#this scene was supposed to go in a completely different direction

[lynzishell]

The Present ❤️ Selvadorada

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Transcript below the cut:

Asher: The sun is starting to go down; we should head back. Atlas: Yeah, you’re probably right. There’s a lookout over here. Do you want to check it out real quick? Or should we turn back now? Asher: We can take a look. A few minutes won’t hurt.

Atlas: Did you mean what you said earlier? That your wish is to be with me forever? Asher: Of course I meant it. Atlas: You know I want that too, right? Asher: I know.

Atlas: The only reason it didn’t occur to me to wish for it is because I’m already yours, for as long as you’ll have me, and I hope that’s forever, but I don’t want it to be because of a wish, I want us to be together because we wake up every day and choose to be.

Asher: I want that too; you know I do. The whole wish thing, it was just a hypothetical.

Atlas: I know. It’s just… Look, I don’t know how to do this, so I’m just going to ask you, okay? Asher: Ask me what?

Atlas: Will you marry me?

Asher: Really? Atlas: Really.

Asher: Hell yes, I’ll marry you!

Atlas: I love you. Asher: I love you too. Atlas: Not to ruin the moment, but we only have an hour to get out of here before it gets dark. Asher: Shit. Okay. Five more seconds and then we can go.

[tikosblogg]

Okay but like….Best friend Noah, becoming all possessive over you, when a random dude stares at you a little too hard 😩❤️

Part Two Here

I was sat up on the kitchen counter, resting my head against the cabinets behind me, tucked into the corner. Noah stood to the side of me, leaning back against the counter top as a handful of friends stood in a relaxed half-circle around us, talking and sharing jokes. It felt intimate and safe, a little bubble of joy amidst the crowd of twirling bodies and laughter drifting through the open windows.

Jesse, with his animated expressions and hand gestures, had snagged everyone's attention with a story from an old touring mishap—something about a raccoon and a dumpster fire.

A gaze was fixed on me, unsettling in its intensity. At first, I glanced around, thinking it was just my imagination, but a quick sweep of the room brought my eyes to a guy I barely knew, standing awkwardly at the edge of the group. His attention was locked on my thighs, an unsettling hunger in his gaze, and my heart thudded with discomfort. I instinctively glanced down and realized my dress had ridden up more than I intended, revealing more skin than it was supposed to.

While keeping my composure, I shifted to adjust the fabric, tugging it down, but my mind began racing. Jesse’s story faded into a murmur as the weight of that stare pressed down on me. My pulse quickened, and in a moment of anxious fidgeting, I considered climbing off the counter entirely, but I didn't want to cause a scene or draw more attention.

I looked over to Noah to give some lame made up excuse to leave the group, until my words died in my throat. I noticed his eyes set in a hard stare to my left. The look on his face was serious, his stare cold. I slowly turned my head in the direction he was staring, to see him eyeing the guy, that was still currently, burning holes through my thighs. Noah suddenly stepping into the guys line of vision.

He moved in front of me, positioning himself between my thighs, his back facing me like a shield. The warmth of his body radiated towards me, and I felt an immediate sense of relief washing over me.

Noah leaned back, slightly into me my chest softly grazing his back, and turned to shoot the guy another cold, piercing stare that spoke volumes. My body shuddered at the sudden possessiveness Noah displayed toward me. His voice suddenly filled the air, making everyone around go silent. “Got a problem?” His voice was calm, but held an eerie edge to it.

Without a word, the guy took a step back, eyes wide, and then another step, shaking his head quickly retreating from the kitchen entirely. I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding, my shoulders finally relaxing as I leaned my forehead against Noah’s back in whispering a “thanks.” The tension slowly slipping away.

He turned his head slightly over his shoulder, revealing a small, reassuring smile. "No problem, sweetheart." he said, his voice steady and low. It sent a jolt of warmth through me, weaving a complicated mix of emotions in my chest. I knew Noah had my back, always—yet this was different. There was a possessiveness in that simple act, a reminder that I wasn't just a friend to him; I was treasured.

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, glancing up at him with a sheepish grin, feeling the rush of camaraderie morphing into something deeper. As Jesse resumed his tale, I found myself fully in the moment again, but with a newfound warmth that lingered just a little stronger than before..

Instead of moving back to his spot next to me, Noah relaxed deeper into me, his back completely pressing against my chest. A delightful heat spread through me, igniting each nerve ending with that rush of adrenaline. I couldn’t help but feel a tingle of excitement at having him so close.

I knew it was wrong. To think of my best friend this way, the one I sought solace in during rough patches, the one who many people saw as just a bestie and nothing more. I shouldn’t be feeling this way about him. But as he laughed with the others, my heart raced at the thought that maybe I wasn’t the only one who felt the tension between us.

My thighs unconsciously tensed around his hips as I tried to ground myself against this newfound sensation—the thrill of intimacy wrapped up in friendship. He must have felt it too, because his laughter stuttered for a split second as his hand reached back. Slowly, reverently, his large hand slid down the side of my thigh, making me shiver from the touch. His fingers were warm, gentle, but there was an underlying strength in his hold, like he could both protect and consume me if he chose.

I swallowed hard, my breath hitching in my throat as his hand traveled further, down my calf, until his fingers lightly but deliberately wrapped around my ankle. It was an entirely innocent gesture, maybe, but it sent fireworks through me. I could feel his heartbeat against my chest, steady and alive, matching the rapid beat of my own heart in a chorus of tension.

Noah turned slightly, just enough that I could see the smirk gracing his lips, that perfect smile deepening. "What's the matter?" he teased, his voice low and playful, not quite matching the serious tension in the air around us.

My pulse quickened further. Did he notice the way I was feeling? Was he teasing, or was there an underlying truth to his words? “N-nothing,” I replied, trying to maintain a facade of calm while my insides twisted with a mixture of desire and uncertainty.

His fingers tightened slightly around my ankle, and in that moment, the laughter of our friends faded away until it was just the two of us—the space around us pulsing with unspoken words and hidden truths. The air felt charged, electric with what lay between us, each heartbeat echoing a question that had lingered unspoken for far too long.

I finally said fuck it, and leaned in slightly closer, pressing my lips to the edge of his shoulder, feeling him stiffen just slightly at the unexpected contact. The initial shock was quickly replaced by more tension, and I could almost feel the struggle within him as I watched the playful spark in his eyes change into something deeper. Something more.

“You should be reeaal careful,” he murmured, barely above a whisper, his eyes locking onto mine with fierce intensity. All I could see or focus on was him.

I felt a rush of confidence, emboldened by the heat of our connection. “Or what?.”

[burst-of-iridescent]

The Choice of Compassion: A Scene Analysis of Aang vs Zuko

should aang have killed ozai?

the age old question. the discourse secondary only to the infamous kat.aang vs zutara ship war. the argument that's been raging for sixteen long, long years and inspired dozens upon dozens of thinkpieces on either side.

so naturally, i'm here to add one more that no one asked for.

now, this debate keeps getting mischaracterized as The Side That Respects Pacifism vs The Side That Wants A Preteen To Commit Brutal Murder when, for the most part, i don't think anyone is really staking their life on the homicide hill. the real issue most people take with aang's arc in the finale isn't him sparing ozai, but rather the deus ex-machina mechanism through which he's able to do so. i agree with that, but i would also take it further to argue that the real problem is that aang's ending is not thematically and narratively consistent with the rest of his arc as set up in the show.

to illustrate this, let's take a look at another scene that plays with similar themes: zuko choosing to save zhao in the siege of the north.

the basics of both scenes are the same: both boys choose, against all logic and common sense, to spare someone who would never show them the same mercy. when it comes down to compassion versus violence, they choose compassion, even at risk to themselves.

but where the siege of the north differs from sozin's comet is that zuko choosing to save zhao is thematically consistent with his arc in season 1, and aligns with where it will go in seasons 2 and 3.

zuko's journey throughout the show is one of rediscovery. he has to find his way back to who he used to be, before his family and his nation warped his perception of right and wrong, and forced him into believing he had to become someone he didn't want to be. it's clear as early as the storm episode that zuko is fundamentally kind, and the person he is now is as a result of being indoctrinated in a culture that perverted violence and cruelty into honour and strength.

in trying to save zhao, the personification of the fire nation's worst qualities and most twisted teachings, zuko turns against the values he's been raised with most of his life and instead chooses to remain true to himself and what he believes is right. it's a triumphant moment because it's zuko returning to the heart of who he is, and who he's truly supposed to be.

and even though his decision may be logically unsound (why risk yourself trying to save someone who tried to kill you?) you don't see anyone complaining that zuko shouldn't have tried at all, because his choice here is a direct - even if brief - resolution to the internal conflict the show has previously established for his character. the narrative consistency of the set-up and payoff allows the audience to recognize the thematic cohesion of this moment in zuko's arc - which is what makes it so powerful and satisfying.

so, the question is: does the same apply to aang's choice not to kill ozai?

the argument supporting aang's decision is usually something as follows: "aang sparing ozai is his way of remaining true to his people and making sure they aren't forgotten. it's a powerful symbol of how he's keeping their culture and beliefs alive even though the fire nation tried to wipe them out."

now that's not a bad argument, in theory. the problem, though, is that if this is the resolution of aang's arc, it has to be a direct response to a conflict established in said arc... and remaining true to air nomad values is not a struggle the show ever set up for aang until the finale.

not once in any of the previous seasons does aang seem to be forgetting his people's ideals, or losing his identity through assimilation, or struggling to reconcile his air nomad beliefs with the ideas he's encountering in this new, changed world. there isn't a long-term, sustained arc about him being worried or concerned about air nomad culture dying out completely, or about taking on the burden of keeping it alive. in fact, the only episode that does reckon with this theme in any capacity - the northern air temple - seems to push the opposite message: that aang should move on and adapt to this changing world instead of remaining mired in the past, and protecting the culture of a people long gone.

(note: i don't like how the NAT episode handled this theme, but for the purposes of this post, we will take it as it was written.)

both zuko and aang are characters whose arcs revolve around change, but if zuko's arc is about moving back to who he truly is, then aang's arc is about moving forward. it's about going from the last airbender to the avatar - about drawing wisdom from different places, about immersing himself in the practices, beliefs and cultures of the other nations, and learning to value them as he values his own.

it's the classic want vs need: what aang wants is to be nothing more than a goofy, peaceful airbender but what he needs is to become a fully-realized avatar, the embodiment of four nations in one. and this conflict is established and re-established repeatedly over three seasons, most especially in his struggle to learn earthbending and firebending, both of which called for him to adopt new perspectives and beliefs contrary to his own.

this is why aang refusing to kill ozai feels so narratively unfulfilling, because it's the complete antithesis of what the show established for aang's narrative over three seasons. the plot point of his absolute pacifism not only comes out of left field (where was this problem when he was going to battle ozai during the eclipse?), it's also incongruous with the depiction of other air nomads in the series (both yangchen and gyatso don't seem to practice absolute pacifism) and with where aang's own arc appeared to be leading.

additionally, it also conflicts with the thematic clash that the aang vs ozai fight is supposed to represent: what was meant to be balance and harmony vs dominance and supremacy now turns into... air nomad beliefs vs fire nation beliefs, which runs contrary to the fundamental message of the entire show. not exactly what you want for the final battle between your protagonist and antagonist!

all of this is not to say that aang should have gone turbo avatar state on ozai and singlehandedly yeeted him into the spirit world. but there were a dozen other ways to handle ozai's end: give him a disney death, let aang learn energybending of his own accord and incapacitate him the way katara took down azula, or - my personal favourite - bring in the spirits in a neat parallel to the book 1 finale, and have ozai's death be a consequence of the imbalance he propagated in the world (i've always felt the avatar being the spirit bridge was a plotline that kinda got shafted in book three, and bringing back someone like koh, for instance, would've slapped).

the point is that for the resolution of aang's arc to be thematically consistent with the established narrative (the validity of this narrative, and whether it should have been different, is another point entirely, but it cannot be denied that this is what the show chose to go with), he needed to place the values and beliefs of the other nations on equal footing with his own, and win because of this willingness to draw from all nations instead of relying solely on his own.

ultimately, remaining true to his compassionate, peaceful nature is not a struggle in aang's narrative the way that it is in zuko's, which is why him choosing to spare ozai doesn't have anywhere near the emotional resonance or satisfaction of zuko reaching out to zhao. meanwhile, the conflict that does characterize aang's arc - being forced to become the avatar - never comes to a meaningful resolution the way that zuko's does. rather, it's thrown out the window in favour of a last minute plot point that robs aang of both agency and development, and destroys the thematic cohesion of his narrative for nothing.

[thechekhov]

Hey Chekhov! How do you start converting an AU idea from character sheets and mini comics into a plot outline for a full, continuous comic? Especially if the series you're basing it on isn't complete?

I've been following your white diamond Steven comics for years, and frankly, I love how it builds and continues the scaffolding canon laid to be something that is thematically still the same but also very unique. And I never thought I'll ever say this, but now I'm working on a canon-divergent AU with someone that's I think aiming to do something similar(continue the themes of canon but different). So I'll just like some advice, I suppose!

You might've answered something like this before, honestly, but I tried to dig a little and couldn't really find it.

Thanks, if you do answer this! I just want take the opportunity as well to say also that your comic and blog accompanied me through parts of my late teens, and I'm very grateful for you being a stabilizing influence during that time.

Thank you! I really appreciate you saying that, and I appreciate you respecting me enough to ask for advice.

As for your question...

Well, to be frank, I don't START with character sheets and mini-comics. In fact, for WD!AU, I didn't have any character sheets until I started season 2.

Think of your story as an aquarium. Your characters are fish.

Yes, they're important, but having a whole bunch of fish without any substrate, tanks, feed and WATER..... will not really make for a memorable aquarium experience.

The reality is that all stories should start with an end.

That's my personal approach, anyway.

What I mean is - you need to know the general idea for your story before you begin to write or plan it.

Let's try this:

1.Tell me about your story in THREE sentences!

Just three. Not long ones, just regular ones.

For my AU, @ask-whitepearl-and-steven, it would be:

"A young orphan runs away from home with a mysterious lady who seems more cryptid than human. He realizes that he's not human either - he used to be the ruler of an alien planet! He and the other aliens he meets decide to (REDACTED) (REDACTED) (REDACTED) and he (REDACTED) (REDACTED) (READACTED) (READ ANDCTED) (READ AND FIND OUT)."

YOU should know how YOUR story ends too! Even vaguely.

It helps if you know at what point you plan to lay down the pencil. Because if you DO know, you are always going to know which direction to walk in, even if the end is so far away it's beyond your line of sight.

It's true that when I began WDAU, I didn't have much information about White Diamond and white Pearl, because they had literally ONLY been introduced. I had to guess a lot of the details (like WP being Pink's originally) and what White would be capable of. And thankfully, my original intent for the story's end fit pretty well with what was later revealed!

But don't forget - you could also just fuck around with stuff! It's your story, after all.

And don't forget... to also look back!

2.Tell me WHY the story is happening in the first place.

There's a reason that the beginning of your story happens when it does. If there is no reason to start somewhere, then find a different place to start.

You should be able to tell me "We're picking up the story here because something significant has happened... and that significant thing happened BECAUSE...."

That 'because' is your main background information that should be revealed slowly throughout the story. In WDAU's case, we only have a few pieces of the puzzle. We know Greg's side. He know Earl's side. But there are still little bits and pieces missing! And they're all important for finding out WHY Steven ended up an orphan and WHY he is being followed by White Pearl (Earl) at the very start of the comic!

3.Tell me what the coolest and most interesting things to happen would be....and then write them!

I think this may be something that's rarely said out loud, but I will speak on the behalf of the people...

We should write the scenes we want to read. If you don't want to read the scene you're writing, then DON'T write it!

If you feel like you "have to" do a page and a half of 'lore' because you think it's traditional to have that 'explanation' about the location of your story, or the history of the species or whatever, you're simply wrong. There are other ways to reveal information aside from just forced paragraphs upon paragraphs of information that would make an SAT Reading Section sweat.

Instead, I recommend that you find the most exciting or hilarious way for the characters to discover the most important bits of info. Find a dramatic twist. Shove it into the narrative. Then, figure out what needs to happen to get there.

Ultimately, though, remember this: When you're taking advice from me or from others, don't forget to take advice from yourself, too! It's your story, after all. You know it best, and only YOU can figure out how to get it written.

I hope that helps at least a little bit! Writing it never easy, but it should still be enjoyable!

[viktorthinker11]

Has anyone else realized just how much this gear symbolizes Jayce and Viktor’s relationship? Gears are meant to be linked together, they’re supposed to be in pairs as they help the rotation of a machine.

The first time we see it is when they are together, forming their new found partnership, and discovering the true magic of Hextech. They pass the gear to each other to emphasize this connection and synergy.

The next time we see it is when Viktor discovers another one during his talk with Jinx and Vi. Viktor keeps this gear and when Jayce kills him, it rolls out of his hand and falls flat on the ground.

At this point, Jayce and Viktor are seperated from each other. Jayce ending his life shows that their relationship is over, that they’ve broken apart. This is why Viktor releases the gear and it comes to a complete stop, because there is no longer any traction in their relationship. They are not together, so the gear no longer has any meaning.

The final time we see it is in this scene.

Jayce is in the room alone without Viktor who is usually always by his side. He touches this gear shaped table and has flashbacks about when Viktor was almost killed by Jinx’s rocket.

He feels guilty about the direction things have gone in, that he couldn’t save him. If Viktor was spared that day, none of the events that took place afterwards would have unfolded. This is why he lashes out at Mel, asking why she didn’t save other people in the room, meaning Viktor.

The gear here is at a complete standstill as it truly solidifies that he and Viktor’s relationship is no more. They can’t go back to the partnership or connection they once shared. It is not only because they are apart, but it is because they are not on the same page, they are not connected. Viktor is a completely different person from when they first met. This is why Jayce tells Viktor during their fight that his partner died in that room.

To sum it up, the gear stopped moving over time as their relationship began to fade.

[lostsyren]

Hey, I’m doing thin anonymously because I’m quite ashamed of my own thoughts, but in the beginning I was quite bitter Rafe got (very beautiful and lovely!!) girl but now I’ve forced myself into shock therapy and binge every poste about this ship and I have to thank you for helping for getting out of this toxic almost fictophillic (?) relationship. Now I’m actually quite happy to see them together, so yeah. Quite stupid I know but thanks for the ice cold bucket full of Sofia and Rafe content that helps me to overcome this stupid, irrational (‘I hate her because I ain’t her but I won’t admit it’) thoughts.

So I’ve got a small question, could you maybe write something about Rafe being completely scolded by Sofia when he talks shit about pouge or whatever?

Love!! ❤️

⟡♡ pogue princess ──୨ৎ──

{a/n: hi lovely! i’m so glad you’re now a rafesofia truther!! welcome!! <3 honestly it’s the best thing you can be with all the screen time and scenes they got in s4!! i’m glad you like my work! and don’t be ashamed, i don’t care, people have different opinions and that’s ok! i hope you enjoy and thank you for the request!}

{summary: rafe and sofia go to a party where rafe crashes out and sofia is not impressed and makes her concerns known}

˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚

Sofia entered the party, her arm wrapped around Rafe’s, eyeing the rowdy crowds of kooks all drunk or on their way to it. She instinctively tightened her arm around her boyfriend.

The sun was settling as Kelce’s house party started to set in motion, the heavy bass thumping and the drinks continually flowing.

Sofia quickly scanned what the other girls were wearing, making sure she didn’t stick out. Her slip dress held on by flimsy straps was something she’d worn before– she hoped no one would notice.

It was funny to her how she cared more about what Rafe’s friends thought of her than what Rafe thought. She supposed it was because whenever it was just her and Rafe, those insecurities never used to bite. It was always when she’d hang out with Topper, Kelce and Ruthie the anxiety began to eat at her.

Spotting Topper in the crowd, she gave him a small smile, before Rafe dropped her arm and went to embrace his friend.

“Hey Top!” He laughed, smile wide and words loud. Sofia always felt so small next to him– both in size and importance. With Rafe’s arm no longer there to hold, she felt unmoored, drifting in a sea of unfamiliar faces. But of course she did recognise a few: the people she’d serve at the bar. And she knew they recognised her too. It always stung when she’d see the gears slowly turn in their head, glancing from her to Rafe. They were always so… confused– what was a pogue doing with Rafe Cameron?

The party was the same as all the parties before it. Rafe, Topper and Kelce being loud and obnoxious, Sofia sticking with Rafe when he was away from them, and when he’d leave her, she’d stick with Ruthie, who’d always ask weird and invasive questions: So how are you and Rafe? He giving you any trouble? You’re always together, do you not get tired of each other? You guys moved in yet?

Sofia would give short, vague answers, never calling her out on her shit, because she knew how ruthless Ruthie could be– she’d never want to be on her bad side.

So that’s what she was doing, sipping at her drink whilst listening to Ruthie bitch about some other girl, (after she’d interrogated Sofia about her love life of course), when she heard a loud commotion come from the kitchen.

Sofia watched Ruthie’s eyes gloss over with glee, darting in the direction of the clamour. Sofia tagged along, leaving her drink on the mantle piece, only to see her boyfriend yell like a crazy person at someone she didn’t recognise with Topper behind him, trying to rein him back like he was a feral animal.

“This is our Homebase!” Rafe yelled, his voice making Sofia’s body squirm. “Get the fuck off our property, think you can just freeload like the good for nothing pogues you are?”

The group of guys rushed out the party, a crate of beer slotted under their arm, which they presumably stole, leaving Rafe enraged. Whenever he got like this he looked like he enjoyed it, his eyes glistening with a manic sheen, his lips contorted in a sneering smile. It disturbed Sofia.

Ruthie skipped over to Topper, swinging her long arms around his neck, whilst Rafe continued to let off steam.

“Coming from the Cut and stealing our shit? That we earned. It’s not right, they need to be taught a lesson.” He yelled, drinking straight from the vodka bottle.

Sofia’s stomach pooled with shame. She sometimes wondered if Rafe thought of her like that– like a freeloading, good for nothing pogue.

Rafe spotted her sidelining the uproar, his face breaking out in a smile as he approached her.

“Baby! There you are!” He greeted, voice still suspended in a yell. He draped a heavy arm around her, dragging her into his body heat. “How you finding the party?”

She looked up at him, as he swung back another swig of alcohol.

“I want to go home.” She said, looking up at him with wide eyes.

His brow furrowed, nose twitching in confusion, “but we just got here?”

“I don’t care– I’m leaving.” She untangled herself from his grip, weaving her way through the throng of people, grateful to finally exit and inhale the sharp, cold night air.

She waited for Rafe outside, knowing he’d follow, wrapping her arms to shield herself from the wind.

And like clockwork, he slipped out the house a moment later, running around to face her. “Sofia? What’s wrong huh?”

She was angry and she knew he could tell, from the way his demeanour shifted from the cocky, slick, drink swinging guy from inside to the now twitchy and confused Rafe who was scared of pushing her too far.

“You yelling to everyone about how much you despise pogues while I’m standing right there? You know how stupid that makes me look?” She said, tone harsh.

Rafe glanced around, checking if anyone overheard, “let’s go home yeah?” He suggested, leading her to his car, his hands on her shoulder.

Sofia wanted to scream at him, let all his kook friends see him get shouted at by a pogue instead, but deep down inside she didn’t want to embarrass him, wanting to live up to the impossibly pristine expectation of being Rafe Cameron’s girlfriend.

So she let him open the car door for her, helping her get in, slipping into the drivers seat a moment later.

“I don’t understand why you’re upset,” Rafe said, turning to face her once the car door was shut.

Her eyebrows furrowed, “when you insult pogues you’re insulting me. You’re calling me a good for nothing free loader, you’re calling me a thief, you’re calling my family scum. Don’t you understand that?”

Rafe’s confusion only proliferated, his nose turning up, his lips screwing in disbelief, “baby they stole our beer– I was shouting at them, not at you or your family.”

“Yeah they did, but not because they’re pogues Rafe, there’s some kooks who are just as bad.”

“I know that, I wasn’t being serious Sofia.”

“Yeah well sometimes it feels like it is serious.”

“You can’t be for real right now– I treat you so well and you think imma disrespect you?”

“It’s not about that, it’s about you disrespecting my people. This, them–” she said gesturing to the house and its occupants, “it’s not mine, it’s yours.”

Rafe let out a sigh, eyes scanning Sofia’s “what’s mine is yours, you know that right?”

“Rafe, just stop with all the pogue talk ok? I don’t like it,” she said, tone dismal and exasperated.

“Ok ok it’s done. Anything for my girl, ain’t that right?” He said with a smirk, swooping his face down to hers. It was hard for Sofia to remain angry at him, not when he smiled at her like that. She rolled her eyes, lips curving into a grin.

“What d’you say, you wanna head back to the party? Or shall we go home?”

“What do you wanna do”

“I say we should go home and I’ll make sure you’re not a free loading pogue.” His tone was playful as he brushed the hair off her neck, his breath hot against her pulse point.

“Oh yeah? How are you gonna do that?” Sofia murmured in his ear.

“You’re gonna pay me back of course. Gonna teach you a lesson for stealing my heart.”

Sofia erupted into laughter. “That was terrible Rafe.”

Rafe also began to chuckle, eyes crinkling at the sides. She could tell he was relieved their little spat was over. Despite always being involved in many fights with others, Rafe seemed to hate whenever they’d fight with one another. “yeah well you’re blushing so it wasn’t that bad.”

Sofia pressed a kiss on his cheek, “come on, let’s go.”

“So demanding, quite the pogue princess aren’t you?”

“Pogue princess? Really? That’s even worse.”

Rafe cocked his head with a smirk, “whatever you say, princess.”

˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚｡ 𖦹.ᡣ𐭩˚ ˚⋆𐙚

[justanerddummie]

You know what, after all the talk about Caitlyn tyrant arc I cannot unsee all the parallels between her and Silco.

It always left me a little baffled how Cait was one of the few character who didn't have a clear parallel with another one, yes, there's Grayson, there's Jinx and even Marcus if you will, but at least to me they never quite clicked right. But when you overlap Silco and Cait, the amount of shit they do the same is insane, especially with all the new stuff from s2.

It's not about her simply becoming a villain, it's like a circle with Caitlyn moving forward to reach the point of no return and Silco going backward after reaching the point of no return, meeting just for a moment - at the mad tea party - having different directions.

But let's start from the beginning.

We have a bunch of scenes where we see Silco tell Jinx about how he used to be different, how he had to cut out the part of him that made him soft in order to become the leader of the undercity and at the same time we get to see Caitlyn's entitled ass dissolve as her heart of gold starts making appearances, like when she refused to kill Sevika or when she gave her rifle away for Vi without batting an eye as she starts trusting Vi more and more considering how she just exchanged her only weapon for shimmer to cure Vi. Then in the other episodes they both come clean about the real reasons they are in the undercity and they start really trusting each other, two peas in a pod, just like Vander and Silco back in the day.

But then in oil and water during the rain scene when Vi leaves Cait, I think we can see the first the first seed of betrayal being planted, it's the you don't believe in me anymore, which I think can be connected to when we see Vander strangle Silco, I think that scene is supposed to go after the bridge scene in ep3 it's the aftermath of the battle with enforcers and I can totally see Silco refusing to give up on the dream of Zaun and Vander seeing no other option but to kill him in order to protect his people. I know it's a long stretch but as for Vi and Cait the rain scene is the first rift, for Silco and Vander the scene at the river is the last straw, it also ties very well with Silco being handed Zaun on a silver plate in exchange for the last piece of his heart and refusing (Cait is still not there but I think there will be something like this in s2 at the very end) just as Cait is taking the first steps into not trusting Vi.

(I'm trying to talk about how I see Caitlyn's point of view and not trying to blame Vi, I really do think that Vi had every right to make that decisions in that moment)

And then there's the mad tea party, that in no way can even be compared to the scene on the bridge in ep3 but I would still say that I think Caitlyn has processed the tea party in a similar way Silco has processed the bridge scene and what came after, the betrayal of the people they trusted the most as they watched their respective loved ones die one by the hands of the enforcers and the other by the hands of Jinx.

And as Silco's rage grew he wanted another fight with Piltover and Vander stopped him, Vi stopped Cait from taking the shot on Jinx, making that little seed of betrayal bloom and grow a little.

So by the end of s1 we see Cait is almost in Silco's starting point as he has completed his lap of the circle.

And now I dive into the more speculative section of this long-ass rant, where I'd like to put to comparison Silco's deal with Singed with Cait's alliance with Noxus. And for as much as it pains to admit it, I don't think Cait will fall for Ambessa manipulation, she's too smart, I think that she'll sacrife her morality to achieve what she's set herself up to, same way as Silco did with shimmer. The base violence for change.

I really do think that the similarities will get way stronger in s2 with the seeds of betrayal blooming by the end of s1 especially considering how both Silco and Cait's story revolve around taking control and in a certain way becoming the leaders no one asked for.

They both never wanted to be leaders as Silco was more than happy to let Vander be the face of revolution and Cait couldn't give less of a fuck about politics and spent most of the time in s1 trying to not start a war between Piltover and Zaun and wooing Zaunites women.

But at the same time both of them never shied away from the power, they both kept their heads held high in the face of people who hated them, and both were always arrogant enough to believe they could change the world single-handedly.

With that I conclude this long-ass post both wanting s2 to come faster and dreading the moment it finally comes and honestly hoping that Cait's story doesn't end the same way as Silco did. With some form of redemption arrived a little too late.

[phantomarine]

Hey what were you trying to say in your “it gets good at page 1001” post

Was it more of a comment directed at yourself ( self degradation), is it satire about perfectionism,

Is it supposed to be inspirational for Beginners webcomic creators, or we’re you just in a bad mood?

More of a warning against self-sabotage, because I see it so much. Sometimes it's tied to perfectionism, sometimes it's the opposite - people surrendering to imperfection when they don't really have to.

Creator chat incoming. I'll put it under the deelybob for anyone who wants to read it 👇

I've been in the webcomic sphere for several years now and I've seen so many people introduce their comic with 'I know it's very long and not easy to read, and I won't be going back and changing anything about what I've already made - but please critique it so I can make the rest of the pages better and attract a bigger audience from now on.'

And that's a hard thing to respond to. If a reader can't get through all those existing pages without being confused or bored, then how can they get to the good stuff that lies past them?

So much of gaining an audience is about actively making it easy to 'fall into' a work. Without that easy entry point, it's always going to be an uphill battle to build an audience, no matter how good the later chapters get. There are outliers, but most webcomics won't be those outliers, especially with thousands of them available nowadays. Some people love the grind, but most people will jump to a new tab and try to find something less frustrating.

And webcomic creation is particularly cursed by its very nature. Creators are hesitant to go back and edit pages, even once they've figured out more details about their craft or story structure. It's mostly because of the seeming permanence of it all - the art takes ages and the words feel unchangeable if even one other person has read them. To go back and edit is to publicly admit your failings, right? That's how it feels. What do you MEAN you didn't get it right the first time? You were supposed to do it live, and do it PERFECTLY!

But ideally it shouldn't be any different than prose writing, which is ALL ABOUT finding the story in those edits. And because your story is digital, you can go back and change things whenever you feel like it. A webcomic is fluid.

And if you're thinking 'I should just redraw my whole first chapter' - NO! Hell no, old art can be a part of the appeal! It's far more about finding little tricks to convey your story/characters more clearly. I have read some first chapters with janky art that made me fall completely in love with the story and cast. It's not about the art - as with all things comic-related, it's about conveyance.

Examples I've seen and some I've used myself: A single extra page with a meaningful interaction can solidify the theme of a character's arc. One additional 5-to-10-page scene can help add visual context for an offscreen event where there was none before. Adding a map can tell people where the characters currently are. Changing a character design can help if they get often confused with another character. Redoing your lettering to make it more legible is a huge one too.

In the end, I just don't want people to be afraid of small edits. When I got feedback about the bad clarity of my own work, I knew it would take some time to fix those problems. It wasn't fun to think about or to do, but I'm glad I did it in the end - because it would have limited my audience tremendously. With just a bit of extra effort, I opened a door that wasn't there before, and it now leads more people even more easily to 'the good stuff.'

tl;dr You started your webcomic for a reason, and you're learning more things about its characters, story, and craft every day. Don't be afraid to go back to old pages and inject some of that wisdom through editing. Even a little can go a long way.

***Caveat: If your goal is to just create chaotically, with no goal of gaining an audience, you are a wild and free little thing, and I am in awe of you. This whole rant doesn't apply to you, and you are stronger than me.

[qiqi-media]

The Villain was Mal: The century long Did I mention debate.

To this day Audrey and Ben are being pitted against each other in the Did I mention scene when neither of them were at fault.

Ben was the direct victim, he was unable to control his actions and did something he wouldn't even had done had he not been drugged and NOBODY out of all the people who knew him for years found this out of character or stood up for him. They didn't pull him aside afterwards to ask what the hell he was doing or if he was okay, knowing he was pretty much completely unprotected from magic and the VK girly is walking around with a spell book.

Audrey was the indirect victim, she was publicly humiliated by her boyfriend and watched people she was friends with cheer him on and the girl he's doing this with is the daughter of your family's enemy. You were visibly destressed and the same thing with Ben, nobody cares, nobody asks. So you do the only thing you can do to try and save face and find another date. She's got her heartbroken, she'd probably feel more humiliated even trying to ask Ben about it and it doesn't help all of her friends are cheering them on. She at this point doesn't even know what was really going on.

Ben ends up in this borderline abusive relationship where he's afraid to say no to his girlfriend/fiance and everyone including his parents holds her opinion of more value than his as king. Whenever he's being abused by magic, which happens in all three movies nobody (D1-D2) Sticks up for him they either don't care or blame him for actions he had no control over.

Audrey is shunned from Auardon and is blamed by her family for failing to secure the king as if they didn't have a genuine relationship and she doesn't have feelings. She falls into a depression and has fallen behind in school and questions her self worth because all of the people who were her friends or looked at her in awe were now asking "What is she doing here?" for showing up to a birthday party that in any other circumstances she would've been invited. How was she not supposed to tie her self worth in dating Ben when people started treating her like a waste of space when she wasn't with him?

In conclusion, after years we need to realize that this situation was neither of their faults, they had been used and manipulated in a plan that was barely undone because nothing was every clarified between the two. The ending of their relationship was forced onto them and consequently the destruction of any friendship they could've had. I don't want to be like "blame it all on Mal" but if we're going back and forth between blaming Ben and Audrey, then yes we need to blame Mal. She created the direct situation for it to happen, benefited from it entirely, lied about what actually happened (saying she spelled Ben for love) and she herself never tried to make amends or actually explain the situation. Mal spelled him taking away his right of action and she clearly wasn't sorry about what happened to Audrey because she insults her right after the did I mention scene when at this point she doesn't know anything about her. She further in my opinions shows a lack of actual remorse when she continues to try and spell Ben later on and when she gives up on magic gaslights him into doing what she wants (she doesn't take no for an answer.) (That's a whole different conversation but okay Mal, Audrey is the shallow one and Evie is better even though everybody knew Evie was only interested in Chad because he was a prince.)

[backwardsbread]

CHRIST! your writing is absolutely gorgeous, i love it so much <3

i was wondering if i could request a husk x reader angst, where it's extermination day and reader gets severely injured while protecting husk? kinda something like an executioner lunges at husk while his back is turned so reader saves him from dying but in turn ends up dying instead? as the reader is dying they're also trying to comfort husk, telling him that they wanted to save him. probably a scene where husk is shaking the readers dead body begging them to wake up, that they were supposed to be the one who died and not them????

(i am a sucker for husk angst, and there isn't enough of it ; ;)

Oh my- oh my gosh- LISTEN- I KNOW IM USUALLY A FLUFF WRITER

But this is awesome and I’m a sucker for angst. Yall have no idea. >:)

Ask and you shall receive~

Husk x GN!Reader ANGST

~Live Happy~

Warnings‼️:Angst, gore, blood, heartbreak, descriptions of death, descriptions of grief, not a happy ending, the author is TERRIBLE at writing fight scenes, swearing, Pentious’ is mentioned but barely acknowledged.

~Semi proofread~

Extermination day was here.

The hotel was prepared, armed with the hotel’s residents and Rosie’s Rebellious Cannibals. The sky split, golden light pouring down on Hell’s dark cities. The sight would’ve been beautiful under any other circumstance, something you had hoped to see when death crept up on you. But as villainous angels swooped down from the portal to the golden realm, reality struck like a knife.

As much as you wished to be living afterlife comfortably, with no threats or potential harm to come,

You weren’t completely alone.

“Now! For yours souls!” Vaggie shouts, causing you to grip your angelic weapon tighter. Adrenaline pumps through your veins making your heart quicken its pace. Your hands trembled slightly against your hold on the weapon. The moment didn’t feel real, how had it come to this? You had tunnel vision towards the direction of the portal.

“You ready for this, hot shot?” You hear to your side, making your head snap in the direction where it came from.

There you saw Husk, offering a grin to you. Of course he was nervous, equally as nervous as you were. Husk’s eyes shook wildly with anxiety, gripping some explosive dice in his palm. You felt a boost of confidence, knowing that whatever was to happen, Husk would be there.

Your relationship with Husk only started when you found the hotel on a whim. You had ‘joined’ the princess’ team when you just needed a place to stay and keep safe. So much that did for you when war was about to commence.

But you wouldn’t have traded your impulsive decision to go to the hotel for anything. Sure, the reason the Hazbin Hotel existed was for redemption, something that felt so unfit for you. However, through your stay, you made friends and memories that put your old life to shame.

Husk being one of the most influential players in you staying and fighting for the hotel. At first Husk was tough, hard as nails and sharp as a knife. You shared a few drinks with him on late nights, not really speaking much until you were too tipsy to comprehend words leaving your mouth. It was something Husk was used to. Sinners coming to his bar, getting drunk, and spilling their guts to him.

Husk found your company different than the rest of the hotel members. You were oftentimes quiet, which he could appreciate. But you had a way of being able to sense his emotions. Anytime he was frustrated, he found you somehow just knowing and trying to find a way to calm him. Your company was more intoxicating than any liquor he could get his hands on in Hell.

Did Husk gain certain feelings for you just because you were willing to listen to him? Highly possible.

Was he ever going to act on those feelings? Not in this afterlife, maybe the next.

He couldn’t bear the thought of you guys growing distance all because he couldn’t get a grip. He could put on a brave face and stayed mature, never willing to ruin the bond you both shared.

Unaware of the effects Husk had on you by his little comment, a smirk works its way on your lips. You chuckle, twirling the angelic weapon in your hand.

“As I’ll ever be, whiskers.” You comment back, letting Husk roll his eyes at the nickname you called him. He had no time to come back with any witty banter.

There were more pressing matters at hand.

Surviving.

Battle started, angels swooping down with weapons at the ready. Aimlessly swinging and stabbing at demons ready to rebel. You were never a fantastic fighter, but if meant for your soul, for you to see afterlife better than this, you’d fight until your legs couldn’t carry you anymore.

It didn’t take long for Alastor to form a shield around the hotel and its rebellious sinners. His laugh echoed loud against the shields walls that formed, causing the angels trapped inside and be slaughtered. The sound of explosions, the smell of dirt and angelic blood, it was intoxicating. Revenge felt so sweet as you plunged your angelic weapon into an angel’s gut, letting them fall from grace. You yanked your weapon out, the silver now coated in liquid gold.

When the angel’s movements came to a halt, you couldn’t help but grin. It felt so freeing, all those years in Hell you stayed scared and hidden. Now it was the angels who looked weak by your hand. Your senses filled with empowerment, hope for the future as you continued your slaughter.

With a loud boom, the ground beneath you shook. Hell’s red skies got brighter as Alastor’s shield slowly cracked away, broken by Adam who wore a sinister grin. Your eyes widened, as more angels found the opportunity to swoop down and attack. You took a few steps back, pupils beginning to shake.

There were so many of them.

Your shoulder collided with Husk’s as you backed up. You stumbled a bit, looking over at Husk, gripping your weapon tighter in case he was an enemy. Husk put his hands up in defense. You relax once you see who you had bumped into, seeing no threat. Husk sees the panic in your eyes, how your body started to freeze in fear of any movement that would cause attention to you. He gently grabs your forearm. Despite how unsure he was about how this was all going to play out, he wanted- needed- to keep you safe. And part of that was making sure you were not frozen in fear, waiting for an angel to come attack you.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay.. we’ve got this. Just stick with me, okay?” Husk held your forearm, pulling you closer to him. Your body, like a dog to a dinner bell, instinctively relaxed under his touch. How long had he had this power over you? Even in war, Husk’s presence felt so warm.

Your eyes catch something behind Husk, making them widened. You pull on Husk’s arm, dragging him behind you. With a need to protect, you plunge your angelic weapon into an angel’s throat, that had just been behind Husk, ready to strike. The angel falls limp against your weapon, falling to the ground. Golden blood sprays out of the angel’s neck as your rip your weapon out. You wipe your face with your sleeve, looking back at Husk who looked shocked yet amused by your sudden attack.

“Stick together.” You say, a new sense of accomplishment running through your veins at Husk’s silent approval.

And that is how you fought, making sure you had your friend’s backs whenever they needed. You weren’t alone. You were all fighting for a cause you weren’t sure you really believed in. This wasn’t just a fight for Charlie though. It was to prove that despite how something beyond you decided you were demonic, you weren’t helpless.

Holy light struck the ground, making it shake once again. You looked up to see Adam, shooting rays of golden light down at you and your team. Where was Alastor?? Wasn’t he supposed to be fending off Adam-

Realization hits like a freight train. It got harder and harder to fend off the angels, especially now with Adam’s brutal attacks. You watch Pentious’ ship suddenly start to fly its way right towards Adam.

“That crazy motherfucker..” You hear AngelDust mutter, watching Pentious’ ship head straight towards Adam, its death ray lighting up. In the blink of an eye, the ship disappeared with a single shot of holy light towards it. Your eyes widen as your heart shatters a bit.

Charlie falls to her knees, Vaggie moving down to comfort her. You hang your head low, swearing under your breath and wiping away the tears that threatened to fall. You didn’t even have time to grieve the loss that just happened. You hear Charlie growl under her breath, losing control of herself over the loss of someone she had promised to protect.

She called for Razzle and Dazzle, the two once small rams turning to dragons as Charlie let her true colors show. Vaggie and Charlie flew off towards Adam, a thirst for revenge of a fallen solider evident.

But that left you, Husk, Angel, and Cherri down alone, with the army of cannibals whose numbers were quickly falling. You were exhausted but had no time to pause, each exorcist attacking right after another. As you stabbed through another exorcist, each breath made your lungs feel like fire, unable to get a real breath in.

“Agh—! Fuck-!” You hear Husk swear, causing you to turn in his direction. You watch an exorcist pull him down by his ankle out of the sky. The exorcist yanked Husk to the ground. Husk was quick to regain himself, reaching into his pocket for more explosive dice. Before he can grab it out, the clever exorcist stabbed their spear through Husk’s wing.

Husk cried out in pain, now being pinned down on his stomach. The spear had gone through the base of his wing and now dug into the ground below him, making him unable to move without tearing his wing in two. Husk panted, also out of breath from the intense battle. He tried to get up, but the exorcist’s boot shoved into his back, keeping him down.

The exorcist chuckles in sickening amusement. They reach down towards an angel’s body, grabbing a dagger. Husk’s eyes widened as he found no escape from the angel. Heart pumping hard in his chest as if it was the last time it would be able to.

Your legs burned, your chest heaved with unsteady breaths, and all you could see was red. Your feet carry you, your body moving before your mind can keep up. Gripping your weapon, you stab it through the exorcist who had Husk down. Stabbing where their shoulder met their arm. The exorcist cried out in pain, looking back at you. The exorcist made a sloppy swing with their dagger in your direction. You catch their arm, swinging them back behind you. The exorcist landed on their injury, a loud snap making them scream out in agony.

Husk barely saw what you did, his vision fuzzy from the adrenaline high. He tried to move, but yelped when his wing started to tear because of the exorcists spear. Your attention falls back on Husk, panicking when you saw the spear keeping him against the ground. You bend down, grabbing the handle of the spear, you hesitate. You look down at Husk apologetically.

“This is gonna hurt.” Giving Husk no other time to process, you pull to spear out of his wing. Husk swears at you loudly, wings shrinking in towards his body as blood pours down his wings, the crimson color blending in with his feathers. Meanwhile, the exorcist who had you had tossed to the side, weakly got to their knees.

“You fucking-..” Husk growled out, shooting a glare at you. His harsh eyes turn to confused ones as he watched you go over to a fallen exorcist, ripping their shirt. You’re quick to move back to Husk, wrapping the thing cloth around his wing. It was barely able to stay due to the size of Husk’s wings, but it would due until the battle was over. The bloodthirsty exorcist made a weak attempt to crawl over to you and Husk, gripping their dagger tight.

“Thank you..” Husk mutters, eyes softening towards you as your tightened the cloth around his wound. You look towards him, offering a small reassuring smile.

“No problem, pussycat.” You shoot back, standing to your feet. Husk rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the grin on his face. You take in a deep breath, holding your hand out to Husk.

“Now let’s-!” Sharp. A pulsing sharp pain in your gut that twisted violently before being yanked out. Blood sprayed onto Husk’s face from the harsh stab.

Warmth. Warm blood that gushed from the fresh open wound, coating your skin, making it shine like rubies. Hot tears involuntarily fell from the pain that coursed through your body.

Shock. All you could hear was ringing, all you could see were tears. Your knees gave out as the angel behind you lifted their weapon to deliver a final blow to you. With the sound of a muted gunshot, you felt the angel fall against the back of your legs.

Cold. Your body chilled in Hell’s fiery atmosphere. It almost felt refreshing if the pain wasn’t sitting beside it. A hand came over your gut, where your stomach split, hand getting soaked in blood. You leaned forward, hand that wasn’t over your wound catching you so you wouldn’t face-plant. Lifting your hand, you saw pretty red liquid running down your arm.

Blank. You couldn’t move, you couldn’t speak, you couldn’t hear. Letting out a breath felt like torture as you coughed painfully, blood spitting out of your mouth. You barely even felt strong arms lifting you and sprinting out of lines of fire. Black patterned wings acting as a shield to you and..

Husk.. you look up, seeing Husk with panicked eyes. He looked to be shouting, but despite his close proximity, you couldn’t seem to hear his words. Husk ran to the side of the hotel, panting as he did a quick glance to make sure no angel’s were following him. He bent down with you in his arms, your eyes staring blankly back at him.

Adrenaline stopped pumping, causing more intense pain to shoot through your body. You back felt like it was on fire. It felt like your guts were being ripped out slowly.

“Hey! Don’t you do this! No no no no, come on now!” Husk’s voice finally made way to your ears. Your eyes darted to his. He was frantic, looking at your injury then around as if someone could come help. He pressed his palm down on your injury, making you scream in pain.

“I know I know I know— shit!” Husk shielded you with his wings. His weak attempts in stopping your bleeding felt hopeless.

God- his eyes still seemed to draw you in. Even while frantic, you felt nothing but love for Husk. Love? Geez why did death always have to interrupt. Why did it always make you realize things a little too late? You didn’t want to die. You weren’t ready to find out what was beyond afterlife. Was there nothing? Was it light? Was it dark? Was it the heaven you always wished to see? In the back of your mind you knew it was the end, but your life felt less important than Husk. You couldn’t just leave him, not like this.

Your bloodied hand reached up to hold his cheek, letting him look down at you. You felt his breaths coming out fast and shaky, his hand pressing down harder as your blood pooled around his fingers. You hissed in pain, grip tightening on him. Your breath came out slow and labored, trying hard to keep strong in the last moments you’d have with the one soul you didn’t want to leave.

“It’s okay..” You managed to whisper, immediately regretting speaking from the way it made your body move. Husk shook his head quickly.

“No, no. Shut the fuck up, okay? Don’t go saying anything, we’ll fix this..! I’ll fix it, just give me time, please.” Husk glanced towards where your friends were battling. Now that they were down two more people, heavy hitters at that, they struggled to keep the angelic army at bay.

As if you could read Husk’s mind, like you always did, you spoke, “They need you, Husk.. don’t leave them..” you mutter, your thumb moving shakily to rub Husk’s cheek. Husk shook his head again at you, pulling you close to his body.

“It— it can wait. I’m not leaving you here! Are you crazy?? Just wait and I’ll-!”

“Husker.” Husk’s eyes dart down to you. Looking you up and down, his heart dropped. Your eyelids and body felt like dumbbells. A weight on your body that made it slow. His hand covered in your blood as the wound only spilled more. But despite it,

You smiled.

Husk couldn’t take it, he couldn’t keep losing people. He couldn’t lose you, not like this. Not for this cause you seemingly were dragged into. Why were you smiling at him??

“Stop it. Stop, no- quit it! You’re not doing this to me!” Husk was desperate for any salvation. He’d repent, he’d quit booze, he’d do anything to keep you here and breathing. He watched you blink heavily, trying to stay awake for him. You leaned your head into him.

“I’m sorry, Husk.. I can’t..” your body felt so heavy. Everlasting slumber approaching, making your body feel numb. You couldn’t even feel the pain anymore, only Husk’s arms around you, desperately trying to keep you here.

“Stop! What am I supposed to do??” Tears pricked at Husk’s eyes and were quick to stream down his face, “How am I supposed to live this Hell without you??” He asked desperately, as if the guilt of dying would somehow convince your body not to give up.

You smile to him felt like a taunt. A tease of the future ones that could’ve been. “The same way you did with me..”

“Happily.”

Husk felt frozen at your words, tears falling from his face and onto your body. How was he supposed to.. no not like this. He couldn’t. Not without you there. Your absence would be a void he would never be able to fill. He slowly shook his head, sobs wracking his body that he desperately tried to keep back. You did nothing but close your eyes, pressing your face against his stomach.

“Eternity is too long to suffer for its entirety..” you mutter, breath shallow as your grip on Husk loosened. “Don’t let me.. make you suffer..” you mumble, voice barely audible.

Warmth. Comfort. Soft was the last breath you let out, all strength leaving your body as your body relaxed to rest. Your heavy eyes drooping nearly shut as all life behind them faded to whatever was after this Hell. Husk watched your body fall limp, his grip on your growing tighter in false hope you would hold him back.

Words unspoken. Husk kept his wings around your body, letting out choked sobs while he whispered how sorry he was. How he couldn’t protect you. Hell had taken his pride, his soul, and now his heart. Hell tore everything away from him.

Whatever made him deserve it, he’d go back and do it over and over again to get it right.

If it meant you could’ve been there.

——————————BONUS———————————

Husk flipped a light switch, the sudden harsh light making him groan and squint. He rubbed his eyes, walking down a memorized path just outside the entrance of the hotel. He never was a morning person, he hated getting up so early just to be met with a raging headache from the prior night. He grumbled to himself, going over to a bench at the side of the hotel. He sat down with a huff, setting down the extra mug of coffee he had made next to him.

“Mornin’..” He mumbled, taking a sip of his own coffee that, the warm liquid making his body relax. His greeting was met with silence, something that felt all too familiar ever since the last extermination day. He sighs, leaning back against the bench, and looking up at the wall.

Where a portrait of you was hung right next to Sir Pentious’.

“So you’ll never believe the night I had..” Husk started, going on about last nights quarrels in the hotel. Keeping you updated on any events you were missing out on. Just how it used to be.. the gossip you would share with one another. Quietly judging the other hotel attendees, ranting about your day, or whispering sweet words to another.

An effort to soothe Husk’s grief at the loss of you.

“..and because Lucifer is stayin’ I keep finding these fucking rubber ducks everywhere..! The guy seriously has a problem, I tell ya.. you’d get a kick out of it.” Husk finished off his little rant, sipping the last of his coffee. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the lobby lights inside the hotel flick all the way on, showing someone (most likely Charlie) was up as well. Husk sighed, looking up at your portrait again.

A painted smile on the canvas, one he missed the warmth and comfort of. He held his knees, slowly getting up. He stretched his arms over his head, before reaching down and grabbing your cup of coffee, still full but now gone cold. He gently raised the glass a bit towards your portrait.

“Live Happy..” he muttered, a motto he now followed ever since your dying words. As much as the words made his heart feel heavy, he would try. Try and live happy.

[millaaster]

Nanami and the cold wind - Jujutsu Kaisen

Pairing: Nanami Kento x Reader

Summary: Quick fic about Nanami, who has taken a liking in feeling the cold morning air after experiencing Jogo's hellish powers. (Takes place after the whole Shibuya arc; he's alive and recovered, but has lost his left eye, his left arm and has the burn bruises over his body).

Words: 816

CW: Angst; Comfort (?)

AN: I’m not sure I managed to put all the emotion this whole idea and this scene had in my mind, but I thought I’d give it a try.

Please, do not repost or translate.

You stir out of sleep in the early morning, lifting the covers away from your eyes, and reach out to Nanami's side of the bed to cuddle up to him. You only feel the cold sheets and the remains of his scent flowing from his pillow, and you hum in displeasement.

When you turn your head towards the end of the bed, you see a glimpse of your husband behind the white curtains that flutter slowly by the open glass doors. He's standing on the balcony of the bedroom, looking out to the sea in front of him. After going through a long process of recovery and rehabilitation alongside Shoko, Nanami had finally been feeling better and getting a hold of how to live his life with the changes he had been through. That was enough for you two to decide it was time for a new start, all the way over in Malaysia, the paradise of his dreams.

You get up from the bed, shake your hair, grab your silky robe, and leave in his direction. Even though he hears you approaching, he stays still, a bit arched on the rail, supporting himself on his right arm. He was only in his pajama trousers, letting the defined muscles of his back at the mercy of the gust of wind, messing with his blonde hair and blowing it in every different direction.

"My love...", you start in a hoarse and sleepy voice,"it's cold". You hug him from behind, hands feeling down from his stomach up to his chest, slowly. That makes Nanami leave a content soft sigh and close his eye.

"Mhm, I know", he says in a teasing tone. "You should stay in bed a little longer, no?"

"How am I supposed to enjoy my morning cuddling with my husband if he's missing from bed?"

"Miss, you are way too spoiled", he remarks with a chuckle.

He turns around to lean against your shoulder and spins you, pressing your lower back in the rail now. Minutes go by as you hug each other, relaxing to the sound of the waves and basking in each other's warmth.

You're the first to break it.

"Kento...you've been getting up quite early these days, right? Is everything okay, my love?"

It has been puzzling you for a while now. Every once in a while you'd catch him staying out on the porch until late or rising up at dawn, just to step outside, barely enough dressed - not that you'd complain, but that did raise your curiosity and your fear he'd catch a cold.

After some silence, he answers. "Nothing's wrong baby. It's only that...I like the cool air running down my skin sometimes. But it's quite hard to get that over here, I need to wait for the right time. I guess there's a downside to a tropical wonderland afterall", he snickers, as you feel his breath on your ear "Didn't mean to worry you".

You caress the place where his scars end and turn into skin on his back.

“Does it not make them hurt?”, you ask softly.

“A little…not always. Either way, it all makes me feel–”, he holds back. 

“Hm, what is it?”, you ask.

Drawing a breath in, he responds, “My dear, we both know that I’m completely open in talking to you about the incident. But, when I tell you that I don’t want to worry you, I mean it. You’re not obliged to keep on recalling the pain of that memory because of my selfish and stubborn way of dealing with it”, he says in a wavering voice. “I’ve hurt you enough. I don’t want to pester you any longer with my pointless thoughts and silly habits, when I should probably have gotten over them by now”.

“Kento. It’s not selfish, nor silly. It’s not simple”, you exclaim with a grieved expression. “And it’s not an obligation. It just..is. It’s part of our life - together. Even if we are not one body, it is also my memory. Of hoping, and loving and…waiting for you”. You say as you hug him tighter. “If you need to share the journey of letting it go or of embracing it, I’m here for you. Always”.

“I know…I know, my love”, Nanami presses you more against his body. He drags you inside the house and into the bed, your two forms interlocking, as you nuzzle up his neck.

When you were almost asleep, you hear him whisper “The cold wind. It makes me feel alive. That’s what I was going to say before. It reminds me I’m alive. When the scars hurt. When you hold me. That’s the further sensation from what I felt back then”.

The sounds of the sea invade the bedroom as a feeble tear escapes the corner of your eye and rolls over to the heartbroken smile on your lips.

Interactions are always appreciated ☆* have a lovely day!

[poisonpercy]

Ok just finished the 3rd episode of the show. From a completely outside perspective without comparing it to the books, it’s a fine episode. The writing does fall flat imo, and it doesn’t keep my attention. It’s also still very hard to see what’s happening when it’s supposed to be dark. When will Hollywood let dark scenes be visible again?

Ok, now for more specific thoughts:

The scene with the Oracle sucked in my opinion. Idk it just seemed so much more grander in the book. The scene in the show lacked the mystic and off putting nature of the Oracle, so it kinda just didn’t work for me. I did like that they remembered that Gabe was the voice of the Oracle in tlt, so that was nice

How Percy chooses his quest mates in the show is different in the show than in the books. This isn’t a bad thing, but I do miss Annabeth volunteering herself to be Percy’s 3rd quest mate like she does in the books. Idk I just think it really showed her eagerness to prove herself and get a quest. The show scene doesn’t do that, but I’m not mad at the change

The interaction between Grover and Percy when Percy tells Grover he was chosen to go on the quest was so cute. I love those 2 boys. Besties for life

Percy telling Luke that he thinks the drachmas are from Chuck E. Cheese was hilarious

With Luke in mind, I love how manipulative he is. Like he is so nice, but it’s because he has ulterior motives. I do like that his manipulation is not overt, so you don’t know that he’s the one that ultimately betrays Percy

I personally didn’t find the “she met a pine cone’s fate” line that Percy said funny. It honestly came off kind of rude. It’s definitely something that Percy would say in ttc when Thalia and him are beefing, but not when he finds out about her death. Percy is supposed to be kind and empathetic, and he shows so much sympathy for Thalia and her fate when he hears her story in the book. Idk just felt like that line was ooc during this moment in time

Grover’s song was so cute and funny, it had me cracking up fr

Percy trying to get all of them to vote throughout the episode is hilarious. My boy just wants to have a say in things

Annabeth grabbing all that candy was perfect. It really shows she’s just a 12 year old girl that didn’t get to experience the joys of childhood (also, I feel like overall that the show is forgetting that Annabeth is not a stoic character. Like she very much acts her age. I hope the writers let Annabeth have more personality in later episodes)

I miss the book fight sequence with the furies on the bus. It was so chaotic and there was so much tension. Percy steering the bus and crashing it and the bus exploding was perfect, and I’m sad that they got rid of that in the show. The fight scene in the show was just so underwhelming. I feel like those should be the knock out moments of the episodes but they breeze past them so fast and give no tension. It just falls flat (curse you Mickey Mouse!! I know it’s your fault!)

I do appreciate that Grover keeps trying to diffuse the fights between Annabeth and Percy. They are both his friends, and he can see why they keep butting heads. If only the 2 would listen to him

I do miss how the trio finds Auntie Em’s in the book. Like Annabeth and Percy were dumbass 1 and 2 that followed their stomachs while Grover freaked the fuck out. That was so fun. The show had Grover find and follow the smell instead which is fine, but the og scene was better imo

That being said, they guessed that it was Medusa way too quickly in the show. I like the mystery of Auntie Em’s identity in the book better tbh

“I definitely trust my mom” <- Percy exceeds the momma’s boy standards

I don’t mind the change to Medusa’s character. I actually really enjoyed her (the actresses voice is so gorgeous and calming). I like how she’s like “we’re not our parents until we choose to be them.” It really sets up the ultimate direction of the series imo

Regarding the fight scene with Medusa, it sucked. To begin with, you can hardly see what’s happening bc it’s so dark. Also there was no tension or chaos. It kind of just happened? I also didn’t like that Medusa was killed when Annabeth’s cap was on her. I know it’s because Disney probably thought the death would have been too graphic or whatever, but I would have liked to see what happened

It was cool that Percy used Medusa’s head to kill Alecto

I felt so many emotions when Grover said “He’s not like the others. He doesn’t look afraid” about his Uncle Ferdinand

The beginnings of Percy’s and Annabeth’s friendship is so good. Annabeth not taking the deal with Alecto to give Percy over and killing her sister. Percy not taking Medusa’s offer to get rid of Annabeth and Grover so he can save his mother. It’s perfect. They’re going to become each other’s chosen person and they don’t even know it yet

LMM as Hermes jump scare. Still not a fan of the Hermes casting

Anyways, overall the show just isn’t working for me. I do appreciate Walker, Leah, and Aryan because they are perfect. They are honestly doing such a great job! The writers, however, are not. I’m trying so hard to think of this show as its own entity so I can enjoy it more, but I haven’t been able to so far. Despite that, I am excited to see where the show ends up going (even if I end up not liking it)

[yuurivoice]

Hi!

I’ve been a silent viewer for a little bit & I'm trying to get caught up. 

While watching your housewarming stream (congrats on the new studio btw!), & seeing/hearing about some stuff from the upcoming projects you/the team have been working on, I thought of something.

From what I could tell, it sounded like there may be a definitive “main listener” character in EoE who plays a specific, significant role in the story.

So, if EoE is the world that everyone in BitterSweet, Shattered, Lost & Found, etc. originated from before they became dreamers, is the listener in EoE supposed to be an amalgamation of all the listener characters from all the other series? Like, was the listener from EoE “split” into the dreamers we now know as Boo, Rook, Casper, etc.? (Similar to how there are multiple “multiverse” variations of Finn.) 

Or, will EoE be another instance where there are multiple listener characters that can branch off alongside the other original characters you introduced? (Like, Thomas gets his own listener, Evalas Finn gets his own listener, etc.)

Am I completely off with my interpretation? I fear I may be getting a little too lost in the sauce, & that I'm looking for information/lore that might not even be true or relevant. 

Anyway, I’m so excited to see how all of this pieces together in the end. Keep up the incredible work!

A little lost in the sauce, but I like your gumption! Short answer, there will be multiple listeners for SOME characters. Thomas most certainly will get one, but I haven't uncovered who or why they are.

What's really different about Evalas Finn's listener is that they're not really his listener. They're a member of a group whose POV will span multiple characters and interactions and are not tied to Finn in such a way that they are constantly in his pocket. While that is a tried and true way to do ASMR Roleplay things, I wanted a silent protagonist. Someone whose motivations are their own, and not so closely aligned with the characters they share scenes with.

Finn has secluded himself and kept secrets. What I realized in the now redacted EoE entry was that creating a character who just cares about Finn, or even had some motivation but ultimately had to be with him to function wasn't going far enough. We're in a fantasy setting in a world where I could do anything, with a clean slate and tons of options. It felt silly to just play the hits when we could get really interesting.

There's a key shift behind that and I'll just put it plainly.

I don't really care about selling smut tied to Echoes of Evalas. I've given up trying to voice every cut of meat so I could moan for money. I've given up on every relationship between character and listener being perfect and occasionally horny. The machine will continue running if I can't peddle my smut, and that means...not everything has to be a perfect, sexy, agreeable situation. It can get messy.

With that freedom.......it's a whole new world of options.

Now, I say that, but there is definitely spice pretty early on buttttt...it kinda serves a narrative purpose. The intimacy isn't just something that happens and is otherwise unbothered with the plot. It leads to some things!

What I think I'll discover is that my box I put myself in before this freedom was one of my own making due to listening to a handful of voices I let get under my skin...including my own.

There is something unique about this listener, but it will be at least somewhat clear early on. At least you'll have enough to start sniffing in the right direction!

[pxayopina-unilsiyu]

for me, the most tragic element of Neytiri's character is that she is a fiercely independent person who keeps having her agency taken from her.

she was a redundant daughter, a born-and-raised hunter/warrior who is very much shown to still be far more adept and interested in that life path—yet when Sìlwanin died, she was suddenly thrust into a completely different role, one she is demonstrated as having far less interest and feels far less fulfilled in. she still clings to her role as tsamsiyu and struggles to embrace her tole as tsakarem. this is to be expected. she was not supposed to become one.

on top of inheriting Sìlwanin's life path, she also inherits her goddamn fiancé, and Tsu'tey wasn't just supposed to be an arranged loveless marriage—we can safely presume him and Sìlwanin's connection was an element in him being chosen as Eytukan's heir—he was the love of Sìlwanin's goddamn life.

so yes, while i am sure Neytiri does love Jake for all of his Jakey qualities, i am also absolutely certain her choice to boink him was, in part, an act of rebellion against her imposed societal role, a desperate play for some scrap of autonomy and choice in what goes on in her life. and like, you go girl.

and what's really disappointing about The Way of Water is that this element of Neytiri's character is still not resolved. she is still being constantly forced to play second fiddle to someone else. every single decision she tries to make is immediately undermined by Jake, and yes i do understand his reasonings but!!! oh my god, can you please listen to your wife at least a little bit sometimes. i am sure you guys can discuss your decisions and collaborate like married people are supposed to instead of always dismissing her outright. it is painful to watch once you notice it

and yeah i'll even go so far to say that threatening to kill Spider was probably consequential of Neytiri feeling like she is absolutely never fucking in control of her own life, of wanting to exert control over someone else for once (Quaritch), and yes i will reiterate how glad i am that the extended scene with Jake talking her down was cut, because for fuck's sake, not everything she needs to do needs to be because of someone else's (read: a man's) influence, let the woman make her own choices for once in her life.

sparing Spider was the right decision and it needs to be her decision otherwise she looks like she is completely controlled by Jake's direction and would gladly murder kids if her big strong hubby wasn't there to remind her what the morally correct choice is.

[studio-of-woof]

Ruh roh I’m having a funny idea again.

So a friend and I were talking last night about the Roger Rabbit universe and I had Digital Circus fresh on my mind. So I kept thinking about a Digital Circus actor AU.

Glitch Productions being this big recording studio with the sets of like, Murder Drones, Digital Circus and Gaslight District (that one still being under construction).

The Digital Circus cast would be rather different off-camera, like for example maybe Caine is actually kinda socially awkward yet still a loud boi. And this is his first big major role in a project.

Caine Interview:

“How did you end up with the role, Caine?”

“Well… Goose has heard my voiceover performances before and was like “I gotta get this guy on for something!” And so when I auditioned I kinda just got hired on the spot!”

Pomni would still be a bit reserved but she has a lot of confidence for acting. My friend also mentioned how she would probably have a lot of experience under her belt and so she’d kinda help mentor some of the more newer actors, like Caine and Ragatha.

Speaking of Ragatha… my friend said this about her

“Yes, and Ragatha played her character while doing collage and did not expect the show to blow up. She got to finish her last year before filming it full time.”

So the idea of Ragatha’s role also being a first big major role came to mind. So Pomni tries to mentor her, which is kind of a funny image.

Ragatha would still be the mom friend of the group for sure, she would make sure someone’s okay after doing a risky or scary scene.

Ragatha and Pomni interview:

“Pomni’s been kinda helping me with my role, like just—“

“Slowly kind of directing you?”

“That, yeah. [laughing]”

“Of course not disregarding the actual director!”

“Yeah no the director’s great, you’re great. [laughing]”

“But like, with that scene in the hallway? Where I had to act all frazzled? That took a few takes but eventually I got it down pat. I think it would’ve taken longer if Pomni wasn’t there to kinda help me with finding the right… uh… tone I guess?”

“Yeah, tone. You did amazing by the way!”

“No you did amazing!”

Now Jax is a fun one. He’s not a complete douche off camera but he still likes play harmless pranks on set. You know those pixar bloopers? Kind of like that.

Like being in scenes where he’s not supposed to be.

[Filming the scene where Pomni tries to find Caine]

“And… action!”

[Pomni opens up one of the doors. Only to see Jax standing there.]

“Sup?”

“[Laughing] HOW DID YOU GET THERE??”

“Cut!”

I’d also picture whenever he has to be a douche in a scene he’d apologise immediately after when the cameras cut off.

[Filming]

“Ladies first! … No wait why would I say that?”

[Jax pushes Gangle over]

“… and cut! That was good!”

[Jax helping Gangle up]

“I am so sorry-“

“Did I push too hard?”

“Yeah nah you’re good.”

“Alright cool. [giggling]”

Also this it was mentioned during the more recent Hunicast that everyone gets caught off-guard whenever Michael plays Jax since Michael isn’t like Jax at all, I reckon it’d be the same in this universe.

Jax interview:

“Everyone on set has said to me at least once that I don’t act like my character at all and it catches them off guard completely. I just think that’s really funny.”

The idea of Gangle being a really good actor so much so that she puts on a voice for the character has crossed my mind. Much like her VA she’d have a more deeper voice. Yet when acting she puts on the high pitched and nasally voice. Also my friend mentioned how she would say “bro” off-set so that’s a funny thought.

[Filming]

“Bro my comedy mask!”

“Cut!”

“Ah my bad.”

Not much to really say about Kinger, but I did have the idea of him accidentally pulling a hip or something when he did the scene where he spazzes out.

[Filming]

“They’re the two most mentally stable and capable characters to be pai—“

“OWWW! OUH! OUUHH! I think I pulled something!”

“Oh shit you alright?”

“Ye-Yeah yeah I think- I think I should go sit down can we take 5?”

Zooble is just a very chill person off-set. They still maintain that “idgaf” attitude, but they’re less rude about it. Though they would still have a foul-mouth. There also was probably a few times where they got caught smoking weed or having an edible behind the studio after filming.

Zooble Interview:

“Did the Gloink Queen actually eat you on set?”

“Ha. Nah. The one you saw get swallowed was a prop replica of my head. They got it pretty accurately for the budget we had at the time.”

Zooble and Gangle are besties in character and off camera for sure, but there would also be times where Zooble hangs around Ragatha a lot, kind of just unknowingly adopting her as their on-set mother lol (I blame you @/mod-bee)

More interviews:

“Are you scared of centipedes, like actually?”

“Out of character? Oh yeah. Definitely. Too many legs. No thanks. [laughing]”

“Is it sometimes frustrating having to put yourself back together a lot?”

“Eh, sometimes. It is what it is, y’know? Plus as much as I have issues with his bod, it’s helped me gotten the role so… I can at least thank it for that.”

“What’s the worst prank Jax has pulled on set?”

“He hasn’t done anything remotely harmful, he’s too nice for that. But I’d say the time he made Zooble think they actually choked him out. He was a little too good at the bit I’d say. Zooble had words for him after that stunt. [slight chuckle]”

“The one time I regret nothing.”

“Did you end up getting hurt by that bowling ball Jax hurled at you?”

“Oh that? That was a stunt double! Thank god for stunt doubles. We actually go get drinks every now and again. It freaks out the local drunks every time.”

“A lot of people online have said you look like you suffer from scoliosis, is that true?”

“How can I suffer from scoliosis if I don’t even have a spine to begin with? [laughing]”

“Are all your more… cartoony movements CGI? Any special effects involved?”

“Well…. Don’t spread this around.. but… that’s all me. It’s a special talent I have.”

“Huh. Interesting. Does that mean you can actually fly?”

“I dunno! You tell me!”

[Caine slowly floats above his seat]

Bonus:

Whenever they’re not acting on the set of Murder Drones, Uzi, N and V help out with the more technical side of filming. Cameras, lights, and whatnot. Since they can fly they help out with filming bird’s eye view shots.

[smilingformoney]

Icebreaker | Alexander Dane/Reader

II. A Dream Come True

Summary: You're supposed to be at GalaxyCon, so why does it look like you're on set? And why is Alexander Dane acting so nice?

Read now on Ao3 or below the cut:

You came to in an unfamiliar bed. You thought first that you might be in a hospital, but when you blearily sat up and looked around, it wasn’t like any hospital room you’d ever seen.

You swung your feet off the bed, only for the soles of your feet to be met with something moist and squelchy - and when you looked down to see what it was, you saw that the floor of the room appeared to be a mixture of water and sand, like the wet sand at the edge of a beach.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

Your head shot up and, sure enough, Alexander Dane was standing in the doorway, still in his costume.

“Where am I?” you asked immediately.

Alexander glanced around the room.

“I’m surprised you don’t recognise it. I thought you were a fan of the show?”

“The show? What do you —”

You glanced around the room. You spotted the window, and then you remembered a scene from Galaxy Quest involving Lazarus looking out the window from his quarters.

“Wait, why are we on set?”

“We’re… not exactly on set,” Alexander said vaguely.

Not on set, but in Lazarus’ room? What was he talking about?

Alexander sighed and sat next to you on the edge of the bed. How many fanfiction scenes had you written involving ‘you’ and Lazarus sitting here, exactly like this? The only difference being that your stories always involved some kind of sexual tension, but the only attraction here was completely one-sided from you - right?

“We are in an exact replica of the Protector,” Alexander said carefully, as if he had to be cautious about what he said to you. “The rooms, hallways, all of it - a perfect replica.”

You snorted. “What, some fan got more time and money than sense? The ship is meant to be huge, where on earth would someone keep it? And I’m still not sure how I got here.”

Alexander hesitated, trying to decide how to explain the situation to you without sounding completely insane.

“Well… it’s also a functioning replica.”

“So… it flies? Are we in the air right now?”

“Yes, it flies. But no, we’re not in the air. We’re… in the vacuum of space.”

You stared at him blankly.

Was he joking? He was completely straight faced, his brow furrowed with that adorable little crease between his eyebrows. And when had Alexander Dane ever told a joke?

“I’m surprised you’d be in on a practical joke, Alex. Did someone pay you? Is Ashton Kutcher about to show up?”

“It’s not a joke, [Y/n], I’m serious. We’re in space.”

You studied his face carefully, looking for any sign that he was joking, but there was none. You knew he was a good actor, but this was something else. This felt real, as if he really believed you were in space.

“Alex, we can’t be in space. People don’t just go to space - especially not without knowing. Do you really expect me to believe that I got here from the hotel corridor without realising?”

“You remember Jane approaching us, right? She teleported us to the ship.”

You scoffed.

“It’s true! We teleported, but you fainted. They said it happens sometimes when people teleport long range and they insisted you recover here, in the Mak’Tar terrain.” Alexander sighed. “God, I know it sounds insane. But you have to believe me, [Y/n].”

“Prove it, then.”

“Alright.”

Alexander stood and offered his hand to you. You let him help you up, and together you squelched across the wet sand to the window, which appeared to look out across the vast cosmos of space.

“You see?”

“Well, it’s beautiful, Alex, but that could easily be fake.”

You looked up and down, left and right, as far as you could. It certainly seemed to stretch in all directions, and your stomach did a nervous flip, as if it believed you were in space. And if you were to be in space, this was exactly what you’d expect to see. You saw the sides of the ship, and you could certainly believe you were in a replica of the Protector, because building such a thing is exactly the kind of insane thing fans would do, but asking you to believe that it was also a fully functioning spaceship was a step too far.

You looked up at Alexander, who glanced away suddenly, as if you’d caught him staring. But that was ridiculous, why would he be staring at you?

“Alex, come on. We’re obviously in some kind of simulator. It’s a really good one, granted, but —”

You were interrupted by the sound of an alarm blaring. You winced at the sudden sound, and a voice over a tannoy announced:

WARNING. UNAUTHORISED PRESENCE APPROACHING. PROTECTOR CREW TO BRIDGE.

“See?” you said. “Simulator.”

Alexander sighed. Clearly, he had to do something to convince you that what was happening was real, but that would have to wait for now.

“Come on, let’s go.”

He hurried you out of the room, and you had to hurry to keep up with his long strides as you made your way down the corridor.

“What would convince you you were really in space?” Alexander asked you.

You thought for a moment. What really couldn’t be faked?

“Something impossible.”

“Would a shape-shifting alien do?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“Excellent. We’ve got a lot of those.”

You entered the bridge to find the rest of the crew, also in their costumes, hurrying to their stations. Alexander pulled Jane Doe aside.

“Laliari, I need you to change form.”

“What? Why?” asked Fred, who was glued to her side as he always was. “Is this really the time? We got a bit of a crisis going on here.”

“I know, and [Y/n] needs to take it seriously, but she doesn’t believe me.”

“Okay!” Jane agreed with her ever present strange smile, and you let out a small scream of surprise when, before your very eyes, she transformed from an odd-looking human to… some kind of tentacle alien thing.

You reached out and prodded the tentacle alien thing. It felt real enough, and when you prodded it it made a sound that was almost like a giggle.

“You are tickling me!” Jane said from wherever her mouth was. “May I take human form again?”

“Yes, yes,” said Alexander hurriedly.

You watched, mouth agape, as Jane transformed back into a human. Even her clothes re-appeared.

“Do you believe me now?” Alexander asked.

You were still staring at Jane.

“…Uh-huh,” you mumbled.

“Alright, good. Come on, let’s go.”

Jane turned around to attend to her station, and Alexander grabbed you by the arm to drag you to his.

“Go where? I don’t have anywhere - I’m not part of the crew. I mean, Bethany’s not part of the crew. Or are you going to tell me I’m really Bethany and [Y/n] was the character all along?”

“What? No, that’s absurd. I’ll explain everything later. Just - stay with me.”

Alexander - Lazarus? - sat down at his station, but it only had one seat, so you stood behind him, one had on the back of his seat to steady yourself.

It certainly felt like you were in the middle of a real scene from the show… except the characters were a little off. It was as if they’d forgotten how to act. Taggart wasn’t as smart as Taggart; he seemed to be winging it as much as Jason Nesmith. And Laredo wasn’t piloting with his usual confidence; Tommy Webber’s insecurity seemed obvious. And the man you stood next to was definitely Alexander Dane, not Dr Lazarus.

What was happening?

Jason opened a link to talk to the other ship, but he was met with no response. Instead, the ship simply opened fire, and suddenly you were thrown across the room as Tommy tried to navigate and Guy returned fire.

Suddenly, it all felt very real. If Jane transforming hadn’t convinced you, this certainly did. You’d experienced a fake attack on the ship during filming, and not only did it feel very, very different, but it also felt much, much safer. You were being tossed about quite dangerously, and when Tommy suddenly turned the ship on its side to avoid a blast, while everyone else stayed strapped into their seats, you with your lack of seat found yourself sliding across the floor, stopped from smashing your head against something only by grabbing onto a railing and dangling in the air as the ship turned completely 90 degrees.

“Tommy, straighten up, I can’t aim like this!” Guy yelled.

“Dude, I’m trying! This thing’s clunky as hell!”

“I agree with Guy!” you wailed from your precarious position dangling from the rail. “I’d really like to not fall right now!”

Alexander turned in his seat when he heard your voice, and he swore loudly when he saw you.

He turned his chair to face you, and though he remained strapped firmly in place, he did his best to reach his arm out towards you.

“[Y/n], here!”

You stretched your arm out towards him as far as you could, but the best you could manage was a vague brushing of your fingertips.

“I can’t reach!”

”I got it!” Tommy called from the other side of the room.

You waited for the ship to right itself, but instead it turned further, threatening to turn upside down.

“I don’t got it!” Tommy corrected himself.

An idea came to you very suddenly.

“Turn the gravity off!” you shouted. “You’re all strapped down but I’ll float!”

“[Y/n] —” Alexander began to protest, but you cut across him.

“You wanna prove we’re in space? Turn off the gravity!”

Alexander looked reluctant, but he seemed to realise you were right. Right now, you were ready to fall because the gravity was moving in the wrong direction. It wasn’t right itself, so — it had to be eliminated.

“Gwen, turn the gravity off!”

“Computer, turn the gravity off!” Gwen told the computer.

“ urning gravity off,” the computer replied.

You had never felt anything like it. You hadn’t spent that much of your life contemplating what no gravity felt like, but it certainly wasn’t this. You had spent every second of your existence subject to gravity, and so the moment it was taken away, your brain had no idea what to do. It had suddenly lost all sense of up and down, left and right - reality itself seemed warped. The closest sensation you could possibly liken it to was the in-between state of your brain being pulled from a deep sleep, confused between the lines of dream and reality.

“[Y/n]!” Alexander called, pulling you out of your stupor.

You pushed against the railing as you let go of it, and although you gave yourself the smallest push, you barrelled into Alexander with some considerable force.

He caught you in his arms, and the feeling of his grip fighting against no other force was strange but comforting. In the absence of gravity, the one constant force that had always pinned you to reality, all you had to stop yourself from floating away was Alexander Dane’s arms.

“Gwen, turn the gravity back on!” Alexander shouted.

“Computer, turn the gravity back on!”

“Turning gravity on.”

You felt the entire weight of your body returning, and you landed inelegantly on Alexander’s lap, splayed across his knees as if he was about to give you ten smacks for talking back.

You were too preoccupied with the churning in your stomach, though, to worry about the precocious position you’d landed in. Alexander picked you up with surprising strength and sat you on his lap as he turned back towards the window.

“Just hold tight to me,” he said firmly, and you obeyed immediately, wrapping your arms around his neck to anchor yourself.

“I think I’m gonna throw up,” you complained.

“Just aim it at Jason, not me.”

Guy let out a whoop as he hit a sweet spot on the other ship, causing its engine to blow up.

“Yeah, take that, you bastards!” he hollered. “Did you guys see that hit? Talk about bullseye!”

“Yes, got it on your fiftieth try!” Alexander replied dryly.

“Tommy, get us out of here,” Jason said as he sat back in his seat with relief. “I need a drink.”

The turbulence finally over, you breathed a sigh of relief. You didn’t even realise you were still clutching onto Alexander until he went to remove the belt that strapped him into his seat, and you let him go, glad to finally stand up on your own two feet.

You immediately left the bridge, desperate to find somewhere to sit down and process everything. You were in space, actual space, on a fully functioning replica of the Protector, with the cast of Galaxy Quest who were definitely still actors but in their costumes and filling the same roles as their characters. The ship was inhabited by aliens who looked like tentacle monsters but could change shape to appear human, and Jane Doe was one of them. If you hadn’t seen him without his cap, you might have wondered if Alexander was really an alien too.

You instinctively returned to Lazarus’ room, as if returning to your start point could send you back home, but when you sat down on the bed, nothing happened. You buried your head in your hands, trying your best to block everything out to give your mind and body a chance to catch up.

A few moments later, Alexander entered the room. You looked up at him.

“Alex… what the fuck is going on?”

He explained everything to you: the alien race that had seen Galaxy Quest and thought it real, who had based so much of their society from what they thought was a documentary, even going so far as to create a replica of the Protector. Finding themselves in a predicament that would be perfectly placed in the show, they went looking for the crew on Earth, and the actors had found themselves very suddenly playing their TV roles.

“I’m sorry, I should have explained it to you as soon as you woke up,” Alexander said.

You shook your head. You ran your palm over your face, then leant backwards to lie flat against the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“I’d never have believed you. I needed to experience it for myself. God - this is insane. How many other TV shows are real? Is there a coven of witches in San Francisco? Is there really a portal to Hell in Southern California? Is Alan Partridge real and Steve Coogan the character?”

You heard Alexander chuckle. He leant back to lie side-by-side with you, also craving the simple sight of the ceiling.

“I know Steve Coogan’s real, I’ve met him enough times. And I’m pretty sure witches aren’t real. As for a portal to Hell in California - that I can’t be too sure of, because it certainly feels that way during the height of summer.”

You both laughed, and for a few moments you almost forgot about the bizarre situation you were in. You settled into a comfortable silence together, both laying side-by-side, trying to absorb the strange day you were having.

“Alex?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I, um - can I hold your hand? I just really need some real, physical, human contact right now. Remind myself I’m not losing my marbles, y’know?”

“Of course.”

You felt his fingers reaching out for yours, and you slipped your hand into his. You closed your eyes, focusing on feeling gravity again, and feeling grounded by Alexander’s touch.

“Alex, do you moisturise?”

“…What?”

“Your hands are always really soft. I noticed it before during filming.”

You heard him chuckle. “Yes, I do. Is there something wrong with that?”

“Course not. It’s nice. Feels… nice.”

“I’m glad my hands are to your satisfaction.”

You giggled, then turned your head to look at him, only to find he was already looking at you. There was something intense yet almost uncertain about the way his eyes were boring into you, making you feel completely exposed.

“I’m afraid I don’t moisturise my lips so much,” he added.

“Oh, er… that’s alright, I guess. They don’t look dry.”

“I just thought I’d warn you, in case you expect my lips to be as soft as my hands. So you won’t be surprised at how dry they are when I kiss you.”

You blushed.

“You’re - you’re going to kiss me?”

“Yes.”

“When?” you asked, wondering if you were to be invited back to the show and your characters were to kiss.

“In a few seconds’ time, if that’s alright with you.”

Your stomach suddenly felt as if it were weightless again.

“Y - yes, that would be fine with me,” you managed to stammer out.

Alexander smiled, and the cupid’s bow you’d always thought looked so kissable looked even more kissable in person.

Well, it turned out, his lips were soft enough as they were. He kissed you with surprising uncertainty, then when you parted your lips slightly, it seemed to encourage him because he began kissing you with more fervour, the hand that wasn’t in yours reaching over to cup your cheek.

You reached up to run your fingers through his hair, then stopped when you were met with the fake gills of his cap, and your lips separated as you both laughed.

“I forgot we had these stupid things on,” you giggled. “I don’t suppose we can take them off?”

“Not if Lena’s glue has anything to say about it. Why, don’t you like it? I thought you’d enjoy kissing Dr Lazarus.”

Alexander smirked, and you batted his chest playfully.

“Shush. I’d prefer to kiss Alex Dane, if that’s alright.”

“Until we get back to Earth and find Lena, there’s nothing we can do, so you’ll have to settle for Alex Dane in costume.”

“I think I can accept that.”

“Good, because there’s an adorable little freckle on your earlobe I’ve been dying to kiss.”

He lowered his head to peck a kiss against your ear, and you giggled as his breath tickled your inner ear.

“If we’re kissing cute freckles, can I kiss the one on your neck?”

Alexander raised his head to look at you with a frown. “How do you know about that one? It’s always hidden under collars.”

“You got your kit off in Storm’s Retreat, remember?”

“…I did, yes. Bloody hell, I forgot about that one. Go on, then, I won’t say no to a neck kiss.”

Eagerly, you pulled down the zip of his costume, letting the collar fall away to reveal the neckline of the vest he wore underneath and… the little freckle at the base of his neck. You lifted your head to kiss it, and when you heard Alexander hum with approval, you nibbled at it slightly too.

“Oh, you’re a biter, are you?” he said with amusement. “I should have known. Well, two can play at that game.”

Alexander grazed his teeth against your ear, and you found yourselves playfighting, both trying to nibble the other’s skin first. He grabbed your wrists and pinned them above your head as he pushed you onto your back and climbed on top of you, grinning with victory.

“God, you look good like this. I wonder if there are any handcuffs on this ship…?”

“Don’t you dare!” you protested.

“Oh, I’ll dare. I want to see what you look like at my mercy.”

His eyes flashed dangerously, and you felt it between your legs.

“Alex…”

“Hm?” Alexander responded, his hands gently tracing your skin as he admired the view of you at his mercy underneath him.

“Not that this isn’t my every dream come true, but… you’ve been nothing but a jackass to me since we met. Why are you suddenly pinning me to the bed and kissing me? Again, really not complaining. Just… confused.”

The danger in Alexander’s eyes dimmed slightly, and he almost looked abashed.

“[Y/n]… I’ve fancied you since we met. But I have a strict rule about fans, so I tried to push you away. I suppose I was overcompensating.”

“What changed?”

“Being in real danger makes you realise things. Things like, I actually quite like that woman and I’d prefer it if she didn’t fall and die before I get a chance to kiss her.”

The hand that was exploring your body paused, and Alexander looked as if he were a young boy who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“[Y/n], before we… do whatever we might do next… I have to tell you something. That first night, when we went to karaoke. Do you really not remember anything about coming to my house?”

“No, just the bar, then waking up. Why, do you remember something?”

“No, but… I checked my security cameras after you left. We came back wasted and I stuck my hand down your trousers.”

“No!” you gasped, a hand flying to your mouth. “Surely I’d remember that!”

“Well, you were very drunk, because you passed out about thirty seconds later. I carried you to my bed then passed out on the sofa myself. Then… about an hour later, we both woke up, and started snogging. That was how your bra ended up on the sofa. We apparently decided not to do anything else, because you went back to bed and I went back to the sofa.”

“Oh, that’s how my bra got there! That’s been haunting me for months. So that’s why you started being a jackass, because you thought if you were nice I’d try to snog you again?”

“More like I was worried I’d try to snog you. That is why I didn’t tell you, though, because I didn’t want either of us to try it again. But now I would very much like to try it again, so… may I kiss you again?”

“Alex, you have a free pass to kiss me absolutely any time you like.”

“Don’t make promises you don’t mean,” Alexander said in a low voice, his eyes electric again, looking you up and down hungrily. “I’d like to kiss every inch of your body. But your lips - your lips are especially enticing.”

You knew you should be revelling in the fact that literally all your fangirl dreams were coming true, but you were far more interested in being with Alex at all - you realised you didn’t care that you were both in costume, in a perfect replica of Lazarus’ quarters. You didn’t even care that you were literally in space.

You just wanted the man behind the costume.

He, apparently, was thinking something similar.

“Get this bloody thing off,” Alexander growled, tugging at the zip to your costume. “If we have to keep the caps on, we can at least get rid of the uniform.”

“I think you just want an excuse to get me naked,” you teased as you pulled the zip down, and to Alexander’s disappointment, you had a vest on underneath.

“Do I need an excuse? Or would you do it if I asked nicely?”

“I’d do it if you asked unnicely.”

Alexander stood up to give you room to get out of your costume, and you watched with hungry eyes as he unzipped his costume too, laughing at your choice of words.

“Unnicely? I’m quite sure that’s not a word.”

“I’m an actor, not a writer! Anyway, Shakespeare made up words all the time, so maybe I’m onto something.”

“Yes, and one of those words was undress, so maybe you’d better hurry up and do as the Bard says.”

“I’m trying!” you protested, struggling to pull off your boots. Matters weren’t made any easier when Alexander kicked his own off with ease to allow himself to pull his jumpsuit off completely, leaving you with a direct close-up view of his boxers, and the prominent bulge beneath them.

Alexander scoffed at you, then yanked your boots off your feet, followed by your jumpsuit, leaving each of you in nothing but underwear and a vest.

God, he was magnificent. He had a slight belly, the remnants of one too many beers of an evening, and beneath his boxers you could see his already large bulge was getting larger.

“Your boxers are getting a bit tight,” you said teasingly. “Maybe you should take them off.”

Alexander’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Oh, hoping for the full experience, are we?”

You blushed. “Oh, well… I mean, if you want. If you just want to make out, that’s fine…”

Alexander grinned.

“Oh, trust me. I most certainly do want .”

He reached back and pulled his vest off, standing before you in almost his full glory. You quickly followed suit, discarding your vest somewhere on the floor, and with a hungry groan, Alexander crawled back on top of you, kissing whichever part of your skin he could get at as he moved. He paused when he reached your breasts, which were embarrassingly in your least sexy bra, because you’d dressed for attending a convention, not for getting laid, but Alexander didn’t seem to mind. He pressed his face against the skin that poked out from the edge of the bra, sighing with pleasure as if the touch of your breast was the most exquisite feeling in the world.

You felt his hand reaching for your back, so you curved your spine to allow him access to your bra strap, and with a few expert movements Alexander tugged your bra off and discarded it with the rest of your clothes.

“Did you know Shakespeare also invented the word majestic?” Alexander said breathily as he took your breasts in his hands, massaging them, pinching your nipples between his fingers. “A word made for these, I’m sure.”

You giggled. “Are you going to start reciting Shakespeare at my boobs, Alex?”

He looked up at you and grinned mischievously, then drew his attention back to your chest.

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate,” he whispered against your skin, his attention fully on your breasts and not on you.

You laughed, although a tingle of desire flushed through you at hearing his voice so perfectly made for Shakespeare.

Alexander kissed his way up to your collarbone, then murmured against your neck, “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”

He sucked on the flesh of your neck, seemingly determined to leave a mark. You whined, and you heard him chuckle against your skin on hearing your reaction. He sucked the same spot again, then traced kisses down your jaw until his lips were pressed against your ear.

“Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines and often is his gold complexion dimm’d… and every fair from fair sometime declines, by chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d.”

You whined again, the sound of his soft whispers against your ear driving you wild, and you felt an ache between your legs begging to be filled by him.

Alexander fumbled with his boxers, pushing them down his legs to shake them off his ankle, not wanting to move away from you for a second.

“But thy eternal summer shall not fade, nor lose possession of that fair thou owest…”

His fingers slid between your legs, and he smirked when he found you soaking wet, the fabric of your panties moving aside for him almost too easily. He slipped his length up and down your folds, soaking himself in your arousal, and you had to resist taking hold of him and impaling yourself on him.

“Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, when in eternal lines to time thou growest…”

Alexander kissed you, and as your lips parted for him, so did your entrance, and you felt him slip inside, pushing your walls apart easily as he settled inside you.

“So long as men can breathe or eyes can see… so long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

He finished with a firm thrust, hitting himself inside you completely. He closed his eyes as he did so and let out a groan, savouring the feeling of being buried inside you.

“Sonnet… eighteen…” he panted, as if you didn’t know it.

You almost wanted to cry. It was so perfect, so sweet and loving… so unlike what you might expect from Alexander Dane, but you suspected you were seeing a side to him he shared with no one.

“Alex…”

His eyes fluttered open, and he looked down at you, his eyes heavy with desire.

“I need you.”

He smiled, withdrew almost completely, then thrust inside you with a surprising fierceness, contrasting with the gentle way in which he’d penetrated you.

“Do you want to know another word Shakespeare invented?” Alexander purred. “Hot-blooded.”

You cried out in surprise as he began thrusting into you, his movements hard and desperate, any pretence at being gentle thrown aside with your clothes. He dove back into the crook of your neck, determined to create more marks with each thrust. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and held him close, your fingernails digging into his back. He seemed to like that, because he bit down harder on your neck, and when you moved your hand to grab onto the back of his neck, he took your earlobe between his teeth and tugged.

“Mhm , you feel so fucking good,” he grunted, his deep growls by your ear making you want him more and more. You wrapped your legs around his waist, holding him in tighter, and he responded by speeding up his thrusts.

Over his shoulder, you could see his arse moving with each thrust, and you thought of a Shakespeare quote of your own.

“Your bum is the greatest thing about you.”

Alexander faltered in his movements as he laughed.

“Measure for Measure. Very clever. Thou art wise as thou art beautiful.”

“Give me my sin again, Alex.”

“Oh, most certainly.”

He began thrusting again, more passionately this time, less desperate; as if he wanted to revel in the feeling of you, more than just put his dick somewhere.

But you were thirsty, and you wanted more.

“Harder, Alex…”

“I don’t want to cum too soon,” he panted in reply. “It’s… been a while. I don’t - don’t think I can trust myself to hold on. Not when - not when you’re so - fucking - gorgeous.”

You groaned in frustration, then with surprising strength, rolled him onto his back. Alexander grunted in surprise, hardly having time to register what had just happened before you were sliding back onto him to ride him at your own pace.

“Fucking hell, [Y/n],” Alexander hissed.

You smirked.

“What? No clever Shakespeare quote?”

“Keep bouncing like that and - mhm - you’ll fuck it all out of me. God, you look amazing like this. Use me, [Y/n], take all the pleasure you can… touch yourself, I want to see you cum like this…”

You gladly obeyed, pressing your fingers against your clit in the way you knew you liked, and Alexander groaned hungrily as he watched you, the pleasure building inside both of you with each movement, any clever words you might have had gone and replaced only with your desperate cries.

You took one of Alexander’s hands and guided it to your breast. He squeezed, and with a cry of your name, you felt his body shuddering beneath you as he came, the feel and sight and sound of you on top of him too much for him to hold back anymore.

You slowed down your movements, and after a few breaths of recovery, Alexander rolled you onto your back, pulled out of you and retreated down your body to bury his face between your legs.

His fingers slid inside you, pumping furiously while his tongue lapped at your sweet spot, and now you understood what he meant about wanting to savour the sensation before losing control, because you hardly had a chance to appreciate his skill before you were cumming on his face, and he lapped up your juices gladly, continuing to work his fingers and tongue on you until the aftershocks of your orgasm had subsided, and only when he was satisfied you were finished did his unstick himself from you, his lips glistening with your juices as he did so.

“Where the pleasant fountains lie, indeed,” he said, wiping his face on the back of his hand. “You could have told me you were a squirter before I put my face down there.”

“And ruin the fun?” you teased.

Alexander chuckled, kissed your inner thigh, then sat up and looked around with a frown.

“Is there no bathroom here? Surely Lazarus would have an en-suite.”

You pushed yourself onto your elbows, looked around and laughed.

“Maybe he ought to take it up with the captain.”

“I’ll certainly be taking it up with the set designers.” Alexander climbed off the bed and offered his hand to you to help you up. “Come on - let’s find a bathroom in this place. If we go to Leilani’s party smelling like sex, I guarantee I won’t hear the end of it.”

You tried your best to act natural around Alexander during the strangest birthday party you’d ever been to, but it was difficult when every time you glanced at him, he was staring right at you. Your eyes would catch, he would smirk, and you’d look away with a blush.

You managed to survive the trip back to Earth without fainting this time, and the cast dispersed to their respective rooms. You tried to get your key in the door, but you’d discovered something very strong and very delicious on the ship, and your vision wasn’t exactly at its peak.

Alexander suddenly appeared at your side, opened your door for you, then followed you inside with a hungry grin, scooping you up in his arms the moment the door was closed.

“Oof! Alex, don’t, I’ll be sick!” you protested.

“Don’t worry, I’m just taking you to bed.”

He carried you across the room and plopped you on the bed, his hands immediately exploring your body the moment they were free.

“I’ve been wanting to get my hands on you again all night. We should never have gone to the party.”

He kissed you sloppily, and his breath smelled like the sweet drinks you’d been drinking all night.

“Alex… m’drunk,” you mumbled as his wet kisses moved to your neck. “An’ you’re drunk too.”

“I am… absolutely wasted,” Alexander admitted. He paused his movements, then rolled himself onto his back with a grunt. He closed his eyes to stop the world from spinning around him.

“Oh my god, we’re gonna have to sleep with these stupid things on,” you realised when you noticed he was still wearing his cap. “Lena’s gonna kill us if we mess them up.”

Alexander snorted derisively. “If hyperspeed travel through space doesn’t mess it up, I doubt sleep will.” His eyes still closed, he put his arm out to her. “C’mon, let’s sleep.”

“M’not sleeping in this,” you said, gesturing to your uniform. You unzipped it and stood to take it off, and let out a yelp of surprise when Alexander’s hand slapped your now exposed arse.

“Gimme that booty,” he said, and you laughed. He was significantly less loquacious, apparently, when he was drunk.

“Only if you gimme yours,” you replied, looking over your shoulder to see he was still fully dressed. He grinned.

“Deal.”

Even though you were drunker than you’d been in a long time, you just about managed to stumble to the minifridge to down a bottle of water. You brought one back for Alexander, but he was already fast asleep, snoring loudly. You left the bottle of water on the bedside table for him, then climbed in next to him and promptly fell asleep.

When you woke up the next morning, thanks to your water trick, your hangover wasn’t as bad as it could have been. You rolled over, hoping to find Alexander next to you, only to find the rest of the bed empty.

You opened your eyes groggily, wincing against the sunlight seeping past the curtains, praying last night hadn’t been a dream.

You slowly sat up, trying not to disturb your churning stomach — and then you heard the distinct sound of vomiting from within the en-suite bathroom.

“Alex?” you called out, your voice hoarse.

He responded with a groan.

You plodded over to the minifridge for another water.

So it had been real. You really had been whisked off to space, you’d really slept with Alexander Dane before getting drunk at an alien’s birthday party - and you’d really slept with Alexander on your return to Earth.

Now he was throwing up in your hotel room’s en-suite.

You glanced at the clock and your heart skipped a beat.

“Alex, the first panel’s in ten minutes!”

“Fuhhem,” Alexander replied.

You poked your head around the bathroom door to find him stood at the sink, one hand holding himself steady while the other washed vomit from his face. He was still in his vest and boxers — and he was still wearing his head cap.

He looked at you through the mirror, and one glance was all you needed to know he wasn’t going to be in any shape to sit at a panel.

“Ruin that cap and Lena’ll kill you.”

Alexander scoffed. “It’s been through worse.”

He didn’t just look rough, but he sounded it too. His voice was hoarse and sounded as if he were trying to sound like sandpaper if it could speak.

“You want me to tell them you’re not coming?”

Alexander nodded groggily.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, his eyes already drooping sleepily. “Not the sexiest look right now.”

You rolled your eyes, then went to find your discarded costume. You definitely felt rough yourself, but you were in much better shape than him, and you knew a black coffee and a bacon sandwich was exactly what you needed to feel right as rain again.

“You can stay here if you want,” you said to him as you got dressed. “So long as you don’t raid the minibar, the agency’ll kill me.”

“Don’t say the word bar to me ever again,” Alexander grumbled as he plodded out of the bathroom and fished his costume from the floor to clumsily put it back on. “I’m going back to my room for a nice long nap, then I’m going home. I’m never doing this again.”

“I’ve sworn I’ll never drink again a million times, I always end up doing it.”

“No, not drinking, of course I’ll drink again. I mean this .” He gestured around the room. “That’s two conventions in a row now that have led to being abducted by aliens. I’m too old for this shit.”

His uniform was only half-zipped up when the zip caught. He tried to tug it, but it resisted, so he sighed and gave up. He was only going to take it off again in a minute anyway.

He looked up at you, looking put-together and just about ready to walk on set, and not at all as if you’d drunk just as much as he had.

“You don’t have to go down there either, you know,” he said suggestively, looking you up and down as he snuck an arm around your waist. “We could stay here and fuck all day.”

You blushed.

“I would like that… but this is my first con. You’re a grumpy old actor, you can get away with it. I can’t. Besides, I don’t think you’re in any condition to fuck right now, do you?”

“Hmm, I suppose not,” Alexander conceded. “But I still want to see you again. Would you give me your number?”

Even after everything, you were still a little starstruck, and the fangirl inside you was ready to explode with excitement that Alexander Dane was asking for your number.

You put your acting skills to good use, and played it cool as you used the hotel stationary to write your mobile number down for him.

He gave your arse a quick squeeze then left with a flirtatious grin.

You took a moment to let yourself silently scream with excitement, then put on your game face and made your way downstairs for your fashionably late entrance to the morning panel. Throughout the day, although you engaged with the fans, one corner of your mind was always thinking about the night you’d spent in space with Alexander Dane.

By the time you finished for the day, Alexander was nowhere to be found, and Gwen discovered from the hotel receptionist that he’d checked out in the morning. You checked your phone, but he hadn’t text you to say goodbye.

You spent the next week checking your phone constantly, but still nothing. You knew he was alive, because you saw him on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, promoting the season finale of the show along with Gwen and Jason. He had to sit there, smiling politely, while Jason made the whole conversation about him and, occasionally, his relationship with Gwen.

“Well, how about that, folks? Love onscreen and off!” Jimmy said, and the audience cheered. Gwen and Jason looked at each other adoringly, in a way you’d never seen them look at each other in person, and Alexander rolled his eyes in a way you definitely had seen in person.

“And talking of onscreen romances,” Jimmy continued, “when are Lazarus and Bethany getting their happily ever after?! We need them together!”

The audience cheered - louder, this time.

“Well, I can’t comment on what the writers have planned,” Alexander replied. “But if they want her back, it’s [Y/n] [L/n] they’ll have to convince, not me. I don’t think she’d want to come back.”

“Yes, you do!” you protested, as if he could hear you. “You know I want to come back, you prat!”

“Well, we sure want her back, don’t we, everyone?” Jimmy said, and the audience cheered in encouragement.

The topic moved on to Peter Taggart’s character arc, and you turned the TV off in frustration. What on earth was Alexander doing, making it out as if you were hesitant to come back? He’d heard you say enough times over the weekend, onstage and off, that you’d love to come back. You wouldn’t have spent two days with that stupid cap on if you didn’t!

You glanced at your phone. He still hadn’t text you.

Well, whatever. Fuck him. You had better things to do than to mope over some guy. He might be your biggest celebrity crush and your theatrical icon, but he was still just some guy, and clearly not above making fake promises about seeing you again once he’d got his dick in you.

You didn’t need him.

But damn, you wanted him.

---

You saw Alexander Dane again a year later.

In that time, you’d been promoted from understudy to taking on the role of Johanna every night, and you were far too focused on nailing the high notes eight times a week to think about stupid actors who ask for your number with no intention of using it.

You had to stop visiting Galaxy Quest forums. It was too weird when you came up in discussions, especially when the fans you were talking to didn’t know you were you. It was especially weird when they talked about how hot you were. The final straw was when you came across fanfiction involving, not Lazarus and Bethany, but you and Alexander.

You deleted your account then.

Then one day, you got a call from your agent: would you like to come back for a short one-scene appearance on Galaxy Quest?

You considered saying no, but you didn’t want Alexander’s jackassery to affect your career, or the show, and if the writers thought Bethany needed to show up for a scene then you’d let it happen - despite what Alexander claimed. 

So you showed up at the studios and chatted amicably with Lena while she fitted the cap on your head. Fortunately, Alexander had been filming for hours, so you didn’t have to sit next to him awkwardly.

You went over your lines again. While the glue set, Lena took your script in her hands and read Alexander’s lines to test your memory of your own, but you spent more time giggling at her impression of his deep, baritone voice than actually reciting your lines.

You were called to set, and just like before, you had little time to prepare before you were thrown into the scene. The director ran you through your blocking a couple of times while you waited for Alexander to appear, and then… there he was.

You avoided looking at him until action was called.

Inside and around a wet cave on the shore of the land of a planet Lazarus had never heard of, several dozen Mak’Tar were bustling about, getting ready for the day. He stared about, aghast, marvelling at the sight of so many of his own kind, the kind he’d thought dead long ago.

“Excuse me,” he said to a passing man, “I’ve just arrived here. I was told to see your leader.”

The man smiled gladly. “Another survivor? Welcome, friend! Here, I’ll take you to her.”

The man led him to a woman who was by the shoreline, teaching a young child how to fish with his hands.

“Bethany! We have another survivor.”

Lazarus’ eyes widened in surprise at the sound of the familiar name, and sure enough, the woman he’d rescued from the alien zoo turned around.

She smiled.

“Hello, Lazarus. I hoped you’d find your way here some day.”

“I… got a little lost,” he admitted.

“We all did.”

Bethany stepped down from the rock she was standing on and took Lazarus’ hands in hers.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

There was a moment’s hesitation.

“Cut!”

You dropped Alexander’s hands, looking back at the director in surprise.

“Where the hell is the chemistry?” he demanded. “Last time you were here, the chemistry between you was off the charts. So much so the fans sent us a petition to bring you back, [Y/n]! But this, whatever it is, it’s not chemistry.”

“Right, sorry,” you said, a little embarrassed. “Where shall we start from?”

“Go back to the beginning. The whole thing needs to flow. [Y/n], at least try to pretend like you’re happy to see him, okay?”

You tried the scene six more times, but still the director wasn’t happy.

“I’m sorry, can we take a break, please?” you asked, the frustration in your chest only getting worse with each take. “Maybe I just need some air.”

The director sighed.

“Alright, fine. Ten minutes.”

You took a proffered coat from a PA and, after a quick trip to the loo, stepped outside - and sighed when you saw that Alexander was already there with a cigarette in his hand.

You hesitated, about to turn back inside, when he silently held the box out to you.

“…Thanks.”

You took a cigarette from the box, borrowed his lighter to light it, and leaned against the wall with a sigh.

“Is acting with me really that difficult?” Alexander said after a long puff.

“Apparently.”

“About as difficult as talking to me, I suppose.”

“Mmm.”

Alexander sighed in frustration.

“Can you at least try to be professional?”

“Dunno. Can you at least try to be a decent person?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

You threw your cigarette on the ground and stomped it out in frustration.

“It means , Alexander, if you were just going to use and discard me, you could have been fucking honest. Asking for my number and not bothering to text me, not even to say you’re not interested? That is a major dick move, even for you.”

Alexander frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, what am I talking about? I’m talking about you fucking me in fucking space, taking my number and talking about wanting to see me again, then completely blanking me!”

Alexander stubbed out his cigarette, reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out his phone. A few beeps later, he showed you the screen.

Text message To: [Y/n] [L/n] Hello its Alex

He showed you another.

Are you ok? Not heard from you.

And another.

Will wait for you to reply.

You stared, gaping.

“I thought you’d changed your mind, so I stopped,” Alexander said. “Are you saying you didn’t get any of my messages?”

“No! I thought you just never texted me!”

Alex sighed. “I knew I should have called. I was going to, but Guy kept telling me young people didn’t actually call each other anymore, it’s all text messages these days.”

“You probably put my number in wrong! It’s 555-1946.”

Alex tapped through his contacts to find you.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. I’ve got 555-7946. It’s your bloody handwriting!”

“Hey, don’t blame me! Who have you been texting then?”

“I don’t bloody know, do I? Whichever poor sod got these never replied. Again — I should have called. Then I’d have known - oh, for God’s sake. I’ve spent the last year pissed at you for ignoring me.”

“And I’ve spent the last year pissed at you!” you groaned in exasperation. “So are you - I mean, are you, you know - still interested? I mean, I’ve been dating, it’s not like I’ve been pining over you” - a lie - “but I’m single now. If… you are.”

Alexander snorted. “[Y/n], you are awful at flirting.”

“…Yeah.”

“Well, so am I. Can we agree to skip that part and go straight to snogging?”

“God, yes.”

Your lips collided as the two of you fell into an embrace - as best you could with the bulky coats you were wearing. Alexander grabbed you by the waist and spun you around to pin you against the wall, hands sliding underneath your coat to grab at your curves. While one hand caressed your body, the other snuck up to your neck to hold your head firmly against his, only for the two of you to break the kiss and burst into laughter when you realised that, once again, you had the stupid caps on.

“Christ, I can’t wait to be rid of this thing,” Alexander muttered. “Two more days, then I’m free of it.”

“What do you mean?”

He hesitated, then said, “It’s my last day on Friday. I’m quitting the show.”

“What?!”

“Shh, keep your voice down!” Alexander said, glancing around as if there might be someone spying on you in the empty backlot. “They’re announcing it on Saturday, once I’m done with filming. Are you that surprised? Have you read the scene or are you just reciting lines mindlessly?”

You batted him on the chest. “You bastard! I thought it was a plot about the Mak’Tar surviving! So, what, Lazarus leaves the ship and lives happily ever after with Bethany on Tev’Meck II?”

“Something like that. They were going to kill me off, but I thought it’d be much better for him to find some purpose… and love.”

You grinned cheekily. “You just wanted an excuse to have me back, didn’t you?”

“What, when I thought you’d ignored me? No, as much as this show pisses me off sometimes —”

“Only some?”

“— I wanted Lazarus to have a fitting ending.”

“And this way we can get a spinoff.”

Alexander threw his hands up. “No! Absolutely not. They couldn’t offer me enough money.”

“What, to lead your own show? With me as your co-star?”

“Both of those things sound wonderful, but not as Lazarus. I’m done with him. I want to go back to the theatre.”

“Ooh, the guy who plays Turpin is leaving, we’re holding auditions soon! Maybe you could be the Turpin to my Johanna.”

“It’d certainly be a test of your acting skills pretending you’re not incredibly attracted to me,” Alexander said with a grin. “Pretend to hate me on stage then run off for a quickie in intermission.”

“You wish. I’m far too professional for that.”

“After bows, then?”

“Definitely. Come on, let’s go back. Now I’m not pissed at you, I might actually be able to get this stupid scene done.”

It only took two more takes to get the scene right. Your chemistry was back, and when your cue came to kiss, you and Alexander went on for perhaps a bit longer than necessary - but nobody asked you to stop.

The scene finally finished, the two of you went to Lena to get your caps removed, and after a trip to wardrobe to get back into your own clothes, you met Alexander out back, both of you wearing normal, human clothes with your heads freed from the confines of those stupid caps.

He smiled when he saw you and held his hand out to you. You took it, then he pulled you close to him, and kissed you deeply. He grabbed the back of your head, his fingers finally threading through your hair, and when your lips parted, he was looking a little flustered.

“Got any plans tonight?”

“Well, there’s this guy I was gonna ask out, but…”

Alexander raised an eyebrow. “But?”

“But I think he’s about to ask me out.”

He grinned.

“What d’you say to dinner at mine? I don’t want to be batting off fans and paparazzi when I should be paying attention to you.”

“Home cooked dinner? I’d be an idiot to say no.”

“Good thing you’re a clever girl, then.”

He kissed you again, gave your arse a squeeze, then wrapped an arm around your shoulder to escort you to his car.

Your every dream was coming true - and it was only the beginning.