#tbh for a while I didn’t know immortal was part of this

[disownedbytiime]

Reinaeiry made a new song for her vampire/vampire hunter series (May I have this dance/Immortal/How lovely/Vices & Virtues) and it’s too pretty :’)

(And the call back to Immortal <3)

[fatalwhims]

i am going to ramble about Heart of the Sun Warrior into the void in hopes that someone will actually browse the tags and join me because i need to gush about this book through incoherent rambles

Wow how do I put into words how this book (and duology) made me feel?? Tan had me guessing throughout the entire book about who would be endgame. Just when you think the scale tips one way, she follows it up with a tender scene with the other boy (?? ok technically man, but we’ll affectionally say boy because they are my boys). It swung back and forth so much that tbh I got frustrated at one point and legitimately thought that Xingyin wouldn’t end up with either. 

With Wenzhi’s last scene in DOTMG I had a feeling that he would be endgame. So I’m surprised that even with that feeling, I was so unsure throughout the entire book. With Xingyin + Wenzhi’s conversation before the final battle and the finality of the word “Friends” and Xingyin’s monologue: “a part of me mourning the end of something precious, that never truly had a chance to begin”, I thought that was it. I convinced myself that the “I love you” when he died was just her speaking in the moment. Yes it was a truth, but not the truth. And with Wenzhi dead I didn’t think there was any chance that she would end up with him in the end.

Unless he was reborn as a mortal. Which brings me to the ending... oh the ending. It was such a beautiful resolution. What a way to bring Wenzhi and Xingyin back together, but also involve Liwei. With his death, I thought the only way Wenzhi + Xingyin would end up together was if he was reborn as a mortal and she found him. But to have Liwei send him down so that he could regenerate his immortal self, to do this out of love for Xingyin to see her be happy...we love to see growth! And not just growth of Liwei, but also Xingyin in her decision to wait for the elixir of immorality. It’s the classic tale of an immortal falling in love with a mortal and having to watch them die and then find them again in each new life. Tbh it’s a tragic curse, but there was so much joy in Xingyin’s thoughts as she describes all the moments that they would share together, that it filled me with hope instead (that and the fact that it shouldn’t be centuries hopefully). And the resolution really comes full circle with Chang’e and Houyi’s circumstances. 

My thing with love triangles is that I feel like the author can sometimes force their resolution by just writing out the one who isn't chosen by giving them less screen time. For a while I felt like that's what Tan had done. Liwei just didn't have as many opportunities as Wenzhi here to prove himself or do something for Xingyin. Wenzhi had the pivotal role of getting the scroll from his father and then casting the enchantment, which was the key part that tethered them together and allowed for the sacrifice. Liwei was imprisoned for part of the novel. Etc. Etc. But as I thought more about Wenzhi's death and how he gave his life for her and thus his crown, I realized that Liwei could have given up his crown too. Ok yeah, it's easier for Wenzhi to do that when he knows it's a choice of life or death. Maybe if Liwei was tasked with the same decision to save her, he would give up that duty as well (tbh he probably would). BUT in the aftermath, when he still wouldn’t make the choice and help her heal... when he still believed that she would be able to live there, despite how much he could sense her hurting, that was when I knew that Liwei just couldn't choose her over everything. And he admits it when they meet for the final time. I guess all this to say that, I’m glad that Liwei did have his chances and his choices and that he wasn't just written off as shitty guy.

[mdhwrites]

I love Raine, but I hated them as Eda’s love interest. Everything about their relationship felt forced to me, including how much Eda is supposed to love them. I wish they could’ve been introduced earlier possibly and with a more coherent/integrated role.

(But then I wonder if it’s just because they’re a non-binary character and I like the representation. Because without that aspect, the character honestly felt so useless and random.)

Maybe this is just a gripe I have with toh romance in general but like we’re supposed to believe Eda, who is considered King’s mom, would be putting him in danger with the collector just to stare at Raine?? Like come on. The romance in this show is so cringey to me.

It’s like how Luz reunites with everyone after defeating Belos and immediately shares a hug and kiss with Amity before her mom. 😑 like this is her mom who is seeing her for the first time after this whole nightmare and she didn’t even know if she’d be okay. I feel like she should’ve rushed to her and then Amity could’ve stepped in after. I guess honestly I’m just annoyed by the overemphasis on romantic partners in the show tbh. Could just be a personal problem

So there's a lot I can say about romance on this blog (romance writer has a lot to say on romance, shocking) and especially in regards to the genres TOH is in, both positively and mostly negatively. The thing I REALLY want to point out though is the dog shit treatment of Raine and how it truly emphasizes the fundamental problem of not just romantic relationships but ALL relationships in TOH. See, when Raine is introduced, we don't get a lot about their character. We understand that they are the caution to Eda's brashness and that while their caution is obvious, them having stage fright is actually a great way for Eda to have a way of breaking them out of their shell. Something her enthusiasm, especially as a child, could be useful.

And then we gets Falls and Follies where their stage fright is... Still their main character trait. And then we get Them's the Breaks Kid.

And suddenly, Raine isn't Raine. Now yes, kids can change as they grow up but stage fright is a fairly unique malady. It's not specifically social anxiety and it's not a phobia. It's genuinely about stepping on stage and freezing. That terror of performance. My drama director in High School said that she'd helped a lot of kids with it and the right course of actions were always repetition and exposure. That usually the lines came so naturally and their base confidence was so high that a successful dress rehearsal would make sure they didn't freeze come opening night.

It is something that fades with experience. And in Falls and Follies, Raine might still be the level head to Eda's rowdy behavior, but in the worst way. They're not the nervous kid who overthinks things and needs to be reminded to breathe but instead the smart, grade A kid who is so popular and so above everyone that they're bored by all the 'normies'. Edalyn is interesting in that she stands out, as well as being the strongest. Their is never even a hint of fear or nervousness in them.

This comes to its worst part in the moment that is supposed to tell everyone the two are destined for each other. The moment that the fandom was supposed to immortalize like the major Lumity moments. The moment Eda tries to bean Raine with a ball and Raine, unlike Lilith, catches it not just easily but with flair.

Or in other words, catches it just like Eda would. The moment that I think a lot of people, myself included, started realizing that Raine was just a love interest, just like Amity and then Willow for Hunter, instead of anything even resembling a character. After all, they spend this entire episode showing that they are a clone to Eda. Period.

It actually gets worse as the motivation to protect their loved ones is also an Eda one and they both do it in the same way by just trying not to include them and put distance between them. Their methods, ideologies, etc. like that are literally lock step with one another, just like Amity changes hers to be and Hunter ends up becoming like alongside Willow and Luz. A lot of people point this at as growth for the characters but I still argue that dissolving your own personality for your partner is not a good thing.

And do you want to know how much the writers KNEW Them's the Breaks was a mistake? Just a blatantly wrong choice to make? Well, see, Falls and Follies eventually came out with a second version of the episode with annotations. Little tidbits about the show and lore of the universe. I don't know really any of those tidbits except one, and that this WAS released after Falls and Follies.

"Raine developed stage fright during a production of the Isles version of Romeo and Juliet that they performed with Eda."

That's not word for word, I'm not looking this up for that, but that is what it summarized to. Or, in other words, they went back and had to retcon in stage fright for Raine. Stage fright they developed WITH the person who's dynamic with them should be to bring them out of their shell with.

The worst part? They probably don't see the contradiction. They instead likely went "We made a plothole in Them's the Breaks. What can we do this for shipping fodder?" And then someone else shouted, "MAKE IT SO RAINE GOT STAGE FRIGHT BECAUSE OF A PLAY THAT MADE THEM KISS EDA!"

Now no, that's not explicitly stated but besides just being lazy and referencing Romeo and Juliet (they did have a special name for it), that's the main reason I can imagine for that play causing that specific reaction. After all, Raine had performed for large crowds before. Even done things against the rules and off script in front of crowds and against a FUCKING COVEN HEAD. What could have possibly caused them to gain stage fright from a fucking play?

And if this sort of inconsistency was in a piece of fanfic or a person's personal webcomic and they just admitted to wanting the cute shipping moments, like Yoko Taro saying 2B is a beautiful woman because he likes pretty girls in his games, I would be more okay with it. In a show that is touted as so progressive, having such perfect representation, some of the best romances in television history, etc. etc...

Well, my response is that I guess there's a reason so many straight people have to deal with bland, inconsistent love interests if that's what nonbinaries and lesbians want too.

===========

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[science-slapfight]

ROUND 1 POLL 6

24. Dr. Diana Diamond (She/Her) @numberposting

She's a science lady. She's trans. AND she's a lil stupid and lame!!! She's got it all!!! She lives in a universe where “mad scientist” is an Actual job you can get, she literally has a degree in Mad Science! She’s Very adamant that mad science is all about pushing the limits of science without being “constrained” by ethical standards set by society, which is to say that she has a moral compass made of swiss cheese. Hashtag girlboss <3

While some people can be a liiittle off-put by her basement-turned-lab containing fun death lasers, she’s honestly just a dweeb once you get to know her. When she’s not conducting weird experiments for mysterious benefactors (or just for personal enjoyment), she’s hanging out with her epic and cool wife Alice!!

Although Diana can be a lil withdrawn, Alice’s optimistic and excitable personality really brings out the best in her!! They do almost everything together: Baking, stargazing, long walks on the beach, vivisecting people… Her wife is super normal btw don’t even worry about it <3

In short, you should vote for certified sillygirl Diana becuz:

1. She’s a funnie trans lesbian

2. She loves her wife SO much

3. She didn’t get a PhD in Mad Science for nothin’

4. She listens almost exclusively to They Might be Giants and Oingo Boingo

5. She could use the validation tbh

6. She lost the last poll she was in on round 1 isn't that so sad :(

7. I love her :D

Also she does enjoy cupcakes!! She prefers cookies tho <3 If given a cupcake she'd probs just give it to Alice cuz that's what love is all about!!

Relevant Links: She has a whole Neocities blog site thing!! It hasn't been updated in a long while cuz College Hard BUT it'll be updated again sometime in the future!! https://diamondexperiments.neocities.org/

20. Dr. Vincent Dufresne (He/Him) @certifiedwerewolf

Vincent began his career as a surgeon but even before he decided to be a doctor he's always been fascinated by the idea of what the human body COULD be and the lengths we could push it to if we got rid of all those pesky "ethical concerns" that prevent medical knowledge from truly progressing. During his internship with the exceedingly kind and patient Dr. Josef Mazzanti, he was part of a life or death experiment that saved the life of his future (temporary) fiance by making him a cyborg; he also, during this time, met Harry Harcourt, who shared his fascination with the possibilities of the human body but in a more "his body specifically" way. In attempting to get closer to Harry so he could gaslight gatekeep girlboss Harry into being his personal human guinea pig, he was brought into service of the immortal witch queen with a goddess complex that Harry served with cultish fervor. (The running joke is "you think I did this? He was like that when I got him!" regarding Vincent and Haniel (said witch queen) getting blamed for Harry's nature.)

Under Haniel's guidance and with the addition of her magic, he was able to expand his experiments even beyond his own wildest dreams. Most of his subjects are children because Haniel has a thing for that (freak), but he has had a few adult subjects, the most notable (and his favorite) being Harry himself, who has been hybridized with multiple animals, most prominently a frog and scorpion. (He can also purr, because he wanted Vincent to be able to pet him and him purr about it.) In terms of the experiments themselves Vincent has a lot that he's loved doing, but his favorite experiment is his darling Harry, who he adores. They really are two peas in a pod! They're terrible and I love them.

(Oh as a side note, regarding that fiance he had, Nick's dad was also working for Haniel as her "supplier" for her subjects, and because Nick was being pulled away to the service of Haniel's husband, an immortal dragon wizard who just wants to see his wife's boobies again, Vincent spent a solid couple years as a spy, trying to convince Nick to return to Haniel's service like the rest of his bloodline before him. Needless to say, that didn't work out, and the engagement was broken. But Vincent still has some latent feelings for Nick, which is why Harry wants to kill Nick's husband so badly.)

As for cupcakes, Vincent is more of a muffin kind of guy BUT one of Haniel's other servants is a massive assassin named Briar who is also a baker and Vincent would commit cold-blooded murder without batting an eye to get his hands on one. This isn't honestly saying much, Vincent isn't as murderous as Harry but he, like, doesn't MIND or anything.

(Image credits: @numberposting and Heroforge, respectively)

[charmedreincarnation]

hey! do you think that the soul is the same thing as pure consciousness?

I know you didn’t ask for all this but this is actually a huge debate in philosophy and some religions.

Most major religions have something to say about the nature of the soul. Judaism, for example, views the soul as an immortal part of a person while Christianity states that the soul is a part of the person that can live beyond physical death. Philosophically, the concept of the soul is seen as a descriptor for our innermost facets, such as love, hope, and joy.

Conversely, the concept of pure consciousness has its roots in Eastern traditions. It is often seen as an indivisible particle of being that maintains a state of non-judgmental awareness in our minds. This idea suggests that all external sensory information is blocked out so that we can experience a sense of clarity and peace.

So, many believe that they are interconnected, if not actually synonymous. Some believe that when we use the term ‘soul’, we are actually referring to an experience of pure consciousness. In other words, when we experience moments of deep spiritual connection and clarity, we may be tapping into our own soulful presence.

I have always believed since I was young that they’re the same, and the soul is like the body of the consciousness, so a connected aspect. I still believe that tbh. I don’t really have anything to constitute that aside my own assumptions tho !

[dreadfutures]

Blue’s DA: Absolution Post

Just finished my first viewing. Impressions, spoilers, and some rambling. Let’s go! Stream of consciousness, baby.

When I first saw my little sisters playing DAI, it struck me as “THE GAY GAME” and BOY is this THE GAY FRANCHISE. And it’s so normal. No one makes a big deal about it at all. It’s just fuckin normal and everyone is so flirty from square one. There ain’t no one gonna watch this and then go into DA4 not being aware this is a queer friendly world.

The big things I’m taking away, besides that:

- Where do people go when they die? Death seems to be a central question of Absolution. Immortality is a central question in Thedas tbh, and I have so many questions that I am betting will absolutely be answered in DA4.

- The architecture: Nevarra has domes, and its mage tower is very very square. Ziggurat-y. Tevinter reminded me a lot of parts of Spain with its architecture, the mosaics in particular, but other things to. Morocco. A lot of Morocco actually. I love that. The canals, the verdantness, the tiered city on a mesa, I really loved.

- Parkour. And gameplay. Or at least the vibe of what I imagine DA4 is trying to go for.

- The politics of Tevinter.

SO here’s my first thing. If this is what one powerful Magister can do with blood magic and an ancient artifact--and ONE high dragon’s blood.... What the FUCK will Solas’s ritual do? (obviously, tear down the Veil.)

Also there wasn’t a lot of Veil being explained, but I feel like the most important thing for new people is the Spirits, Demons, Magic, Blood Magic, and Slavery.

Wisdom/Memory’s 8 eyes (as a Spirit) became 6 eyes when they were corrupted to Enmity/Pride.

Speaking of Memory--Amelia Pavus? Hello.

I 100% expect to hear something about Rezaren’s aspirations to become the Black Divine, in DA4. I 100% expect we’re going to see Dorian’s efforts to reform Tevinter, and the position of Black Divine will be incredibly relevant.

Honestly the internal politics in Tevinter are so fascinating. Tassia’s honest, earnest desire to make Tevinter better than its worst rumors. Trying to hold the people around her to higher standards--even when they are someone she loves. In the end, when her people need her to help the wounded, that’s what she does. That’s when she steps out of Rez’s games, and she goes to help people.

How does that play into Dorian and Maevaris’s efforts and the Lucerni?

We also, I don’t think, get a great view of how Tessia treats and thinks of elves and slaves. Is that something she also wants to fix in Tevinter? No idea.

I don’t think it’s a cheap throwaway that the Templar who tried to stop the gang in the wine cellar got the voiced line: “you’re the reason all my friends are dead.” They did a really good job I think emphasizing, with the camaraderie of the Tevinter Templars WHO DONT USE LYRIUM TO NEGATE MAGIC. THE POOR FOOLS. They’re just people.

I'm a little perplexed that Tassia didn't seem to know Neb was dead/an elf. She seems so in tune with the Templars under command, and while I get that he seems to be Rez's personal guard, he also somehow seems to be rank and file with the guards she works with? I don't know. But the way she talks to him makes it seem like she thinks he's living and conscious.

Someone said that Hira knows Meredith (The Crimson Knight) is going to wage war on all mages. I don’t think that’s true. I think it’s more likely that Hira has no idea the Crimson Knight is Meredith? And Meredith’s war is against the world, or Tevinter. It seems like Meredith may have been taken over by something or left a Demon of something or is channeling something at the heart of the red lyrium consciousness that just wants war, vengeance, bloodshed.

I honestly thought Hira would have been loyal to the Qun. This feels like it came out of nowhere, but at the same time, so did Meredith’s appearance here:

Someone suggested that we see Meredith in the Black Emporium in this show, but I really don’t think so? It doesn’t look like the BE. I know she was shown in DAI. I know.

I know most of the stories told in Dread Wolf Take You in Tevinter Nights were lies, or partially so, but I still feel like we should have heard about this. So I don’t know. Either way, Meredith shouldn’t have the idol, though.

We knew that the Venatori were still around post-Inquisition. Now we know there are still Red Templars about.

I think fewer people knew that the Venatori have (supposedly) been around longer than the Inquisition and Corypheus...? It took me a little bit and I’m still not 100% sure, but Hira being a child when the Venatori killed her family wouldn’t make sense with an Inquisition timeline.

Tinfoil hat: There are actually two factions within the Evanuris. Both evil and terrible, both going to destroy the world, and Solas stands between them. One is Red Lyrium aligned and one is Blight aligned, hence why we have Meredith vs. Corypheus (red lyrum vs. darkspawn) in the mural above. I know, I know, they’re intertwined. But I feel an itch. And I’m mighty suspicious.

I’m so suspicious about which Evanuris are in Trespasser’s Elven Mountain Ruins and which aren’t. It feels like factions. It feels like the Forgotten Ones/Evanuris split isn’t the only split, or it’s more significant than we realize.

Okay so what happens to dead people? Was it really Justinia we saw in Here Lies the Abyss in DAI? Was this really Neb? You could say “it was really a Spirit who took Neb’s form, embodied Neb’s love for his sister, and stood against blood magic and so decided to destroy Neb’s body.” But I think it was really Neb. I really do. So what happens to people when they die? Is it only elves? Is it humans?

The Spirit says at the beginning: “By name and by nature, mortals are doomed to die.” Which by the way is a very Cole way of saying things I think, and I love it.

I don’t think it was a coincidence that the dragon doesn’t attack Qwydion the Qunari and likes her.

Speaking of Qwydion, she’s introduced as a rebel mage. Which to me implies that she’s from a faction that rebelled against the Circle. Not that she’s someone who left the Qun.

It’s so interesting that we can see Rez’s mother remove a demon from her son and put it in someone else. So we could deal with abominations and with Harrowings all along, huh. lol.

I’ve been making a list of silly Andrastian sayings and Thedas-isms lol. There were some good ones in this show.

The magic in this show was badass. Super awesome. Beyond just the scale of it. The dome that gets put around the circulum looks like the one Corypheus put around Calpernia's old master. Rez’s magic feels way more powerful than other peoples, and it looks awesome. His multi-threaded missile attack when he’s defending against the sloth demons that attacked with Pride look awesome.

If you think about it this whole show revolves around what is acceptable collateral damage. The whole temple is going to kill everyone inside. That’s lit.

I wish I knew what those bird things were that were setting off the traps throughout the temple.

In general this temple makes me scratch my head. Andraste (who loses her nose in the finale lmfao) is holding magic in her hands. Andraste seems to be more of a saint than the pinnacle of the religion in Tevinter, so it’s weird that she’s all over. Cool I guess, I don’t have anything else to say, really. Except that in Rez’s dream of being Black Divine, his outfit was terrible. LOL

I actually really loved the dream sequence. It felt super validating to how I’ve always imagined Fade sequences going lol.

They also I don’t think mentioned the Fade at all lol.

okay okay i’m done for now x) I’m stewing up some other theories and stuff but yeah.

[sips-tea-cutely]

Wish upon a star

“Don't tell me it's over… Hollywood's dead; Elvis is crying; Lennon, wake up; Cobain, stop lying there. In the light, you're sickeningly beautiful. Say goodbye, you're sickeningly beautiful.”

a/n: i found LDR’s unreleased and also i wrote this while brushing my hair so this is just what im thinking at the top of my head tbh (today is make chuya feel sad day)

cw: blood (reader dies), chuya powerless arc, i left the death part vague for ur hcs MWAH

‘“chuu! do you know what that constellation is?” you grabbed his gloved hand in yours while pointing at a star

“no, what is it?” chuya had no interest in stars but with you, he’s gained an interest in them

“that’s the constellation for gemini, the twins. when castor died, his twin brother— pollux— begged zeus to let his brother be immortal as well so, he turned them into stars.”

“hm… well, that’s interesting but, why’re you telling me this?”

“when we go out, i hope that we’re a constellation so that we can stay together forever, just like them!”

we… when we go out— when we die.

you were supposed to live a long life with him— he’d retire from the mafia, buy a house somewhere quiet, and maybe even buy a dog.

the warm feeling he felt with you, the warm feeling grew into fear, terror even.

his wrists shook as he cupped your bleeding body. his mind ran a blank, he didn’t care for vengeance, he didn’t care about justice. you were still alive, there was still a chance.

he paced around the hallway— the narrow hall echoed with the click of his heels, waiting for some kind of update.

“chuya, i tried my best— by the time you brought them in, they were already half dead… my deepest condolences” mori opened the opaque door, his cyan scrubs stained with blood— your blood.

he stood there, unable to move; unable to speak. he wanted to scream; he wanted to cry; he wanted to run— anything.

he stood over your grave, lilies in hand as his eyes glossed over your headstone.

‘Y/N L/N; loving child, friend and partner.’

chuya had no interest in stars. but every once in a while, he looks into the vast starry sky— and he hopes you’re waiting for him up there.

[cantarella]

I love essays, thank you for responding! Some of my own (wlw) mutuals have been rting/reblogging ship stuff for them, like it’s their token “good hetero ship” and I just…. :(

I’ve also seen a number of ppl refuse to acknowledge that Furina and Focalors are the same person. Like, that’s one bitch. Not recognizing that Focalors is Furina’s divinity (now laid to rest) is such a disservice to her character imho. Like, immortality as a kind of “youth” that dies when you finally breach adulthood is what I keep thinking about, among other things. Atp, with Focalors gone, all her memories independent of Furina (I assume this is because of the curse, and a final note of kindness from Focalors so that her humanity doesn’t have to process 2 sets of memories at once. Though the latter is a head canon I guess), Furina and Neuvillette are so horrifically incompatible with each other.

Even IF they didn’t look like father and daughter and even IF the mental age difference wasn’t terrifying… Furina has so much of the world left to learn. She’s still the same person and yet she’s different, that transition is traumatic actually! Not to mention the literal trauma of having the lives of ALL your kin in the palm of your hand that you mentioned.

As for her sq, I thought I was pretty clear that one of the takeaways, after reading the director’s journal, was that Furina is like a big sister/sibling/familial-linkage-of-some-kind to all Fontainians. Despite everything, they are her family, she’d do it all again, because “to be human is to be part of the greatest opera ever known,” and there’s beauty in this life to preserve etc etc. Idk if I’m making any sense tbh, but it’s nice to know at least a few other people understand how to consume media critically 🥹

(Also! When shippers go on and on abt Neuvi paying for Furina’s apartment/things…Clorinde offers to do the same fucking thing. Like, literally offers to find her a new apartment with the apparent fortune she makes from being the champion duelist I guess. But they refuse to acknowledge that. Given, they probably don’t read her character stories or flavor text, but still)

yw! and ouch I can feel that, I'm very picky with who I follow so that didn't happen to me but this pairing is quite inescapable

anyway, that's an interesting take on focalors and furina, which I agree with but only on a symbolic level. yes they're of the same origin, but they're the same only in the way jesus and the holy father are both god. idk if you're familiar with christian doctrine but the focalors furina and neuvillette dynamic is based on the father-son-holy spirit trifecta. maybe I'll do a post on that eventually but in the meantime here's a chart to make it easier

the father (focalors) created the son (furina) in his image, they're both incarnations of god but they're not one or the same being. rukkhadevata explained how this works in the context of teyvat and the irminsul also

furina and focalors share the same nature, though not in the same way rukkhadevata and nahida do as they are reincarnations, but the fact focalors died while furina lives and they don't share memories and experiences proves that in the eyes of the irminsul they're two separate beings with different "fates". which obviously makes furina even more incompatible with neuvi as she was never anything but a frightened young girl and the power and maturity imbalance is so steep it's at a 90° angle

that said, I do believe symbolically focalors' death put an end to furina's adolescence, as a death of the immortal self and of a physical manifestation of the idealized youth

in a similar symbolic way furina is an older sister type of figure to people of fontaine now. she ruled over them for 500 years she obviously cares for them, but only now she can actually learn to know and understand them as herself, and help them in ways furina, not the hydro archon, can

trying to find her own place in the world, distancing herself from her guardian figure and getting help from her friends, achieving enough power to protect herself alone, and literally going out drinking for the first time in her character stories (not that #those people read them anyway I'm sure) which is literally what hyv has been using from the start to show if someone is of age or not, are all steps of someone just stepping into adulthood. trying to ignore all this and say she should go back to working with neuvi and that the vision is him protecting her or putting a claim on her (writing that made me suicidal for half a second) for the sake of a fuckass m/f pairing is an actual insult to both of their characters. it's actually vile to me

anyway I hope the fans explode and die bc they're both illiterate and fans of heterosexuality. like pick a struggle

[the-kipsabian]

hiii! for the director's cut meme, i do have a part from "why we are us":

Somewhere in there, between all the good and the bad, the laughs in the day and confused, fearful tears cried in the night, his heart had decided that Cassidy was feeling more than just the need to help Kip to overcome this huge obstacle.

Cassidy felt extremely lucky to know that Kip shared those feelings with him though, he couldn’t even bring himself to think how things would be if he didn’t.

Feeling a lump forming on his throat the thought, Cassidy closed his eyes, inhaling deeply in hopes of calming himself down. Today had been such a tiring, hectic day it was no wonder him being this tired and having his thoughts running so rampant that it was making him emotional, but at the same time he didn’t want to cry and risk waking Kip up because of it. Cassidy was supposed to be the calm and collected one, he was always the stoic one, he wasn’t the one that was supposed to cry.

And yet, the tears were inevitable.

besides just getting a general director's cut thing about this part, i did have a question that popped up while reading this. with immortal fears being set up to have kip confess to oc, what would happen if oc had to be the one to confess? or would he even try to? would orangekip only be possible in this AU if kip confessed?

this got unnecessarily long so im putting it under a cut but hey i have a lot of thoughts about these two in this au ough

so the thing with oc in this au is that he never meant to develop feelings, he never expected that to happen. his whole deal is that he knows how much help he needed to get out of the dark place losing the title put him into, and seeing how kip is alone at the time, oc knows hes going to need all the help he can get. despite what happened up to that point between the two of them (kip basically making his life hell, seperating him from his friends and just generally unpleasantly mentally tormenting him), oc is still a compassionate human being; he knows what happens with this belt and its curse, and he doesnt want to watch it happen to another person, especially since he doesnt know what could possibly happen to kip if he doesnt get the help hes going to need

and oc caring for him wasnt supposed to be a lasting thing either, like he was just going to do it until kip got back up on his feet and was able to function somewhat normally again; but again, since kip was alone oc just kind of.. grew worried of him over it. seeing how much him being there helped kip and everything, he couldnt just walk away when the initial thought of "my work here is done" happened. and at that point im pretty sure the underlying feelings of something more than just "im here to help him to get better from all of this" had already started bubbling. like its very hard at this point in time to pin point exactly where and when oc started developing those feelings and realized them, but for sure by the time kip confesses to him, hes already well down that road

as for oc being the one confessing, i feel like if this carried on for long enough, he eventually would have. the thing with him is, oc struggles a lot trying to figure it out if this is a legitimate crush (or him falling in love with kip) to begin with, or if its just him being very happy seeing kips improvement over time, knowing that it was specifically oc who helped him get there (spoilers, its absolutely the crush, hes just an idiot when it comes to feelings). however, its insanely difficult for him to tell that to kip first, considering that oc doesnt know fully himself what he is feeling, and this is a very emotionally and mentally unstable kip we are talking about here - oc has NO idea how he would take such news. even on the good days, so it gets pushed back and back and back until eventually in the au canon its kip taking that first step when his own feelings get unbearable

im not saying that oc wouldnt have eventually confessed, tbh i think if he was given enough time and a stable enough kip, he would have. but that would have taken a looooong time, for both these reasons and cause oc would have wanted to be sure this was actually what he was feeling. and by that time, its highly possible kip would have given up or moved on. if oc confessed early enough, it would most likely have resulted in kip not believing him and blowing most of this thing up, setting them back (both in this potential relationship and with their individual recoveries) and just making it more difficult to carry on with this. and honestly oc would have probably given up on trying to tell him in the future if the feelings persisted, making kip even more confused about his own so... yeah

idk if this responds to like anything lmao

[fluffypotatey]

f g p r from the fanfic ask game? please?

Hey bestie 🥰 thanks so much for the ask this one took me awhile lol

G - Do you write your story from start to finish? or out of order?

i like writing things from start to finish. key word: like. my brain, however, likes to jump ahead to specific scenes and events. i used to fight that bit and force myself to forge on along and wait until i finally made it to that part in the story.

lmao that was a horrible idea. those scenes would continue to haunt me and pester me until i finally give up and wrote them. so i just stop fighting it and write out of order. (honestly it was a blessing for me to decide to make my lmk one-shot series not in chronological order bc then i’d never get it done lol

it’s why my writing can get slow sometimes because while writing the chapter for the next event, i’ll be hit with some scene 2 chapters later or 3 scenes after some confrontation i haven’t started yet!!! i have ch7 for the dr geyer fic. it’s in my docs but i haven’t finished it bc someone *looks at brain* wants to write more of s6b bc Theo’s in that one >:(

P - Are you what George RR Martine would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance vs letting the story unfold as you go?)

you know, i know i read of this before like years ago but i don’t remember it lol. had to look it up to make sure i was understanding this right.

so… i think it depends?

with my merlin multi-chap fic and my medieval fantasy wip i plan those in advance. the merlin fic? i have that 1st arc’s plot down, i know where the story will lead to, i even know which characters i’ll keep alive or keep dead. 

with my one-shots (and my one-shots that chose to say “fuck you”), those are a spur of the moment kind of writing. i had something playing in my head that’s wants to be free, so i write it down and pray that it’s satisfied (it typically is not which is why you see a lot of my one-shots become multi-chapters or one-shot series). these don’t have a solid plan when i begin. i tend to come up with it as the plot comes together. 

tbh this works well with my fics bc i have a base outline: the actual show/book/movie. with my dr geyer fic, i know where s5-6 begin and end. sure, i’m choosing what gets to happen in-between, but i at least have the comfort of that base. the lmk series? it’s literally just me plugging in an oc and forcing a couple characters to air-out their issues. 

R - Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

oh definitely. tbh my main one would have to be Lemony Snicket. fell in love with the narration of those stories. the snark, the personality, the vocabulary, the inner dialogue. idk it just did something to 9 year old me lol

another big one i’d have to say is Branden Sanderson. not really his writing, but how complex and beautiful his worlds are. i didn’t know that you could create and capture the essence such beautiful worlds in writing but reading his books and seeing them come to life really influenced my desire to write and design fantastical worlds or even just explore snippets of other worlds like BBC Merlin Albion.

F - Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it

babe, i’m so sorry but it took me forever to choose. i debated on whether i should do lmk or teen wolf or abc merlin or even shit i haven’t posted bc i love too many of these T^T

but dw i did find one (it’ll be under the cut bc this got long jfc). i giggled a lot when writing it just because the back and forth with Liam and Mason interjecting was fun. also i picked this one to prove the dr geyer fic hasn’t been forgotten. i’ve just been….preocupied and going feral over immortal monkeys

*

“I’m not here to start anything,” Mr. Doughlas said to them calmly. “I just want the mountain ash barrier open, mh?”

“Yeah, because this isn’t starting anything,” Liam growled.

Mr. Douglas smiled, sharp teeth in full display. Again, he twisted his claws in the chimera. Theo, again, kept quiet. The only indication he was in any being came from his winces. Liam can’t tell if he should be impressed or horrified that getting stabbed in the spine barely got a reaction out of Theo. 

“This is simply a contingency. I just want the barrier open, then I’ll be out of your hair. I promise. No funny business.”

Theo chuckled (well, more like gurgled) and snorted.

“Says the Nazi.”

Douglas drove his claws further into Theo’s spine, polite smile cracking, in response. The chimera grunted, but Theo just laughed again.

“Sorry, sorry.” Theo’s smirk looked almost deranged with the blood coating his lips. “Nazi was the insult others threw at you, right?”

“He’s a Nazi?!” Mason shrieked. 

Doughlas sighed, all politeness disappearing as he addressed them all.

“Must we obsess over my previous occupation? I don’t see how this is important. I was just a soldier there.”

“Oh yeah, being a part of a genocidal fascist group should totally be overlooked!” Liam exclaimed. “Not like you were involved in and advocated for any of that!”

“Yeah, it adds nothing for us to even slightly trust you,” Mason added.

[its-monster-mash]

This has been sitting in my drafts for 1000 years oops Rules: Post the names of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it.

Thank you so much for tagging me @venus-haze!! I am also excited to participate in the self-callout lol

I don’t actually have a “WIP Folder”, I just have. A lot of WIPs. About to expose myself on a lot of different fandoms lol(I have a million different sideblogs that I organize a lot of the things I like by)

• Didn’t Your Momma Ever Tell You Not to Talk to Strangers? — Bo Sinclair x Reader (House of Wax) *I am also converting this one to an "Original" piece so I can publish it as a serial, so if you see the other version on Amazon under the pen name "M.E. Roselli" that's me. I'm still going to keep writing it as this fanfic, but there IS an alternate version. The other version is about a cult instead of Wax; instead of Vincent, Bo("Buck" in the alternate version) has a twin sister who was raised to be the cult's messiah. The cult is dead and gone along with their parents, but she's still living it. I just know that a lot of people's fanfics are being stolen, so I wanted to clear up that that is NOT the case with mine.

• Holmes and Dracula VS. Jack the Ripper — Original Work (Sherlock Holmes and Dracula team up to stop Jack the Ripper from bringing about the Apocalypse)

• Tides of Lust — Original Work (Meliora, a traveling bard with demonic blood, goes on a pirate adventure with a feared disciple of Davy Jones and also meets a Vampiric Warlord)

• What The Dead Men Say — Original Work (Ivar Ragnarsson ends up in Victorian England, where he has little choice but to team up with an archeologist; was technically an ACV fic originally, but I hate the ISU stuff and refuse to include it so really it’s just a history fic tbh)

• Playing House with Private X — Original Work (A cryogenically frozen super soldier navigates the modern world with the help of a would-be super soldier who slipped through the cracks. Very slice of life; it started as a Soldier Boy fic—American Pie, but I scrubbed it of IP so I can continue it as an original work and publish it as erotic shorts)

• ‘Til Death Do Us Part — Original Work (Would-be Murder victim Judith “Jude” Carpenter tries to start a new life in a small town…where her would have been killer has taken up residence as the priest. The two must work together to survive the town’s dark secret.)

• Careful What you Wish For — Original Work (Janie, a serial killer hitchhiking to avoid capture, ends up being held prisoner by Levi, a recluse out in the middle of nowhere, and she pretends to be a helpless victim in exchange for food and a warm place to sleep. The story focuses on her disturbing inner monologue through her act.)

• Lord of Roses, Master of Thorns — Original Work (Ancient Vampiric King Alistair Val Mirron must fall in love to end his curse of immortality; Myrinthe, an odd Peasant introduced to him by and old flame, seeks to remain in the castle at all costs to avoid being forced to marry the annoying rich boy in town.)

• Taken From the Ren Faire — Original Work (This was meant to be a cheesy erotica short but I accidentally gave it a plot. Oops. Fantasy Author Vera Fox is spirited away into a fantasy world after drinking some strange mead from an interesting new vendor. She ends up in a fake relationship with a former bandit while he tries to help get her home; when they get separated, she questions if she even wants to go back to her old life, and this is only compounded when she finds her Ren Faire lover is trapped there too. This one is full of tropes because I'll be honest, I'm "Writing to Market" here, but I love the characters anyway. Owen-her Ren Faire lover- has a huge Clydesdale named Stormbreaker that he rescued from a roadside medieval themed attraction, and I love him.)

• A Marriage of Inconvenience — Homelander x Reader (The Boys; Amazon Show)

• Woven Sagas — Eivor Wolfkissed x Ivar Ragnarsson (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla)

• Mother — Skyrim Fic about my Dragonborn raising Aventus

• Critical Darling — Homelander x OC(Darcy Hayes, Dreamweaver) (The Boys; Amazon Show)

• In All My Dreams I Drown — Reaver x Sparrow (Fable 2)

Tags: I am abysmal at remembering URLs off the top of my head, but I will try. @sketchy-rosewitch @visceravalentines @rottent33th @ventiswampwater

[jin-zixun]

MDZS Rereading - Chapter 3 (Part One) - The Prideful (Arrogance 6-10)

Manhua Chapters 13-who knows this is a Part 1 now

Should I do this in character as Jin Zixun? I'm not going to do that.

Hey it's our good friend 'yeah pretty much'

"Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but miss his sword, which was most likely now hanging on some major clan leader’s wall as a trophy."

"If an ordinary clan—one without generations of accumulated reputation to stand on—wanted to join the higher ranks and become famous, wanted to gain prestige and respect among the cultivation world, then they had to show tangible achievements. Only when they hunted down ruthless monsters or disaster-bringing malicious fiends did their words gain any weight."

Yeah, what am I adding that for? No reason, nothing much.

Can I use it to defend (and by defend I mean implicate in several murders probably) Moling Su Sect like way later on? Maybe.

This is here because it's cute. A+ commentary, no notes

Wei Wuxian being an edgy boy.

"It didn’t sound fake—even though nine times out of ten, cries for help in the wild were evil spirits out causing mischief, luring the ignorant into a trap. Wei Wuxian, however, was thrilled.

The eviler the better! It had better be evil enough!"

"He was in need of a band of tyrannical ghost generals to do his bidding, so he, too, decided to head to that “Rice Mountain” to try his luck. If there was one that proved useful, he’d capture it for his own use."

Ok but why though? What actually is your plan going forward here? I get that it's probably because best boy Wen Ning is actually here, but like he says he's already captured a few low level ghosts? I don't think he's joking? I feel like Padme in that meme.

Oh hey it's Jin Ling. Mr. Extremely Young and Incredibly Rich, according to Wei Wuxian.

I have nothing to say here, just more of a 'have you seen him? Now you have!' sort of situation going on.

I'm sure much has been said about how and whether since he's with the Jiang Clan here, it's actually Jiang Cheng who is super rich now. So I won't bother to say it. Canon Sugar Daddy Jiang Wanyin. See, I said nothing. Nothing was said.

"An immortal-binding net was already considerably expensive, and he’d still set up over four hundred of them in one go. As expected of the Jin Clan of Lanling—an even slightly smaller clan would have been reduced to poverty and ruin."

"...the Jin Clan of Lanling now led the clans and sects; the head of their clan was even respectfully addressed as “Cultivation Chief.”"

What was wrong with 'Chief Cultivator'. Was it overly incorrect? It conveys the same information, but if I dare to say it, it does not convey the same vibes. Were the vibes wrong all this time? Should it be Cultivation Chief? ...I don't want it to be.

"Could it be that Mo Xuanyu’s father was not some random small-time clan leader but the infamous Jin Guangshan?!"

I guess Mo Xuanyu didn't mention that in his notes? That's kind of funny tbh.

"Of his many illegitimate children, only one had been outstanding enough to be recognized and taken back, and that was the current family head of the Jin Clan of Lanling, Jin Guangyao."

A-Yao!!! Yeah! Glad Wei Wuxian kept up with all the hot gossip while he was dead. Like enough to know this next part:

But not enough to know about like. Jin Ling. Like what kind of priorities do you have here, buddy?

"Furthermore, even the way Jin Guangshan died was an embarrassment. Old, but fully confident he was still robust, he’d fooled around with a bunch of women at once in order to challenge himself. However, he unfortunately overestimated his vitality and died during the orgy. This was simply too embarrassing to speak of, so the Jin Clan of Lanling unanimously declared that the old sect leader had passed due to overexertion, and the rest of the clans, in tacit understanding, all pretended not to know the full truth of the statement. In any case, that was the real reason for his infamy."

"Wei Wuxian felt he had a responsibility to humiliate the boy back."

No, uh, you really don't. You don't have to. (WWX: No I'm gonna)

"So, he countered, “Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?”"

"I'm his Uncle" iconic. Like. Top Iconic moments list? So far, this one right here.

Jiang Cheng more like... Damn

Wow there sure a lot of these this chapter. Suibian, Ghost Generals, Widower Wangji... I'm sure there's some I missed.

eh lan zhan is alright too if you're into that kind of thing.

"Furthermore, no matter how thoroughly Lan Wangji was praised as an unrivaled rare beauty, nothing could help the fact that he looked profoundly embittered, as if he had lost his wife."

"Jiang Cheng was exceptionally handsome, but he was still a little inferior to the one standing before him"

No comments. No notes. I don't even know why I...

"Well see Jiang Cheng, on my hotness rating scale, you're just a little bit behind Lan Zhan, but you're still exceptionally handsome so-- Wait where are you going? Jiang Cheng? Jiang Cheng?"

(Yes I know the hotness rating scale is canon)

"Lan Jingyi was the blunt and outspoken sort. “Isn’t Sect Leader Jiang here too?”

Jiang Cheng replied coldly, “Tsk. An elder is speaking, who are you to interrupt? The Lan Clan of Gusu pride themselves on being a clan of etiquette. This is what disciples are being taught?”"

Things that make you go 'hmm' (but maybe that's just because you can't make any other noise)

"This silence spell was what the Lan clan used to punish its disciples.

Wei Wuxian had fallen victim to this little trick on many occasions. While it was not complex magic by any stretch of the imagination, only those of the Lan family could undo the spell. If one attempted to speak by brute force, then either their lips would be torn to shreds by the effort or they’d lose their voice for days. The penitent one had to keep their mouth shut and self-reflect in silence until the punishment period was over."

"He had originally come to assist Jin Ling: the boy was fifteen this year, the age to make his debut and fight for experience with the juniors from other clans. Jiang Cheng had reviewed the options carefully before deciding on Mount Dafan as the hunting ground. He had then set up nets everywhere and scared off all the other cultivators, making it so difficult for them to move that they’d be forced to back off—all so Jin Ling would emerge the winner without anyone fighting him for the title."

Oh. Oh buddy. That's. That's just. No. Don't uh... Don't do any of this. Oh god this is so misguided-but-well-intentioned I'm--

"While over four hundred immortal-binding nets were extremely expensive, the price was nothing to the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng."

And yes, the answer to that question is yes, Jiang Cheng is big dick sugar daddy with all the cash money one could want.

Ok let's break up this next one...

"Ever since the decline of the Nie Clan of Qinghe,"

Number One, couldn't happen to a better clan. Alright, I'll try not to bully the Nie too much today!

"of the current three great clans, the Jin Clan of Lanling and the Lan Clan of Gusu had always been close due to the strong personal friendship shared by their clan leaders."

Number Two, this is such gals being pals energy. Jiang Cheng at the sect leader meetings like 'wow those guys are such good friends.' Like buddy. Come on.

"Jiang Cheng ruled the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng alone, so it could have been said that he was in a state of isolation."

Number Three. Oh.

"Lan Wangji’s guqin (also named Wangji)"

ok this was just kind of funny to me, just the way it's written.

I don't know Jingyi he just had a whole long ass exposition, but I guess you didn't get to read that part.

"After they had gone, Lan Jingyi posed a general question: “Why is Sect Leader Jiang like that?!”"

"His voice was deep and captivating. If one stood close, it would make the heart flutter."

lmao Wei Wuxian is like back to life for a day and he's down this bad. Heartbreaking.

I feel more like I'm just recapping here at this point, but what else is there to say? I mean we all want to be the edgy ironically detached necromancer, but even the edgy ironically detached necromancer can't be that.

"There were so many disciples in the Jin Clan of Lanling that he’d genuinely never imagined he might run into Jin Ling. Had he known, he would never have mocked Jin Ling with that comment of his, “Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?” If anyone else had said that to Jin Ling, Wei Wuxian would’ve taught that person what “a loose tongue spells trouble” meant. But the tongue that said it had been his own.

After a moment of standing in silence, Wei Wuxian raised his hand and slapped himself across the face."

Honestly, this I feel like needs to have a part two. It's just too long at this point. I think this is about the halfway point of the chapter. And this post is like. Really long.

"He had truly thought his heart was made of stone. But humans were no stalks of grass, not unfeeling, and in the end, he was human after all."

[starfast]

NaNoWriMo 2022 Plan

It took me forever to decide what I was going to work on this year. I was originally planning on writing a New Vellarton prequel about Matthew, but I just didn’t quite feel prepared enough. I was hoping to finally start (like for real start) on Immortal Minds, but even though I finally figured out the ending there’s still a lot that happens in the middle that is up in the air. 

So, I decided that I’m just going to work on multiple projects and sort of bounce around from a couple unfinished ones. I haven’t done a whole lot of writing this year, so I’m hoping to get caught up, and maybe even finish some.

Here’s what is going to be prioritized: 

Immortal Minds: Tbh, I feel like this should be a little lower. But I was really hoping I’d finally get to write it this year. I’m not quite ready for adding 50k words to it, but I still want to try to add as much as I can. I was originally going to completely restart, but there’s parts from my last attempt at writing this that I really like so I think I’m going to just keep as much as I can and pick up where I left off. 

New Vellarton 2: I’m so close to finishing this one! Like literally only a couple chapters away from the end! And I’m super excited for the ending that I have planned for it. It’s going to be intense! The only problem is that there’s like one loose end that I’m not quite sure how to tie up. However, because it’s a multi POV story I feel like I can just let it slide for now. 2 of the 3 POV characters have endings to their arcs and I can work on something else while I work on the 3rd. 

Magic Keepers: I’m so in love with this world and the characters that live in it. The last time I worked on Magic Keepers, I had sort of hit a slower point in the story so I kind of lost motivation to work on it. However, after I’ve had some time away from it, I think I’m ready to get back to it. 

Heroes Academy: I do really want to get back to this one eventually, but for some reason I just feel a little detached from this story for some reason? I kind of forget that this is a thing half the time, and I think it might be because I sort of rushed into starting this last year and that didn’t leave me a lot of time to get to know the world or the characters. I think I’d like to get a better idea of what the characters are like because I feel like some of them are kind of weak. Although, with that said I really want to see this one through because I think the story itself has a lot of potential. 

Untitled Matthew Prequel: Undecided on whether or not I’m actually going to start writing this this year. I may wait and save this one for next year, and hopefully by then I’ll be a little better organized. But that being said, I really love Matthew and I still do really want to write this, but I’m going to prioritize my WIPs that I’ve already started writing before I start any new ones. 

[bluerosefox]

Danyal, Danny, Phantom.

Part 1 (Where the idea came from, very bare bones)

Okay wow, wasn’t expecting so many people wanting a part 2 tbh, also thank you for the follows as well (although IDK why you’d want to follow me, I’m random and rarely post sometimes.)

So before I get into this part 2, I just wanna make a few things clear.

I’m still new to DC/Batman most I know if from the animated series and I haven't seen it in ages, I have been able to get bits and pieces here and there though.

ANYONE is welcomed to use these ideas/concepts, just let me know, send me it, allow me to read it please. If anyone wants to draw some the ideas too that’ll be amazing, just let me know! I wanna see!

Also, I might, keyword MIGHT, actually write this idea into a story too, idk yet maybe. its been years since I wrote an actual fic tbh so I’m a little rusty. (You can actually see I used more of my writing style on this one compared to the last one tbh)

Also the reason I split these idea/concept into parts is the fact I tend to ramble and I knew if I wrote it on part 1 it would had gotten so long so here’s a fresh page with the rest of the ideas...

So the reason why I had this idea is because I read some fics where Ra’s always knows about Danny being either the Ghost King or a Halfa, or can fight him cause he has knowledge, I wanted a story where even Ra’s can be surprised and realizes there will ALWAYS be a ‘bigger’ fish even for that old ‘immortal’ (especially if Danny is Ra’s “failure of a heir.”)

Sorry this took a while, I wrote Part 1 at the end of me being sick by Covid, had to catch up on a few RL things, and legit a few days later my AC unit upstairs broke during a CA heatwave and it was pure HECK being in my room.

Danny is a little out of character but this is how I feel he'll be like with a year of being the Ghost King could be, along with the fact he has help from his friends and ghost friends as well. He's learned how to rule and has grown.

Oh be prepared, this is what happens when I’m allowed to ramble on ideas. This... This got rambly. (You should had seen this and part 3 together, it was so rambly)

So, a few things to note about Danny before we begin.

His name was is Danyal al Ghul (Wayne) Daniel “Danny” Fenton.

He was also known as (Ghost Boy, Ghost Child, Ghost Punk, Halfa) Danny Phantom

He also had other names as well such as The Great One, or Savoir of the Ghost Zone

But... for the last year he has been known as...

Ruler of the Infinite Realm, His Royal Highness King Phantom. Or as he would rather be simply referred to as (when he’s forced to have/use a title)...

The Ghost King.

...King Phantom also worked.

Simple yes, but Danny preferred it. (Again only when he’s forced to use a title, which sadly since being crowned the new King is most of the time now and only those close to him still call him Danny or at the very least Daniel (coughClockworkcough).

SO.... Its had been a year since Danny had been crowned the new Ghost King, sure he was still a teen and it was honestly very hard in the beginning. Learning the ins and outs of the royal courts, setting up his inner court (aka those he trusted), dealing with entitled nobles, and how to handle the the weight of the crown he now wore but he knew he didn't have to face it by himself. Well not all of it, there was a few things he did on his own in order to prove he's a fair King, but Danny honestly loved it when he could get together with his inner circle (more like family) and discuss the recent news of the Infinite Realm (which Danny learned was the actual name of the Ghost Zone, he long since switched to using that name over the one his parents coined), problems needing to be addressed, and upcoming important festivals or days (Danny knew of the Holiday Truce but he didn't know of any other Ghost holidays/festivals until his ghost friends explained them to him) along with a number of his Kingly duties. This was just barely touching the surface of what Danny had to do nearly daily and again it took a while but he eventually was getting the hang of being a King.

Funny enough one of those duties turned out to be healing the oozing scars the old Ghost King left on the Mortal Realm during his reign... because those scars eventually became the Lazarus Pits and had they been causing harm in the Mortal Realm.

By the Ancients, the Lazarus Pits.

That was something Danny hadn't been expecting to hear so soon after regaining his memories from before living with the Fenton’s. And when Clockwork explained it to him, a small smirk on the always age changing beings face, that all the Pits would eventually dry up thus they would no longer be able to revive the dead once Danny started healing them...

Danny had laughed when he had been told this information.

He laughed until he had started to cry. He had even laughed so hard he changed back from his ghost form to his living one and then back again because he lost breath from his laughter. (It actually concerned his friends, Dani and Jazz when this happened tbh) It took a while but when Danny’s laughter finally trailed into hiccups, light coughs, and deep breaths, Clockwork merely floated over and asked with all-knowing smirk on his face “Quite done Daniel?”

You see the reason why this was funny to Danny was the fact that he was finally getting revenge on his ex-grandfather for... well for everything. And he was going to enjoy ruining Ra’s al Ghul treasured little Lazarus Pits with pure glee. The amount of pure joy he felt knowing this even surpassed his feelings for when he’s able to mess up Vlad’s evil plans for the month.

As mentioned before, Danny had no memories upon waking up in a hospital after nearly losing his life from wounds no child should ever have on their bodies. It wasn’t until the night after his crowning that as he dreamed of his past, it was in these dreams he had finally remembered everything. When he had woken up he had instantly went flying to Clockwork’s lair to speak with the time keeper, especially when he had remembered the last thing he had saw before waking up in the hospital.

[“Why?” that was all Danny would ask when seeing the ageless ghost, not bothering to say hello or even small talk like they normally would do, if he had been his living form he would had been breathing heavily from the speed he flown to get there.

“It hadn’t been your time, your Highness.” was the only reply before the ticking of clocks in the room filled the silence between them.]

He had been Danyal al Ghul, the second heir to the Demon Head Ra’s al Ghul, the League of Assassins leader and his grandfather, son of Talia al Ghul, and twin brother to first heir Damian al Ghul.

Talia, his mother, was a stoic woman. A true Assassin. Beautiful yet deadly.  Someone Danyal could see now who would do anything to stay in power if he was to be honest with himself. But she did love him and Damian in her own way, only showing them this parental love when they were alone, away from servants and other assassin’s eyes. Some of his fondest memories of the woman had been her cupping his face and speaking softly of how much he looked like her “Beloved”, their father. His eyes, and hair (and his 'soft' heart) were the only things he knew about his father, the only thing he has been allowed to know.

Damian, his twin brother, both of them mostly sharing the same face with small differences and build at the time, his other half, the one that he had came into this world together had, was, is the one Danyal would die for. And he did. His brother was the prefect heir, the prefect budding assassin in the eyes of the others in Nanda Parbat. Much like their mother he tended to try to hide his emotions behind an emotionless mask, he always carried himself stronger than Danyal would, despite them both being five years old they had been born into this life and learned very quickly how to survive that place. But behind closed doors the two would often talk in whispers, of the what ifs of their lives, how their day was, etc etc. Danyal’s fondest memories of his brother was them sneaking out to watch the stars late at night and making a promise to always face any problem together as they held hands and lightly tapped each with their fingers.   

His grandfather, Ra’s however was a ruthless and cold man. An ‘immortal’ due to the Lazarus Pits that always brought him back to life, and he had always hated Danyal. No matter what Danyal would do it was always a failure to his grandfather, it didn’t matter if he tried his hardest to be a ‘perfect’ little assassin like his brother, everything he did in the older man’s eyes was a mistake. Any mistakes Danyal did was often met with punishment and pain. He had no fond memories of the man, only a deep seeded mutual dislike if anything.

And it was with this hatred for Danyal, that had caused Ra’s to summon both his grandchildren one night to the combat room and demanded for them both to fight for heir ship. A fight that would end in one of them dying, something all of them in room knew it would lead to. A fight two five years did not want to do but had no choice. Not even Talia’s disbelieving single protest to the fight could not stop Ra’s command.

As the Demon Head, his word was law.

In the end, Danyal couldn’t wouldn’t harm his brother (his grandfather always hated how ‘soft’ his heart was, "to much like his father" was often said with a tsk). They were both only five years old, they were brought into the world together, they told secrets behind closed doors and whispered dreams under the endless sea of stars they would sneak out to see, they would lightly tap messages with their fingers when the other would have bad days and didn’t wish to speak about it but wanted some sort of comfort.

He wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t harm his brother but Damian... Danyal knew Damian would follow the order to fight despite not wanting to as well, Damian always followed orders with little to no fuss unlike Danyal who always second guessed with whys and questions, Danyal also knew Damian would believe he would fight back in defense at least...

But he didn’t.

Some of the few things he remembered was Damian’s eyes widen in horror, his mother’s uncaring mask and body twitch for a moment, and his grandfather ‘tsking’ at him before he fell onto the cold stone floor. After that his memory became hard to remember, foggy but he knew of this.The pain he felt hurt and he tried so hard to stay alive for a few moments more, he could barely hear anything over his own harsh and deep breathing, his body felt heavy and his hands felt wet from the blood seeping out around him. Danyal could barely hear his grandfather’s voice, and could barely make out Ra’s leaving while his mother guided Damian out of the room, she did not look back and Damian moved like a puppet on a string being pulled away. Danyal barely registered hands lifting him up and carrying him out of the room, his vision slowly fading as he was carried in the dimly lit halls of his ‘home’. His memory became very spotty after that, barely noticing he had been left outside the compound to die and as he took in a harsh breath in an attempt to get air, he could hear two words as clear as day.

“Time Out.” and the only sound following those two words was the ticking of clocks while the last thing he saw was the always changing form of a ageless being.

After that Danyal would be found outside of a random hospital in America, far from his place of birth, far from his mother and brother, barely hanging as doctors rushed to save this five year olds life. He would awake weeks later, with no memories of his own to speak of, and then one night a strange star plush/pillow would be gifted to him with the name Daniel on it. He would be bounced around foster home to foster home after he was cleared to leave the hospital and the cops had no leads on who or where he came from.

Daniel would eventually meet Jazz at the park and later her parents and worm his way into their hearts, he would later be adopted by them and live a somewhat normal life (as one can be with ghost hunting parents but at least he got Jazz as an older sister, even with Jack and Maddie’s rather unhealthy... obsession with ghosts he knew they loved him)

Ra’s failed second heir was no more, his name and life no longer mentioned in Nanda Parbat, Danyal al Ghul (Wayne) was by all intents and purpose dead to the man and to the League.

Now Daniel “Danny” Fenton lived in his place...

Up until that fateful day when he was fourteen, after that he was only half alive and once again became someone kind of new. A halfa this time. Danny Phantom.

And who would had guessed (not Ra’s that's for sure), he later would become The Ghost King, the Ruler of the Infinite Realm.                   

So imagine Danny’s surprise when as he had left his house for school one morning, he may be a King but hey he still needed his education according to Jazz (and Clockwork), when he had been ambushed and attacked by some assassins from the League and knocked out... (Shush his own assassin training was rusty and he hadn’t had time to practice them too much, his last major battle had been that all out brawl a week before his coronation with him vs his enemies, fun times. He also rarely got kidnapped since his crowning, half awake due to his Kingly duties and studying for Mr. Lancer’s 70% final grade test (Fun fact I had an actual teacher who did this) that Friday and honestly Danny wasn’t expecting assassins from the League to show up since the whole being pretty much declared dead to them thing)

Only to later slowly wake up on the familiar rough stone ground in Nanda Parbat (the smell, the sounds, the stonework. He often saw them in his dreams and memories but knew it was real this time) his hands bound and his body aching from laying motionless on the hard ground for a while. He put on a confused look on his face as he slowly rose and groaned in pain as he subtly took a moment to look around.

Thank the Ancients Danny still knew how to fake an injury, and play dumb/confused from his time tricking some of the his more annoying ex-enemies? (Skulker, Walker, etc.) even though it had been a year since he last had to do so with them (besides Vlad, he’s still his enemy no matter what and still seemed really salty Danny was a King now and was treated like an outcast by most ghosts, none wanting to be the opposite side of their King so hey perks). It had been a good way to make them drop their guards if they thought Danny was still at his ‘weakest’ when they caught him by surprise. It still pretty funny when Vlad tries though, this act always catches that fruitloop off-guard no matter how many times.     

It was a Lazarus Pit room judging by the smell/feel of it at first and later confirmed when he noticed the green toxic ooze nearby. Ugh just being on this side of the Realm and sensing that stuff was disgusting, it wasn’t as bad in the Infinite Realm due to the fresh and clean ectoplasm around it masking most of the bad smell but boy did it reek on this side. 

Danny blinked a few times to sell his acting, whispering a confused “Where am I?” under his breath, and looked around before his eyes landed on someone in front of him and flinched back a bit, no acting needed this time.

Ra’s was in the room sitting on a throne chair staring at him with that ever burning hateful glare yet Danny could see another emotion, an emotion he was very used to Vlad having on his fruitloop face. His ex-grandfather had a plan and it was gonna be painful or annoying for Danny to deal with, he knew it...

And...AND was that knocked out Batman and Robin also tied up in chains and guarded by few assassins in the room as well?! WHY IS THAT A THING?!

-x-x-

Heyyyyy so... umm I decided to split it into another part cause it was getting mega long again when all together and I was like roughly halfway done with it and just... I wanted to write out so much, also Tumblr almost made me loose the WIP of this many many times so I’m being careful. Good news almost done with it (and it won’t take as long as this part did promise)

This is basically Danny’s side of things of being King, his inner thoughts, his past relationships with the al Ghul’s, and snippets how he had grown into his King self tbh. Probably didn't need to do this but as an old school writer I wanted to make a base so to speak. The best and fun part is up next. and to prove it, here’s the title and a sneak peek for it.

Summoning a King (Or alternatively: It was at this moment, Ra’s knew he F’d up.)

Yeah as said before it took ALL of Danny’s training not laugh in hysterics. Oh the irony. Sacrificing the Ghost King... to summon the Ghost King.... Danny honestly wanted to say something, the words on his lips being a sarcastic “You sure that's gonna work out for you, you moldy old fruitloop?” but Danny bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from doing so.

TAGLIST:

Also I’m starting a tag list so if anyone wants on it for the next part please let me know asap so I can add you.

[EDIT: Taglist now closed until next update! Sorry!]

@sxnkisses @thenerdycupcake @sealover89 @remydumb @moonscat @fuck-you-too-world @hecate-hollow @ae-vixrose

[justapurrcat]

Unscripted | t.s.h

Part Two

Pairing: Tom Holland x actress!reader

Excerpt: “This curly-haired boy had the surprising ability to make you feel like an open book. A book he couldn’t fully comprehend yet, as he was still learning you like you learn a new language. Though at this rate, he would come to know you by heart someday. A day that you dreaded, and at the same time eagerly awaited…”

Word count: 9.954k

Chapter Warnings: English not being my first language, possible typos, all the weird dialogue I “promised” you, a bit of angst, mostly fluff.

A/n: The second chapter is here, y’all! Are you ready for Tom??? I’m a bit nervous about this chapter, tbh... I really hope it won’t suck and that you will like this 💜

Unscripted Masterlist

Tom Holland Masterlist

General Masterlist

Previous chapter/Next chapter

“No…”, you murmured, wrapping your arms around your trembling frame, your hands restless on your skin, your head shaking lightly, your vision blurred with unspilled tears. “No, that would mean–” You didn’t finish the sentence, as if you were afraid of what you were about to say, so you simply closed your eyes and stood still, not daring to move nor speak.

You were rehearsing the scene opening the second act, which took place in a completely empty stage. You’d begin your monologue under a spotlight, standing right in the middle of it, and then you’d slowly make your way to the proscenium, until you’d reach the edge, the last word being pronounced just as you were about to step into the void.

It was a decisive point for your character, a moment of transition, almost as if there were not one, but two ‘Anaïses’, who were the same and yet completely different from each other.

In hindsight, her story was told in a peculiar way, with a substantial difference between the first and second act. While the first part was romantic and delicate and all about her falling in love, there was a complete shift of tone ad themes in the second one, metaphorically resembling a violent slap across the face for the audience.

Even the time period Thecla had chosen underlined that difference, the story beginning in 1899 and ending in 1900, with the intermission being set at the exact turn of the century.

Such duality permeated the entire play, from its structure, to scenes and dialogues mirroring each other, to the choice of having only two actors in it.

It all started with Anaïs, a young orphan, adopted by a rich Lady who intended to mould her into the perfect bride for her eldest niece. Fresh out of finishing school, the girl returned to the ancient castle where she spent her childhood… only to discover that her betrothed died in a tragic accident right the day before her arrival, the heartache aggravating the poor old Lady’s already fragile health conditions.

In addition to all of this, the woman would die during the first act, leaving Anaïs lost and without a parenting figure for the second time in her life. Under those circumstances, she would grow closer with Rowan, the Lady’s youngest niece… who also happened to be her childhood sweetheart. The first portion of the story would focus on them, facing grief side by side, learning to love each other as adults, and the act would end on the 31stDecember, with the two lovebirds happily married and ready to face the new year as a couple.

A perfect conclusion for a perfect fairy tale.

However, during the second part, the audience would uncover the sick twisted truth with Anaïs – through Anaïs –, following her exact same journey.

Rowan’s castle of cards would slowly start to fall apart, his mind game getting completely exposed in the last scene, when she would confront him about his actions. A pact with the devil to murder his brother and aunt, so that he could have her to himself for eternity. So that she could never leave him. Literally. Because immortality and eternal youth were not definitive: the mere act of setting foot outside the estate without the other would result to an immediate death.

She was bound to him.

The striking contrast between the events and the narration was vital to the director, so the apparently lightest, most reassuring scenes followed her manipulation, whereas the shadiest, more unsettling ones were actually telling the tale of her fight for freedom. A freedom that would cost her life.

And it would all begin on their wedding night, triggered by a terrifying nightmare. A nightmare that wouldn’t wake her up, but would instead fade into something lighter: a hypnopompic state empty enough to be filled with all her questions. The exact moment where your monologue would take place.

So, the point of the whole scene was to represent the first spark of suspicion for Anaïs and that was the reason why you considered it the most important part in the entire act, if not the entire play. Because, while still being under Rowan’s control and unaware of everything, the seed of doubt was planted in the girl’s mind, starting to change her from the inside.

And you loved the way Thecla had decided to stage it.

At first, your character was in the dark of a non-place, surrounded by all of her lover’s lies. Then, the spotlight shining on you and your walk towards the end of the stage was her trying to decipher her dream, starting to put some pieces together, the fourth wall acting as the last layer, the last invisible door she had to walk through to see the truth.

A shiver ran down your spine. “No”, you repeated, your right hand slipping to the pair of imaginary rings – the engagement one and the wedding one – on your finger, playing with them nervously. “No, it cannot be…”

The time was not ripe yet, and the simple sound of Rowan calling her name would be enough for her to fall back in his arms, tangled in his web of manipulation and deception. And that was when you were supposed to step back, returning to the centre of the stage and standing there until the lights would go off to move onto the next scene, which would take place in the bedroom, where Rowan would wake Anaïs up.

And then, with your head hung and your eyes never leaving your fidgeting hands, you waited. And waited. And waited…

Why isn’t he–

“Tom?” It was Thecla’s voice.

When no answer came after that, you raised your head, your confused gaze scanning the stalls. You found what you were looking for in no time.

Sitting in the third row, arms crossed over the backrest of the seat in front of him and chin resting on them, Tom had his eyes riveted on the stage, gawping in pure amazement and looking completely enthralled.

Enchanted.

And it was in that exact moment, when you locked gazes with him that you realized it: he wasn’t just staring at the stage, no.

He was staring at you.

You felt your mouth run dry, unable to look away as your whole face started to heat up.

Why the hell was he looking at you like that?

“Tom!”, Thecla called again, louder this time. She didn’t shout, but it was enough to for the poor boy to get back on planet Earth, causing him to advert his eyes from yours, thus allowing you to breathe again.

“Your line!”

“Shit!” Tom stood up and frantically rushed away from his seat, trying to get back on stage. “Sorry! I’m so sorry, I–” He yelped in pain. “Fucking hell!”

A string of muttered profanities followed up, as the task proved to be harder than expected. Usually so athletic and agile, he now looked like one of those goofy Alaskan Malamute puppies in the videos you received from Cindy on a daily basis, as he kept tripping on everything he could find on his way, eliciting a few laughs.

“I’m an idiot!”

You didn’t feel like laughing, instead finding the view to be quite endearing. Puckering your lips, you forced yourself not to smile like an idiot.

“What were you doing there?”, Thecla asked with a chuckle.

“You said we would take a break after this scene”, Tom explained quickly, making it to the apron. “And, since Rowan has nothing to do…” He paid no attention to the side stairs – maybe not to waste any more precious time –, effortlessly climbing onto the stage with a jump that made him appear weightless.

And hot.

Not so goofy anymore, huh?

“I took it as a chance to…” Your flustered co-star stood up right next to you, a hand over his chest as he finally caught his breath. “To be part of the audience, I guess?”, he added sheepishly, an apologetic look on his face. “I was planning to say the line from here, but then I just got caught up in the scene and, I’m sorry, it’s just…” He went quiet, lips pressing into a thin line as his gaze landed on you, like he was looking for something.

Whether it was approval or permission, you couldn’t tell. But you still gave him a soft smile and small nod, encouraging him to go on, and that seemed to do the trick.

“This is one of my favourite parts in the show and I really wanted to see y/n performing it”, Tom continued, those chocolate eyes never leaving yours, the intensity lightening them up once again causing your breath to itch in your throat.

Stop looking at him like a dead fish, y/n.

You didn’t, and he ended up being the one who looked away first, resuming to talk like nothing happened.

Because nothing happened, y/n. Nothing.

“But I’m always there in the backstage, so…”

“That’s okay, Tom”, Thecla raised a hand, interrupting him with a reassuring expression. “I get it.”

“It won’t happen again, I swear”, he said with a serious tone, only to be met with complete silence. “… Thecla?”

“Hold on, now that I think of it, you kinda just gave me an idea…” She was scratching her chin, a vacant look in her eyes and the tickling in her brain filling the silence.

You all did as she asked and waited for her to speak again.

“Okay, hear me out.” Standing up from her sit in the front-row, she came on stage too, choosing the safer path and taking the stairs. “We could move the scene to the bedroom, and have Rowan sleeping during the monologue.”

It took you nothing to understand what was going on inside her head. And, apparently, it was the same for Tom, because he didn’t skip a beat and moved to the exact spot where the bed was supposed to be situated.

“The stage is no longer empty, but everything is still dark, so that nothing of the bedroom can be seen and it will still give the idea of a non-place”, Thecla explained, then directed her attention to you. “y/n, you still do everything you just did. But when Rowan calls for you, you take just one step back.”

You obeyed and she nodded. “Yes. And then you stand there and wait. The lights go on, we’re in the next scene and the room comes out of the darkness. We see that Rowan is in bed.” Her arms and hands moved in a hypnotizing way as she paced back and forth, illustrating the scene.

Then a finger was pointed towards you. “But you’re not. You’re standing in front of the window–”

“Because I’ve been sleepwalking”, you finished for her. It wasn’t a question, but a statement. The invisible barrier in her dreams would transition to the glass of a physical one as Anaïs’s body would instinctively try to get away from Rowan in the only way possible: death. But her mind, still unaware that she had no other option, was holding her back.

“Yes, so the only difference will be that, as the lights go on, you’ll be closing your eyes”, Thecla confirmed, the glimmer of pride in her gaze speaking louder than words. “He calls for you a second time, asking you to get away from the window – because we won’t use a real window, so you have to let the audience know that there is one – and you shiver, because you’re unconsciously afraid of him now, but you don’t move and stay asleep. So, he comes to you.”

She motioned for Tom to come closer, and waited until he was standing by your side to continue. “You see that she doesn’t respond, but don’t think much of it and blame her shaking on the cold: while this is a confusing moment for her, for you, it’s pure bliss”, she told him, passion dripping from her every word. “You got what you wanted and you couldn’t be any happier.”

“Got it.”

“Great”, she replied with a pleased clap of her hands. “Now, hug her from behind.”

Oh.

You had done several table readings, and were now rehearsing on stage to figure out whether a scene would actually work or not and how, but you were yet to bring actions and details into a lot of parts, including the most intimate ones.

Especially the most intimate ones.

At the moment, you were focusing more on the movements and on the composition. You and Tom would kiss when it was required, but it was always nothing more than a quick peck – sometimes embarrassingly missing the aim and laughing it off or playfully bumping foreheads together –, and even on the physical aspect everything was still very light and shallow.

Well, apparently things were about to change today.

After a brief moment of silence, Tom followed Thecla’s instructions, positioning himself right behind you. While doing so, he spared you a quick glance, to which you responded with an encouraging wink.

You knew that something like this was going to happen: this wasn’t your first rodeo at playing a romantic interest: you were prepared. But the thing that took you by surprise was that Tom didn’t hold back like the two of you normally would, nor did he give you one of those normal ‘fake hugs’ your former colleagues had gotten you used to. No, he wrapped his arms around your hips and torso, resting his chin on your shoulder and pulling you so close that your back was practically attached to his front.

You tried to think nothing of it, concentrating all your efforts on ignoring the warm tickle spreading all over your skin under his touch, on maintaining a regular breathing, on reminding yourself that, despite his debut, he was a cinema bloke now: he came from a different world, a more realistic one. Obviously, there was no space left for fake hugs when you had a camera shoved straight in your face. It was normal.

“Yeah, just like that”, Thecla eyed the both of you up and down. “And that’s what definitely wakes her up. Then you can say something sweet and give her a kiss on…” She stopped, pondering the options. “Tom, temple or neck?”

Tom hummed, the low sound vibrating in your ears and resonating in your mind. “I feel like Rowan would go the extra mile and do both”, he said, absentmindedly tightening his hold on you. “This”, he murmured before placing a delicate kiss to your temple. “… for affection.” You didn’t even have the time to process his action, as he delved in again, this time aiming for your neck. “And this…” His lips brushed against your skin, his soft breath tickling you lightly. “To make sure he stakes his claim on her.”

You gulped silently, hoping the crazy rhythm of your pulse went completely unnoticed.

“Claim? It’s just the two of them”, Thecla commented, a line forming between her brows. “They barely had any contact with other people ever since Anaïs came back, and they’re beginning their life as a married couple after a private wedding…”

You didn’t need to look at him to know that he was smirking. “But it’s Rowan we’re talking about, after all.”

Thecla’s frown vanished in an instant. “I see you’ve done your homework, I was testing you”, she nodded with a matching smile. “So, it’s actually you who’s guiding her back to reality – because, y/n”, she turned her attention to you. “You start to react and act normally with these actions –, even though you’re not aware you’re doing it”, she described, adding the final details. “And the next scene starts right now. What do you guys think?”

“I like it. It’s much more powerful.” Releasing you from his embrace, Tom came back to your side, his eyes still fixated on you with an expecting look. “What about you, y/n?”

“I agree”, you replied with a smile that he instantly returned. “The manipulation and the fact that Anaïs is still dreaming are even clearer.”

“Plus, the transition from one scene to the other will be more fluid”, he added, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

“And you’ll get to see y/n performing one of your favourite scenes”, Thecla cut in with a playfully mocking tone. “She won’t be facing you, but it’s still better than nothing, right?”

“Right”, Tom agreed. “I like how my fanboying ended up changing an entire scene”, he tried to joke in an attempt to dissimulate his embarrassment.

“You mean improving an entire scene”, Thecla corrected him, gesturing at him with her rolled up copy of the script. “That’s some serious hidden screenwriting talent there. I’ll keep an eye on you, boy.”

“I’m literally twenty-five.”

She raised her hands. “My apologies, grandma.”

You giggled and Tom rolled her eyes at the both of you, realizing he was outnumbered.

“Alright everyone, we’re taking a break: see you all in thirty minutes!” Thecla announced, using what she used to call her ‘Big Director Voice’ and clapping her hands.

But just as you began to walk away, you were stopped by a hand placed on your arm. “Great job, y/n”, she told you, giving you a light squeeze to let you know how proud of you she was.

You bowed your head, both in understanding and gratitude. “Thanks”, you murmured, before heading back to your dressing room.

A few minutes later, you were rummaging through your bag, looking for your lunch, when you heard a gentle knock on your door.

Looking up, you found Tom standing there awkwardly, his own lunch box and water bottle clutched in his hands. “Hey, y/n…”

“Hey, Mr. Screenwriter”, you smirked, winking at him and secretly relishing the coy smile and the lovely shade of pink spreading on his cheeks. Secretly and a bit too much for your taste…

Fuck, he’s cute.

“Yeah, about that…”, he muttered under his breath, but didn’t seem to have the courage to continue. You didn’t know where all that unusual shyness came from, but it was obvious that something was bothering him.

“Do you wanna have a seat?”, you offered. “Join me for lunch?”

“If you don’t mind…”

You shushed him with a glare, tilting your head towards the chair right next to yours. Tom immediately understood what you meant and silently proceeded to come in and sit down, setting his stuff on the make-up table and waiting until you found your food and did the same.

You pulled your legs up and crossed them, smiling to reassure him and to tell him that you were ready to listen to whatever he had to say.

Lowering his eyes on his fidgeting hands, Tom sucked in a sharp breath. “Were the kisses too much?”, he asked you bluntly, looking back at you. “I feel like I should’ve asked you first.”

You blinked a few times, the question catching you completely off-guard. “Not… not at all.” You shook your head, trying to overcome the surprise. “I mean, you were right: it is what Rowan would do”, you added to motivate your answer. “Besides, we’re playing a couple: and yeah, we’ve kissed before, but I think we’re gonna have to loosen up a bit more…” Your voice vanished to silence as you realized what you just said. “… it sounded better in my head.”

“I get what you mean.” The corners of his mouth quirked slightly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I also wanted to apologize.”

Your eyebrows knit together. “Apologize?”, you repeated, as if you wanted to make sure you heard correctly. “For what?”

“For ruining your monologue”, Tom revealed quietly, nervously playing with the ring on his little finger. “… and stealing the spotlight, back then.” He looked like a child waiting to be yelled at and scolded. None of that came from you, though, who simply stared at him with a bewildered expression.

“You’ve been amazing, but the only thing we were talking about was how to change the scene.” He licked his lips, looking down for a moment before raising his head again, a mixture of embarrassment and genuine regret animating his features. “And all you got was a simple ‘Great job’…”

This time, you didn’t even try to conceal your shock. “A simple ‘Great job’?”, you almost yelled, eyes going round and eyebrows shooting up to your hairline. You were aware of how dumb you probably looked, repeating his words like you’d never heard them before. But at the moment, you really couldn’t care less.

“Yeah”, he confirmed with a decisive nod. “And you deserved so much more.”

“I…” The reply died in your throat, burned to ashes by his words, by the strength in his gaze. A strength that hit you in the stomach like a single perfectly aimed blow, almost leaving you gasping for air.

“Tom… it’s fine”, was the only answer you managed to formulate with a small voice.

“No, it’s not–”

“Yes, it is”, you rushed to interrupt him, raising your hands and silently asking him to listen to you. “I mean it, I…”

God, this is gonna sound so stupid…

But still, you braced yourself and carried on. “I don’t do well with praise and attention”, you finally admitted. “Like, it’s okay until I’m acting, but the moment I stop I just…” You paused, not really knowing how to explain it in better words. You let out a sigh, running a hand over your face. “It makes no sense, I know.”

“No no.” Tom shook his head with a serious look. “It does make sense, actually.”

That was new. Unusual. So unusual it rose a strange suspicion in you. Talking about this was usually a taboo for you, since it usually lead to the same result: automatically being classified as a hypocrite.

It happened with your co-stars and colleagues. It happened with your friends, with the only exception of Cindy, who not only had never called you that, but actually came to your defence every single time she would hear that word.

And it had happened with your dad, back when you told him you wanted to do this professionally. You still remembered the way he had yelled at you: it was engraved in your memory, a scar that would never fade from your skin.

“Actors love the attention! You can’t accept a single compliment without crying! And now you’re telling me you want to act?!”

“I-I actually enjoy it… I can see it in my future–”

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

“What do you mean, dad?”

“So this is the real act.”

“… what?”

“All this ‘Nooo, I’m too shy! I hate it when people look at me!’. And now you wanna be an actress. Such a fucking hypocrite…”

You forced yourself to snap out of it. “I mean, it’s not like I don’t like compliments”, you blabbered in an attempt to justify yourself before he could say anything. Whether you were trying to do it with Tom or your father, you didn’t know. “But I–”

“You feel like you don’t deserve them”, he completed the sentence for you, not a single track of mockery or disdain in his tone.

You weren’t used to it: being taken seriously on that matter. It still partially felt like some kind of a sick joke.

“… yeah.”

“Got it”, Tom nodded, sounding like he meant that: like he wasn’t saying it just because. Like he truly understood what you were telling him.

Realizing that the cruel remark you were preparing yourself for wasn’t gonna see the light of day, you were left speechless. And Tom seemed to catch up on that as well, remaining silent and giving you the time to process the situation.

“Well, despite what you may think, my words were true, y/n”, he carefully spoke after a while, reaching out to touch your arm, but deciding otherwise and immediately lowering his hand. “That scene was incredible. You are incredible. I have no idea how you do it, but you keep getting better and better, like, that’s just…”

“Is that a nice way to tell me I sucked when we began rehearsing?”, you joked, clinging onto sarcasm to stop the tears that were threatening to form in your eyes. They weren’t bad tears. Quite the opposite, really, but you didn’t want to weird the poor guy out.

“W-what?!” Tom jumped in his seat, eyes widened and voice going up an entire octave. “No! No, I meant–”, he began to apologize, but suddenly came to a halt when he saw your smirk. “Bitch”, he spat, feigning offence.

“Well, Lady l/n”, he continued, lifting his chin, his voice sounding snobbish and measured, reminding you more of a mocking of his actual accent. “Will you do me the greatest honour of forgetting about your Imposter Syndrome for a brief moment, thus accepting my undying admiration for you?”

You fanned yourself aggressively. “Oh, you’re flattering me, my Lord”, you squeaked. “But, when being asked so charmingly, how could I ever refuse?”

“So do not, dearest. Just say yes.” Tom offered you his hand, the gesture dramatic and exaggerated, and you moved to take it with a matching attitude. Just before you could touch him, you stopped, letting a few seconds go by.

“Baby”, you corrected him, and lowered your palm on his.

That simple word was enough to throw Tom into confusion. “… what?”

“It’s ‘baby.’ Baby, just say yes”, you clarified with a serious look.

“Wait…” He narrowed his eyes at you, studying your face for clues. “Was that–?”

“From Love Story?”, you asked nonchalantly. “Yes. Taylor’s included in price.”

He dropped your hand, bringing his own to his chest. “You ruined my big dramatic moment!”, he sighed, drying waterfalls of non-existent tears on his cheeks.

“I guess we’re even now”, you replied, but as soon as you said that, all the guilt came back to his face with the power of an avalanche. “I’m kidding!”, you exclaimed, smacking his arm playfully. “You can breathe, mate, I’m kidding.”

That seemed to lighten his mood, but neither of you talked for a while, instead taking the opportunity to start eating.

You wouldn’t have called it an unnatural silence, though. It felt nice, just sitting next to him like that, your arms brushing casually against each other, your gazes meeting through the reflection of the mirror every now and then. Definitely something you could get used to. However, there was still something you needed to say.

“All jokes aside…”, you began when you were halfway through your meals. “Thank you for everything you said, Tom. It really means a lot to me.” You kept your voice to a whisper, sparing him a quick glance through the mirror, only to immediately lower your eyes when you discovered that his reflection was already looking at you.

“The World, actually”, you murmured at a barely audible volume.

“The World, no less?”, Tom let out a giggle, giving you a shoulder nudge. “Now you’re flattering me.”

“Hey, I’m being serious here!” You countered, returning the light shove, maybe using a bit more strength than he had. Of course, he didn’t even flinch – not that you were expecting anything different.

Returning serious, you put down your fork and pushed your plate aside. “You’re a fantastic actor”, you went on, this time raising your voice a bit more and finally facing him. “Not only having someone with your talent as my partner, but even hearing you say something nice about my acting skills is… a total dream come true.”

A small part of you felt a bit stupid because of your choice of words: they were sappy, and by no doubt one of the most cliché things ever. On the other hand, you kind preferred it that way, no matter how naïve they could make you sound. To you, the most important thing was to get through to your interlocutor, to let them know what you truly meant. And if that translated to using simple words, then so be it.

Thankfully, the boy sitting next to you seemed to be of the exact same opinion, appearing truly touched by what you said.

Or maybe he was just too kind to make fun of you for that.

“y/n…” Tom paused. He had already stopped eating, but pushed his own food aside as well to fully turn his body towards you. “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

The kind, genuine smile didn’t remain on his face for long, as it slowly started to morph into a different one. At first, you couldn’t quite place it, but the light tint of read appearing on his ears told you everything you needed to know.

“… but at the same time you’re making me feel awful for never having seen one of your plays before.”

“Shut up!”, you groaned, rolling your eyes at him. “It’s not the same thing.”

“You must think I’m a terrible co-worker”, he insisted, trying to play it off as a joke. “Which I probably am. Unprofessional and self-centred.”

“Oh, stop it, will you?” You were joking, and you were positive that Tom got it, but – probably due to the embarrassment – he still didn’t reply, gave you a small nod and then lowered his head, focusing entirely on playing with a loose string of his ripped jeans.

You bit your lip. “I shouldn’t be telling you this”, you began hesitantly. “… but I’ve had my fair share of bad co-workers, and there’s no way you’re ever gonna feature amongst them, trust me.” Tom shot you a questioning look and you nodded lightly to reinforce the message. “Some of them knew who I was before they met me and still behaved like jerks.”

“Who?”, he frowned.

You shrugged. “You tell the sin, but not the sinner.”

“I got time for a sinner.”

You gawked at him, not knowing how to respond to that.

The sudden change on his face, the low deep voice, the heavy Southern American accent, even the shift in his posture… he really pulled Arvin out of his pocket just like that.

Having seen the film a few times – maybe a few times more than you liked to admit – you had gotten used to that character… or at least you thought you had, because seeing him, hearing him, and overall experiencing him in person was a whole different story.

You cleared your throat to mask your loud gulp and immediately hurried to change the subject. “Did you just misquote your own film?”

Yeah, the film. Talk about the film.

“The things you make me do, baby doll…”, Tom replied with a breathy chuckle that almost made him look like he was blowing the smoke of his – no, Arvin’s – signature’s cigarette –, narrowing his eyes at you… and you could’ve sworn you just saw him wink.

Well, he wasn’t supposed to do that. Because you definitely weren’t ready for Arvin Eugene Russell to be sitting next to you in your dressing room while acting all flirty.

“Come on, I’m simply curious”, Tom tried again, switching back to his usual voice, finally letting you breathe.

It wasn’t like you didn’t enjoy his English accent as well, in fact you liked it even more than his Southern American one… but, thanks to all the actual exposition, you could handle it in a much better way.

“… curious about the sound their noses are gonna make when making contact with my fist, in case I ever happen to meet them”, he specified in a half-whisper.

As terrible as it sounded, you were grateful for what he said, since it helped you get your mind off things you weren’t supposed to be thinking.

“Now I’m even more motivated not to tell you”, you stated, grabbing your lunch box once again. Instead of facing the table like you did before, you sat cross-legged, simply placing it in your lap.

Tom gave you a lopsided grin. “Fine. I’ll ask Cindy.”

“Good luck with that”, you commented without batting an eyelash, keeping yourself busy picking at your food.

Your lack of reaction did nothing to calm him down: no, motivating him even more. “I’ll follow your lead”, he declared, stubbornly determined to convince you he could do it. “I’ll use your cat as a weapon.”

Luckily, you had already swallowed the mouthful or you would’ve spat it all around the room. “Oh, good luck with that!”, you sneered, already picturing the scene. Or rather, the disastrous outcomes, his allergic reaction being the least bad thing that could happen.

“y/n!”, he eventually whined, trying to play the puppy-eyes card.

Your expression softened. “It’s water under the bridges, Tom. Seriously.”

Seeing that insisting was pointless, he reluctantly gave up, but still made one last try. “If you change your mind, just know that I’m at your orders.”

“That’s so Arvin of you”, you fake-gasped. “I certainly won’t forget that.”

“Please, stop making me feel like a jerk”, he pleaded, his voice muffled against the hand he ran over his face.

Lowering your gaze on your plate, you played around with what was left of your couscous. “… if that’s the effect my knowledge about your filmography has on you, I really shouldn’t tell you where I saw you for the first time”, you pondered quietly.

When you looked up, you found Tom already staring at you. “… I’m torn”, he admitted with a gulp.

“… do you want to know?”

He took his time giving you a definitive answer, wide eyes exploring your face, searching for clues, jaw clenched and lips pressed into a hard line. “… yes.”

“It was with–”

“DON’T!”

It was so sudden, so loud that it caused you to jump in your seat, almost making you drop your lunch box. Your heart was going crazy, beating so loudly that you could basically hear it in your ears. And you wouldn’t have been surprised if Tom had been able to hear it too. You observed the source of your fear with shock written all over your face.

“Sorry, I don’t know why I did it”, he quickly apologized. “I… I guess I kinda panicked for a moment and…” Guilt-filled eyes bored into your worried ones, as he inhaled and exhaled a couple of times to calm down and get ready. “… okay, go.”

Despite the huge jump scare he’d just given you, you couldn’t find it in yourself to protest. Not when that usually bright and light-hearted young man was looking like a small kid, both equally anxious and puzzled.

“I…” You decided to start him off easy. “I discovered you with Pilgrimage.”

A crease formed between his eyebrows. “Really? I wasn’t expecting that…”

“Well…” You bit the inside of your cheek, hoping this wouldn’t make you sound like the fangirl you actually were. “To be completely honest, the first time I heard of you was with The Secret World of Arrietty, when I literally heard you. But it wasn’t until I watched Pilgrimage that I made the connection.”

“I see…”, Tom nodded at your words, looking a bit calmer now, the reaction reassuring you that your answer wasn’t that weird, after all – suck on that, Albert.

“So… did you like it? Pilgrimage, I mean…”

“I did. Maybe it was a bit too violent for me… but yeah, I liked it.” You even felt comfortable enough to add more details. “Middle age. Ireland. Religious themes. The love story in my head between yours and Jon Bernthal’s characters…”

“The what?”

“Oh, don’t tell me it never even crossed your mind!” You squinted your eyes at him, not even knowing where all this boldness was coming from. “That scene where you’re holding him and your face is just inches from his?!” With an emphatic sigh, you brought your hands to your chest. “If that doesn’t scream ‘couple’ to you…”

Tom wasn’t able to hide his smile. “That’s a… really interesting take on that”

“It’s not”, you corrected him in all seriousness. “In my mind, it’s canon.”

“Noted.” He looked at you with a peculiar, inexplicable combination of amusement and tenderness… then, something clouded his gaze. “But wait… aren’t you an atheist?”

“Yes.” You tilted your head to the side at the random question. “And?”

“You mentioned religious themes…”

“Oh”, you realized what he meant, then proceeded to give him a quick explanation. “I saw it as the perfect example of where blind, irrational Faith can lead you.” Pausing for a moment, you checked on him, silently asking him if you should end it there.

Apparently, Tom wanted more details, because not only didn’t he stop you, but he actually leaned towards you, resting his elbows on his knees as if that could help him to pay more attention to what you were telling him.

“Uhm… I’m not saying that Faith itself is a bad thing”, you clarified. “But, even if it involves an exemplary superior entity, it’s still a very human thing, and, like every human thing, it can be wonderful or it can be terrible.” You stopped again, wondering if you were being boring.

But, just like before, Tom encouraged you to go on.

“Stanley Weber’s character, that Geraldus guy” – you grimaced when you pronounced that name – “relied on that alone, used it to justify violence and the sacrifice of others, refused to use his head and ignored the other monks’ advises.”

Maybe you were being too harsh, listing all the errors of a fictional character. And annoying, too, you were talking too much. Albert’s voice overlapped with your father’s one, reminding you over and over again how ridiculous you sounded whenever you tried to explain your vision about one thing or another, how stupid it made you appear when you tried to face serious topics, how prettier it made you look to keep your mouth shut.

You gulped, attempting to free your mind from those memories, when you saw that Tom was staring at you through narrowed eyes, giving off the impression that he was going to ask you something.

“y/n, are you–”

You immediately cut him off. “… and look where that brought him: almost everyone in his group is dead and he got himself killed by the final girl”, you joked.

It was clear as day that he wasn’t buying it: he knew that something was up with you. And you had no idea how or why, but you knew that he knew.

This curly-haired boy had the surprising ability to make you feel like an open book. A book he couldn’t fully comprehend yet, as he was still learning you like you learn a new language. Though at this rate, he would come to know you by heart someday. A day that you dreaded, and at the same time eagerly awaited…

Luckily, Tom wasn’t planning to use that ability against your will: sensing that you didn’t feel like talking about that something, he simply decided not to pressure you. “Never thought I would live long enough to hear a monk being called a final girl”, he laughed softly. “Let alone if that monk was played by me.”

“Life’s full of surprises.”

“And I have the living proof right in front of me”, he gestured at you from head to toe, that tenderness back in his eyes. “I truly wasn’t expecting that”, he remarked. “I mean, Pilgrimage’s pretty under the radar… n-not that I’m saying that it’s bad, I had a lot of fun working on it!”

Overcome by those fond memories, Tom smiled to himself and you just took him in in awe, wanting to kiss the cute tiny wrinkles forming around his eyes…

No. No, I don’t want to do that. What a stupid thought.

“By the way…”

You snapped your head towards him, eyes wide open and breath held, like you just got caught saying that out loud.

“I loved hearing your opinions”, the cheeky bastard told you with a goddamn lovely wink. “I just… I’m a bit surprised, that’s all. In a good way, of course!”

Blinking again, breathing again, you also felt the need to match his cheekiness. A weird self-defence mechanism against the embarrassment, probably. “What can I say?”, you shrugged. “Looks like I have a magnet for cute monks.”

“You thought I was cute?”, he inquired with a pleased grin.

“Oh, come on”, you glared at him with a scoff. “A pouty Irish novice with curls? The crush was immediate!”

Tom lifted an eyebrow, his interest apparently growing by the second. “So the habit has that effect on you?”

“Blame Victor Hugo”, you told him, raising both your hands in an apologetic gesture, even though you didn’t sound like you were sorry at all. “He ruined me with his Frollo.”

That name seemed to awaken confusion in him. “But isn’t Frollo like, an old ugly judge or something?”

Good, think about Frollo. Don’t make me think of those cute little wrinkles.

“You’re thinking about Disney Frollo”, you pointed a finger at him, then did the same thing to yourself. “I’m talking about Book Frollo.”

Tom cocked his head to the side, the confusion still occupying his face: a silent way to tell you he had no idea what you were talking about.

“He’s an archdeacon in there. Plus, he’s thirty-five – which was considered old back then, I get it – and Hugo doesn’t say that he’s ugly”, you clarified. “I actually don’t like him, ‘cause he’s still a horrible person who does pretty messed up stuff, but I like his complexity, the conflict inside of him between love and Faith.”

“Sounds fascinating”, he observed.

“It is”, you confirmed, only to realize you had once more monopolized the conversation. “But yeah, weird fixations aside, we were talking about your film.”

“A film almost no-one mentions to me when they meet me…”, he muttered and, from the way he looked at you, you had no choice but to look down, unable to handle such intensity.

Bowl resting on your lap, you were still fidgeting with your hands, not knowing what else to say and wondering if that meant it was the right time to resume eating.

Tom didn’t seem to be on your same page, the sound of his voice making you raise your head again. “Okay, now I feel even guiltier”, he cackled a bit nervously. “Enough with me, then: it’s your turn to talk now.”

“My turn?”

“Yeah, I wanna know your origin story.”

“You mean how I became an actress?”, you asked.

“If you prefer”, he conceded, though everything in the way he said it suggested that this alternative wasn’t very appreciated by him. In fact, he made sure to let you know, to clear any possible doubt you might had. “Doesn’t sound as cool as ‘origin story’, though.”

You cracked a smile, jumping at the occasion to use that joke one last time. “That’s why I’m an actress and not a screenwriter”.

Without a reply, Tom stuck his tongue out at you, scrunching up his nose like a little kid. But, despite that funny little moment, it soon became clear that he wasn’t going to give up.

So it was you who had to give up. “Well, long story short”, you sighed. “I started acting because I was shy. Pretty classic, right?”

He nodded. “So far. But I want the details.”

You chewed on your bottom lip. “Okay. My grandma was a singer at the local theatre of the town I was born and raised in.”

The sweet memory brought a smile to your face, the feeling of her hand holding yours on the first day she brought you to her favourite place on Earth, more vivid than ever.

“He hates me.”

“Stop crying over what he said, honey. That idiot’s not worth your tears.”

“He’s your son, nana.”

“And that’s one of his only two good qualities.”

“What’s the other one?”

“Being your father.”

“That explains it”, he said, the satisfied expression on his face making him look like a detective who had just solved a case. “Talent runs in the family.”

His words flattered you, but at the same time, you couldn’t help shooting a glance at the ceiling. “God, I wish. She was a soprano with a vocal range of like four octaves.”

Tom’s eyes went round, shining with admiration. “Holy shit, that’s a lot!”, he exclaimed, his mouth agape… at least until hesitation took over his features. “It is a lot, right?”, he timidly asked, no longer fully convinced that his statement was correct.

Luckily, you were there to reassure him. “It is a lot.”

“Do you have it, too?”

You plastered a sweet smile on your face, your voice dripping honey as you answered him. “You’ll never know.”

“Fine”, he pouted. “I’ll just ask Thecla to make Anaïs sing.”

“Very fitting with the tone of the whole play”, you mocked him. “I’d like to see you try.”

“I can be very persuasive, love, you’ve seen what happened with the scene”, he smugly reminded you. “Just you wait.” And of course he had to wink again.

Cocky shit. Charming cocky sh-y/n, stop it.

“So, what happened next?”

“She started to take me there with her every time she had rehearsals to–”

… to make sure my father wouldn’t beat the shit out of me.

You managed to stop just in time, right before the worlds could roll off your tongue, the smile disappearing from your face like a mask falling to the ground. Though you were quick to pick it up and put it back on, ready to act like that didn’t happen, Tom was equally just as quick at noticing the pain that crossed your eyes.

For a moment, he debated whether he should say something or keep quiet, but then eventually chose the latter, as it was clear that you didn’t want to talk about it now, and he had no intention to force you to revive something that would just upset you. If one day you’d ever felt like telling him, he would be willing to listen.

But today was not that day.

“Didn’t force me to do anything, though”, you continued. “She’d just let me wonder around backstage.”

You remembered everything so clearly, as if she was still alive in your head. Her voice – now soft and faint – now loud and clear, would follow you around as you explored that place high and low, her songs and vocalizations guiding you like a personal North Star, as you learned how to navigate through it.

“A little girl wondering around in a mostly dark space…” He squinted his eyes, the grin contradicting the worried creases forming on his forehead. “I’ve seen horror movies begin in the exact same way, do you have something you want to tell me?”

“I’ll leave that up to your imagination.”

“Ah, the beauty of mystery…”, he sighed dramatically, with a few nods of approval. “I like it. Then?”

“Then I started going there by myself, because I discovered that I liked that place and the way it made me feel.” Right after you said that, one specific memory came back to you, and you couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped your lips.

“What is it?”

“The people who worked there even started calling me ‘Erika’.” You gave him no further explanation, curious to see if he would get it.

“Erika”, Tom repeated slowly, concentrating on that single word until recognition dawned upon his face. “… as in Erik? Erik The Phantom of the Opera? That Erik?”

“Yup.”

“That’s it!”, he exclaimed, slapping his thigh. “I knew you looked familiar!”

“Asshole”, you played offended, biting the inside of your mouth not to laugh.

But that didn’t seem to kill Tom’s enthusiasm: without missing a beat, he came up with another question that almost made you drop your lunch box in absolute shock.

“So you’re into that kind of role-play? Besides the monk thing, of course.”

“Tom!”

“I’m taking notes”, he said, as if it was the most natural thing ever.

You blinked in confusion. “… notes?”

“I like to be prepared, darling.” He smiled at you with fake innocence. A fake innocence that made your mouth water. “You said so yourself, remember? We have to loosen up a bit.”

To say that your cheeks were burning was an absolute understatement: your entire face was enflamed, embarrassment spreading in waves under the surface of your skin. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

“So, tell me…” Tom leaned back, resting his elbow on the table, his serious voice not matching whatever the hell he was doing with his body. “You want me to be your ingénue? And then your Irish novice?”

No. Just be my Irish novice–oh, for fuck’s sake, y/n!

“Oh my–” You couldn’t finish the sentence, hiding your face behind your hands, mostly because if you had looked at him doing that for just one more second, you weren’t sure you’d be able to think straight. You didn’t know what was wrong with you, right now, you just wanted to crawl into his lap and– “Shut up!”

“Can I ask you something, y/n?”

“No.” You dropped your hands, grabbing your food and placing it on the table, maybe with a bit too much energy, considering the loud thud caused by the impact. “I don’t like where this is going”, you pouted, or at least pretended to. “You seem way too comfortable when talking about the kinks I might have!”

Might. Yes, ‘might’ is very important.

“I swear it’s a serious thing.”

You finished closing your lunch box, facing him again to point an accusing finger at his face. “That’s kinda hard to believe when the word ‘serious’ is coming out of your mouth.”

Tom gently smacked your hand away. “Says the girl who called a tandem for ten people a ‘tendem’ and then kept laughing like an idiot for something like twenty minutes”, he smugly reminded you.

“Yeah, and who was the other idiot who dropped to their knees begging said girl to marry them?”, you bit back.

“A very smart guy indeed.” He proudly lifted his chin with a knowing look. “Certainly knows a keeper when he sees one.”

“And all it takes him is one stupid joke? That’s a talent.” You raised your eyebrows to mock him, his words making it hard for you not to crack a smile.

“The devil’s in the details, darling”, he replied, the unexpected shift in his accent hitting you like a wall of bricks. “Even the most insignificant or apparently stupid ones.”

You side-eyed him, voice reduced to a whisper. “Was that an Irish accent that I heard?”

“Do you want it to be?”

Yes.

“Thomas.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop”, he apologized, raising his hands as a peace offering. “All jokes aside, can I ask my question, now?”

You took your time before answering, eyes roaming his face to make sure he wasn’t bluffing. “Fine.”

“Do you get off asking people to sing for you in bed?”

Jaw slack and eyes rounded, you stared at him, unable to believe nor process what you just heard. And the effect it was having on you. “Fuck off”, you finally snorted, moving to punch his shoulder.

“It is a serious question!”, Tom protested, dodging the blow and grabbing your wrist. He didn’t let go. He had succeeded in blocking you and could’ve just released you. But he didn’t.

And you could’ve easily freed yourself. But you didn’t.

“You do know I have a musical background, right?”, he spoke, seriousness lacing his voice. “I mean, it was for a short period of time, but I’d love to try again.” And there it was, that cheeky grin again. “Who knows? I might even last longer now…”

“You’re disgusting, Thomas”, you spat, leaning forward and narrowing your eyes at him. “Don’t you ever dare to talk to me again.”

“That would be extremely unprofessional, my dear. Rowan is not mute”, he pointed out, mirroring your action, still not letting go of your hand.

… not that you were complaining, even though, officially, you were.

“But, as a novice, I could take a vow of silence”, he added in a whisper. “… only to see if you can get me to break it.”

An image flashed in your mind. One that involved him falling to his knees in front of you, his hands resting on your hips, the fabric of your dress crumpled up in his fists, his forehead pressed against your abdomen as he clung onto you for dear life.

You forced yourself to hold his gaze, taking it as a personal challenge not to make that thought could your mind. “You could always try a different interpretation, then”, you suggested with a sweet venomous smile. “I’m sure it would be very much appreciated.”

“So you want to silence me?” He looked genuinely hurt, those damn puppy eyes always ready to be used. “Don’t you want me to plead for forgiveness while I give into temptation with you? I’ll even grow my curls back for the occasion.”

You hated that you could already picture that, the unruly chocolate curls literally asking you – begging you – to bury your hands in them, comforting him as he prayed God through the altar of your body…

God yes…

“Don’t you wanna be my Angel of Music and have a passionate love story with me?”

And, just like that, all the magic vanished.

That sentence alone was enough to make you dryer than sandpaper, something you’d never thought you could ever be grateful for. But, after all, it was helping you keep your mental health in place, so who where you to complain?

“Absolutely not.” You pulled your wrist from his hold, sitting back with a disgusted look on your face. You rolled your eyes in an exaggerated motion. “Compared to them, Anaïs and Rowan – Anaïs and Rowan, Tom – are the portrait of a perfect healthy couple.”

“Just wanted to test your knowledge, love”, Tom chuckled, amused by your over-dramatized outrage. “But I see. You’re a Raoul stan, aren’t you?”

“Not really”, you responded, dragging the ‘n’ a bit. “I’m more of a ‘let Christine Daaé breathe for a moment you psychos’ stan, you get what I mean?”

He nodded. “I do, and you’re completely right. Even though I am a Raoul stan.”

“Well, he’s alright”, you conceded. “Not exactly my type, but he’s alright.”

“Got it. You’re more on the Billy Elliot side, right?”

“Yeah, sure”, you scoffed.

This time, you were the one on the receiving end of the accusing finger. “You totally are”, he reiterated. “I bet you had a huge crush on Jamie Bell, back in 2000.”

You did. But there was no need for him to know that. Enough with revealing the crushes of your younger self.

“And then you met me”, he continued, puffing his chest and straightening his neck, talking like a bard narrating a fairy-tale. “Which made your dreams come true. Now it all makes sense.”

“You wish, Tommy”, you giggled.

Unexpectedly, his face softened at that, a tender look appearing in his chocolate eyes. “I like it when you call me ‘Tommy’”, he told you with a sincere smile. “It has a nice ring to it when you say it.” He wasn’t being ironic or suggestive: he truly meant what he said.

And you… you were just one step away from melting. “… that was quite smooth, I’ll grant you that”, you admitted, still trying to play it cool.

“Glad I managed to impress you, darling”, he smirked proudly, then brought a finger to his lips. “But keep quiet about it, you’re the only one who can do it”, he spoke in hushed tones.

Remaining seated, you faked a courtesy. “Oh, what an honour!”

“So”, he clasped his hands. “Going back to people calling you ‘Erika’ due to your love for infesting theatres…”

“Oh, so you were listening!”, you joked, but, to tell the whole truth, you were actually positively impressed by his interest.

“And I still want to know more”, he confirmed. “Keep going.”

“It’s nothing special, really”, you shrugged. “After a couple of years, when I was around six, a director got sick of me wondering around like a ghos–” You stopped mid-sentence, noticing the look Tom was giving you.

“Yes?”, he prompted you, the innocence in his voice clashing with his shit-eating grin.

You pressed your lips together, thinking about how you could rephrase it. “Like a shadow”, you eventually decided. “So she took me on stage and told me that, now that I could read, if I wanted to stay there, I had to prove that I deserved it. Then she handed me a script and made me rehearse a scene with another kid.”

“And next thing you knew, the leading role was yours?”

“If Maiden Number Three sounds like a leading role to you, then yes”, you cackled.

Tom shook his head, pretending he hadn’t heard that. “I bet it was the title of the show”, he stated proudly. “And then?”

Then my parents divorced, my grandma died and we moved here.

“Then we moved here”, you cut it short: you didn’t need to bother him with tones drama. “And since nobody talked to me at school and I had zero to no friends, my mom insisted that I kept acting. It was like she was afraid I would lose my voice”, you attempted to end your sentence on a humorous note, then paused, thinking of your mother’s worried face, the endless apologies and words of encouragement she would murmur in your ear every time she held you. The way she basically begged you not to give up theatre, one of your few sources of happiness.

“So I did and I never stopped. The rest is history. I think acting literally saved me from…” You stopped again, a bit mad at yourself. You really just couldn’t avoid drama, could you? Well, better keep it vague: you’d already said enough. “… a lot of things.”

Your father, the bullying, the language barrier, Albert, to whom you had given your heart, only for him to treat it like a toy with his dark twisted games… all of that faded to nothing when you found your place on the stage. You’d pour your entire being into acting, processing your emotions through it, trading the sufferance for healing, the anger for peace.

After your grandma passed, theatre felt even more like the only right option for you, and you were grateful to your mother for being there to help you see it: through all those backlogged dreams your nana had left you, she had gifted you her World, a beautiful part of herself that you would cherish forever.

Tom said nothing, but his gaze, the way he wasted no time in reaching for your hands and taking them in his, spoke more than a thousand words.

You smiled thankfully, returning the light squeeze, your issues with physical touch completely forgotten.

The playful banter faded into a comfortable silence, as you simply stood there, sitting next to each other with your hands intertwined like it was the most normal and natural thing ever.

For a moment, you almost got the impression that he was about to bring your hands up to his lips to kiss them. He didn’t, but you might’ve sworn you saw something flicker in his eyes. Something you couldn’t quite place or name, that both enthralled and worried you at the same time.

“Just so you know, y/n…”, he finally spoke up. “I was a wonderful soprano until my voice dropped.”

“Div.”

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A/n: ... yeah, this is what I meant when I talked about weird dialogues... hope you don’t hate me after this hahaha. But no, all jokes aside, thank you so much for your support, I love you all so much and I’d love to know your thoughts 💜

Taglist: @isory @onewithnomightypowers @wildxwidow @harryhollandsgirlfriend @omegadumb42069 @thisisparadisemylove @tom-softie @jeyramarie @mn-jun @enilemes

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[kusagrasskusa]

Erron Black X Innocent! Reader

I...am a sucker for bebe s/o and big strong manly manz so yeah. These are shitty simple headcannons though to appease my wiplist. Do expect a better Erron Black X Reader in the future though! I already had a long story ready but it's on a halt because too much is happening this week.

Lemme just put a "readmore" here so I can go through my posts faster-- and for some of those who post long ass amazing works of art but never put a readmore, you can do it by putting :readmore: then pressing enter.

A fucking deadly cowboy who's basically immortal and had basically seen every type of person there could be wouldn't he expected to fall in love with someone who doesn't even understand the concept of losing a loved one.

Erron loves girls who can handle themselves and take control of the situation. In a way, Y/N can kinda do that-

Y/N's puppy eyes and sad voice is enough to make anyone feel even a bit of sympathy. And when she cries, anyone would break their character and come to comfort this beBe!

Her gentleness and happiness just pulls on people's heartstrings like a motherfucker. It might just be some special aura she was born with that effects people so much idk

When our cowboy spoke to you for the first time, it was a normal flirtatious greeting he'd give to most ladies. And when Y/N cocked her head, widened her eyes and blushed, he felt himself blushing a little too.

"Howdy little lady, what's a fine gal like yourself doin' 'round these parts? You look too pretty to be around here," he spoke, referring to being close to being around the Black Dragon base.

The two were in a small pond nearby; and considering no one else knew where this pond was, he knew she must be part of the Black Dragon.

She grew so red and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, stumbling over her words. Erron usually expected small smiles but damn, Y/N's adorable face really caught his eye.

They had small conversation about the pond before Y/N had to leave. Erron was thinking of her for the rest of that day.

And then the next day came along.

Kano was showing off where he gets his clothes made to some of his priority employees, such as Erron, and the only worker on the dressing rooms was Y/N.

"Hi, Kano— Oh, Erron, hi! :D" She called out lovingly. Erron was thankful for his mask as his cheeks suddenly grew red as his mind became confused.

He was so damn confused- how is this childish adult able to speak to sweetly and happily as if he and Kano weren't killers? Why is she so excited too?

The excitement in her voice whenever he came to visit her in the dressing rooms was intoxicating to him.

Erron grew to see her everyday and then finally, he decided to take her out on a little fancy "friendly meeting" one day.

He was sure to bring roses, which Y/N loved. He complimented her adoringly, and she would compliment him equally so. He had stored alcohol for her to try out, however he knew she didn't drink.

Whenever the event was over, Erron prepared to ask her to be his baby. But instead, she hugged him tightly and squealed, "Thank you so much for the great night! You're the best friend ever Erron!"

Later in bed, he thought about how she didn't understand it was a date. Goddammit-

Then the next day came.

The two would engulf in a giant hug whenever Y/N would confess that after the "friendly meeting," she realized she loved him.

Tbh she's a terrible kisser since she's inexperienced. But Erron managed to teach her that day.

The two would take it slow. Y/N is sorta oblivious to most romantic things so yeah.

Y/N adores the cowboy look and sometimes likes to copy it. Erron won't say that he loves it but-- you know how he feels.

Erron does get hella nervous whenever she goes out in public. Kano mentioned that she has no concept of wrong doing (not that he couldn't tell) so the thought of her tryna help someone dangerous gets to him.

The two don't care at all for PDA. The two can kiss and hold hands anywhere unashamed.

"Hey Erron? There was a guy that just told me I'm beautiful:)" Y/N spoke with excitement in her eyes.

"Is that right," Erron responded as the chains containing his inner demons were lifted. "What does he look like?"

Y/N ignored the gunshot she heard only minutes after. Erron was prolly just practicing his aim is all :)

Cuddling. Fucking cuddling between these two is amazing. Nearly every night, they at least hold hands with each other.

Y/N never really notices whenever Erron hurts people. She just can't belive that he would be a killer. Even if Kano comes in while laughing about some asshole Erron shot, she ignored it and remains smiling.

Erron can't really convince her either. "Wha?- But then why didn't you hurt me? See, I knew you were lying! >:)"

Yeah, Erron can get a little annoyed by Y/N's constant...well, idk, comments? But overall, something about her innocents and adorable actions make him stay.

He just has to be sure to keep his assassinations private.