#tango zero hour

[jt1674]

[todorokies]

WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE LOW - logan howlett

contents 𝝑𝑒 : fem!reader, nsfw, cockwarming, some fluff & angst (?) got mixed up in this, implied legal age-gap, grumpy old man logan (written with ‘logan 2017’ in mind but he isn’t sick), intimacy scares logan but he tries, 1.1k words

a/n 𝝑𝑒 : this is possibly ooc this is my first time writing for him please go easy on me! ,,,, inspired by the song ‘when the lights are low’ by the paragons

“read to me, please?”

the air in the quite spacious room suddenly turned chilled as life around seemed to come to a halt. the eccentric buzzing of traffic seemingly stilled allowing cicadas and woodland birds to make their presence known.

fireflies tangoing into the darkened night jiving the streets alongside citizens peacefully making their way back to their residences.

it’s unlikely for a friday night to be uneventful for logan. a usual run through of the crazed day would be servicing important higher ups in his limousine, taking them to a glamorous black-tie event or a rowdy group of middle aged ladies celebrating a bride-to-be’s last night of freedom.

it was also unlikely for the said man to be in your bedroom after the hours of eight, conversing with you as the pads of his calloused fingertips ghosted over the satin silk that graced upon your body.

his tensed furrowed eyebrows relaxed for once, as he willingly leaves his on edge and guarded demeanour at your porch.

you don’t know how he was able to get the night off and frankly, you aren’t too eager to find out. rather using your energy to melt in his presence and eventually molding into one as his hazel half lidded eyes cautiously watches you straddle him then ease yourself on his semi hard cock.

his eyes immediately screwed shut followed by a throaty low groan once you bottom out, sitting completely still, your pelvises touching one another. your eyes softly flutter at the pleasurable ache as your hands found refuge around his neck and into the brushy hairs on his nape.

your question rings through his ears like a faint echo. with a quirked eyebrow, he lifts his head off the antique bed frame to face you, sharply examining your features.

“you can’t be serious?” he exasperatedly huffed out closing his eyes again and leaned back against the headboard.

you narrowed your eyes at him, “i’m dead serious. why else would you bring your glasses if you knew you had zero intentions of doing any reading?”

he doesn’t miss a beat, “i keep 'em on me at all times.” his voice is flat, not showcasing any emotion to give you more material.

you sigh, your lips pursed into a thin line while glancing at logan’s salt and pepper tufts of hair, allowing silence to fall amongst the two of you, not willing to continue the small squabble for a rather nonsensical request on your end.

that’s until you hear him scoff and mutter under his breath, “yeah, that’s what i thought.”

with a sharply slow roll of your hips you clamp down onto him, feeling his cockhead prods at your spongy spot. he loudly hisses through his teeth due to the sudden sensation, panting slightly as his fist balls up the sheets.

“you should be glad i haven’t hidden them yet, you old fuck,” you coyly beam.

logan’s brows knitted together as he shakily exhaled a deep breath to maintain —what’s left of— his composure, eyes stuck on your figure. great, you’re mocking him now, but he did have it coming he supposes.

his next movements are calculated, hesitant and uncertain as he reaches for your waist. yes, he has touched you before from head to toe, but there is always a sick gutted feeling of his that you’ll easily wither away in his arms leaving his dread to consume his soul once again.

his grip on your waist is loose, a mere nudge from a ghost, until you cuff your own hands over his to reassure his grip on you, his gaze softens.

“what do you want from me tonight?” his voice comes out as a honey dipped whisper, not what you were expecting as a rebuttal. it throws you off course, breath hitching before lightly nibbling on your bottom lip.

what exactly do you want from him tonight? when you received his sudden call five minutes before his arrival your nerves were over the moon. despite being in a relationship with logan for many months now, he always gave you an unorthodox reason to be nervous.

logan is intense. from how he carries himself to his appearance, his gaze all the way down to his speech patterns, the venom he spits out to his enemies or how he loves and cares for others so deeply; flesh, bones and all.

his love intimidates you —which is ironic in the sense that he could say the same exact thing about you— so truthfully, you don’t know what you want from him. only to be close enough to touch him, smell him, and to strip away his clothes to feel his skin onto yours.

but you choose not to say any of this, “shouldn’t i be asking you that?”

he dryly chuckles. the type of chuckle that reverberates against your own body from close proximity. you always loved when he laughed.

“i suppose you’re right, i am your guest after all.”

his larger hands begin to caress your waist, rubbing small circles with his thumb, “why do you want me to read to you?” genuine curiosity is laced in his tone. he stares up at you patiently awaiting for your answer and you now feel like a deer caught in headlights.

his undivided attention makes you shift against him causing the both of you to softly groan then you shrug, because you truly don’t know why yourself.

“i thought it would be a nice thing for us to do.” you nervously start to pick at the skin that surrounds your nails.

he simply hums in acknowledgment and soon captures your hands in his to stop you from fidgeting, “next time, bub, i just want to enjoy this at the moment.”

you break out into an earnest smile, your hands soon snaking its way out of his grasp to place them back on the base of his neck, his hands soon moves to your waist with much more confidence this time around.

“sooo, does this mean you’ll take another day off to visit me again?” your big doe eyes lit up at the possibility of spending another quiet friday night with logan by your side.

he feigns irritation, “who said i took the day off? i just didn’t have anything better to do.”

you playfully shove his shoulder before passionately locking lips with him. he’s tentative to your reactions as he bores his entire life force into you, a match has been light in the pit of his stomach as you both explored each other’s mouths.

he grunts. wanting more, craving more until you pull away, a small string of saliva follows before separating.

“well, next time when you have nothing better to do you’ll just have to read me pride and prejudice.”

reblogs & feedback is extremely appreciated !! <3

[taigarrryen]

In the hallway of Sheriff-2, about twenty minutes after the landing, Skizz is shakily making his way from his cabin back to the main deck, bag on each shoulder. He looks like he was fighting for his life just minutes ago, tired and pale. He really doesn't like having to deal with zero-gravity.

Norman, on the other hand, looks completely unbothered by the mayhem they've been through for the past hour.

From the command room, Jimmy's guiltily smiling face pokes out into the corridor.

JIMMY: There he isss! Look at that confident walk! What a champ. And all packed up already?

SKIZZ: Dude, at this point I'm ready to make a run for it. I swear, if I'll not see land in the next ten minutes...

JIMMY: Alright, alright! Geez. C'mon then, they're already waiting for us anyway. And their stuff. Mainly their stuff.

SKIZZ: Well, hey. I don't know about you, but I'd consider myself anticipated.

JIMMY (looking somewhat pained) : I'd consider you lucky you've never dealt with guys named Grian or Docm not getting their equipment.

Jimmy dissapears in the command room, pushes some buttons, blurts something into his mic and quickly reappears in the hallway.

They go to the main hatch, occasionally throwing one-liners at eachother, and on the way there, from the passing narrow portholes, Skizz sees Minecrea upclose for the first time. Huge, seemingly endless landing pad, pale-green skies and hills, hills, hills with far away mountains... He stops for a moment, mesmerized. There, in the flat field of dark concrete, he notices several unloader bots, parked ELYTRa and a human figure approaching their ship.

Moments later, Jimmy opens a hatch to the entrance compartment. Door unlocks and locks again with a low thump. Entrance compartment fills with greetings. Skizz walks in and smiles.

Smiling back at him is clean-shaved Impulse in an oxygen-filter mask.

IMPULSE: Welcome to Minecrea, man!

Skizz gives him a bear-hug.

SKIZZ: It's so good to see you!

IMPULSE: Yeah, I know! It's been a minute, hasn't it? How was your flight?

SKIZZ: Pfft, fantastic. Easy. When's the next one?

JIMMY: Nah, he did good for the first time!

IMPULSE (with a smirk) : Really? Jimmy, did-

Communicator on Impulse's belt makes a beeping sound.

[???]: Impulse, I'm sorry, but we really need you back here for a moment. It's blinking again...

Impulse shoots a slightly irritated look at it and sighs.

IMPULSE (to communicator) : Got it, we're on our way. Tell X I've turned on unloaders.

IMPULSE: Argh, sorry. You guys arrived in a very... Well, we are kind of in the middle of something here. There's this comet flying by very soon, and all of our scientists are going crazy about it. We're helping them out as best as we can, but... Yeah, a bit of a hassle, anyway.

JIMMY: Oh, that comet? I nearly forgot! Now, excuse me, gentlemen, I was promised a first-class view on this thing three months ago, so let's move.

IMPULSE: Where, at Tango's?

JIMMY: Yes, sir! But I'll come say hi to Grian and Scar anyway.

Impulse reaches and grabs one of Skizz's bags from him. A couple of minutes later, all three of them, equipped with oxygen-filter masks, are making their way to Impulse's ELYTRa, chatting as they go. The concrete under their feet is still warm after contact with nozzles of spacecraft.

Part 1 | AU Intro post

Audio for this post (in a form of a stinky youtube link because tumblr hates fun. Please check it out for full expirience)

[existaantbeing]

I love how in false and ren's server tour they travel for ages and do so much, yet by the end of it have made net zero accomplishments. They go and steal a 'manbag' from tango, hoping it will make them look like salespeople. They then plan to try and sell someone a multipass apparently programmed on a 1988 gameboy. Unfortunately they cant find anyone anywhere. After travelling across half the server, and briefly stopping to trap 3 phantoms in boats for seemingly no reason, the only people they see are mumbo afk, grian who immediately logs out, and gem whose voice mod doesnt work. So they jump to the only logical conclusion, which is that the manbag is cursed, and return it back to tango. The tour ends with them in exactly the same place that they started, having gained nothing, learnt nothing and having wasted an hour. Im sure they will do the exact same thing in a week's time, because they are incapable of interacting without devolving into pointless nonsense. They are the greatest duo of all time

[blackcathjp]

any smut fic recs? 👀

OOOH YES!! my main consumption is literally 90% pwps and/or contains smut, and about 95% are dmhp fics 🫣 i do enjoy plot-heavy fics, but i like when there is spice!

i made this drarry praise kink fic rec list before, check that out! here are some other ones:

***

all hues in his controlling by wolfpants (1k)

harry de-ages himself for kinky birthday sex with draco. morally grey and hot indulgence of age difference and virginity kink.

the best treasure is up harry's arse by bafflinghaze (2k)

bratty harry feat. draco's dirty mouth and obsession with his arse. ticks off all the kinks i want in a fic ����

smart brevity by lucifergraced (3k)

draco malfoy is an arse man. he likes what he sees, he will take what he wants. uniform kink and fingers in mouth. that's it.

arms and elbows by iota_after_dark (3k)

harry is desperate to please draco, which means trying something new - fisting. draco is so bossy and hot here. also they're weirdo roommates w/ zero boundaries lol.

dirty fucking dangles by p1013 (5k)

hockey players who get the hots for e/o's impressive athleticism. is it normal to have a crush on someone who will literally crush and bruise you on the ice? not unless you like impact play!

all i have to do by fluxweed (9k)

draco expects a hyper-realistic sexual fantasy and unknowingly ends up w/ the real deal. harry leaves hermione hanging for an hour to indulge in this sudden dreams-come-true sexcapade. oops.

just a trial run by tenthousandyears (9k)

d/s fic that blew my mind. plays with alcohol kink, praise kink, "sex worker" kink, consensual dub-con, and more. discovering what they like and realizing they love e/o by doing lots of debauchery!

the complete idiot's guide to losing your entire mind by oknowkiss (10k)

utterly depraved. no nut november concept where draco greedily controls harry's orgasms and harry is super sex-dumb. i love the pipeline of fwb to "i love you, didn't you know we've been dating?"

two weeks by shiftylinguini (21k)

overprotective possessive veela harry, who is emotionally sick until he "meaningfully connects" w/ his important person... aka, draco! the sexual tension and pining is portrayed so well, and creatively manifests in harry's new veela body. i love this wry humor, no-nonsense draco so much.

lusimeles by orphan_account (23k)

devastatingly tender. harry is self-destructive in dealing w/ his trauma, but Mr. Draco Malfoy wrecks his plans. draco just knows what needy harry wants and needs, which is to be taken care of, loved, and kept. i love this line from harry: "how nice it was to be understood without words." 🥹

only for october by dodgerkedavra (53k, wip)

lovely fic disguised as an unassuming "fwb have a kinky month of sex" story. drarry deal with inner demons by taking care of e/o through sex to ground themselves in reality. they fall in love in the process AND there's an intriguing mystery plot. it's so good.

whisky-tango-foxtrot by vukovich (58k)

transformed my life. i've read this like 5 times? unrelentingly absurd and over-the-top funny with refreshing characterization and humor. drarry's animagus traits seep into their human behaviors, leading to adrenaline junkie, horny trashy slut harry x inexperienced, dramatic, mate-for-life draco. this fic isn't for everyone, but it's a hot wild ride.

[definitelynotshouting]

grian's new episode being an hour long is both a blessing and a curse bc on the one hand WE FEAST and on the other hand i (autistic, chronic backseat gamer, also a tango viewer familiar with the game) had to sit there FOR AN HOUR watching him flail around in circles while setting off every single shrieker in level one like his sole mission in life was to get mauled by a vex. never have i sympathized so hard with the ghost experience than while watching someone on youtube with zero pattern-recognition attempt to navigate a deadly maze

and i havent even BEGUN scar's ep yet

[auriidae]

LIFESTUCK ?!?! (pt 2 here!) (pt 3)

i was sick a couple days ago and spent like 12 hours straight doing nothing but classpecting life series characters and then was like Yeah i have to draw this now. so here's some sillies 👍 (super long classpect ramble under cut because i spent far too long on it not to share hfshjf)

quick note: i really really love @/classpect-navelgazing's theories and used them for a lot of the ideas here. go check their blog out it rules :]

ok you guys flower ranchers (scott tango jimmy) are making me so insane for this au specifically because of this idea i had about doom/life players. doom in true canon is related to inevitability, fate, and knowledge of the specific rules that keep the characters trapped within their story, right. and life is sort of related to healing, physically and mentally, within the confines of the game. so within this au, the aspect of life refers to the rules within the game that the players can see and are aware of (last life’s trading lives system + boogeyman, third life’s soulmate mechanic, secret life’s tasks, etc.). life players have some amount of dominion over these elements (depending on their class, of course). doom on the other hand refers to everything surrounding the games (stuff like admin powers, the world barrier, and whatever happens to the players after they die). 

as a mage of doom, scot (his name is so funny to me. like yeah he sure is) has a bunch of intrinsic knowledge about the way the games function on a logistical level. he’s like a guy who read the script a while ago and forgot all the characters’ names but knows the basic plot and how it’s going to end. or who knows all the ins and outs of tech crew and for whom the apparent magic of the show for the audience is lost on, since he knows how it’s being done. the thing is, scot isn't especially able to act on this knowledge during the game. what director wants someone in the audience — or one of the actors — taking all the magic out of the show, spoiling how it works and how it ends? no, it’s best if they keep that knowledge to themselves — and so scot’s narratively unable to affect the stories of those around him, even his close friends who he’d want to help. he’s aware of this, of course, which makes him more than a little depressed, as he can see the futility of it all and can’t even explain to anyone what’s going on and how the game works. (the only story he’s able to affect, of course, is his own. which. depressed doom player + mage martyr complex + guy who Really cares about his friends is not necessarily a good combination.)

the amount of stock i put in the idea of gendered classes is close to zero so tangoe gets to be a maid of life because ohh my goodness. i like the theory (thanks classpect-navelgazing) of life as “the aspect of affluence,” where life players usually enter the game with some kind of material wealth or status that helps their position in some way. i also like the idea that maid players start the game with a surplus of their aspect but often end up feeling as if they’re only seen as a provider of that specific thing as a result of this, and so end up longing for something else instead. this primarily applies to last life tango because that’s the season i’m most familiar with lol, but i thought the way he started out with so many lives there and quickly dwindled as a result of everyone taking from him and only him was Really interesting. mans has all the luck of the game he could need, but only wants friends to actually be able to live with. being a life player also ties into his little gambling games and things (again, dominion over stuff within the overarching game/story, but nothing beyond that).

then we get to jimi (again fantastic name). the basic premise of an heir is that they’re played by their aspect, right and Oh Boy is jimmy played by life in the life series. i don’t personally know much about anything he’s done other than heehoo canary guy but along with the previously stated points it’s So fun to see him as a life player because it allows for some really clearly contrast between the way he interacts with tangoe and scot based on their aspects. i really like the idea of scot being like “you’re a life player jimi. it's in your name. the game is not going to let you die” and jimi like “you really think so? aw thanks man” neither of them knowing that dying as a life player in this game is literally like in the job description. (ok. i kind of feel like i’m letting jimi down by basing his story so far around other people.. but this is just for fun and i can always change it later)

(also i could easily have put tangoe and jimi as doom players too but for the fact that i don’t think they necessarily see through the game as much as scot does (or at all). and so life it is.)

feel free to ask me questions abt them!!! i have so many thoughts about this bro 

[riacte]

Y’know, I wonder if anyone genuinely got into Hermitcraft because of Decked Out 2? Like, with close to zero knowledge of the server or DO’s development, maybe the Tango vid popped up on recommend, you click into it and holy shit this is done in Minecraft SURVIVAL? With the voices? Sound effects? Custom items? And there’s a competition that you can follow live? Hours and hours of runs from different people you can binge? Hell yeah!

And ngl, I think it would be fun to get into Decked Out as a newbie especially in the heyday when someone was streaming basically every day, Tango’s phase updates, the detailed spreadsheet, the prominent runners emerging, all of this happening live— like it would be so much fun to presume these artefacts are randomly named but they’re actually based after members of the server that you do not know and not recognise, but hey, one step at a time! Slowly memorising the names of hermits based on the Easter eggs about the artefacts. At first feeling overwhelmed by all the different heads at the scoreboard but slowly recognising the standouts and what they’re known for— perhaps they’re “washed up”, perhaps they use a certain card, perhaps they search for the eggs. Binging run after run and learning about the runners as they explore the dungeon. Matching eggs to hermits to artefacts to hermits again and their voices and their channels. Catching up on hour long vods and learning about what the hermits do outside of running. Watching Tango’s construction process videos knowing exactly how it turns out in the end.

DO2 was such a dominating part of HC that recontextualising them as “Decked Out players” instead of “hermits” kinda makes sense during that era if you’re new and know nothing and you’re genuinely only here for the DO competition? Lots of hermits uploaded their runs independent from their episodes so you could watch a bunch of runs and get to know the player without clicking into a single episode.

Because if I randomly caught sight of an impressive, gorgeous, and addicting game that popped up on YouTube and it was the host of a months-long competition between the developer’s friends (and each friend having their unique style / flair) and you get to watch it unfold live pretty much free of charge, watching players collect the items needed to unlock lower levels, counting scores every week, feeling a sense of community with Twitch chat— yeah I would get hooked. Even without any prior knowledge.

[writingdevil]

Farm [Hermittober24 Day Twelve]

( Prompt list created by @collierose1 )

When Tango builds and creates things,his passion burns into fuel for him to keep going,his mind zeroed in on bringing his ideas to life,to take a step back and simply marvel at the fruit of his labour.

His head can fall into a twisting inferno of insanity and chaos,but Tango welcomes these feelings, because it was those feelings that helped to push him to keep going.

But now though?As he's building Decked Out Two?The only feeling driving him is fear.A fear of sleep.

Because when he dreams,he's being forced to feel a passion that genuinely scares him.

The dream is always the same.He's always standing in the middle of this farm,his hair and clothes back to his signature red,yellow and orange.

He doesn't recognise this farm,but a sense of familiarity and comfort washes over him whenever he sees it.Like hours and hours of love and hard work had been put in to make it what it was.

He can hear cows and chickens,and all it takes is a quick sweep of the area to tell that this place was someone's home.Tango's home.

But that's ridiculous,right?Tango doesn't even recognise this place-how can he feel a pull towards it,to want to step inside and never leave,that everything would be perfect in this little farm?

Why does he feel that way?

He tries to move around in this dream,but he's always scared of what he's going to find,but thankfully,he never gets the chance to,as something more strange happens.

The door of the house opens,and Tango is met with a bundle of sunshine.Literally.

A figure steps out,and immediately makes their way to Tango.He's never had a dream where the figure doesn't go to Tango first.

The figure is tall,taller than Tango,and silent,as they approach,movements slow but not threatening, although that's only because Tango never feels in danger around this mysterious figure,only safe.

The figure gets closer until they're standing right in front of him,and he realises that the figure isn't made of sunshine,but made of feathers.Golden feathers.

The feathers shine so bright and Tango's hand always itched to reach out and run his fingers through the feathers,but he stops himself,for fear of burning the beautiful feathers with his touch. Then a voice in his head will remind him,'You wouldn't burn them.You know this.'

Then Tango is left to sit in the horror that his mind is keeping secrets from him.

This dream scares Tango.It fills him with a warmth that is too peaceful, too comforting,too nice,and Tango doesn't know how to deal with a warmth that he's never felt before.

But he has,because despite his best efforts,his face always smiles at this figure,and his heart starts beating faster and he wants it all to stop because he doesn't understand these feelings!

Joy,frustration,fatigue,even mild madness-Tango knows what they feel like,and he knows what situations will make him feel like that,but he can't understand how this little farm can make him feel so alive.

But it's not a farm,is it?No,there's a better name for this place,but Tango is too scared to figure it out.

Sometimes,the dream ends there.Other times, Tango will blink and the scene changes drastically, and then Tango will be consumed with a feeling that he has felt before-rage.

The golden figure is gone,and the farm is burning down.

Tango's voice is screaming and cursing,but it all feels muffled in his own head.The sky is dark,and smoke is circling around Tango as he feels pure, molten fury at the farm being burnt down.

Tango doesn't understand why.It had only been a simple house,made of wood and stone,with not even a big redstone machine within it.Its loss shouldn't of been a big deal to him.

But Tango is beyond furious,flames sparking and flying out of his hair as he screams out in grief for this farm,this home that they had built,and now it was being burnt down for what?What actions justify destroying this house of love?

Tango always wants to run forward in the dream, but he can never tell if it's to save the farm or to attack the culprit.It doesn't matter,because he never gets a chance to.

The second he feels arms wrap around him from behind,it suddenly unlocks all the fire in his core, and he's screaming and shouting and struggling against the hold,unknowingly burning the figure in his rage and grief.

Too much.

Too much confusion and burning that Tango doesn't understand,so much so that it makes him go insane,the fact that he couldn't figure it out.He's just left to burn in this love and the struggles of it, and he just wishes it would just snuff him out already.

But then the figure behind him actually speaks and says his name."Tango!Snap out of it!Tango!"

The voice is full of worry and concern,and won't let Tango go,no matter how much he fought.Tango feels hot tears streaking down his face,hating himself for how scared the person sounded,and how Tango was only contributing to that.

He feels his heart thumping wildly for this person. Why?Why should Tango care about any of this?It was just a stupid farm and an unknown stranger, but he knew it meant so much more,and it angered him that he couldn't figure out why.

Then there are soft kisses being pressed to his temple,and the voice is whispering,"Tango-Tango calm down!Look at me-look at me,Tango."

He wants to.He so badly wants to.He wants to know what this past life was,and who this kind person was,that wasn't afraid of his flames.He wants to know why.

But the fire still burns,and the golden feathers still torment him,and Tango knows he'll never get his answer,that this voice did burn up and die,and now Tango's brain was just taunting him-with this stupid place and its stupid farm,and Tango can't take it anymore.

Go home.

He wants to-but where is his home?He can't find it anymore.Where was his home?Where did they go?

It's over.

No-no,no,no!It can't be over!There was-There was too much love for it to be over!Tango wants to understand!He wants to learn and understand those golden feathers,and then maybe he'll figure out what he loves the most about them!

He called this place a farm,but that wasn't right, was it?They called it something else.What was it?

A r-

A ra-

Then he wakes up.

So now Tango tries to not sleep anymore,because he can't take seeing what could've been,but lost.

Maybe he should talk to Ren about this.He's heard that he's been hearing voices as well.

[paddockbunny]

It wasn’t supposed to be like this - Part 2

Summary : You were married. You were supposed to be happily married to the man of your dreams and YET, you just cannot seem to quit Daniel f*cking Ricciardo, no matter how hard you seemed to try. Rating : 18+ Pairing : Daniel Ricciardo x Reader Word Count : 1,140 Trigger Warnings : cheating trope!!!! Discussion about sex

💞Authors Note: this might be waffling idk! Tell me if it’s rubbish 🙏🏼 also SONG INSPIRATION : El Tango de Roxanne - Moulin Rouge BROADWAY MUSICAL! Listen to Aaron Tviet’s voice in that and tell me it doesn’t do something to you!!!!!!

There’s something strange about sneaking into your own house as an adult. It’s hard to put into words but it feels so uneasy, so agitating and completely unnerving. And no matter how many times you found yourself doing it as of late, it never really got any better and you felt wracked with anxiety whenever you needed to behave like an unruly teenager and sneak into your own home.

Tonight was no different. The only change was your controlling, arrogant prick of a husband was still awake and very much ready to pick a fight.

“Where have you been?” Nico’s voice came bellowing as you stood at the bottom of your staircase to remove your shoes. His unexpectedly loud voice echoed around the place and it sent a sigh rumbling through your lips before you could stop it from happening. Why was he awake? Was he up waiting on you?

He was certainly angry that much was true.

Fucking prick.

God you hated him.

“We just ran over a little.” “A little?” His tone was utterly mocking and sarcastic. You couldn’t help but feel a little sick to your stomach at the way he was looking at you. “It’s 4:30 am.” He pointed out. “Yeah?” You looked at the gold Cartier watch that sat on your wrist and faked surprise. “Lost track of time” you state with a shrug and followed it up with; “Why are you still up?” “To make sure YOU, MY wife, came home!” He feigned worry. He was the furthest thing from worried you could get and the look upon his face - the one that usually made you feel very uneasy - was beginning to scare you. Nico’s voice was laced with pure warning. He wanted you to know you crossed the line and he was trying hard not too get into it in the small hours of the morning.

When you left Daniel (grudgingly) you had been praying the whole time that Nico would have been in bed and sound asleep. Since this thing with Daniel began you developed a habit of not only lying about where you were, but also where you would sleep after slinking home. You needed your time to process all of the emotions and hormones running rampant around your body. But there were also some nights that your temperature raised again at the sheer thought of the way Daniel had touched you, the way he had fucked you hard and mercilessly or the other times when it was slow, emotional, carnal. On those nights your hands wandered across your body and usually down into your panties to make yourself orgasm to the thought of a man who was certainly not your husband. You had zero shame about it. On some occasions you were surprised Nico hadn’t burst in the door upon hearing you and what you were up too. Poor bastard would have thought you were fantasising about him and all of his basic, bland skills in the bedroom.

Sadly, tonight the opportunity to do that was not an option. It was not one of those nights. After demanding you get upstairs and get into bed because - direct quote - “I’m so fucking furious with you that you need to just get into bed and go to sleep without arguing. This is getting ridiculous now. You’re not a teenager. Stop behaving like one.”

You were forced into sleeping beside your husband while he fell asleep and snored obnoxiously loudly. His slightly clammy arm was haphazardly swung over your chest and it felt like a dead weight. But then again, he was a dead weight in general really. You tried to ignore the twisting feeling your stomach was doing - the one that always seemed to appear whenever you had to be this close to him.

You met Nico when you were too young to know better. You started working at Sky Sports F1 as a runner the year after he became a regular presenter on the team. He took a shine to you almost instantly and the truth was you were bowled over by how handsome he was and the fact he had been a world champion in a sport you had grown up with but mostly because he paid you so much attention and made you feel like the only girl in the world. By summer break he managed to get you a promotion and celebrated by asking you to spend your summer with him in Monaco where put you in a position where you were so love bombed by him you slept with him almost immediately.

Back then, you didn’t realise how much he had used you and abused the power and wealth dynamics to get what he wanted, you into bed. Now, it turned your stomach to think how he manipulated you and then continued to manipulate you by giving you things that you probably wouldn’t have been able to get for yourself, within as little as 12 months. You ended up an on air journalist within a year of being at the station and it was all because Nico but he knew it and started to make sure you knew it too. It started in a lighthearted joking way but ended up how it was now, with him always borderline ready to argue with you.

You had no idea how you never wised up before it became too late. He proposed within 14 months of knowing you and the pair of you got married only 4 months later because he didn’t want to wait. You were only in your 20s. You were supposed to be out, living life, enjoying your success but instead, you were hounded constantly about giving up the same job he had gotten for you to impress you, so you could give him babies. But the babies never came because you refused to gave up your job and secretly kept taking your birth control. Five years passed since you married him and the only thing that has grown in your relationship was your hatred of him and his controlling, demanding behaviour.

It’s why, a year ago when at an end of season party Daniel randomly confessed he found you hot and wished you were single so he could have asked you out, you acted on pure instinct. You remembered having a huge argument with Nico just before leaving for the event so it was no surprise with how awful things were at home that you lost all sense of self control. You disappeared with Daniel, left Nico there alone and you had no remorse or regret when Daniel took you back to his hotel and fucked your brains out. And lying to your husband the next morning was easier than you ever thought it would be. A moment of madness would have exposed you. One singular moment would have been all it took to tell him. You were THAT cock drunk from Daniel’s magnificent cock that you would have risked everything then and there to expose your little fling. But then Daniel turned a one night stand into something more by asking you for a simple drink before he went back to Australia for winter break. Fucking you in the restaurant’s bathroom was not on the agenda but it was the hottest thing you had ever done. His hand covering your mouth to stop your moans from getting too loud. The burn of your thighs from trying to keep yourself up as you came. But most importantly, how you allowed him to release inside of you - something you never liked Nico doing.

And then it all seemed to spiral and snowball from there.

Sexting became the norm between the pair of you. Sending naughty (borderline offensively rude pictures) to each other whenever the need got too much and phone calls that consisted mainly of heavy breathing and stifled moans when the naughty pictures had their desired effect graduated into unashamed video chats. Those quickly evolved into booking random hotel rooms to fuck in without Nico - or whoever Daniel was “dating” at the time - finding out.

Except one day Nico would find out and you needed to be prepared for that.

Daniel needed to be prepared for that.

He needed to be sure that he really, truly did want you.

[citrusscale-remastered]

H.I.V.E. Birthday Bundle - Lucy Dexter

Picrew Maker

PLAYLIST: (Image: Impression Sunrise — Claude Monet)

Once Upon a December (Instrumental)

Chorégraphie du départ — Daprinski

engravings — Ethan Bortnick

Me and the Devil — Soap&Skin

The Ballad of Mona Lisa — P!atD

Cell Block Tango

Control — Halsey

killer queen

Glitter & Gold — Barns Courtney

Wait — NoMBe

Way down We Go — KALEO

Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op 22, Tempo di Valse — Dvořák

Vienna — Billy Joel

The Nutcracker: Pas de deux — Tchaikovsky

FANART: (Blue, Eight of Pentacles)

HEADCANONS/PROMPTS:

HC: Eldritch Creatures Sinistres (is this already canon? Maybe a little bit). Her skin is just a little too pale, her mouth doesn’t move exactly right with her words, you could’ve sworn she wasn’t there a second ago, and hey… when was the last time she blinked?

Prompt: A lot of the Sinistres with powers are adopted. They just find them out there and YOINK (a la The Umbrella Academy however I only watched season 1 take this with a grain of salt)

Prompt: Something something both the Contessa and Lucy chose to sacrifice themselves in an incredibly destructive fiery end to save a lot of people

Prompt: Lucy survives Zero Hour without anyone knowing (including her) and kind of just wanders into the local town, amnesiac, confused af. A solid while later Shelby finds her Clark Kent-ing it out in the world on her Illegal Globetrotting Fun

HC: Lucy definitely had some voice training. What I’m hearing is that she can sing opera (👀 Opera Singer AU anyone????)

HC: She cannot pose for photos At All. Dorky ass peace sign.

AU where everyone graduates H.I.VE. as normal and when everyone’s out on the streets of Italy, Lucy gets recognized because she’s actually kind of royalty (also she has a Wikipedia page)

HC: Lucy is usually seen as pretty mature and kind of shy, but every once in a while she’ll make a 69 joke or some other kind of innuendo that Shelby high fives her for

HC: Lucy gets some snake bite piercings right after she gets her wisdom teeth out at the H.I.V.E. Doctor with a clean(?) safety pin. Miraculously, they do not get infected.

Only child Lucy got real good at braiding her own hair. The five of them hang out and talk shit and braid each other’s hair. (Otto gets that fun little two year old spiky ponytail)

crack prompt: Lucy and Anna somehow meet.

Lucy: Stop killing people!

Anna: You’re not my mom!

Lucy: *gasp* I WOULD’VE NEVER SPOKEN TO MY MOTHER LIKE THAT

alrighty that’s all I got. THANK YOU MITCH @dr-nero-is-god FOR MAKING THIS EVENT

[wireman-au]

A list of concerning things regarding Tango:

Impulse is his civilian friend. Impulse has an implant. Tango is about as strict about keeping the personal and professional separate as Etho, so either he acted wildly out of character or someone else did that

As of five days ago, Tango thought the Wireman project would be inactive enough that he'd have time off. This is basically the opposite of what happened, where a new feature (Voices and whatever else) went live in the field

Tango has been out of contact for five days. Your group is still not done with basic cleanup. This timeline does not line up at all

Tango himself has an implant. Other people were definitely involved with this, because you physically can't operate on yourself. This is bad news for you specifically because whoever was responsible cares more about their thing then making sure that the guy that can fix your implant won't be incapacitated by an implant

There has been precisely zero management of Tango's civilian friend group. This would be an oversight if his friend group was normal. Tango's friends are not normal. Tango's friends are so not-normal that this feels less like an oversight and more like enemy action

Tango himself has been preoccupied for the last... 4 hours? 5? however long the voices have been online. Considering the circumstances whatever is demanding his complete attention is almost certainly Wireman related

Someone left a bloody knife in his kitchen???

Someone left a classified document in his pile of mail

Whoever staged the house generally did an absolutely terrible job

You frown as Etho pulls off the highway towards the house. You're beginning to realize the voices didn't know Tango was in charge, which is stupid. How else did they get here, huh? Still, the people willing to give you massive amounts of information are helpful, if any of that information can actually be trusted.

You aren't sure this should be trusted.

...you love Etho. You love Cleo. You should probably tell them about this. You aren't sure you should while you're still being listened to by voices. No offense, of course, but it seems... bad, to try to talk this through where they can hear. That hasn't stopped being a thing that's true.

That being said, you do have an appropriate joke for this:

"Boy, you guys have never worked for the government before if you think 'inefficient, bad way to do a thing' is weird!"

"Yeah, the saying's 'good enough for government work' for a reason," Cleo immediately picks up on.

Etho remains silent.

He never appreciates your jokes enough for how incredibly funny you are, honestly.

[candiedspit]

Banana Daiquiri

It was summertime; hot tango and swedish malt. 

I was twenty five, a lonely space cadet with no return mission. I floated through the mist of pristine, magic light. I wore a cocktail dress to the corner store because I could. Artificial diamonds shuddered on my wrist while a thousand hot words licked the walls of my mind every single second. I was very alive most days. 

For work, I took care of Gem, a bright seven year old whose favorite color was a carcinogenic green. The kid was mute. And in lieu of a proper schedule–some of the families I’d worked for before treated their children as hostages to time, every hour had a name–I was given the simple task of entertaining Gem until her parents got home from work. 

This meant long walks to the playground, afternoon movies, aquariums, library trips. I liked Gem. Her long sheet of blonde hair which ran down to her stomach and flew in the wind. Her penchant for worms and dirt. I could tell she knew more than I did, picked up on the subtle tones of the universe.

Each morning, I picked her up from her house and we headed out. Out to the avenues. Out to run out fingers along the brisk voltage of morning. Out to the world. It was the third week of June. It had been raining on and off for several days. But at last, the skies were clear and the sun was beautiful, dazzling rays falling to the ground. Gem held my hand. 

Gem, it’s a wondrous morning, I said as we walked. 

I held her backpack on my shoulder. 

It’s the kind of morning you could weep over, I continued. 

The kind you dream about when you’ve been inside for too long, marinating in all of your perceived misery piss. The kind you didn’t think you’d ever see again. But here it is. 

I love the summers most because every horrible thing you did in the winter is gone. Every tantrum. Every snarl. Every shard of glass. Gone, gone, gone.

Eleven blocks. 

We walked until we reached Gem’s favorite park, the one with the long, twisted slide and sprinklers and swings. Gem let go of my hand and ran to the swings. I sat down on a bench and drank from my water bottle. After this, we’d go to get lunch. Strawberry ice cream. Soda, sandwiches sliced down the middle. And then maybe we’d saunter down the boardwalk and play some of the games they have there. 

I’ve always gotten along well with kids. I think I understand them. The bossa nova of the world, each little thrill and dissapointment. How you can feel gladness singe your fingertips. How the sun shines for the first time every time. 

How confusing the grown ups are. 

After work, I usually went to my favorite bar or called the man I’m seeing. Or both at once. It depended on how tired I was, how long the day had been. That evening, I went to the bar. On third street, it was a run-down bar that never had more than twenty occupants. I sat at the bar and ordered my usual; a banana daiquiri. The bartend asked how my day was. I said it was fine and left the conversation at that. I watched the small television above his head. A newscast about the bombings in Turkey and gasoline prices. All things that didn’t touch me. The universe only existed as I could see it. I got one more drink, paid and left. 

On my walk back home, the skies were bloodied and vicious and beautiful. Clouds ate at one another like twins in the womb. I was wearing a long blue dress. I felt like taking off my skin. I wanted the wind. I wanted everyone to love me. The buildings seemed enormous, metallic titans left to rot in the ground after some fantastic war. I was living in the land of zero, the peace spread across the land like a woman on a bed. 

I got home too soon. 

✴

Gem stopped speaking at around three years old. 

It was January and outside, snow filled the gaps of the city like glue. It dawned upon her parents as syrup spreads across the table–the silence. No babbles through the hallways. No requests for sippy cup. No mama. When her mother would urge her to speak, she would look into her face with her insect green eyes, and then look away. Gem’s pediatrician said she would grow back into speech. Had something happened? 

Nothing happened, her mother said. Nothing has happened. 

Gem had always concerned her parents. During holidays–out on the white, dense beach in Spain or with her many spritely cousins at Christmas–Gem preferred to play alone. She could never look at the camera when pictures were taken. And she had this–her parents called it a habit–habit of doing a sort of kangaroo hop when she was excited or nervous or anything at all. Sometimes she wringed her fingers in and out of crooked fists. 

 But the speaking was different. When Gem’s mother told me, she couldn’t stop herself from getting choked up. 

It was like we lost her, she said. Whatever stupid hope I had that she was simply an eccentric kid, that I was the idiot for not understanding the way she saw the world, was killed. And replaced with the fact that we had something on our hands we weren’t prepared for. 

When they finally got the diagnosis, Gem was five. 

Often in these cases, early intervention was key; but also, girls were typically diagnosed later than boys. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. And what mattered was what her parents were going to do next. Therapists moved in and out of the house like business men on a train. Occupational, speech, physical. 

But in the summertime, she didn’t have access to therapists. All she had was me and our little ventures into the world. I hoped I was doing good by Gem. That sunflower kid. That cartoon heart. All I could do was try to guide, be her compass in a dark terrain. 

I liked living two lives. 

One where I filled in the gaps and another where I fell through them. 

✴

Sometimes, I have strange thoughts, I told him. 

I was in the bed of the man I loved. And I was sure he loved me too. At least, at that moment. He was five years older than I was. But he was fun to be with. I liked spilling out in the dark with him. I liked his giant hands over mine. I liked surprising him.  

What kinda thoughts? He asked. 

I know what other people are thinking. I know what everything means. There’s an ultraviolet shimmer to the world and I can see through it, I said. 

It’s hard to explain, I continued. Happy neons. Dark, frustrated movements. An elevator dropping to the basement. How do you explain a yard to a kid kept in the attic? 

You’re a freak, he laughed and kissed my head. 

He didn’t understand. 

✴

I sat out on his balcony–he was one of those people who had balconies but never used them–at the end of a gigantic, African cigar; one of his favorite pastimes besides television. And me. It tasted like midnight, a rough kind of bark. Ash. I liked letting the smoke out so that it floated above the city like a warning of sorts. Beware, there are people who say they love you and don’t. Beware, there are peep holes even in Heaven. I was high on a pill he’d slipped into my mouth, something small and pink. In combination with the tar and the night air and the fact that I was naked, I felt like a kerosene bomb. I felt like a laughing serpent. A dirty thrill. I began to speak out loud, beneath my breath so that nobody could hear me. 

Not anyone besides you. 

There aren’t many people like us, I began. Not everyone can see the mess, the vomit and slashes of graffiti and stray dogs and doom, and smile. Not everyone can see that there are fairgrounds in a warzone. Not everyone can touch the music. Not everyone can hear the light from miles away. But we can, Gem. I think we are gods.

I think we are poets.

[whatsernameinouterspace]

Food Log 01/02/2024

Breakfast:

Nothing- 0 cals

Lunch:

Nothing- 0 cals

Dinner:

Pie, Mash and Peas- 1,002 cals

Tango Apple (Zero Sugar)- 10 cals

Fruit Jelly Slices- 175 cals

Water: 2725ml

Exercise: -30 cals

Total cals- 1,157 cals

I had some wins today! Someone at work brought in LOADS of cake including lemon drizzle which is my favourite- everyone was talking about it, and I was so tempted- I kept thinking “my fast is only 3 more hours anyway, it doesn’t matter right?”, but then I remembered how dirty and how much of a failure I’d feel if I did it. I think I’m happy I didn’t eat it. A moment on the lips, forever on the hips right?

I’m admittedly just so nervous about first eating after a 72 hour fast, and something that’s so high cals! What if gain back all the amazing weight I lost? What if all the suffering wasn’t worth it? I keep trying to remind myself it’s important for my metabolism, but it’s hard to get rid of the thoughts. I’m half tempted to use lax to get it straight back out of me, but I know that’s a slippery slope too. On a perk, it’s my favourite meal in the world- a death row meal if you like- and it’s like a reward for surviving the 72 hour fast!

EDIT: fuckfuckfuckfuck my partner insisted on me sharing these fruit jellies with him, I went from under 1,000 cals to nearly 1,200 cals oh my god. A purge is absolutely happening tomorrow, I need this all out of my body.

[starb0n3]

What I ate today

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Weighted in at 51.1kgs this morning…

yesterday was cheat day because my parents forced me to eat out, but i ate very little so only 1,300kcals and burnt around 500 .ᐟ

-skipped breakfast ༄

-had coke zero at lunch 𑁍ࠬܓ

-had the bottom of a pepsi zero bottle as a snack ᡣ𐭩

-for dinner my dad bought lebanese so i had two falafels, a few forks of a parsley salad, garlic sauce and schwepps zero + a pickle and cucumber = ~300kcals ୨୧

-had two and a half scoops of LEC caramel peanut tango ice cream + almond butter = ~ 200kcals 𖦹°‧

calorie’s burnt: ~200, i didn’t do much except walk and jump around today (but got the 10,000 steps in still .ᐟ)

net total: ~300kcals

yesterday at the restaurant my dad was talking to the waitress, and idk how they got to that point but he told her i had a tiny appetite :3

i still had sports camp today, and my trainer was a little worried i didn’t get snacks at the cinema for the last day. i was so proud for controlling myself and not giving in to the forceful ‘just have one!’s (i hate that so much because i’m a people pleaser .ᐟ)

also i know this morning’s weight is just water weight, and it’ll go down pretty easily because i’m going to fast at least 16 hours every day from now on.

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

[cherrylng]

100 Albums To Understand Muse - Part 2 [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

ASIA Asia (1982) The first album by the supergroup that brought together ex-King Crimson's John Wetton, ex-Yes' Steve Howe & Jeffrey Downes and ex-ELP's Carl Palmer. The band's catchy melodies and dense sound were more important than their progressive experimentalism and grandeur. ‘Heat of the Moment’ was a big hit. -S

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA Tango: Zero Hour (1986) Produced by the brilliant Kip Hanrahan, the world's greatest bandoneon player and the most important figure who changed tango history with his unique compositions that added elements of classical and jazz. In the early days Matthew spoke of tango influences, but if you want to hear tango purely as music, start with this masterpiece. It is a whirlwind of intense sensuality and emotion. -S

BAUHAUS In The Flat Field (1979) The first masterpiece from Bauhaus, led by New Wave/Gothic Rock legend Peter Murphy. The band's songs such as the hauntingly intense ‘Double Dare’ and ‘Stigmata Mater’, with Daniel Ash's guitar sharply driving, do not sound old even today. Peter's ever-changing vocals are also a charm. -S

BIFFY CLYRO Only Revolutions (2009) The fifth album from the Scottish trio, two of the three brothers, who have often fronted Muse for their heavy guitars, emotional melodies and playing ability. Uplifting songs such as ‘Mountains’, with its piano intro and intense development, and ‘Many of Horror’, with its beautiful strings, shine. -S

BLACK SABBATH Paranoid (1970) I've never heard the Muse guys mention Sabbath directly as an influence, but for Matthew, who grew up on 90s grunge, it's a huge indirect influence. It's a great foundation for musicians who aspire to heavier music beyond the categories of hard rock and metal. The groove created by the throbbing bass riffs heard in the songs on this second album is similar to Matthew's music… -J

COLDPLAY A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002) Matthew and Chris Martin are said to be friends, although both have been aware of each other since they were expected to be Radiohead's successor bands. It is clear that they have at least been checking each other and inspiring each other. The solemn, classical influences of this album give the impression of a worldview more in tune with Muse's. -H

THE CLASH London Calling (1979) The quartet at the heart of the London punk movement that erupted at the end of the 1970s broke down the framework of the formalised punk sound and expanded their musical range considerably by incorporating ska, dub/reggae rock ‘n’ roll, calypso and more on this eclectic third album. Tight, hard-hitting, yet catchy, this album is renowned as a masterpiece of 80s UK rock. -I

THE COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE See This Through And Leave (2002) The first album from this talented multi-instrumentalist UK band, which split up in 2007. Loud guitars, bold synths and masculine vocals are fresh even today. Includes the exhilarating ‘Let's Kill Music’, reminiscent of Mansun, and ‘Been Training Dogs’ with its impressive three-beat riff. They also accompanied Muse on their ‘01 tour. -S

Translator's Note: I couldn't find the full album playlist for The Cooper Temple Clause's debut album on YouTube at all. Out of 11 songs, only 2 are available as music videos but the rest are hidden. So the Spotify link is my compromise. For what can be said, the debut album isn't available in my region on iTunes Store too.