#the wig..... dramatic reveal....

[hauntingblue]

Them doing a photo lineup of the mugis for the battle and when it's Robin's turn she just turns and does a blue eyed stare at the camera 😭😭

Look at her 😭😭

[blueiscoool]

How Hadrian’s Wall is Revealing a Hidden Side of Roman History

A party invitation. A broken flipflop. A wig. Letters of complaint about road conditions, and an urgent request for more beer.

It sounds like the aftermath of a successful spring break, but these items are nearly 2,000 years old.

They’re just some of the finds from Hadrian’s Wall – the 73-mile stone wall built as the northwestern boundary of the Roman Empire, sealing off Britannia (modern-day England and Wales) from Caledonia (essentially today’s Scotland).

While most of us think of Pompeii and Herculaneum if we’re thinking of everyday objects preserved from ancient Rome, this outpost in the wild north of the empire is home to some of the most extraordinary finds.

“It’s a very dramatic stamp on the countryside – there’s nothing more redolent of saying you’re entering the Roman empire than seeing that structure,” says Richard Abdy, lead curator of the British Museum’s current exhibition, Legion, which spotlights the everyday life of Roman soldiers, showcasing many finds from Hadrian’s Wall in the process. A tenth of the Roman army was based in Britain, and that makes the wall a great source of military material, he says.

But it’s not all about the soldiers, as excavations are showing.

A multicultural melting pot

Hadrian, who ordered the wall to be built in 122CE after a visit to Britannia, had a different vision of empire than his predecessors, says Frances McIntosh, curator for English Heritage’s 34 sites along Hadrian’s Wall.

“All the emperors before him were about expanding the empire, but Hadrian was known as the consolidator,” she says. He relinquished some of the territory acquired by his predecessor Trajan, and “decided to set the borders” – literally, in some cases, with wooden poles at sites in Germany, or with stone in Britannia. Where those poles rotted thousands of years ago, the wall is still standing: “A great visual reminder” of the Roman empire, says McIntosh.

It’s not just a wall. There’s a castle every mile along, and turrets at every third-of-a-mile point, with ditches and banks both north and south. “You can imagine the kind of impact that would have had, not just on the landscape but on the people living in the area,” says McIntosh.

And thanks to the finds from the wall, we know a surprising amount about those people.

Although historians have long thought of army outposts as remote, male-dominant places, the excavations along the wall show that’s not the case. Not only were soldiers accompanied by their families, but civilians would settle around the settlements to do business. “ You can almost see Housesteads as a garrison town,” says McIntosh. “There were places you could go for a drink and so on.”

The Roman rule of thumb was not to post soldiers in the place they came from, because of the risk of rebellion. That meant Hadrian’s Wall was a cultural melting point, with cohorts from modern-day Netherlands, Spain, Romania, Algeria, Iraq, Syria – and more. “It was possibly more multicultural because it was a focus point,” says McIntosh, who says that the surrounding community might have included traders from across the empire.

Soldiers were split into two groups. Legionaries were Roman citizens from Italy, who had more rights than other soldiers and imported olive oil, wine and garum (a sauce made from decomposing fish).

They worked alongside auxiliaries – soldiers from conquered provinces, who had fewer rights, but could usually acquire citizenship after 25 years of service.

Soldiers carved their names and regiments on stones to show which part of the wall they built – around 50 of them are on display at Chesters fort.

But the wall shows that women and children were equally present.

McIntosh says that pottery brought to the camps – from the Low Countries and North Africa – shows that the soldiers “brought their families, who cooked in traditional style.” Archaeologists have found what seems to be an ancient tagine for North African-style cooking.

A tombstone from Arbeia fort for a woman named Regina shows she was a freed slave from southern Britain who was bought by – and married to – a Syrian soldier.

Another woman buried at Birdoswald fort was laid to rest with chainmail that appears to be from modern-day Poland. “Perhaps she married someone in the army,” says McIntosh, who calls the wall a “melting pot of people from all over the world under the banner of the army.”

“They brought their own religions, as well as worshipping Roman gods and adopting local deities,” she adds. At Carrawburgh, a temple to Mithras – an originally Persian deity – sat near a spring with a shrine to a local water spirit.

‘Wretched little Brits’

Some of the most extraordinary finds from the Roman empire are coming from one site on Hadrian’s Wall: Vindolanda. Here, archaeologists have found a wealth of organic remains because of what curator Barbara Birley calls the “unusual conditions onsite.”

At Vindolanda there are the remains of at least nine forts over 14 levels. “When the Romans would leave, they would knock down timber forts, and cover the area with turf and clay, sealing the layers underneath,” she says.

“Because it happened so many times, the bottom five or six layers are sealed in anaerobic conditions, so things don’t decay. When we get down there, we get wooden objects, textiles, anything organic.”

Vindolanda has the largest collection of Roman textiles from a single site in western Europe, as well as the largest leather collection of any site in the Roman empire – including 5,000 shoes, and even a broken leather flip-flop. “We probably had a population of 3,000 to 6,000 depending on the period, so 5,000 is a lot,” says Birley. For Abdy, the shoes evoke the conditions of the wet borderlands. “Women’s and children’s shoes are hobnailed – you needed it in the mucky frontier dirt tracks. They’re very evocative.”

There’s even a wig made from a local plant, hair moss, which is said to repel midges – the scourge of Scotland during the summer. A centurion’s helmet is also crested with hairmoss – the ancient equivalent of spraying yourself with insect repellent.

The first woman to write in Latin

One of the most famous finds is the trove of wooden writing tablets – the largest found anywhere.

“They give a snapshot of what life was actually like,” says Birley. “We understand so much more from written correspondence than from ‘stuff,’ and, archaeologically, it’s the stuff that usually survives – things like metals and ceramics.

“These were written in ink, not on a wax stylus tablet, and we believe they were used for what we’d put in emails: ‘The roads are awful,’ ‘The soldiers need more beer.’ Everyday business.”

The tablets – or “personal letters” as Birley describes them – were found on the site of a bonfire when the ninth cohort of Batavians (in the modern-day Netherlands) were told to move on.

“They had a huge bonfire and lots of letters were chucked in the fire. Some have been singed – we think it may have rained,” she says. One of them calls the locals “Britunculi” – “wretched little Brits.” Another talks about an outbreak of pinkeye. One claims that the roads are too bad to send wagons; another laments that the soldiers have run out of beer.

Among the 1,700 letters are 20 that mention a woman called Sulpicia Lepidina. She was the wife of the commander of the garrison, and seems to have played a crucial role. There’s a letter to her from another woman, Paterna, agreeing to send her two medicines, one a fever cure.

Birley says it’s similar to today. “If you’re a group of moms, still today we say, ‘Do you have the Calpol?’ It’s very human.” For Abdy, it’s a sign that women were traders. “She’s clearly flogging her medicines,” he says. “It’s really great stuff.”

Another tablet is an invite from Claudia Severa, the wife of another commander at a nearby camp. It’s an invitation to a birthday party. Under the formal invitation, presumably written by a scribe, is a scrawl in another hand: “I shall expect you, sister. Farewell, sister, my dearest soul.”

Presumably written by Claudia herself, it is thought to be the earliest example of a woman’s handwriting in Latin.

Without the organic finds – the shoes and the letters that indisputably belonged to women, unlike jewellery or weaving equipment – it’s difficult to prove conclusively that women lived in significant numbers. Vindolanda “illustrate the missing gaps,” says Abdy. For Birley, they prove that women were as crucial a part of army communities as men. “Before the Lepidina tablets were found we didn’t really understand the interactions between the soldiers and their wives,” she says. Another tablet is written by what is thought to be a Spanish standard-bearer’s common-law wife, ordering military equipment for her partner.

“The Vindolanda collection is showing that there weren’t just camp followers and prostitutes; women were part of everyday life, and contributing to the military community in many ways,” says Birley.

Abdy says that Hadrian’s Wall is interesting because the resident women span “all classes of society,” from Regina – the dead freedwoman, who would have been “bottom of the heap” – to the trader Paterna and the noblewoman Lepidina.

And of course, there’s the wall itself.

“In the Netherlands and Germany the finds are often stunning and better preserved – you go to museums and are bowled over. But in terms of structural remains, Hadrian’s Wall must be among the best,” says McIntosh, modestly, of her site.

Abdy agrees: “I can’t think of many symbols so redolent of imperial will than that wall.”

By Julia Buckley.

[vanilladove]

❤︎ ₊ ⊹ get free (bonus)

based off of an anonymous request to see what would happen if reader tried to escape because trust was lost🫣 this is also the 'bad ending' reposted bc 'read more' wasn't working the first time.

pic creds luvpngs | gif creds akashi-tetsuki

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ pairing: asylum patient!nikolai x asylum attendant!fem!reader; slight fydor x fem!reader🤫

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ genre: angst + fluff? w/ dark elements; one suggestive scene with nikolai🙈read at your own discretion!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ content warnings: feelings of guilt, manipulation + violence, unhealthy relationships, slightly yandere nikolai, this is lowkey sad...😔

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ summary: you've become an accomplice to the doa. however, you've started to grow some doubts about your situation. are you really free or just in another man's cage? not to mention the demon lurking from a distance... ˚₊‧꒰ა read pt 1 & pt 2 & pt3 (good ending)໒꒱ ‧₊˚

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ word count: 4.7k

"So, what's your husband like?" Your coworker Juliette asked, sitting in a circle with your other colleague Anaïs, passing around a box of assorted chocolates.

It had been three months. You and Nikolai had successfully infiltrated Mersault, getting more information about the space-creating ability and honing in on potential ability users. Now you were alone, working for the government's IT department--your goal was to create a breach in their database for Fyodor to get into, so he could narrow down the Decay of Angel's targets and get their information.

Anaïs scowled and gave you the chocolates, muttering a word about how she was "low-sugar" before she primped her hair, preparing to brag, "Well, y'know, Louis takes me shopping and buys me new jewelry whenever I want. He just got me a new puppy, too, and he's the cutest little pomeranian!" You giggled a bit as Juliet pouted in envy, "Oh--and he's taking this weekend off, so we can go to the islands together!" You popped a caramel-filled square in your mouth as Juliet rolled her eyes playfully.

"You spoiled princess...Antoine spends all his money on the kids--plus he only gets one weekend off a month and always brings them to our romantic date nights..." Your coworker sighed dramatically, pretending like she wasn't equally as doting over her children, whose pictures and handmade gifts were all around her cubicle.

Ah, children, families, frequent romantic dates, marriage...those were all traditional things you gave up after running away with Nikolai.

You were lost in your thoughts as you popped another rich candy into your mouth--this one being filled with a creamy pistachio ganache that tasted a bit too artificial and made you cringe. Juliette called your name to snap you out of your daze.

"Well, what about you? What's your husband like?" She leaned forward and stared curiously at you, waiting for you to share your little gossip. You chewed slowly, trying to process the question as Anaïs nudged her friend's side lightly.

"Juliette, are you blind?! The girl doesn't have a ring on her finger--certainly she must have a man though--I mean look at her--she's a stunner." Your eyes widened at that as you twirled your wig hair and fixed your fake disguise glasses.

"Oh, well, Anaïs is right, I do have a...lover." Lover...you and Nikolai had never really put an official label on your relationship. You described Nikolai--dubbed as "Nikolas"--to the two other women, trying to stay as true as possible while not revealing his true identity.

Juliet winked at you, "Do you guys have sex? Is he rough, soft, kinky?" She giggled as Anaïs side-eyed her for her childish behavior.

You blushed, well, at least you could answer this question in earnest, "Yeah...he's good...really good." You covered your face briefly, feeling heat in your cheeks when you remembered your little Mersault moments. "But we haven't done anything in a while since he's away on a...work trip." You smiled sadly at that, despite missions being the new norm, you couldn't deny feeling lonely and missing Nikolai constantly.

"Ohhhhh?" Juliette and Anaïs exchanged coy looks, "You need that man to marry you before he leaves you...trust me, darling, I would know." Anaïs said, touching up her lipstick, "You wouldn't want to get knocked up and left alone, would you? Men are too unfaithful these days..."

Yeah, you knew all about that first hand.

You were about to interject until you supervisor knocked on the wall of the space you three were having lunch in. "Lunch break's over. Get back to work, ladies." You all got up slowly, and you held onto the box of chocolates, offering some pieces to Juliette before taking it back to your work desk and putting your headset on.

"You shouldn't eat so many chocolates, ptichka, you'll get a sugar crash." You straightened your back suddenly upon hearing the sultry, russian man's voice in your headset. Fyodor. He usually gave you instructions privately to hack into the system, but he normally only talked to you for mission purposes.

Rolling your eyes, you popped a sweet milk chocolate heart into your mouth, "Hush, I'm stressed. And how did you know? Are you watching me or something?" You looked up by the ceilings to glare into the nearby security cameras.

Fyodor only laughed on the other side. "Oh, milaya, I'm always watching you." Shivers ran down your spine as his voice faded out and you were back to staring at your log-in screen.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You waved goodbye to your coworkers as greeted Ivan--your personal chauffeur--and stepped into the backseat of the car, staring out the tinted window. The car was stopped at a red light when you noticed an animated billboard broadcasting a clip of the news. It was your parents and your in-laws begging for any information about you or your husband's disappearances and the award for either of your safe returns. While that didn't bother you at first--after all, your parents just saw you as a pawn they could marry away for a sound investment, and your in-laws didn't treat you much better either--you couldn't help but feel some remorse from their desperate pleas.

You knew what had happened to your husband--you and Nikolai had killed him. As much as you didn't want to admit it, his death was starting to haunt you. The eerie silence after you'd pulled the trigger and the horrible state he was in before replayed in your dreams, and it didn't help that your lover wasn't there to comfort you anymore. Especially now that Sigma was busy managing the Sky Casino, and you had to work your 9-5 office job, you really had no one to talk to openly. No one...except for Fyodor.

"Welcome back, milashka." Fyodor greeted you as you slipped off your heels upon entering the base. You smiled awkwardly at him, freeing your hair from the wig and slipping your glasses back into your purse. "How was work today?"

"Good...as always...you would know that, though since you're always watching me." You teased, still a bit shaken by what he'd said.

Despite how cold and reluctant he was towards you at first, you'd somehow gotten closer since it was basically just you two at the base. He'd held up his promise and gave you plenty of books to read, so you often talked about literature, which usually lead to deeper conversations. Additionally, although he never addressed you by your name like Sigma, he started giving you russian pet names--some of which were uncannily similar to the ones Nikolai would call you. You tried not to pay it much mind--it was probably some weird power dynamic thing--but you couldn't help but notice how he hid the nicknames and subtle flirting around Nikolai.

Fyodor motioned towards the small table by the fireplace, "I made some tea. Would you care to join me, ptichka? He smirked as you sighed and sat down next to him--you swore the chairs were closer than usual. You pulled the box of chocolates out of your purse and set them down next to a blue and white porcelain tea cup. You poured yourself some black tea before taking another chocolate, this one being filled with strawberry cream. You sulked after seeing a drawing of a happy family on the box, drawing Fyodor's attention. "Is anything on your mind, milaya? You seem bothered."

You eyed him curiously, surprised that he cared to listen to you. You figured you needed to get it off your chest, though, so you opened up, "Well...it's just that I've been alone lately with Nikolai gone, and I've been feeling like maybe this life isn't exactly for me..." You trailed off, a bit panicked when you saw a blank, stoic look on Fyodor's face. You put your hands up defensively, "N-not like I don't want to be a part of the Decay of Angels anymore, but just that I want more out of my life in the future."

Fyodor crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hand, gazing down at you, intrigued, "Go on."

You gulped, "I get so jealous when my coworkers talk about their families and settling down, going on fun vacations, or having daily board game nights...How they can speak so freely about their lives, while I have to live a lie and walk past my missing posters every day...I-I don't have anyone to come home to anymore, either..." You could feel tears start to cloud your vision as you looked down, never speaking this passionately before. You were sure you looked pathetic.

Your eyes widened as you felt Fyodor's frail fingers come up to wipe away your tears and brush across your cheek before landing on top of your hands. They were cold, not as warm as Nikolai's but at least somewhat comforting.

"Perhaps it isn't a different lifestyle you crave, but a sense of belonging and security." Fyodor started, bringing his face a bit closer to yours. "Your heart desires a deeper connection with those around you. After all, you abandoned everyone you knew before and suddenly went into an entirely different life. It's only normal that you would feel distressed after a while. You need comfort--and I'm sure that some part of you wants to give your parents some closure about your disappearance."

Fyodor was being...sympathetic? It was almost scary how well he could describe what you were feeling, along with how surprisingly empathetic he acted. You had quickly learned that he had little regard for others or for defective subordinates.

You looked up at him, "It's not just that, though. Even though it's selfish, I want Nikolai to marry me--or at least make things more serious and clear between us..." You didn't notice Fyodor slightly frowning at that as you continued, "He's just been away for so long, and it's not like I don't trust him, but he really has no obligation to stay loyal to me, and I've already been cheated on before...There's no way I can fall in love with another man being a double agent, so I need to know if he plans on us being long-term or not..." Rambling out the rest of your feelings, Fyodor stroked your hand slowly, his smug smile returning on his face.

"You should tell him that, then. If you speak from your heart and tell him the truth, I'm sure he'll listen to you. After all, he'd fulfill your desires if he really loved you." You pouted.

"But it's Nikolai...at the end of the day, he lives by his own convictions and philosophy."

Fyodor clicked his tongue, "If he loved you, he'd compromise." You weren't quite convinced, but you flinched when he brought your hand up and placed a soft kiss to the back of your hand. "Good luck, milashka." As soon as it happened, he was gone as he dismissed himself and left you alone at the table. You didn't know how to think or process the conversation as you lightly slapped away the faint blush across your cheeks.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Another long day of work had concluded as you wished your coworkers a good weekend and walked out the door. It had been two weeks since your conversation with Fyodor, but it was all that was on your mind. You really needed to talk to Nikolai soon.

Wait. Was that Ivan...holding a bouquet of flowers? Not just any flowers either--they were the same lavender roses you'd been gifted by your ex-patient in the asylum courtyard.

Ivan only gave you his usual twisted smile and laughter before handing you the bouquet as you shot him a questioning look. You muttered a quiet "thank you" as you got into the backseat and stared out the window again, smelling the fragrant roses and replaying Fyodor's words in your head.

It didn't hit you that the road you were traveling on was unfamiliar until the car suddenly came to a stop, and you realized you were in an abandoned alleyway. Uneasiness started to settle in as your driver exited his seat, shutting the car door behind him. "Iv--"

You were interrupted when the door to the backseat flung open and closed as Ivan crawled on top of you, pushing the flowers out of your hands as he pushed his body against yours and cradled into your neck, hysterically giggling. "I-Ivan--" You struggled to shove him off you, but he was too strong, "W-what are you---"

A familiar scent stopped you from speaking as your heartbeat increased. Wait, was that--?

Ivan pulled away from your neck before tugging off his bandages, his whole appearance suddenly fading away before being replaced by...

"K-Kolya! I-It's you!" Relief washed over your face as you looked up to see your lover staring back at you, clearly satisfied from whatever prank he'd just played on you. He kissed away the tears that had formed instinctively from your fear while laughing maniacally.

"Hehe~ Did you miss me, dove? I wanted to surprise you since I just came back. Your reactions were a nice little treat~" You pouted as you looked away, embarrassed that you'd lost yet another one of Nikolai's mini games. His features softened, "I'm afraid I may have gone a bit too far though. I really missed you, myla." His warm, gloved fingers traced over your bottom lip slowly.

"M-missed you too, Kolya. So much..." You sniffled as you pulled his head down to yours, tangling your fingers into his fluffy white hair and capturing his lips in a deep kiss. Your back pushed into the car cushions as Nikolai's hands roamed your body, needy to touch you again after so long--especially since he couldn't contact you. He fumbled with the buttons on your thick coat, hands working fast to get you out of all of your layers.

He groaned into the kiss as you tugged on his locks and wrapped your legs around his waist to press him further against you. By now, he had unbuttoned your light blue blouse to reveal your pretty skin. Nikolai pulled away from the kiss gently to take you in--the sight of you all flustered in just a thin lacy bra was turning him on, evident from his growing arousal that was pushing against your tights.

"Fuck, dove, you're so beautiful..." He dipped back to leave messy hickeys on your neck, whispering in your ear before slowly working his way down, "Your skin's so soft...were you touching yourself while I was away, pryntsesa?" You moaned at that, whining when his hand starting rubbing circles from your hips to your inner thigh, getting dangerously close. The trail of wet kisses traveled down your collarbone and your breasts to your stomach and eventually stopping where the waistband of your black skirt and tights laid. He was panting lightly at this point, devoid of air from worshipping your body. "It wasn't enough, though, was it? You need me to feel good, myla~" He heaved, his face pink and strands of hair falling over his eyes. His fingers hooked around your clothes and he resumed his trail of kisses, about to strip you.

"If he loved you, he'd compromise."

Fyodor's words hit you as you stopped Nikolai, lightly pushing yourself up again. "W-wait, Nikolai, I want to talk to you about something." He grunted, annoyed like a little kid, his bulge still pressing against you.

"Can it wait? I didn't bring you to this abandoned, sketchy alley for nothing, ptashka." You pulled away further, to his disappointment, and pulled your knees up against your body, pouting sadly.

"I know, but it's something that's been on my mind since you've been gone", Nikolai only sighed impatiently as you pleaded, "I promise it won't take too long..." You put your hand over Nikolai's, and he obliged reluctantly, sitting up a small distance away from you.

"Cockblocker...make it quick." He muttered, and you tried not to be immature and giggle. This was supposed to be a serious conversation.

You cleared your throat, "Well, I was just wondering about us...and our relationship..." You flinched when you saw Nikolai's eyes bore into you, "I-It's not what you think---I love you and want to stay with you, but, are we..." You trailed off, suddenly feeling embarrassed and unsure about what to say next. You looked down, mind a muddled mess, but you tried to remember Fyodor's advice.

"A-are we ever going to get married? Settle down and maybe start a family? Move somewhere nice and peaceful, where we can just enjoy each other's company?" Your mind went back to Anaïs and her husband, as you slowly started to look back up, "Go on a vacation together to the islands? Or your home coun--"

"No." Nikolai's dark gaze cut into you, stopping you from speaking any further. "Why would you want that, dove?"

You could feel your heart shattering. This wasn't how you thought he would respond. He was supposed to understand you, to listen to you, to compromise.

"I want a future with you, Kolya, that's why..." You started sadly, throat feeling constricted.

"But we're already together right now, myla. Isn't that enough for you?" Nikolai replied apathetically, his expression stoic and unreadable.

"It's--but my husband cheated on me, so I have to know if you're serious about us. I don't want to be in an unstable relationship anymore." Tears pricked your eyes, threatening to spill out as you could feel your heart breaking, "Anyways, you could just cheat on me, too. You're barely even around anymore, and I'm sure that you're always surrounded by beautiful women...All my coworkers are already married and in a happy relationship, so I feel so behind..."

"Oh, so that's why? Because society's telling you to live that way? Because you want to be accepted and imitate everyone else? That's the exact life I was trying to escape from, dove." Nikolai butted back, smiling cruelly.

"N-no! That's not--" You cried out, not being able to hold in the tears. Nikolai frowned and looked up from your face, reaching up towards your head.

"That hat? When did you get that?" He glared up at the white ushanka on your head. It resembled a certain someone's too closely.

You sniffled, "T-this? It's a gift from Fyodor. 'Cause it's getting cold out." Nikolai furrowed his brows in jealously upon hearing that name.

"From Dos...he's the one who planted those ideas in your head, didn't he?" His fists tightened at the thought of Fyodor wrapping you around his finger; it was his specialty, after all.

You wiped your tears sadly as you lowly shook your head no. At this point, Fyodor seemed to be the only one who understood you. He was the one who'd told you that Nikolai would compromise if he loved you. But he didn't. Did that mean...?

"Tch. Look, myla, stay away from that man. Dos may be my friend, but I don't trust him." Seeing your sad face and lack of response angered him more and he raised his voice a bit, "Stop talking to him, dove. I'm warning you--don't you dare even look in his direction."

Your sobbing resumed as you pulled your head back into your knees, hearing the backdoor shut as Nikolai left and started driving back to the base. You heard the sound of rain in the background as you clutched the white ushanka in your arms, the fluffy hat offering you some comfort.

The ride back was silent.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Fyodor awaited you both when you finally arrived back at the base, the same sly smile on his face. "Welcome back, you two." Nikolai only glared back, holding your hand tightly. He let go suddenly and walked past Fyodor into his stone room, implying for him to follow suit.

Once Nikolai's back was turned away, Fyodor gave you a soft, concerned glance. Your nose and eyes were swollen and red from all the crying. "I'm guessing it didn't go well, milashka?" You shook your head softly, and he whispered about leaving some cookies and tea in your room. He tried to approach you, but a strong voice cut him off.

"Dos, let's talk." Nikolai menacingly called out, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway. You'd never seen him this stern or angry before. He never took anything seriously, certainly you weren't an exception, right?

Fyodor shot you one last empathetic look and went into his room. You shuddered as the sound of Nikolai slamming the door and immediately yelling loudly bounced off the walls. As much as you wanted to eavesdrop, you were worn out and tired.

You retreated to your and Nikolai's shared room slowly, too exhausted to even try the tea and cookies Fyodor had thoughtfully left for you. You barely stripped off your disguise before crashing onto the bed, just wanting the day to be over.

Things with Nikolai could never go back to normal again. You wished you'd just kept your mouth shut, but you also wished Nikolai had been more open to your desires. What were you to him, anyways? And you didn't understand why he was so mad at Fyodor. He'd kept you company while Nikolai was gone, and he'd been nothing but respectful and attentive.

You groaned and tried to shut your eyes to drown out the conflicting thoughts in your head. Everything was way too complicated now. You wished things could be peaceful again. You wished you could escape.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

"You want to go back home, ptichka?" Fyodor asked. You nodded in response. The next day, Nikolai was gone on another mission, never coming to your shared bed the night before or saying goodbye to you before leaving.

The russian man sighed, "That's a bad idea. You'll get caught before you know it, and once the press gets a hold of you, it'll be hard to rescue you. Plus you still have your job that could arouse suspicion."

"I know..." You started. "I just...have some amends to make...and I'll only be gone for a day or two...and stay in disguise." Liar. You didn't know why you wanted to go back, and if you were homesick or just trying to self-sabotage yourself. Either way, you knew you couldn't stay here and look at Fyodor or Nikolai any longer. Things were too tense, and you didn't know who was genuinely there for you or just manipulating you.

You couldn't trust either of them. Your plan was to either go back and get caught for your crimes or retreat to the Sky Casino for as long as possible. You bet that Sigma didn't like or trust the two men either.

Not to mention, you'd already left Nikolai a parting text, writing,

"I'm sorry. I'll always love you, Kolya. Thank you."

Not that you even knew if he'd see it, but you still wanted to say something.

"I'll help you." Fyodor finally said, making your eyes widen in surprise. "But I want to tell you something first." He took your hands and held them, running his thumb over your fingers. His touch was cold. "I admire you for wanting to confront your feelings and follow your heart. The rest of us have forgotten such feelings of humanity." He continued, "To see such a lovely, well-read woman like you leave pains me. I'll truly miss you and our intellectual conversations, milaya. So much so that I'll be awaiting your safe return."

You blushed as he kissed your gentle hands, "T-thank you, Fyodor, I'm flattered." Lying again, but you figured you would have to use your 'feminine charm' a bit to fully convince him.

He smirked subtly, "Escaping from another man's cage of lofty ideals and freedom into the outside world...Would you care to do me one last favor, milashka?" You nodded with doe eyes as he leaned into your ear.

"Give me a goodbye kiss." Shocked and flustered, you pulled away and broke contact.

Fyodor only stepped forward and held your face, his soft smile seeming more sinister now, "What's wrong, dove, you just have to kiss me, and I'll help you escape. Not a bad deal, no?" He got dangerously close to you, his hot breath fanning over your glossy lips.

You froze for a second, "I-I can't--" Fyodor only traced your lips ominously, like he was taunting you and asking you why.

"I'm still in love with Niko--"

"Dove? Dos?" Your heartbeat stopped when you heard your lover's voice behind you. Why was he here, and how'd he get here so fast?

You turned around, hoping he would save you, until you saw him holding a gun--the same one he used on your husband.

"Kolya, w-wait, this isn't..." You stopped talking when you heard the gun cock. There was no way you could explain your way out of this. You and Fyodor were just about to kiss, and you were trying to escape indefinitely.

Nikolai narrowed his eyes and pointed the gun at Fyodor, "This was your doing, wasn't it?" Fyodor only remained calm, however, and twirled a strand of your hair while smirking.

"No, quite the opposite actually. Our little dove here was just about to escape and go back home to 'make amends'. It seems like she may still be grieving over her husband and their traditional life together..." Nikolai's grip on his gun tightened, still pointed at his friend. "Actually, she was just seducing me to help her escape. A goodbye kiss, that's what you wanted, right, ptichka?" Your ex-patient's eyes narrowed after hearing the similar pet name.

He turned to you, "Is he telling the truth, dove?" You were shaking, still trying to process the situation in front of you.

"N-no! I was trying to escape with Fyodor's help, but that's it! I swear, I still love you--please believe me, Kolya!" You pleaded, practically begging for your life. Nikolai looked at you regrettably before removing the card over his right eye and laughing bitterly.

"And here I was, rushing back to see you once I saw your text because I was worried about you and wanted to talk things out properly. I'm quite the fool aren't I, dove?" He started laughing maniacally, scaring you. He then stopped suddenly and pointed the gun at you, "But I guess this decision was from your own free will. I was wrong for thinking you were the same as me..."

Anxiety settling in, you couldn't react. What was Nikolai going on about? Had Fyodor said something to or manipulated him, too?

"We got rid of your husband, but now you want Dos, too? You're aren't really mine, are you, dove?" He walked closer to you and pressed the cold metal barrel to your hip. "I'll be nice and let you play one last game, though~" He had a crazy look in his eyes--one dark and emotionless, and the other streaming tears; you were sure every feeling was spiraling through his brain.

Nikolai giggled as he pushed you out of the door onto the floor. You were about to get up in fear when you heard a shot in the background. Did he shoot Fyodor?

Deranged laughter was heard behind you as Nikolai peeked his head out the door, "Better start running, dove. Otherwise the next shot might hit you~" You backed up in terror, standing up and stumbling over to Nikolai, wrapping your arms around him and crying hysterically.

"K-Kolya, you're s-scaring me. I-I love you, s-so let's go back t-to n-normal." Nikolai paused against your shaky body and lifted your face up to his. Tears were falling out both of his eyes now, contrasting the wicked grin contorting his lips. You gasped as he wiped your eyes and licked away your tears.

"You look so pretty when you cry, angel. I'll give you an extra ten seconds for that. Ten...nine...eight..." Realizing you had no way to convince Nikolai to spare your life, you ran, not daring to look back behind you. The man you loved was gone, driven mad by his obsession over you. Your skin crawled as you heard his voice reverberating through the hallways.

"I thought you loved me, dove, but it seems I wasn't what you wanted. I got too attached to you, though, and you know too much, so it seems I can't just let you go or give you to another man. You won't escape my cage."

[impactedfates]

Gayly crashes inside here/J

Anyways may I request a Jing Yuan with [platonic] bio-child reader.. Who has the most chaotic personality ever [ft sharing the same braincells as Yanqing] thank youuu

— 🫶🏻 Anon with a teddy bear gift 🧸

A/N: THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT, I’LL TREASURE IT FOREVER 🧸 I HOPE YOU’LL LIKE THIS

Genre/Trope: Platonic + Family (JY, You and Yanqing!) + Crack

Format: Bullet Pointed Scenarios/HC

Warnings: None

Extra: Reader is a teen in this // Single Father JY again but he loves his kids // Yanqing will be your younger brother for this // Reader works under Fu Xuan // Not fully proofread // Some mentions of modern day stuff but time is still taken in the HSR Universe

Loveable Headaches - Platonic Dad! Jing Yuan x Reader

Jing Yuan really does love his children, both you and Yanqing...but you two never seem to give him a break do you? From your brother always buying swords to you deciding to dramatically gasp about the future, causing them to be scared when all that happened was that they trip over a pebble the next day...

On a day where he wished he could be sleeping having done all his paperwork (or...most of them) Fu Xuan comes barging in dragging you behind her, glaring at the man. And although making people scared of their future is rather bad when you're a diviner...he can't help but chuckle sometimes Fu Xuan tries to make him lecture you.

Fu Xuan: General Jing Yuan, your kid started laughing when they saw someone's future. Jing Yuan: Is that so? What did they laugh at? Fu Xuan: A poor guy who got jump scared by a ca- Jing Yuan: Wheeze Ah ahem I mean, they did?

When you and Yanqing are hanging out together. It's either Yanqing being the responsible one and leading you out of trouble, or the other way around. Not one time have you two shared a brain cell and thought logically. At rare times, both of you would have no brain cells and Jing Yuan would have a Cloud Knight knocking at his office and bringing the two rascals who scared the trainee knights.

When Mimi first grew up and the family realised she was in fact a lion, you climbed on her back and began riding her around like a horse.

[Name]: Go Mimi go!! Jing Yuan: Sweetie…please get off her. [Name]: What why? D: We're both feline great Jing Yuan: *Trying not to laugh* G-good one…but you're gonna get hurt.

You and Yanqing probably on more than one occasion tried to go into R rated films when you both were younger. Unluckily for you, everyone knows the Generals kid.

The Dozing General loves his naps and sleep but he also loves you!...But if he hears you playing "We Will Rock You" at 3am in the morning with pots and pans one more time-

Honestly you give Fu Xuan a headache too sometimes. We already said you laugh at a divination you give that scares the other person but you also tend to act disgusted, concerned or any negative emotion when reading future moments...this can either lead to you telling them what happened which is usually such a small thing or you not telling them, simply stating "Can't say, ruins the future"

You probably stole a bunch of things from his room, it worked out for a bit as he wasn't sure where everything was going but you revealed yourself as the lil thief when you tried to steal his heavy sword. (It's a sword right? Or smt??)

You made Jing Yuan wear a powerpuff girls outfit once for Halloween. If he was a powerpuff girl or Dr whatever his name was I forgot, is up to you.

Jing Yuan seems like the type of guy to give kids the big chocolate bars for Halloween, so he needs to hide them from you and Yanqing before Halloween is here or else the kids won't have any as you snatched them with your lil brother.

I see that when you and Yanqing were younger, you tried dressing up as each other, wearing wigs and each other's clothing to try and trick Jing Yuan...however, your clothes were too big on Yanqing, and his clothes were too small on you.

Yanqing tried to jump scare you once when you were using the hose for something, needless to say. Yanqing came back in the house absolutely soaked.

Perhaps one day, the two of you dressed up as Jing Yuan, he found it so adorable!! He took so many pictures of the 'Mini Generals'...he may or may not have attempted to take a day off, gesturing to the 'Mini Generals' and how they would do the work.

Fu Xuan: General…they're kids, they're not ready for your job Jing Yuan: Kids! That want to be me, why not train them? Fu Xuan: General Jing Yuan: Ah, no fun Madam Fu, I'm going I'll do my work, I'll do my work.

He questioned if you were a dog in disguise when you were like 5 tbh. Cuz you bit a lot of things, heck he once came into a meeting with you hanging off his arm...by biting him...doesn't hurt him but he did question where you learnt that.

Yanqing was adopted as a kid, when Jing Yuan first came home with the lil guy, and introduced him to you as your younger brother...you tried to make him fly by throwing him off the kitchen counter, to which THANKFULLY Jing Yuan has the quick reflexes to save Yanqing, he scolded you of course. And hey, good thing Jing Yuan did save your brother as you wouldn't have your partner in crime otherwise.

Idk if I made the reader chaotic or not but hopefully this was alrightwfiof.

Sorry for slow updates (I say as if I didn't mention I'd also be concentrated on other things). I'm going to some resort or something for a school tour(?) and apparently it has no wifi/signal, so wish me luck...gotta bond with my classmates.

[t4tadrienette]

He's truly his mother's son. The deep and raspy voice, the dramatic way of entering and speaking. He could have literally entered the room without wig on, but he had to do a dramatic reveal

[nightwriter357]

Smosh Summer Games: Ships 5

Hello friends! Here’s Part 5 of myDamien x Reader series centered around Smosh summer games. This one is definitely smut(18+) so prepare for that. Hope you're still enjoying the story and my ask is always open for suggestions or just general questions.

Love you allll

Part 5: Why won't anyone dance with me? Cause I wanna fuck you.

The group gathered in the lounge, excitement buzzing in the air. You and Damien exchanged a look, a mix of anticipation and nervous energy building between you.

Courtney nudged you with a mischievous grin. "So, what do you think the next game is?"

Before you could respond, the door burst open, and Spencer sauntered in with exaggerated flair. He was previously seen in a long judge's robe with an old-timey wig, but now the robe was cut to the same length as a miniskirt, revealing hairy legs and red flip-flops.

The wig was gone, but he still wore the whistle around his neck. He strutted into the room, dramatically posing as everyone turned to look. For a moment, there was a stunned silence, followed by an eruption of reactions.

Spencer raised his arms theatrically. "Behold, the new and improved judge!"

Everyone burst into laughter, some doubling over while others clapped in amusement.

"Oh my God, my eyes!" Shayne groaned, shielding his face.

"That is the worst thing I've ever seen," Amanda said, unable to stop laughing.

Ian leaned back, trying to keep a straight face. "That's... certainly a choice."

Arasha shook her head, grinning. "Spencer, what happened to you?"

Chanse managed to get out. "Dude, you look ridiculous!" Before going right nack to laughing again.

Trevor, however, was all smiles. "That looks awesome, bro!"

Spencer rolled his eyes good-naturedly, striking another pose. "Alright, alright, enough with the comments. Clearly, someone tried to sabotage my look, but all they did was make me even sexier."

He shot a glance at Courtney and Shayne, who both tried to look innocent, but their eyes darted to you and Damien.

Arasha's eyes widened. "Oh my God, you guys cut up his robe!"

Noah looked between you and Damien, realization dawning. "That makes so much sense. That's why you were being so weird this morning, you were distracting us."

Amanda nodded, laughing. "Oh yeah, you guys were acting crazy. Now it all makes sense."

Shayne, catching on to everyone's comments and piecing things together, added, "We did it yesterday, actually," giving you and Damien a knowing look. His tone implied he suspected there was more to your recent behavior.

Angela raised an eyebrow. "So there's no explanation for you guys being weird this morning?"

Damien shrugged, smirking. "We weren't being weird."

You chimed in, playfully addressing everyone who had commented. "Yeah, you guys are weird."

Spencer cleared his throat, regaining everyone's attention. "Alright, listen up! The next game is... Just Dance! Each ship gets one duet, and Ian and Anthony will have the final dance duel!"

Ian and Anthony exchanged a look, their playful rivalry flaring up immediately.

"Oh, you're going down, Padilla," Ian quipped, puffing out his chest.

Anthony smirked, crossing his arms. "Bring it, Hecox. You're about to witness dance perfection."

Courtney leaned in closer to you, her voice low and teasing. "Are you going to be able to focus with Damien all up in your space?"

You felt a mix of excitement and nerves tighten in your chest. Being this close to Damien, especially in front of everyone, was thrilling but also made you a bit anxious. You shot Courtney a look, trying to play it cool, but the smirk on her face told you she saw right through you.

Damien, catching the tail end of your conversation, leaned in, his voice flirty but low enough that no one else could hear. "I guess this means I get to touch you after all."

Your heart skipped a beat as you met his gaze. "Just try to keep up."

Courtney watched the exchange, clearly amused, knowing there was more going on between you two than you were ready to admit. Shayne, who hadn't even been told anything explicitly, seemed to be putting the pieces together too, exchanging a knowing glance with Courtney.

As the game was about to begin, you couldn't help but feel both happy and nervous. Being close to Damien, especially under the watchful eyes of everyone else, felt like walking a tightrope between excitement and the fear of giving too much away. You weren't sure how much people knew, but with the way Courtney and Shayne were acting, you were beginning to suspect that maybe you weren't as subtle as you thought.

As everyone gathered around the makeshift dance floor, the Just Dance game loaded up on the screen. Spencer, still looking gorgeous in his outfit, stood at the front, twirling his whistle on its cord. "Alright, let's get this party started! First up, we have... Arasha and Trevor!"

The opening notes of 'Uptown Funk' began to play, and Arasha and Trevor stepped forward. Their routine was full of energy, with Trevor throwing in some goofy moves while Arasha added flair with her sharp, confident steps. The two played off each other perfectly, getting the group hyped up with their enthusiastic performance.

Next up were Amanda and Angela, who danced to 'Single Ladies.' Amanda leaned into the choreography with sassy confidence, and Angela matched her energy, both clearly enjoying themselves. The room erupted in cheers when they nailed the iconic hand flip and ring finger move, everyone clapping along to the beat.

Courtney and Shayne took the stage next, performing to 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody.' Courtney's enthusiasm was infectious, while Shayne's moves were surprisingly smooth, showing off his hidden dance skills. They had the group laughing and cheering as they added their own twists to the routine.

Shayne grinned at Courtney and then turned to the others, confidently declaring, "There's no way we're losing this one, guys. 'Peg-leggers' for the win!"

After Noah and Keith's electrifying performance to Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal,' Spencer called out, "Next up, we've got Damien and Y/n!"

The familiar opening notes of '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' filled the room, and you felt a rush of nerves. Dancing had never been your strong suit, and the pressure of performing in front of everyone-especially with Damien-was making you feel a little clumsy. You exchanged a quick look with Damien, who gave you a reassuring smile.

"We've got this," he whispered, his hand lingering on your back as you got into position.

The dance began with Damien dipping you low. His grip was steady, and for a moment, everything felt perfect. But as the routine continued, you found yourself getting more flustered. Damien's hands on your waist, guiding you through the steps, were distracting in a way you hadn't anticipated. You stumbled slightly as you spun out of his hold, catching yourself just in time.

"You okay?" Damien asked, his voice soft but amused.

"Yeah, just... trying to keep up," you replied with a sheepish smile, focusing on his movements to steady yourself.

The dance continued, and though you missed a step here and there, Damien was quick to cover for you, his hands finding your waist again and pulling you back into rhythm.

His touch was gentle but firm, guiding you through the more complicated moves. You couldn't help but feel like you were messing up more than usual, the combination of your nerves and the closeness to Damien making it hard to concentrate.

The room's attention was on you both, and you could hear a few whispered comments and cheers from the group.

"Damn, they're really into it," Noah whispered to Keith, who nodded in agreement.

"Look at those moves! Go, leg-peggers!" Tommy shouted, his voice filled with encouragement.

As the song built toward the iconic lift, you felt your heart race. This was the big moment. Taking a deep breath, you ran toward Damien, who lifted you effortlessly into the air. For a few seconds, it felt like everything else disappeared. The room erupted into applause and cheers as Damien held you steady, both of you grinning like idiots.

"Wow, didn't think they'd pull that off," Courtney muttered to Shayne, clearly impressed.

The performance ended with Damien lowering you gently back to the ground, both of you out of breath but smiling. The group erupted in applause, with a few hoots and whistles thrown in.

"That was incredible!" Angela yelled, clearly impressed, sipping on a glass of paint.. water.. it's probably water.

You glanced at Damien, who gave you a wink. "Told you we could do it, lover."

Next up were Chanse and Tommy, who danced to 'Toxic' by Britney Spears. Their performance was full of exaggerated moves and hilarious facial expressions, clearly playing up the dramatics for the crowd. The room was filled with laughter as Chanse did his best Britney impression, while Tommy leaned into the over-the-top choreography with a mischievous grin.

Finally, it was time for Ian and Anthony. As the first notes of 'You're the One That I Want' from 'Grease' played, the room buzzed with anticipation. Ian, always the performer, threw himself into the role of Sandy, prancing around with exaggerated hip sways and dramatic hair flips. Anthony, taking on the role of Danny, tried his best to keep up but ended up laughing halfway through as Ian's antics became increasingly ridiculous.

As the song reached its climax, Ian and Anthony leaned into each other, their faces inches apart before bursting into laughter. The room erupted in cheers and applause, everyone clearly enjoying the playful rivalry between the two.

Spencer stepped forward, trying to keep a straight face as he held up his whistle. "And the winners of this round are... the Peg-leggers!"

Ian pumped his fist in the air, grinning with satisfaction. "Yes! That's how it's done!" He turned to face the camera, his expression smug. "The score is now: Seamen: 2, Peg-leggers: 1. We're coming for you, Anthony."

Anthony rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide his smile as the group cheered and laughed, everyone still buzzing from the excitement of the dance battle.

As you caught your breath, you couldn't help but feel a mix of relief and exhilaration. Dancing with Damien had been nerve-wracking, but it had also been... fun.

He leaned over to you, "you know, I've really had the time of my life, and I do owe it all to you".

You smiled back at Damien, "you swear that's the truth?"

The sun had set, casting a warm, amber glow over the dining area as everyone gathered around the long wooden table. After the intense Just Dance competition, the group had taken some time to freshen up, and now they were enjoying a well-deserved dinner.

You looked around the table, taking in the different conversations happening all at once. At one end, Arasha and Trevor were locked in a spirited exchange, their banter aimed squarely at Ian and Anthony, who were content to let the younger duo have their fun.

Trevor leaned in with a grin. "You know, Arasha and I were obviously the MVPs tonight. We're still in our prime, and sooo young compared to you old farts."

Arasha grinned mischievously. "You know, Trevor, every time I'm out in public, people ask me why I'm not at school. They can’t believe I'm old enough to be out on my own."

Trevor laughed, nodding in agreement. "Same! I get asked if I'm selling girl scout cookies all the time. I guess I just have that look about me."

Arasha smirked, leaning closer as if to share a secret. "Oh, and did you know that these guys," she gestured toward Ian and Anthony, "created a channel called ‘Smaush’ or something on YouTube… like 40 years ago?"

Trevor gasped, playing along. "No way! I didn’t know that, Arasha. Is that true?"

Ian and Anthony exchanged amused looks, but before they could respond, Arasha nodded seriously. " I saw it on tiktok so it must be true."

The two of them dissolved into laughter, high-fiving each other as the rest of the table chuckled along.

Across the table, Amanda and Angela were too absorbed in their own conversation to notice the banter.

Amanda pushed her chair back and stood up, gesturing animatedly. "Okay, so when we did this move," she demonstrated a quick dance step, "I was thinking, you could come up behind me and do this," she said, mimicking the action.

Angela nodded, standing up to join her. "Yeah, and then when we do that, we can hit the 'oh-oh-oh' part right on the beat!"

They both laughed, trying to synchronize their movements in the small space beside the table.

You couldn't help but smile as you watched them. The whole room felt alive, everyone caught up in their own little worlds of conversation and camaraderie. But despite the lively atmosphere, your attention kept drifting back to Damien, who was sitting in front of you, his presence impossible to ignore.

Every now and then, you felt his leg brush against yours under the table, a subtle but deliberate touch that sent a shiver up your spine. You tried to focus on your food, but it was hard not to be distracted by the warmth of his thigh against yours, the occasional graze of his hand against your arm as he reached for something.

Courtney, sitting across from you, caught your eye and smirked, leaning in slightly. "Are you going eat? Or is someone a little too distracted tonight?"

You rolled your eyes playfully, trying to brush it off. "I'm fine, Court. Just... enjoying the evening."

Damien, catching the exchange, leaned in closer, his voice a low murmur. "So, with the way things are going, do you think we could sneak off ? Just us?"

Before Damien could respond, a burst of laughter at the far end of the table caught your attention. Spencer had just made a playful jab at Tommy. "Spencer, you really don't think highly of me, do you?"

Your heart skipped a beat at the suggestion, and despite the temptation, you shook your head with a smile. "No way. That would be too suspicious, we've been going to bed early two nights in a row."

Without missing a beat, Spencer replied, "I actually think about you a lot when I'm high."

The entire table erupted in laughter, the unexpected punchline catching everyone off guard. You laughed along with them, feeling the warmth of the camaraderie wrapping around you like a comforting blanket.

As the laughter died down, Courtney leaned in again, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Okay, you have to spill. You guys definitely didn't just accidentally kiss just once. I saw the way Damien was acting yesterday. I mean, when we walked in and saw you two with the mattresses put together, I knew something was up. Damien would not let you sleep on the floor."

You sighed, realizing there was no getting around it. "Okay yes, we've slept in the same bed, but only because it was uncomfortable. And the proximity... it's the only reason we kissed. We just got caught up in the moment, that's all. Nothing more is going to happen."

Courtney smirked, clearly not entirely convinced but willing to let the subject drop for now. "Alright, if you say so. Just know, I'm keeping an eye on you two."

You glanced at Damien, who was engaged in conversation with Noah across the table. He caught your eye and gave you a small, reassuring smile.

As the evening wound down, the lively atmosphere of the dinner began to quiet. Conversations slowed, and laughter became a background murmur as people started to drift away from the table. One by one, guests said their goodbyes, heading to their rooms or heading out for the night.

Soon, the only sounds left were the distant footsteps of the last few stragglers heading to their rooms and the occasional burst of laughter from the hallways. Damien and you eventually made your way to your room, later than usual, but the quiet of the house reminded you that you were among the few still awake.

As the door to the room clicked shut, the quiet of the night enveloped you both. You turned to Damien, your heart racing with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. "I need you tonight," you confessed, your voice almost trembling.

Damien's eyes searched yours, a mix of desire and concern. "Are you sure?" he asked softly.

You nodded, your resolve firm.

Damien stepped closer, his hands brushing lightly against your skin, causing you to shiver with each touch. His fingertips traced a path along your arms, down to your waist, and across your lower back. His lips followed, placing soft, reverent kisses on your exposed skin.

You let out a soft moan as his hands roamed your body. His breath was warm against your neck and you felt yourself craving more of his touch. You wrapped your hands behind his neck and lifted your head up to meet his lips. Kissing Damien was just as nice as it had been the night before but this time there was something more.

The kiss grew more intense as you both found your way to the bed. You pulled your shirt over your head, barely noticing Damien's eyes taking you in before you went to kiss him again. You both undressed as best you could, not wanting to break the kiss or stop touching.

His fingers alternated between light feathery touches and nails digging into your skin. Mostly he was on your thighs, squeezing and letting his fingers stroke over every part of you except for where you really wanted him. You broke the kiss and gently guided his hand to show him what you wanted.

You shivered as his fingers pressed up against you panties, "Damien, I need you now."

He started with a teasing touch, feeling the wetness of your panties through the fabric. "You're already wet," he murmured, his breath hot against your skin. His fingers lingered, stroking the fabric as he watched you squirm.

The slow removal of your panties felt almost ceremonial. Damien's touch grew bolder, his fingers gently brushing against your bare skin. His gaze was intense, filled with admiration and hunger. "Your body is so fucking perfect," he breathed, his eyes never leaving your face as he explored your body.

Your fingers found their way to his hardened cock, your touch tentative yet eager. As you stroked him, Damien's breath caught, his pleasure evident. One of his fingers slid inside you, moving with a deliberate rhythm. Your bodies were close, the heat between you palpable.

Damien's hands were a masterful combination of tenderness and need. One hand worked skillfully by your crotch, pumping into you, while the other grasped your breast, his nails gently digging into your skin. You responded to his touch with an eager passion, practically riding his finger as you let your hand run up and down his throbbing cock.

Damien's gaze was locked onto yours, his expression a mix of awe and hunger. "You feel incredible," he murmured, his voice husky with desire. "I can't get enough of you."

You panted, your breaths coming in short, ragged gasps as you moved against his fingers. "Damien," you whimpered, "please."

He pressed his body closer to yours, his eyes never leaving your face. "I want you so badly," he said, his voice a low growl. "Just seeing you like this, feeling you around me... it's everything."

The connection between you was electric, each touch, each kiss intensifying the moment. Damien's finger worked in you with a steady rhythm, pushing deeper, his movements expertly timed to match your needs. The way he touched you made you lose yourself in the pleasure, every sensation heightened.

Finally, as he positioned himself above you, his eyes locked onto yours. He entered you slowly, inch by inch, his gaze intense and filled with a mix of reverence and hunger. The sensation of him filling you up completely was overwhelming, his movements deep and deliberate.

The initial thrust was painstakingly slow, his cock stretching you out as he eased deeper, savoring every reaction on your face. His hands cradled your cheeks, his touch tender as he brushed away the sweat and tears from the corners of your eyes. He could feel you adjusting, accommodating his size, and he watched you closely, his breaths coming in steady, controlled pants.

As he continued to move inside you, each thrust was measured and deep. He could tell you were doing your best to take him fully, your moans growing louder with each inch he pushed deeper. His cock filled you completely, stretching you in ways that made every touch and movement feel profound and intimate.

Damien's hands roamed to your back, stroking and soothing as he watched the way your body responded to him. The overwhelming sensation of him filling you up was evident in your strained breaths and the way your hands clung to his back. Your legs wrapped around him instinctively, pulling him closer as if trying to meld your bodies into one.

Damien's voice was low, but commanding. "Can you be quiet for me? I need to fuck you harder. Look at me-I want to see you."

His thrusts grew faster and more intense, each movement hitting deep and hard. The rhythm was no longer slow but a relentless pounding that drove you both wild. Every powerful thrust elicited loud moans from you, your hands gripping his back desperately and your mouth finding places on his body to bite into to muffle your cries. Your body responded to his urgency, your legs clenching around him as he slammed into you with a fervent, almost frantic pace.

Damien's grunts and moans matched the intensity of his thrusts, his focus solely on the way you felt around him. He seemed addicted to the sensation, the feeling of you tightening around him, and he moved with a fierce, consuming need. The impact of his movements was overwhelming, a perfect storm of pleasure and pressure that had you crying out for more

As you neared your climax, you begged him, "Please don't stop, Damien. Keep fucking me like this, please."

Damien's response was a fervent promise. "I won't stop. I'd keep you like this forever if I could. Just watching that pretty expression on your face, hearing those sweet sounds from your lips... it's fucking perfect."

The intensity of your orgasm was overwhelming, your body clenching around him, driving him to his own release. He filled you completely, his final thrusts deep and powerful. You both collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily, the room echoing with the sounds of your shared pleasure.

As the last waves of climax subsided, you reached for each other, pulling into a tender embrace. The closeness was comforting, and you felt overwhelmed at what you had just shared.

'That was amazing," you whispered, your voice filled with wonder and satisfaction.

Damien nodded, his smile warm and genuine. "It was. I've never.. wow."

In the quiet of the room, with the weight of the night's passion settling over you both, you held each other close, savoring the intense bond that had just been solidified.

You looked over at him, with your cheek practically glued to his chest. " You are so not a shellfish lover."

He smiled at you, "but you do really grab everything with two hands".

Despite what just happened between you there was still a part of you that craved his closeness and still got a bit flustered and nervous when his lips touched yours.

You let out a small laugh as Damien pulled you into a kiss.

[leavemeal0newithmym0ss]

Yes yes bowuigi Luigi dresses up as Peach and when he’s found out by a dramatic display of them lowering his mask or his wig falling off Bowser is so humiliated that he was easily tricked that he forces Luigi to stay and they fall in love with each other. BUT...what about Luigi dresses up as Peach but Bowser knows?

As in, he has spies in the mushroom kingdom who report that they saw Peach and Mario discussing how to save Luigi discreetly and he puts two and two together. Instead of revealing this, he wants to see how long Luigi can last. How long can Luigi go being referred to as Peach? When will he mess up? Bowser takes him to dinner multiple times, wondering if he’ll forget why he’s wearing a mask. 

Eventually, he finds himself growing fond of the plumber. He finds it endearing when Luigi stumbles (”Pea-I mean I, me, I’m peach, went out to the garden and the plants still had dew on them hours after it rained.” “Uh-I-learned that Italian word from Mario and Luigi, ha ha.”). Bowser finds himself being vulnerable with him, discussing his worries about the future of his kingdom, how proud of his kids he is, etc. He catches Luigi putting the wig on and thinks how disappointed he is that Luigi’s fluffy brown hair is hidden (and he kind of wants to run his claws through it...) He finds Luigi’s pretty eyes genuine and curious, interested in what he has to say. It’s nice. 

Meanwhile, Luigi is Freaking Out™. Because oh god. The Koopa King is being so so so vulnerable with Luigi, but Bowser thinks he’s Peach. Mama Mia Luigi is dead if Bowser ever finds out. (Perhaps he doesn’t want Bowser to find out. If he did, Luigi wouldn’t get to teach the koopalings how to cook their favorite foods anymore, or just hang out and surprisingly have pleasant conversations with the Koopa King.) He feels extremely guilty (how could he betray his loving brother like this? How could he play with Bowser’s feelings like this?)

The thing is, Bowser is under the impression that Luigi knows he knows (he’s kind of bad at hiding it so Bowser assumed he wasn’t really trying anymore). That conversation between Luigi and Bowser kind of goes like “YOU KNEW!!??” “YOU DIDN’T!!??” 

[firenati0n]

several sentence sunday <3 :)

hello! Hope you all had a nice week 💛 thank you to thank you to @happiness-of-the-pursuit @anincompletelist @rockyroadkylers @getmehighonmagic @wordsofhoneydew [SO MANY TAGS ARENT WORKING so they're below the cut I am so sorry] for the tags :) :)

Instead of sharing a sweet snippet from city of angels au or a fun snippet from proposal au, I am going to share with you a snippet from an incredibly cursed crack fic i started. It was revealed to me in a nap dream. It's a Hannah Montana the movie au. Popstar!Henry and Cowboy!Alex. It is deeply unhinged. See for yourself. I am so sorry. I promise i am also writing serious good works.

Henry never thought he’d become a global pop superstar. Millions of people screaming his name, hundreds of bras thrown on stage, so many records sold. A face full of glitter and a heart full of dreams. But no one really knows Henry. Not in a way that matters. Herny Mountana belongs to the fans. Henry Fox has to belong to himself, or else he'll vanish. Henry Fox loves country music. He loves open air, blue skies, moonshine. Herny Mountana loves bleach blonde wigs, sparkly cheekbones, jumpsuits, and heeled boots.  They couldn’t be more different. But he knows the price he has to pay. The price he pays every day for fame, for fans, for his goals.  No time to ruminate. He has a concert to play. 

yes his name is herny mountana. no it is not a typo. yes his disguise is literally just the fuck ass rwrb movie wig. yes he whips it off dramatically in the Big Reveal only to show the exact same hair.

xoxo roop

+ tags below the cut <3 and open tag as always :)

@ninzied @dumbpeachjuice @saturntheday  @inexplicablymine  @sherryvalli  @littlemisskittentoes  @bigassbowlingballhead @heybuddy-drabbles  @priincebutt  @theprinceandagcd  @tintagel-or-cockleshells  @cricketnationrise  @tailsbeth-writes  @lizzie-bennetdarcy  @myheartalivewrites  @onward--upward  @celeritas2997 @affectionatelyrs @tinyarmedtrex  @14carrotghoul  @rmd-writes  @anchoredarchangel  @gay-flyboys   @cultofsappho @largepeachicedtea @gayrootvegetable @ships-to-sail @orchidscript @cha-melodius @kiwiana-writes @suseagull04 @sparklepocalypse @leaves-of-laurelin @leojfitz @junebugclaremontdiaz @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @welcometololaland @magicandarchery @onthewaytosomewhere @whimsymanaged

[ode-2-joy]

vitriol halls: 1

Four days.

It's been four days since you woke up here with four strangers.

You still don't know much about them, really.

You know their first names but not their last, or even if they have any. You know you're the youngest, but not by how much. You don't even know where they're from, other than the fact that they're clearly not from where you're from.

From what you can gather, Emily is the closest. Sure, she's seventy years or so in the past, fashion wise, but vintage clothes aren't the strangest thing you've seen. Not when Delmonico is wearing a cloak of red fur and raven feathers. Not when Anya is married to a half orc. Not when Scratch… well, everything about Scratch is more than enough to understand she's not like you.

You're tired. You've been tired for four days, since you first opened your eyes to the dark, damp hallways of this nightmarish place.

They never seemed to end, bending back on each other in impossible ways at impossible angles, tangling together and practically devouring themselves, devouring you, eating you and your companions alive. Well, companions was a strong term. Fellow mice in the maze, fellow bites in the gullet, fellow shits in the sewer drain.

"Caspian," Someone murmurs, forcing you to finally admit you're awake, cracking open one eye to squint up at the face leaning over you. "Come on, food's ready."

You exhale, sitting up slowly. Your back hurts.

"How'd you sleep?" Emily asks.

"I want to kill myself, for one thing," You respond, calmly. "Or Delmonico."

Delmonico chuckles from where he's hunched over the fire. "Sorry sweetcheeks."

You don't respond to that, hauling yourself to your feet. Emily helps steady you, and you sigh, cracking each of your joints as loudly as you can, glancing around the fire, taking in everyone's state.

Emily looks about as exhausted as you feel. Her wig sits carefully on her head as always, but her dress is wrinkled, and her makeup is smeared. Her housewife display is faultering, but as she catches your eye, she pushes her shoulders back and pushes her jaw out.

Anya looks fine, about as fine as she did when you all first woke up, at least. She's brushing her hair, the soft waves no longer braided with beads and jewelry, but still soft looking. You don't like Anya much, but you have to admit her vanity has a basis in reality. She is unfortunately, once you get past the beard and the fact she's no more than three feet tall, very pretty.

Scratch is chewing on a cigarette you'd given her a couple days before. She doesn't smoke it- she knows you only have a couple left, just gnaws on it. Her short white hair sticks straight up, and she isn't wearing her sunglasses, making her look so much more deranged and less intimidating than usual, her Terminator-like build shrunken in on itself as she stokes the fire.

Delmonico, on the other hand, seems to take up the whole hall, his massive figure casting shadows that swallow everything. His wild mane of dark hair falls down his back, and his open shirt is rolled up to reveal the methodical, parallel scars on his forearms. He catches you looking and winks, giving you a smile that seems almost taunting.

You ignore him.

A few hours later, you've all packed up and begun walking, in the same direction you'd been travelling in the night before. You're not sure it was night, really. You're not sure of much.

The walls all look the same, crumbling stone brick with an occasional torch. You're not sure how the torches are burning still, but you assume it's whatever bullshit magic brought you here in the first place.

After an hour or so, Delmonico stretches dramatically, reaching his arms over his head, and opens his mouth to speak.

Scratch cuts him off with a raised hand.

"Did you guys hear that?" She hisses, and you feel your stomach plunge. The monsters in this hellscape are fast, and you don't know if you're ready to run right now.

"Hear what?" Anya asks, a little too loud, and Emily thumps her on the shoulder with the back of her hand.

"I heard something… footsteps?"

You wrap your hands around the pocket knife you carry with you. It won't do much, you know, but as you hear the gentle tapping finally come into earshot, you decide to go out swinging.

And then the footsteps pause, just around the corner up ahead, and there's a complete, total silence, broken only by the hiss of Delmonico drawing his knife.

"Oh, if I come out, you mustn't attack!"

You all freeze, staring at the darkness. You almost expect a gnome to pop out, but there's nothing.

"Who's there?" Anya asks, again, a little too loudly. "Come out with your hands up!"

Around the corner creeps two pale hands, followed by the sleeves of a heavy grey overcoat, and then…

"Rat man." Delmonico says simply, sheathing his knife again.

"Ah! I am a goblin, actually-" The rat headed… thing says in a very helpful tone. "-There's quite a difference!"

Delmonico hums, a crooked grin resting on his lips as he clearly thinks something very mean.

"Hi," Emily starts. "I'm Emily, this is Caspian-"

"And Anya and Delmonico and Scratch!" The goblin says jovially. "My name is The One Who Hides! You may call me Hide!"

You all sit in silence for a moment, just staring at it in befuddelment. It seems utterly unbothered.

"How do you… how do you know our names?" You ask, when it seems abundantly clear no one else will.

"Oh, I know lots about you five, don't you worry!" It wiggles its very humanlike fingers playfully.

"That's… what?"

"What?"

You glance at the others, who seem as baffled and concerned as you, with the exception of Delmonico, who looks just as cruelly amused as he always does.

You don't like Delmonico very much.

[missholoska]

some new Underswap MH designs! properly showcasing Maddy the Dummy, and introducing Swap MH Ruins Dummy's Mad Mew Mew equivalent form ✨

info about them and design ramblings under the cut!

Dummy:

appears as the tutorial dummy in the Ruins - Asgore encourages Chara to talk to them, but no matter what action the human takes, the Dummy will take offence and leave the room after snapping at them. Asgore then takes the opportunity to tell Chara that even if a monster is rude, showing mercy is still important.

Bored Dummy:

appears as a boss in Waterfall - Mad Dummy told them to get revenge for how they were treated by Chara, but Bored Dummy doesn't really care about fighting and only does so to make their cousin happy.

at the end of their battle with Chara, Happstablook notices the commotion and makes a dramatic entrance with a glitter bomb, inadvertently spooking his cousin out of their body.

Mad Dummy:

offscreen, Alphys asks if they'll model a Mew Mew Kissy Cutie cosplay she'd been working on, as she can't find her usual training dummy to ask. after agreeing and trying on the outfit, Mad Dummy has a Mad Mew Mew-esque identity revelation, and continues wearing the cosplay for the rest of the "game".

if Chara speaks to her in the overworld, she mentions she's considering renaming herself Maddy.

???:

briefly reappears as Bored Dummy again with Maddy after Alphys' hangout event, but soon afterward decides to leave that body behind for good.

after the barrier is broken, Chara can find the uninhabited dummy body in Waterfall, and a barely-visible ghost floating near the snails at Blook Acres.

Maddy the Dummy:

loving life as an adorable mannequin model and one of Napstabot's singers. she frequently changes her look with different wigs and clothes, and has a preference for pinks and pastels, frills, and occasional edgier styles.

still very much the loud, energetic and quick-to-anger type, easily switching from cutesy charm to yelling at someone annoying, and retains her habit of repeating words/phrases three times.

doesn't become Mew Mew like her UT counterpart, but she does have a big soft spot for the Mew Mew Kissy Cutie series, though she prefers Mew Mew 2. she and Alphys have had multiple Undernet arguments about this.

has both friends and knives now!!

Pom Pom:

still lacking a body on the surface, Chara offered to knit them a custom body of their own. they liked the idea of being an animal-like monster, as well as an apple theme based on their favourite saying (that being their UT counterpart's check description). once the body was complete, they soon became corporeal and took on the new name Pom Pom.

they're shy, quiet, easily startled, and especially prone to boredom. they have little tolerance for aimless shenanigans, and will either leave a situation they dislike or just ragdoll on the floor and sleep. they stand like they're about to fall over at all times.

their new body kept some familiar features from their previous, including a cotton heart and button eyes. the heart functions similarly to Napstabot's heart-shaped core.

ghost ages are pretty vague, but they're an adult and the youngest of the ghost cousins.

I've talked about Maddy a couple times in the past, but to reiterate: like Happstablook I want to handle her character with as much respect towards her UT counterpart's story as I can, given that her role swap predates Mad Mew Mew's reveal. had I not designed and gotten attached to my Napstabot in early 2018, just months before UT's Switch port, maybe I would've swapped Mettaton and Mew Mew instead, but it is what it is. think of her as Mew Mew and Glad Dummy combined 💖

as for Pom Pom, with how little canon info there is on Ruins Dummy I just went all-in on what few details I had to work with. admittedly the apple theme is a total stretch from the "apple of my eye" part of their check description, but I liked it too much to not go with it! and them being an animal-like humanoid is to match Mew Mew being a catgirl, so I thought a deer suited their personality.

also, the reason their body was knitted by Chara specifically is I love the headcanon that ghosts can hear the narrator (based on Napstablook responding to their own check description), so after applying it to Swap MH I thought it'd be cute if Chara and Frisk have a close bond with the ghost family post-pacifist :'>

anyway I'm aware that they're pretty much just an OC-ified version of a canon character at this point, but like. people have been doing that with the humans, Gaster, Dess and AU Sanses for years. I am allowed one (1) Basically A Fan Character version of an existing character, as a treat

[suzuran777]

Lamento stageplay news + visuals

Just one more day left until the live performancs of the Lamento stageplay start! The stageplay was of course already announced last year, but as they finally started tweeting the countdown pictures, I wanted to write a blog post about the visuals and information they've released so far, comparing some of the stageplay visuals to the official game illustrations!

Similar to the DRAMAtical Murder (DMMd) and sweet pool stageplays, the Lamento stageplay will also have different routes for each main character, Asato, Bardo and Rai. I'm going to assume that the first half of the stageplay will be some kind of common route, while the second half focuses on the route of each different character. Something that is new is that this time the stageplay will have "musical elements" as well, so I'm not sure if I should call it a stageplay or a musical (I'm just using "stageplay" this time as the official account also seems to call it that). Even though in the game Konoe's song is just a melody, the actors did tweet about singing, so I am curious what they will do!

Ohyama Yoh, who composed 19 of the 37 songs of the Lamento original soundtrack also tweeted that there will be 11 new songs (+ addictional background music). I think it's super cool that they're working together with the original composer again to create new songs for the stageplay! I remember the DMMd stageplay also had a new song by GOATBED, which they even performed live a few times at the end of the show. The previous stageplays were about two hours long, but this time they mentioned it will be at least 3 hours, which makes sense because Lamento is a lot longer than sweet pool and DMMd.

I'm really impressed by the costumes and wigs so far, the ears and tails also look so fluffy... I really wonder what they will look like in motion and what the battle scenes will look like. Most of the visuals of the individual characters they've released so far seem to be based on the in-game sprites, but what I found interesting is that Rai's, Asato's and Bardo's pictures seem to have the same pose as the Kotobukiya figurines! You can see the comparison below, the pictures of the figurines are from the Kotobukiya official website.

Another new visual which was released quite recently seems to resemble another official illustration, which I've seen in the artbooks before and which was also the cover of magazine B's Log, specifically the December 2006 issue. Some of the details are a bit different, for example Konoe is not holding Leaks' mask in his hand anymore, and this time they added Shui to the illustration as well, but some other things such as Bardo's pose make it quite obvious this picture was their inspiration. The way Shui and Leaks stand next to each other kind of reminds me of the Rhapsody to the Past drama CD as well? One thing I noticed is that they're not really trying to hide Leaks' face this time, which was actually quite a big reveal in the game.

Next are some of the other illustrations they recently showed us during a short livestream which was available on Twitter for a limited time. Luckily they also posted the pictures on the official account! These won't be sold as merchandise, but they're given away as a bonus for those who attend all three versions of the show. I guess one thing I never noticed before is how little promotional/extra art Bardo got back then, so in this case they had to use one of his in-game CGs. For the other characters they mostly seem to use some of the extra/promotional art. Anyway, you can see a comparison below! I think it's fun to see how they re-created the pictures with the actors.

The last picture they recently showed during the Twitter livestream uses the cover illustration of the official world guidebook! Unfortunately no Bardo in this one either. This is one of the items they are selling as merchandise, it seems to be some kind of booklet (they call it a "pamphlet" but it's 32 pages long). I really wish they would sell the merchandise online, but for now it's only accessible for those who have a ticket and who buy it inside the venue. Maybe if they have any extra stock they might sell it online?

Update: The stageplay will also be livestreamed on DMM TV! The ticket to watch all three routes is 10000 yen (about 66 USD, which is cheaper than the in-person tickets at least!) which also gives you some special bonus videos to watch. First is Bardo's route on February 24th, followed by Asato's and Rai's routes on February 25th. Be aware that it is region locked and not all VPNs work, so unfortunately I can't help much with that! For any further updates you can check the official Twitter account!

Cast list: Konoe: Maejima Yoh Rai: Kato Sho Asato: Hiraga Yusei Bardo: Seto Yusuke Razel: Kimisawa Yuki Kaltz: Okamoto Yuki Verg: Iwata Tomoki Froud: Muramatsu Koki Kagari: Asaba Maya Tokino: Fukuzawa Taiga Firi: Kita Tsutomu Kil: Yoshun Sakamoto Ul: Arai Yuya Shui: Osaki Natsuki Leaks: Matsui Yuho

[swooninglysteenie]

These are from two different sources of two different cuts of the original film. The sepia-tinted ones are from StephenTennant.org and the pure black and white clips are from the documentary "Love Cecil." TBH I have no idea how the scenes weave together to form a story. I placed them in the way that both videos came to me, but there are obviously pieces that are edited out for some reason.

Photos from Cecils scrapbook (I think?) So, what was the plot? How did this come about? Serious Pleasures, pg 107-08: Towards the end of May, Stephen and Cecil were weekend guests at Savay Farm, the country home of Oswald Mosley and his first wife, Cynthia*. There they dressed up in Cynthia's mother's old Edwardian clothes and "did the most fantastic dances as passed description for effeteness, tho brilliance was in every line". Both boys had stayed with the Mosleys before, and on one such summer visit Oswald had his cine-camera on hand to film their escapades. The result was the only such film of Stephen to survive from the period.

An outdoor performance was decided upon, and a story line devised. Beaton was the powdered Madam of a brothel, engaged in tempting the men of the party, John Strachey and Dick Wyndham. Cimmie was one of the girls in Cecil's charge; and Stephen, in one of his favorite costumes of the time, was a mysterious blind beggar boy whose significance to the plot remains unclear. Cecil had assembled a disguise of a false nose and bouffant wig to caricature Margot Asquith (Stephen's aunt), and towards the end of the drama, runs off to drown him/herself in the river, a sequence made hilarious by the fact that his wig began to float off in the fast-running stream, completely ruining the dramatic effect. Stephen, too, wore makeup, but his was a pale white mask, with pencilled eyebrows and those bee-stung lips with which he sought to emulate Hollywood starlets. Staggering daintily about, clad in silken rags, he holds his arms out, feeling his way as he imagined a blind boy would. He sits and makes daisy chains by the river; and later plunges in too, only this time looking more like Ophelia than Cecil's amusing performance - with echoes of Narcissus, Shelley, and presaging Jean Cocteau's art films - he tips his head back into the water, over the river bank, poetically drowning. Only from this filmed evidence can the unreality of Stephen's presence be judged. With long, fine limbs and a graceful gait, he resembles a whitened stick insect, stalking his way through the crackly black and white silent film. (end quote) * * * Stephen is dressed in green rags. It seems to consist of a normal button-down collared shirt, over which is another long button-down shirt, sleeves cut off, worn unbuttoned like an open waistcoat that has been cut into long shreds. His trousers are ankle-length and have been completely cut into shreds and the cuts travel very high up the thighs. At one point you see the camera pan down to his revealed hip and possible cheek. In the past, Rex said he hated that costume because it was too *revealing*. Ahem. 🤭

[n7punk]

"Our Love Is God" Fic Notes

OLIG finished off yesterday! For once I almost nailed the length, I was expecting 12 chapters but didn’t want to commit early on. HI I TRIED TO POST THIS SO MANY TIMES but apparently it was TOO MUCH TEXT in a single block and it wouldn't give me that error, I just had to GUESS because I knew that's been a problem before. Anyway. Here it is finally.

Playlist:

Obviously the West End and Off-Broadway cast recordings, but also I did still primarily use a separate curated playlist:

Good For You — Dear Evan Hansen (original Broadway cast)

The Worst Person Alive — G Flip

Ego Talking — Fletcher

Take Your Time — Chloe Moriondo

You Don’t Want Me Like That — Rachel Bochner & XANA

leave me for dead — GAYLE

pity — Charlotte Sands

Bodybag — Chloe Moriondo

spite — Charlotte Sands

butterflies — GAYLE

Tantrum — Charlotte Sands

Killbot! — Chloe Moriondo

LOVE IS A… — PVRIS

I Don’t Like The Quiet — The Haunt

Celebrity (Blood Bunny Version) — Chloe Moriondo

Doing Better — FLETCHER

Bad Girl — Daya

Not To Be Dramatic — Zoe Clark

My Perfect — Gen and the Degenerates

Often — Lauren Sanderson

Pretending — FLETCHER

Epilogue Life:

The original cast of Heathers played on stage for just over a year before most of them move on to other projects with the major cast change. Heathers (gay version) runs for about two years, going through two more cast changes, before closing. The original cast does go to see the new cast and cheer them on, but it is kind of weird to see someone else acting out a role that became like breathing to them. Overall the remake is taken very well but has just run its course by the time it ends. There will be another revival in a few years and it actually uses both the straight and gay versions of the musical between cast changes.

Catra carries Shot in the Dark for its entire two year run before it dwindles into a temporary retirement and gets revived with a new cast a few years later (same sets and such). She’s the defining lead for the show and obviously on the cast album. She’s really, really proud to have originated a magicat-led show and makes her new origination goal a sapphic role.

After Shot in the Dark, she takes a supporting role in another musical for eight months before leaving early to join Adora and Netossa on a new project. They don’t actually interact a lot in the show and aren’t love interests or anything, and they’ve long since learned to balance their careers while in different shows, but it does allow Adora to propose to her during final bow (with approval from Netossa). Adora tipped their parents off and they’re both in the audience to watch her say yes.

(Adora knew she was going to accept, hence the public proposal, and Catra’s relationship with her mom has gotten better now she’s a successful, independent adult. Also Felina would have been So Sad to miss it so Adora told them both). Oh also they moved in together as soon as their leases came up lmao.

Adora led one show in the mean time between Chicago and their show together, but it was smaller, not as demanding as Veronica, and she was really excited to hop on a project with Netossa and Catra again. She decides to make originating a gay role and collecting cast albums her career goal, in addition to getting in a few specific shows she and her mom looked up to when she was growing up. She already feels pretty fulfilled with her early career though and considers everything else the cherry on top.

Rest of the cast quick hits: Mermista plays Velma center stage in Chicago along with Adora. Fitting her braid in that wig cap is definitely a challenge lol. Sea Hawk starred in a Hello, Again short revival run which Catra and Adora were dying sitting through, but they support all their fellow cast members when they move on to new shows. Perfuma finally got up the nerve to ask Scorpia out on their very last night performing in Heathers together, getting her flowers and then revealing after the show — when everybody was already crying about it ending — they were from her. It was a very confusing confession until Perfuma was finally able to spell it out for her that she wanted to go on a date with her. Scorpia enthusiastically agreed (still crying before the whole “last show” thing), and then gushed to Catra later about how she couldn’t believe Perfuma liked her while Catra nearly tore her hair out listening to the obliviousness. Glimmer and Bow got to play a couple that were already-together side characters in a musical and that’s what finally gets them together because Bow realizes oh, I can’t risk losing this, and Glimmer is done trying to play the jealousy game because it clearly didn’t work and she doesn’t really have a flirty relationship with any of her new cast so they can finally just be honest with each other.

Chapter 1: Auditions

⦁ Things like homophobia and Christianity are usually world aspects I avoid in my fics, but they’re both present in the musical so they had to at least be mentioned in this.

⦁ Oh I should say this will have mentions of all the triggers warned for in the fic.

⦁ Adora and Catra both gave good but not necessarily the best auditions of the day separately. Catra’s was really good when she got permission to do it in her natural register and threw in a growl (she wasn’t actually audibly straining yet, but Netossa scouted her specifically for her voice and knew she was pushing it up near the top of her range), but her Candy Store was a little more uneven thanks to the lack of practice and register change. Adora did just fine in her regular song and really good in her Beautiful reprise, but there were people that did sing a little better technically. That doesn’t mean they would have been better over the course of the show itself, though, and what Catra and Adora had going for them was it looked like they were considering involving fists (the sexy or the fighting kind, take your pick) the moment they were on stage together. They eyefucked their way through both songs with such insane chemistry Netossa was like oh we can sell Fight For Me with these two EASY.

⦁ (Fight For Me is the second song in the musical where Veronica basically see JD in a fistfight and thinks it’s so fucking hot she immediately falls for him, and then they actually spend time together and it seems like they have similar views of the high school around them. And they do! But they definitely have very different solutions. Anyway, it’s a quick romance plot setup that doesn’t pretend not to be based solely on sexual attraction at first but that works and is realistic! The actors just need to have chemistry to make it read right, and damn do Catra and Adora have that).

⦁ Okay, every Veronica has been pretty, but there was some metric that made them not perfect conventional. For the first two Veronicas this was pretty much being brunette with messy hair lmao. For the West End, Veronica was played by Carrie Hope Fletcher, who I think is gorgeous and has blonde curly hair, but she faced a lot of backlash for being “too fat” to play Veronica. Adora is close to the Hollywood ideal, which is the point Netossa is trying to make: someone who could play Heather Chandler in one version of this show ends up the Veronica because she commits the sin of not meeting society’s hetereonormative expectations. Bigots will throw you out for any association with queerness. However, still meeting all those other metrics is what allows her to slip in with the Heathers as long as she helps them out and dresses femme — that’s part of her transformation, going from jeans in the opening number to skirts for the rest of the musical until the final sequence. When show starts, she’s wearing jeans and a ratty flannel with her hair in a ponytail. It’s a quick change outfit, so she runs behind the set to pull it off to reveal her main outfit beneath, brushes her skirt into place, and lets Netossa fix a scrunchy with a big bow on it on top of her existing ponytail to complete her transformation into a feminine popular girl.

⦁ “Janis Dean” is a reference to Mean Girls, and yes, that’s in-universe.

⦁ Catra got the casting call specifically because Netossa needed someone to match JD’s register — plus the growls in the right places added a lot of emotions to his songs. Including the sex ones.

⦁ Changes in Netossa’s version: - The aforementioned “Pretty Veronica” thing. When the Heathers give her the makeover she puts on the iconic skirt and has to wear skirts for the rest of the show, performing femininity in every extra way she can, to make up for her “deviance” of being bi (also, she’s bi. It’s another thing where any degree of deviation is grounds for rejection). - The line delivery (and some content) has been tweaked for the fatphobic stuff to match the changed metanarrative that comes from Scorpia, someone who isn’t actually overweight, playing Martha. The commentary then becomes that nothing is good enough and society’s fatphobia is thrown into light as completely unreasonable. The whole point of that aspect of the show is that it illustrates how awful the characters are, but genuine fatphobia and using it as a plot device to show a character is morally corrupt looks awful similar, so by having someone who is basically just tall and strong play Martha it makes it extremely obvious that the demands are unreasonable. This ties in well with Heather M’s story, where she does have that model body type and is pretty and popular but develops an eating disorder because she’s afraid of losing that. - Obviously a lot is different with JD. She “chooses” to be a lone wolf/outcast because of her personality and views on society, but there’s obvious undertones in their dialogue in the 7/11 that even if she did want to choose differently, she couldn’t because she would be rejected for being a dyke, so is she really making a choice at all then? She goes by JD specifically because it’s more gender neutral than Janis. She couldn’t ever be a Heather and she couldn’t even be a Veronica either, because Veronica could at least be comfortable putting on a matching skirt with her friends while this JD is butch, so she hangs out in her trench coat at the fringes of society. There’s also undertones to her being the only magicat in school due to her father moving around and not caring if he brought her into a hostile — conservative, racist, homophobic, etc — area. - Heather M. is only in with the popular girls for safety and there’s some dialogue around this in the bathroom scene with Veronica. It’s kind of public information (not officially stated but implied in her social media) that her actress, Perfuma, is trans. This wasn’t planned at the time of the casting call, but Netossa worked on it during workshops and the backstory became that Heather M started transitioning how she could before high school and is continuing to “in secret” now. Some people have clocked her though and she sticks so close to the other Heathers to keep herself from being the target of terrible bullying. As long as the Heathers tolerate her (Heather C is on a bit of an ego trip about having blackmail material on her and essentially owning someone in the palm of her hand), she’s given a pass and “has the best (cishood) assumed” about her. - Veronica and JD’s relationship is a little more secretive in this version, but the Heathers do know and Duke later tell her to just be careful not to “dyke it up” at school or they would out her (currently she’s just kind of clocked by some, not confirmed to the whole school). After Heather C’s death, Duke basically threatens Veronica to stay at her heel like Heather M or she’ll out them both.

Chapter 2: Workshop

⦁ You would have to be fucking blind to not realize Adora and Catra have history even in the glances of them Netossa and Spinnerella saw, and Netossa spent the first part of workshop trying to unpack whatever was going on with them. She had to put together the clues to figure out what it was. Once she decided exes was a likely story, she confronted Catra about it because she figured talking about it was the only way to handle the resentment. She was partially using reverse psychology and partially being honest about not resolving all of it being good for the show.

⦁ I made Freeze Your Brain more homoerotic. In the musical, JD does his entire song facing Veronica or walking around the stage and then offers the drink to her at the very end. He does not get in close and offer her the drink and then sip from it after her in an indirect kiss with her lipstick prints on the straw, but mine’s better.

⦁ In the actual show, Heather Chandler doesn’t put on any death makeup. The Off-Broadway would shine a blue light on her after she died to give her an other-worldly appearance and the West End didn’t seem to do anything at all, which was a mistake imho. In this one, when she “rises from the dead”, she does it a bit more dramatically and zombie-like under a blue light, and then she on-stage reaches over for her vanity and starts powdering her face, looks back at Veronica and says “What? I want to look good for eternity” and finishes as Veronica and JD write the rest of the suicide note before collapsing so the cops can find her.

Chapter 3: Previews

⦁ Once again changing the staging for my version (jokes on you, this isn’t just a Catradora fic, it’s me writing my ideal version of Heathers). Usually Heathers has some kind of bi-level stage. This one has catwalks hidden along the backs of the lockers, but they also have more sets. They have house facades they slide in front of the high school set/lockers for the croquet scene (Freeze Your Brain is the closest song) through to Heather’s murder, sliding them away again for The Me Inside of Me. They come back for Our Love Is God, although the second level with JD’s window isn’t brought back until the very end of the show. Kurt tries to climb the same trellis Adora used to get into JD’s window to escape JD as he chases him down. The full facade doesn’t come back until it’s time for Meant To Be Yours so JD can climb through Veronica’s window (that was once his). It is wheeled out as the entire stage narrows in on the center stage for the pep rally and finale.

⦁ Veronica doesn’t rebutton her shirt until after the nightmare scene in the West End version (I honestly can’t remember for off-Broadway), but for this show Adora just isn’t super comfortable hanging out shirtless in front of crowds every night, especially knowing some people are perverted about the lesbian version of Dead Girl Walking, so Netossa said buttoning her shirt and putting her clothes back on before they fall asleep was fine back when they were deciding what Catra was going to do since JD rips his shirt off undoes his buckle during this scene. Adora could have done it (she wears the bodysuit for Mona, after all), but Netossa didn’t mind making that small tweak for her. Catra cared less, but also because she’s not in the kind of underwear that straight guys like. They decided she would have a high-coverage sports bra, the kind that can pass for a binder, on (for this scene and for the entirety of the show since Janis Dean is supposed to be firmly butch). Catra does most of JD’s usual choreo here, minus the belt thing, because they do the version of the choreo where they never stand up and Catra isn’t wearing a belt at all.

Chapter 4: Candy Store

⦁ No wonder she was what way indeed, huh, Catra? Well, multiple. No wonder she was so frustrated, because Catra is infuriating when she wants to be. No wonder she was so hung up on her, because Glimmer also wants to fuck her inexplicably. No wonder she lived and breathed the word homoerotic, because Catra made sure they lived on the razer edge of it at all times. No wonder she was down bad, because again — see the last two point. This line is less of an insult and more of Catra being too magnetic for anybody’s good, honestly, but that annoys Glimmer because she doesn’t want to like her (like that, or at all) so it definitely comes out like an insult and Glimmer is good with that.

⦁ I need you to picture Catra’s “What?” after the brat comment in the same tone of voice as Elle Woods saying “What, like it’s hard?” because Catra definitely wants it hard.

Chapter 5: We Can Start and Finish Wars

⦁ I was nervous about doing this scene just from a trigger perspective, but I figured it would be okay if I kept it all contained to this one chapter, and it was something I really wanted to cover. It was my first thought when I heard You’re Welcome (since it was a new song). I also wanted to explore the support a cast really gives. You don’t have to improvise every night or anything, but there’s always something that pops up over a show and you have to adapt for when you’re doing shows night after night. This is why casts really have to have each others’ backs and are often close. Every person on that stage would have done what they could to help Adora get through the show, but Catra, Bow, and Sea Hawk were the only ones who could have helped in that specific scenario due to their roles, and Adora was good enough at covering it up that only her best friends noticed.

⦁ This chapter was a turning point for them between the lines with the show and reality blurring and Catra realizing (though trying to repress it) how important Adora is to her.

⦁ They do workshop a version of the scenes where Kurt and Ram just don’t come as close in contact to Adora and end up being even more slapstick with each other in place of the more aggressive choreography moments, and during Never Shut Up Again they don’t even come close to Veronica, instead running around the stage to tell the audience/school. They only use it once on Adora’s signal, and Bow voluntarily opts for it once based on vibes and Sea Hawk immediately adapts, but Netossa is right: it’s a good thing to have, and she’s really glad Adora agreed to collaborate on something.

⦁ This last scene wraps up the rest of the show to verify it goes well, but it’s mostly here just to showcase Good Director™️ Netossa. She really cares about her people a lot even when she’s a hard ass.

⦁ Adora doesn’t keep up too much with comments due to what she mentions about knowing there will be homophobia in them, but she’s not totally tuned out on them and a long flood of notifications still draws attention. After this time she becomes more committed to not reading them much, though.

⦁ Yes they’re going to the same dinner place featured later.

⦁ While out at dinner, Glimmer and Bow try to ask her how she’s doing and she gives them an even more abridged version of what she told Netossa and Catra because she just doesn’t want to think about it anymore, but of course Glimmer and Bow are super supportive, and Bow is really enthusiastic about them choreographing an alternate version of the scene because he just wants Adora to be okay and is proud of her for taking that step.

Chapter 6: No Time to Knock (I’m a Dead Girl Walking)

⦁ Chapter title from DGW

⦁ Dead Girl Walking honestly didn’t look that different that night, and Netossa did miss them making out after the lights went down because she was scrambling looking for a scrunchy, but she could tell Catra was going further with the choreo than she was supposed to, especially with the kiss during the kitchen scene when Netossa had given up looking for it until the show was over, and in a situation like that Adora couldn’t say no or stop her without changing the intent of the scene, hence Netossa threatening Catra about the consent issue despite how Adora didn’t seem upset. It’s just something she has to do as director. I ended up reducing it to a one-sentence mention later in the fic, but I thought about having a scene where, after a few nights of them kissing on stage, Netossa goes to Catra’s dressing room and asks her if Adora ever gave her permission for that, to which Catra says yes she’s fine with that, and Netossa corrects her and says did Adora ever give you verbal, explicit permission for that at which point Catra goes quiet and Netossa then demands she go to Adora’s dressing room and secure it before she’s allowed to leave for the night. Cure Catra awkwardly standing in Adora’s doorway asking Adora if it’s okay for them to kiss during the show as Netossa stands down the hall and waits for her. Adora was very bewildered but could tell Catra was being put up to it from the way she kept glancing to the side so she just agreed because she didn’t want them to get in trouble and Catra quickly fled. It just didn’t even up fitting in the flow of the story because it meant verbally acknowleding what they were doing earlier than they were supposed to so that’s why I changed it to Netossa privately asking Adora instead of forcing a confrontation, which is the better thing for Netossa to do anyway rather than force Adora to deal with it if she really were uncomfortable (the reason she did it in this version of the scene was because she was 100% certain it didn’t bother Adora but was doing her duty as director).

Chapter 7: Happiness Comes / When Everything Numbs

⦁ Chapter title from Freeze Your Brain.

⦁ Forever thinking about ND’s “and it was” comic.

⦁ Real shoutout to the person who informed me about the official stage recording of the later version of the West End Heathers because I definitely did not remember any of the dialogue outside of songs and it let me take notes to write scenes like the croquet scene, which is like 50% similar to the one that actually takes place in the musical. A lot of the dialogue not overtly related to Veronica’s queerness is the same, but a little bit of the action was changed around to extend the scene for the extra dialogue and include using an actual ball, because Glimmer being frighteningly accurate at hitting things with a giant mallet felt right.

Chapter 8: Fight For Me

⦁ Heather tries to get Veronica to admit she’s into girls so much so that she can have blackmail over her to keep her in line, although she doesn’t actually need her to admit it, she just knows Veronica would be more afraid of the threat whenever she makes it if Veronica is aware it’s something Heather has 100% confirmed to be true.

⦁ I didn’t include it because I didn’t want to have to cover every scene with differences in here, but in the 7/11 Heather bothers Veronica more about clearly being into girls and is mildly homophobic to JD. Then, in the scene after Dead Girl Walking and Veronica’s nightmare, as Veronica is freaking out about getting to Heather and making amends before Monday, she tells JD in clear terms “She’s going to out me and tell the school I’m bi” which is what Adora was referring to in chapter three when she mentions this version of the musical having the word bisexual in the opening act.

⦁ I know what y’all are going to think this was inspired by, but it’s actually inspired by a fucking Try Guys Korean bbq video where they went karaokeing afterwards. I’ve never been to a karaoke place like that and it got me thinking.

Chapter 9: Big Fun!

⦁ When the show started, Bow and Sea Hawk were both given like packs of the exact same underwear (one in blue variants, one in red variants, and one in black variants) so they could match throughout the show. It’d be easier to coordinate if it was all the same pair, but they wanted the variety for people who came to multiple shows. They actually have a lot of fun coordinating and then, on their own, decided to get a pair of those classical heart-print boxers that they throw in occasionally. Sometimes that’s just based on a day when they don’t want to wear something as revealing as the tighty-whities they usually wear, but usually it’s as a gag.

⦁ It was too awkward to shoe-in here, but part of reworking the choreography around You’re Welcome included the decision to have robes backstage for Bow and Sea Hawk, which they don’t often use, but if it’s a night where Adora is getting overwhelmed intermission is a lot more comfortable if Bow and Sea Hawk aren’t wandering around naked. Sea Hawk’s has feathers along the collar and cuffs.

⦁ Glimmer’s best friends all have abs and she has no idea how sharp her elbows can be.

⦁ Glimmer did realize she was flying a little too close to the sun with Adora if she responded to Catra’s flirting.

⦁ Yeah Catra brought her strap.

⦁ Catra was just a little tired during that show, so she asked Entrapta for some of the drain cleaner as a pickup since it has a lot of sugar, and she was taking a few seconds to rest before she had to go be feral on stage again.

⦁ When I first told my friend Meta I was doing a Heathers fic, Catra downing the fake drain cleaner like shots was one of the first jokes they made and I had to include it.

⦁ Adora thinks there is — a chance — that Catra wants to be dating after this exchange where she says it’s not “a problem”, but she’s definitely worried about saying anything too soon or too presumptive and scaring her off, so she’s just going to lowkey keep acting like they’re seeing each other and hope Catra will open up enough for them to have a conversation about it eventually.

⦁ The people at stage door the night they got “dinner”, and the night they actually got dinner, and the night they went home together, all definitely thought they were dating but only the ones from the first night even thought that might be news. The girl who was a big fan of Catra kept it to herself and her friends, but one half of the couple publicly tweeted the picture they got with Catra and Adora that night mentioning they got to take photos before they went off on a date, but that picture didn’t make its way back to Catra because she wasn’t tagged in it and not that many people “noticed” per se. Final bow was when everyone was like ah so there is something fruity going on there, but even then a lot of people weren’t sure, and it’s something that just got solidified over the coming months as they were seen together more, kissed in public, got a little sappy on Instagram, etc and everyone retroactively realized they were right.

Chapter 10: Beautiful

⦁ Usually the chapter titles are either lyrics that match the chapter or a song that features in a chapter, but in the case of “Beautiful”, it was a thematic match. Beautiful features Veronica picturing her future and the next phase in her life. For this chapter Catra is also exploring her future and her next steps. And also she’s gay for Adora.

⦁ The First Contact scene started as a Mass Effect joke (iykyk) and then I ended up including it. I honestly thought I was going to cut it because it’s kind of random but the point was to show how long they’ve known each other and they have their own world of games and jokes that they lost when they lost each other, so I ended up keeping it.

⦁ Cheekbone > Clavicle > Cupid’s bow (aka Achimenes longiflora) > Gums (aka Alveolar process).

⦁ Catra freezes up after Adora asks what she gets for a good show because she can’t bring herself to say “Me.”

⦁ Shot in the Dark is one of the episodes of the show I’ve rewatched the most, when they find Melog and Catra learns about the power of friendship. The musical was either going to be called that or White Out tbh (real ones know my relationship with that episode) but Catra is playing a magicat specifically in this role so going with the Melog episode felt right.

Chapter 11:

⦁ The blanket came from Lance, actually.

⦁ What’s my ideal choreography for Meant To Be Yours? So glad you definitely asked. This scene is usually presented so abstractly I don’t think someone unfamiliar with the musical/movie would even know Veronica is hiding in her closet. My ideal version (with the staging already set up in this play) is the house facade with the window being rolled in on one side of set (only one just cuz there isn’t time) and JD appearing on the other side of the window (with the light off so it’s more like he’s creepy in the dark) and doing his knock knock thing. Veronica in the middle of the stage panics and runs to the back of center stage, where it’s carefully choreographed for the ghosts (Kurt and Ram) to be rolling in an open doorframe that she runs through and Heather slams behind her. Then Kurt and Ram would lean against each side of the doorframe making fed up and “can you believe this dude?” faces at each other as JD has his whole villain speech in center stage before going to pound on the door and finally wrenching it open to reveal Veronica hanging on the other side with Heather kind of “in the corner” making a comedic fake shock face looking between JD and Veronica as JD breaks down. When he leaves and Veronica struggles to get down for a second, Heather would roll her eyes and help as Kurt and Ram wheel off the door and then quickly move the house facade off stage as it transitions to Dead Girl Walking (Reprise).

Chapter 12:

⦁ My idea for this AU was that Catra would have a “stage mom” and then their acting coach would have been Shadow Weaver to get that Trauma Backstory™️, which means Catra needed actual parents. I already had the pair from Trade Today For Tomorrow, so I wasn’t going come up with a new set of names, but it does feel kind of wrong to have changed Leona to be a “bad” mom. In general, if/when I do use them again, I’ll be using their TTFT personalities. Also, in this AU Leona isn’t awful or anything, but she really wanted to be an actress and it didn’t work out so she has been pushing her child in that direction even when it was painful, which gave them a tense relationship. Most of my other Catras would be thrilled to have parents like this, but Catra doesn’t have that context for None or Very Bad parents, so she’s just another person with an awkward relationship with her parents and doesn’t think about it too much.

⦁ Catra used to spend Christmas ever at Adora’s house and then Christmas at her own/moms’ when they were kids.

Chapter 13:

⦁ My original idea for a childhood dream musical was to stick Adora in Wicked because you know Mara is a sucker for that show, but for mezzo-soprano it’s mainly Elphaba, and the whole point was giving her a role that wasn’t lead. I settled on Chicago because something LGBT is happening in that prison and I think Mara and Hope would both like the show. Adora is going to play Mona in Chicago, a fairly minor character who gets a solo verse in Cell Block Tango when describing why she killed her lover for cheating on her. She appears (namelessly) in more songs but also gets off-stage time, and that song is absolutely ICONIC, so Adora is really excited to get to take part in it, even if it’s pushing the absolute limits of her dancing ability. She does a lot of practicing leading up to the show, so Catra is worried for a bit about her getting too busy and their relationship faltering about, but it balances out after the initial push. Adora’s moms are super psyched when they hear she’s going to be in the show and the marketing team ends up releasing the Broadway cast’s version of Cell Block Tango online at the open of the show to drum up hype for it, so Adora really hits one of her big career dreams — though still with room to grow, if she can get it with a larger role and a full album. This role shows her that headlining isn’t all there is to musical theater, though, and having smaller parts can really by worth it for the off-time.

⦁ Uh so. Mona’s outfit. The outfits for the inmates in Cell Block Tango are usually pretty close to lingerie. Adora has a bodysuit, because it works for the song and she’s more comfortable being covered in something skintight than just wearing two pieces, but it’s still quite a Lot for her parents to see it. They know what they’re in for though and everybody just neglects to address it after the show when they praise her voice. Catra loves Adora in the outfit though.

⦁ Based on my previous formatting Shot in the Dark, Chicago, and Hello, Again should actually just be written out without italics, but because the nature of the titles (length and formatting) make it confusing without italics and clunky with quotes, so I ended up just being inconsistent between them and Heathers.

Original Outline:

I outlined this one pretty heavily going into it, in the way I used to for my fics where I’d write like a one-sentence summary of every scene planned in a chapter going in. Of course, I knew I would add and change scenes as I went, but I was pretty faithful to the outline outside of additions. I was outlined out to chapter 8 but thought it would expand to about 12 chapters between the ending I hadn’t outlined (I needed to be closer to it to know what the right conclusion was) and scenes adding themselves in along the way to up the count, and I finally put that count on the fic when I was writing chapter 10 or so, but then I realized I fucking forgot about the cast album and I got the idea for the bar scene so all of Chapter 12 ended up getting added and expanding it to 12 chapters.

The only “big” thing that didn’t happen was the catnip thing, which was mostly a joke I outlined anyway, but it was just too much from several angles so I cut it before I finished it. The idea was someone pulling a prank on Catra by putting catnip on her vanity and getting her lowkey high. Non-destructively pulling something on a castmate’s dressing room is pretty common antics, but this felt… very targeted and tense even though the castmate was doing it fairly innocently and just ignorant of that angle to it, so I didn’t want to go through with it. Catra was going to corner Adora though and demand if she fucked with her dressing room, and when Adora was obviously confused by the confrontation, fall into her arms and aggressively scentmark her even as she growled explaining the vandalism, which Adora offered to clean up for her and let her use her dressing room to change so she didn’t get more exposure to it. Again, the “getting a castmate a little high” thing, even accidentally (they didn’t realize it had much of an effect) was just not a line I — or the cast — wanted to cross, though.

Upcoming:

The 4th anniversary SPOP Big Bang is going to run May 12th-18th and I’ll be posting daily for the first few days with my magical realism AU Lightbeam along with my amazing artist partner who made an illustration for every chapter! Keep an eye out for it :)

[judeonfilm]

David Bowie's satirical take on gender norms with 'Boys Keep Swinging'

Hello dear music lovers! Today, I will be writing about David Bowie's song 'Boys Keep Swinging' and its video. I am sure we are all familiar with Bowie, so I am going to introduce him very briefly. David Bowie was an English artist known for his unique style, alternating between the more or less extravagant personas he embodied. Bowie was always looking for new ways to make art. He combined music with fashion, theater, and other forms of art, making him a unique and lasting cultural icon. His songs often talked about identity, feeling different or alone, gender, and alienation.

'Boys Keep Swinging' was released in 1979 as the lead single from his album Lodger. The lyrics express a satirical view of male privilege, gender roles and masculine archetypes.

"You can wear a uniform / When you're a boy" this line highlights how men are often given positions of power or authority, symbolized by uniforms, just because of their gender. "Other boys check you out" has a double meaning - it could refer to men who are admired and respected by their peers because of their success and their authority suggested in the previous line, but it could also have an ambiguous connotation, which was deemed "too gay for TV" by NBC, and censored during its performance on SNL."You get a girl" reflects the expectation that being a man automatically means you will attract women, and that relationships are supposed to validate manhood. "You're always first on the line" this line showcases the priority often given to men. "Boys always work it out" suggests that men are able to succeed in life no matter the situation.

The mocking delivery of hyper-masculine tropes contrasts with the music video. In the video, David Bowie performs as himself but also appears dressed as backing vocalists in drag, singing about the privileges of being a man, using irony and exaggeration to challenge gender stereotypes. At one point, each of them walk down a catwalk, snatch their own wigs and rub off their makeup. In drag culture, snatching off one's own wig is a dramatic and symbolic act that often carries powerful meaning. In the context of Bowie’s 'Boys Keep Swinging' video, it can be interpreted as a moment of vulnerability, of breaking down gender performance and revealing the fluidity and constructed nature of identity.

Have a great weekend, Jude x

[le-trash-prince]

Jack & Joker EP 2 Thoughts

The fake tattoos are not doing it for me but fake tattoos never do, so

Taking bets on whether this same prison shows up in Pit Babe 2

Jenny!!!

I’m eating up the juicy dramatic angst of their reunion

Khun Johnson lololol

I love that Jack is still taking measures to protect Joke even while revealing his con to the boss. Also I wonder what thoughts these two bodyguards are having during Jack and Joke’s conversation dhfjfjf do they get paid enough to care

I’m a sucker for rolled up shirtsleeves

Can they stop FLIRTING during this fight

“They’re acting like they’re flirting” SHFJFJF HELP EVEN THE CRONIES CAN SEE IT

Joke CHARMED HIS WAY OUT OF A BEATING I’M DYING SHFJF i love this little shit oh my god

Joke taking a knife wound for Jack 🥹 My kryptonite 

Ok I’m gonna start calling him Joker now bc I keep mixing up their names and calling them both Jack help

THE THROAT GRAB…. YES… YES

And then verbally wounding Joker while he’s on the ground oh my god……….. they did this for me

When I saw Jack’s ring in the boss’ room my mind teleported to “IS HE PLANNING ON PROPOSING??” but then I came back to reality and remembered Jack had given him the ring as collateral shfnfndnds sorry the boss said “You know you’re my favorite” and my mind has been committing sins ever since 🤷‍♂️

Joker in a wig and makeup wowowow 🙌🙌🙌

I may have enjoyed this episode even more than the first bc the physical and emotional whump really got me 🔥🔥🔥

I love that the show has established itself as both dramatic and unserious. This is the kind of shit I eat up.

Also Carbon my worstie where is your punchable face at 🥺

[tears-of-taelia]

re: melia & emma

I've been thinking about this for awhile now. The way that the newest version of the Blacksteeple Castle chapter has presented Emma is interesting. There will be spoilers ahead, so don't read if you're still working your way through version 13.5!

My ramblings begin below. Here are some official pics (by the amazing Zumi) for reference.

As we know, during the events of Blacksteeple Castle, Melia wore a disguise to hide her true identity. This disguise is removed when Madame X slashes it with her sword. There is a small animation that follows, where a dark magical aura envelopes “Emma” before she is revealed to be Melia.

After the subsequent chaos, the disguise is not brought up again. However, the character of Emma is revealed to still reside in Melia’s cognition, apparently unbeknownst to Melia, as she says, “I thought I left you behind at Blacksteeple”. How odd.

Then, (a long time) later, while exploring the 3rd Layer, Melia stumbles across a deathbed journal entry written by a Garufa Inc. volunteer named Emma. It reads as follows.

My name is Emma. I undertook the Archetype's power today, and it failed miserably. I was unable to manifest its power and was mortally wounded during a test. I thought I actually had potential... but I guess not. The doctors say I don't have long left. It's cruel, isn't it? Life is just so cruel. But this is the path me and all the other volunteers chose. Humanity has nothing left but us. ...Is it all worth it in the end, though? What do we want to survive for? ...Anyway. I'm losing energy fast. Garufa Incorporated is our last hope. Please, save us.

Melia expresses to Nim that she finds it odd that this person and her Blacksteeple cover share a name. Nim passes this off as a coincidence, and understandably so. Emma isn’t exactly a rare name (though perhaps things are different in the world of rejuvenation?). The coincidence still seems to bother Melia for some reason.

Now, there are a LOT of theories about Melia out there. Despite hours and hours of gameplay, her true identity has yet to be revealed.

People have theorized for years that she is Maria, and the game seems to heavily imply that that is the case. If Anathea had four children, Erin, Maria, Alice, and Allen, and Erin, Melia, Alice, and Allen know that they share a mother, Anathea, then it would logically follow that Melia is Maria. In addition, Melia and Maria physically resemble each other, Melia is unsure of her origins prior to meeting Jenner, and Maria has not otherwise made an appearance in the current timeline (besides the whole Marianette ordeal in Gearen Sewers). So, it’s not exactly a dramatic leap.

It is eventually even addressed by the characters themselves.  When Erin directly asks for her opinion on this matter, Melia balks, and seemingly contradicts herself.

MELIA: Hahah... I guess I've known for a long time that I was Maria. Ever since our interaction with Angie, that name has been going through my head in my dreams. But I have to disagree, Erin. I am not Maria. ERIN: But out of the process of elimination, you must be. MELIA: Sorry, but it's true. That's what my mind is telling me, desperately. I am not Maria. I am not Maria. That's what echoes in my head.

If Melia is and is not Maria, then… how…? In what way? Who is she? Why would she share a connection with Erin? Why is she the only one with Genesis Syndrome? And what does Emma have to do with all of this? I don’t really have an answer. But there is something I want to muse on.

Let’s circle back to Melia’s “disguise”, if we can even call it that. Her cover as Emma made her look like an entirely different person, unrecognizable to the Player character. She has a different outfit, hair color, and eye color. If we are to believe that this is an ordinary disguise, we would need to believe that, with one slash, Madame X was able to tear through a wig, two color contacts, and an entire outfit, including thigh high boots. We would need to believe that Melia conveniently decided to wear a different outfit underneath this disguise, and that Madame X was able to slash off her exterior outfit without marring the one underneath. We would also need to believe that the special, dark, magical animation the occurs at this moment was purely aesthetic and meaningless.

So, yeah, I don’t really believe it this disguise is your regular, run-of-the-mill costume.

We learn that Melia was sent to Blacksteeple through the powers of Spacea and Tiempa. She was on a mission as a Storm Chaser, to save the Player character and gather information. As we know (all too well) from V13.5, Spacea and Tiempa are powerful. Specifically, they have powers over space and time akin to Palkia and Dialga. They use these powers pretty recklessly to manipulate many characters throughout the story. However, every instance of power they exhibit is strictly tied to their dimensions, space and time. Spacea does magic related to space. Tiempa does magic related to time. So, how, then, would they be able to create such a magical disguise for Melia? Through Garufan dress-up magic? Creating an illusion? Maybe. I wouldn’t be shocked. But I think it’s more than that. I think that Spacea and Tiempa used their magic to revive a version of Melia from the past, a different dimension, or a different “layer” (past world?). Perhaps… the third layer. A different appearance. A different life. Emma.

I think of it sort of like what happened with Narcissa during the Dufaux sidequest. But, instead of S+T directly swapping Melia with Emma, they just projected the appearance of Emma onto Melia.

There isn’t much to support or detract from this speculation. What we do know? We know that Melia is and is not Maria. We know that both Melia and Emma struggle to manifest the Archetype's power. We know that Emma resides in Melia’s cognition, like Melanie. We know Melia was deeply bothered by Emma’s journal entry in the Third Layer. We know that the outfit Melia dons when using her powers is very reminiscent of Emma’s.

We also know that Emma is dead.

Or, at least, presumed dead.

Just like Aevis, Aevia, Aria, Axel, Aero, and Alain.

You see where I’m going with this?

We know Emma dies disappointed, having believed she had “potential”, according to her journal entry. Did someone else think she had potential too? Perhaps, her “majesty” herself?

I know I’m not the only one to theorize that Melia is another Interceptor. I mean, it is heavily implied throughout the story. Melia is one of two characters for which we have seen Variya appear. The other, of course, being the player character. Melia is able to enter Zeight. In fact, she enters her own Zeight a couple of points during the game. She is shown with the triangular core motif a couple of times as well. She has led a lot of the research about the Interceptor phenomenon, in the Blakeory Athenaeum, for example.

How this all ties in with Maria, though? I don’t know. In the case of the Player character, we know that A-team didn’t want to live, and agreed to let Variya choose a different soul to take control over their body. Presumably, that soul is us, literally, the player, the person playing the game. Could Maria be the soul taking over Emma? Could Emma be the soul taking over Maria?

Who knows.

I do know there are holes in these theories. I know the events of the Renegade Route may complicate everything. (truthfully, I am too much of a wuss to complete the renegade route myself. I watched a youtube video of someone else's playthrough, so I know the broad strokes of what happens, but I definitely don't know the renegade lore in the same way I know paragon. maybe I should rewatch it at some point and take notes)

But this has been bouncing around my brain for too long and I wanted to put it in writing to help organize my thoughts. If you made it this far, wow, you rock! Thanks for reading. I’m interested if anyone has thoughts about this, if anyone can potentially disprove it, or if anyone has their own version or counter version of this idea! I live for this shit.