#the changes they made fit the medium and i still felt like the mood was right and the characters correct

[gay-pirate-anime]

How I view the OP live action, is that even if it turns out to be trash I want it to at least be trash which has heart, love, and passion put into it. Which from looking at how the cast love One Piece, and how the showrunners are such big fans themselves, and even how fucking Oda is involved and puts his trust into the team and has turned down movie deals and other stuff in the past, for him to do this. To me that's a green flag about it. I have my hopes and expectations about it, but even if it doesn't get the best reviews I at least hope the acting and intentions don't get shat on.

Hiya! I completely agree, I adore the cast/crew and also feel confident that they've poured their heart and soul into making it authentic! They're superfans too, not random actors/directors so you KNOW they understand the source material! Oda's personal touch on top of all that is even more assurance to me that this is going to go right. I don’t see how the LA can be bad in any way unless they grossly mischaracterize someone or change something super important plot-wise.

I am honestly extremely excited to experience a series I’ve loved since I was a literal child in a brand new light. I kind of got a taste of what it’d be like when I saw the live show at OP tower in 2018 and THAT production didn’t have the budget this has yet it was still incredible!

Personally, I am not expecting a carbon copy of the manga transformed to film. I actually encourage small changes if it fits the medium of live action better. For example, people going off with rage about Luffy’s loafers instead of sandals are ignorant of the fact that even if its a fantasy story those actors are still real people. I’d rather have Inaki be free to do stunts with shoes on than cut all the fun stuff or CGI it because folks insist on the sandals. The sandals aren’t important to his character like his straw hat is. I’ve also seen so many people commenting on Taz’s buffness compared to skinny East Blue Sanji. How do they expect him to do handstands and flips and not be jacked? SMH. Idiots.

I have SO much to say about this LA but yes green flags all around for me as well! 

[annieintheaair]

In a way, I'm glad that my guilt keeps fallin' on me like rain. At the same time, I can't help but wonderin' why I put your love on the line.

I can’t believe that it has been two whole years. Two years without Dan feels like a lifetime. So much has happened since he has been gone.

I woke up yesterday morning in Tulsa with a song in my head but the lyrics were a little off and I kept hearing, “it has been a couple of years since someone has been gone.” I knew that day was coming and I thought about it often but then the day arrived, and I almost forgot but subconsciously, I didn’t because that song was in my head.

Whenever I feel really sad and miss Dan the most, I send him a message on Facebook. I know he’ll never respond but something about it is therapeutic for me. The other night, I had a dream. I can’t remember all of the details but that Dan was replying to my Facebook messages. He told me that he’s always here, never gone, and wants me to be happy. After having gone to the medium earlier this summer, even though no dead people spoke to me through her, I believe that those we’ve lost actually do come in our dreams. When we see them there, it is actually them. Especially after my dream in January, I really do think that Dan visits me in my dreams to remind me that he’s still here with me.

I was in my pool on Saturday with my neighbors and Marx when a bee landed on my arm and stung me. It hurt like hell and still does now that it’s swollen. After it happened, I wondered if it was Dan coming back to get my attention and remind me. I remember being at the pool a few days after he died and having fun when I ran home to get a margarita. Garty called me and told me the news and I went back to the pool, stone-faced, trying to keep it all together. Marx snuck up on me and pushed me in the pool and in that moment I completely lost it. Something about Garty’s news didn’t feel real until that moment.

I knew it then and know it even more now that the world would never be the same without Dan. Our college, JWU, posted online the other day about renovations at Snowden dining hall, where we met nearly 17 years ago. Part of me thought that sounded nice but another part of me was a little sad about it because that place would never be the same again and it was another reminder that everything changes.

I've been busy flying nearly every night but trying hard to fit in time for friends, too. Saturday morning I was able to catch up with Julie for brunch and we checked out Jam + Toast, which was super busy but worth it because it was really good.

Sunday I felt like I needed to stay busy all day. I drove home from work, showered, got ready, and ran out to go to church. I was home for a brief time after and then went out to lunch at MiCocina. When I got home, I changed into my swimsuit and went straight to the pool. It was empty so I was able to play music and relax and then Eric came over to hang out with me. We stayed in the pool until I had to get ready for yoga. I was overly relaxed at yoga and clearly super tired so I think I may have fallen asleep a few times.

I had less than an hour when I got home from yoga. I finished my leftovers from lunch for dinner, got ready, and worked more on assembling a cabinet for my half bath. I guess I was so distracted and rushed that I pulled out of my driveway and realized I had forgotten my scarf and had to turn around and go back home. I thought for sure I would be late for work since the bus drove away without me even though I ran towards it I made it just in time.

Work wasn't bad but I wasn't in a super chatty mood. My friends Catherine and Antoinette were working in the back and a guy named Tim was up front with me. I found it interesting that his name was Tim since earlier in the day I texted Dan's friend, Tim, as we always do on the anniversary of Dan's death. It's always hard because I feel like I have no one to talk to about Dan anymore and I constantly feel judged for never being able to move past it and accept that he's gone. It seems like the only person who really gets it is Tim and I'm thankful that I at least have that relationship with his friend where we can support each other through the most difficult day of the year.

I went to therapy this morning and Diara gave me more homework. We talked about a lot of things and made some connections between current situations and past experiences. I have a lot of trouble with being a people-pleaser and it's hard for me sometimes to not care what other people think. I made that mistake with Dan and it's something I have to live with forever. I never want to make that mistake again because I'm worried about everyone else's opinions. Diara told me she couldn't make my decisions for me, obviously, but that didn't stop me from trying to read her face to guess what she would decide for me if she could.

The thing is, I know what I deserve and what I shouldn't tolerate, and in my strongest moments, I know that I can be strong and protect those boundaries. I keep thinking about what I posted on Facebook in March and I knew then that someone who loves you should fight for you, not with you. Someone who loves you should hear you out and communicate with you. There's a song I've been listening to lately, called I Do by Andy Grammar and Maddie & Tae, and in the song they say:

Even when I don't love you I do, I do, I do, I do You don't make it easy to But I do, I do, I do, I do And we give and we take And we fight, but we find a way to stay Even when I don't love you I do

The song is a good reminder that love is a choice you make every day. Even when times are rough and you're fighting, you stay if you love someone because even when you don't like them, you still love them; that's what love is. I know I deserve a love like that, where someone stays regardless of everything. I deserve to be with someone who is going to put in all of the effort because it's not 50/50 but 100/100.

Anyway, my landlord came over this morning to put up some cabinet hardware for me and we set up the garage door opener. I hoped to see my niece for her 7th birthday today but I was so tired that I stayed home and fell asleep on my couch for the afternoon. I am so glad to be off work and home tonight! Five nights in a row was rough.

xoxo

Annie

[averlym]

get down you dirty rascal

a wipling! small short animation im so ridiculously proud of!

[translationandbetrayals]

AMVs are (not) cringe

If you like anime and consume any kind of media related to it outside of the series themselves, you have probably seen an AMV in your life, maybe without even knowing it while scrolling through social media, but what does AMV means?

The acronym stands for Anime Music Video, and it really is as simple as it sounds. It only consists of putting together a bunch of anime clips and syncing it with the beat of certain song. Under this definition, almost every anime meme and edit that you can find on Instagram or TikTok would fit the term, however, I do think the AMV phenomenon is way more important than that, it is a perfect proof of fanaticism and, at it’s best, an impeccable demonstration of editing mastery, enhancing the original flow of animation, becoming a vital piece of publicity, and growing into a new way of discovering new works in the medium.

My first contact with one of these videos was sometime around 2008 or 2009, when one of my school classmates showed me a video on one of those old 2-inch screen cell phones. An insanely well-crafted edit mixing clips from Neon Genesis Evangelion while blasting Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody was presented to me, and while my jaw was on the floor, I could only think about how I had just seen the most epic video ever.

Thankfully, the original video titled “Evangelion Opus” is still available online, it even got remastered with today’s standard picture and sound quality, and you can watch it right here (Yes, it includes a lot of spoilers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdUPwR6mzXo&ab_channel=AnimesonProductions). Perhaps, by today’s conventional style of editing, this is nothing impressive, but at the time the original creator even won some editing awards at some anime conventions.

Crafting a well edited video that uses an entire anime like this requires a huge amount of knowledge and understanding of the original series, as well as a huge amount of time to invest. I always appreciated how much passion for the original work could be felt through the edit, and that made me spent countless hours watching other AMVs on YouTube about other anime that I liked.

During this period of time (2000s and early 2010s) most montages involved anime fights with edgy music from music bands like Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds to Mars, hence the genre becoming an online meme and being categorized as cringe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqTocV2qhWI&ab_channel=leonelguzmanful).

However, with the passage of time this style started to change. Nowadays the old hardcore emo sounds from the early 2000s have been replaced mostly by hip hop beats, while the fights are gone and substituted by clips that often try to evoke a certain mood or aesthetic (Evangelion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaF7rXatU9E&list=LL&index=17&ab_channel=sunsetboy) (Kotonoha no Niwa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by2gl5C8rTY&ab_channel=Rellim).

You can also find some AMVs that are not about one show in particular but a showcase of different series and movies involving a defined topic, or the work made by certain author or animation studio (Hobbes Sakuga channel on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HobbesSakuga).

A recent trend that emerged on TikTok, and also another form of AMV, is mixing really short anime clips with catchy music and making them loop in a satisfying way to catch the attention of the viewers. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHPymClHa4Y&ab_channel=WolvFire)

Lastly, perhaps the one type of AMV that is the most overlooked, and one that became insanely popular with the massification of anime consumption in recent years, is the one hidden inside memes, one of the most important ones being from Naruto Shippuden, where one of the most iconic scenes in the show is mixed with the Daddy Yankee song “Perros Salvajes” (Again, spoiler alert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9JN31ovtBs&ab_channel=SarmientoZamoraIv%C3%A1n). The repercussions of the video were so big that it gathered hundreds of thousands of views across different social media platforms, it made a lot of people interested in anime and was the final incentive to make others finally watch Naruto (myself included).

Like them or not, I think AMVs are a huge part of the formation of anime culture. For me and many others, it was a huge help in finding new shows and discovering new music, as much as it was back in my first days of internet as it is now.

  By Roger Valdivia

[writteninkat]

i - your grandma must have been strong

word count: 2,007

"I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you."

index

You zipped your last luggage closed, huffing tiredly as you stood up. You looked around you- your empty room, your plain, pink walls that were once decorated with many posters and pictures, your floor that was once covered by a big fluffy white rug and some clothes and stuffed toys.

You sigh, smiling. You were surely going to miss this place. Your back tingles as you turn around to see your mother leaning on the door frame, looking at you with sad eyes.

"Do you have to go?" Her voice is soft and calming- it always has been. She's the only person who could ever calm you down especially when your father left the two of you to work at the Heroes Association in Japan.

"I want to be able to protect people. Children, women, the elderly... I wanna be someone people can depend on. Someone you can depend on." You place a hand on her arm which she covers with her own, he warm palm along with her soft smile about to send you to tears.

She nods, walking inside your room to help with your baggage. "The movers just finished loading up your other stuff. All we need is your excess baggage." She pushes the luggage towards the door, you mirroring her actions.

She cups both of your cheeks, looking you at you with adoring, glassy eyes. It's your first time being separated from your mother in you sixteen years of existence. The two have always been attached to the hip, you traveled everywhere together, even as the two of you had constant arguments you could never stay mad at each other for too long.

She was the only one you had.

"Stay safe in Japan, okay? If your father gave you a hard time, call me. I'll pick you up no matter what time it is, no matter where you are. I love you." She kisses your forehead and you finally let your tears fall as you wrap your hands around her thing wrists.

"I love you so much mom." You sob, hanging your head as your mother wrapped her arms around you. You hear a voice of a woman through the speakers, telling you your flight was taking off in a few minutes.

You quickly give your mother a kiss on the cheek before letting one of your guards assist you with your bags. You waved good bye to your mom and soon after, your trusted body guard.

You were on your way to Japan, to a new life, a new school, new friends and hopefully to reach your new goal: to prove yourself worthy of becoming a hero without your father's help.

You walk towards the giant gates of UA, taking a deep breath before finally taking a step inside the campus. Your heart thumped on your chest nervously as your palms began to prespire. You kept your eyes forward, not wanting to do anything with the teens around you as your only goal was to pass the entrance exam. You walked inside the building you were lead to, taking a seat at the very back in fear of attracting any unwanted attention.

"What's up UA candidates?! Thanks for tuning into me your school DJ! Just as your application said, today you will be conducting your exams in seven different locations! Your location has been assigned to you in the paper you were given." The loud blond man with long hair swept way to the back of his head announced, making you click your tongue. Not to be a mood buster, but isn't he being a little too loud?

You take the piece of paper he was talking about, eyes lower to read the letter that's written on it. Test Location: Battle Center C.

"Excuse me sir but I have a question." Your eyes fall to a purple-headed boy with glasses whose hand is raised. The blond teacher acknowledges him and he begins talking about how there are four villains in the paper you were given and not only three.

He then begins running his mouth about how a minor mistake such as this would be an embarrassment for a school such as UA. You scoff, muttering something about having a stick up his ass.

After the teacher ended his speech, you along with the other students began piling out of the room and to your designated battle centers. As you enter your specified location, you take out the black leather gloves from your pocket, wearing them. You clenched and unclenched your hands to make sure that it fit you well.

"Hey grandma." An unfamiliar voice catches your attention, unfortunately for you the rude nickname was directed towards you.

"Grandma?" You raise a brow, unsure what he meant by it.

"You white hair reminds me of my grandma's." He snickers, pointing at the white streaks of hair you have beside either sides of your face as a few other students chuckling behind him. He looks plain, very, very boring. "Why don't you give up on this exam, grandma? Your knees may start hurting."

The signal went off and the robots began moving behind you. As you kept a straight face, your hands begin glowing a blinding white light as a black with blue and silver accent claymore appears in your hands. You run to your left, applying your speed quirk as you ran towards the gigantic robots, swinging your sword vertically.

The slash creates the same blinding white light, the robots, the buildings and concrete ground that the light touches all disintegrating into nothing. You speed into the other robots, stealing the targets of other students as you accumulated your points. Once you finish and only a few robots are left, you return to your spot to where the plain-looking boy along with his little friends were still standing at, jaws hanging eyes blown wide.

"You grandma must have been very strong."

"I got in." You say into your phone and you hear your mother squeal in delight from the other end of the line. A smile breaks into your face and you feel your phone vibrate, signaling a new notification. As you pull your phone away to see what it is, your eyes widen in surprise as you read your notification banner.

'Mom' sent you $100.

"Mom what the heck is the money for?" You chuckle. "I'm not there with you but I want you to celebrate getting into UA. So go use the money and spoil yourself."

"Mom you don't have to-"

"Okay, mom mode off. I demand you go and award yourself eith the money I sent you." Your mom's tone switches from soft and caring to cold and demanding, making you chuckle. "That doesn't suit you at all." You laugh, you can practically /hear/ your mom pout at the other line.

"Okay, okay. I'll do as you say. Thank you, mom. I love you."

"I love you more my baby."

The call ends and you change out of your usual sweats and oversized tee. You put on a black spaghetti strap and high-wasted mom jeans. You hoop in a black belt and fold the ankles of your pants to show your white sock inside your checkered vans. You finish the look with medium-sized hoop earrings and a oversized red zip-up jacket which you leave unzipped with one shoulder hanging off.

You step out of your apartment, pocketing your keys and taking a deep breath in. Japan is just so beautiful, the scenery, the buildings, even the weather was perfect. You strut down your apartment building, scrolling through your phone as you searched for cafes nearby. It was a five minute walk of calm and relaxing vibes. You step into the cafe, eyes darting around the adorable cottage-core aesthetic it had going.

"Hey my name is Mio. What can I get for you this lovely afternoon?" The cashier beams brightly, your day becoming better and better with every move you make. "I'll have a strawberry shortcake as well as a strawberr frappe with extra foam, strawberry syrup and strawberries." You beam back at her and she takes your order with a bright smile, tapoing away on the computer's screen.

"Does your life depend on strawberries or something?" A rough and deep voice asks behind you, causing you to turn around. Once you do, your eyes widen at the sight of a young blond with vermilion eyes. He looked around your age.

"I like strawberries. Is it that big of a sin?" You ask, soft smile across your face as you cross your arms together. The guy had such piercing eyes, those red orbs looked like they could trap you in them forever.

"Not what I'm saying, but if you're that much of a strawberry fan, I recommend their strawberry pop tarts." His eyes drop to the display fridge beside you and your eyes follow his, landing on the adorable little tarts with red jam on top of them.

Just as you were about to order them, the cashier speaks up. "Your total is 1,500 yen." She smiles brightly, making you pout. You didn't want to cause more trouble for her seeing as your bill has already been printed by the machine.

You scan their QR code, paying virtually as she hands you your buzzer. "We'll give you a signal whrn your order is ready. You can find a seat and wait there thank you!"

You turn around at the blond who's looking at you expectantly, "I guess I'll have to try your recommendation some other time." You smile at him, walking off to the table catering two chairs. It was seated at the far back of the cafe, away from the many customers the cafe had.

You began scrolling through your social media, liking the posts of your past classmates and chuckling at some memes you saw.

A plate full of the same tarts with red jam is placed on your white table and you didn't have to look to see who it was. "Is this you way of flirting with me, rubies?" You ask, looking up at him with a teasing, smug smile. His face contorts into annoyance, "Hah? Flirting with you?" He scoffs, "Not a chance. And who're you calling rubies?"

"Your eyes remind me of rubies. They're pretty."

The blond's face relaxes and you push the seat across from you, silently telling him to sit down. He does as 'told', huffing as he watches you pick of a tart and bring it over to your lips. You bite on it, eyes widening as the flavor explodes in your mouth. It tastes sweet but not the sickeningly sweet kind, it's soft soft in the inside and lightly crunchy on the outside.

"You look like you just ate food made by gods." He chuckles, "You look dumb."

"But it really does taste so good!" You've never felt this much excitement since you found out you got into UA. And that speaks a lot given that you've only ever felt this kind of feeling with your mom.

"I should have bought the entire stock if I knew you liked it that much." Your heart skipped at his words. What is this feeling? You felt nervous all of a sudden, you can barely contain your smile and somehow, you didn't want to go home yet. This is a very new feeling for you. It's kind of... scary.

"I'm L/n."

Idiot. Stop it.

"L/n Y/n." You extend your hand towards him which he looks at for a few moments before taking. You shake both of your hands with a soft smile, your thoughts going haywire at how soft his palms feel.

"Bakugou. Katsuki Bakugou."

You pull your hand away, finishing the last piece of strawberry pop tart on your plate before your buzzer turns on. You pick it up, standing up. "Thanks for the tarts. See you around, rubies."

"Call me that one more time and I'll blow your face up."

You snicker, smirking. "Whatever you say, rubies."

[moonlit-raven-haven]

The Past II

Where the reader and Harry no longer speak.

This is unedited!

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: angst, car accident, mentions of blood, hospital environment

A/N: Here’s part two! I hope you guys enjoy it :) I’ve decided to make this a mini series with maybe four parts, so stay tuned! There will be information at the very end regarding tag lists.

This series is inspire by the Instagram edit below :)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 𝕤𝕜𝕪 (@stylessr1) on Oct 2, 2020 at 3:19pm PDT

“Oh don’t worry ‘bout it hun, I’m just glad ya got here safely.” Y/N hears Anne’s voice comfort him as she hears wheels slowly being dragged across the floor and the closing of the door. Y/N felt frozen, unsure of what to do. Five years with no contact with the man that was speaking to his mum and sister in the living room they once used to spend hours talking in. Now they’re strangers, perhaps she was more of a stranger to him; the tabloids don’t exactly keep track of everyday people.

“I’m sure you’re hungry, there’s some leftover food in the kitchen from dinner.” Anne says, a smile evident in her voice as Y/N hears two steps of footsteps walking towards the kitchen. Her heartbeat increases more, this time the change is noticeable as she hears the uneven rhythm in her ears.

“Finish setting up the games for us Gem!” Anne calls out to her daughter as she steps into the kitchen, Harry trailing only a few steps behind her. Y/N has her back turned to the entrance of the kitchen, not finding the strength to turn around, although she knew it would be necessary eventually, but the longer she could avoid it, the slightly more at ease she felt. Her hands are gripping the edge of the sink, her knuckles white due to the pressure. She finally hears Anne’s light footsteps, followed by slightly heavier ones and a small gasp.

As Harry walked into the kitchen, looking up in the direction of the sink, where the refrigerator happens to be, he can’t help the small gasp that escapes past his lips as he sees the girl hunched over the sink, her hands gripping onto the edge of the sink as if her life depends on it. He hasn’t seen or contacted her in five years, and she never tried, having changed his number and blocked her out of his life in a slow but obvious manner. Suddenly the winter coat he’s wearing over his hoodie feels a lot warmer than usual, and his hands become clammy. The guilt is eating him up, but happiness is right next to the guilt, happiness to see that she’s okay, happiness that they’re in the same room after five years.

“Y/N?” His voice is like a sweet melody to her ears, being able to hear it more clearly she can hear the grogginess to his voice; the way it would sound every time he came home after a long flight. There’s a hint of shock, happiness, and something else she can’t quite put her finger on. And despite still feeling frozen in place, the grip she held on the sink counter loosens as she takes a deep breath and turns around, still hearing her heartbeat in her ears.

It was cheesy really, feeling like your breath is being taken away after seeing someone for the first time, or seeing them for the first time in years. But that’s what she felt in her chest, the air leaving her lungs, much like when Harry would return home and go to her house, embracing her so tightly she could no longer breathe. Y/N had seen pictures of him online and magazines, but having him in front of her didn’t compare. His face has matured more since she last saw him five years ago, stubble adorning his face, completing the medium length of his curly, chestnut hair. His legs are covered by black skinny jeans, and his feet by black Gucci boots, a signature look she had seen over the past several years in magazines. He wears a gray hoodie, a black jacket over it to keep warm in the cold weather, and her heart beat seems to quicken just a little more, it’s the jacket she had gotten him years ago, and the memory is crystal clear.

“Harry! Would you please wear a jacket?!” Her tone was serious and worried, fearing that he would get sick. They were going out for dinner at the local diner around the corner from their flat and to say it was cold out was an understatement.

“Okay mum.” Harry had rolled his eyes at her playfully, heading over to their shared closet and pulling out a gray hoodie, he pulled it over his body and headed back to the living room where Y/N was patiently waiting for him, despite her stomach growling.

“There, happy?” Harry asked her, his voice sounding like one of a snappy teenager who had to do something against their own will. Y/N shakes her head.

“It’s the coldest day of the year, and you’re wearing a hoodie that’ll barely keep you warm...you need a winter coat Harry.”

“I don’t have one.” Harry responded to her, causing Y/N to raise her eyebrow at him.

“You live in the UK and don’t own a winter coat?” She had questioned incredulously.

“Correct.”

“You’re unbelievable Styles.” Y/N had said with a shake of her head and a small laugh. They walked over to the diner, and as she suspected, Harry was shivering once they got inside, sitting next to her in the booth. It was unusual for them to do so, preferring to look at one another directly, rather than having to turn their heads when they spoke, but in that moment Harry needed to return to his normal body temperature. Y/N had hummed a soft “living in the UK without a winter coat” under her breath, causing Harry to laugh softly as their food was brought to them and they began to eat.

The day after, Harry had one final meeting with management and the boys, the one calling the official end of One Direction. So Y/N had taken it upon herself to go shopping to find a winter coat for Harry, her idiotic best friend who did not own a winter coat, plus, she hoped it would be able to boost his mood a bit. She had settled on a long black coat, simple but stylish and fitting whatever outfit he might have chosen to wear. She headed home with the coat in its own zip up bag, she could have put it in a gift bag, but she had felt it wasn’t necessary; the coat was more of a necessity rather than a gift. Harry had not come home yet, so she hung the coat on their bedroom door and then began to cook dinner.

When Harry returned to their shared flat, they had embraced, and Y/N smiled up at him, her attention temporarily away from the food on the stove.

“I got you something, it’s in the room.” She had said, the smile adorning her features made his heart beat a little faster than usual, something he had noticed but chosen to ignore, telling himself that he was excited for the item she had bought him and nothing more. He had walked over to their room, grinning from ear to ear as he unzipped the clear plastic bag and ran his fingers over the slightly rough material. Harry unsheathed the jacket from its bag and hanger, shrugging it over his body. He walked out into the living room with a smile on his face, doing a little twirl and posing with a hand on his hip once he faced her.

“How do I look?” Harry had questioned as he watched Y/N place their plates of food onto their table.

“Absolutely dashing, as usual.” Y/N had complimented as she walked over to him and fixed the collar, she gently patted it in place before looking up at him with doe eyes. He was mesmerizing to say the least, the way his hair was tied back in a messy bun, and his green eyes looked directly at her. Unconsciously they moved closer to one another, Harry’s breath fanning gently over her face.

“Thank you, love…really needed a winter coat...and a little mood booster.” Harry had said, his tone sincere, because he genuinely did appreciate her actions.

“O’course….plus you had gotten me that satchel...had to make up for it somehow…” Y/N had said with the smile that Harry had grown to love. He couldn’t deny his feelings anymore, he loved her.

He had leaned in closer to her face, but Y/N had moved away, her heart beating rapidly as she cleared her throat.

“We should probably eat before dinner gets cold.” She had said rather nervously.

“Oh right, yeah, o’course.” Harry replied, his throat was dry, and his heart had felt more heavy than it ever had.

They made their way over to their table, where they sat down and quietly ate dinner. They weren’t laughing and talking like they normally did, but instead there was a heavy silence weighing over them, and Y/N knows it’s her fault. She had wanted to kiss him, but she was unsure if she could really cross that line. Her doubts and worries had gotten the best of her. What if things didn’t work out and years of friendship went down the drain? But little did she know that would happen eventually. After that day, Harry began to keep his distance from her, it was slow, starting off with leaving the house often, to coming home late for dinner, often returning once she had gone to bed. Then he moved out, saying that their flat had gotten too cramped, which wasn’t a lie, it had gotten cramped with tension that had become unbearable. Eventually he stopped visiting her, and the calls completely stopped, and the texts had come to an abrupt halt. And then he changed his number, his address was unknown to her as he had said he wanted to keep it a surprise for when she came over the first time, but that day had never come. She had tried hard to contact him, even asking Anne and Gemma to talk to him, but it was no use. Harry had slipped from her fingers, and she couldn’t even try to get him back.

So caught up in the painful memory, Y/N didn’t realize that a tear fell down her cheek, or that Harry moved closer to her, his face full of worry as Anne left the room, saying something about the food being in the refrigerator and to heat it up.

“Hey Harry.” Y/N finally replies, wiping the stray tear off of her face, and she feels an urgency to leave, not sure if she can handle being around the man she called her best friend for so many years, the man she had loved but refused to go further than friends, afraid she would lose him.

“Um...I should really get going, especially since they’re expecting a storm.” She says, refusing to make eye contact with him as she moves past him, shrugging on her discarded coat and swinging her satchel over her shoulder.

“You kept it.” Harry states, although it sounds like more of a question as he looks at the worn down satchel hanging on the side of her body.

“You kept the coat.” Her voice falters in the slightest, but it’s enough for Harry to notice. At the mention of the coat he tenses, his mind briefly wandering to the day she bought it for him. He wants to tell her that he’s an idiot, and that he should’ve talked to her instead of running away like he did, but he can’t bring himself to do it, scared that he’ll mess things up even further.

“Um...like I said, I should really get going…” She mumbles softly, finally looking up at him and looking directly into his eyes for the first time in five years. They look their same vibrant green, but tired, perhaps from the long flight, or maybe the emotional exhaustion he surely felt the way she did in this very moment.

“You should stay...haven’t talked in awhile…I could make us some tea.” Harry offers, it was almost as if he wants to restart that tradition they had all those years ago, but Y/N shakes her head and makes her way to exit the kitchen, seeing that Anne and Gemma had begun a game already.

“Storm is starting, I should really get going…” Y/N says, her voice is no longer a whisper, but the various emotions can be heard, her eyes tearing up. The rain can be heard hitting the window, it’s soft, but she knows that in time it’ll get harder, making a dangerous ride home. She tells herself that she needs to leave for her own safety, rather than needing to be away from Harry. She had spent nights with Anne and Gemma when stoma would occur, so he excuse was lame, not thought of thoroughly.

“Please stay, love…” Harry’s voice is pleading, he wants to fix things, talk it out, explain himself and why he had acted the way he did. Y/N feels her heart ache, the dull pain gone, now replaced by the painful pang she had learned to ignore; overcome by emotion, she snaps.

“You don’t have the right to call me that anymore Harry! You left me, couldn’t even explain yourself...couldn’t even talk to me ‘bout it. I tried to contact you, but you pushed me away like I meant nothing, Harry! Absolutely nothing…” Y/N voice starts off strong, but cracks as her body shakes with emotion and tears begin to fall down her face. Harry is stunned, the guilt is now coursing through his body, realizing how badly he has hurt her. He moves closer to her, attempts to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she moves away from him, her eyes getting a slight red tint to them as she shakes her head.

“I need to go…” She murmurs, walking away from him, and as she walks into the living room she sees Anne and Gemma looking at her worriedly, the words Y/N had said moments before were enough for them to get a glimpse into the untold story that ended Y/N and Harry’s friendship.

“Sorry Anne and Gemma...can I get a rain check on game night?” Y/N asks with a sad smile as she walks over to the women and embraces them.

“Of course, Y/N. Are you sure you’re alright to drive? The storm seems to have finally picked up.” Anne says worriedly, and Y/N finally hears the rain pelting down against the window, and while she knows it probably isn’t safe for her to drive, especially with her heightened emotions, she refuses to stay another minute in the house where Harry would try and talk to her.

“I’ll be alright Anne. Thank you guys for dinner.” And with one final wave Y/N is out the door, gripping onto her coat and satchel as the heavy raindrops call against her clothing, becoming soaked in a matter of seconds. She runs to her car, pulling the keys out the satchel and unlocking it before climbing in, shivering at the cold clothes that now clinged to her body. She shrugs the satchel off and puts in the passenger's seat, putting her keys in the ignition and turning it on, waiting for the car to heat up before turning the heat on. She sees Harry run out of the warm house, his hair clinging onto his face as his hoodie takes on a dark gray color from the rain, it was rather really cinematic really.

“Y/N! Please!” She hears Harry shout, his voice muffled by the loud rain and comfort of her car. Y/N shakes her head and drives off, her hands gripping the steering wheel the same way she had done with the counter of the kitchen sink minutes before. Her mind is clouded with thoughts and memories, her eyes becoming heavy with tears, blurring her vision. I should pull over, compose myself. She thinks to herself, but decides against it; the quicker she got home the quicker she could break down in the comfort of her flat.

Her mind keeps wandering to the scene that played out at Anne’s house, causing the tears in her eyes to finally fall down her face, and she wants to stop crying, but she can't. Y/N’s vision becomes more blurry than before, and her mind is elsewhere, not truly focusing on the road in front of her, which is why she doesn’t notice the traffic signal she ignored, the red light now barley processing in her mind as a car crashes straight into the passenger's side of her car. The impact takes her by surprise as she’s suddenly very aware of her spinning car, and she grips the steering wheel, trying desperately to gain control of her car again, but it’s of no use as she crashes into the traffic light, the impact isn’t as hard as it should’ve been due to her breaking, but the traffic light still flickers, going black just like her vision.

-*-*-*-

Y/N’s eyes strain open, bright fluorescent lights filling her vision before adjusting, finding herself in a hospital room. She hears the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the soft click of the IV drip, oxygen being pumped into her lungs in a small steady stream.

“Hey you.” She hears a soft gruff voice next to her, the voice she recognizes as Mark’s, her boyfriend of two years.

“Hey babe.” Y/N says with a weak smile as his hand finds her, slowly bringing it up to his lips and kissing her knuckles gently.

“Was worried ‘bout you when I got the call, thankfully nothing too serious, just a sprained wrist on your other hand and a small cut to your forehead…but why didn’t you stay at Anne’s like you normally do when there’s storms?” He questions softly, concern filling his orbs as he squeezes her hand gently.

“Um...just wanted to get home…” Y/N lies to him. Despite being together for two years, Mark knew nothing of her past with Harry, or why she avoided talking about him whenever Mark would bring up some new headline about Harry and his success. As far as Mark is aware, Harry is another celebrity out of reach from their lives.

-*-*-*-

Anne received a call minutes after the accident, being one of Y/N emergency contacts. Harry was in the living room, his face between his hands as Gemma tried to comfort him while scolding him for messing up such a good friendship all those years ago. But when Anne walked in with a serious look on her face the two looked up at her worriedly.

“What happened?” Harry was the first one to speak up, removing his hands that had once been covering his face.

“It’s um...it’s Y/N...she’s been in a car accident.” Anne said quietly, and upon seeing Harry’s face become anguished, she quickly followed her statement with an urgent, “She’s okay.” And Harry’s face is washed with relief.

“We should go.” Harry says, his clothes were still drenched when he got up from his spot on the couch, leaving a wet spot from where he sat.

“You should change first hun, don’t want you getting sick, or have people recognize you.” Anne quickly chimed in before he could have walked out the door. Harry had nodded, quickly understanding the second part to her statement. He was wearing the same clothes from the airport, making it possible for someone to recognize him easier. He hums a “I’ll be right back” before disappearing upstairs with his luggage.

-*-*-*-

Upon arriving at the hospital after a rather treacherous and slow car ride, they all climb out of Anne’s car and head towards the entrance of the hospital, umbrellas in hand. They receive guest passes before making their way up to the second floor of the hospital. Harry is anxiously biting his lip, because despite not talking to Y/N for five years, he still cares deeply for her, only worsening his guilt about the whole situation.

They finally reach her room number and Anne opens the door quietly, making Y/N and Mark’s quiet moment watching television come to a halt.

“I’ll be back in a bit to give you three...four...some privacy.” Mark says to the group, planting a gentle kiss on Y/N’s forehead. He leaves the room, his brows slightly furrowed at the sight of Harry Styles in the room, visiting his girlfriend, throwing him in a loop. And as he makes his way down to the cafeteria for a coffee, the pieces slowly start to assemble in his head, the reason Y/N didn’t like to talk about the famous star, and why she probably hadn’t stayed at Anne’s house like she normally did; the two have history.

Harry closes the door gently once Mark exits the room, his face scrunching up slightly in distaste at seeing Y/N with another man who wasn’t him, even if her and Harry were never truly together, it still hurts. He recalls when he came home after his first solo tour, he was having dinner with Anne and Gemma, the topic of Y/N briefly coming up.

“Oh Y/N is so wonderful darling! It’s such a shame you two stopped talking.” Anne had commented over dinner.

“Yeah, she’s wonderful...deserve the whole world.” Harry had replied quietly, a small smile coming onto his face at the mention of the girl.

“She’s got a boyfriend now, his name is Mark...seems serious if you ask me.” Anne added as she had taken a sip of her wine. Harry had felt a pang in his chest when he heard the word boyfriend, wishing that it was him and not some other bloke. But Harry had foolishly run out of Y/N’s life.

“Does she seem happy?” Harry had asked seconds after, a hint of jealousy to his tone, a hint of jealousy that he truly had no right to have.

“Yeah...seem a bit tense there, Harry, almost jealous…” Gemma had finally chimed into the conversation. Harry had simply laughed at her comment, shaking his head as he denied the claims of jealousy, carrying their conversation elsewhere as dinner continued.

That was two years ago now, she has been with Mark for two years. Mark is the one making her happy, kissing her, taking her out, buying her gifts, making sure she’s treated properly, not Harry. He no longer has a place in her life, at least he thinks he doesn’t. So lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realize that Anne and Gemma had left the room, leaving Harry and Y/N alone. Harry clears his throat.

“Where are Gemma and my mum?” Harry asks Y/N, his voice a bit hoarse.

“Went to the cafeteria, said that we should talk…” Y/N says as she looks up at him from her position on the bed, and for the first time since entering her room, Harry looks at her, wincing at the cut on her head, part of her hair dried with blood, and her wrist wrapped in a bandage. And he can’t help the bubble of guilt within him that seems to grow more; it was his fault she was on the bed, if he had stayed quiet, she would’ve probably gotten home safely, or been willing to spend the night at Anne’s house.

“You okay, Harry?...” Y/N asks quietly, noticing his lack of words or movement, and the tears that fell down his face. She is still mad at him, but above all, she is hurt, but she still can’t stop herself from caring about him. Harry, finally noticing his tears he shakes his head and sniffles, wiping his face clean with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

“‘M okay lo- Y/N...thank you for caring.” He says softly, quickly catching on to the mistake he almost made once again.

“I should get going…” Harry says softly. He knew Anne told Y/N that her and Harry would need to talk to fix things, but her willingness to do is what makes him head for the door.

“Harry! Wait...I reckon we really do need to talk.” Y/N calls out after him from her position on the hospital bed.

“Uh...yeah, just not right now Y/N. I really should get going…” He catches himself trying to run away again, and quickly stops himself. “When do you get discharged?” He questions, still standing by the door as he turns to face her.

“Tomorrow morning.” Y/N states with a small smile, one that almost manages to make him feel better in an instant, but he doesn’t allow himself to feel better, he deserves what he’s feeling after having been the cause of her emotional turmoil, the reason she’s in that bed.

“Dinner tomorrow? My place? 7’oclock. We could talk and catch up.” Harry proposes, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

“Dinner tomorrow, your place, 7’oclock.” Y/N repeats softly, perhaps they could try and go back to normal, be as close as they once had, as best friends. Harry hums in response, nodding his head before opening the door and gently closing it behind him, leaving Y/N with a gentle smile on her face and a heart that no longer aches as much.

-*-*-*-

A/N: I will be making a two master lists for Harry Styles content! :) One for ALL Harry Styles fics I will do in the future, and one for JUST this fic. Comment “All Harry fics” or “Just this Harry fic” if you would like to be added.

[kz-i-co]

A Simple Favor

»Summary: Your best friend ends his relationship and ends up staying with you.

»Pairing: Han Jisung x Reader

»Genre: smut

»Words: 2.1k

» M.List

»A/N: let me know if you guys want this to be a series?

-

"Why the hell did you go in there? Tsk...you deserve to die then- ahh." You screamed as you heard a knock on your door that was perfectly in time with a random jump scare.

Your body was fighting every urge to get up and retrieve it but before you know it you heard your door close shut and foot steps coming closer. Your breathing picked up as you sat up staring at your hall and a shadow coming closer. As soon as the figure turned the corner you screamed throwing a pillow.

"It's just me." You heard the voice and immediately grew angry.

"JISUNG WHAT THE FUCK!!!" He was quick to sit next to you already hogging your blanket and eating your popcorn. "You can't just enter my place."

"You were taking forever and I know where your spare key is.

"You scared the shit out of me."

"Why are you watching Annabelle?"

"I like horror movies." You shrugged.

"Not me." He grabbed your remote changing it.

"Excuse me, who invited you?" You snipped taking your remote back.

"I always come to your place."

"It's fucking 12:30. Why are you here so late?"

"I have nowhere else to go."

"What do you mean? Plus you have Chris and Minh-"

"Nowhere I actually want to go." You were silence as you tried to put the pieces together.

"I broke up with Sohyun." He was looking at the tv. "I'm just fed up with her, she complains about everything, she's constantly yelling at me for every little thing, I just need a change."

"Have you ever thought that maybe this quarantine is just making you both nuts?" You suggested trying to sound optimistic.

"We've been fighting for months. But I'm sure it's not helping."

"I'm sure you just-"

"I'm sure." He cut you off. "Our relationship stopped feeling special for a while now, I just didn't want to believe it."

"I love you Jisung but you're really bringing me down." You slouched against the couch.

"Maybe if you turn off this evil doll movie, it will lighten my mood."

"Fine." You picked through different comedy titles until one crossed your sights.

"You looking for a roommate?" You looked at him pursing your lips not knowing what to say.

"My apartment is a one bedroom."

"I can stay on the couch."

"Doesn't your other friends have open rooms?" He just stared not answering. "I'll let you stay for a little bit so you can find your own place or moving back in with your girlfriend."

"I'm not moving back in with her." He quickly shut you down.

"You've been together for what....7 months? You really want to throw that away?"

"Thanks for reminding me....how could I be so stupid to move in with her, 7 months is way too soon."

"I don't understand, you two seem fine last time I saw you."

"I was dead inside." He laughed at his own joke. "No really she's fine one night and then the next she's pissed at me. I can't even remember the last time we kissed."

You couldn't help but feel sympathy for your friend. You never really liked Sohyun but that was none of your business.

"What about you (Y/N)?"

"We are never going to finish this." You teased.

"What about me?" You continued to ask.

"Who was your last boyfriend again? Wait...please don't tell me Sungjae."

"Yeah, so what?"

"That was over a year ago that's all." He looked back up front letting you unpause the movie.

-

It's been one week since you've let Jisung stay with you and it really wasn't as bad as you thought, especially during quarantine. He was a slob no doubt but he was actually nice about helping you stay tidy, but with a helping of sarcasm. He was your best friend after all and he was fun to be around, for the most part.

"Your bed is a queen right?"

"Yeah." You looked at him confused.

"Meaning you can fit two people in it."

"You ask about sharing my bed one more time, I will seriously toss your ass out."

He pouted. "No, I appreciate your couch, I just want to make sure you're not lonely."

"I'm perfectly fine thanks."

"Shall we rent a new movie?" You changed the subject. "Oh how about this?" You picked a comedy movie that had actors you recognized so you decided to complete the purchase.

Jisung has ordered food since he was grateful for letting him stay.

"This movie is unrealistic." Jisung complained.

"How?"

"They don't even like each other." He was referring to the sudden make out scene that was quickly turning more intense.

You always hated watching a movie with these type of scenes, it was always awkward no matter who you watched it with. In particular Jisung, who was fresh out of a breakup. He was clutching onto your pillow trying to stay still as he grew uncomfortable.

He sighed suddenly as he began by turning next to you. "I know you don't like to talk about it but I'm just curious."

"What?" You whined.

"When's the last time you did it?"

"Come on-"

"(Y/N) you know you can trust me with anything." And you could. Jisung was the only friend that you were an open book to, but you still couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"I don't know, last summer."

"What?"

"Please shut up......this movie was a bad idea."

He was silent for a little while that it actually worried you, so you felt relieved when he began. "I have a proposition." You looked at him. "Why don't we just do it with each other, it's been awhile for the both of us."

You weren't convinced you heard him correctly.

"(Y/N), please I'm not into hook ups and it's a hard time to date right now."

"But we're friends."

"That's why it's perfect, we know each other more then anyone and it won't be weird since we trust each other."

"It's weird just talking about it."

"It's not weird, we just use each other for special needs and we can stay friends...no ties."

"Someone always gets hurt in these things, don't you watch movies."

"How are we going to get hurt, we've been friends forever and we're always honest with each other. If you don't like it we can stop."

"I don't know."

"I would never do anything to hurt you, you know that don't you?" You hated when he looked at you like that. Jisung was an emotional person and really was everything to you.

"Okay......" He smiled. "But I have conditions." His smile quickly dropped as he looked at you unamused.

"This is only between you and me. Don't tell anyone, not even your friends. Also if you happen to get back together with Sohyun, we end it."

"That won't happen but okay."

"And if things start getting weird between us, I want it to stop."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I just don't want this to change us."

"It won't." He said. "When can we start?"

"You're really bottled up aren't you?" You arched your eyebrows.

"You have no idea." You couldn't help but notice his already visible bulge. This movie just had to have explicit scenes didn't it?

"Bedroom or here?"

You rolled your eyes. "It don't matter."

"Would you rather do it in the kitchen?"

You playfully hit him. "Let's just go to the bedroom."

"In your bed?"

"Was this all to just win over my bed?"

"Of course not. And it's not just me, you want it too, unless you would of said no."

"Whatever jerk."

"Last thing." He began and you looked at him confused. "Try not to fall in love with me."

"Likewise." You returned his cocky attitude and got up and made your way to your bathroom.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"It's been awhile so I need to clean up a little."

"I don't care about that."

"I don't want you to be disgusted-"

"You are far from disgusting (Y/N)."

"You've never seen my body."

"I don't need to." You were taken back, you couldn't help but blush.

He looked around the room. "First things first, do you have any condoms?"

"I think I have a few of Sungjae's left over."

"What? Ew."

You gave him a questioning look. "It's not like they are used Jisung."

You opened your underwear drawer grabbing the box. "They're too small."

"You didn't even see the box yet."

"Don't need to." You shut him up by throwing the box at him. "Sungjae is a medium? Did you even feel anything?"

"You are seriously making me regret this."

"Can I just pull out?" He whined.

"I'm going to kill you."

"Okay fine." He began by removing his plaid shirt that hung over his plain white t-shirt.

"So how do we-"

He came really close to you that you grew speechless. "Um.....we don't have to kiss or anything." You looked up at him as he was already leaning down.

"How are we suppose to set the mood if we don't kiss?" He arched his eyebrows. "Plus...I'm like a really good kisser so you wouldn't want to miss this opportunity."

You shook your head amused. "Why do you have to be so annoy-" You were cut off by him sealing his lips with yours. You had the urge to push him off but you couldn't, something felt right.

And now you fear the worst.

Once he pulled away, you felt dizzy but you wanted more as you kissed him back to his surprise and he leaned you down on the bed.

Everything was happening so fast that you couldn't even process. He had you pinned against the bed while he kissed up and down your neck. His wandering hands started brushing up your shirt, feeling every inch of you.

You felt him playing with your bra strap, eventually loosening up the tight fabric. He had it off quicker then you realized and immediately started messaging your chest, loosely under your shirt. His lips made it's way back up to your lips, feeling more moist then before.

He stopped suddenly once he felt your hand making it's way inside his jeans. He closed his eyes tightly as you rubbed against him. You could feel the tightness growing causing you to unzip his jeans for more room.

When you felt like he had enough, you tugged his shirt up signaling for him to pull it off. You took some time to admire his toned body that you began to wonder when he even started hitting the gym. He suddenly distracted you by tugging off your sweats and you went ahead and took off your own shirt being completely exposed.

It almost looked like he blushed as he saw you in full. At this point you were growing impatient as he was taking his time with the protection.

"Jisung can you step on it?"

He looked at you amused. "Wow someone is a little eager."

"Shut it."

"I told you I didn't even want to wear one." He leaned forward and began kissing your neck once again before making his way to your swollen lips. You felt him slowly push in, not aware of how tight you were.

You couldn't help but wince from the slight pain until the feeling subsided to pleasure. His muffled sounds were so beautiful as he began your movements faster. The pleasure was familiar and too far forgotten. Almost like a dream. If only it was to save you from all the trouble you can already predict.

He leaned down kissing you passionately once again as his pace was comfortable. You felt like you were lost in your own world not caring who can hear you. You moved your hand to the front of your folds to guide your pleasure closer to the edge. You felt numbness scattered throughout your body as the climax finally reached its high point. Once he reached his he collapsed to the bed next to you.

You looked over at Jisung and you couldn't help but smile seeing how exhausted he was. He turned on his side facing you as he gently started to close his eyes.

Try not to fall in love with me.

You remembered what he said. Maybe it was just your hormones talking but you felt butterflies non stop. You're just hoping you didn't feel this way tomorrow.

[tcm]

Andy Griffith: An Underrated Movie Star By Susan King

Andy Griffith was one of the greatest actors of the 20th century. He didn’t make the impact of his peers Marlon Brando, James Dean and Paul Newman when they all burst onto the scene in the 1950s, but Griffith demonstrated he was an actor of depth, complexity and, at times, brilliance during his 50-plus year career. His depth is especially on display in his greatest role as Lonesome Rhodes, the odious hard-living, hard-loving Arkansas drifter who becomes a television sensation in Elia Kazan’s A FACE IN THE CROWD (’57).

A dark social commentary about power and the media, A FACE IN THE CROWD is as prescient today as it was 63 years ago. It wasn’t a hit upon release but has grown in reputation over the years. And, it’s head scratching to believe that Griffith wasn’t nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his performance.

Perhaps he’s not uttered in the same breath as a Brando because Griffith achieved his greatest success on the small screen. He starred as the gentle widower Sheriff Andy Taylor in the beloved 1960-68 sitcom The Andy Griffith Show and as the folksy but brilliant and often cantankerous attorney Ben Matlock in the 1986-95 legal eagle series Matlock. Despite his popular, genial and understated turn as Andy Taylor (who many kids thought was the best father around), Griffith didn’t even earn an Emmy nomination.

Griffith originally wanted to be a singer or a preacher but ended up teaching at a local high school after graduating from college. But the lure of performing was too great, and he left the chalkboard behind to become a comic monologist. And he was funny. Check out his most famous routine, “What It Was, Was Football” from a 1954 The Ed Sullivan Show on YouTube. He’s so believable as the backwoods rube, audiences undoubtedly thought that was Griffith’s real character.

The year of 1955 was life-changing for Griffith. He became an overnight sensation after he was cast in the lead role as the naïve Air Force Private Will Stockdale in the live TV comedy No Time for Sergeants. He’s so mirthful as the good old boy that members of the crew can be heard laughing. Later that year, he made his Broadway debut in the stage version of No Time for Sergeants earning rave reviews and a Tony nomination. It was while he was the toast of Broadway that he was approached by Oscar-winning screenwriter Budd Schulberg (ON THE WATERFRONT, ‘54) about playing Lonesome Rhodes.

Griffith told me in a 2005 L.A. Times interview that Schulberg and his mother came to see the play and soon after Griffith met the writer at a bar. Ironically, Schulberg didn’t think Griffith could handle such a ruthless character. “We were sitting there talking and drinking,” Griffith recalled. “He told me, ‘you can’t play this role.’ I had never read the script or his short story on which it was based at that time, but I just kind of envisioned the character. I said, ‘I can’t provide it to you…but I can play it.’”

Kazan also had his doubts, but quickly changed his mind when Griffith did an impression of evangelist Oral Roberts “healing” the filmmaker. “At that moment, he and Budd could see that I had a little wild side – that is, I can create a wild side. So Gadge [Kazan’s nickname] used that. He used that part of me to find the emotions of evil, the various thousands of moods that this man had.”

Kazan and Schulberg, Griffith noted, “were trying to make the social commentary that the medium and the people who control it can control the thoughts of the country and how dangerous that can be,” Griffith said. The director told Griffith to drink some whiskey for this film’s conclusion when Rhodes is unveiled as a phony and a demagogue. “They brought me a bottle of Jack Daniels Black Label,” he said. “I would shoot a little bit and drink a little bit. I thought I was great. Gadge pulled the plug around 3 o’clock. The next day he said, ‘Andy, we have to shoot most of that over again. Today, just smell the cork!’”

The 1958 film version of NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS and another 1958 service comedy, ONIONHEAD just didn’t work and bombed with both critics and audiences. “I basically struck out in Hollywood,” Griffith told me in 1993. He returned to Broadway, earning another Tony nomination for the musical version of Destry Rides Again. Griffith admitted, though, the show wasn’t very good. So, he decided to do television. The pilot for The Andy Griffith Show, which also starred Ron Howard as his young son Opie, Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee and Don Knotts as the ultra-nervous deputy Barney Fife, aired on the popular The Danny Thomas Show. The show was quickly snapped up by CBS to develop into a series.

Knotts, who won five Emmys as Fife, wasn’t in the pilot. Knotts, who appeared with Griffith in NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS, called him and said, “Don’t you need a deputy?” “I was supposed to have been the comic, the funny one,” said Griffith. “It might not have lasted even half of season that way, but when Don came on, I realized by the second episode, he should be funny, and I should play straight to him. “

Despite the fact the series was the no. 1 show, Griffith wanted to stretch his acting muscles and the series ended in 1968. But Hollywood still didn’t know what to do with him. He signed a three-picture deal with Universal, but the first film ANGEL IN MY POCKET (’69) had a devil of a time trying to find an audience and the critics were not impressed. He struck out again and returned to the small screen. In between series work, TV movies and guest spots, Griffith appeared on the big screen, most notably in the sweet nostalgic comedy HEARTS OF THE WEST (’75) with Jeff Bridges and Alan Arkin.

He finally earned an Emmy nomination in 1981 for the TV movie MURDER IN TEXAS, in which he got the opportunity to show his dramatic chops as a wealthy Texan who thinks his daughter’s new husband isn’t exactly who he appears to be. His turn in Matlock gave him a renewed popularity. Griffith was doing guest spot on TV and had just released a hymns and spirituals CD when I interviewed him in 2005. Two years later, Griffith was perfectly cast in WAITRESS (2007) as Joe, the elderly and curmudgeonly owner of a small café who had a generous and kind heart. The role fit him like a comfortable glove.

Baby boomers felt they had lost a big part of their childhood when Griffith died in 2012 at the age of 86. Ron Howard summed up what so many of his fans were feeling: “His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations and shaped my life. I’m forever grateful. RIP Andy.”

[deathonyourtongue]

Sanguine Nocturnus | 3

Summary: Even after 2000 years, the world can still surprise you. Pairing: AU!Henry Cavill x OFC Word Count: 1.6K Warnings: It’s a vampire fic. Death. Blood. Gore. Sex. Horror. Not for the kiddies or the squeamish. I mean it. A/N : Thank you to everyone who’s been so excited and supportive of this one. I can’t even begin to tell y’all how much good stuff is in store for y’all!

The sun seemed different in Rome. Brighter, more nourishing somehow. Carla watched how the early morning light played against the soapy bubbles she brushed along her skin, smiling at the oil-slick colors and the sharp bursts of white whenever one popped. Even plain water looked different as it flowed over her, Carla admiring the little sunbursts that topped her pert nipples as the water brought goosebumps to nearly every inch of her. 

The water, so far, was her only complaint. Harder than what she was used to in New York, it had forced her to switch from her favorite shampoo to an Italian brand that promised to work even with the most mineral-deposited water; it was no wonder the locals preferred to drink bottled spring water wherever they went. Even her apartment’s size didn’t bother Carla. What her unit lacked in space, it more than made up for in natural light, French doors opened out to small verandas on each side of her corner unit, and medium-sized windows next to her front door gave Carla a scenic view of her building’s courtyard.

Stepping out of the shower, Carla took a moment to look at herself in the mirror, her smile growing in excitement as she thought about what the night would hold. Having been kind enough to give her a week to acclimate, Romulus’ owner had asked that she work her first shift on Friday the 13th. Far from being leery of the date, Carla found it only fitting given the atmosphere of the bar. Remembering she had all day to play sightseer again, she padded into her room to get dressed, only to find a big, near-blinding ray of sun sweeping across her bed. 

Dropping her towel, Carla crawled back into bed with a grin, intent on enjoying the sun for just a moment longer while the residual water dried on her legs. There was something daring about being nude just inside a second-story window, and while back home she would have drawn a crowd of gawkers in the building across the street, her view now held only the Palazzo Borghese, the blue sky, and the tans and terracottas of Rome. In short, she was in heaven. 

Since landing in Rome and settling into her apartment, Carla had decided that each day, she would pick a direction, and walk, intent on simply seeing the city as organically as possible. Some days she ended up at the Colosseum, marveling over the ruins, and others, in a little bookstore that specialized in first editions and rare finds. It kept the lonely and restless nature of her mind at bay, and in her opinion, was the best way to honor her mother’s wishes and heritage. 

Carla’s walk took her to the ruins of the Stadium of Domitian, and for the first time since arriving at Rome, her fascination for history was paralleled by an anxiety that she was wasting her degree. Having studied History at NYU, she’d always banked on getting a job at a museum or a library, but with each rejection, that dream had become further and further away. Now, with an opportunity to start anew, she wanted to try that path again. The more she walked through the ancient archways and old relics, the more confident she became that she would make something of herself, even after all this time.  

After a light lunch in the nearby piazza, Carla made her way home, stopping to grab a few things at the pharmacy and the little market near her apartment. One thing was certain, the pace in Rome was far more to her liking than home had ever been, and though the city was bustling, she didn’t feel the constant rush to get everything done like she had in New York. It eased her stress in a way she hadn’t even considered, and by the time she was back in her apartment, Carla felt light as air. 

Unsure of whether Romulus allowed their employees to eat dinner on-site, Carla made an early plate of pasta and readied herself for work. Donning black jeans, a black t-shirt, and her most trusted pair of boots, she added a deep red lip, feeling as though the color would not only act as a counterpoint to all the black, but that it would suit the mood of the bar. Nervous butterflies flitted through her stomach as she threw on a black motorcycle jacket and headed for the door, hoping she’d done enough to impress her new boss. 

Romulus’ owner, Fredo, was just as warm and complimentary in person as he’d been over the phone, and in no time, Carla had made herself at home behind the bar, grateful not only for the job, but for the fact that she had full control of her space. There were no other bartenders to contend with, no toes to step on. She was given free reign to do things her way, and that was more than enough to set her at ease. The only thing she’d been warned not to do was get rid of a drink called Sanguinem, one Carla had honestly never heard of. 

Coming in an ornate deep blue bottle with a crystal stopper, it looked like the design and marketing hadn’t changed since its inception. Curious, she’d poured herself a half shot of the stuff while on her first break and swirled it around in her mouth, spitting it out just as fast as she’d drank it. Sharp and metallic, she’d barely been able to pick up hints of blackcurrant and cherry before her mind had told her to eject the liquid. Intensely interested in finding out what kind of person would order such a foul-tasting concoction, Carla spent the first half of her shift hoping someone would order it. 

It would be two weeks before anyone did.

Despite having spoken Italian with her mother all her life, Carla had found herself freezing when she had to converse with native speakers, her mind tongue-tying her to the point where those she was speaking with often took pity on her and switched to English. Still, despite the occasional language barrier, Carla found Italians, as a whole, far more agreeable customers than their American counterparts. People were simply happy to be out and enjoying themselves, and they couldn’t be bothered to berate someone who was plying them with drinks. The laid back attitude helped her settle at Romulus, in much that same way she’d eased into Italian life in general and though there were times when her anxiety about the future still plagued her, most nights, she was too busy to even give it a second thought. 

On the first Saturday in December, Carla’s routine set of faces and orders changed, anxiety once more taking a back seat to the group of three stunning creatures that walked into Romulus unannounced, but very much known by the other customers. Carla watched, fascinated, as some of the patrons all but threw their money at her in their haste to leave, while others moved tables and seats closer to the semi-circular booth the group had chosen at their location for the night. Those who left seemed disturbed, and those who stayed, entranced. Without even needing to think about it, Carla knew she fell into the latter category; the two men and one woman all looked like demigods. 

Dressed almost too formally for the bar, the tallest of the three caught her eye first. Dark curls hung just to his brow, framing a jaw that seemed cut from marble and was nearly the same color as the statues of old. It was his eyes that took Carla’s breath away however, their shade reminiscent of tropical waters, their intensity almost neon. Wearing an all black suit with the shirt unbuttoned to reveal a thick thatch of hair, Carla was certain he could have any woman in Romulus that he so much as looked at.

His friends were no slouches either, the other man wearing a navy suit with a cream turtleneck, and the woman wearing a dress that had all the hallmarks of being couture and vintage. All three were brunettes of differing shades, their hair color setting off the pallor of their skin and the alien-like brightness of their eyes. They were, in short, immaculate. 

When the man in the turtleneck rose and made his way over to the bar, Carla forgot where she was. She watched his lips move, not hearing a word of what was said, too caught up in his overall presence to pay any attention to what was happening. It wasn’t until she realized he was waving his hand in front of her face that Carla came to her senses. Blushing, she shook her head and gave him her best smile. 

“What can I get you?” She asked, stumbling over her Italian and feeling the temperature in the room go up several notches as the man smiled back. 

“Two bottles of Sanguinem, and three chilled coupes, please.” The man’s words felt like they were coming from inside her own head and Carla was once more left rooted into place, unable to process how he could make himself be heard so clearly over the din of the music and other patrons. 

Blinking hard, she moved to grab the bottles, glad that she’d done her prep work prior to opening and that she had several of each kind of glass in the chiller, ready to go. Carla made a mental note of the type of stemware that paired with the drink, wondering if there’d be any variation in how it was taken; straight, on the rocks, or with a twist. 

The man in the turtleneck nodded his thanks, tapping one long finger against the list next to the till,  on top of the name Vinicius. Nodding her understanding that he had a tab with the bar, Carla watched as he headed back to the table and began to serve the other two, her glance quickly moving towards the dancefloor when all three of them turned to look at her with their piercing gazes.

[hurting-fictional-people]

Abduction

Meet Kiara and Blake, the OCs I created just to have faces and some kind of a story for the whump scenarios I create in my head ;)

You can find their future here

CW: stalking, kidnapping, whumper pov, noncon touching, gun and knife mention, just general creepiness, drugging mention, death threats

She was nothing like he had expected. 

The description he’d been given was fitting enough – red hair, medium height, lithe figure –, but left out all the important things. He couldn’t see her face clearly from the rooftop of the building across her street – she really shouldn’t live next to a building that offered such an unobstructed view of her living room and kitchen –, but he could see her. 

She was baking something. She had the money to hire as many chefs as she wanted to cook her anything she could ever dream of, and still, she was wearing a polka dot apron and had her hands buried deep in a bowl full of some kind of paste. He knew she had a small confectionery business, but never stopped to consider that she might be the one who actually did the baking. 

That was not what he expected from a rich girl with a bank account almost the size of his own. Not the medium-sized apartment, not the lazily tied up hair, and definitely not the simplicity she emanated. Especially because simplicity usually bored him to death, but in her it made him intrigued. Curious. Made him want to see what laid underneath that serenity she radiated even from so many meters away.

He was supposed to shoot as soon as he laid his eyes on her. That was the job: get your eyes on the girl, shoot, leave. Leave her body for her girlfriend to find. He knew what he had to do, yet he’d been watching the girl bake for at least two hours now. 

At first, he waited because he wanted to see what she was baking and if it would be any good. Now that she put it in the oven, he was waiting because he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

She was… dancing. Fluid, carefree movements, spinning around her kitchen, jumping up and down, rolling her head from side to side, front to back, like the music he couldn’t hear from there was pulling the strings and she was just letting her body go with it. 

I want to be the one pulling the strings.

The assassin shook his head at the thought. No. He was there to kill the girl. But, well, he could at least enjoy the view until the time came, right? He had the entire day to get the job done, and even though sitting on cold cement with nowhere to lean on was pretty uncomfortable, weirdly, he wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else. Apart from inside her apartment, that is.

She went on dancing, completely oblivious of the man watching her every move with hunger in his eyes. He liked it, her innocence. 

When she stopped, panting but with a smile so big he could see it from there, he was surprised to find himself upset. Firstly, because he truly liked her dancing, but mostly because he wanted to see that smile. The creases it would form near her eyes, the droplets of sweat that probably covered her face, find out if she had dimples. He wanted to see it all.

She entered a room he couldn’t see into, but before he could get too restless, she showed up again wearing denim shorts, an oversized shirt, and wet hair. Fuck, he wanted to have seen her taking that shower.

The girl bent down to take whatever it was she baked from the oven and stood up holding a tray with what was obviously a chocolate cake. The assassin wet his lips, suddenly hungry, even though he hated chocolate. 

He had been sent a few pictures of her – leaving the market, reading by her window, kissing her girlfriend. The assassin knew she was gorgeous, knew what she looked like, but suddenly he had the overwhelming need to see her. See the exact color of her eyes, uncover each little expression, find out if her voice was silvery or smoky, what it sounded like when she screamed. When she begged. What she looked like when she was in pain. Would she shut her eyes and hide away the hurt? Would she spit and thrash? Would she submit, hoping it would make it end sooner? Oh, how he wanted to find out.

The sun rose in the sky, then went down. She cooked some vegetables for lunch, read a book, watched tv, baked another cake, this one a lot bigger, clearly for a client. Ate the one she baked sooner. All the while, he watched her. His back hurt and his stomach growled, but he never moved, too fascinated to look away. 

He wanted to meet her. Talk to her. He couldn’t kill her before he had a chance to do it. The assassin had never felt like this before, so utterly captivated he couldn’t bring himself to just finish the job. 

He would do what he went there to do, probably, but after an entire day watching her, he would not kill her in such an impersonal way. If he was going to go through with it, he wanted to feel the life leaving her body, hold her while she whined and cried, whispering soothing lies till the life left her eyes. He wanted her, even if it was just for a little bit.

And he always got what he wanted. Even if he had to take it himself.

 -

“Hey baby,” Kiara said, holding her cell phone between her shoulder and her ear while she gave the cake the finishing touches. “What time do you get here?”

“Maybe in an hour?” Amelia answered, sounding annoyed. “I can’t wait to see you, Kie, my day was terrible.”

“Wait a second”, she said, letting the phone slide to her hand to put it on speaker mode. Time to put the cake in the fridge. “I’m back. What happened?”

“Well, neither my boss nor my clients got particularly happy when I quit, so I had to spend the entire day solving problems and talking to people. I’m gonna need a big, nice chocolate cake when I get there to make me feel better”

Kiara laughed while she took the dishes to the sink. “You’re a lucky girl, babe. Or maybe I’m a really good girlfriend”.

“Have I already told you how much I love you?” Amelia crooned, suddenly in a much better mood. Kiara laughed even louder. “I might be there in thirty minutes then”.

“Oh, hold on, I think I heard someone knocking on the door,” Kiara said, already cleaning her hands on the dishcloth.

“It’s okay, I have to call another client before leaving anyway”, Amy sighed. “See you in a bit, babe,” she said before ending the call. 

Kiara smiled at the phone. It was so Amelia to say goodbye and not wait for an answer. She chuckled as she strode to the door. She wasn’t waiting for anyone other than Amelia, but her downstairs neighbor had the bad habit of knocking to complain about her making too much noise even when she didn’t. She took a deep breath as she opened the door.

“Hey Mr. Williams, I – “

She halted. The person standing there was most definitely not Mr. Williams. 

A tall, handsome man smirked at her, looking her up and down in a way that made her furrow her brows and close the door a little, till all she could see was his face.

“Hi, can I help you?” 

“Hello,” he said in a husky voice that would’ve been attractive if it wasn’t accompanied by a wolfish grin. “Are you Kiara?”

“Who’s asking?”

He laughed then, and it changed his whole face. His’s angular features softened as he chuckled, his green eyes gleamed. Even his body language changed as he leaned against the doorframe. He didn’t seem that much older than her. Maybe 27, 28 years old. Silky dark hair, a gray shirt that hugged his large biceps, expansive looking trousers. Still, she kept her hand tight on the door handle, feet apart as Amelia had taught her.

“I’m Blake,” he said.

She raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t offer any more answers.

“Why are you looking for Kiara?” she knew better than to tell a stranger who she was, even if he knew that was her apartment. 

“I’m a friend of her girlfriend” Blake stated, those grass-colored eyes piercing into her uncomfortably “Amelia said I could come here if I needed something.”

“Well, Amelia never mentioned someone called Blake” she replied, narrowing her eyes. 

Blake only smiled again, triumph gleaming in his eyes. “Nice to meet you, Kiara.”

Shit. She hadn’t had the intention of admitting who she was. Kiara clenched her teeth and raised her chin higher, looking him up and down the way he did with her.

“So, why are you at my door, Blake?”

“My car broke a couple of blocks from here, and Amelia had said I could come over if I ever needed anything,” he said, biting on his lip “But I get it. She has never mentioned me, and I can see you wouldn’t be comfortable letting me in. Could you at least lend me your phone so I can call a friend to come and pick me up? My battery died.”

Kiara pursed her lips, looked at him again. She couldn’t remember Amelia mentioning someone named Blake, but she sometimes tuned out when she was baking and her girlfriend was talking. She might have mentioned him before, and Kiara just wasn’t paying attention. Besides, she was at her home and Amy would be there in a few minutes. 

Sighing, Kiara took a step back as she opened the door. “Come in, you can wait here for your friend. Amelia will be here soon.”

Not very subtle, she thought to herself, but at least he knew they wouldn’t be alone for long.

Blake’s eyes sparkled as he walked in, looking around at her apartment. If was full of plants, everything in earthy colors. She was pretty proud of it, since she had thrifted most of the furniture and painted it herself.

While he called his friend, Kiara politely turned around and placed the chocolate cake on the table, as well as two plates. Once he’d finished the call, she pointed at the cake “I baked it today. Want a bite?” 

She had never seen someone so eager to eat something she’d baked but decided to see it as a compliment instead of recognizing the hint of wariness that sparkled in her chest.

“So, where do you know Amelia from?” she asked, in between bites. 

“I work at a company in the same area as hers,” he said, leaning back on the chair “The cake is heavenly, by the way.”

“Thanks,” she said with a slight grin. “You are from a rival company then, is that what you’re saying?”

“It is” Blake smirked. “Heard she quit recently.”

“Yeah, she is planning on moving in with me and said that her job took way too much of her time.”

He raised both eyebrows but said nothing in response. Kiara cleared her throat and took the plates to the sink, desperate for something to do with her hands. Blake had this penetrating gaze that left her unnerved.

“Do you mind if I use the bathroom?” he asked suddenly.

“Not at all, It’s the door to the right.” 

As soon as he closed the door, she grabbed her phone and texted Amelia. 

hey, blake’s here. and since when do you offer my house to your friends?? jk, you can do it whenever you want. i’d just like a heads up next time

“I didn’t know you wear eyeglasses,” Blake said as he came back, holding her glasses. Kiara furrowed her brow. She must have left them in the bathroom again.

“Yeah, I’m nearsighted.” 

He hummed, staring at the object. Kiara blinked, taken aback by his behavior. Who the fuck grabbed the glasses of someone they barely knew from their bathroom and proceeded on scrutinizing them?

“Um… If you could give them back” she asked, extending her hand.

“It fits you” Blake declared, looking up at her “Wearing glasses. It fits the peaceful vibe.”

“Well, I don’t need to wear them often, so…” she babbled, taking it from his hands with a grimace. Weird man.

“I made you uncomfortable” he stated. She just stared at him. Yes, he had, be he also hadn’t apologized for it. Blake watched her just as intensely as she watched him before finally turning around and walking across the living room, examining the books she kept on the center table, her furry rug, the green couch. “When did you say Amelia was coming, again?”

“In a few minutes” she answered, baffled. He walked around as if that was his house, and it was starting to piss her off. “I’ll ask her.”

She went back to her cell, annoyed, and found that there were several messages from Amy already waiting for her.

What? Who’s Blake?

I’ve never offered your house to anyone

Wait.

Kiara, please tell me you’re not talking about Blake Thorne

Kiara??????

“Hey, I know it’s kind of a weird question, but what’s your surname?” Kiara asked, fear already clawing at her stomach. “It’s just that Amy knows more than one Blake and is asking which one you are” she finished with a weak smile she hoped he thought was just friendly.

“It’s Thorne” he crooned, smirking. 

She nodded, as innocently as she could, as she typed with slightly trembling fingers.

he said that’s his name. who’s blake thorne? you’re scaring me

The answer came immediately.

Fuck. Can you leave discreetly?

I don’t think so, Kiara typed, her heart already pounding, Amy what’s going on??

I’ll be there in 5. He’s dangerous, Kie, stay as far away from him as you can

Kiara bit her lip and took a deep breath. She didn’t know who the fuck that guy was or why he was dangerous, but now that she had confirmation, she could almost feel the wrongness emanating from him. 

“Is everything okay?” Blake asked, standing right in front of her. Kiara jumped and let out a startled shriek.

“Fuck, you scared me,” she said, taking a step back “You walk very quietly.”

“It’s a part of the job,” he shrugged, his eyes piercing into her yet again. As if he could see the fear she was trying so hard to conceal.

“Walking like a ghost is a part of working with finances?”

Blake grinned, amused. “I guess it is.”

She wanted to ask him what the hell did that mean, but it might sound too suspicious. Kiara straightened her shoulders and smiled placidly “Would you like another slice of cake?”

“Thank you, sunshine, but I’m good.”

“Sunshine?” Blake only shrugged again. She clenched her teeth and backed away till she was right next to the cutlery drawer “Well, I think I do.”

Trying to move as calmly as she could, Kiara grabbed the biggest knife she could find.

“Did Amelia recognize my last name?” he asked, a dangerous glint to his eyes.

“She did” Kiara replied, fighting to keep her voice from faltering “Said she would be here any time now, Amy can’t wait to see you.”

Her eyes met Blake’s, and in the instant they stared at each other, she saw it. He knew she was bluffing as well as she knew he wasn’t who he claimed to be. Kiara clenched the knife and lifted it between them. 

“Do you have the habit of threatening all your guests with a knife or am I just that special?” Even though his words should sound worried, he smiled, looking utterly entertained.

“Stay away from me” she hissed.

“Did your girlfriend even tell you who I am?”

“She didn’t have to tell me you’re an asshole for me to know it. You have this jerk vibe going on.”

Blake chuckled and took a step closer. Kiara stepped back, raising the knife. “I’ll stab you if I have to. Don’t come any closer.” He didn’t even blink at the threat.

“Do you even know how to use that knife, Kiara? I’m betting you’re more likely to cut yourself than me”

“We’ll find it out if you don’t stay the fuck away” she bellowed.

Amelia had taught her the basics of self-defense, but she had no doubts that the guy could take her down with a flick of his fingers. 

Kiara didn’t have time to do anything before he pounced on her. One moment he was casually walking towards her, the next he was way too close, and she felt the ground being swiped from under her feet. Her back hit the floor with a loud thud and a sharp pain, but Kiara didn’t hesitate to blindly swing the knife towards him. Blood surfaced from a cut to his bicep, and she struck again. This time, though, Blake grabbed her wrist and smashed it against the ground with all his strength. Kiara whimpered through gritted teeth but didn’t let go. 

Blake snarled, lifted her wrist, and slammed it on the floor again, then once more. And it hurt. On the fourth time, there was nothing she could do but let go. It wasn’t even a conscious choice. Her fingers simply opened against her will. 

She wasn’t completely out of weapons, though. Taking a deep breath, Kiara opened her mouth to scream as loudly as she could. However, before any sound left her throat, Blake’s other hand grabbed her cheeks and pressed with so much force she was sure it would leave bruises. Startled, she hesitated.

“Scream and I kill you right now,” he whispered. Kiara didn’t want to, but she believed him. She could see the truth of his words written in his eyes. 

She thrashed under his weight, but Blake was too big, too strong, and when she dug her fingertips into the cut she’d given him, he squeezed her injured wrist and stole all of the air from her lungs. Something wrapped around her neck and squeezed, and the world went black.

“… away from her!” someone shouted. It made her heart quicken, and a low whine escaped her lips. 

A burst of low laughter followed the voice that made her heart pound. It always did, that silky voice, but now it was strained, scared. 

“Take a step closer and I slit her throat”. That voice sent a chill down her spine, made her force her eyes open. 

“What do you want?” Amelia. That was definitely Amelia.

Kiara opened her eyes to a blurry world at first, only shapes and colors. She had to blink a few times for it to make sense. She was in her apartment. Amy was standing by the door, holding a gun. 

Holding a gun?

Kiara’s head snapped up. 

It took her a moment to remember what had happened. What was happening. Blake. She could still feel his hands pressing some point of her neck that made her pass out, even though they weren’t there anymore. Amelia. The knife. Her wrist, which she didn’t know how badly was injured, only that the adrenalin already pumping through her system numbed the pain a bit.

“Amy” she moaned, trying to get to her girlfriend. She couldn’t, though. Some kind of fabric was keeping her wrists bound together behind her back, besides the large arm wrapped around her, holding her still. Looking down, she found herself sitting on Blake’s lap. “What… let me go!”

“Hush, Kiara,” he said, tightening his hold around her “The adults are talking.”

“What do you want, Blake?” Amelia gritted through clenched teeth. She glanced at Kiara, fear badly hidden in her eyes, before returning her gaze to Blake.

“You know, your boss was not pleased when you quit,” he said. Kiara jerked in his grip, but suddenly she felt something sharp pressing against her throat and froze. “Move and I’ll slit your throat,” he hissed. “Now, back to business. Your leaving left many clients quite troubled. You should’ve known better, Amelia. You don’t just quit in our line of work”

“Why are you here?” Amy grit out angrily, but her eyes flicked to Kiara again, pleading, alarmed, as if she already knew the answer. 

“You know why. I came here to kill your girlfriend.” A frightened whimper escaped Kiara’s throat and her entire body stiffened. “They paid me a whole lot of money for it. Someone truly wants you to hurt.”

“Please” Kiara whispered, her throat touching the cold metal of the knife as the word left her trembling lips.

Blake’s chest vibrated against her back in a silent chuckle. “Say that again.” 

“Please” she repeated, straining to control her hitching breaths “Please, please, d-don’t kill me.”

The knife touched her neck again, and Kiara leaned back to get away from its sharp point, pressing her back against the man’s chest. He held her tighter but didn’t close the distance she put between her neck and the knife.

“I was going to do it” he murmured, his lips grazing her ear. “But you know, you are way too interesting for me to kill like that, little Kiara. I might just let you live.”

She shuddered, hope and dread mixing inside of her. In front of her, Amelia’s grasp on the gun tightened, but she didn’t dare to move.

“I think I’m going to keep you” Blake announced, his lips brushing her temple. A tear trailed down her cheek.

She was so terrified she could barely think, but amidst all the terror, at least she could look at Amelia. The girl who held her entire heart, who she loved so fiercely. It broke her heart, though, to see her golden skin pale and her brown eyes wide with fear. 

“Please, Blake” her girlfriend choked out, looking somewhere above Kiara’s head “I’ll do anything. Just let her go.”

“Do you know what Amelia’s line of work actually is, Kiara?” Blake asked as if she hadn’t said anything. 

She could only stare at Amelia, confused, searching for answers in eyes that wouldn’t look into hers. 

“Amy?” she called in a quivering, confused voice.

She had never seen her girlfriend like that. Amelia was always so sure of everything, so strong, even when she was sad or angry, she was never that hopeless. But this time, when their gazes met, there was only sorrow inside the eyes of the woman she loved.

“I’m so sorry, Kie” Amelia breathed “I wish I could’ve told you, but it wasn’t safe. I wanted to keep you away from… this.”

She would have shaken her head if there wasn’t a knife to her throat. “I don’t understand.”

“She kills people for a living,” Blake said, cheerfully. “That’s her actual job. Was, at least. Amelia here thought she could just quit and never look back.”

Kiara’s heart missed a beat, too stunned to do anything other than stare at Amelia with wide, baffled eyes.

Deny it, she pleaded silently, tell me he is lying. 

But she didn’t. That stunning woman who Kiara had sworn so many times to love eternally, just pursed her lips and looked away. Even Kiara’s tears dried at that. How – how could that be true? 

“I’m sorry, baby,” Amelia said, glancing at her, not nearly for enough time for Kiara to reorganize her thoughts before her girlfriend looked back at the man holding her still “I’ll pay you double whatever it is you were offered for her, and then we’ll disappear. They’ll never know you didn’t finish the job.”

He sighed, his warm breath tickling Kiara’s neck. “It’s a nice proposition. But I’ll have to pass it. I’ve found something far more precious than money I already have.” 

Kiara winced as he rubbed his chin against her hair.

“Blake –“ Amelia started, but he was already standing up, lifting Kiara along with him.

“Put the gun on the ground” he ordered, pressing the knife to Kiara’s throat till it nicked the skin and a drop of blood trailed down. Amelia stared deep into Kiara’s eyes for a moment before dropping the weapon. “Good girl”, Blake mocked.

Kiara stared at Amelia, the pain of the betrayal even bigger than the fear. She hoped she could see it in her eyes, the one thought repeating over and over inside her head. You lied to me. They were still staring at each other when something shifted behind Kiara and she felt a prick on her neck. The world swayed, someone shouted, and suddenly, there was nothing at all.

[yolkyeomie]

Trade Off of Gifts | Bang Chan

summary — no one knows the world of an artists as well as you do, at least that’s what you thought until he decided to show up one day

word count — 1.7k words

pairing — chan x gender neutral!reader

genre — fluff, artist!reader with a tiny hint of musician!chan (even tho he’s already a musician???)

disclaimer — just something tiny for all your fast and short topher needs !!

Being someone who is artistically gifted has its perks, leaving you to be more creatively thoughtful than most of the people around you.

The world and its people was one big incomplete painting to you, splashes of colors being splattered into its surface as you began to maneuver through it. You were the artist who determined what colors were allowed to stay and what colors no longer fit the narrative you were trying to create. It was a tiresome and even lonely job when you had to pick up a brush and bring a new color into your final masterpiece, but it was a rather exciting process nonetheless.

Different colors meant different things and different shades indicated different tones. Sometimes they’d change meanings and sometimes they’d stay the same, it always depended on how you felt that day. You could never explain exactly what everything meant to you, thinking of it as some innate feelings you were born with.

You never bothered trying to help outsiders comprehend what you meant either, as it was easier to keep it to yourself instead of giving your thoughts and feelings for the world to see.

But then somehow, you were stumbled upon by someone who shared the same views as you. Someone who saw the world in a rather similar artistic and dreamy light as you did, and they weren’t even an artist who puts pen to paper.

“That’s a nice drawing,” the stranger told you, hovering over your shoulder like a hawk to its prey. You scrambled to your feet almost immediately, pressing your art to your chest in a defensive manner. You didn’t like it when people hovered over you while you were drawing, entranced in this magical world of fantasy and possibility when you doodled on whatever surface you.

Usually, people would interrupt you when you weren’t finished, commenting on how odd everything seemed and how empty your art looked.

But then it clicked in your head, the stranger didn’t make any sort of ignorant comment on it. He simply said it was nice.

“Thank you,” you managed to say, your eyes darting down to the sketch you had created.

It wasn’t anything special, a half-done headshot of one of your friends from memory. It didn’t really look like any of your friends at the time either, there wasn’t enough detail on the features for it to be recognizable of who it was. “I mean, it’s not really done or anything so it’s not the best I’ve ever created but—“

“Really?” He questioned, his eyes widening to show off the little twinkling stars in his eyes and his mouth gaping open at your response. You couldn’t help but chuckle at his expression, nodding your head as an answer. “You’re a really good artist, you know that? Not many of my friends can even pick up a pencil if we really wanted to, but I guess that’s not really a compliment. Is portraits the only thing you draw?”

You lifted an eyebrow as he spoke, cautiously eying him and the choice of his words. He definitely wasn’t new to the whole artist thing, there was no way he was that knowledgeable on what artists liked to hear and what they didn’t like to hear and wasn’t an artist himself.

He even called you an artist instead of a “drawer”! If that wasn’t a dead giveaway of the fact that you were in the presence of an artistically gifted person then you don’t know what was.

“Not always,” you answered him, shrugging your shoulders as you tried to come up with a decent answer. “It really depends on my mood, but I like drawing portraits of people more than anything. It gives me an excuse to look at others without seeming… creepy? You know?”

“Oh…,” he nodded, a smile donning his face as he looked up at you. “So you’re a people watcher?”

“Not exactly,” you corrected him, “I just enjoy looking at people’s faces. You know, to catch every little detail that makes them unique to themselves. Everyone’s got something about them that’s different from everyone else and drawing lets me capture their uniqueness in a form that can be treasured forever.”

“That just sounds like an over-exaggeration of people watching,” the boy insisted, a laugh escaping his lips when he caught your frustrated glare digging daggers into his skull. “I’m kidding I promise! I completely understand what you mean. So who were you drawing just now then?”

Your expression immediately falls into a grimace, hesitantly peering towards your unfinished work to your friend. “Ah… this?” You ask him, trying to stall time from explaining your latest creation to him.

Through when you looked up to the boy he only nodded at your question and gave you the brightest smile he could. “It’s… it’s a drawing of a friend. He didn’t ask me to make this or anything, but I was just using him to practice faces.”

“You’re only practicing?” the boy gasped, scooting closer to you to steal another peek of your sketch from before. “That’s crazy, I would have thought you were working on an actual project and trying to get to the final piece!”

“You flatter me too much,” you joked, giving your sketch a half-smile. You appreciated the compliments he was showering you with, but there was no way you were actually living up to those expectations in your head. Being artistically gifted had its perks yet also had its more major downfalls: creating unattainable standards for yourself that you constantly set yourself up for failure was one of them. “I still have a long way to go before I can get anywhere near where I want to be.”

“I think where you are now is a great place, you should help yourself to the compliments when you get them. You deserve them,” he commented, a wide grin stretching across his face. Watching his lips turn into a smile made you so do the same, the atmosphere around him too addicting to go to waste. “Plus, I can tell you like it when people praise you.”

“Shut up, you ruined the moment,” you hissed, jumping to your feet to shove him out of your range of sight. The boy giggled at your reaction as he forced himself to stay put, not moving a singular inch no matter how hard you pushed him. “Leave! I don’t want you around me anymore, you ruined the moment!”

The boy thought about your words for a moment, as if he was trying to determine whether or not he wanted to leave you alone. “How about this,” he offered, spinning on his heel to face you. It caught you off guard for a moment, stumbling back on your feet as he shined that same smile from earlier on to you. “I’ll leave you alone now, but you have to let me come back and talk to you about your art more.”

You snorted, “I don’t even know you, why would I do that?”

He nodded in understanding, considering your comment before holding his hand out for you to shake. “Okay then, hi! I’m Bang Chan and I want you to let me come back another day and talk to you about your art. Does this make up for the lack of acquaintanceship?”

“Hi, I’m Y/N,” you humor him, shaking his hand before sliding out a slightly impolite question from your lips, “Is Bang Chan asking to hang around me because he wants me to give him a free drawing? If so I’m sorry but I’m not confident enough in my skills to even make you anything if I wanted to. There’s a reason I’m practicing here you know.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he clarified, slumping back onto the ground and laying back with a content smile. “I don’t want free art, I just want to hear you talk about your art. Maybe people watch with you from time to time.”

“I’m not a people watcher.”

“Sorry,” Chan nodded, “maybe not-people-watch with you then.”

You went silent for a moment, looking down at the sketch in your hands and glancing back towards the boy. “So that’s all? You just want to… hang out with me while I draw? No strings attached? You’re not going to ask me to draw you for free in the future or make fun of my unfinished work at all?”

He nodded in response and pointed a finger at your head. “The mind of an artist is a very interesting place to explore because not every artist has the same thought process when it comes to their creations. I want to see how we differ from each other.”

“So you’re an artist as well?” You question, your eyes widening as you slowly began to realize what he had said.

“Wouldn’t exactly say an artist,” Chan laughed, downplaying his statement as much as possible. “More of a… musician? I guess? I make songs, but that’s nothing compared to being someone who puts a pencil to paper.”

So your hunch was correct, Chan was artistically gifted! Of course, it wasn’t exactly in the way you had thought before but the mere fact that he was like you made much more sense now. “A musician is still an artist,” you tell him, “just because you’re not creating art in that sense doesn’t mean you aren’t an artist. Art comes in many different forms you know, you can’t limit it to one medium.”

“Well my form of art isn’t very… how do I say this, it isn’t—“

“—You’re embarrassed.” You finished. As expected the boy came up with as many excuses as possible, trying to drill the false act into your head but utterly failing. All you could do was laugh as you spoke, “don’t worry! It’s normal to be closed off about the things you create, I’m embarrassed to show off my art to people all of the time.”

Chan nodded, nervously fidgeting with his hair as he tried to play off his flustered actions. “I guess that’s one thing we have in common right?”

“Make that two things,” you corrected him. He turned to you with a confused glint in his eyes as you held up two fingers and grinned at him as you explained, “we’re both artists and we’re embarrassed to show people our creations. Oh the woes of being artistically gifted, am I right?”

He nodded in agreement, a cheeky smile appearing on his face once again as he repeated, “oh the woes of being artistically gifted.”

[rai-wick]

Gally x Reader Chapter 12: Careful

WARNING

THERE ARE EXPILICIT SCENES AHEAD.

YOU WERE WARNED.

_________________________________

Y/N's P.O.V

"Morning"I yawned, arriving at my usual table where Minho, Chuck and Zart were already eating. I sat down next to Minho as he gave me an apple"Thanks Minho"

"Long night?"

"What do you think?"I grumbled as I dug into my apple. Ben passed by our table, stopping as he looked at me.

"Hey ____"

"Hey Ben" I glanced up at him"You alright?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine"He scratched the back of his neck as I nodded and finished my apple.

"Good" I nodded at him as he blushed. I saw Zart and Minho look at each other with a smile then down at their oatmeal. I gave them an odd look before standing up"Now if you'll excuse me fellas, I have to go to work"I waved them away and headed to the Builder's section. I saw Gally standing there, shouting orders.

"___, right on time! I need you t-"

"Sorry Gally, I promised Newt I would make stalk holders for the plants" I shrugged as his eyebrows furrowed in irritation.

"Did you now?"His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, so whatever you want me to do will have to wait"I shrugged as I passed by him.

"Fine. When you get back from helping Newt you have to help me with my.....new project"

"Alright love" I smiled softly at him and grabbed wood stalks. I lifted my axe over my shoulder, heading down to the Gardens. I saw Newt dig his shovel in the ground, looking up as I approached.

"Hey Newt"

"Hey ____, thanks again"

"No problem"I laid down the wood along with my axe. "So how many stalk holders do you need for the plants?"

"3 long ones, a medium and 4 short ones"I nodded and chopped the wood into pieces before getting my knife and slimming the pieces down.

"Hey ____"I looked up from my chopping as Thomas arrived.

"Finally decided to grace us with your presence eh?"I smirked as he rolled his eyes with Zart and Newt chuckling.I finished the stalk holders and handed them to Thomas who began attaching them to the plants.

"Is it just me or is Gally in an even bad mood than usual?"Zart pointed out as we saw Gally stomping around.

"Yeah, he was angry that I was going to spend the day working in the Gardens instead of the Builder's section"I tied a tomato plant to a stalk holder, straightening it.

"He's just a bas-"

"Language!"Newt shook his head at Thomas.

"He is"Thomas said making me grin internally as I cut more string for the stalk holders.

"He's not that bad"I mumbled as they turned and stared at me in shock."It's true, he can be funny"

"Funny in the head maybe"I rolled my eyes as Thomas nodded to Zart's statement.

"Hilarious"

"Wait, ____ do you like Gally?"I felt my face go slightly warm as they all raised their eyebrows at me.

"No I don't"I shook my head as Newt leaned against his shovel"You guys are all weirdos, Gally being the most oddball of all, but I still care for all of you"They cooed as I face-palmed"Sometimes" I picked up my axe and wiped the wood chips off myself."I'll see you boys later"I waved them goodbye and headed to my cabin to freshen up before I go to the Builder's section.I was just brushing my hair as there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"The door opened to reveal a stern faced Gally. I raised an eyebrow at him through the mirror and he crossed his arms, staring hard back at me."So you're done being a groucho?"

"I'm not a groucho"He frowned as I rolled my eyes.He sighed and walked up to me, wrapping his arms around me"I don't like Thomas or Newt very much"

"You don't like anyone very much"

"I like you"

"How sweet"I rolled my eyes as my cheeks went pink making him smile, filling me with warmth as I gazed at his dazzling smile. He rarely smiled but when he did, it was a sight to see.I turned and faced him, slipping my arms around his neck.

"I hate it when you have to spend time with those slintheads instead of me"He leaned in closer, his gaze flickering from my eyes to my lips.

"Let's make up for that lost time, eh?"I chuckled and clutched his shirt. I smashed my lips into his as he leaned me against the table and tangled his hands in my hair as I scrunched my fists into balls on his shirt. We broke apart for air after a few minutes.

"You're intoxicating ____" He mumbled, his green eyes growing dark with lust as I shivered and bit my lip."If we go any further, I won't be able to stop myself"

"Then make me yours"I whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes darling"Our lips met as he picked me up, putting me on the table, pulling his shirt off. I bit my lip, staring at his muscular body.

"Like what you see?"I blushed as Gally smirked.I nodded, pulled him closer and kissed him. I bit his bottom lip teasingly making him growl.I giggled as he slipped his hands under my shirt.He trailed rough, hot kisses down my neck as I turned my head to give him more space.

"Gally..."I gasped.

"Yeah?"He replied huskily.

"T-take me"I moaned as he bit my neck softly.

"As you wish my love"He pulled my shirt off, his eyes gazed at my body making me feel a little self conscious"You're so beautiful"I blushed as he kissed me again. My hands slipped down to the growing bulge in trousers. I undid his zipper and pulled them down , leaving him in his underwear"Eager are we?"Gally mumbled into my skin as he trailed down to my trousers.

"Mmm..."I couldn't respond as he tore off my trousers. I gasped softly as the cold air hit my soaked underwear. He kissed me again, his fingers playing in my clit"Gally....... stop teasing"I pleaded, watching as his green eyes went darker. He ripped my underwear off, pulling down his underwear, his member bouncing out.

"There's no way that will fit"I gasped.

"We'll see"He smirked, a pink tinge on his cheeks"Now are you sure about this?"

"Gally, I want you and you alone"I pulled him closer"I need you"I whispered in his ear. He kissed me, easing himself in. I closed my eyes as he slowly filled me up"Let me ad....adjust"I muttered and he nodded. I relaxed, nodding at him before he began a steady pace. I linked my arms around his neck as he buried his head in mine. He began to go faster making me bit my lip to hold back moans. Soon he was pounding into me, the table shaking"I don't know how much longer I can hold out!"I was so close.

"Me neither"He panted"Let it go baby"He kissed me sweetly, pulling out and releasing over my stomach at the same time as me. I took deep breaths, leaning my head on his chest. He grabbed a towel and cleaned us up.

"Thank you babe"I kissed his cheek and hopped down from the table only to fall down on my shaky legs. He picked me up bridal style, chuckling.

"Maybe we should stay off walking for a bit eh?"I blushed as we laid down in my hammock.

"If it means more cuddles, I'm good"I giggled, snuggling into his chest. He smiled and kissed my forehead as I felt sleep over come me.

GALLY's P.O.V

I opened my eyes and saw the angelic resting face of the love of my life resting on my chest, a blanket covering her breasts and lower body as we laid in her hammock. I smiled, moving the hair away from her face.I pecked her nose causing her to scrunch it up.Shuck, this girl might seem like she's tough but she is adorable.I smirked at the fact that only I got to see this side of ____. I traced her scar, remembering how it was because of the creators that she had it. I sighed quietly and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at me, a small smile on her flushed face.

"Hey gorgeous"

"Hello Gally"I smiled at the way she said my name in the most natural way, like it was made for her to say it in her warm accent.I was about to kiss her when I heard a knock on the door.We looked at each other with wide eyes.She got up, threw me my clothes and we hurriedly dressed ourselves as we heard Minho's voice.

"____? You in there?"

"Yeah, I'm just changing, why?"

"I need to talk to you"

"About what?" I whispered, scowling as she shook her head.

"Just a minute!"

"By the way, have you seen Gally?"

"Well have you?" I whispered making her cover my mouth.

"He's working on a new project, I wouldn't disturb him if I were you"

"Gotcha".She opened her back door and grabbed my arm"I'll see you later"She kissed me and shut the door.I made my way to the eating area as the bell rang for lunch. I grabbed a sandwich and water, joining Newt and Chuck.

"So Gally how's the new project?"

"What?...Oh yeah,no it was a bust"I shrugged as Minho, Thomas and ____ came. She slipped down next to me, nodding at something Minho was saying. I smiled into my sandwich as I felt her delicate fingers wrap around mine, the boys oblivious and I wanted it that way forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[beastsars]

idiomatic | louis (beastars) x carnivore!reader

i wont promise that i’m over this trope, but i think i have fed myself enough to focus on other avenues. a few people sent in some legoshi stuff so that’s my next wip. keep them coming.

as usual, more mature content below. some fun times at the masquerade party. 

“and what, pray tell, am i to do about these antlers?”

pursing your lips, you gave the stout head ornaments an accusatory look. those with distinctive marking and other decorative characteristics often had the hardest time concealing their species. it was easy enough to distinguish between herbivore and carnivore but the fun was found in simply not caring.

if your target audience put in enough effort to disguise themselves.

parties like these broke both social and sexual boundaries, allowing people to lose inhibition and act on their baser selves. before you met louis, such environments frequently occupied your time off campus. it helped to stimulate your attraction to the opposite dynamic and eventually bribe your courage to seek out a suitable partner.

bringing him here was symbolic of returning to your roots. it would also show him that he wasn’t alone in his affections. not that the sentiment didn’t already hit close to home.

“too bad you’re not about to shed them,” you comment offhandedly, rightfully earning a sharp look of ire. chuffing at the display of pride, you vowed to yourself that you would show the male exactly what such strict dignity led him to lose out on.

patting his muzzle with unveiled condescension, you managed to slip away from his agitated grasp. the deer continued to gripe and moan while you fitted yourself into a choice dress for the evening and prowled the selection of shoes. honestly, the way pursuing beastar felt at ease displaying the less ideal parts of his personality would be endearing if it didn’t possess so much whining.

it hardly mattered. you would give him something else to occupy his attention.

catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, you offered the image a self-appreciating wink before stepping out of the closet, one leg protruding ahead of you to show off your finely fitted heels.

“tell me, if i was a herbivore, would you still beg me to bite you?”

the curve of your buttock marked the cut off point of your dress, leaving little to the imagination as the rest of the material hugged your form. this clothing style opted without the aperture to fit a tail, allowing the appendage to swing idly from beneath the depths. it often incited others to perk your mood if only for a brief show.

louis has obviously seen you in less, but the presentation was too pungent with erotic intentions for him to remember anything else. grinning, you permitted his hands to edge the hem of your dress, warm palms marking promises against your thighs.

“and what exactly do you plan to be tonight?” he drawled slowly.

you knew that look. the one that was going to quickly get you out of this dress if you didn’t corral him into his own suit for the night.

pressing a chaste kiss to his nose, you nudged him towards the closet.

“i guess you’ll have to find out.”

you opted to rent out a mask for the evening. this way you could keep your choice hidden for a few moments longer and ideally find something fresh to attend the party in. you had a nice selection at home, but you’d cycled through them enough that somebody would approach you out of familiarity.

upon arriving, you had put louis in the good hands of friends who helpfully escorted him out of your sight and into his own fitting room. but not without complaint as his sputtering curses trailed down the hall.

“he’s a cutie. he yours?”

offering a noncommittal shrug, you settled on a thinner, less intricate mask for the evening. your dress was inviting and memorable enough. in a place like this, it was hard to tell who would challenge a pair.

at the clink of glass against the table, you efficiently down the alcohol and reached for the bottle to chase the burn. sexual prowess aside, you possessed enough restraint to cater accordingly to the opposite disposition. it was more for the eased minds than anything else.

“you’ll have your hands full keeping females and males alike off of him. he’s a built boy. anyone would love to see what he’s packing,” there was a tease to the voice but desire had a place too. you doubted it would take long for subtlety to be washed out. proprietary didn’t exactly have a place here.

polishing off the rest your your drink, you made an effort to pat down any remaining wrinkles before donning your mask. “well, i better get to him quickly then.”

“it’s rather delicate. made of papier mache ,i think. do be careful, it’s borrowed.”

his words of warning were no match for your inquisitive touch, however, as you stretched up against his body to prod against the medium surrounding his antlers.

they’d fashioned him as a moose of all things.

you didn’t know how you hadn’t thought of it. but truly, it was the of the few options available to at least conceal his dominant species. without the stench of alcohol anyone would know he was a herbivore, but at least this way he would abide by the base rules.

the covering of his antlers was more of an addition than part of the mask. the inner workings using his antlers as a statue to hang the camouflage over. it was rather convincing.

when the costume creaked threateningly at your touch, louis’ hand shot up to snag your wrist.

“i said it’s fragile,” he insisted.

the hiss of his voice encouraged your gaze to drop to his mask to give it it’s own appreciation. it was certainly wider than his own face, marginally longer too, to account for the massive beast he was portraying. coupled with his slim but muscled body, even beneath the suit, he was likely to garner some provocative attention. it was a shame you had to break some many hearts openly tonight.

humming an octave lower than your usual voice, you pressed yourself against the male with your arms around his waist. chin propped against his chest, you offered a cheeky grin.

“so what do you think?”

forced to enter from the back due to his identifiable features, he’d wasn’t awarded to opportunity to take in the scenery. the night was young and tame as most of the individuals simply mingled and broke ice. you wondered how long it would take for habits to surface.

“it seems like any other social event,” he muttered distractedly. he was likely trying the mundane task of attempting to unveil species from beneath their masks. everyone fell privy to the game sooner or later.

louis palmed at your side,” more importantly, why do you smell so strongly of intoxication.”

“trade off of being a carnivore, unfortunately. herbivores feel safest when we’re too drunk off our asses to pull rank.” rising to toes you spoke with conspiracy in his ear while your free hand trailed down his midline. “personally, i think they just want to take advantage.”

the male didn’t take too kindly to being groped in public, quickly seizing your other hand as he hissed. “it seems they're not the only ones.”

unable to resist laughing, you let him have the control while it lasted. “baby, you have no idea.”

despite your best efforts, more than a few figures approached you in greeting. without the pleasantries of names, most of the conversation was geared towards speculative tastes and pillars of society. already trained in the practice small talk, louis led more of the conversation than he followed. his strong nature captured a majority of the attention anyway with his passionate disposition towards the arts. 

sipping idly at something fruity, you leaned comfortably into his arm as your gaze wandered the party. as the night wore on, it was beginning to grow as more individuals showed up fashionably late. the amount of alcohol had doubled to accommodate as more trays made rounds. they naturally gravitated towards the carnivores more, no one ever having to reach more than an arms length for a glass. 

louis laughed earnestly next to you, the pads of his fingers tracing odd shapes on your back as he transitioned smoothly into another topic. he seemed to be handling it all much better than you expected but the real festivities had hardly begun. 

the moment the conversation began to veer towards the more illicit ventures of business, you politely excused yourselves to a less occupied corner of the room. dragging louis down by your grip at his elbow, you fell back eagerly into the plush couches. 

“you seem to be enjoying yourself at least,” you mentioned as you leaned down to massage the muscle above the cut of your heel. your departure had a dual purpose as you really just need a moment off your feet. as exquisite as your shoes were, they rarely offered much comfort. 

you hadn’t even realized that louis hadn’t even acknowledged your response as you switched to the other foot and ultimately debated taking them off while you rested. it certainly wouldn’t be the most unsightly proposition. eyes sliding shut, you leaned back again. maybe a few more drinks would change your mind about your less than ideal clothing choices. 

at the sudden tension of muscle beneath you, your gaze snapped open to assess the problem. 

“are they?”

from his broken articulation alone, you had an inclination of what was transpiring. you were wondering how long it would take. 

humming delightfully from your position curled up against him, you followed his gaze across the room to a pair who decided to take initiative to properly get the get together started. clothing strewn this way and that, the left nothing to the imagination as they rutted against one another.

louis shuddered as your claw teased the fastens of his suit jacket but you didn’t go as far to pry the button from its place. in a situation like this, he was no better than a virgin and likely as easily frightened if approached wrong. not that it would stop you from proding. 

“lou, you feel so warm. are you embarrassed?”

unable to help himself, the stag stuttered in his speech.” they’re practically mating in public.”

“ are mating in public,” you chided unhelpfully.

this was nothing new for you to partake in. with each new realization from louis as he experienced your world with naive eyes, it made you head buzz from the thrill of it all. you leaned away from him long enough to snag a floating flute from the hovering attendant. it wasn’t as strong as what you’d knocked down prior but hopefully it would be enough to ease some of the tension from his shoulders.

nibbling at the exposed tuffs of his ears, you prompted him to drink. seemingly grateful for the distraction the male downed the champagne without a second thought.

he really was such a bundle of nerves.

ignoring his startled grapple at your sides, you lifted a leg over his lap and settled on top of him. your body didn’t offer much of a shield, but your weight was enough of a diversion.

by partaking in the drink, he’d solved the mystery of where the mouthpiece of his mask for you. with confidence, you were able to tilt up his head and slot your mouths together. he resists at first, the protest only give you the opening to slide your tongue between his lips.

you moan eagerly and vocally, utilizing your own sounds to drown out the commotion behind you. you capture his bottom lips between your teeth, swallowing the sweet taste of his gasp as you test him by grinding softly. the pinch of his fingers don’t go unnoticed but he doesn’t try to stop it either.

breaking away with a harsh pant of your own, you make a slow effort of loosening the buttons of his jacket, giving him every opportunity to escape the proposition.

“this is why i brought you here, lou.”

his grip at your hips pulsed like a heartbeat, fluctuating in intensity as he traded glances between you and the moving bodies around you. it generally only took one couple to take the plunge for the others to follow suit.

the wide room was starting to truly burst with life, coating the walls with a lustful aura. masks of all shapes and sizes engaging in causal conversation while observing the unhurried fucking of others as if in a pristine museum.

you let him keep the jacket on to give him some sort of protection, still mindful of his frazzled psych as you left chaste kisses along his neck.

“what? so i’d fuck you in public?” learning from his dramatic prose on stage, louis seemed to be snatching at all of his talents to compose himself. you snatched yet another flute of something more colorful this time, tipping against his lips without warning to bring his attention back to your small corner.

“not that . if you pay attention, you’d see they aren’t unlike us.”

latching your lips back to his throat, you mouthed your words as the glass trembled against his.

“see that ox and flamingo over there? the first is a mountain goat, i can’t pinpoint the species but i recognize the stance. and the pretty little thing he has bent over the banister, a lynx- see, there’s her cute little tail wagging.” your nose traces his jaw. “herbivores and carnivores sharing heated passion without ostracization. it’s not just a kink, louis, it’s a lifestyle.”

you can see the moment the clarity parts the clouds of his cognition. gone is the speculation as he comes to terms with the hidden intentions of your invitation. it was rare that you did anything subtly with him, he often having ot maintain propriety. 

there were obviously other factors staked against either of you going public with your relationship, the most prominent lighting a slow spark toward the eventual dissolution of your arrangement. but he had never really thought past his own adoration of you. by now it was beyond the scope of just the sexual nature/ yet without positive societal examples,, he was often left scrambling with labeling his feelings. 

while this-gathering to say the least- wasn’t the best example to base his own experiences on as he took it all in, it wasn’t hard to see where the stark black and white began to blur. 

leave it to you to utilize the most extreme to make a point.

louis surprised you then by breaking his inner monologue and fitting his hand against the smooth column of your throat. his hold much more self-assured than before. the gradual change shot straight to your core as you wriggled.

“but you didn’t answer me.” the hold pulls your mouth away as he forcefully captures your attention this time. there is no doubt that most of his valor is a product of the mask, no different than the one he wears on stage. but your relative appreciate drew together more likeness between the two than you were willing to admit. louis always put so much effort in commanding an audience that he rarely was able to admire how effortlessly he was able to do so with you. 

“a lot a pretty words when the truth of it all was just that you wanted to bring me here to make a show out of yourself.” louis felt his own arousal spike as the truth of the statement struck him as well. “you want them all to see how much you love to take it from a herbivore.”

you answer with a hasty nod, breathing hitching under the restraint you’d functioned with until now. “please, lou. dominate me.”

it doesn’t take you long to adopt your shameless nature, hips undulating and grinding your core against his swelling erection. you still try to appeal to louis more kept disposition though, sliding close and sliding your hand between the gap to rub friction circles against the junction of his pants.

unable to resist teasing, you press the pad of your thumb against the tented head. “what a bad boy you’re being lou lou too. and you always accuse me of being the dirty slut.”

despite the natural restriction of his vocals, louis manages to growl, a flash of ire behind the mask. you arch as his hand wiggles under your dress, easily finishing your soiled undergarments and tucking them to the side. he slides two fingers home to the third knuckle without preamble.

“look at you, you’re even wetter than when we’re at home. you say this was for me, but look how shameless you are.” he starts to pump them in and out slowly, and you answer with a voluntary roll of your hips. he was right. you were desperate for him but the hardly changed given the setting or audience.

squeezing his shoulder for balance, you melt into a purring moan as his fingers curl within your depths. it takes more effort than it should to break your own trace to escape the pleasure enough to fumble with his zipper. louis exhales a long shuddering breath as your fingers close around him. you’re both ready without the threat of prematurity, riding on the exhilaration of the environment.

a shuddering sigh shatters the tension building within your throat as he replaces his fingers with his cock, dragging you down to take every inch of him until you’re sitting at the base. he doesn’t even reprimand you when you instinctively reach for his antlers, the thin paper crinkling under your touch as rotate you himself to ride the stuff arousal.

you were vaguely aware of your small circle being encroached on by observing parties. more grateful than anything that louis appeared to be more focused on you than their presence- a choked gasp scrambled from your lips as he brought you down in forceful thrust, a keen whine following.

when you tried to find his gaze, you found that it wasn’t even on you. the glassy haze flickering behind you around the room, holding a lazy challenge to any and every figure. it fed into the thrill to know he was getting off on the audience as much as you were.

louis pace was sloppy, but expected given the mixed influence of alcohol, your body and room around him. it all came together in the thickest mixture of lust either of you had had the privilege of sharing.

“you’re so beautiful. the world deserves to see you like this.”

a hasty nod of agreement is all you can manage, because the weight of his grounding hips and pounding thrusts are tearing away your grip on reality. you feel a piece of the mache tear away with your claws as you shudder around the drag of his cock as it sends you spiraling into release.

louis rides your aftershocks, succumbing to your quaking thighs and fluttering walls as you both collapse beneath the weight of your combined climax.

you fall forward against his chest, hiding all evidence of your joining as you soak in the thick musk. around you bodies shift again, their muttered compliment sticking to your body as they transition to the next showing. the two of you stay like that for a long moment, rising off the expansion of the others chest as you slowly collect yourselves.

curling your face into the side of his neck, you lapped gently, snickering when he twitched you’re life within your depths. pressing a kiss there you eventually manage to prop yourself up again.

“well the night’s still young and i see you’re up for another round. let’s give them their moneys worth.”

[jtsfavslut]

Chase Atlantic I: Lustful Lounge

⭑CHASE ATLANTIC SERIES⭑

Description: Little sweet and innocent Aaliyah Serrano enters the world of dance and clubs, and fits right in, easily makes herself comfortable.

Warnings: Mentions of drugs, alcohol, and slight harassment.

Word Count: 5.8K+ 

The air was thick, and the sky was dark. The sounds of people's steps mixed with the sounds of the car tires against the gravel and the occasional loud music as Aaliyah made her way to the large establishment. The words 'Lustful Lounge' were proudly and largely displayed in front of the large building.

It took some time to get used to the loud stench of pure alcohol and the bright lights that changed colors every few seconds as she walked in. But it also had a comforting smell, which made her feel more at ease. The music was loud but she could still feel every beat her heart made, almost like a loud bang in her ear every second. All of her senses were activated, noticing every person who was around her, or walked behind. It took her a couple of minutes to calm down and remember what she was told over the phone.

Her small body walked over to where she was told, 'just go all the way to the back, and knock on the black door,' she recited the instructions until she reached the black door, knocking on it a bit aggressively in case the music prevented the sound from being heard. Filled with nerves, her hands clutched on the medium sized Nike duffel bag she came with. Filled with what one of her possible coworkers told her are the essentials. The door opened revealing a man who only seemed a couple of years older than her. The only words she could've used to describe him would've been gorgeous and intimidating.

His perfectly contoured face and large build made the man look like a million bucks, which he probably had a lot more, taking in the fact that he did own most of the massive and known clubs.

Aaliyah Serrano was different. She was kept to herself but still put herself out there. She was quiet but not quiet. She was smart, extremely smart. Smart to the point where it could get her in trouble for correcting people. But she was shy when she was alone.

If anyone who knew her was asked to describe her they would all say innocent. She had such an innocent mind and aura that it drove people crazy, but she didn't realize that.

"Come in," he said, his tone casual, and his voice deep but soft, almost as if he could tell she was nervous, "So Aaliyah right? I'm Grayson" He asked as he sat down, she nodded her head, sitting down on the chair he pointed at.

"Mhm," she replied, putting her bag down, next to her feet.

"You said you turned 18 last month?"

"Yeah, but back in June," she shyly replied, her voice soft and gentle as her fingers played with each other and her right leg bounced up and down, trying to release some of her anxiousness, but it was no use.

"Aaliyah, have you ever done something like this before? Do you have any experience?" He asked and she shook her head nervously.

"Not publicly, I've never performed outside of class, or my dorm," she replied, her brain thinking only negative thoughts. Maybe she wasn't going to get the job, who hires a dancer with no performing experience, she thought.

"Are you comfortable with a crowd?"

"Yeah, and I'm a quick learner," she replied nodding her head.

Never in her life, Aaliyah thought she would've found herself in a club. Never in her life did she think she would've submitted an application to become an exotic dancer. But then college, debts, needs, and wants started coming along, and she knew she needed a job.

This was her last resort. Any other job she applied for, either didn't pay enough, didn't agree with her schedule or she didn't have enough experience. But being a dancer her entire life, and taking a quick class that her college had to offer, she fit the stripper profile very nicely.

"You do have dance experience which is good. The last thing I'm going to need from you is to see how you dance. I hope you came prepared, if you do get hired, can you start right now?" He asked, taking a look at his Rolex, and if Aliyah didn't know about watches, she would've still known it was expensive, but since she did, she knew it was worth more than her rent.

"Yeah, I have everything I need," she smiled, lifting up her bag to show him.

"Okay, good, just follow me," he said and led her to a room filled with other girls. Girls who would probably be her coworkers so she wanted to make a good impression to get along with them.

"Is this Aaliyah?" One of the girls asked and Grayson nodded his head, "She's such a baby," she added and Aliyah shook her head with a blush.

"Take care of her guys," Grayson said, making one of the other girl's faces scrunch up in confusion.

"Girl, come here. I'm Landy," the girl who called her a baby said, pulling her into a hug.

"Hi," Aliyah whispered, feeling shy and intimidated.

"This is Alex, Maria, Blake, and London," she said pointing to the girls. Everyone was different, different in skin colors, hair types, and clothing styles.

"Okay, so do you need help getting ready? I can help if you want," Landy said, which made her calm down a bit, knowing that she was liked by at least one of them.

"Please? I've never done this in front of anyone," she replied and Landy nodded her head before taking her to the back of the room and waited for her to get dressed before doing her hair and makeup.

"God, I'm scared," she said, shaking her hands as if her nerves were going to shake off like water droplets.

"You'll be okay. Just get in the mood and pretend no one is there," Landy replied, after finally being done with her hair.

She was wearing a holographic strappy bodysuit, the heels Landy let her borrow, and the leg garters that connected to her bodysuit, her make up was simple, and her hair was in a tight high pony.

"You're so pretty!!!" Landy gushed making her blush as she looked in the mirror, she didn't recognize herself but she didn't mind it either. She likes the way she looked, she looked and felt confident, something she always lacked.

With a couple of deep breaths, and a few short affirmations, she turned around shaking off her nerves, "I think I'm ready,"

As she walked out of the room, the air was cold, but the room felt hot, she looked around the large area, different seating areas holding all types of different people, all dressed differently, some drunk, some sober, some high while others weren't. Some had the show on them while others watched from afar.

"Remember what I told you," Landy reminded her before she went up on the stage, letting out a couple of breaths before walking the way Landy and her teacher had thought her, head up, shoulders relaxed, and a seductive look on her face that made her laugh every time she looked in the mirror, she made eye contact with him as he watched her with close attention, her hand made contact with the cold metal pole, pressing herself against it before slowly dropping down and arching her back, the cold metal pressing her thighs sending shivers up her spine before she got back up, doing a quick spin before moving up the pole, feet living the ground as she elevated herself, doing a mixture of everything she learned, making sure it was matching the music playing in the background.

Her mind was in her living room. Knowing that if she paid attention to all the eyes that were on her, she would get nervous and mess up. She imagined herself in her living room, where she and her roommate had their own pole where they practiced and danced for fun. She kept repeating the words 'you got this' to herself as she moved on and off the long piece of metal, making sure to include some floor work to make her small performance more diverse. And after what seemed like a thousand twists and turns she was done. She thought she did great. But that wasn't up to her.

It was up to Grayson, who couldn't keep his eyes off her. Three other girls were performing with her and everyone was watching her.

Her innocent look captivated everyone's attention and he knew he needed her there. The club needed her, and he wasn't going to let her slip away.

And he gave her the job, and she started that night and made more than anyone had made in that entire week.

"Good job Aali," Landy gushed at the small girl who was wiping all the makeup off of her face, feeling exhausted and wanting to go home.

After a few minutes of knowing each other, Landy had already came up with a nickname for Aaliyah, not that Aaliyah minded, it made her feel more at peace.

"Thank you, Lands, I couldn't have done it without you," she smiled up at the 27 year old who just wanted to go home and sleep for a week, "You did so good! I wanna be on your level," she added wiping off the last bit of mascara that was smudged under her eyes.

"Girl, my level is not that good," Landy chuckled, shaking her head, sitting down on the vanity next to Aliyah to take off her makeup.

"Good job Aaliyah, you did great," a girl who Aliyah remembered to be London said, patting her on the back before saying goodbye and leaving. London was one of the nicest girls, her chocolate brown skin matched perfectly with every color she wore, and her makeup was brighter than everyone's making her look like the star of the show, which she really was. She was the most advanced one and made anything look good.

Blake was...well, from how Landy said it, Blake was Blake. She wanted to be better than everyone and was always rubbing herself up on Grayson. Not to count all the glares she was giving Aliyah throughout the night.

Alex and Maria were okay, they kept to themselves, they were Hispanic which made Aliyah happy. Living in New Jersey, it was rare to find a Hispanic person, which made her happy.

"What do I do with all of this?" Aliyah asked referring to the bag of cash that Landy gave her.

Landy shook her head with a chuckle, "Aali, that's yours," she replied, making Aliyah's eyes widened.

"All of it?"

"Yeah, Grayson already took what he always does, so the rest is yours," she replied and Aaliyah couldn't help but feel happy. She knows she probably made more than what her parents used to make in a month.

"Oh, wow. Well, I'm gonna go change, I'll see you tomorrow Lands," Aaliyah replied before getting up and walking towards the back room, where she changed into a pair of joggers and a hoodie, and grabbed all of her stuff, and made her way out before she was stopped by Grayson.

"You did nice out there. I'm impressed," he said, making her blush, thankfully she had a natural sort of blush which didn't make it obvious.

"Thank you," she whispered, clutching on to her bag, turning her head to look outside, the darkness making her stomach drop.

"Whoa, are you okay?" He asked, noticing a change in her aura.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just gotta walk back home now," she sighed looking at the time on her phone, it was almost 4 am meaning there was no bus, and she didn't have enough money in her card, meaning getting an Uber was out the window.

"I can drive you,"

"No, no it's okay. I'm fine really," she shook her head but Grayson refused.

"No, it's dark out, and you're a pretty girl walking by yourself in an area like this, it won't end up pretty," he said making her let out a sigh, "Come on, I'll take you,"

The walk to his car was quiet, and her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when they reached his car, but she calmed herself down, letting out a thank you when he opened the door for her.

"Where do you live?"

"Harmony Apartments in the east, it's like 10 minutes from here," she explained and he nodded his head before pulling out of the parking and driving away, the only thing to be heard was the soft music and the turn signals when he turned them on.

"What are you studying?" He asked randomly, getting fed up with all the silence.

"Oh, umm education. I wanna be a preschool teacher. Kinda ironic I know," she chuckled, shaking her head before turning to look out the window.

"You like kids?" He asked and she nodded her head.

"Yeah, they're so cute," she smiled, "And honest too,"

"Yeah, they are. And random," he replied back as she nodded her head.

"I love when they're random, they just randomly go up to you with a story or something," she replied before turning to look at him, his jaw clenched as he looked into the distance, hands tightly against the steering wheel.

"College is hard isn't it?"

"I mean, it's different for everyone but not for me. It was hard finding a job because of the schedule on all, and no one really wants to hire college students," she sighed shaking her head, "But I enjoy it, the classes are boring but it's tolerable,"

"That's why you picked this job?"

"Well, that and because I took classes and did dance before. Plus it seemed fun," she shrugged, unconsciously playing with her fingers.

"For your first time, you did great. I was actually really impressed. Most girls are usually nervous and mess up," he chuckled as a slight blush made itself comfortable on her face.

"Oh trust me, I was nervous as fuck. I thought I was gonna faint," she chuckled, at that moment, Grayson had the sudden urge to scold her for making dirty words come out of her pretty little mouth, but he couldn't, so he just nodded his head and continued paying attention to the road, "But Lands gave me some tips and helped me, so I owe that her,"

"Landy's nice. All of the girls like you, except one. She already made that complaint to me, and made it really clear about her hate towards you" he said rolling his eyes, pulling over in front of her apartment.

"What? How? Let me guess, it was Blake?" She asked and he nodded his head.

Aliyah knew she was eventually going to have problems with Blake. She managed to catch all the glares she was sending her, and how she rolled her eyes when London said Aaliyah made the most that night. Add in the fact that Aaliyah hated people with Blake's personality. People who thought the world revolved around them, and who thought everyone was worried about their every move when no one even cared about it.

"She said you would make everyone else look bad. Which is not true. But just ignore her, and if she says something to you, you tell me okay?"

"Yeah, thank you. And thank you for the ride," she smiled unbuckling her seat belt and opening the door.

"It was no problem. See you tomorrow," Grayson replied as she got out of the car and waved him goodbye. He waited until she was inside to drive away.

That week was great for Aaliyah. She paid off all of her debt in only three days and had time for herself as well, since she only worked from Monday to Saturday and it was in the night. Meaning she had the afternoon and Sundays for herself.

"Aali, we're going out for drinks tonight, you wanna come?" London asked her, it was Wednesday meaning the club closed early and the girls sometimes went for drinks that day.

"I can come with you guys, but I don't drink," she smiled and London nodded her head.

"Okay good come on, it's just down the street," London replied, Aaliyah put her stuff away before getting up and following London and the rest out of the club and into the street.

"First time going to a bar?" Lands said and Aali nodded her head, clutching on to her purse as people walked between them. With every step she took, her black dress showed off her curves to anyone who was walking behind her.

"Yeah, but there's a first for everything right?" She said and Lands nodded her head, holding the door for Aali as they walked inside.

The theme was similar to Grayson's club. Bright color changing lights, the music was loud, the only difference was that there was no stage, and less seating arrangements and the middle of the club was filled with sweaty hormone filled bodies that swayed on and off-beat to the music. The air was filled with a scent of weed, and she was sure that if she were to get a test, it would come out positive. The smell suddenly turned so strong, she was confused until she looked at Lands who had a blunt pressed against her lips.

"Want some?" She asked and Aali quickly shook her head, repulsed by the idea of putting such a thing in her body.

"Well then, more for me," Lands giggled, making Aali chuckle as she shook her head.

"Come on, let's get a drink," Land grabbed Aali's hand, dragging her towards the bar, the bartender playfully rolling his eyes as he greeted her.

"New friend?" He asked scanning Aaliyah's figure.

"Yeah, she's the baby now," she replied taking the small shot he handed her.

He looked over her, his eyes scanning her, "You drink? You look underage,"

"I am, so I'm good," she replied nodding her head.

"Prepare to be amazed by the show people put up," he said, making her chuckle.

"Trust me, I know drunk people," she giggled and he nodded his head.

"Just be prepared to take care of this one," he said and looked at Lands, playfully shaking his head.

"I am not that bad," she groaned, but she knew she was. She knew because she doesn't remember and usually Brandom has to tell her what she did.

"Anyways, I'm Brandom," he said, extending his hand towards Aaliyah.

"Aaliyah," she said, taking his hand in hers and shaking, "So what is there for me to do around here?"

"Well, you can dance, or admire the show, just make sure you don't break anything, or get in trouble," he replied and she nodded her head.

It had only been about 5 minutes and she was already bored. Landy was already in her own universe, and from what she could see, Alex and Maria were making out with a couple of people while London was dancing doing her thing.

"Don't worry I feel you. Kinda ironic that I'm a bartender and don't drink," Brandon chuckled, shaking his head.

Aali nodded her head before turning to look at him, "I'm going to college to be a preschool teacher and a dancer at night, I feel like that's ironic too,"

"Oh, it is. Just hope you don't see your kids dad there," he said making her laugh.

"I would die. Imagine, they see me all presentable during the day, and almost naked at night," she shook her head, her brain making up a little image.

"That would be iconic," he giggled, shaking his head, before excusing himself to serve someone a drink.

"Aaliyyyyyy," London came up to her, dragging her name out, Aaliyah let out a sigh, wondering what a drunk girl would want her for, "Come dance with me, please," she giggled and Aali nodded her head before getting up, following London to the dance floor, instantly recognizing the song, her hips immediately moving to the beat.

"Mmmh, I love this song," London giggled, before slowly dropping down and coming back up, 'Like This' by MiMS, was London's favorite song, and Aaliy learned that because she repeated it at least 5 times as the song played.

"Me too," Aaliyah replied, the music flowed through her body as she moved along to it, "London?" she asked once she didn't feel no one behind her.

She turned around to notice that London was dancing with someone else, some random man, with a shrugged she turned around and began dancing by herself until she felt a pair of strange hands wrapped around her waist and someone's back press against hers.

"No pretty lady should be dancing by herself," an unfamiliar man's voice whispered in her ear, tightening his grip around her waist, making shiver's run up and down her spine, but not the good kind of goosebumps.

"Unless she wants to," she replied back, trying to move away, "let me go,"

"Oh come on baby, just one dance," he chuckled against her eye, making her nerves go up.

"No. Let me go," she said through gritted teeth, trying to push that large man away but he wouldn't budge, he moved one of his hands to her ass, gripping it harshly making her let out a scared whine.

"Let me go, please," she whined, tears pricking at her eyes.

"Let her go, Britiolli," Grayson's voice said, making her and the man behind her freeze, only he didn't let her go, instead he tightened his grip around her.

"Is she one of yours Dolan?" The man asked teasingly, an evil chuckle falling past his lips as he roamed his hands over her body, stopping on her boobs and squeezing them, the tears on her eyes finally spilling.

Her fear suddenly went away as Grayson ripped her away from him, hiding her behind his back as his fist connected with Tony's jaw, a loud groan left Tony's mouth as he slightly stumbled up, hands reaching up to cup his jaw.

"I said don't touch her. Get the fuck out Britiolli before I call them," Grayson warned. With an attitude filled scoff, he walked away.

He turned around before fully walking away, a smirk on his face, knowing that what he was about to say was going to make Grayson furious, "She was asking for it anyway." He always knew what buttons to press when it came to Grayson.

Tony Britiolli was a different and difficult man, but we'll leave that for another time.

Aaliyah's hand clutched on to Grayson's arm, preventing him from doing something that he might or might not regret, "Hey, it's okay, I'm okay," she whispered, her mascara smudged from the few tears she let out, and her voice shaky.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked, receiving a head shake from her as he watched him leave. Grayson was furious.

Tony and he had always had bad blood. Ever since kids, it's always been like a competition; One that Grayson always beat him at of course.

Grayson Dolan was a man of many secrets. No one knew who he truly was. Most people would tell you he was a club owner. Others would tell you he was an arrogant piece of shit, and others, well, everyone had their own stories.

Grayson was organized and kept to himself. Not a thing could go wrong when it came to his plans or events. Organized in the way that everything was neatly placed, in the week and a half that Aaliyah had known him, everything was always the same. Not a single thing out of place. But he was mysterious. She was always able to read people, but when it came to Grayson, there was something about him unknown. Something that not many people noticed unless they paid close attention. He was so good at hiding that Aaliyah herself didn't even know what it was. Not that she wanted to, not wanting to invade his privacy and obviously she needed to respect his boundaries.

"I'm okay. I promise, I was a bit shaken up, I'm fine now," she replied as he exclaimed her body, making sure she was fully alright.

He didn't know why, but he felt obligated to protect her and keep her safe. He knew she was fragile and his body felt the need to protect her. He was drawn to her in every way possible, and in only one week it was driving him insane how innocent she was. She was innocent, but when she was with the group it made her even more innocent. He's heard all of their conversations, and in every single one of them, she always says 'not yet' and Grayson couldn't help but think of himself teaching her how to do everything she doesn't know.

In his eyes, she was an angel. So innocent and pure, and he wouldn't dare to miss one of her performances, he was always watching her. Making sure no one did everything to his little angel.

His little angel. He swore to himself no one but him would ever touch her. No one would ever harm her. Of course, no one didn't need to know he would call her that, even himself. He denied it to himself at first, knowing they were from completely different worlds, one being age wise with him being 7 years older than her, and the other being that he was involved in a much deeper world. So he would protect her from afar. Protect her from himself too.

Only if he could keep himself away. He tried and succeeded. Until one day he walked in on her and Maria speaking Spanish and he couldn't help but get worked up. The way words smoothly came out of her mouth, her accent being carved deep inside his brain.

No one had ever, in the 29 years that Grayson Dolan has been alive, been able to plant themselves in his brain, but then again no one needed to know that.

"God, I hate that asshole," he groaned, his anger level being too hard to control by himself, but the feeling of her hand against his bare arm was enough to make him forget about everything.

"Me too, I guess" she chuckled, shaking her head, "He scared me so much, I thought he was going to drag me away," she nervously said, shaking her head at her absurd thoughts, she crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her hands up and down her the opposite arms to try and calm herself down, and forget the feeling of his hands touching her body.

Which in reality weren't so absurd, if only she knew.

"You're okay now, trust me, he won't be near you anytime soon," she nodded her head at Grayson's statement before looking around the place, no longer feeling like being there. Anything fun that the bar had to offer was thrown out the window as soon as the unwanted pair of hands wrapped around her.

"Thank you, I think I'm gonna head home now," she smiled up at him, finally getting to see his gorgeous face for that first time that night, "I'm tired,"

"Do you need me to drive you?"

"Oh no, I don't want to bother you. I've only been causing problems for you," she shook her head. In Grayson's mind, he was yelling at her that she wasn't. Instead, ever since she walked into his life, she made him feel more at peace.

"Aaliyah please, you know that is not true," he shook his head before grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the back of the bar, leaving through a back door which led to the same parking lot he had taken her on her first day.

"Wait, this is yours too?" She asked and he nodded his head, opening her door and getting a shy thank you from her as he closed it once she was seated inside the car.

"Did you meet Brandom?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, he's nice and funny," she replied as she stared out the window into the light contaminated sky, the stars barely visible due to so many buildings with bright lights and signs.

"That he is. Just be careful around him, he takes signals to his own advantage," he said and she nodded her head in response.

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain. Just don't let him get comfortable around you, yeah?" He shook his head, his grip on the steering wheel tightening making his biceps flex as his knuckles turned white from the pressure he was applying, Aaliyah's eyes widening before she forced herself to look away.

"Can I tell you something? I don't want to start any drama, just clarify some things," she shyly asked, her tone was soft and hesitant, debating on whether she should say it or not.

"Yeah, you can tell me anything," he nodded his head, "you know that,"

"Well, last Thursday after we were done, Blake threatened me. She said that if I didn't get away, she would sabotage me and make me lose my job. She said that I was getting too comfortable around you and everyone," she whispered. And Grayson was not surprised, but he still couldn't help but feel angry.

"Why didn't you tell me this the day of Aliyah? I told you that if you had any problems you need to come to me," he carefully said, not wanting to look like he was scolding but getting the message that he was upset across.

"I don't know, It just feels like I'm back in high school, snitching," she shook head before the feeling of his hand on her bare thigh made her tense up but then quickly went back to normal because it was just him.

"It's not snitching when it's a threat, Aaliyah. I'll handle that with her, but please next time just let me know on time okay?" He said and she nodded her head, physically remaining calm while her body combusted inside.

"I promise," her voice came out soft and relaxed as she let herself relax against the seat. Her body felt exhausted and stressed from the entire week, and it was only the middle of it.

"I'll always protect you, angel," was the last thing she heard before drifting away to sleep, Grayson's words drifting off in the air, as the memory from falling asleep would soon be wiped away from her brain.

[I hate this so fucking much....it’s so basic.....disgusting and I wont be surprised if it flops]

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

Star Trek: Facets of Film

In an unsurprising turn of events, as it happens, there is a rather large difference between the production design of a full-length feature film, and a television show.

There are plenty of reasons for this.  Costumes are different, and cheaper.  Special effects are different, and cheaper.  Sets are different, and cheaper.

You get the point.

The fact is, the chief differences between the trimmings of film and television lie in the budget.  Movies just have more money to spend than television does, and television has to churn out a series of episodes every season.  A movie has the ability to produce sets, costumes, props, special effects because they have more time and more money to do it with.  It’s only natural that most films tend to be more creative and interesting looking than most television shows: there just isn’t the freedom, time and money to do so.

As a result, television has to rely on the trimmings that come to them most easily: writing, performances, and characters.

For the most part.

As it turns out, Star Trek is a little bit of an exception.

Thanks to its unique settings and alien designs, Star Trek’s production was a little more involved than most television shows on, even today.

See, there’s more to a good television series than just a good setup and great characters.  As a matter of fact, there’s actually quite a lot that goes into making a television show, especially one like Star Trek.

In a show set on other planets, full of aliens, space battles and otherworldly clothing, the production design had to be a little more involved than the traditional contemporary television program.  It required more unique costumes, sets, props and special effects, on top of the camerawork, music, and performances that are all used to convey information to an audience.  A lot of different elements have to come together in order to tell these stories in a visual medium in an entertaining way.

Any work in a visual medium that’s worth its salt has to know how to use these elements to work together in order to enhance the existing story and characters.  A good use of these factors combined with a great script and good characters can propel any movie or show from good, to great.

So yeah, they’re kind of important.

But not too important.  It’s a balance.  

These elements, these ‘facets of filmmaking’, exist to enhance, not overshadow.  They are to be good enough to be believable, but not so overblown that they are the focus.  It’s a difficult balance, but it can be done.

Today, we’re going to be trying to figure out if Star Trek hit that balance.

Let’s take a look, starting with the cinematography.

The camerawork in any visual form can sometimes make or break the viewing experience.  Typically, when it’s done adequately, it’s barely noticeable, just simply there.  When it’s done badly, it’s extremely noticeable, and when it’s done well, it’s often done well enough that even a casual viewer will notice the visual look of a film or television show.  At first, it seems almost impossible to shoot a scene ‘badly’, but as it turns out, there’s a bit more to camerawork than just pointing it at the action.  There’s a lot to consider.  After all, the cinematography is supposed to help generate audience reactions almost as much as the script and characters are.

So, how does Star Trek’s cinematography hold up?

Well, it’s a bit complicated.

The camerawork is decent, at the very least.  It follows the action, cuts to extreme dramatic close-ups when the music indicates, and pulls back for more comedic ones.  The overall look of the show was big, bold colors that showed up well on camera, everything from the uniforms to the planets, and it was incredibly striking.  Thanks to this, the intense backlighting, bright lighting, and sharp focusing effects, Star Trek had an incredibly distinct visual style and language.  No show looks quite like it, even at the time.

While it’s easy to make fun of the goofy close-ups with dramatic lighting, the fact is, it helped Star Trek create a very distinctive visual language that defined the show.  For a television show, Star Trek was shot in a very expressive way, that holds up as incredibly individualistic even today.

But a camera means nothing without the visuals to shoot in the first place.

Like I said, Star Trek is nothing if not colorful.  Between the bright uniforms of the Enterprise crew to the dazzlingly loud outfits of the natives of the planets they visit, and even the planets themselves, the worlds of Star Trek show up rather brilliantly on screen.  But there’s more to the visual look of a show than its costume design.

The space visuals (and stock footage) of the show can come across as rather dated to modern eyes, even after the remastering, but in the 1960s, they were the best available on a television budget.  The model of the Enterprise and the occasional other enemy ship or life form would appear on screen to establish the scope, or maybe the other ship would appear on the ship’s view screen, only for a moment before the scene would change, focusing on the bridge of the Enterprise or the surface of the planet.  But still, though these moments were short, they left an impact.

The model of the Enterprise is legendary, a striking visual even to this day, to the point where it was displayed in the Smithsonian.  The look of these ships, while not yet polished to the point that they would be in the films and later series, was iconic, solidified forever in the public consciousness.

As were some of the sets.

Very few sets are as instantly recognizable and iconic as the bridge of the Enterprise.  Everything from the blinking lights to the famous captain’s chair is ingrained in the cultural memory.  Even the helm and communication’s panel are distinctly Star Trek. Of all the ‘home base’ sets in the history of television, it’s unlikely that you’d find one that looks as iconic as the bridge of the Enterprise.  As such, it was shot as both a comforting location, and a genuinely heroic place of adventure, bringing together both familiarity and the feeling of excitement.

The rest of the sets on the Enterprise are, while not quite as iconic, also memorable.  The transporter room, the sickbay, the conference room, the mess hall, and a few of the crew quarters are regular re-occurrences on the show.  Each location manages to be its own unique, distinctive room, while keeping with the overall aesthetic and feel of the ship at large.  With a striking memorable visual ‘home base’, Star Trek was already well on its way to being extremely visibly unforgettable.  But the work on the visuals didn’t stop there.

Of course, one of the most striking images in all of Star Trek are the looks of the aliens themselves.

Blue skinned Andorians, the lizard-like Gorn, the rock-like (lasagna-like) Horta, the tough, warlike Klingons, and, most famously, the pointy-eared, pointy-eyebrowed Vulcans and their distant cousins, the Romulans.

The impact of the Vulcans is most keenly felt in the main character of Mr. Spock.  The pointy ears and eyebrows are forever imprinted into geek culture.  The reasoning for this is more speculative than anything else, but the treatment of each alien culture as being just that, a culture, rather than a force to be reckoned with, may have had something to do with it.  Spock’s presentation as a character first, and an alien second (or third, even) may have had a distinct impact on how the aliens on Star Trek were represented: not just as having interesting designs, but by being interesting characters in and of themselves, leaving a far more distinct impression.

Speaking of impressions, let’s talk about the music, shall we?

The music in Star Trek, most notably the opening music, has been often parodied, copied, or referenced in the years since it’s release, to the point where it can come across as incredibly corny.  However, I am rather loath to use the word ‘corny’ in a negative context.

The theme for Star Trek is overwhelmingly hopeful, uplifting, adventurous.  Like much of the rest of the show, it’s memorable and instantly iconic, reminiscent of exploration and the ongoing vastness of space.  Accompanied by the opening narration and the sound of the Enterprise whooshing past the camera, the sound of the Star Trek theme is big and bold, instantly getting across the feel of the show.  And that’s not restricted to just the opening theme.

The incidental music of Star Trek, (The ‘comedy’ bits, the dramatic music, ‘Spock’s Theme’ that originated in Amok Time, among others) is almost as interesting and memorable as the opening theme is.  It’s not particularly ‘epic’, at least, not all the time, but it does capture the spirit of the show, which is more important.  These elements, these ‘facets of film’, are best when they are consistent with the tone of the project, rather than trying to go above and beyond it.  As such, the music fits the show and characters perfectly, filling in the background with intense or lighthearted instrumental in order to help the mood along.  It’s noticeable, very much so, and really adds to the emotional impact of any given scene.  It really works, and even though it comes across as a bit campy now, (again, not necessarily a bad thing) it truly does bring home the ‘feeling’ of Star Trek.

But it’s all in vain if the performances can’t pull it off.

Thankfully, the actors are more than up to the task.

Hold on, you might say.  Isn’t this the show that made World Class Large Ham William Shatner famous?  And here you say about good performances?

Yes.  Absolutely.  And Shatner isn’t excluded in that statement.

Star Trek includes interesting sets, special effects as simple, yet memorable as the transporter and the phaser, fascinating alien designs, and good stories, but it’s all worthless without the people.  In the end, Star Trek is not about these designs, or externals.  It is a drama, concerned about people and their relationships to one another, and it is utterly vital that the actors be able to make the audience believe in them, and in their connection to the other characters.

And every last one of them succeed.  Even Shatner.

Sure, the acting style of the ‘60s looks a bit different now, and times have changed.  Although some scenes can come across as a wonderful blend of Ham and Cheese, the actors bring it together in truly emotional performances.  You believe that these people know and care about each other.  From Leonard Nimoy’s subtle layers as Spock to DeForest Kelley’s dry exasperation as McCoy, even to William Shatner’s charismatic intelligence and courage as Kirk.  Every character, even the supporting cast, holds their own, with genuine, distinctive performances, and again, it all fits perfectly.  Nobody is too peppy or too dramatic.  Everyone fits together perfectly, and, even better, they all fit the show.  Each character is clear and distinct, and the audience establishes connections with all of them.

Again, maybe they’re not realistic, exactly, but they are real.

There isn’t a single aspect of Star Trek that feels unbalanced, or misplaced.  While the look and feel of the show can seem campy and goofy to modern audiences, upon closer inspection, it turns out that every facet of this show fits exactly where it should, with nothing overshadowing the story and characters.  It’s alternatively big and bold, or small and contemplative, but almost always, it’s just right.  Everything blends together to become a television masterpiece, that has been long remembered with great affection for a reason.

And it didn’t happen by accident.

Join us next time while we take a look at the facets of filmmaking: the behind the scenes of Star Trek.  Thanks so much for reading, and I hope to see you there!

[cafedanslanuit]

Dirty Dancing - Obey Me! boys

Hey remember that time I wrote about a latina MC dancing reggeaton songs with the RFA members? 

This time I tried making the songs relate a little bit more to the characters and with the headcanon I’ll write for them. I highly suggest listening to the songs as you read. also, this turned out to be a little nsfw ~

Lucifer (Negro - J Balvin)

She has evil within, she has a devil inside / I’m crazy about spanking her, leaving her marked

You thought dancing such a sexy rhythm was a good idea? Yes and no.

You were in your room and put on some music, thinking about cleaning up a little. Soon the cleaning part is done and you ended up dancing in front on your mirror

You turned around as you danced, only to notice Lucifer was looking at your from the door. He had a heavy aura around him and a playful smirk on his lips. You looked at him, a little embarrassed.

“No, no, MC” Lucifer said, entering your room. “Please, continue. A little closer, if you can” he added, pulling a chair and sitting on it, waiting for your show.

At first, you were a little coy, but at the song progressed, you started feeling a little bolder, flaunting in front of your boyfriend. You swayed your hips, looking straight at Lucifer, who had a playful smirk on his lips.

You came closer, dancing between his open legs. Even if it was probably the first time you were giving a lap dance, you tried to make it the best you could. You grabbed his knees and slowly crouched down, never stopping the sway of your hips. You caressed his thighs with both your hands, then using them as support for bringing yourself up. You leaned closer to his lips, only grazing them before going back your dancing.

You could see Lucifer swallowing, trying his best to keep his cool as he saw you dancing for him. 

The song ended and you walked to him, sitting on his lap and pressing a kiss on his cheek.

“So… spanking, huh?” he asked, his lip turned upwards. Your eyes opened wide, not expecting him to understand any part of the song.

“What?” you asked.

“We’ve been at school for thousands of years. Of course I know Spanish” he explained, as if it should have been obvious from the start. Now it was your turn to turn deep red.

Before you could say anything else, you felt his hands on your ass, repositioning you so you were sitting astride of him. He squeezed your ass and then spanking you with medium force. You hated how it elicited a soft moan from your lips.

“Spanking and leaving marks… I can definitely work with your wish” Lucifer said, his lips grazing your neck, noticing your breath hitching.

Lucifer held your legs and stood up, carrying you to the bed. You quickly put your arms around his neck and buried your head on his neck. Lucifer was definitely making you pay for temping him like that.

Mammon (Safaera - Bad Bunny x Jowell & Randy x Ñengo Flow) big Mammon energy in this song tbh

We’re drinking today / we’re spending money today / we’re smoking like a rasta today

It was the end of a particularly difficult week at RAD, full of exams and homework. To celebrate being done with it already, you put on a little party on your room, only for you and your beloved.

You usually listened to music of Devildom singers, but being done with exams made you remember a lot of your life at Earth. So you asked Mammon if you could introduce him to some music you used to listen at clubs back home. He agreed.

oh boy he didn’t see that coming

The beat was really heavy and the way you were moving your lips along with the music made him stop in his tracks and look at you, dumfounded, cheeks red and burning, not knowing what to do. Immediately, he made sure your door was closed. He didn’t want any of the brothers to look at you, not the way you were dancing.

You noticed how Mammon reacted and couldn’t help but laugh. It felt really good to see how easy it was for you to transform that demon into a blushing mess.

On purpose, you started dancing closer to him.

“You danced like-- like this on Earth?” he asked. You grinned at him.

“Only with my friends” you shrugged it off, liking how jealous he could get sometimes. “You don’t like my dancing?”

“No!” he practically screamed. “Just what-- what I’m supposed to do?”

You chuckled and put his arms on your waist. You put your arms around his neck and smirked at him. “Let’s just try it like this. C’mon, it’s all about the hips” you said, starting to move in front of him, making sure to not press yourself too much against him. You wanted to dance with him for a while before trying anything else.

“Mi bicho anda fugao’ y yo quiero que tú me lo escondas, agárralo como bonga” (My bug has escaped and I want you to hide it for me, grab it like a bong) you sing-sung, eliciting an arched eyebrow from Mammon, who couldn’t understand a thing. You just shook your head and kept dancing with him.

When the song was over you planted a chaste kiss on his lips. “Thank you for dancing with me” you grinned.

“Of c-course! You had the chance to dance with The Great Mammon, human!” he stammered, trying to brush it off.

You stuck your tongue at him, thinking you should make these tiny parties more often.

Leviathan (Rosa - J Balvin)

Definitely, you’re something else / I lose my mind when you touch me / And I don’t want to wait any more, I don’t know what will happen / But something has to happen

It wasn’t like no one had ever made a move on Levi.

Sure, he wasn’t as outspoken or fit like his brothers, but he still was one of the major demons. There was been some female demons that had talked to him at RAD, trying to get something from him.

They had all failed. Levi wasn’t really interested in any of them. Not when Ruri-chan existed!

Everything had changed when he met you, though. You made him lose his mind, quickly escalating your way, sharing a special place in his heart next to Ruri-chan.

A few months ago, you had started spending more time with him. He hadn’t expected you to confess your feelings. Neither had he expected you to kiss him. He had managed to reciprocate the kiss, leaving you with a smile he didn’t think he could provoke.

Everything was new to him. The unexpected kisses still made him yelp in surprise, and you always seemed to do it when he was playing online, making the other players laugh at his response. He would call you a normie and tell you to go away, but he really liked how much love you had to give.

For the past week, you had waited for him to finish up his games (even if it meant staying up until two or three in the morning), sitting on a bean bag he had in his bedroom. When he was over, he would turn off his computer and you would hold out your hand, inviting him to sit next to you.

You had been experimenting how far could you get on the physical side. You had taken your time, going to sweet, chaste kisses to softly inserting your tongue inside his mouth.

Also, before starting, you would put some music of your own on your phone, just to help and set the mood.

That night, you had taken a leap and when he sat next to you, you took your chances and sat on top of him, your legs on each side of his hips.

His whole face was deep red and he froze in his place. You just sat there for a moment, softly swaying your hips to the music, taking your time to make sure he was comfortable with each step you were taking. He hadn’t told you, but you were sure he hadn’t had sex before. Even if he was a demon, he deserved a lovely first time as well.

You bent down and pressed a soft kiss on Levi’s lips, grazing against them just for a bit before you returned to your sitting position. Since you felt Levi kissing you back, you repeated your actions a couple of more times. The fourth time you bent down, you felt a pair of hands clutching your hips harshly and then going away.

“I--I’m sorry!” he excused himself. “I’m sorry, I thought-- I shouldn’t--”

“That felt nice” you smiled softly, taking his hands and putting them back on your hips. You felt a twitch under you. It felt really good to feel how crazy he was about you. “You can touch me… senpai” you added, with an innocent voice.

Suddenly, you felt his lips crashing against yours, and his fingers digging deep, grabbing you harshly. After a second, you kissed him back, letting him take the lead for now.

Even if it was just kissing for now, you stayed up for hours devouring each other’s lips, Levi’s hands roaming around your waist and hips. 

You would never admit you experimented a tiny orgasm just by rubbing yourself against his body. But you did.

Satan (Blanco - J Balvin)

I eat you up without a beat, acapella / Calm down, the night awaits for us / I lit you like a candle and I can put you out when I want to

When you started being sexual with Satan, you had expected hot, angry sex. You had expected arguments to turn into rough sex. It was almost fun how predictable the Avatar of Wrath was.

You were wrong.

He liked rough sex? Yes. Sometimes it would get to that, but what really turned him on was holding power. And making you beg.

Lucifer had told everyone they had to be ready and waiting for him at the front door at 8 o’clock sharp. They had been invited to a fancy dinner at Diavolo’s, and warned everyone not to dare be late.

At 7:45, you went to Satan’s room to see if he was ready. You knew he was, he was always on time, but you wanted a chance to show him off your dress before everyone else saw it. It was a long, dark green dress. It was off shoulder, leaving your collarbone exposed. It also had a split on a side of the skirt, letting half of your thigh to be seen. You had spent hours looking for a perfect dress that would make you look sexy, confident, like a girl who was dating a demon would look.

He smirked at you, flaunting your dress in front of him. He stood up, leaving the book he was reading on a side and walked up to you.

“No kissing, I don’t want to ruin my makeup” you warned him playfully. You wanted to mess with him a little before finally kissing him.

Satan arched an eyebrow, surprised. “Is that so?” he asked. “No problem”

Before you could understand what was happened, you felt him picking you up and sitting you on his desk. You took notice in the way he fixed your dress so he wouldn’t leave any wrinkles on it. Looking right into your eyes, his hands roamed inside your dress. He hooked his fingers on your underwear and slowly took it off, leaving it on your side on the desk.

“What are you doing?” you asked, your cheeks red at his actions. He shrugged, feigning innocence.

“I’m not messing your lipstick” he assured you, his hands resting on your knees. Without taking his off of you, he parted your legs, slowly sinking on the floor. He pushed your dress up, just enough for him to press his tongue against your crotch. He didn’t waste any time, his tongue rushing to your favourite place first. He would always take his time, but right now he seemed he really wanted to get you off. You were squirming under him, which made him grab your legs harder, trying to keep you in place. Just when your legs started trembling, letting him know you were about to come undone, he stood up. You looked at him, confused and breathing heavily. He just smirked at you.

“What? I-- I was just about to” you said in between breaths.

“I know. But we really shouldn’t be late. It’s 7:59” he simply state, licking his lips and then rubbing his thumb across them. He took a step towards you and pressed a soft kiss on your cheek. “C’mon now. They must be waiting”

You grunted, jumping down from the desk. You made an attempt to grab your underwear back, but Satan was faster and took it first. He put it in the back pocket of his pants and chuckled at the look of disbelief in your eyes. He grabbed your hands and guided you towards the door, so you could meet the rest of the brothers.

Satan was going to kill you one of these days.

Asmodeus (Amarillo - J Balvin)

I don’t complicate myself  / How can I explain this to you? / I like having a good time

Sure, Asmodeus liked going out partying and you had gone out together multiple times.

But to be honest, he liked it way more when you were both alone in his room, having a private party of your own.

Since getting to know you better and asking everything he could about your past life on Earth, he had discovered he really liked a particular rhythm humans seemed to like dancing too.

It seemed as time went by, dances got bolder and bolder and he was living for it. Even if he first thought it was some sort of twerking music, he quickly learnt it wasn’t. It was not only about shaking it, but about moving your whole body in a sultry way along with the beat.

He asked you to teach him how to dance it and you did your best, even though you weren’t a pro, you knew the basics.

“MC! I’m loving this! So everyone just dances like this!? In public!?” he enthusiastically asked. His thigh was between your legs, your arms around his neck while he had a tight grip on your hips.

“Well, not necessarily as close as we are right now. But you tend to dance like this when you’re actually into the other person” you explained with a smile. You grazed his lips with yours and kissed him, noticing how much you’re both holding back. You knew it wouldn’t be long before you took this dance to his bed, but you still wanted to have a little more fun with him.

“You can also do this” you casually said, grabbing his hands taking them away from your hips. In a swift motion and without letting go of his hands, you turned him around, so his back was pressed against your front. You set both of your hands on Asmo’s hips again and kept moving with the beat of the music

You could almost see Asmo’s pink aura around him, the lust in him being greater each time his ass would brush against you. You laughed softly and placed a kiss on his neck.

“We definitely have to go to one of those clubs at Earth” he breathed out, but still moving his body along with the rhythm.

Not even a minute left, you were both in bed, bodies pressing even more against each other, hands roaming everywhere. You made a mental note of having more of these parties with Asmo.

Beelzebub (Ya no tiene novio - Sebastian Yatra, Mau & Ricky)

The last time I saw her, she was with some guy / It’s weird, now she’s on top of me / What’s happening? What’s going on? I don’t know / But it seems she wants to get revenge

You had met a minor demon at RAD. Even though Lucifer and the rest of the demons hadn’t been to keen on you dating him, you had still proceeded. He was kind, he made you laugh and was pretty good-looking. You thought he would be a nice companionship while you were staying at Devildom.

Not even a month later, you caught him fucking with other student at one of RAD bathrooms.

You thought for a second about ratting him out with Diavolo, knowing he would get sanctioned for doing that in the bathroom. You decided to wait a day to weigh in your options before doing anything.

That night, Asmo had thrown a party at one of Devildom’s private clubs. He had invited your now ex boyfriend, not knowing about what had happened earlier. Once you walked in and you saw him silently sulking near the bar, you felt like slapping yourself for forgetting to tell Asmo to revoke his invitation. You felt so much hatred towards him you didn’t think even a demon like him had ever felt such rafe within for anyone else.

“Hey, we were wondering where were you” you heard someone say and turned your head to look at Beelzebub.

That was right. Your ex hated Beel’s guts. And maybe it was because he had noticed you had a crush on the big guy, but never had the guts to actually try anything with him. There was no way one of the major demons would have anything to do with a human.

You smiled at Beel and went to the couch where his other brothers were. Amo ordered shots and you decided a little of liquid courage wouldn’t hurt. Just one shot.

Of course, you didn’t count on Devildom’s drinks being way more heavier than human alcohol.

You felt your head getting dizzy, but most of all, you felt you had the courage to do anything. You started dancing with Asmo, just playing around, feeling the music every time you moved your hips.

Asmo started dancing with someone else, so you decided to test your luck and tried pulling Beel to the dance floor. He politely declined, showing you the beer he still had in his hand. Not wanting to back down now and encouraged by the liquor you had in your body, you moved even closer to him. You were dancing now between his parted legs, under the surprised look of both Beel and Belphie, who happened to be on his side.

“Hey” Beelzebub said, taking the last sip of the bottle and leaving it on a table nearby. “Weren’t you with this other demon just last week?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Not anymore” you simply answered, still feigning innocent while you moved in front of him.

“Don’t tempt me. You’ll regret it” he warned. You stopped for a second, both excited and curious about him following that threat. You smirked and positioned yourself on his lap, your knees at each side of his hips. You saw how Belphie stood up and left, noticing how the aura around you both had drastically changed.

You started dancing again, even if it was mostly just swaying your hips on top of him. You put your right hand on the back of the sofa, just to help you steady yourself as you kept enticing him.

Soon enough, his hands went to the back of your head, his fingers intertwined in your hair and he pulled you closer to him. Beel’s lips crashed against yours and you quickly kissed him back.

You didn’t know how long it was until you felt a hand on your shoulder literally yanking you away from Beel. You looked up and saw a very tired Lucifer looking at you both.

“Take it home, not here” he simply said. You took the chance to look around you, noticing there were a lot of people who had been watching you and Beel go at it in the club. You felt your face going red and didn’t know where to look.

“So… you want to?” Beel asked, his chest going up and down as he breathed heavily. You noticed how his lips were slightly swollen and smiled a little at the thought of you doing that.

“Let’s go, Beel” you just said, standing up. Beel imitated you, towering over you. Damn, it was like he looked even taller than usual. He took your hand and guided you towards the exit of the club, his big form easily making people move away so you could walk behind him.

You didn’t even notice (not until the very next day at least), since the moment you kissed him you couldn’t think about anything or anyone else but him.

Belphegor (La santa - Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee)

I don’t sweet talk, no / You knew what was up, baby / Romance isn’t my area, no / Don’t tell me you fell in love with me

Even though you had spent countless times daydreaming about Belphegor actually falling for you. Since you met him at the tall of that tower, you couldn’t help but think about him when you were alone in bed, even going as far as wondering what it would feel to kiss him.

So, when months later, you were in bed with him, breathing heavily after both of you had managed to come together. You tried your best not to romanticize that, but it had never happened to you before with anyone else.

“Hey” you started. “You want to go out for some food?”

“No” Belphegor simply answered.

“You’re not hungry?”

“You know this is just sex, right?” Belphegor asked, turning his head to look at you. You looked at him for a couple of seconds before rolling your eyes. “I told you this before”

“Yes, yes. It was just food, though” you excused yourself with a shrug. You sat on his bed, your back to him and put your arms up, stretching a bit, before picking up your dress from the floor and dressing yourself. You didn’t look at him as you left his room, wondering if he had been looking at you.

A couple of days later, you sent him a text, asking him to come to your room. Since you hadn’t really talked to him since the last night you spent together, Belphegor thought you wanted to tell him sex was over for you both. And it would make sense, maybe humans had a difficult time telling apart sex from feelings.

He knocked twice before letting himself in, to find you looking at yourself in the mirror. Your D.D.D. was on your desk, music coming from it. You turned around and smiled softly at him. “Hey”

“Hey. So…?” he said, sitting on your bed and looking at you. He noticed you were wearing a really short plaid skirt he hadn’t seen before. You had black over-the-knee socks, only part of your thigh being exposed. You were wearing one of your usual tops, but you definitely looked more tempting than usual.

“So what? Just wanted to see you” you casually said, shrugging. You gave the mirror one last look and turned around, looking at him.

“MC, if you don’t want to keep this going, it’s fine” Belphegor said, rolling his eyes. “There’s no rule that says you have to be okay with this”.

You walked towards him as he talked. Once you were close enough, ignoring what he was saying, you took off your top, revealing a black bra. Belphegor immediately shut up, looking up at you. He arched an eyebrow at you, his lip turned upward.

You started swaying your hips to the music that was still playing on your phone. Belphegor put his hands on the back of your thighs. He slid them upwards, reaching your ass. That was when he noticed you weren’t wearing any underwear.

“Fuck, you’re going to kill me” he breathed out, making you chuckle.

You pushed him on your bed and kissed him, moaning at the feeling of his hands squeezing your ass.

You were more than okay with the way things were. If all you had to do was restrain yourself from getting too emotionally involved, the sinful way Belphegor was thrusting up his hips was definitely worth it.