last epic moments was a punch to the gut like wow my feels. And I don’t even like the bayverse movies.

I love how they gave a legitimate reason why Scourge was so powerful instead of just going “oh he’s just really strong and hard to kill” but no Unicron buffed the hell out him.

When Araizor was being taken over by Scourge I gasped and whispered “rust plague” cause if you know you know that disease is a bitch.

Finally humans I can actually tolerate in a Transformers movie.

There’s a lot of potential for this new cinematic universe (I hope)! They left it very open ended and allowed space for all sorts of stuff both from the Comics, the other live action movies, and even the TV shows in terms of references and characters and even plot lines. It’s a perfect grab bag of various Transformers media wrapped nicely with a bow for both new Transformers viewers and old ones.

THEY FINALLY LET BUMBLEBEE SWEAR-

[gottawriteanegoortwo]

The Stress of an Election - Marmien

Word Count: 743

-

The election campaign was causing a lot of excitement across the city. It was expected that the young lawyer with little experience in both life and in politics would have survived the process of getting political backing to even begin his campaign.

Yet, despite the odds, Damien survived that and two election debates. He was truly the underdog that was shooting up the popularity rankings. But just as a pendulum swings to and fro, so too did this approval rating come with a cost of fierce opposition.

-

"- could have some sort of negative consequence if I make even one mistake. And you know as well as I do that my family will not be there to support me, which further backs the claim that I'm merely doing this for attention."

Mark, lounging on the sofa in the living room of his family home, watched with furrowed eyebrows as Damien paced the length of the coffee table. His words were as quick as his steps, doing nothing but amplifying the fears he had skilfully kept hidden from everyone else in the small circle of trusted confidants.

"What if I ruin everything?" At last, the pacing came to a halt as Damien turned to Mark. "I'm running an election campaign on a shoestring budget, ten years earlier than I planned because I allowed my parents to push me into this so I could be of use to them. And when I refused their money so they couldn't turn that into 'favours owed' down the line, they upped my office hours!"

"Damesy…"

"So now I'm juggling two full-time jobs when I should be in a position to take a career break because I can't afford to take time off work. But on the other hand, I'm already too far to back out."

Oh no. The pacing had resumed. This time, it was paired with the frantic rolling of one hand over another. Mark knew the gesture well as one of Damien's clear anxious ticks. He normally hid it well, but if anyone on the opposite team caught wind of it, Damien would be a goner.

A thought briefly crossed Mark’s mind as to whether he should find something to help alleviate the stress by channelling it into a held item. An idea for another time, for sure. Right now… If Damien was left to stew any longer, his worry would likely bubble over into a panicked mess.

It was time to act.

"Damesy…" The affectionate pet name was repeated as Mark got to his feet and snatched both of Damien's hands in his. "The people love you. You chose to run so the common people would have a voice that wasn’t tainted. You don’t speak for the rich snobs who already have other politicians in their back pockets. You’re already making waves and getting people to pay attention.”

“Yes, but -”

“Those who don’t like you can see the change you’re bringing. It was easy to keep the status quo when the majority weren’t paying attention, yes?” Mark’s question earned him a slow nod from Damien. “It means you’re doing everything right. Things wouldn’t be easy otherwise, and where’s the fun in that?”

“Easy for you to say.” Damien huffed, glancing aside. “You’re the one who could break an antique vase and still have everyone loving you by the end of it. I wish I could back out, but it would prove everyone right -”

Words were not going to help quell the worries in the young politician’s mind, so Mark opted to lean forward and kiss Damien on the forehead. When the action prompted a brief pause, he ducked down just enough to peck Damien’s lips.

“What you need right now,” he murmured, refusing to move too far back, “is a nice cup of tea, a chance to sit down, and something else to worry about. I mean, not that I’d know anything…”

“Mark…?” When the actor coyly stepped back, Damien reached out to grab his wrist. “What else is going on?”

“I mean… You didn’t hear this from me, but our childhood friend with the yard brush for a face accessory was an absolute buffoon when he came with me to the theatre’s band practice yesterday.” The opening line was all he needed to have Damien’s attention shift away from the worries of today. Mark seized the opportunity to pull Damien close to him, wrap an arm around his waist, and lead him into the kitchen.