#these tags r really only 4 my entertainment

[shipcestuous]

hotd (submission)

“I have trouble rolling my “r’s” in High Valyrian. But that turned out interesting since Aemond doesn’t flower up this beautiful language. He uses the language more lethally. The Council meeting is very much a public shaming, but switching to High Valyrian allows Aegon to save face, since only the two brothers understand it. It allows Aegon to recover.”

ewan mitchell

(https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2024/07/07/house-of-dragon-episode-4-recap/74276806007/)

knowing that quote exists + the 2x6 promo off topic the alicent caress to aemond?? shenanigans INCOMING ? Aegond is the gift that keeps on shredding my heart to pieces giving.

If aemond tends to aegon’s wounds without saying something off the wall diabolical next week a tall order i fear the person I will become….

Also tags said they find ewan saying that interesting because it makes the burn scene weirder- could visibly see Aemond being distraught over Luce last season but Aegon burn scene there’s zero remorse.

My only response to that is subtextually Ewan is an aegond shipper as well as a daemond & helaemond shipper, which is the only hill I’m willing to die on.

In other news wasn’t 2x5 a doozy? Daemon going to town on his dead never-met mom was not on my bingo card new ship alert

A dash of Alicent guilt, helaemond scene which if I squint could be a helaegon scene which would make it a helaegmond scene which I could somehow find a way to make into an aegond scene, full circle moment

Wild wild ride.

what r ur thoughts on what all went down?

any favorite&least favorite moments? 

–

That quote from Ewan about speaking Valyrian in the council meeting is really interesting. I felt so bad for Aegon during that part, I was glad that the council members couldn’t tell how bad his Valyrian was. 

I found the episode kind of disappointing. I like conversations between characters, but I didn’t care very much about the conversations that were happening in this episode. 

My favorite scene was probably the one between Cole and Alicent when he was talking about what the battle was like and why he voted for Aemond as regent. Followed by poor Aegon calling out for Mummy. I think the show is very much going in a direction with Alicent and her children, her relationships with them and their relationships with each other, is that they can’t connect. They want to love each other but it’s just not functioning. Aegon speaking right after she leaves, the way they just missed each other. Not just lack of communication between all of them, but the lack of ability to communicate with each other. And all the times they choose not to, like Aemond not telling anyone that killing Lucerys was an accident.

I like the way that highlights the Aemond/Helaena scene. Alicent suspects what Aemond did. Cole and Aegon know what Aemond did. Helaena also knows. But she’s the only one who speaks to him about it. 

There was a fair amount of Helaegon in this episode. I thought Helaena watching them carry Aegon through the halls to his room was fairly shippy, relative to what we normally get for these two. Her words to Aemond definitely also had recrimination vibes, though at the same time you can see she hasn’t “turned” on him the same way Alicent has, so to speak, whether she approves or not.

Book spoilers and show spoilers; I still haven’t read the book but I know that in the book, Helaena and Aegon already had another son, Maelor. (Right? Maelor?) Maelor’s existence totally changes Aemond’s position as regent (from a position of believing Aegon will never recover). I believe Condal or whoever has said that Maelor will exist. There are theories about how that might happen, if Helaena’s not already pregnant. But if she is already pregnant, Aemond is not going to be happy about her giving birth to a son. That’s going to be awkward and I’m not looking forward to it.

Daemon going to town on his dead never-met mom was not on my bingo card new ship alert

No kidding! That came out of nowhere.

Anon #2:  I’m sure you’ll get a million messages about this but the new HOTD episode with Daemon and his mother awakened things in me! I wish more shows had lots of unapologetic incest like this  

Anon #3: Spoilers for HOTD s2xe5

Did… did we just get canon Daemon/Alyssa? Sort of? After all the time spent wondering if the mystery woman in the vision was Rhaenyra, Aemma or even Helaena? And arguing over whether Daemon loves Rhaenyra or Viserys more? And discussing both Aegon’s and Aemond’s Oedipal issues?

… not that I’m complaining. I’m always down for a bit of momson, lol.

It was pretty funny, after all the talking we do on here about Aegon/Alicent and Aemond/Alicent,, and then there’s a scene of a mother and son having dream sex and it’s Daemon, lmao. And yeah, all the speculation about who that woman was. I thought for sure it would be Aemma. This was so much better. 

In a way, it doesn’t do much for me, because he doesn’t remember her and it was meant to be metaphorical, and probably also partly included for humor and shock value. It may have even been fed to him. Is Alys purposefully torturing him with these visions? But it was nice to look at and I enjoyed it a lot, especially Daemon’s reaction. I’ve also enjoyed watching the reviewers squirm. They’ve so used to the other incest, but this got them. 

I’m still digesting the Daemon/Rhaenyra stuff. I love Rhaenyra’s reactions, every time Daemon is mentioned, and every time she has to speak about him. You can see all of the love/uncertainty/fear that’s there. I thought her message about wanting to continue their conversation was perfect. On Daemon’s side, I feel like I’ve just got to wait and see how it plays out. Daemon is not doing what Rhaenyra wants and is not doing the right thing, but I think his vision of the future is still him and Rhaenyra together. 

[ccbeeduo]

for the ask game :0

sootbur jaihera and quackbur maybe

GRINNIGNNR

Sootbur since you didn't specify Which One i'm going to do revghost because they are my favourites

What made you ship it?: Honestly. i think we've shipped it for literal ages but the only reason we started being an Active shipper of revghost is because of two headmates (mars (revivebur) and mercury (ghostbur)) being absolute FAGS so we just kind of embraced it What are your favorite things about the ship?: I love how they compliment each other in opposite ways. The easiest way to describe it is like Complimentary colours. A sharp red to a soothing blue. They're so different but they work perfectly together. I like how they would have complications due to Ghostbur hearing so much about the bad things Alivebur did (and very little of the good, if i'm recalling lore correctly) he would probably not have such a great idea on what Alivebur was even actually like. But in my personal hc (and fictive source memories) i feel that when Ghostbur actually met Alivebur in limbo he might have gotten to see what made Alivebur even do all that shit. He'd understand. Ghostbur would give Alivebur the patience and respect he'd needed. And Alivebur probably wouldn't have liked Ghostbur at first, maybe he would have been hostile or rude to him, but Alivebur would have realized that Ghostbur would not have been out to get him, like he had assumed everyone was. I don't know. They're kind of silly to me Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?: I don't have any unpopular opinions i can think of off the top of my head so i'll just say they fucked in that train station

q!Jaihera

What made you ship it?: I'm gonna have to blame the headmates again. q!Jaiden and q!Baghera fictives fell in love and well now we're collectively insane about canon Jaihera What are your favourite things about the ship?: MAN I DON'T. EVEN KNOW HOW TO WORD IT. I can barely focus on any qsmp lore so this might not be as long since i literally have no idea whats happening ever. Anyways They're the sun and the moon and they're each others' stars. When they met they were immediately attached to each other and, assuming i've remembered the lore properly, they grew up as literal child experiments together. They've bonded. They've literally had to go through the Horrors that is QSMP Purgatory together. They've gone through so much and they've stuck together, of course minus the fact q!Baghs has been missing for.. quite a few weeks now. I'm really excited to see them reunite when Baghera comes back to qsmp, and when QSMP comes back in general. They've got a similar-adjacent? trope of Complimenting each other like opposite colours, but it's more of a Soft yellow compared to a deep purple. They've got the same wants and needs and they work together to get it. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?: i think the ship itself is an unpopular opinion. it's like me and 5 other people who ship it and im like the only /r jaihera shipper

c!Quackbur Doing c!tnt because i don't have a lot to say on qtnt SORRY . she her pronouns 4 cwilbur in this btw

What made you ship it?: I mean. Have you seen them. I've shipped them for literal years i don't even remember what made me start in the first place What are your favourite things about the ship?: GODD literally everything. i wish i could word it in a comprehensible fashion but they are SO terrible for each other in the best way possible and i love that for them. cWilbur is the lamest girl around and cQuackity decided that He Needed Her. Silly tone tag. Q met Wilbur when she was planning the fuckinf election party or whatever it was and he started his own Party Just to Piss Her Off. They're like. Unstoppable object vs Unstoppable object. They piss each other off to no end but they are actually STUPID in love with each other and it's so entertaining to think about. Fuck you @ sootings for the "psychocompetitive" relationship LOVE WINS YOU FUCKINF COWARD!!! I wish i had more to say but GGAAHH i'm crazy and cannot makr comprehensive thoughts about them at all Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?: It's not really an opinion on the ship itself, it's more of on the people that ship it, but While i absolutely adore cQuackbur, i do not particularly like how a lot of the quackbur fans make liking wilbur Quackity's Only personality trait. Like. He is a very complicated character and while yes him and wilbur are gay as FUCK that is not his only character trait and i do not enjoy how cq is treated by a lot of the fandom

(ask game ask game ask game PLEASE send me asks for this)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, March 21

Willow: “Hey! I was in the library during the quake, almost got buried under some 19th century literature. And I don’t have to tell you how hard it is to dig through some of that stuff. You okay?” Buffy: “Yeah. A couple of broken knick-knacks, but no biggies.” Willow: “Well, Porter dorm is completely blacked out. So naturally they are dealing with the crisis the only way they know how: ‘Aftershock Party’.” Buffy: “Ah, this from the dorm that brought us the ‘Somebody Sneezed’ party and the ‘Day That Ends in Y’ party.”

~~Doomed~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Not Enough (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

Interlude - What Good Am I Doing? (Buffy, G) by AJ Fields

pretty in pink (and leather) (Buffy/Angel/Spike/Cordelia/Faith, T) by luxall

Destroyed (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

Dawn's graduation (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Lilacsandorangeblossoms

[Chaptered Fiction]

The Boyfriend Swap, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

Keep You Ghosted, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, R) by hydranjenna

To All We Guard, Chapter 18 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by simmony

Judgment Effect, Chapter 6 (Multiple crossings, FR18 ) by TheDullahan

Cross Purposes 4, Chapter 73 (Multiple crossings, FR13) by DianeCastle

Healing After Heaven, Chapter 24 (Crossover with Highlander, FR13) by Kate

A Breath is But a Soundless Whisper, Chapter 31 (Buffy/Spike, 18+) by Blackoberst

Enemies to Ghost Hunters, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by ClowniestLivEver

The Balance, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by ClowniestLivEver

Triangles, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by ClowniestLivEver

Pick Me Up, Chapter 19 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Dusty

We're Having a Baby!, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, AO) by Maxine Eden

Left on Read, Chapter 20 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by ashcrashed

Bizarre Double Life, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by violettathepiratequeen

Embrace, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Harlow Turner

Out of the Wasteland, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Harlow Turner

Tag, You're It!, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

I love you., Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Lilacsandorangeblossoms

Glimpses of the Cellar Dwellers, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Maldorana

How Could I Not?, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, R) by simmony

Drabbles - Short and Spuffy, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Slaymesoftly

Truth or Dare, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Chelle

Dusk Rising, Chapter 35 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by HappyWhenItRains

What the Drabble?, Chapter 100 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VeroNyxK84

Love Lives Here, Chapter 38 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Crossing Over, Chapter 19 (Multiple crossings, G) by Julikobold

The Dreaded Lurgi, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by SomeKindOfADeviant

X.X, Chapter 20 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Rea

30 Ways to Say I Love You, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

Forever and Always?, Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, R) by scratchmeout

[Images, Audio & Video]

Gifset:3x14 | "Bad Girls" by clarkgriffon

Manip:Early One Morning [poster] by allchoseny

Video: Tara Maclay | Rainbow by Little Tree Productions

Video: Buffy and Spike - War of hearts by Naki-a Littlejohn

Video: Buffy the vampire slayer - Boom Boom Pow by juliarox241

Video: Buffy the vampire slayer - In You by juliarox241

Video: More fan edits by juliarox241

[Reviews & Recaps]

My controversial and long-winded Willow/Tara thoughts by bloomfish

Once more with feeling is really the pinnacle and best of all musical episode by bloomfish

The Rise of the Incel Trio | Buffy the Vampire Slayer 6x5 "Life Serial" | Normies Group Reaction! by The Normies

First Time Watching: Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1E1 by Lukeyread

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER - S6 EP 19 SEEING RED (2002) REACTION VIDEO AND REVIEW! FIRST TIME WATCHING by Reel Reviews with Jen!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer 2x7 REACTION | Lie To Me by George Alexander

The Re-Watcher's Council | "School Hard" Buffy the Vampire Slayer S02E03 Spoiler Review by LGRN - Entertainment

Buffy S4 Best and Worst Episodes + MVPs by Revisiting The Buffyverse

Podcast: Angel Season 5 Wrap-Up by Pop Culture Role Call

Publication: Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Most Important Moment Features One Word via Den of Geek

[Recs & In Search Of]

Spuffy style Reading Challenge - #28: Alphabet Soup Challenge #2 recced by mcgnagallsarmy

[ISO non-bashing Buffy/Riley fic] by spangelmybeloved

[Community Announcements]

James Marsters launches a new podcast! by jpdefillippo

Thursdays are for Mood Theme by Comment Fic

James Marsters Unable to Attend Infinity Con 2024 by dontkillspike

James Marsters to Attend German Comic Con Berlin 5-6 October 2024 by dontkillspike

[Fandom Discussions]

[On the expectation of Jenny outing herself] by lilatara

Pre-soul Spike is evil by spangelmybeloved

Faith season 4 by breezybeej

Gunn's development [cont.] by multiple authors

Buffy, Giles and Spike [cont.] by multiple authors

Joss Whedon & public forgiveness - necessary? by multiple authors

Does anyone want this jacket? [Willow's from Triangle] by Correct_Theory_8034

Wesley and Buffy parallels by Eagle56

When she was bad by FantasticSouth

Dawn could have escaped the blood-letting by multiple authors

Do you like the vampire nature explication in the show ? by multiple authors

What if Willow killed Xander at the end of Season 6? by multiple authors

James Marsters on DB Super by multiple authors

main character treatment by multiple authors

What's something that you disagree with majority of the Buffy-verse fandom about? by multiple authors

Prosperity Spell by multiple authors

Your thoughts on the canon final image of the original Bufby Verse?? by multiple authors

Lorne's powers by multiple authors

PTBs and Jasmine by multiple authors

How big of a challenge would The Beast be for Buffy if she fought him? by multiple authors

What’s your take on Dark Willow? by multiple authors

Buffy could've killed Ben without it compromising her character by multiple authors

2x18~ and just like that… one of the best characters in all of buffy and Angel is gone… by multiple authors

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Publication: Pedro Pascal Was Saved By Buffy The Vampire Slayer via Giant Freakin Robot

Publication: The Buffy Reboot Vampire Problem That Could Break Returning To The Franchise via Giant Freakin Robot

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Join the editor team :)

[echidna-auxiliatrix]

My personal rankings of the 90s Sailor Moon seasons. These are my personal thoughts, you don't have to agree. Respectfully, this anime is over twenty goddamn years old, so I will not be tagging spoilers. Without further ado:

1. Sailor Moon S

This season has the outer senshi in almost every episode! I find Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru more compelling as individual characters than I do most of the rest of the main cast. Also, there are lesbians! Utena and Anthy were inspired by Haruka and Michiru, and it's obvious in the best way. Though I think Haruka is more similar to Utena in Adolescence of Utena than she is to Utena in the anime proper.

No filler in any sense of the word, every episode is exciting and progresses things beyond the monster of the week formula. The Witches 5 are wonderful mid-tier villains, especially Kaolinite, Eudial, and Mimete (BPD queen). Hotaru is one of my favorites and watching Chibiusa learn to be a senshi is a treat. For all these reasons, this is the season that turned me into a Moonhead (read: made me acquire a new special interest).

2. Sailor Stars

The Sailor Starlights are better characters than I expected. You can very logically read them as transgender girls. They're girls who have to live as boys for their own safety -- and they transform back into girls, their true selves, in their sailor forms. The Animamates are also entertaining as mid-tier villains. I also adore Sailor Chibi Chibi! She's not much of a character, but she's cute and sweet.

There are a few things dragging this season down, however: the disappearance of "Moonlight Densetsu," no Chibiusa, the outer senshi only appearing every few episodes, and the fact that they spend the first few episodes wrapping up last season's arc for some reason. Also, the Starlights' sailor outfits are hideous. Same with Usagi's eternal fuku, it's over designed to hell. This season also just straight up looks like ass for a significant amount of the episodes. The finale drags a bit and seeing all that death and hardship becomes monotonous. I also wasn't a fan of Uranus and Neptune voluntarily turning evil. They've always been morally gray, but in S their thing was "the (good) ends justify the (ugly, complicated, violent) means, even if we have to be separated from each other." Not "let's turn evil to stay together!" Despite that, it's still probably the best ending to any Sailor Moon season. It was also so exciting to hear "Moonlight Densetsu" at the end of the last episode! I found it to be a virtually perfect ending for the show, despite my earlier criticisms.

3. Sailor Moon

It's classic. It's simple. It's cute. It's fun! I so adore the introduction episodes for the inner senshi -- and their deaths in the finale are fitting yet sad. The season is very neatly written, not really any loose ends (unless you count the one true filler episode). It's very self-contained, even more so than the other seasons. Naoko intended for this to be all there was to Sailor Moon, and it shows in both good and bad ways. Unfortunately, this season just feels underwhelming compared to S and Stars. There's also one of the two true filler episodes in this season, which brings it down a bit. Also, the Naru-Nephrite romance is just plain uncomfortable. There's a lot to be said about romance in Sailor Moon more generally, but this ain't the post for that. Point being is that Naru is fourteen and Nephrite has got to be at least ten years her senior.

4. Sailor Moon R

I've felt for a while that this season is weak. I think it's because of the Hell Tree arc -- though I love Ail and An as villains, this arc just feels half-assed at times. It also introduces attacks for the senshi that they don't keep after the conclusion of the arc. As for other weakening factors: I'm not crazy about the Specter Sisters. They're not very entertaining, and so I don't really care about them being redeemed. The finale of this season is also a bit difficult to follow; I found it somewhat convoluted. This season also has the second and last true filler episode.

Contrary to most people's opinions, I love Chibiusa in this season. She's a good complement to Usagi, and her antics are fun. This season also introduces Sailor Pluto, whom I love! I'm so fond of the fact that Luna P has her voice.

5. Sailor Moon SuperS

Where to begin. Well, first I'll give this season three massive compliments. One, it's by far the best looking season of Sailor Moon. Two, it has the best ending ("Rashiku Ikimasho") next to "Otome no Policy" from Sailor Moon R. Finally, the Amazon Trio are probably my favorite mid-tier villains in the series. They're bitchy, they're friends, they find each other annoying, they clown on each other, they're sore losers, they're all so damn dumb. It's hilarious.

HOWEVER. During the first bit of the season, there's some bizarre sexual overtones. We have these scenes of the trio at a bar, looking at polariods and commenting on women's (and sometimes men's) looks in skeevy ways. There's also the fact that they restrain their victims and look into their dream mirrors against their will while they scream their heads off. The strategy they employ is seduction, and believe me when I say that this isn't subtext. This all makes these episodes an uncomfortable watch.

The treatment of Fish's Eye in particular is concerning. He's a feminine gay man who typically chooses boys (in one episode he tries to seduce an elementary schooler) instead of men. Sailor Moon's treatment of MLM is frankly not great, but the way Fish's Eye is written smacks of homophobia and even transmisogyny at times. "He's a villain!" You say. Sure, but the only non-villain MLM in Sailor Moon is Mamoru (if you count the R movie as canon), who spends the entire series in relationships with girls. It's...uncomfortable.

The mid-tier villains that follow the trio are the Amazon Quartet, who are just straight up boring, save for PallaPalla.

Chibiusa is supposed to be the main character in this season, and she certainly has more spotlight than in S and R, but the writers can't decide if they want her to be the protagonist or if they want her to split that role with Usagi. There's also a lot of episodes that focus solely on her, Usagi, and Mamoru. Which I find terribly boring, because in these episodes the writers lean into Usagi and Chibiusa's similarities and make them virtually the same character...which they're not. Chibiusa ordinarily has a lot of early season 1 Mamoru's snark and wit, but in these episodes those traits disappear. Additionally, Usagi and Chibiusa always transform and attack together, which gets tedious and begins to feel too convenient, even for Sailor Moon.

Chibiusa is also given a love interest in Pegasus, who's actually a 12 year old boy and not an alicorn. Chibiusa is in the lower end of elementary school; she doesn't need a love interest. She's perfectly capable of carrying a season as the protagonist without this. I just find this writing lazy and problematic.

Oh, and the outer senshi are completely absent from this season, which sucks. They're in the manga, though! The idea the anime staff had for this season was to appeal to a younger audience and get back to the basics of Sailor Moon, but this just ain't it. The charm of the first season isn't there. The younger audience bit is also just bizarre when you consider what I discussed about the Amazon Trio earlier. I sense that there was a power struggle behind the scenes between Ikuhara and...someone, idk.

[benwvatt]

my 2022 writing year in review!

 Thank you so much to @feeisamarshmallow for the tag!

1. Number of stories posted to Ao3: 32 separate stories! I was very fortunate to have a productive, joyful writing year, and I also started writing shorter stories rather than longer ones this year.

2. Word count this year: 74,396

3. Fandoms I wrote for: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, Heartstopper, Murdoch Mysteries, Severance, Supergirl, The Fault in Our Stars, The Martian, Virgin River

4. Pairings: Aang/Katara, Sokka/Zuko, Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, Rory Gilmore/Logan Huntzberger, Charlie Spring/Nick Nelson, William Murdoch/Julia Ogden, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Hazel Grace Lancaster/Augustus Waters, and Beth Johanssen/Chris Beck.

5. Stories with the most:

Kudos: i’ve been around the globe, found a diamond wrapped in gold (but it doesn’t shine like you) which is my Supercorp friendship bracelet story! I just finished it and I was so happy to be able to give it a satisfying, cute ending.

Bookmarks: same thing as above! this was a really popular story :)

Comment threads: to know you like the back of my hand, which is my collection of a dozen one-shots I wrote for Supercorp.

Word count: same thing as above! this fic was my longest this year, at 9,100 words total.

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): I’m going to go with memories painted in much brighter ink, the Heartstopper fic I wrote about Nick and Charlie dealing with their negative relationships with Harry, who decides to apologize to them both for being a bully and a bad friend. That fic is also tied with please remind me to forget you for the story I’m most proud of (this one is my Murdoch Mysteries story about William and Julia reconciling after she marries the wrong guy.)

They were both really interesting missing-moments stories that included letters (I’m a big fan of epistolary communication! letters are so intimate and personal!) and I don’t think most other writers would have published something like this. It felt exciting and special to focus on these parts of canon and expand them, exploring the characters’ curiosity and heartbreak at the same time.

7.  Work I’m least proud of (and why): Definitely i strung you a halo of stars, which is a collection of 4 stories I wrote for Supercorptober. I was really anxious and stressed when I wrote these stories, and I felt like I kind of had to “keep up” because it’s a fandom holiday and we had daily challenges. The writing became more about maximizing word count rather than enjoying writing, which is why I only did Supercorptober for about 5 days before quitting. I was just too busy and uninterested in the end.

8.  Share or describe a favorite review you received: Oh, I have so many! @nostradamus0 is kind enough to leave screaming reviews on many things I write (thank you for that, friend) and I also got a lot of really lovely reviews on Supercorp stories I wrote about parental trauma or forgetting your native language or struggling with anxiety.

 I really like to write hurt/comfort and fluff combined, and it was so nice to see that my stories were able to comfort other readers who were also dealing with stress and hurt.

Aaaaand I got so many lovely reviews on the fics I wrote for Kataang or Heartstopper. I love being able to write things that entertain and make people happy. I’m quite good with banter (it’s my main thing and the easiest thing for me to write) and I insert it wherever possible. 

9.  A time when writing was really, really hard: Supercorptober! I was pushing myself to do a monthly challenge when I had schoolwork and other stuff to deal with, and it just didn’t work out for me. I’m glad I quit so early. Quitting is good and quitters deserve hugs and chocolate. If you can’t sustain something, taking a step back and interrogating why is a good idea.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: Helly R from Severance. She is amazing. I would die for her. I wrote about her in my reputation precedes me, a ficlet about her character growth, and I can’t say anything more without spoilers. Severance is the best tv show I’ve ever seen. I don’t usually like thrillers/horror but Severance is light on both and it’s just so GOOD at exploring the ways that capitalism will devour you from the inside out.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

this is a scene from (whoever said I would find someone new) must’ve never met you, a Supercorp fic set at a southern bar where Supercorp have broken up in the beginning and they get back together by the end.

I really loved writing Lena’s experience at this bar, The Great Beyond, and creating OCs who are all friendly and loving. I’m also just ... weirdly excited to write the OCs falling in love with each other because they are all gay? And I love a good queer southern love story.

Fuck. She should’ve just turned into bed early instead of driving out here to the bar, The Great Beyond, to say hey and good evenin’ to the regulars. Tim probably groaned when he saw her. Marcie in the corner cheered gently when she walked in. Lena always dances with her when it’s eleven and they don’t wanna go home yet. And then there’s Lucas, about to get his first tattoo, and Connor who keeps his guitar in the backseat. Just in case he figures out the bridge of the song he’s been writing since last year, y’know. He and Tim came up with the chorus together.

Connor won’t tell you he plays but he can sing you a story, rock you to sleep, take you on an old-timer’s tour of dreamland. Lena’s been before. She’s seen the milestones and skipped them across the pond. The road on the way there’s a little rocky, but it’s nothing she can’t handle.

Ashley sits front and center, welcoming the warm glow of orange light. Steph tilts back in her chair and offers once again to braid Ashley’s hair, or perhaps Lena’s. Steph had been laid off from the beauty salon last month. No luck since.

Lena said yes once, on a Saturday when she found an old receipt from the time she and Kara went and got ice cream at Braum’s, and Steph wiped her tears away with a ratty napkin before twisting Lena’s hair into a Celtic knot.

“No, I’m Irish,” Lena blurted, “and I dunno if I’m a Celt-”

Steph laughed. “Who’ll ever know ‘cept for you?”

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: I started writing for different fandoms instead of being strict with myself about “the core fandoms” that I had to stick to! I wrote shorter stories (like, 1500 words or less) because I liked it and I didn’t have time to do a big multichap fic. I branched out. I had fun while writing. I wrote meta for Grey’s Anatomy and Virgin River. I quit writing for The Resident because that show took a SERIOUS downturn in quality recently, and I don’t ever want to watch it again (if you know, you know.)

This was a good year and I had so much fun writing shorter stories, and different stories for various tiny fandoms.

13. How do you hope to grow next year: I want to get better at not defining success through the number of hits/words/comments/etc. a story has. Stories are allowed to exist just as they are. Less popular stories aren’t “bad” or “not worth my time.”

I also hope to finish up some of my unfinished multichap stories, and mayyyybe write more for B99 (I only wrote 1 B99 story this year, and it was meta rather than fiction, which is a big change from previous years when I wrote a lot of peraltiago fic.) AND I want to keep writing whatever I want, even if that means writing for new fandoms that I’ve never tried before.

I like writing things out of love I’m not a good visual artist; I’m not good with textiles or gifs or drawing, and I often wish that I could translate the images in my head to art on a page. But fic is one of the ways that I like to give back to fandom, collaborate with fandom, meet people in fandom. I love that I can have a fleeting idea and publish a story about it in the next 12 hours.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

@nostradamus0. It’s not even a question. He is lovely, and lets me scream at him about Kataang even though he’s never seen ATLA, and I can send him excerpts of my stories anytime.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: EVERYTHING from real life shows up in my writing.

must’ve never met you was inspired by neotraditional country music of the 2010s/2020s (it’s great! it’s making a comeback!!!)

many of my supercorp fics are inspired by my cats and my narwhal painting (technically, it’s a poster of whales, but there’s a narwhal in there) and my desperate desire to have a lamp shaped like a jellyfish.

I constantly write scenes where people bake because I get frantic if I don’t bake for several days. Oh, and I also constantly write scenes where people daydream and write letters/letters and cherish the softness of their homes because I’m a gentle person.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: Uh, overusing italics is a really bad idea because it ruins the flow of your sentences. Getting a good flow often involves reading your work in your head so you can imagine the ups and downs of the words.

Writing takes time and you’re allowed to be frustrated that you’re not “better.” Give yourself time and space. Write as often or as rarely as you want.

Write down fic titles and AU ideas in a list in Google Docs because you may want them later. Don’t be afraid to be silly or gloomy or whatever; this is your blank page! Your words are the ink!!!!

Reading other people’s work, whether a published book or a fic or stuff like poetry, is a great way to get better at writing. Offering to be someone else’s beta reader, such as on AO3, is often a great way to make friends and learn more about writing. Oh, and try not to judge your writing too harshly. You still have so many good things waiting for you.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: hmmmmmm I do have 2 peraltiago AUs (the you’ve got mail AU and the Jake-is-undercover AU) that I want to finish sometime in the future.

I also have several ATLA stories that are random memory-tangle-ideas (the Aang-Spiderman AU, the Katara is undercover as both a Kyoshi Warrior and the Painted Lady AU, the Kataang Mulan AU, the Zukka turtleduck petting zoo AU, the Zuko-emotional-support-dragon story) that I hope to write eventually! Or, at least, they will stay good dreams.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:

@nostradamus0, @chocomd, @flameohotwife, @dearestpartnerofgreatness

and anyone else who wants to participate! If you see this, you are free to do this tag if you like! <3

[capoteera]

nyt anon 3 (the text in bold and with the names are text messages)

Jennifer AbelI think we need to put the social combat plan into motion

Melissa Nathan So do I Within days, the group was working with Mr. Wallace, whose company, Street Relations, offers services ranging from public relations to more opaque crisis management. He is a somewhat enigmatic figure with very little digital trail. But court records show that his clients have included Paramount Pictures and the YouTube personality Adin Ross. And in a since-deleted LinkedIn profile, Mr. Wallace described himself as “a hired gun” with a “proprietary formula for defining artists and trends.” ‘That’s Why You Hired Me’

The Aug. 6 premiere brought the first wave of press coverage questioning what had happened during the filming. A Hollywood Reporter story speculated about a rift between Ms Lively and Mr. Baldoni, after TikTokers noticed that the two stars didn’t pose for photographs together and that Ms. Lively and other cast members didn’t follow Mr. Baldoni on Instagram.

Justin Baldoni The unfollow situation is what everyone is pointing at. Seemingly that something is much bigger under the surface - as why would they all unfollow Tag PR executive

Weve flagged to Jed and his team as well Ms. Nathan had already been speaking to other journalists, according to text messages.

When Ms. Abel wrote to her Aug. 4 that “I’m having reckless thoughts of wanting to plant pieces this week of how horrible Blake is to work with. Just to get ahead of it,” Ms. Nathan replied that she had spoken off the record to an editor at The Daily Mail. “She’s ready when we are,” Ms. Nathan wrote. A flurry of articles followed the Hollywood Reporter piece. Many made it seem as if the only rift was over creative control. Some journalists had gotten wind of complaints about Mr. Baldoni’s behavior, but none of the most serious ones were published. “He doesn’t realise how lucky he is right now,” Ms. Nathan texted Ms. Abel. In other exchanges, Ms. Nathan claimed that she had kept allegations against him out of stories, writing in one message that major news outlets were “standing down on HR complaint.” Jennifer So are we in the clear now?! Did we survive

Melissa We survived ALL Press is so overwhelming Weve confused people So much mixed messaging It’s actually really funny if you think about it Meanwhile, an online backlash against Ms. Lively was underway. It is impossible to know how much of the negative publicity was seeded by Ms. Nathan, Mr. Wallace and their team, and how much they noticed and amplified. On Aug. 10, Kjersti Flaa, a Norwegian entertainment reporter, uploaded to YouTube a 2016 interview in which Ms. Lively snapped back when Ms. Flaa commented on her baby “bump” and remained testy for the rest of the conversation. Ms. Flaa titled it “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job,” and told The Daily Mail that “it’s time that people behaving badly in Hollywood, or anywhere else for that matter, gets called out for it.” It wasn’t the first time she had posted a video aligned with a client of Ms. Nathan. In 2022, in the midst of Mr. Depp’s legal battle with Ms. Heard, Ms. Flaa posted clips of her interviews with the actor, tagged #JusticeForJohnnyDepp. During the film rollout, Ms. Lively was also accused of being insensitive about domestic violence. The official promotion plan instructed the cast to focus more on the uplifting aspects of the movie than on abuse, and to embrace a floral theme (her character has a flower shop). In several appearances, she never made reference to domestic violence at all. And she faced criticism when her Betty Booze beverage company was promoting the film, given the role alcohol can play in abusive relationships. Seeing that blowback, the text messages show, Mr. Baldoni and his P.R. team decided instead to highlight survivors of domestic violence in his interviews and social media. More criticism came when Ms. Lively said in an interview that Mr. Reynolds, who had no role in the film, had helped rewrite a scene, prompting snarky comments about the actress leaning on her husband and speculation that he had violated the writers strike. It is unclear exactly how Mr. Wallace operated. There are references in emails to “social manipulation” and “proactive fan posting,” and text messages cite efforts to “boost” and “amplify” online content that was favorable to Mr. Baldoni or critical of Ms. Lively. “We are crushing it on Reddit,” Mr. Wallace told Ms. Nathan, according to a text she sent Ms. Abel on Aug. 9. The next day, one of Ms. Nathan’s employees texted, “We’ve started to see shift on social, due largely to Jed and his team’s efforts to shift the narrative.” Ms. Nathan wrote to Ms. Abel: “And socials are really really ramping up. In his favour, she must be furious. It’s actually sad because it just shows you have people really want to hate on women.” When a TikTok sleuth started asking questions about Mr. Baldoni, Ms. Abel texted that “this girl is on a very dangerous crusade.” “We’ve flagged to Jed and his team for more serious action on the social side,” she wrote. (I will send another part as nyt anon 4)

.

[daja-the-hypnokitten]

Jukebox reviews part 24! For context, see my post “A Project”     under this same tag. If you want to see a full list of his EMCSA   stories, they can be found here, sorted alphabetically.And if you want to see some of his drabbles, check out his blog at @jukeboxemcsa

Personal Jesus

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6/16/2012                                     mc ex hu

I always get a chuckle when Jukebox references the song the story takes its title from, as he does here. This story though .... it's maybe a little dark, in the current timeline. Religious fundamentalists in government, on the Supreme Court, well. It isn't as entertaining now as it was in 2012. The way our unnamed hacker stopped it is delightful, but ... again, a little bit sci-fi magic-y for me, and the story does remain dark enough that I just can't quite get into it. 4/10 spirals. 

 Only In My Dreams

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6/23/2012                                     mc ff

As a queer gal who was raised Catholic, this story never doesn't give me EMOTIONS. It wasn't fair of Nancy to do that to Lori quite so firmly, but at the same time, I can't entirely fault her motives. But it is all magic, and while influencing dreams is a fascinating form of control, it still isn't quite what does it for me. 7/10 spirals. 

 Angel Eyes

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7/7/2012                                       mc mf md

Jukebox, I need you to know that I hear Miles' "That's right" in a *very* particular tone in my head, because I remember the MCForum arena contest you wrote this story for. That aside, this is a lovely story, remarkably sweet, and while I will never grok Jill's joy in being both exhibitionist and voyeur, it's clear that she, at least, enjoys herself. This is clearly an established trigger, but seeing just how it effects Jill's mind as she sinks into it, as Miles guides her down, is lovely. And the fact that it makes me think of a specific, lovely thing just makes me smile more. 10/10 spirals. 

 She Came In Through the Bathroom Window

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7/14/2012                                     mc mf ff

This is creepy and full of horror and to me, not at all sexy. Especially in an age of a highly-contagious virus. And zombies - of any flavor - just have never done it for me. It's well written, so if that's your jam, you'll likely enjoy it, but it isn't for me. 3/10 spirals. 

 Miles Away

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7/21/2012                                     mc mf md

I normally can really enjoy the "hypnotee is unaware that they're being hypnotised" approach, but something about this one just bothers me. Probably the general tone of it all, seeing how particular I can be on consent vs pushing past a no, etc, which if you've been reading along you know well about me by now. But it's skillfully, subtly done, so A+ to Kurt on his technique, and I do enjoy seeing what's going on in Debbie's head while it happens. 6/10 spirals. 

 We R Who We R

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7/28/2012                                     mc mf ff md

This is a clever concept, overwriting concepts with letters. Though I *do* wonder why he bothered to override the concept of "fuck." that one doesn't quite make sense to me, for all the rest do. Even if I have to guess a little at what letter means what concept. It makes for a seriously good story, though, even if it isn't to my usual tastes. 7/10 spirals. 

 The Long and Winding Road

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8/4/2012                                       mc

Another one of Jukebox's inductions, and it's a really good one. I appreciate the care in this one added to help someone if they're trying to stay unnoticed or whatever, and the image of a journey works really well for me, too. It's an all-around good induction, though like his other ones it feels designed to be recorded rather than read. 8/10 spirals 

 Pop Music

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8/11/2012                                     mc ff ma hu

Ok, but if the drug breaks down on contact with oxygen, how long does it stay stable in the lungs? In the bloodstream? Inquiring biochemists want to know. Otherwise, the story is fine, really, but it it's science-as-magic again, in a way that just misses what I'd enjoy about it. And then I get very distracted by the science because I'm a nerd like that. 6/10 spirals. 

 Zap

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10/6/2012                                     mc mf md

This is a lovely, wonderful, delightful bit of comedy. Oh, sure, it's hot enough, if you like the magic neurosicence gun tropes, leaving someone completely enslaved at the press of a button - and I know some of my readers will. But besides that, the set-up is just entertaining and made me laugh on a day I really needed it. There's so much I enjoy about this story, the characters, the build, all of it.I just kinda wish it felt less like hi-tech magic. 8/10 spirals. 

 I Alone

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2/9/2013                                       mc mf sf

This is sad and melancholy, and also a little hard to read due to the well-justified *odd* language. It follows reasonable rules, and I got used to it after a bit, but it was still a little challenging. I definitely don't see this as all that mind-control heavy, or erotic, and I'm admittely surprised Simon let it onto the Archive to begin with. ??/10 spirals 

[toesuckler]

1: are you named after anyone?

i cant really remember? i chose ollie (irl name) a long time ago, i think from oliver and pals, the movie about the cat! frankie was what my mother was going to name me!

2: when was the last time you cried?

cant remember! not because it wasnt recently, just because i have very poor memory and a dissociative disorder.

3: do you have kids?

i am a kid, im 15 and also nope i do not! i like caring for kids in my time though!

4: do you use sarcasm a lot?

not really if at all? i dont really understand the funny of it most if the time.

5: first thing you notice about someone?

usually clothing or any accessories, i avoid eye contact most times.

6: what colour are ur eyes?

green meow, but i wish i had brown eyes. theyre very pretty.

7: scary movie or happy ending?

hmm, i don't watch many movies but i guess happy ending? a lot of scary movies r just shock factor and i dont feel connected or entertained by the second watch.

9: where were you born?

seattle, washington state.

10: hobbies?

i like doing things with clay, drawing, trying to make fursuits but hating it, and writing! i used to be into gardening and roller skating but my mom squashed that down pretty hard.

11: any pets?

a snake named dovie, and 6 cats (i always miscount and say 5)

12: what sports have you played?

none, i am disabled and dont have the energy 4 that meow :3

13: meow tall r u?

5'3 but 5'5 in platforms

14: favourite subject in school?

i used to love algebra, but i have a bad teacher now and hate it more every day. i guess id say us history since i've got a great teacher in that? i dont have many inpurresting classes since im a freshman.

15: dream job?

forensic pathologist or a teacher, i really enjoy being around kids! and dead people. its a really inpurresting science! im only squeamish when i see people IN pain. when theyre dead and gone i dont really care meow.

thank u sm 4 the taggggggg mutualllllll okay heres my tags @boycentricbplot @summerfactorfiction @raidendotcom @soyleader @pushin-dandelions

15 questions 15 people

answer the questions and tag 15 people! idk if i can tag 15 cuz i’m awkward but thanks @oliverbanks :D

1. are you named after anyone?

yes because i picked my own name. my irl name i got from newsies (guess) and my internet name is brody ryan, from brody dalle and ryan ross cuz they’re both androgynous names

2. when was the last time you cried?

watching newsies a few hours ago over letter from the refuge

3. do you have kids?

no lol. i kinda want some but i can’t deal with loud noises so i probably won’t

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

moreso in real life but Yes

5. what is the first thing you notice about people?

hair usually for some reason

6. what color are your eyes?

greenish

7. scary movies or happy endings?

i love scary movies but happy endings ;w;

8. any special talents?

i’m a fast learner assuming i give a shit! not at like, fact memorization but like skills

9. where were you born?

georgia

10. what are your hobbies?

art, writing (theoretically), trapeze and dance, rhythm games, various instruments but mostly piano

11. do you have any pets?

kittys :3

12. what sports do you/have you played

dance, mma, soccer, and trapeze! i’m glad i’m going back to dance it’s what i’ve missed the most :)

13. how tall are you?

5’4 :/

14. favorite subjects in school?

band band band band band band band

15. dream job?

any performance art but I Would Fucking Kill To Play Jack Kelly. if that’s not feasible graphic design or some other drawing art type job

tagging: @beachlifendeath @ryanrossoncelerslut @zapsoda @ghosttown-mp3 @toesuckler @colourspaz @mythicalmarks @misterguy86

[toonazcoolforyou]

What We Do In Bram Stoker’s Dracula

alright so i rambled on about this in the Discord buuuut this is a slightly more shiny and cleaner version! :D *enthusiastic single party blower goes off* okay so tbh it’s kiiinnd of gunna be the same thing but just, idk, with a little more information lol. while there’s a few details a bit more ‘set in stone’ plenty is open and i’m seriously flexible with ideas so don’t hesitate throw any suggestions at me~ you can DM me on Discord (it’s Nazcool#8991 if u happen to come across this train wreck and don’t know wtf i’m talking about) if you’re interested and/or have any questions (and if there’s enough of y’all that wanna coordinate maybe we can get a channel up/a group chat or somethin’ & go from there <3)

**if u see that there’s no info for w/e character it just means i literally have no ideas for ‘em so go wild & have fun~**

EDIT 1: I FORGOT THE BRIDES OF DRACULA AAAAHH + other details lol

btw this is a two part ad so bear with me as i try to keep things organized:

Part I.

alright alright alright so like i said think Dracula but with 75% less charm & wit & competence. the characters for the ad will have vibes of satire of something resembling being srs but at the same time they’re just ridiculous & dramatic & just, idk, too much™ at times (maybe even more so than Dracula Dead and Loving It lololol). i’m gunna be playing The Dracula role (he doesn’t have a name yet ssssshhhh but at least i have Luke Evans as his face??? :D :D :| okay cheesy as hell i know i know pls forgive me) but everyone else is open! i’m going with the main few folks for rn but in all honesty if you wanna play another character from Dracula that i don’t have listed pls be my guest?? as for ideas themselves i’m still figuring my guy out so what might be listed for him may change -but i’ll update things so dw about that- & tbh besides a few main details for The Mina Harker character i’m super flexible on everything so just holler at me if ur interested :D

also just ‘cause this might be more silly doesn’t mean there can’t be drama~ & sadness~ & murder~ pls pls gimme all the tragic stuff!!

BTW u can race/gender bend any of the characters in the list tbh lol (i’m doing a gender bend for The Mina Harker + The Jonathan Harker so yeh go for it babes <3 <3 <3)

A L S O, u don’t have to be that well-versed with the book/characters u just need a basic grasp so that the character can be barely influenced by the original one. If u need help with any of this just lemme know i am more than glad to aid u <3

roles:

The Dracula- taken. so hey i’ll be playing The Dracula! I’m still working out how old he is but he’s probably gunna be old old to keep with the #aesthetic of the character (also i wanna have it so that he’s still oblivious to some more 80s day things & he’s that weirdo who dresses in old clothing when not in public). Think between 1800 and 2000 y/o old xD;;; anyway so backstory is still obv. In Progress but really he was probably stupid and got himself turned into a vampire ‘cause he was a gullible fuck & now has to suffer with the consequences -this includes adapting to having pointy sharp teeth, feeding on the living in order to survive, and outliving everyone that u have ever loved :’D he’s totes fine w/ this guys it’s fine. he pretty much struggled for ages & while he likes to exaggerate/romanticize what happened to him it was pretty terrible™ & he has plenty of a fuck up under his belt. over time he got to know other folks + vampires & he adapted but not enough? like he’ll quote you some fancy-ass poem to be elegant~ and he has a pity party every 5 seconds & gets pissy when no one pays attention to him he’s just needlessly #dramatic

somehow, he pissed off a family of vampire hunters who have been going after him ever since??? i haven’t plotted out when this began so it’s open as of rn lololol & it’s The Abraham Van Helsing who is now in charge of hunting him down~ (more info, or rather just ideas, in The Abraham Van Helsing character section)

& now here comes the more complicated section tbh: so i haven’t planned out when this happened yet -i’m torn between sometime just before/after he was turned into a vampire or during WWI big range i know- but he fell in love w/ a man & that man died tragically so he decided to try to be w/ the guy’s kid only for them to die too at some point but not before they had a kid (might be bad luck? might be a curse? who knows *shrug.gif*) so yeah fast forward MANY YEARS & now he’s trying to be with The Mina Harker who is the last(?) possible descendant of his first love. rn they’ve been best friends for 6 yrs w/o The Mina Harker knowing A. that The Dracula is in fact a vampire, B. that he is the descendant of the first man The Dracula loved, & C. that The Dracula is, in fact, in love with him -he just thinks he’s a rad and weird best friend who does weird stuff at weird times of the day. SO YEH that’s his awkward life he’s just trying to be w/ the love of his life piss off other vampires/hunters/supernatural creatures/world pls & ty

he’s also super weird ‘cause he doesn’t wanna turn any of the descendants into vampires??? which makes each death more painful ‘cause he has a code or w/e & it’s becoming more & more tempting w/ each descendant so yaaay for drama~

also! he has a few roommates & there might be a documentary being made about them which is detailed in Part II. of this ad~

The Mina Harker- open. as listed in The Dracula section The Mina Harker is the descendant of the first man The Dracula loved & The Dracula has been pinning for him for the past 6-ish yrs. rn they’re the best of friends & The Mina Harker thinks The Dracula is a totally good guy -he’s a mostly™ good guy *cough*- & super cool but also super odd but he likes him a lot anyway as a best friend lololol. as for the descendants of the first guy honestly that’s pretty open (like The Dracula pretty much loved every guy after that BUT if there was only a female descendant at the time he loved them too even if they weren’t his technical preference ‘cause love > all) but they pretty much died in bad ways??? like it could be mundane bad ways like illness or war or it could be off-the-walls weird like being crushed by an elephant or getting struck by lightning five times idk idk whether it’s just Bad Luck on The Dracula’s part or a curse is open so yeh lmao.

ANYWAY so for personality i was thinking that this descendant is more on the quiet/introverted side??? like he’s super nice to ppl and wants to help but confrontation??? big groups??? talking to ppl a lot??? not his forte he is an awkward bby. while The Dracula & he aren’t exactly the same personality-wise they get along absolutely great which probably is even more tough for The Dracula ‘cause??? he loves him??? & has to protect him from all of the other vampires who probably wanna eat him??? like pls no he wants this guy to live leave him alone *sobs*

there’ll probably be ppl to try to stop The Dracula from pursuing his dreams maybe because they’re dicks but actually probably because The Dracula is a dick & he has a few skeletons in his closet (he dresses them up in costumes for Halloween & nobody's the wiser, except for his roommates ofc) but it’ll just be random and confusing to The Mina Harker ‘cause, yeh, who would hate his bestie???

besides being best friends w/ The Dracula for about 6 yrs, being engaged to The Jonathan Harker (for w/e reason is up to u tho it could be funny that he wanted to fulfill some wish/will that a dying relative had aka them trying to fuck over The Dracula), not knowing that The Dracula is a vampire despite possible signs + ppl maybe hinting/telling him, & woops having no kids of his own & he’s what thirty or forty-something that’s a nail-biter for The Dracula for sure everything about the character’s past is open!

okay so final lame part but i’d absolutely LOVE it if you used Michael Fassbender as the fc ‘cause I <3 him a million times BUT if you really don’t want 2 you don’t have 2 i won’t force u into that decision if you like the idea but wanna use someone else~

The Jonathan Harker- open. an idea i had for this one is that, for whatever reason, she’s engaged to The Mina Harker character & they’re pretty much complete opposites. she’s a nice girl but she just… is too active. a pure extrovert by nature, she’s always going to parties and socializing and dragging The Mina Harker along with her. she loves him with all of her heart it seems though it appears as if she really doesn’t listen to her fiance & enjoys the concept of him rather than who he is actually. The Dracula is pissed off about this and has contemplated her death approximately fifty five times now. probably calls her vapid or w/e while he’s on his pity party couch (yes that’s a thing don’t judge) rofl

The Abraham Van Helsing- open. the idea i have for him is that he is the descendant of the family who have vowed to hunt down The Dracula. kind of awkward because The Dracula just wants to be left the fuck alone (and okay maybe he wants to kill a few peasants in peace but he can’t seem to get what he wants, can he?) but overall the tone is that this guy hates The Dracula. however, times have changed a bit and nowadays he just confronts The Dracula, declares his hatred for the man, and then pretty much just resumes his day. maybe puts garlic in the doorway to a place in order to disrupt The Dracula, switches out regular spoons for silver ones, etc. etc. etc. (honestly, on occasion, he more brings up the fact that The Dracula is in love with a man rather than being a blood-sucking vampire which makes The Dracula go :/. ALSO PLOT POINT if u wanna go this direction but mb actually the reason The Abraham Van Helsing keeps going on about this is because he's trying to push The Dracula away and has feelings for The Mina Harker??? idk idk late-night ideas flooding in here lmao). overall, he just acts like a prick to The Dracula tho The Dracula probably deserves it lololol. it doesn’t help that they live in the same building, which typically causes The Abraham Van Helsing to be locked out on stormy evenings while The Dracula bemoans whatever fate he thinks up at the time on the couch near the entrance.

the fc i have in mind is Jonny Lee Miller ‘cause i really like his appearance in Elementary but tbh if you have anyone else in mind go right ahead!

The Brides of Dracula- (shhhh ignore the fact that i forgot this section initially) so that this is pretty open since there'll probably be at least a few folks The Dracula has turned like the dumbfuck he is lololol. more than likely they have their own lives but they may??? still have contact w/ him??? & while he pretends to not give a fuck about them they're like his kids???? like pester him for money and he'll be all ‘Why??? I just gave you some!!’ but if anyone hates them he'll be all ‘Don't talk to me or my 100 children ever again’ & be defensive. overall he'll still be an asshole to them lololol

i have two vague af ideas just in case u guys are interested:

the first one is that this progeny has an actually good relationship with The Dracula & is always visiting (or mb lives in the same building idk) & is always bringing him presents and nice stuff & mb looks out for The Mina Harker when The Dracula can't (probably helps cover up a lot of crap ‘cause The Dracula is a mess tbh *shrug emoji*).

the second is a progeny obsessed w/ The Dracula & wants to be w/ him forever & doesn't wanna share him w/ any1 else. which a major problem cause??? The Dracula is in love with The Mina Harker??? so mb this progeny wants to sabotage the relationship anyway they can??? & wants The Mina Harker dead???

they can be any ethnicity/gender ‘cause The Dracula doesn't discriminate LOL

Brides:

any #

The Renfield- open.

The Lucy Westenra- open.

The John Seward- open.

The Quincey Morris- open.

The Arthur Holmwood- open.

Part. II

soooo for this part the concept is fairly simple: i wanna have a What We Do In The Shadows sort of plot where my character has a few roommates (preferably 3-5 though the number isn’t in stone yet) and they’re all weird af. not only that but potentially??? they have a documentary being made about them -w/ 80s London aesthetics + technology- due to vampires revealing themselves 2 years prior. it’s still in production which means there’s at least one cameraman around at all times. my character is dreading the time when it’ll be showed on TV because he has been trying to hide the fact that he is a vampire (alright really only to his love interest & best friend he dgaf if anyone else knows). like, think: he enters one of the rooms, minding his own business, & while the camera is technically focused on something else you still see him as he tries to walk backwards as inconspicuous as possible. he can’t deny that he loves the attention, though, so there are points/gunna be points where he’s more featured and may “subtly” try to push aside whichever roommate is around in order to be noticed.

he may or may not threaten the others with death and doom on a daily basis as well over the smallest of things -at this point his roommates know he’s full of shit, tho the crew might not woopsie

ALSO, there's (1) amulet to walk in the sun among all of them (probably his but idk lol) so everyone is always fighting over it rofl he is not happy that he can't be normalish all the time. they probably try to be all fancy but really they're doing rock-paper-scissors or tossing a coin. plans are ruined all the time, ppl are pissed off, good times.

there won’t be any technical ‘inspirations’ for any of the spots from the movie but honestly if ya wanna base your character on one of the wacky vampires go right ahead! everything about the roommates are open & while i prefer them to be vampires due to the aforementioned info but if you have an idea for another species (besides human) lemme know!

**also if u wanna make inspirations for the other characters from the movie besides the roommates 2 be involved w/ them too go right ahead~**

roles:

The Roommates:

(3-5 individuals)

The Crew:

(any # of individuals, at least one-two cameramen)

[frogtanii]

“hi everyone,” you gave your webcam a half hearted wave, noting the flood of inquisitive comments at your demeanor.

ynismymommy: omg queen r u ok??????

emilia.95: Have you been sleeping?

atsumus-leftballsack: bestie imma need you to invest in some concealer

a giggle pried it’s way up your throat, despite your attempts to stop it as you read the comments. yes, you were fully aware that you looked like shit however, you just weren’t expecting the viewers of your stream to be so... observant.

“holy shit guys, i’m okay,” you attempted to placate your vicious audience by giving them a (forced) smile and a small chuckle. “let’s just play, okay?”

you loaded up your game of choice (call of duty — you had a lot of aggression to work off) while making idle chatter with your fanbase. they seemed to have dropped conversation about your heavy eye bags and low enthusiasm in favor of more lighthearted topics.

just as you were starting to get into it, a knock sounded at your door. at first, you were tempted to ignore it but after a few moments of silence, the knocking started up again, more incessantly. your comments started to go wild, wondering who exactly was banging on your door at like 11p.

bokutos.bahamamommamilkers: tell whoever is @ the door to fuck off

shartyba3_420: damn slam me yn like [redacted] is slamming on that door

Greg_72: Hey, you can go answer that! We’ll wait <3

you apologize quickly before removing your headphones and scurrying over to the door. swinging it wide open, you’re met with bokuto.

and what a sight he is.

once bright, golden eyes were now dull and void, accompanied by dark circles that rivaled your own while his usually sunny visage was dampened by this metaphorical dark cloud that was hanging above him.

in other words, he looked like shit.

the both of you must look like quite a pair — you in your ratty, oversized hoodie and red sweats and him in his white t shirt and flannel pajama pants. after giving him another glance over, you repressed the urge to pull him into your room and into a hug, instead choosing to wrap your arms around yourself tightly.

“um, hey bo,” you started, unable to keep your eyes on his face. “i’m really sorry but i’m streaming right now. maybe we can hang out later?”

bokuto shook his head no, and your heart began to sink. you were just so tired and you didn’t have the energy to entertain or comfort the man at the moment without letting another piece of yourself crumble but you knew you didn’t have the heart to turn him away.

resigning yourself to your fate, you stepped to the side to let him into your room, making a mental note to shield him from your webcam while you brought him to lie on your bed.

to your complete and utter surprise, bokuto did not move, shaking his head no again before moving to grab something just out of your sight behind your doorway.

you were now thoroughly intrigued, shuffling closer to peek into the hallway, only to be stopped by a box being thrusted into your hands. you looked over the colorfully painted cardboard but it gave you no indication as to what was on the inside and glancing at kotarou gave you no help whatsoever.

“what’s this?” you voiced your confusion while weighing the box in your hands, the confusion only amplifying when you discover the box is suspiciously light. you’re shaken from your investigation when bokuto throws another object in your hands, this one significantly heavier.

looking up at him, you’re taken aback by the emotion swirling in his irises, his mouth finally parting to speak. “i’m so sorry,” kotarou’s voice, while gravelly from disuse, was sincere, a slight quiver being found underlying his words. “i- i know i never said it but i just want you to know that i-i care about you and that i am so sorry for ever hurting you and making you feel like you were less than. y-you’ve helped me become myself again a-and i can never thank you enough.”

a shuddering breath left his chest as he trained his eyes on the ceiling before looking back at you with watery eyes. “you don’t have to forgive me. i-i’d understand.” you opened your mouth to respond, to rebut, but you were cut off by his strong arms, wrapping you up in a tight hug.

you couldn’t keep yourself from melting into his hold, a small ounce of stress leaving your body at his words but the bulk of it remaining. he’s just apologizing because you’re the only girl who’s shown him an ounce of kindness, the voice in the back of your head whispered.

as bokuto pulled you in tighter, you stiffened, the voice getting louder and more constant. the man holding you didn’t miss the way you tensed and hesitantly removed himself from you, his hurt written plain all over his face.

kotarou gave you a weak smile and another gentle apology before turning and leaving for his room. you already felt guilt creeping up your spine for not holding him the way you thought you should but you quickly pushed the feeling down, knowing that you wouldn’t have gotten the rest you deserved if you’d done so.

letting out a deep sigh, you shut your door and moved back to continue your stream, not before gently setting down the 2 colorfully decorated boxes on the bed, a small smile creeping across your face at the sight of the gifts.

your stream ended pretty shortly after, your mind unable to focus on the game — it was getting borderline embarrassing how often you were dying to the point you were worried your sponsors would pull out of supporting you.

with a soft smile and goodbye, you collapsed on your bed, mindful not to crush the boxes. while you were extremely exhausted, you knew you wouldn’t be able to go to sleep without examining your gifts’ contents.

you decided to open the heavier box first which yielded bag after bag of your favorite chips, candies, and drinks. you knew your mouth was gaping unattractively but you couldn’t help it. this was... way too much.

at the bottom of the box was a small note, written in bokuto’s somehow endearing chicken scratch. it read, “hi yn!!!! this is for when you get hungry :) i know i didn’t let you eat any of my snacks for a long time so i thought it would be nice if i bought some for you!!!!! i hope i got these all right :( i asked atsumu for help!!!”

a choked chuckle escaped your lips and it only amplified as you continued to the end of the note. “p.s. don’t worry about not finishing it all!!! i can always help you ;) p.p.s. also you’re so pretty!!!! don’t not eat it because you don’t think so too <3”

wiping your eyes that had become suspiciously misty, you set down the slip of paper and reached for the second box.

you couldn’t keep the gasp from coming from you as the cardboard overflowed with tiny slips of paper. with shaky hands, you unfolded the first paper, the tears overflowing over your lashline before you could stop them.

you are loved :) - akaashi

“fuck,” you whispered, swiping at your face before clumsily reaching for another, and then another, each note making you cry harder than the last.

you are beautiful!!!!! never change!! - bokuto!!!

you’re really cool - kenma

you are so kind and i owe you the world - sugawara :)

you’re sympathetic, observant, and intelligent. - sakusa.

you are patient (even when we don’t deserve it) - kuroo

yer my angel <3 - tsum tsum

there were a ton more but you promised yourself you’d read them all later, your emotions getting the better of you. you’d rather not wake up with puffy, swollen eyes and a headache so you decided it would be best to close the box and finish it all later.

laying back on your bed, you expelled a deep breath of air, not realizing just how tense you were. you’d been living on edge with the guys for at least a month now and it was really starting to wear on you.

without being able to fully trust them, you knew it wouldn’t be long until you crumbled under the pressure.

you glanced at your phone before sighing again (it really was that kind of day, wasn’t it). maybe it was about time to give dr yamada a long awaited call.

℗ poker face

you are loved :)

series masterlist

(●’◡’●)ﾉ

an - ooweee first single apology down, 4 more to go!!! also the box of papers came from everyone (obv) but they still gotta give their individual apologies hehe which shall come in the future <33 sorry this took so long KSJD i hope u enjoy!!! don’t forget to feed me <333

taglist - if your name is in bold, i cannot tag you

@boosyboo9206 • @geektastic84 • @elianetsantana • @trashy-simp • @infinitebells • @6mattsun9 • @suhkusa • @sazunari • @kotarosbabygirl • @fucktheworlddude • @insomniacwreck • @calumsfringe • @saltylettuce • @chai-blu • @al3x1ss • @hawksyoongi • @syndellwins • @jooleuuh • @amberalisa • @kissungjae • @liberhoe • @tetsurocore • @animeoverdosee • @duhsies • @saikishairclip • @afire24 • @premiyagi • @kit-kat428 • @doctorspencereid • @daphnxy • @kyomihann • @maer-333 • @sinoflust19 • @peteunderoos • @peachiikichu • @iidanotlida • @yongboxerrr • @kac-chowsballs • @tanakaslastbraincell • @memorableminds • @risjime • @starry-magicshop • @sugavwara • @smuttyanimeslut • @kiwibirbs-library • @haijkk • @airybnb • @crybabygumi • @iwaisa • @decaffinatedtealover • @notameera • @kawaii-angelanne • @rintarovibes • @urlocalsimp

the rest of the tags will be in the replies!!

[usergayeddie]

i was tagged by @praninlove & @gunsatthaphan to do this, thank you! 💖

1. your all time favorite bl and why - until we meet again!! this show has such a strong grip on me and will always have the main spot in my heart. the story is incredibly tragic yet hopeful at the same time and i ADORE all of the characters, from the main ones to the side characters that only have a single line. everyone did such an amazing job. dean and pharm are the sweetest, healthiest beans ever and winteam are just. winteam. 

2. that one bl that scarred you for life - tharntype. i watched the whole thing and i wish i could take that time back. 

3. is there any bl that made you feel very single? - a lot of them. definitely bad buddy and cherry magic.

4. if you could change one thing from a bl, which one would it be? - that whole side-couple story in oxygen with khim and the doctor. and the trope of the “bl obssessed girl” that always leans heavily into fetishization in bls in general.

5. that one bl you detest (don’t hold back) - definitely tharntype once again.

6. your top five:

uwma

bad buddy

cherry magic

atots

i really cant decide on a fifth place so im just.

7. that trashy bl that you lowkey like - ill have to agree with doreen, why r u was the weirdest and most entertaining thing ive ever watched. it was a wild ride and i loved it.

8. your favorite korean bl (it’s important we know) - i havent really watched korean bls yet! ive seen you make me dance and colour rush and i liked them, but i wouldnt call any of them my favourites. im looking for recommendations though!

9. but also your top 3 for kbls

im going to sit this one out for aforementioned reasons but i like you make me dance more than color rush

10. season 2? which one? - in terms of shows that should have a second seasons i’d definitely say color rush because there was so much left unsaid and untouched in the first season. they brought in so many different fascinating aspects that would have made for an incredibly deep story but then just never picked them up again. also my engineer, i need ramking to finally get together.

11. a bunch of dramas will air soon. which ones are you the most excited for? - im just waiting for between us to finally air. pleasseeee.

12. tag them!

sorry if you’ve been tagged already and do not feel obligated to do this! @morshiberna @lovelypattranite @hoepran @prany @patprans @punnweir @patshoney @icouldhyperfixatehim  💖

[bjornsonbrightman]

A (not-so-brief) list and analysis of the things that were changed in the set design of Phantom London, part 1

[*includes things that were changed in between the release of the infamous Planning Document™ and opening night!*]

WARNING: long, image-heavy post

The past week has undoubtedly been very confusing and anxiety-inducing for a lot of phans, I myself included, who were (and are) still horrified of what C*mM*ck has done to Phantom London.

So naturally, as someone who lives somewhere that couldn't be farther from the UK, I decided to compile a list of all the things that I've learned — through hours of shamelessly scrolling through Instagram, Twitter and Facebook tags — about the planning, creation and production of the new set design.

Hang on tight, it's a bumpy ride.

1. The proscenium

The most obvious thing that is now different from the OG. Let's take a look at the concept art shown in the original planning document:

Ahh, I remember the release of this picture and the Tumblr/Twitter/FB explosion that ensued like it was yesterday. Good times.

The new set design by Matt Kinley is mainly derived from what he did for the UK tour, which introduced the cracked, sculpture-less proscenium and the separate proscenium frame/boxes that appear only during the opera scenes. Unlike the greatly simplified UK tour design, however, this design for London appears to have the original lyres and garlands at the top, as well as some structural elements of the OG proscenium (see the outward curved trimmings on the top sides). The surrounding areas of the auditorium are also shown to be restored to their original colours, the most interesting of which is a new false wall in the area behind the top part of the proscenium. These areas were previously blacked out with black paint and black masking.

Despite hewing closer to the OG than the UK tour did, this was still a sacrilegious bastardization far cry from Maria Björnson's design, and I guess the creatives were aware of it too, as they seemed to try to soften the blow by:

using actual pieces of the original proscenium that weren't a part of the OG plan such as this satyr-riding angel...

including an "homage" to Maria (according to ALW) in the form of a new sculptural bust that fills up the Golden Angel's spot (picture from @mariussansmerci) ...

The design of the false wall behind the lyres on top was also changed to... something that I guess gives off the impression of a false dome?? Not too sure about this one but I kinda like it ngl:

Something that the planning document mentions is that the removal of the side sculptures and the installation of a "cracked" proscenium allows for sound equipment to be installed behind the sides of the proscenium, which frees up the two side boxes to be "used as originally intended". And that's exactly what happened. Surprise, C*mM*ck now has 4 extra seats that he can sell overpriced.

And here's the finished result (photos from here):

With the safety curtain that was brought over from the UK tour and without the inner proscenium/boxes:

To be honest? I kinda like the final result. Those (possibly face-saving) changes really saved the design from looking like a bad copy of the original proscenium; now it just looks like a mediocre copy. But don't worry, whenever I get too comfortable with this new design I just pull out pictures of Maria's OG proscenium and my fiery anger for the new one is reignited.

And that's all I have on the proscenium!

Next up we have something that I believe had the most confusing and troubled development out of all the new set pieces:

2. The Chandelier

Man, this poor thing has been through a lot.

When it was originally designed for the UK tour, the chandelier was intended to utilize much of the same technology that the r*staged tour chandelier used, namely the drapes that are "magically" sucked into the chandelier itself and the straight-dropping mechanism. Hence, the new chandelier was made to be circular and non-collapsible, featuring a decorative spike on the bottom. According to pictures of the model and the concept art shown in the planning document, I suspect the drapes were to be sucked in through the decorative lyres (see the circular openings):

But this mechanism was precisely the reason for the downfall of this design. Come opening night of the UK tour, and this chandelier was nowhere to be seen. My suspicion of what went wrong? Either the drapes were snagging on the lyres (kind of like what happened to the short-lived garlands on R*staged Tour Chandelier), or the retractable frame that held up the drapes wasn't working properly.

But whatever the reason for the failure of this mashup chandelier, the designers must've realized and abandoned ship pretty late, because pictures from one of the prop makers showed that it was still being made with frames that were very much non-collapsible as late as February this year:

Once they realized it wasn't going to work, I believe a series of last-minute actions were made. My theory: they brought back the OG chandelier in all its missing-bulbs glory less than a week away from opening...

... and stripped it of its lyres, which were transplanted onto the new chandelier, as is evident from the final product (photo from @soulsoaringphan):

This hypothesis is bolstered by the fact that the new lyres were originally going to have holes in them for drape-sucking (ew), and so once the decision was made to have the chandelier work more like the OG, the logical step would have been to just borrow the lyres from the old one instead of making new ones in less than a week or two from opening.

Also note the gaps in the beading that would've had the rigid golden frame trimmings seen in the model and the in-progress photos above; the designers must have removed them hastily to allow the chandelier to collapse, but unfortunately they just... left it empty. Oh, and the absence of the spike on the bottom, which is now just a huge gaping hole (again, ew). There's also an additional tier on top that wasn't present in the OG, model or any of the concept art.

I'm actually quite relieved that the new chandelier is pretty similar to the OG and the Palais Garnier one, but if I have to nitpick: I miss the horizontal decorative beading, the ones that were on the top tier and in between the lyres in the old chandelier. Maybe it's just me, but the chandelier looks... incomplete without them.

And that's all I have on the chandelier!

3. The Orchestra Pit — wait, I can't upload any more pictures??

Welp, guess I'll have to make a part 2 then. Thanks for reading this long, long rant post, I hope it was at the very least entertaining and slightly informative!

And lemme know if I forgot to credit anyone whose pictures I used!

[talesofphantombandits]

Zero to Six ~ First Impressions Count - Edited Version. Part 4.

Characters: Four X Zero (OC)

Summary: Zero was the first person to be ‘saved’ by One, she was his first honorary Ghost. Her knowledge in tech meant she got the role of ‘Hacker’ she recruited new team members, looked for missions and locations and made sure every security measure was looked at. You know normal hacker spy stuff. But her tough up bringing meant that if needs be she could fight, she was maybe even better than some people on the team knew. But due to One’s protectiveness over her she had to stay hidden, she was more of an actual ghost than the rest of the team was. This didn’t mean she couldn’t have her fun though, over the months of being with the full team she had formed quite a passionate love/ hate relationship with the handsome Four. Who knows what sparks would fly if they were ever to meet.  Warnings: Slight swearing, some suggestive flirting in later chapters.

Tagg list: (I know this is a edit of my original story but if anyone wants to be tagged let me know.) @raylan-c 

“Earth to Lilly.” 

Zero barley saw the hand in front of her face, she was too busy trying to not look around the room for Four that her assigned name for the mission didn’t register with her. But when she finally noticed the movement in front of her she looked up to see Five accompanied by the man she entered with. 

“Hi, what would you guys like to drink?” She praised herself for saving it, the guy probably just thought she was having a bad day or something, it didn’t really matter as he stumbled away from the bar, probably too drunk to notice any thing that was going on. 

“You okay?” Five leaned on the bar so she was closer to Zero. She looked towards the back of the room where Four stood now with a pretty blonde on his arm. “Scrubs up well doesn’t he?” 

Zero looked from Four to the beautiful woman in front of her. “You nervous?” 

Zero shook her head, letting out a short laugh. “Why would I be nervous? It’s not like he’s going to ever know who I am, even if he does come over to the bar. He’ll never know he talked to Zero, the infamous hacker.” 

“You two clicked so easily the first time we all met, I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen the same way in person.” Zero picked up a glass and started drying it just to distract herself. 

Suddenly more people came up and crowded the bar around Five, Zero stood up straighter and got back into character. “What would you like to drink Ma’am.” 

“A Tequila on the rocks with a lime would do just nicely.” Five smiled at her, putting her arms onto the bar. Zero just raised her eyebrows but smiled and got started on the drink. 

She finished the drink and slid it across the bar to which Five caught and took a swig, “Keep the change sweetie.” She winked as she threw a few dollars at Zero.

She scoffed as the woman pushed off the bar and made her way back to the sleazy guy who now had his arm around another woman.

“Hey Lilly, will you go change barrel 2, cheers darling.” Her manger for the night tapped her on the shoulder. 

Maybe a trip to the cellar would clear her head of any thoughts of Four, she’d need a clear head to be able to concentrate on the mission in hand. And not to be drooling over Four.

This was the only time she wished she could have her coms on her, the sound of Three’s accent would definitely calm her nervous. She knew there was a chance Four would come up to the bar at some point and with only her and another dude working there was a 50/50 chance he’d come to her to be served.

As she reached the top of the cellar stairs and started to make her way down the hall, the sounds of party goers got louder, and as she turned the corner to go back to her spot behind the bar she stopped dead in her tracks.

Leaning against the bar right where she was suppose to be serving was Four, he was looking around the room analysing who was the best person to get information from no doubt. She couldn’t help but fight for breath as he ran his hand through his slicked black blonde hair, why did this man have to look so fine?

She only snapped back to reality when her bar mate slightly shoved her to move out the way so he could get to the liqueur behind her. She finally worked up the confidence to make her way over to Four so she could take his drink order, when a very beautiful blonde woman walked into his arms, wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his neck. Zero almost froze again out of shock but she was distracted by another man in front of her demanding a drink.

Guess you could say saved by the bell? Once she had served the man she finally made her way over to Four and the woman. She could tell as she got closer that they were flirting, she felt a sudden irritation that, that woman wasn’t her but shook it off when she remembered this was a mission and One would kill Four with his bare hands if he ever started any sort of relationship outside of the ghosts.

“What can I get you both?” The Irish accent was so foreign to her, one of the other things that her and Four had bonded over was that they were both British, so I guess you could say the change in accent was vital to not giving away her identity. She played it off though as Four placed his order without even looked her way. Too distracted by the blonde that was now sucking on his neck like a vampire, this made Zero gag in disgust.

She got to making the order of a big glass of rosé wine and a beer, it distracted her from the rated R scene unfolding in front of her. As she placed the wineglass on the counter the woman finally looked up and saw her alcohol was ready to consume.

“Are you trying to get me drunk sir?” She giggled and leaned into him again.

Zero just rolled her eyes, she placed the beer bottle a little too hard on the counter. A drop of beer flew out over the rim of the glass and splashed on his jacket sleeve and hand. Four’s eyes instantly snapped up to Zero’s, she was taken aback by how deep the green of his eyes were.

She had to take a step back. “Whoops.”  She titled her head, raising a eyebrow as Four just stared at her in shock. Her eyes were momentarily directed to the blonde by his side as she scoffed in disgust at the interaction, or the loss of attention she was now getting.  

Zero just smiled at the woman, then decided to let Four mull over the tiny interaction for a bit as she made her way a little down the bar to serve other people.  All the time she worked she could feel Fours eyes burning into the side of her head, she couldn’t help but laugh at how she knew the blonde was reacting when she caught him staring. She knew there was definitely a connection between herself and Four, It was strong just talking over coms but here right in front of him she felt like she was on fire. The worst thing being that she couldn’t do anything about it, it pained her greatly that he was sat there, right in front of her and he didn’t even know who she was. 

She wondered if he’d felt it too, the electricity between them. By the way he kept looking over at her she had a feeling he had, but she couldn’t rush to conclusions not when One wouldn’t hear any of her pleas to meet the team in person. He either shouted at her or just completely ignored her. As she made her way back to the couple she noticed the blonde woman walking off, she highly doubt she’d leave Four’s side for very long. She probably left to go to the little girls room, Zero took this as a sign to go see if he wanted another drink and if not this was her chance to talk to him without his annoying friend. 

She’d only took two steps in Four’s direction when a hand grabbed her upper arm, she looked at it with a bored expression. Her eyes trailing up the arm to find a very drunk old man, with a red and blotchy face looking back at her.  This is the one thing she didn’t miss about social interaction, the creeps that think they can just lay their hands on woman without permission, she was going to enjoy messing this guy up. 

He leaned over the bar as far as he could. “Get me a drink wench.” He slurred.

She turned to face him calmly. “I suggest you get your hand off of me, and act a bit more respectfully. Do you know where you are sir?” She tried not to show in her voice just how irritated she was. This guy was so drunk he couldn’t even look Zero in the eye without going cross eyed. 

She sensed movement to her right. “She asked you to let go of her mate.” She turned to look at Four who just winked at her.  The cheek of this guy. 

But Zero could handle herself, she’d had two years in seclusion with no fun what was causing a little chaos? Sure One would have something to say about it but she wasn’t scared of him.  She suddenly covered the mans hand with her free hand and pulled his arm until his full body crashed against the bar, it was hard enough to shock the man back to his senses but not enough to make a big scene. He started to struggle and pant against the hard wood, Zero bent down so the guy could see her. 

“When a lady asks you to let her go, you let go.” She let go of him, he shot up and gave her a cold stare. “Learn some manners, or the next woman you piss off won’t let you off so kindly.” He stumbled away but not without muttering a ‘Bitch’ in her direction. 

She knew that Four was still off to the side, she looked over and saw the entertained look on his face. “I’d say thank you but I did all the work, so I won’t.” She said as she cleared some glasses to be washed off the bar. 

“Hey, I was enjoying the show, plus I wouldn’t have stopped you from hurting that ass-hole. Besides, it looked like you had it all under control I was just going to jump in if things got ugly.” He sat back in the stool right in front of where she started cleaning the glasses. 

“Still it wouldn’t be a good night in a bar without a fight would it?” She smiled up at Four only to find him already staring at her in awe, she didn’t know when they had lent in so close to each other. But the moment between them was ruined when the high pitched shrill of the blonde was heard over Four’s shoulder. Zero sighed and moved back again.

“Baby.” She slurred more than she had earlier, Zero was in no doubt she’d taken something in the restroom. “Grab me another wine and come cuddle with me in the booth.” She rested up against him again and give him the ugliest puppy dog eyes Zero had ever seen. 

‘I hope she’s worth the information Four’ Zero thought to herself. The best way of getting information on old rich men was getting his sugar baby drunk and send in a younger more handsome man to seduce her, that was Four’s tactic anyway. 

As soon as Zero put the wine glass on the bar the blonde snatched it up and took a big gulp, she then started to pull Four off to a booth in the back.  Zero wished for more time talking to Four, hell she even wished it was her pulling him off to a dark booth in the back. She shook her head, she’d never have that but it’s okay because she knew One wouldn’t approve anyway.  

Before the blonde could pull Four completely away from the bar he turned to Zero and mouthed a ‘sorry’ paired with a charming smile that made her heart sing.  To her surprised the blonde also turned to look back at Zero, she gave her the slimmest of grins. Like she knew she’d ultimately won Four’s affections, Zero’s only response was to flip her off. To which the blonde scoffed and disappeared into the darker corner of the room. 

Zero’s mind wandered to what Four thought she looked like, if he thought she was like the blonde he would be sourly disappointed. She wanted to ask One if Four had ever enquired about her but she knew the answer she’d get if she ever asked anything about Four. 

Zero served for another hour or so, and it was just her luck that right as her shift was about to end a fight broke out. She thought this was suppose to be a classy place, but then again where there is booze there’s going to be fights.

 She leapt over the bar to try help the other people break it up but in the process she got sucker punched by one of the guys who totally missed his mark.  She fell to the floor but was quickly helped by a nice woman how offered to look at her wound, she declined. Convincing the woman she’d be fine and promising to put ice on it when she got home. 

Zero was making her way to the back exit when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket, she stopped just outside the fire exit. It was One calling for a debrief in one of the hotel kitchens. The text must have been meant for only her and Five, so she made her way out of the exit and found the backpack with a change of clothes she’d hidden as she’d come in.  She changed into some black leather pants, a black top with long mesh sleeves and a leather jacket. She took the wig off, ruffling out her naturally short hair and stuffed it in the backpack with everything else then tossed it into a nearby dumpster. 

She set off and rounded the front of the building, entering the main lobby like a normal guest she was supposed to be.  When she finally entered the back kitchen she was relived to only see Five, who turned and looked at Zero when she closed the door behind her. Her face soon fell to shocked, like she wasn’t expecting her to be there Zero was about to ask what that was all about but Five rushed forwards. 

“Zero your lip!” It was only in this moment that Zero felt the wetness on her chin, she reached a hand up only to pull it away and see the crimson liquid on her finger tips. “Here take a seat.”  Zero did as Five asked and hoisted herself up on a counter top. 

Five turned and walked away, only returning in front of Zero when she had located the medical kit.

She was cleaning the blood off of Zero’s chin with what she assumed was a septic wipe when One appeared in the kitchen, he took one look at Zero then went feral.  “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” 

Taken aback at his sudden outburst, Zero held her hands up. “Woah! what do you mean what am I doing here? You sent me a text to meet in the kitchens!” 

“What! no I didn’t, I only sent that to the rest of the team.” Zero held up her phone to show One he definitely sent her the text. 

He swore under his breath and proceeded to barrel towards her. “You need to leave! right now!.” But before he could get her off the surface of the work top they all heard laughter and talking coming towards them from the hall.

One backed off, run his hand through his hair, nervous at the events that were about to unfold. 

“I’m telling you! you should have seen it, it was like she was sucking the soul out of his body. She was literally eating his face.” Three laughed as he held the door open for Two and Four. “Poor Four didn’t know what to do with himself, the only action he’s seen recently is over coms with Zero!” Three poked a red faced Four in the chest while laughing at his discomfort.   Both were blissfully unaware of the three people standing behind them panicked, this wasn’t suppose to happen, Zero was never meant to be the same room with the full team, she didn’t even have time to process how happy she was to see her only family finally in front of her.

As his laughter died down, Three and Four turned to the middle of the room. Three hosting himself up on a counter and Four leaning on the door frame. Two had been seizing Zero up the moment she stepped into the room, typical of an ex spy always fully alert. Zero thought to herself that she wouldn’t be at all surprised if Two knew exactly who she was. 

When it finally registered, the whole room went silent the whole team just stared at Zero, even Five had stopped patching Zero’s lip up, she looked at her for help but Five suddenly found the floor to be extremely interesting. The only person not looking was One, who was leaning over a table most likely trying to come up with a solution to this disaster.

Out of everyone in that room she had expected Two to be the one to make the first move, she was however shocked when it was Four who spoke up. “Are we just not going to discuss the stranger in the room? Why is the bartender here?” So he recognised her, he tilted his head cutely as they stared each other down. This little shit also had the audacity to smirk at her. “and why is Five giving her first aid?” 

[terramythos]

TerraMythos 2021 Reading Challenge - Book 22 of 26

Title: Stories of the Raksura, Volume One (2014)

Author: Martha Wells

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Adventure, Short Story Collection, Third-Person, LGBT Protagonist, Female Protagonist

Rating: 7/10 (note: this is an average)

Date Began: 8/23/2021

Date Finished: 8/28/2021

Stories of the Raksura, Volume One is the first of two anthologies that take place in Martha Wells’ Books of the Raksura universe. I recommend reading the original trilogy (starting with The Cloud Roads) before these, as the stories are pretty confusing otherwise. If “fantasy adventure starring shapeshifting, winged humanoids” sounds like an entertaining premise to you, you’re in luck! To those interested, I reviewed the main series last year— here’s a link to the first book.

Of the two novellas and two short stories in this volume, my favorites were “The Falling World” and “Adaptation”, both 8/10s.

Individual ratings, content warnings, and minor series spoilers below the cut. 

Content warnings for the book: non-graphic sexual content, violence, brief mention of r*pe, brief mention of suicide, references to domestic abuse, traumatic injury, bullying, mild body horror.

#1 - The Falling World (8/10)

While on a routine diplomatic mission to a nearby court, Jade, Chime, and a contingent of warriors disappear under mysterious circumstances. Left in a precarious position in the Reach, Moon leads a search party for the missing group. The trail leads to a mysterious, ancient ruin hidden in the depths of a mountain thorn… but bizarre dangers lurk within. Finding the missing Raksura will be easier said than done.

Moon paced absently around while the others explored or drank from the pond. They were here, he thought, days ago. Just days. But standing here had the same feeling he got in ancient groundling ruins: that an unbridgeable gulf of time separated him from the people who were once here.

“The Falling World” is a typical Raksura story which takes place between the third and fourth books. If you read the original trilogy and liked it, you’ll like this one. It’s got all the pieces you’ve come to expect: creepy sorta-haunted ancient ruins, vaguely eldritch monster things, fantasy adventure, and Moon being a snarky angst machine. I wouldn’t call this novella required reading. Beyond a mention in book four, the introduction of Ocean Winter (who I don’t really remember), and a tiny bit of lore re: Chime’s weird powers, there’s nothing new here. It’s the kind of thing you read if you liked the novels and want more adventures— and that’s fine.

#2 - The Tale of Indigo and Cloud (6/10)

Umber Shadow is a minor court in the Reaches, but things are about to change. Its sister queen Indigo just “stole” Cloud, a consort from Emerald Twilight. Such behavior is one of the most taboo acts in Raksuran culture. Now Cerise, the leader of Umber Shadow, has to navigate the dire socio-political consequences of Indigo’s actions, and hopefully prevent an all-out war.

Ruby didn’t look happy, but she didn’t argue either. “All right. Just be careful. Don’t let this little idiot trap you into fighting.” “Which little idiot?” Cerise asked, in exasperation. “There are so many of them!”

I have mixed feelings on “The Tale of Indigo and Cloud”. It’s an obvious choice for a novella, as the main books reference this story. Clearly, the titular characters are the namesakes for Indigo Cloud, the court in the main series. The plot is less action-adventure and more political intrigue— which is fine, and a welcome change of pace. 

My main issue is perspective; rather than Indigo or Cloud (or both), the story instead follows Cerise, leader of Umber Shadow (Indigo Cloud’s predecessor). Cerise is well-written enough, and it’s interesting to get a reigning queen’s POV. But this choice creates a layer of disconnect from the emotional tension of the story—Indigo and Cloud’s rocky relationship. The novella comes off as a chronicle of events rather than an involved story. Personally I’d find the tale more interesting if it started with Indigo and Cloud’s meeting and took their POVs. Clearly Cloud was unhappy in his old life and convinced Indigo to help him; that’s an interesting hook that I wish we saw firsthand. That aside, I appreciated baby!Stone’s cameo and the melancholy epilogue related to that.

#3 - The Forest Boy (7/10)

Tren is an orphan living in a small Mirani village nestled along a trade route. While digging through a local junk heap, he and his friend Lua discover Moon, an injured boy caught in an animal trap. Tren’s adoptive parents nurse the strange child back to health. Moon and Lua become close friends, and Tren grows to resent the newcomer. But when a creature from the forest attacks the three children, Tren learns that Moon’s hiding a deadly secret.

He wasn’t a fool; he knew it was jealousy, like the jealous herder in one of Ari’s stories who lost his herd by trying to make it bigger than those his neighbors owned… Moon was big, strong, helpful, good to everyone, and everyone in the house liked him. He also had the added mystery of being a wild boy from the Long Road, without any of the dirty or violent habits a real wild boy might have.

But knowing it was jealousy didn’t seem to help Tren make it go away. It just made it worse, since now he could feel guilty about being jealous.

I liked this one! “The Forest Boy” introduces some early characterization for Moon; in particular, it adds context to Moon’s natural suspicion of others. Poor boy just wants a family— but he’ll always be at a remove from others since he has to hide his identity. No wonder he constantly doubts his place among the Raksura once he finally meets them. Here he finds a potential place to belong, but it comes crashing down just for being himself. It’s especially yikes knowing that this keeps happening well into adulthood. I felt kind of meh about Tren as a character, but hey, it’s a short story.

#4 - Adaptation (8/10)

Chime has been an Arbora for his entire life; the wingless caste of Raksura who keep the court running. But one day, when shapeshifting into his Arbora form, Chime blacks out. When he awakens, he finds his body has transformed into a winged Aeriat. Now with his entire identity called into question, Chime becomes an outsider among both Raksuran castes. But perhaps more troubling is what this shift means for the future of Indigo Cloud.

Someone must have carried him out of the central well; they were in one of the smaller side rooms, the one with a fountain pool fed by a channel in the wall. Chime stumbled to the pool and almost swayed over backwards. Catching himself on the rim, he stared down at his reflection.

He was looking at a Raksuran warrior, tall, lean, with blue scales. Horrified and fascinated, he raised his spines to see if they were longer, and something else extended out behind him. It took him a moment to realize he was looking at the edges of his wings as they unfolded from his back.

We love Chime in this household, so I’m happy to see a short story from his POV. Like “The Tale of Indigo and Cloud”, this was an obvious choice to write, since there’s a lot of discussion in the main books about it. Chime’s horror upon waking in a strange new body, the resulting social isolation, and his first steps toward accepting his situation, are all very compelling subjects. It’s no wonder the poor guy latched onto Moon right away. I think “Adaptation” is too short for its heavy and complex subject matter. Something like this could easily be a novella. But I did like it for what it is. 

Closing Thoughts

This anthology was fine! I basically wanted a little more Raksura content, and this certainly delivered. Short story/novella collections are always going to be hit or miss with me, so I consider 7/10 a pretty good average score. As I mentioned above, only read this if you’ve read the main series, or you’ll be lost.

[marvelousell]

The Agreement (Part 5.)

Pairing(s): frat boy!fwb!Tom x reader, frat boy!Harrison x reader

Summary: Tom is a typical frat boy, his love for partying, drinks and girls are bigger than his ego. Y/N is a whole different dimension, she keeps her circle small, and even though she knows her best friend Tom is a total douche, she can’t say no to the little deal that was sealed between the two of them.

Word count: 3.1k

A/N: I really went with this one lol, I just can’t wait for more Haz in the next parts ngl 👀. Hope you like this andd I would appreciate it if you reblog, leave a comment, or send a feedback!❤️

My tag list is open for this series!

Warnings: SMUT 18+, unprotected sex, swearing, mentions of alcohol

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

Masterlist

“He is looking at you, and he has that smile on his face Y/N!” Anna whispered, laughing with you.

Oh this feeling. You missed it so much.

You would catch him staring, giving you a shy smile every now and then.

And there was Tom. Looking hot as always.

He was talking with him and Harry, laughing and drinking, eyeing almost every girl that passed next to them. Some of them were lucky, getting a hug and kiss on the cheek.

He caught you staring, sending you a quick wink.

Nice one Tom, totally original.

Focus Y/N. Tonight is definitely not about him.

“How did you end up together? Did he approach you first? What did he say? Or you? Or...”

“Okay, okay..breathe!” You chuckled at her excitement, happy to have a friend like her by your side.

“You don’t even know how much I would love this to happen!” She pointed at you and him, trying to look as calm as possible.

“I was in the kitchen getting your drink, and I really didn’t see him. He was getting a refill I suppose, so he started a conversation with me, and yeah..” You explained.

“He asked me if I wanted to go outside because the house was packed, and we just sat there and the chat went really smoothly. He is so sweet Anna.”

“I told you he was so your type! He is the most caring and warm-hearted person. He deserves you, and you absolutely deserve him.”

“We really clicked the day we met, and you know how much I like to talk, he listened to every single word. Every day. Especially when I was talking about you, so I thought this would be a great opportunity.” She began.

You didn’t feel that thrilled about a boy ever since Noah.

He really was the first boy that showed some interest in you. It was a nice 2 year relationship and friendship, however the spark just faded.

That’s what he said.

At least it wasn’t an ugly break up, full of screaming and bitter words.

But still it was your first heartbreak and you didn’t want to hear the lousy “we should stay friends” or “we are going to be in touch” sentence. So you just cut him out of your life, and it sure was a great decision after seeing him a few days after with a girl by his side.

“Y/N!!! Woah look at you! You’re having fun I see huh?” Amelia winked, tipsy already.

“How much did you drink Mel?” You giggled when she hugged you.

“Ya know not that much! But definitely enough to go talk to that blondie back there.”

“Good Mel, I’m glad you are having fun too.”

“I think it’s time that you strip and show that piece under your innocent dress babe.” Anna whispered, trying to coax you.

“Are you kidding me? In front of everyone? If you told me that half of the town would be here I wouldn’t even bother to put it on.”

“Oh please Y/N. Look everyone is already in their bikinis! Believe me you don’t have nothing to hide, only to show.” She smirked, tapping your bum twice.

“God. Okay. But I’m not doing this alone, you two are stripping also!” You said.

“Amelia sure forestalled you.” She laughed, looking at a now half naked and drunk Amelia that jumped in the pool.

“I just hope she will not pass out and end up puking in the car like last time.” You said, looking at her laughing and calling for you to join the party.

Sure why not.

You let your dress slide down your body, admiring the red bikini that was on full display now.

“Well holy moly, if he doesn’t want you I’m gonna take the opportunity.” Anna’s eyes went up and down, admiring your figure.

You were so engrossed in the conversation with Anna that you didn’t feel two pair of eyes staring at you.

“Holy shit.” Harrison muttered under his breath.

He was dumbfound. He couldn’t find the right words to describe how gorgeous you were.

Harrison was already struck by your inner beauty, this was just a bonus.

But he sure wasn’t the only one staring and admiring the girl near the pool.

Right behind him was Tom whose eyes were about to pop out of his eye sockets from the view.

He saw already much more than that, but he couldn’t look away.

The red bikini hugged your tits perfectly, your bum looking better than ever.

The scenes from the previous night were on his mind.

If he could, he would take you right there. In front of everybody.

Tom’s erection was getting more visible through his swimming trunks. The throbbing inside was driving him crazy.

“You ready to jump in mate?” Harrison’s voice broke his silent thoughts.

“Yeah, of course.” He said lowly, trying his best not to groan.

Tom thought that the refreshing pool water would help him to calm his hot mind.

He really needed you.

After all the deal said that you would help each other, isn’t that right?

However his plans to come and talk to you were ruined by his friend who was trying to keep you entertained.

“You call that entertainment? We will see what will you like more soon love.” He thought as he swam away, losing his patience now.

-

You were okay on your own, dipping your feet in the pool, waiting for Anna that dragged Amelia to the bathroom to pee.

You saw Harrison entering the pool again, sending you a small grin letting you know he would join you in a minute.

He presence was making you so nervous, but in a good way.

“Finally got some more time with you, Mel was killing me with the stories about this blonde dude that she met while spilling almost her whole drink on me.” He laughed, slicking his wet hair back.

“Tell me about that, Anna took her to the bathroom to pee. She is really wild tonight.”

He was in front of your legs, his crystal blue eyes were focused on yours.

“You know.. I really want to ask you something.” He began, swimming closer to your legs to rest his arm on top of your knees leaving a trail of goosebumps on your hot skin.

His cold and soft touch sent waves of pleasure through your body.

You could get used to this.

“Go on.”

“I really enjoyed the time we spent tonight, and I really want to do this more often if you would like that too. I mean I would like to take you out, you’re really lovely Y/N.” He reddened after the words slipped past his lips.

“Of course, I really had fun tonight thanks to you Harrison. I really like you.” You spoke back.

“The feeling is definitely mutual. Are you available on Monday?”

“Yes, Monday sounds perfect.”

“Excellent love, now I think it’s time to cool off a little.” He smiled mischievously, grabbing your hips.

“What do you mean cool—“ You didn’t even finish your sentence because you found yourself underwater.

You were out of breath laughing, splashing water on him.

“Oh you’re trying to drown me? You sure are messing with the wrong person here.” You joked, putting your arms on his shoulder.

“Gonna need much more strength for that love.” His arms sneaked around your waist under the water, drawing you close to him.

“Want to try that again?” He whispered, his face close to yours.

His breath fanned your skin, you were so sure something would happen, but something stopped that.

Or should I say someone in particular.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Gosh Tom, you really are a bitch.

“No, no Tom, we were just chatting.” Harrison answered him, stepping outside the pool to sit.

“Well, Amelia is plastered and Anna asked if you could help her so she could put her in bed.” Tom said.

“Sure, are they inside?”

Tom just nodded.

“You gonna wait for me?” Harrison asked before leaving.

“I’m gonna dry myself off, so we can meet in the garden?”

“Deal love.”

Tom just waited for his friend to disappear from your sight so he could finally speak to you.

“Look at you darling, you look divine.”

“Thank you Tom, you sure know when to come.” You spoke back.

“I’m sorry for ruining your sweet moment here darling, but they really needed him.”

You stepped outside the pool, making your way to the house.

“So you really made my mate go all insane for you.” Tom stated, guiding you to the bathroom.

“Did I?” You asked, your heart fluttering at his words.

“Absolutely. He couldn’t keep his eyes away from you.”

“And me as well.” Tom spoke in your ear, looking around so you could enter the bathroom unnoticed.

Fuck Tom.

Should I be even doing this?

“You made me so hard just by watching you in this red two piece bikini.” He growled in your ear.

You leaned your head on his shoulder, trying to relax as much as possible.

The feeling of getting caught was stressing you out.

But you couldn’t say no to him.

You sighed as his lips were teasing your neck and shoulder.

“Shit I craved you so much baby, couldn’t wait any longer.” His hands made their way to the nape of your neck, untying the knot of your top.

Tom’s fingers danced on your skin, coming in contact with your belly.

His palm was placed there holding you close to him, while his other hand toyed with the knots that held the bottom piece of the bikini in place.

“Can you feel how much I want you right now baby?” He rubbed his crotch on your ass, receiving an exciting moan from you.

“Shh, we don’t want anyone to burst in here do we?” He shushed you, pressing a sloppy kiss on your jawline.

“Fuck, no. Just do something already we don’t have much time.”

“You mean you don’t have much time? I have the whole damn time if you ask me.” Tom teased, chuckling into the nape of your neck.

His free hand reached the edges of your bikini, pushing the material to the side dipping one finger into your folds.

“Looks like I wasn’t the only one excited here hm?” He rubbed you slowly, slipping one finger inside of you without a warning.

You tried your best not to be loud, but the feeling of Tom’s fingers buried inside of you made you weak.

“Would love to see you fall apart on my fingers baby, but we both know we need each other now right?”

“Hell yes, please fuck me.” Your eyes still closed, enjoying the pleasure he was giving you.

He removed his hand, making you whine from the feeling of being empty.

“Don’t worry I got something much more better.”

The dark trunks of his were now long gone, his hands lifted you up on the washing machine spreading your legs wide open.

Tom smashed himself inside of you, making you both whine from the feeling.

Your palm grasped his wet curls tightly, pulling him closer to your trembling body.

God this feels so wrong, but so great.

What are you doing to me Tom? No wonder Sophie went crazy about you.

“Tell me love, who can make you this good?”

“Shit you Tommy.” You bit your lip drawing blood to the surface, only to stop the moans escaping from your throat.

“Don’t break the deal between us love. Look how good we make each other feel. You can still be with whoever you want and me as well, no one needs to know it will be our little secret.” He pleaded into your ear.

You were aware of the situation.

Although you knew that this would be wrong in every possible way if something happens between you and Harrison, you couldn’t say no.

He was so addicting, his touch, movements, small talk.

Everything.

What happened? How did you fell for someone like Tom?

“Christ, this will be so wrong but I-I can’t break this fucking deal.” You muttered out, squeezing your eyes shut from the familiar sensation forming in the pit of your stomach.

You’re going to be the end of me Thomas.

He smiled at your response as his hands pushed through your hair gripping it lightly.

You were close to the edge. You whimpered as his fingers started rubbing your bundle of nerves.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck I’m gonna cum.” You managed to choke out.

Tom wasn’t that far from coming and seeing your beautiful face as you came, he almost bursted.

“That’s right beautiful, you’re doing so good for me. Don’t worry just our little secret.”

And with that he pulled out his length shooting his load on your bare chest.

“Fuck you look so good with my cum all over you.” He smirked playfully, eyeing your tits.

“Full of yourself Holland, hand me a tissue please.” You replied.

The reality hit you hard in that moment.

You were nervous, anybody could tell if they saw you honestly.

You loved Tom and ending this..whatever it’s called wasn’t something you wanted.

And hurting a guy like Harrison by doing something behind his back was a no as well.

“Hey, don’t stress that much.” Tom spoke handing you the tissues.

“You know he likes you, I’m thousand percent sure, he is my best mate I know when he likes someone or not.” He laughed, helping you down from the washing machine.

“I hope so..but that’s not the only thing why I’m worried.” You whispered as you searched through your bag for dry clothes.

“Look I know you think that this is bad..but believe me it’s just a silly deal that’s here for us if we need to blow off some steam and stuff like that. No feelings love, that’s making everything different.”

Maybe he was right?

No one would say a thing, eventually your crush will fade and no harm done.

You hope so.

“Yeah..you have a point. No one will know?” You asked once more.

“No one love.”

“Okay.”

You could feel him staring as you tried to dress yourself.

“Do you mind turning around?” You asked, trying to hide your breasts and everything else as much as possible.

“Why? Nothing I haven’t seen or felt before.” He leaned on the white tiles with his eyes still on your body.

“Dear God.” You spoke. Annoyed.

You gave up, starting to dress in front of him.

“I look like shit now, great.” You stared at the reflection in the mirror.

Hair a complete mess, the light makeup long gone by now, your cheeks flushed.

“Oh c’mon you stole his heart anyway, he won’t notice anything.”

Crap, Harrison.

He is probably looking for you.

“How long are we here? He probably thinks I stood him up or something.” You panicked, grabbing the doorknob.

However Tom’s hand was fast enough to stop you.

“Wait, I will go first to see if someone’s around. I will knock if the air is clear, then you can go.”

“Okay, just hurry up.”

The 10 seconds were like an eternity.

You’re heart was running wild because of Tom and Harrison.

You wanted them both.

“Come out.” He said, knocking on the door.

“I see you around then?” He added before you tried to disappear.

“Yes.” You gave him a one last look before speeding down the stairs.

“There she is!” Anna shouted, pointing at you.

“I’m so sorry, I couldn’t f-find my bag so it took me a while.” You spoke, looking at Anna and him.

“No problem, but you missed the fun with Amelia.” Anna giggled.

“Oh that was a show I bet.”

“Definitely, Harry said that she can sleep here tonight, so we don’t have to worry if the car will smell like vomit.” She joked, making a slightly disgusted face.

“Ew.”

“Okay, I’m going to find Harry and when you two are done call me.”

You were lost for words again.

He was absolutely beautiful.

“So..” You began, rocking back and forth on your feet.

“Our date still on?” He asked nervously.

“Of course I really did enjoy my evening with you.”

“I’m so glad you did, because I honestly want to see you more.”

Before you could even answer, his arms were on your back.

He pressed an innocent peck on your cheek out of the blue.

Harrison didn’t want to rush anything, but he wanted to show how much you fascinated him.

“See you on Monday?” He said.

“See you on Monday.” You confirmed, embracing him in a short hug.

-

“Oi, oi already going home?” The cocky voice spoke behind your back.

“Someone wants a decent amount of sleep Holland.” Anna replied, stopping just like you to see what he wanted.

However he did have some company with him.

The same blonde from the living room.

Wasn’t the sex a while ago enough for him?

Of course not.

You felt sick seeing his fingers caressing her slim hip.

Please let us leave.

“The party just started, you’re no fun like always.” He was being a total douche in front of her, nothing like Tom that hangout with us.

“If you’re trying to impress your girl here, you’re failing. Try to sober up a bit then you can talk to us, good night.” She grabbed your hand, marching to her car.

“He is being an total ass tonight.”

“Yeah..” You mumbled, the picture of Tom and the blonde occupying your mind.

“You upset about something? You know you can tell me everything.” She glanced at you, bringing her attention back to the road.

“Oh n-no, nothing’s bothering me really. I’m just stressing about my date on Monday.” You spoke, it was true after all. You were nervous about that as well.

“OHH, yeees Harrison told me he asked you on a date. Believe me nothing to worry about he is head over heels for you babe!”

“Will you come help me out before the date?” You questioned.

“Absolutely! I’m always here to help!” She screeched happily.

“See you then Ann, thank you for this evening and Harrison and everything. Have a good rest, good night.” You hugged her, before exiting the car.

“No problem love! Love to see you happy like this, good night!”

This was an intense night. You were all over the place, the whole night repeating in your head.

Your apartment was dark and quiet.

You kicked your shoes off, exhaling loudly as the tune of a received message grabbed your attention.

Unknown number

I loved your company so much I forgot to ask for your number. Hope you don’t mind that I asked Ann. :)

Haz x

Of course not! I’m glad you asked her! I enjoyed your presence as well. Xx

You were so overwhelmed that sleeping was impossible at that moment. The only thing on your mind was the date and Harrison.

-

Tag List

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[thetomorrowshow]

Slower Than Words Ch. 1

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12

A/N: Welcome to my latest fic! I’m projecting about 10 chapters for this. If you’d like to be tagged, just leave a comment or shoot me an ask or send a request by falcon or w/e, I’m not picky!

Just to preface, I'd like to warn that there will be cult content in this work. I am in no way endorsing cults, nor am I criticizing anyone's religion. The intent of this work is to entertain, so please enjoy!

CW: Food, inflicted blindness, imprisonment

~

Virgil wasn’t expecting a roommate.

He’d only been here for a month or so, but he’d been alone for a while. He’d been quarantined for the past twenty days, and experimented on before that—Virgil didn’t want to think about that.

He hadn't known he had a roommate until someone brushed up against him as he curled up on the cold floor. He couldn't find the bed, otherwise that was where he'd lie. But something touched him and he reared back, ready to attack.

Whatever it was didn't touch him again, and Virgil slowly let himself relax. The sudden movement had sent a migraine to pound at the walls of his head. He groaned and let his head rest on the cold floor beneath him, before hearing some rustling. He jerked right back up, flinching again when something heavy fell on him. A blanket.

“Hello?” he ventured. No answer. For a moment, Virgil was certain he was making it all up, that he had gotten the blanket himself but had forgotten. Then another noise—a scuffle, the sound of someone sitting nearby. A hand touched his shoulder, and Virgil did everything in his power to not draw back.

“Who's there?” he asked, his voice quivering. “I can't—I can't see. I can't see you.”

Even after they'd taken the bandages off his eyes, Virgil had been unable to see anything. The first week, his eyes had burned and itched. He'd restrained himself from scratching, but now he wasn't sure if it would have made a difference. He had lost his sight, and with it his whole world.

The hand didn't leave his shoulder, and Virgil reached out cautiously. His hands met something solid—a person? Yes, a person, and Virgil's hands clutched desperately at their shirt. He hadn't had safe human contact in so long. . . . The person seemed to understand that, and gently placed his arms around Virgil. Virgil let himself be wrapped in the hug, arms awkwardly against his chest. The person smelled like soap and dust and immediately warmed him. Virgil relished the fiery contact, pushing his head up into the person's shoulder and sighing. For the first time in weeks, he felt safe.

The person pulled back and Virgil floundered, reaching again into the empty air. A hand caught his and held it still. Virgil frowned, confused. What was happening? Were they not supposed to know about each other? Was the person about to lead him back into that room, the bright one where they leaned over him and—

Virgil wrenched his brain away from that train of thought. He needed to focus on the here and now, not the terrifying past. Starting with who the other person in the room was. Said other person suddenly let go off his hand and pulled him close again. Virgil decided to not worry about who they were or why they were both here, and melted into the person's chest.

-

When Virgil woke up, he blinked blearily before remembering that he couldn't see. Someone—the person from the previous day—was still holding him, but his slow breathing indicated that he was asleep. At some point, they'd moved to a bed. It was nice, all things considered. He wasn't alone, he was in a soft bed with a soft person, and he had no need to go anywhere anytime soon.

A loud clang! interrupted his drowsy thoughts and he jerked up, feeling the person beside him stir in their sleep.

“Hello?” Virgil said, his voice shaking. No answer. His roommate sat up beside him and placed a gentle hand on his back, calm and reassuring. Then the person slid out of bed and seemingly vanished—Virgil could no longer reach them, no matter how far he stretched out his arms. He whimpered unwillingly, then covered his mouth. No use seeming weak. A little voice in his head reminded him that he'd certainly done worse than whimper when they'd taken his sight.

A terrifying moment later, a hand was on his arm and guiding him into a standing position. Virgil stumbled a bit, but allowed himself to be led across the room until the person eased him to the ground.

As it turned out, there was food there, laid out on a tray. Virgil felt his way around the tray before lifting what he was certain was a spoon, letting the other person place a bowl on his lap. It was full of instant mashed potatoes, Virgil soon discovered. He hadn't really been focusing on his stomach, but he realized some sustenance would be nice. While he ate, the other person traced seemingly random patterns on his wrist.

The bowl with mashed potatoes was pulled away from him, then returned but filled with canned beans. Virgil grimaced: he'd never been one for beans, but at least they were warm. It struck him as he ate that he had no idea what time it was. Was this an odd breakfast, or a poor dinner? It reminded him of something his dorm mate might have made—and just like that, tears were forming and his nose was burning.

Why did they take him? Out of every twenty-something person they could've kidnapped to fulfill their sick desires of blinding someone, why him? Virgil missed home, he missed school, he missed his obnoxious dorm mate, he missed his terrible paying job making terrible pizzas—

The bowl was gently pulled from him and Virgil willingly fell into the person's arms. He sobbed into their shoulder, lost and sad and homesick. How many times had he cried alone in the past month? How many times had he longed for human contact only to wrap his arms around himself? Now he cuddled closer into the warm weight of another human being, gripping as tight as he could.

The other person lightly placed a kiss into Virgil's hair and Virgil felt safe, and warm, and still so so awful but also okay.

Virgil pulled back and fumbled around for the bowl again, still sniffling as he took another bite. The person continued to trace the patterns into his wrist, slow and soft. Over and over. Familiar, like they had no meaning yet every meaning simultaneously. Over and over and over. . . .

That was—repetition? Did the pattern start over? Virgil set down the bowl and placed his hand on the other person's, who immediately stilled.

“Come on, do it again,” Virgil croaked. He gestured at his wrist, trying to get his meaning across. “I wanna feel it.”

Slowly, the patterns started up again, and Virgil traced along with them.

a . . . b . . . c . . . d. . . .

The alphabet. The person hadn't spoken at all thus far, and Virgil felt unbelievably ecstatic about this form of communication. He pushed his hand into the other person's, food forgotten in the giddy anticipation of someone talking to him. Old Virgil would have scoffed, unimpressed at his thirst for human contact. Old Virgil wanted to be alone. Old Virgil hadn't spent weeks alone in darkness.

Virgil could pick out some of the letters the person traced, but the rest felt like random scribbling. He definitely felt an 'a', and an 'o', and then an 'n', but the rest was unclear. He shrugged, then put his hand over theirs again.

This time he could feel the letters more clearly, as the other person carefully guided his hand.

P-a-t-t-o-n.

-

V-i-r-g-i-l, Virgil spelled. V-i-r-g-i-l.

V . . . i . . . n . . . y . . . l . . . l.

“No, Virgil, not vinyl,” Virgil groaned. V-i-r-g-i-l.

V . . . i . . . r . . . g . . . i . . . l.

“Yes, yes yes!” Virgil impulsively hugged the man whose arm he'd been spelling on a second earlier. His name was Patton, and through much trial and error, Virgil had discovered that Patton was about his age and could see. Why he wasn't talking was a mystery that he hadn't decoded yet.

Virgil and Patton had been curled up on the bed for hours, tracing into each others' arms. It was mostly the alphabet, over and over again as they tried to instinctually recognize the letters. It was slow going, but Virgil felt they'd gotten far enough for his name—and they had. It exhausted both of them, he was sure, so he wasn't surprised when Patton fell asleep, him following shortly.

The past few days had been too short, it seemed, after the unbelievable length of the month he'd spent alone. Hours of tracing and sleeping and eating and just touching helped the days fly by. Every day Patton held Virgil steady as the walked the perimeter of the room, one hand on the smooth wall, the other clenched into Patton's shirt. He was slowly beginning to envision their cell in his mind's eye. He knew how many steps it was from the door to the beds—because there were two of them, apparently, though Virgil spent most of his time on the same bed as Patton. When it was night, he couldn't bear to let Patton go, afraid he'd wake up alone again, not able to find anyone. On nights when the fear was particularly bad, Patton held him to his chest and wiped the tears away.

They were almost constantly touching, in some way. When they were both mentally worn from the struggle of communicating, they often lay on the floor, hands entwined. In those moments, Virgil let his mind explore beyond the room, sometimes imagining himself to be a great wizard or adventurer. He went on grand quests to retrieve lost treasures, journeyed into caverns that dripped with shadows. Most of the time, though, he imagined he was going about his normal life. He pictured his dorm mate, the paths he'd take to school. He thought about the tree that grew outside his window, the aloe vera on his desk that was somehow managing to survive. Those bittersweet thoughts always led to a wave of homesickness, and Virgil would find himself curling into Patton's arms to cry.

Now, though, Virgil woke up slowly, automatically squeezing his grip to make sure he was still holding Patton's hand. The man squeezed back, then spelled something onto his arm.

V-i-r-g-i-l.

Virgil smiled sleepily and spelled back: P-a-t-t-o-n. Who was he to break morning routine?

F-o-o-d-s-h-e-r-e, Patton spelled out slowly, making a slicing motion on his arm to indicate a space between words. Virgil nodded, forestalling the man as he began to spell it again.

“I heard, I heard.”

Over breakfast, Patton continued the alphabet lightly. Virgil tried to keep his arm free, but he needed one hand to hold the bowl and the other to eat the oatmeal, so it wasn't going too well. Soon enough, the tray was taken from them (by the morning food-bringer, Virgil was beginning to be able to tell their footsteps apart) and Patton squeezed him in a brief hug before taking Virgil's hand and placing it over his own, tracing more letters onto Virgil's skin.

I-a-m-d-e-a-f.

That couldn't be right. Virgil wracked his brain, trying to think of which letter he misinterpreted. Before he could pick it out, though, Patton was tracing again.

I-a-m-d-e-a-f.

~

Taglist (let me know if you want to be added/removed!): @enragedbees @gotta-love-alejandra @bunny222