#thread / tiff.

[lxvenderhxzehv]

Where: Nicks place Who: Tiffany and Nick (@endlessreruns)

"This is a bad idea..." She stood at their door step, she could feel herself shaking. She had performed in front of millions and yet coming face to face with her younger sibling was the scariest thing Tiff had ever done. Except now she looked more like her old self. Daisy, a name she hadn't heard in nearly 15 years. She wanted them to realize who she was. She was being vulnerable. Stripped of what ever ounce of fame she had. She wasn't here to show off, she was here to reconnect. Hoped that they would forgive her. She tired but it was always wrong place at the wrong time. She went to knock on the door.

[crimsonrainsoughtstrawberry]

y’all we’re like 🤏🏽 this close to seeing Qi Rong’s little sociopathic, goofy ass on screen 🤭

[bloody-ugly]

TAG DUMP BRRRAHH.

THREADS ⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆ TIFF && MUSE [URL] .

DYNAMIC ⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆ TIFF && MUSE [URL] .

[eyeofprovidence]

yeah, this is about the expected reaction! even the pines with an ordinary amount of fingers are freaks regardless of the dimension, and it doesn't take a genius to notice that! still, they may be weirdos, but they're not as utterly unassuming and entirely useless as tiff seems to think.

his clone dissipates as his single form teleports behind tiffany - then in front, hand tapping on his chin, "THE JOURNALS, HUH?" that's the first useful thing blondie has told him all night - and, shit, he might just have to torture himself by listening to pine tree's podcast. on three times speed. but if dipper really has his hands on sixer's journals... well, it only makes sense that fordsy would have put some notes that could help him out with the damned portals in one of his not-so-secret codes.

"I HATE TO SAY IT, I REALLY DO - BUT THERE'S SOME SENSE TO HIS NONSENSE!" and, of course, an unhealthy amount of paranoia on top of that, but even a being like him knows dipper can't entirely be ignored. "AND SURE, LET ME KNOW WHAT MR. MAYOR IS UP TO - BUT I PROMISE, HE'S NOT AS IMPORTANT AS YOU THINK. NOT EVEN HADES! HA, IF THEY WERE, THEY WOULD'VE MADE PROGRESS TO GETTING US OUT OF THIS PLACE BY NOW!"

"LOOK BLONDIE," another snap, and a trio of journals manifests in the air: crimson coated with that six fingered hand inlaid in gold on the cover - 1, 2, 3. of course, he doesn't know if pine tree has the full trio, but if he does... "THESE 'STUPID JOURNALS' HAVE SOME INFO INSIDE THAT YOU AND PINE TREE COULDN'T EVEN IMAGINE THE POWER OF. I NEED THEM." a slight exaggeration, sure, as he isn't even positive exactly all that lies within them, but... "HELP ME GET MY HANDS ON THEM, AND ALL THAT POWER YOU WANT IS SECURED! GIVE ME SOME TIME, AND I'LL EVEN MAKE SURE YOU AREN'T LIMITED TO THE BORDERS OF THIS HICK TOWN!"

at the mention of old pals, tiffany's brows furrowed. perhaps bill was one of the few that remembered his life from outside this place; the rumor mill was constantly turning, and as the girl who had eyes and ears everywhere, tiffany was no stranger to the concept of people NOT being from here and the weird relationships they had with the memories of their pasts. given how bill was literally capable of manifesting himself into her dreams — tiff figured there were bigger questions to ask in regards to him and what he knew. she went to comment further but at the snap of his fingers; the answer was presented and.... fuck, if she had questions before, they had only multiplied TENFOLD now.

❛ — the PINES twins ?? ❜ tiffany scoffed in upmost disbelief, turning to look at each of them with a contorted expression of both disgust and disbelief. ceruleans worked from one face to the other, nose scrunching at just the sight of them, two individuals she had never met in person but had heard enough about to have.... well, her blog encompassed her opinion of them pretty well. ❛ you can't be serious... they're NOBODIES.❜ this was who bill wanted information on ?? made a deal with her for ?? it was almost humorous.... two of the most irrelevant people were this all-powerful beings targets ?? she stared at them, confusion clear in her face, until they began to do creepy shit and her expression once more faltered. she looked at dipper; his eyes bright and golden, pupils thin and narrow, resembling that of a cat eye but... not quite. her mouth went dry, backing away from him, turning only to see mabel mirroring his expression. if the twins didn't freak her out before, they certainly did now.

when they shifted back into copies of bill, tiffany swallowed thickly, rolling her eyes at the theatrics now and pressing a palm against her forehead. ❛ i don't feel one way or the other they just... they're just kinda THERE. i get gossip about them and i respond. it's not like anyone really cares about them anyways. don't you want information on like, someone important ?? like hades or... fuck, even the mayor or something ?? ❜ there was a lot the blonde was trying to wrap her head around, but this was proving itself to be the most challenging of them all. ❛ pine tree ?? you- you mean dipper ?? i... i don't have any history with him besides shit-talking him on my blog. i've never even spoken to the kid. i just know he's always carrying around this backpack and these stupid journals and... talking nonsense about this town. i think he has a podcast, too but... i don't pay attention to him enough to know what it's even about.❜

[ominoose]

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞

Pairing: Jack Jackson x Mojave Desert Summary: Jack and his Mrs have a tiff after he returns from a long absence. Part of the Council of Oscar's discord April Fools Event! WC: 669

Never been more proud of a fic and never been more proud of my server 🫡 @winniethewife @midgardian-witch

His hand sticks to the hot, rancid rubber of the gas pump and he can't tell if its from the oil, his sweat or left over blood. Either way it only further sours his mood as his hand rakes down his scruffy jeans, a black streak left in wake of the movement. Jack cusses with a southern drawl under his breath, hooking the pump back up like it personally spilled on him.

Even the cool, conditioned air of the gas station freezing the stale sweat on his brow couldn't lift the mood that weighed heavy like a smog. A cold beer wouldn't either, but Jack reckoned it was the closest thing to a pick me up as he thumped it on the counter, tipping his hat politely at the freckly little cashier.

"Sun's a cruel mistress today, ain't she?" The young boy behind the counter was far too chipper for a human stupid enough to exist on a summers day in the desert, but Jack supposed when one works in a shitty, fluorescent, capitalist oasis selling cheap liquor and infinite air con, a boy can show that much teeth when smiling.

"Yeah, she ain't the only one." Jack grumbled around a splintered toothpick, bowing his head to count his cash.

"Trouble in paradise, Mr?" The chipper cashier frowned as he handed back the receipt, as if he was genuinely saddened by the potential of a strangers failing marriage.

"Oh yes indeed", Jack chuckled darkly, stuffing the crinkled paper into his jean pocket and popping the beer cap on the counter. "There'll be a storm waiting for me when I get back."

The sentence had been meant metaphorically, as was the majority of Jacks daily dialogues, but as he finally drove the dusty pick up to his trailers, he was not at all surprised to feel the wind whipping sand at him like shards of glass.

"Christ almighty woman, can't even let a man get out his car to say his piece?!" The door slammed behind him, rocking the truck none too gently as his boots thudded around to the back trunk.

Another gust of wind blew at him, visible lashes of sand aiming for his head as he lifts his forearm to his brow. The whistling howl echoed in his ear, making Jack's scowl turn into wince.

"Alright, alright! I hear ya darling, I'm a jackass, I know…" More grains shackled around his ankle making, Jack click his tongue in annoyance, "Probably had some amount of scavengers pillaging your gardens and what not, I know sweet thing, I hear ya."

A small reprieve came, the surroundings loosening the yellow tinge from desert dust being heaved into the air and Jack took a welcome gulp of breath.

"There was some business I had ta take care of in a lil town over yonder, but I'd never forget my special lady." Jack finally rounded the back of the truck now that he wasn't being assaulted, pulling back the tarp with a grunt to reveal the decaying, macabre prize tied neatly in aged rope.

He stands proudly with his hands on his hips, cracked and dry lips dawning their trademark smirk as he stares off into the golden dunes.

"Gotcha some nice, fresh, organic pet feed. I know yer new lil coyote pups could use the meat."

The dunes danced in small whirlwinds that looked like golden bobbles of thread, whistling in high pitched tunes. Jack could feel the grains grazing over his cheek, much more gently than before, tugging his lips into a smile. He almost chuckled before he felt a tumbleweed smash into his rear, startling him.

"What in tarnation- Mrs Mojave, that weren't very lady like!" The was no venom to his words, and never would be, not when he was surrounded by the warm, tanned bosoms of the dunes.

No matter how long he left for, no matter how dirty his hands were when he came back, he would always have his beautiful Mrs Mojave to come home to.

[ofmdrecaps]

09/06-07/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Ruibo Qian; Vico Ortiz; Kristian Nairn; Anapela Polataivao; Erroll Shand; Andrew DeYoung; Kay Buchanen; RoseCityComicCon OFMD Panel; Tell Tale Voting Reminder; Another Call To Action; Help Matt Maher go to ECCC!; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Today's Taika;

Hey Crew, I'm working on reaching out to folks to get permission to post more Rose City Comic Con pictures! Hope to have more up tomorrow.

== David Jenkins ==

David and Kinga got married! So happy for you Chaos Dad!

Source: David and Kinga's Instagram

== Rhys Darby ==

SO MUCH RHYS today! He was out doing comedy at Largo LA!

Source: LargoLosAngelos More Comedy with Rhys, 9/10/24 at 8 PM in LA! Learn more!

Guess who's substack is up!?

Source: Rhys Darby's Instagram

== Taika Waititi ==

The Toronto International Film Festival is on! Indigenous.tv is reminding you to keep an eye out for Taika!

Source: Indigenous TV

== Ruibo Qian ==

Ruibo is in Shanghai!

Source: Ruibo Qian's Instagram

== Vico Ortiz ==

Vico and Ane are cosplaying Crowley and Aziraphale at Rose City Comic Con!

Vico will also be part of the Drag Pac's Youth Town Hall on Sept 14, 2024 at the Plaza De La Raza LA! Wanna check it out? Visit their site!

Source: Vico's Instagram

== Kristian Nairn ==

Kristian Djing "Hold the Decks" for us!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kristian Nairn (@kristiannairn)

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

== Anapela Polataivao ==

Our beloved Auntie's movie TINĀ (MOTHER) will be premiering at the Hawaii Film Festival this year in October!

"HIFF44 opens at the Consolidated Theatres Kahala with the World Premiere and directorial feature debut of Miki Magasiva’s nuanced drama from New Zealand/Aotearoa. Samoan actor Anapela Polata’ivao (ONE THOUSAND ROPES, OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, SHORTLAND STREET) portrays Mareta, a well-respected and gifted vocal coach in her community, who finds herself at a crossroads, needing to find work after the tragic death of her daughter, a death she is still processing. Mareta goes out of her comfort zone to become a substitute teacher at an elite, all-white private school and forms a choir that begins her healing as a matriarch and caregiver. Director Miki Magasiva and actress Anapela Polata’ivao are scheduled to attend HIFF44 Opening Night."

New Zealand/Aotearoa 2024 | English, Samoan w/English Subtitles | 124M

Source: HIFF Instagram and Website

== Erroll Shand ==

Everyone's sending love to Erroll for his role in The Twelve! Really hoping it'll be available outside of NZ soon!

Source: Jodie Rimmer Instagram

== Andrew Deyoung ==

One of our writers had their new movie premiered at the TIFF!

Source: FilmAndy Instagram

== Kay Buchanan ==

Our fabulous leather worker-- Kay Buchanan has a new movie coming out that she worked on props for! Grafted, a AoNZ horror film will be released in AoNZ on Sept 12! Check out the trailer on her IG!

Source: Kay Buchanan's Instagram

== Rose City Comic Con ==

Our crewmates over at @adoptourcrew were kind enough to share updates from the Cast Panel at Rose City ComicCon this weekend! If you have twitter, you can check it out over at Adopt Our Crew Thread. If not, you can see them below!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Tell Tale Voting Reminders! ==

Only a few more days to vote for Stede and Ed in Tell Tale TV's Battle of the Ships! Please vote here when you get a chance!

Source: Tell Tale TV's Instagram

== Another Call to Action! ==

Sounds like there's going to be another anniversary trailer happening on 09/15! Several crewmates are asking to QRT David's Tweet here with the text "Because The Night Belongs To Lovers #OurFlagMeansDeath" and something a little extra to help keep from being flagged as spam! Let's get ofmd trending again that day!

Source: Lucy's Twitter

== Help Matt Maher go to ECCC! ==

Looks like a few of our crewmates talked to Matthew Maher (Black Pete) and he really wants to go to Seattle! Let's help him get to Emerald City Comic Con, if you have a moment, please put in a request to have him as a guest at their next con! Thank you to Mira (@/havethisonelife on twitter) and @/Callousnstrange for trying to help Matt!

Source: CallousnStrange / Mira (HaveThisOneLife)

== Fan Spotlight ==

= The Gay Pirate News Hour =

The inaugural episode of Gay Pirate News Hour is out now covering a month's worth of OFMD fandom news and speculation including David Jenkins getting married, Rose City Comic Con, and reasons to clown about season 3. GPNH will be live on youtube once a month!

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Instagram/Youtube

== Loves Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! I've been sitting with my Dad in the hospital for a few days, and it's given me a lot to think about. Today especially was particularly hard, and I wanted to send out a couple reminders I think are important.

It's okay to be scared. Things don't always go as we plan, and scary things DO happen, and you are absolutely valid in feeling fear in the unknown.

It's okay to ask for help. Sometimes, even if you are the proudest person in the entire world, you need help, and it's okay to ask for that help. Even if you're estranged, or have difficult relationships, ask for help, the worst that can happen is someone says no. Better to know for sure then not ask.

You're absolutely wonderful lovelies. You. When you're scared, when you're happy, when you're sad, you're beautiful, and you're wonderful, and you deserve love and help just like anyone else. Please ask for it if you need it <3 Rest well, I'm rooting for you.

Source: MichellCClark Instagram

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Today's theme is hair, gifs courtesy of these wonderful folks, @piratesleeves and @unaragazzadelnord

[nelithic]

it was not a confirmation for which she required acknowledgement; the future had long ago already made itself clear in this regard. the fell dragon simply lets the silence stretch comfortably between them, the exchange having reached its natural end and her attentions refocused on their task.

and in the back of her mind, on the new glimpses she had received of the little emperor's mind. the emblems had always been mere spirits only — powerful in their own right, but nonetheless facsimilies of distant heroes summoned through wish and yearning. none had ever been fully clear on the connection between them and their true namesakes, and nel can assume that none of them had ever thought they would encounter their origins to have such curiosity satisfied.

her thoughts are interrupted by edelgard once more as she straightens from plucking yet another restorative vial out of the wreckage.

roll: 1, no progress.

narrow eyes continue scanning the debris with half a mind. tell her about rafal. there could be fewer simpler requests, but she finds it difficult to answer all the same. it occurs to her then that she has seldom ever had to explain her twin to one who did not already know him.

perhaps that would be her start.

"he is my twin, rafal." the pronged tail head swivels again, extending to move aside several more large boulders, though each of these reveal nothing more promising than rubble, and bare tracks of earth beneath some. "in our world, fell dragons are born as twins, and from birth, they are destined to fight one another to the death, consuming the other's power as their own. only one of each pair will reach maturity. it is a custom as old as time itself, perhaps even instinct."

"rafal was born weak, without the ability to transform or the strength to fight. in gradlon, such a child is seen as a failure, and they do not have long to live. our siblings made countless attempts on his life. in the end, after many centuries, our only option was to flee our home."

the finer details, those centuries of bloodshed, were old tales now: stains of cracked scarlet beneath her talons.

distantly, the sound of commotion signifies that the atmosphere of the city has begun to shift. she spots the darting shapes of several others making their way in the direction of block C.

dark wings spread again. "it appears the others have returned. we should offer them what we have found."

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　₊　here and now　┃┃┃　end.

— here and now

Block B // Supply Search

[armageddon-generation]

The Bear Season 3 is a bridge season that feels weird on purpose, but also has some big problems: A review/ramble

Season 3 is clearly a bridge season, and suffers from having been written & shot alongside season 4. As a result, unlike the seasons 1 & 2, it doesn’t feel like a distinctive or complete chapter of the restaurant’s life. Just half of one.

This is partly because there’s no ‘end-goal’ like in S2, or clear progression/visible improvement to the restaraunt like in S1. Season 3 is about stagnation. Most of its storylines are left unresolved- the review, Sydney’s job offer, Tiff & Frank’s wedding, Marcus being inspired by his mother’s death, Tina and the dying farmer’s market, Carmy’s conflicts with both Claire and Ritchie. All these threads will roll into Season 4, and Season 3 suffers from that.

PACING, FLASHBACKS AND TONE: FORM REFLECTING FUNCTION

HOWEVER. This being a ‘bridge’, character-focused season isn’t inherently bad. Individual episodes of The Bear still tear when they want to. Episodes 1, 2, & 3 are a very strong setup for the season and establish good momentum. Episodes 6 & 8 are fantastic character pieces, and 8 in particular made me bawl. Even the finale, though bogged down by masturbatory celebrity chef cameos, was a strong episode.

The problem is all the stuff in-between. The actual day-to-day running of the restaurant feels hollow and empty now. There’s a distance between the characters and it feels like they don’t interact as a group anywhere near as much.

Part of this is absolutely deliberate. People joke about S3 'method acting' its way into bad reviews to reflect the restaraunt, but losing steam and the connections between characters is genuinely a formal reflection of the kitchen crew's moods, as the day-to-day grind of running the restaurant wears them down.

The use of flashbacks in 3x1 is excellent, but Season 3 quickly becomes way over-reliant on them (episode 9 especially, oh my god). Again, this feels like a conscious choice to reflect Carmy’s state of inertia/the fact he’s perpetually trapped in the past. It makes sense, but that doesn’t give the show a pass for being boring, and 3x9 was the first time I’ve ever felt genuinely bored by this show.  

FUCK THE FAKS & NEGLECTING POC CHARACTERS

My other problems are much more clearly the fault of the show; I do not give a flying fuck about the Faks. Neil is cute in small doses. The brothers are great as soundboards for other characters; Theo getting Sweeps to talk about his backstory in baseball, the brothers comforting Donna at the end of 3x8 Ice Chips, or the haunting argument finally forcing Carmy to talk about Claire.

But on their own? When they’re just bouncing off each-other? These guys aren't half as funny as the show seems to think they are. And their scenes drag on so long. For example, the B-plot of 3x5 Computer wastes half of an otherwise strong episode with pointless fucking around, propped up by a pointless celebrity cameo. I do not Give. A. Fuck about haunting, Mr. Cena, why the fuck are you here.

The aggravating time-wasting is made worse by The Bear continuing to neglect and underuse its POC characters. This is the second season in a row where I’ve felt Syd only got the bullet-points of an arc. She is the LEADING LADY. Ayo is now the show’s biggest breakout star. USE HER.

I really enjoyed Tina's focus episode, but unlike Forks and Honeydew last season it doesn't move the plot forward, and unlike Fishes the flashbacks don't contextualize Tina''s actions in the present because she's barely doing anything in the present, despite the show setting up her struggles in the kitchen early in the season.

Meanwhile, Ebra got crumbs again and Sweeps got a single scene, which is tragically at least better than he had last year.

Marcus’ arc this year is a fascinating microcosm for the show’s themes, but it barely gets a second to breathe because we have to cram in another five minutes of the Fak brothers arguing about that time Neil got taped into a cardboard box. It’s ridiculous. And then they showcase Nat being all protective of Marcus in an episode he’s barely in, when she barely interacts with him. It feels unearned & disingenuous, using Marcus as a prop for a Hell Yeah gotcha moment.

I liked Josh Harnett though, that casting had purpose, and both Chef Terry and Luca were used excellently.

CAMEOS

The surprise celebrity cameos this year felt distracting and indulgent in a way last year’s didn’t. In Fishes the slew of cameos were a dramatic tool meant to disorient the viewer. This year, John Cena is here to distract you from how pointless this B-plot is, and we've brought in a bunch of famous chefs to tell you direct-to-camera why cooking and the service industry are so important.

The chefs in particular are bizzare after season 1 spent most of its time telling us how evil and toxic the fine dining industry is. But now it's actually just the fault of a few bad apples, and these guys are really rad actually?

CLAIRE

Much has been said about how Claire was an underwritten archetype for Carmy to project onto. Now, I don’t much give a fuck about shipping in this show, but it’s clear Claire & Carmy’s romance didn’t connect with most people. It felt hollow. At the time, I thought this was deliberate, like the tone and flashbacks this season; Claire’s writing reflected Carmy’s perception of her as a saintlike childhood daydream who could deliver him from all the stresses of his life.

But this season, not only does the show refuse to let Claire go, it doubles down on objectifying her as a prop for Carmy’s self-loathing, trapped in his memory.

Again, this might work thematically if I knew Claire as a person, or was at all invested in their romance, but I don't and I’m not. As it stands, the multiple extended flashbacks with Claire feel like futile attempts to plug the holes in Season 2's weakest storyline, and drag their episodes down. If we’re supposed to root for Carmy to find happiness outside the kitchen, this is having the opposite effect, and it’s made worse by it all being left unresolved by the finale.

Either do something with this character or move on, because right now every time Claire appears I clock out emotionally, and that’s not her fault, it’s the way the show treats her.

CARMY THE ASSHOLE

All this contributes to an overriding problem that I again think is deliberate, but risky; Carmy isn’t likeable this season. He causes his conflicts with Ritchie and Syd, to whom he has passed down his generational trauma. Carmy's menu is the biggest thing dragging the Bear into bankruptcy. Carmy has stopped working to resolve his familial trauma like in seasons 1 & 2, just as Nat starts making headway. He functionally doesn’t exist outside the kitchen, entirely preoccupied with the past & a girl the audience doesn’t care about.

Unlike previous seasons, the few times Carmy is called out for his bad behaviour he doesn’t make much effort to listen or improve. Again, I get that this is the point. Carmy is on a low, self-destructive ebb, and hopefully when things start resolving in season 4 he’ll snap out of it. But him dragging the show down with him has consequences.

EPISODE COUNT & FINAL THOUGHTS

A lot of people are saying that S3 only had enough plot for 2-3 episodes, and while I think that’s disingenuous- The Bear has always been a character-focused, vibes-first show- I do think it should've returned to the 8-episode count of season 1. You can consolidate the same amount of ‘plot development’ into fewer episodes while maintaining the deliberate sense of inertia. Cut back on the Faks and flashbacks to give more time to the kitchen crew, and many of the complaints would disappear.

Anyway, all this to say that The Bear season 3 is not Bad like some are saying, but it is a step down from its first two seasons. It feels like it’s got lost in its own head and lost a part of itself along the way, and while a lot of that is deliberate- formally reflecting Carmy’s internal conflict- it exacerbates existing problems (underwritten POC, Claire) and creates several new ones (celeb cameos, overusing flashbacks, unresolved plotlines) previous seasons were able to sidestep.

[drabbles-mc]

What do you tell your friends? (2/4)

Sydney Adamu x Richie Jerimovich

Written for the 2024 Five Figure Fanwork Exchange

Chapter Index

Warnings: 18+, language, implied smut, light angst/arguing, smoking, pining

Word Count: 4.4k

A/N: actually unwell about the two of them. not normal at all.

Sydney hated that she noticed the lack of communication from Richie when he went to stage at Ever. It was impossible not to notice that he was missing when she was at the restaurant. With Carmy still MIA more often than not, and Natalie in and out of the place trying to get things in order and also just exist as a human being with where she was at with her pregnancy, Sydney felt like she was an island unto herself. She got glimpses of Marcus and Fak, but mostly she felt like she was doing a lot of things on her own. She knew that it was only going to be a week but it already felt like so much more than that.

More times than she would ever admit, she opened up their text thread and typed out a message. She always ended up deleting it all and shoving her phone back into her pocket instead of sending it, though. He was busy enough as it was. And so was she. It was just easier to bear it all when they were busy together, or at least busy near each other even if they were busy with different things. She was at least glad that she hadn’t gotten a distress call from him, or a bail call from the police station.

Richie was playing the conversation with Tiff on repeat in his head for the rest of the day once he went back into the restaurant. With every piece of silverware that he shined and stacked, he heard her voice. The engagement. The “I love you.” The breaks in her voice as she said it all. It ran back to back to back in a way that felt like a record player with a faulty needle.

He almost texted Tiff when he got back to his apartment that night. When he talked himself out of doing that, he thought about calling Sydney. He made it all the way to his recent calls list before he managed to be honest enough with himself to know that it would’ve been a stupid idea. He just had to make it through the rest of the week, and he could worry about it once he was done with his current tour of duty.

Even if he couldn’t see it at the time, his week at Ever ended up being a well-timed thing. As one day ticked into the next, he felt himself clawing his way back up from the rock bottom the news from Tiff had left him at. By the time he was done staging, he didn’t even know how much he wanted to go back to The Bear, back to dealing with Carmy and all the other shit. But there wasn’t any other option now. He also had to admit it to himself, that for as conflicted as he felt about it all when he walked out of Ever that day, when he walked into The Bear the following afternoon in his suit, he knew that he was as ready for it all as he���d ever been. If it didn’t work now, if he didn’t work now…he didn’t even want to think about it.

When he saw the look on Sydney’s face, he realized that he hadn’t talked to her at all since he went to stage. A week in their time felt more like a month on most other people’s time tables. An apology wasn’t necessary, but part of Richie still felt like he should be giving her one. He tried to think less about that, and more about the surprised but impressed look on her face as she continued to stare at him. Her smile was soft, small, but it still reached her eyes.

Sydney could feel the difference in the air from the last time that she’d seen him. There were a handful of things that she wanted to say to him, but all that came out was, “Your suit is—is nice.” She immediately wanted to kick herself but there was no point.

Richie took it in stride the way that he always did. “Oh, thanks.” He made a small gesture with his hands. “I wear suits now.”

Sydney nodded approvingly, her smile growing a little wider at the simple statement. It looked good on him. Whatever had happened in his week away had been something that he needed. She wanted to say something to that effect but instead the next words that came out of her mouth were, “You smell good.”

He did a double-take at that. Confusion showed through on his face for a moment the same way that embarrassment came through on hers. He could’ve easily made it awkward for the sake of it all, but he was doing better things now. If anybody deserved that from him it was her, so he said, “Thanks, yeah, apparently no one around here appreciated my sprucey, woodland scent so I had to switch it up.”

She laughed quietly. “Onto bigger and better things.”

He nodded before reaching out and gently cupping her arm with his hand. “Let’s get it, Chef.”

Sydney’s plan had been to wait for Richie to reach out to her, especially after seeing the evident shift in him. But after she spent another late night at the restaurant alone, down on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor, she knew she was going to lose the last of her shit if she didn’t reach out. She was adjusting the bag on her shoulder while also trying to unlock her phone as she went from the kitchen out into the dining area of the restaurant to leave. She was looking down when she heard the door open, and sure enough when she looked up, Richie was standing there. Still in his suit.

He motioned up towards the ceiling. “Lights were still on.”

She nodded, trying to nonchalantly put her phone away. “Yeah, uh, I was, um, I was just doing some cleaning.”

“Right.”

She cleared her throat, suddenly feeling awkward standing in front of him in a way that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. “You good?”

“Are you?”

She laughed sarcastically. “Not fair—I asked first.” She paused and waited for him to look her in the eyes. “Are you good, Richie? I, I know you’re wearing suits now but are you good…underneath that?”

He shrugged and nodded, but the nod slowly turned into a shake of his head instead. “I’m tryin’, Syd. I’m fuckin’ trying.”

She nodded. “I know you are.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she asked, “What’s going on? Something I can, you know, anything I can do?”

Richie rested his hand on the back of his neck. “Tiff’s, uh, Tiff’s engaged.”

Sydney’s eyes went wide. “Fuck.”

He laughed, and he almost meant it too. “Yeah. Fuck.”

“When, uh, when did that…?”

He shrugged. “Called me when I was staging at Carmy’s old fuckin’ stomping grounds over there.”

The explanation didn’t soothe the surprised look on her face at all. It did, though, explain part of the reason that he had been radio silent with her since he left. “Right. Got it.” Clearing her throat, she tried to box up all the different conflicting and extremely messy feelings that were rattling around in her chest. “And you’re feeling…what…about that?”

Richie looked at her, chuckling at her phrasing. “We don’t gotta talk about it.” He motioned towards her. “Your turn. The fuck’s going on with you?” The aggressive question had no malice to it anymore, not the way that it used to when he would talk to her.

She shook her head, now feeling like it wasn’t the time or the place to bring any of it up. “We don’t have to talk about it.” There was a pause that lasted a little too long for either of their liking before Sydney finally said, “I was actually going to call you. Or text.” She chuckled awkwardly. “Whatever.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Richie watched her for a few seconds longer, waiting to see if she was going to expand on that at all. When she didn’t, he simply nodded and moved back towards the door again. “Alright,” he said as he held the door open for her. “Ladies first, then.”

Syd chuckled as she walked through the door. “Thanks.”

He shut and locked it behind them. “Don’t mention it.”

They didn’t make it back to his apartment. Richie felt like he was a goddamn teenager again hooking up with someone in his car in the darkness of a parking lot the way that they were, but that feeling wasn’t enough to stop him. It was cramped and clumsy but there was something to be said about the feeling of Syd’s vice-grip wrinkling his nicely ironed dress shirt. It made the escapade feel slightly more grown-up since he was doing it in a suit, not that he said it out loud.

They were getting themselves resituated as best they could when they were done, Sydney back in the passenger seat the way that she usually was. The windows were still completely coated in fog when Richie finally got around to turning his car on. They both agreed that in the car, out in the parking lot after hours, did not qualify as hooking up at work. No one else had to know.

While he waited to be able to see out of his windshield again, Richie asked, “So are we—do you want—where, uh, where am I taking you?”

Sydney’s eyes widened, not having thought that far ahead. It was one thing when she didn’t leave his apartment after they’d hooked up. Besides, they were almost always heading to the same place the next day anyway so it didn’t make too much of a difference. This was different, though. Asking to go back to his place still would either sound like she was teeing up for a second round, which didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world anyway, but it also sounded more attached and serious than whatever they were supposed to be doing. The mess between them was minimal so far—she wanted to keep it that way.

“Um, you can just bring me back to my place, I think.”

Richie nodded, not even feeling the fact that his lips turned downward into a frown as he did. “Right.”

Syd saw the look on his face and part of her wanted to say something, try to explain away her decision. But it wasn’t really going to matter, and she knew that. Whatever damage it’d caused was already done. She was going to try and say something anyway, but before she could he put the car in drive and started to roll off the lot. All she could do was slump back in the passenger seat, holding her bag in her lap as she looked out the window that was slowly but surely clearing back up.

When he rolled to a stop outside the apartment building where her and her dad were living, it felt like the first time Richie had looked at her since he’d started driving. Sydney wished that at any point during the drive she had come up with something to say to him, but her mind was far too muddled with everything that was going on.

She slipped her arms into the sleeves of her jacket, unable to make eye contact with him as she said, “If you need, I mean I don’t know what exactly I can do, but if you need me to do—”

“Thanks, Syd,” Richie put her out of her misery, his voice quiet in a strange, distant kind of way.

She nodded, unsure of what else to do or say. “You’re welcome, I guess.” She cleared her throat. “Thanks, you know, for the ride home.”

He shrugged. “It’s fine.”

Her fingers were wrapped around the handle of the door, ready to grant her the freedom from the car that felt stuffier now than it had before when they were having sex. But rather than open the door, tuck and roll her way out of the discomfort, she brought her hand back to her lap.

“Are we good?” she asked.

“What?”

The crushing weight of embarrassment came back ten-fold. It was almost like trying to force a “What are we?” conversation only worse because at least if that had been the conversation she would know the answer to the question.

“No, nothing, I mean,” she fumbled her way through the sentence, “you’ve just been quiet and I didn’t know if I—”

“It’s not like my car is a great place for pillow-talk,” he said, a bit of an edge to his voice that hadn’t been there before, “not that we really do that shit anyway.”

Her face twisted up in confusion. “Is that, I’m sorry is that something that you feel is missing with this or…?”

He sighed, head dropping back against the rest behind him. “No, I don’t, that’s not what I fuckin’ said.”

“I just asked if we’re good!”

“We’re fine!” He took a breath, making a concentrated effort to get his voice under control. “Business as usual, right?”

She couldn’t hide the frown on her face. “Right.”

He resituated his hands on the steering wheel. “We’re fine. We’re good. I’ll, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She didn’t know how much she believed it, but she wasn’t in the mood to try and drag out an argument about it. “Yeah, right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

His car was down the block and rounding the corner before the door to the apartment building swung shut behind Sydney. All she could do was take a deep breath before heading up the stairs to try and get into her shared apartment as quietly as possible. The last thing she needed was her dad seeing her looking the way that she did and then asking what was going on. She didn’t have it in her to come up with a lie off the cuff and she had absolutely no interest in telling him the truth. She took her shoes off before unlocking the door just to be sure she was as quiet as possible.

When she got to the restaurant the next day, she had seen Richie’s car out in the parking lot. Up until now everything at work had been fine with them. The rest of the restaurant felt like it was burning down around them more often than not, but they at least had a few shreds of stability in each other. But now Sydney wasn’t so sure. She wondered if she’d driven a stake right through the last piece of consistency she felt like she had at The Bear these days.

Even from the dining area, she could hear the typical levels of ruckus coming from the back of the house. Taking a deep breath she walked back into the kitchen. She found Carmy and Tina talking about ingredients, and she gave them a brief greeting as she made her way back to the office.

She lingered silently in the doorway when she saw Natalie and Richie talking somewhat quietly as they poured over paperwork. Richie was sitting at the desk, Natalie leaning on his shoulder as she gestured to the forms and numbers in front of him. The only thing that clued them into Syd’s sudden appearance in the doorway was the sound of her shoe squeaking along the floor as she leaned against the door frame.

“Syd!” Natalie looked at her with a smile.

Sydney returned the gesture, hoping it was more convincing than it felt. “Hey—how’re you feeling?”

Natalie shrugged and nodded. “Fucking pregnant and busy,” she answered with a laugh. She stepped away from Richie, giving Syd a quick hug as she excused herself from the office.

The two of them lingered there in silence for a moment. Richie stayed seated at the desk, looking up at her as she stood just inside the doorway now. His expression, for once, didn’t give much of anything away. Sydney didn’t know if she found that to be reassuring or terrifying.

She took a few small steps over so that she was standing beside the desk, sort of in front of him, sort of next to him. She crossed her arms over herself as she leaned back. She was half-perched on the edge of the desk as she looked down at Richie. He didn’t break his gaze, not able to divert his attention from those big brown eyes of hers that were full of so many questions all fighting to be the one that made it past her lips. Letting one of his hands drop so that it was resting on top of the desk, he leaned back in the chair and turned to face her more directly.

“Hi,” Syd finally said.

“Morning, Chef.”

She managed a weak smile. “All good?”

She said it with enough levity that, if Richie wanted to, he could pretend that it was just a question about work. She said it so that anyone who heard her asking it as they walked by the office would think that it was just a casual question about the state of the restaurant, about all the things everyone had been contending with lately. The only people who knew it meant all of that and then so much more were Sydney, who could feel the knot in her gut, and Richie, who would see the borderline desperation in her eyes.

He didn’t know what the realest answer to that question was, but the longer he stared at her the more he came to realize that there was only one answer that he was ever going to give her. Tapping his pen against the top of the desk, he said, “All good.”

Her relief was visible. Her shoulders dropped, and she stopped twisting her hands in her lap. “Good. Alright then.”

He nodded. “Alrighty then.” He diverted some of his attention to the paperwork he’d been looking at with Natalie. None of it was new but the sword was hanging lower and lower over their heads with each passing day. “Friends and family is fuckin’, fuckin’ soon.”

Sydney groaned and dropped her face into her hands. “Don’t remind me.”

“What the fuck are we—”

“I’m working the rest of it out with Carmy and Tina.”

“Today?”

She lifted her face from her palms. “Soon.”

“Both of them?” Richie asked, the question partially genuine but also goading.

Sydney felt her annoyance creeping back in but she also couldn’t deny that there was a sense of normalcy to the interaction that she had desperately been wanting. She nodded as she stood up from the desk. “Hopefully.”

Richie chuckled quietly ass he made her way towards the door. “Good luck, Chef.”

She stopped in the doorway and turned around to look at him again. She let herself feel at ease enough to smile. She studied his face for a moment, watching the way he ran his hand through his beard. She also couldn’t help but to notice in the process of that, that he was still wearing his wedding band. Surely that wasn’t something that was going to go on the rotation of thoughts that made up her mental carousel.

“You too, Chef.”

As she walked out of the room she told herself, a few times over in rapid succession, that the two of them were fine and they’d continue to be fine. They had to be. It was half genuine reassurance, half mantra at this point. For the last couple of months she had been telling herself some version of that—this just happened to be the first time she was telling herself that after the two of them had hit some turbulence. As she thought that, she couldn’t help but to think how far the pendulum had swung in the other direction from when she’d first shown up at The Beef. Back then she never would’ve thought that Richie would be the person that she was turning to for stability. She just hoped that it held, because if the knot in her stomach told her anything, it was that she needed to gear up for some rough times ahead.

She thought that she had been ready for whatever that was going to end up meaning. Then the universe pushed her to what was seemingly the absolute limit of what rough times could be. The highs and lows that made up the days and nights leading up to Friends and Family, and then the clusterfuck of Friends and Family itself had put more than just Sydney through the wringer. It took Richie and Carmy and Natalie and everyone else right down into it along with her.

It’d been exhausting and draining and it left her wondering if she could even do this the way that she thought she’d be able to. It left her wondering if she even wanted to anymore. She’d stood out back behind the restaurant puking her guts out wondering if it was going to feel like this every night for the rest of forever, wondering if the relief of having survived it was worth the turmoil of going through it. Hands braced on her legs, on the fence to keep her at least halfway upright, she felt herself teetering on the edge of an absolute and unstoppable spiral.

Then she thought a little harder about specific parts of the night, the parts that had gone right. She pushed the broken freezer and Carmy’s tantrum from her mind, tried her hardest to forget about the fact that Marcus had to fire one of their cooks for doing crack out in the back alley that she was currently standing in. Instead she tried to think about the way that the rest of them had rallied. Tina stepped up to the plate. Marcus doubled down. Richie took the reins when they were on the brink of completely falling apart.

She thought harder about that, about how well she and Richie had worked together. Things that there hadn’t been time to think about in the moment—his hand on her shoulder, grazing against her back. The way he held her gaze, the way that the two of them were able to say so much to each other while only saying half of those things out loud. That was good. That was the type of good that could keep someone from cascading over the edge into a complete mental breakdown.

Once she had said her piece to Carmy, she knew that she needed to leave before she lost what little was still left of her sanity. She collected up all of her things, not commenting on the way that Carmy headed to the back alley for a smoke and to make a phone call. She didn’t ask who he was going to call, she just hoped that he was going to make the right choice.

As she made her way down the sidewalk to go to the station, she walked past The Bear’s lot where she saw Richie’s car still parked. It wasn’t on, no lights and nothing coming out of the exhaust, but she thanks to the lampposts around she could still see his silhouette in the driver’s seat. Figuring that the worst he could do was tell her to fuck off, she started to walk over. Normally this would be the time that she felt like she had so many things to say to him, but her brain was so fried and overwhelmed and tired that she didn’t have a single coherent thought to spare.

He must’ve seen her, because he opened the car door and stepped out as she appeared in front of the hood. The exhaustion in his eyes was different than hers, but just as palpable. “We fuckin’ did it.” It wasn’t what he really wanted to say, but it was all he could manage without dissolving into a tirade. It wasn’t a lie, at least.

She nodded, wanting to respond but afraid that she was going to puke again if she did. Clearing her throat, she spoke carefully as she said, “Yeah, we did it.” She took a deep breath, feeling a little better about her odds of not throwing up mid-conversation with him as she watched him light a cigarette. “Are you, uh…” she trailed off, looking over at the restaurant and knowing that the answer to the question she was about to ask was a pretty obvious one, “all of that…”

He shook his head. “I can’t fuckin’ deal with that shit right now.”

She knew the feeling. Walking so that she was standing next to him, she said, “I get that.”

“You outta here?”

She exhaled low and slow. “Yeah, I’ve been throwing up like, a lot, so I should probably just go home.”

He didn’t mean to laugh at that but he did. “Shit.”

“Yeah.”

“Need a ride?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m good, I think. I don’t wanna throw up all over your car.”

“You can roll the window down. Crank that handle real fuckin’ fast.”

She rolled her eyes. “Your windows aren’t hand-cranks, Richie.”

He chuckled as he flicked the butt of his cigarette away. “Then you can definitely roll it down in time.”

Richie had to admit even if only to himself that he was glad to have a distraction and a reason to pry himself away from the restaurant. He reached, resting his hand on her back between her shoulder blades. His palm was there for a few seconds before he pulled it away quickly.

“Shit, sorry, don’t wanna make you—”

“I’m not gonna get sick from you touching me, you know.” She laughed. “Think it would’ve been a problem before now.”

He laughed harder at that than he thought he was going to. It wasn’t often that they were in a position to make jokes or comments like that lately, too much other chaos putting distance between them. Even before the most recent waves of turmoil, very rarely was it ever Sydney who was making remarks like that. They looked at each other for a moment longer, and Richie rested his hand against her back again, his thumb rubbing back and forth in an attempt to provide whatever comfort he could in the moment. Syd was looking down at the pavement, but Richie felt her muscles lose some of their tension at the contact, and he smiled despite the exhaustion of everything that had already happened, and everything that was bound to happen next. For now, he settled for being able to drive her home. They could deal with everything else as it came.

(divider by @saradika-graphics)

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@justreblogginfics @ashlingiswriting @fromirkwood @ago0112

[ceasarslegion]

God... that threads reminding me of the time I was ostracized from an entire friend group in uni because I asked them to stop constantly shitting on everything I liked the second I said I liked it and they flipped shit, told me I wasn't letting anyone disagree with me, psychoanalyzed me into trying to convince me I had NPD (one of them was a psych major), and that i was the bully in this situation because I was "asking them to completely change their personalities for my personal comfort, that's just how they treat their friends and I would understand that if I wasn't such a narcissist"

All i asked them to do was stop saying that everything i specifically liked was the worst thing ever made with no artistic or intellectual value. Mind you what made me snap was when a different person in the group said they liked Jojo Rabbit when it came out, everyone agreed, and then when I said "I saw that at TIFF and it's one of my faves now!" They suddenly shifted to calling it common denominator slop that was also problematic now

That experience, after getting told "you literally don't let anyone disagree with you" word for word, direct quote from the girl who tried to convince me I had NPD because I asked them to fucking stop doing this, has made me extremely skeptical of anybody online who pulls the same "no one lets me dislike anything anymore" schtick.

[thirtecnth]

Art chuckled, "Thank you? I'll take that as a compliment that I don't seem like an entitled asshole." He recognized his privilege, it had almost become an insecurity to him in that he didn't really deserve the success he had. "It's all about who you know, right? Isn't that how it worked for you too?"

Tiffany scrunched her nosed at him "wait you're a Nepo baby?....wow you seem so like.....Normal" she huffed a laugh. "I guess that makes sense most people in this industry has to have some kind of connection."

[coopigeoncoo]

Meat Cute, Chapter 5

Chapter Links: First, Previous <- Chapter 5 ->Next

Pairing: Alastor x Fem!Reader

Rating: Mature (rating may change)

Tags: Canon-typical violence, Cannibalism, Reader is a cannibal, Fake/pretend relationship, Puns, Raccoon Reader, Tags may change, Swearing

---

In a bid to appear more approachable to the denizens of the Hazbin Hotel, Alastor enlists the help of his favorite butcher to step into the roll of an (after)lifetime: pretending to be his paramour!

---

“You can't deny we have so much in common,” Alastor's grinned, his smile somehow, impossibly, widening even farther as he leaned down on the counter on a single elbow; his nose nearly touching yours as you stood frozen in place. “I'm somewhat of a Butcher myself, you know.”

–--

A story where one thing is certain: the steaks are never bigger than when love is on the line.

---

Continue reading below, or follow the link to A03!

Most days, Charlie's incessant prattling amused Alastor.  It was one of the few traits they both shared after all; the ability to pick up the threads of dropped conversations and weave them into something new.  Usually a pithy quip on his part while Charlie would provide some long-winded tirade about friendship and optimism; nonsensical sorts of things that Alastor didn’t spare much thought towards. 

Generally, it was an effortless feat for Alastor to redirect Charlie's attention and energy onto something or someone else; goodness knows that the residents of their hotel could generously be described as an absolute mess most of the time.  There was always some sort of disaster brewing that the little Princess couldn't help but insert herself into.  A lovers tiff here, a genocide there, another new guest with an uninspired tale of woe that required comfort and a supportive embrace or two.

But there was a stubborn streak in Charlie today that kept her focus fully on the Overlord.  And while he usually never shied away from being the center of attention, Alastor had to admit that he was beginning to grow increasingly weary of her present line of questioning.

“-so what do you think?  Are you willing to give it a shot?”  Charlie asked, her entire body practically quivering in anticipation for his answer.  

“Hmm?  I'm sorry, I must have drifted off for a moment there. What were you saying?” Alastor apologized, his eyes alight with false sincerity.  

“Oh, come on!  There was no way you tuned out that entire musical number!” Charlie groaned in frustration.  “I hit like, three super high notes!  There was confetti-”

“I was dancin’,” a passing sanitation worker interjected, unceremoniously dumping a bin full of used hypodermic needles into the back of an idling trash truck.  

“-the garbageman was dancing, Alastor!”

“I’m sure it was a most spectacular sight!” Alastor assured him.

“Damn right it was,” the garbage man grumbled under his breath as he hefted a heavily stained mattress into his arms.  

“Okay, just- ugh!” Charlie sighed, dragging a hand down her face in exasperation. “Forget the song-”

“Way ahead of you, my dear!” Alastor grinned, spinning his staff merrily as he set off down the sidewalk, Charlie quickly catching up despite his longer stride.  

“I'm just worried, Alastor.  You haven't really made any effort to open up to anyone at the hotel.”

“Haven't you ever heard the saying about mixing business and pleasure?  I'm merely maintaining a professional demeanor.  I would hate for the sterling reputation of our fine establishment to be tarnished by unprofessionalism!” Alastor explained, wiggling his fingers at a passing sinner who cowered under the oppressive weight of Alastor's fleeting glance.

“See, this is exactly what I mean!” Charlie shouted, frantically waving at all the pedestrians ducking down alleys and darting recklessly into oncoming traffic to avoid having to cross paths with the Radio Demon.  “People are afraid of you, Alastor.”

“As well they should be!  I am an Overlord after all, my dear.  Being terrifying is part of the job description.”

“Yes, I know that!  But the problem is that everyone is afraid of you.”

“Are they now?  I guess most people must be smarter than they look!” Alastor laughed in delight as Charlie's consternation grew. 

“I'm being serious here!  Even the people at the hotel are still…uncomfortable with you,” Charlie offered diplomatically.  “Which isn't what the hotel is supposed to be about.  It's supposed to be a place of friendship and comradery- where people can feel safe enough to open up and be vulnerable.”

Charlie paused in her explanation to gesture to the palpable air of malevolence that radiated from her hotelier.

“And you come off as everything but safe.”

“Oh, stop it!  You're making me blush!” Alastor cooed, lifting a coy hand to cradle his pale cheek.  

“Alastor,” Charlie sighed, quickly shuffling around him on the sidewalk so she could place herself directly in his path, forcing him to come to an abrupt halt and look into her pleading eyes.  “Please.  I need the hotel to be a success.  And I think that's what you want, too.  For whatever reason.”

Alastor was quiet as he examined the determined jut of Charlie's chin, his head tilting slightly to the side in consideration.  “What exactly is it that you require of me?”

“To be friendly.  To honestly try and connect with someone.”

“Shall I braid your hair then?  Gossip with the Effeminate Fellow about boys?”

“Those are both great ideas!  But they…don't really seem like your thing,” Charlie hesitantly admitted.  “Why don't you start out with something you're good at?”

“Torture?” 

“Talking.”

“If you insist,” Alastor sighed.  “But my suggestion would be considerably more entertaining.”

“Hey, you never know where a good conversation might lead!  Just look at me and Vaggie!,” the Princess chirped excitedly, her eyes sparkling in delight at the mere thought of her taciturn partner. “She would barely say two words to me when we met and now we tell each other everything!”

“Ahhh,” Alastor narrowed his eyes in suspicion.  “Is that your angle?  To find me a partner?  A paramour?  To try to soften me up with affection?”

“What?  No, that's not it at all!” Charlie rushed to assure him, her hands flapping wildly in front of her body as though she could physically waft away the misunderstanding.  “I mean, it would be great if you could find someone like that, you know, if- if you wanted to!  It's nice to have someone to care about- to care about you , in that way.”

“Please, do elaborate,” Alastor said, gesturing in front of himself with an exaggerated wave of his hand, encouraging Charlie to continue down the hopelessly cracked and pitted sidewalk towards Cannibal Town. 

“Oh- uhhh,” Charlie sputtered, stumbling over her own legs slightly as she moved to fall into step beside Alastor, her fingers nervously twiddling around each other as she struggled to find the words to explain herself.  “Partners are, well- it's sort of like being friends, but more?  Better, I guess?  You talk with them and spend time with them like friends, but they just-”

Charlie paused, heaving in a deep sigh as she imagined her girlfriend in her mind's eye, and tried to verbalize all the wonderful feelings that Vaggie cultivated in her heart.

“When you see someone you love, your day just instantly brightens.  You get excited thinking about the next time you see them- it feels like a bunch of moths are fluttering around inside of your belly.”

Alastor's upper lip curled up in revulsion.  “And that's a desirable feeling?  Intestinal insects?”

“Well, not when you put it that way,” Charlie huffed, crossing her arms across her chest in frustration.  “It's something you can't really explain unless you've experienced it.”

Alastor was unusually quiet, the ambient humming that surrounded him barely audible as they continued on their way.  For a moment, Charlie worried that she had maybe gone too far; that she had drawn an exclusive circle around herself and her experiences that painted Alastor as even more of an outsider than he already was.  An apology sat perched on her tongue, ready to assure him that it was okay to never have felt these things, when Alastor spoke up.  

“It doesn’t feel like fluttering,” Alastor drawled, his free hand pressed against his abdomen pensively.  “It’s more akin to a gnawing sensation.”  

“Wait-,” Charlie gasped, quickly sucking in a lungful of the humid Hellish air.  “Alastor, is there- is there someone you have feelings for?”

“Upon reflection I do believe there might be, based on your exceptionally vivid description of the experience,” Alastor informed her with an excited grin, pushing open the reinforced glass door of a building and ushering Charlie over the threshold ahead of him with a courteous incline of his head.  

“Ooooohhhhh, Alastor!” Charlie squealed, bouncing on her toes in barely suppressed jubilation as she queued up in the short line in front of the register.  “Who is it?  How long have you known them? Can I meet them?  Do you think they like you back?  Wait- that's too many questions!  I'm sorry!  But I'm just so excited for you!”

“It's fine, my dear!  Perfectly understandable,” Alastor reassured her with an indulgent laugh.  “And of course you can meet them, if that's what you'd like.”

“YES!” Charlie yelled, only realizing how loud she was once all the numerous eyes of both the customers and the walls of the store quickly shifted their focus onto her.  She coughed into her fist and straightened her lapels in embarrassment as she waited for the other customers to lose interest and turn away. “I mean- that is to say, it would be lovely to meet them at your earliest convenience.”

“But of course!” Alastor agreed readily as he stepped with Charlie to the front of the line.  “Here she comes now!”

“Now?” Charlie squawked, spinning around frantically in quick circles to try and catch a glimpse of who in the store Alastor might be referring to.

“Here you are, Alastor, Sir,” you announced with a nervous grin, sliding a large, paper-wrapped parcel across the counter.  “One whole venison round, as requested.”

“Thank you, my dear!” Alastor said as he took hold of the meat, vanishing it to locations unknown with a quick snap of his fingers.  “I was wondering if I might trouble you for a moment longer, though?”

Sweat immediately began to gather at your hairline as you tried to swallow down the bile creeping up your throat.  “Is- is there a problem with your order?”

“No, no, nothing like that!” Alastor assured you with a sharp grin that did little to settle your nerves.  “It has recently been brought to my attention that I am enamored with you.”

All sounds inside the butcher shop abruptly halted, like the entire store had been sucked into a vacuum; customer's jaws hanging slack in shock at the unexpected confession. 

“You're what?” You squeak in obvious distress, casting pleading glances at your coworkers who were quietly peeking in  through a slim crack through the backroom door, eager to spy on the unfolding drama.

“Enamored, my dear!  Beguiled!  Infatuated!  Smitten, if you will.”

“You… like me?” You muttered dumbly as your brain struggled to process the bizarre scene you had found yourself thrust into the middle of.  

“Apparently!” Alastor laughed, reaching behind himself to tug his companion to his side.  “See, I was chatting with my associate here, Charlie, the Princess of Hell-”

“Your Grace,” you croak dryly, dropping into what was hopefully a passable curtsy.

“Hey, uh- nice to meet you!” Charlie greeted with a stiff wave and an even stiffer smile. 

“-and she made me realize what my true feelings for you were!  How you make my day better, how I look forward to the next time I see you, how you make my stomach rumble,” Alastor growled lowly, his already towering form seeming to elongate as he loomed over you.

“...It ah- it sounds like maybe you're just… hungry whenever you see me?”

“Perhaps!” Alastor cackled, his staticy laugh even more distorted up close.  “But one man's passion is another man's hunger, as they say!”

“Do they say that?  Is that a thing people say?!” You whispered manically towards Charlie, her shoulders jumping up towards her ears in a helpless shrug.

“Gastrointestinal palpitations aside, you can't deny we have so much in common,” Alastor's grinned, his smile somehow, impossibly, widening even farther as he leaned down on the counter on a single elbow, his nose nearly touching yours as you stood frozen in place; afraid that any sudden movement might somehow cause him to pounce. “I'm somewhat of a Butcher myself, you know.”

“RIGHT, okay!” Charlie interrupted with a nervous laugh, slamming a handful of bills down onto the counter as she managed to mercifully push herself between the Radio Demon and the meat counter.  “So sorry, but we have to go- there's important hotel business we need to get back to!  It was lovely meeting you, have a nice day, BYE!”

You were still staring at the door minutes after Charlie had frantically pulled Alastor out of the store, only snapping out of your daze when your manager shuffled up beside you, nose buried in the employee handbook.  

“I've triple checked and experiencing sudden romantic overtones isn't grounds for taking personal leave,” he explained, pointing to the exact passage in the well-worn guide.  “You're gonna’ have to finish out your shift.”

“Of course,” you replied distantly, unable to meaningfully focus on anything other than your racing thoughts and the strange, muffled ringing in your ears.  “What about if I pass out?”

“Says here you'll get a fifteen minute break and a strong cup of tea.”

“Better put the kettle on then,” you mumbled as your knees buckled, vision going black as you plummeted towards the floor.  Your manager looked down at your crumpled body and sighed, nudging you out of the way with his foot and stepping up to the register.  

“Next in line!”

[nugulover69]

@sunshinemoonrx's sentai suits and skirts thread got me pondering the geki suits again (I agree that the main trio should all be skirted or all not-skirted, for uniformity sake), specifically the Violet and Chopper suits

I just really like how the animal theming of both suits reflect their respective character's relationship to the kitty cat triangle

Gou being a wolf/dog, an animal that isn't a feline but is often thought of in tandem with cats works bc he has an existing connection with the trio (Retsu's dearest stacked niisan). Hence his suit following a similar body plan to the triangle (the lack of a belt and a very similar helmet shape) but with added details to indicate his different fighting style (protective cuffs and elbow/kneepads)

Meanwhile Ken is...a rhino? Which for the longest time bothered me bc well that's not close to a feline nor a canine. It's a mammal yeah but not a fuzzy sharp-toothed critter. Why not make him a fox, I'd often think to myself, he's sly and mischievous like a fox (or the idea of one at least)

But I've come around to this seemingly random theming bc consider how foreign Ken was to the main trio. Just like Gou, he also practices a style of Beast Fist unique to him, but he's not related to any of the trio like Gou, biological or otherwise. like how rhinos have hardly any relation to cats and dogs

Gou and Ken are similar in that their integrations into the team are not the smoothest (Ken arguably starting worse off than Gou bc his reasoning for attacking one of the triangle was a tiff over a pork cutlet rather than being in a werewolf fugue state like Gou)

Gou's rough start is mainly due to internal struggles, being distant bc he doesn't want to ruin the team's perfect triangle. He's too scared of losing control and failing like he did once before against Leo (still not calling him Rio you can't make me). Noble coldness, respectable brooding badboyisms

And this tension is quickly smoothed over by Jan anyways, literally calling him too kind for his own good

Ken, on the other hand, is never not causing problems or shenanigans throughout the rest of the show (selling the Virtuous Beast Sword for money, being a creep to Ran and just generally being bull headed and combative). He's a boorish vortex of mayhem, kinda like the cartoonish idea of a rhino. Basically, him having a rhino theme nicely encapsulates his personality and his outsider status

This all adds up to a suit that is thematically satisfying. The helmet again fits his outsider theme, having a whole different visor and mouth design from the other four, as well as being the only suit with a belt/clear division of the torso and legs (appropriate for the ranger who practices the oldest, karate-like style of Beast Fist)

It also just looks rad as fuck. Dare I call it sexy. My favorite sentai suit hands down no contest

Idk how to end this post, this was a lotta word salad to simply say I think the two-man eldest brother coalition are neat

[ofmdrecaps]

10/02-03/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Samba Schutte; Kristian Nairn; Rachel House; Vico Ortiz; Anapela Polatavaio & David Fane; Lindsey Cantrell; Dominic Burgess; OFMD Rewind/Lube As a Crew; Fan Spotlight: Never Left Podcast; Gay Pirate News Hour; Love Notes;

Hey crew! It's gonna be another day of catching up because wow- lots happened, and lots of life has happened to! Will do my best to get 10/04 up with catch up stuff as well tonight!

== David Jenkins ==

David is promoting Kristian's book! Simone is helping!

Source: David's Instagram

== Rhys Darby ==

Although these are from last year, they were just posted by Gabe Ross, so here they are!

Source: Gabeross42 instagram

More pics to come from the Largo Los Angeles "Rhys Darby Saying Funny Things Society" show that happened on the 10/01! You can actually see some extra stuff from the show on Rhys' Substack!

Source: Largo Los Angelos Instagram

== Taika Waititi ==

Wanna see a video of Taika participating in the Haka World Record? Check it out over on tiktok!

Source: Cristalmkt on Tiktok

Taika posted the new trailer for the latest season of WWDITS!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taika Waititi (@taikawaititi)

Source: Taika's Instagram

== Kristian Nairn ==

Kristian was out at Forbidden Planet doing signings! Did you get a chance to go?

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

== Samba Schutte ==

Samba is going to be joining the team of Legend of Vox Machina for season 3!

Source: Samba's Instagram Oh and remember Best Life? It won 3 Awards of Merit from the Best Shorts Competition!

Source: Valerie Chaney's Instagram

Heyy! Good news, Advanced Chemistry is coming out on 10/8 on digital!

Source: Samba's Instagram Stories

== Anapela Polataivao & David Fane ==

Anapela's new movie Tina premiered in Hawai'i on 10/03/2024! Lots of pics of the cast at the premier!

Source: Tina The Film Instagram / David Fane's Instagram Stories

== Vico Ortiz ==

Vico participated in the ActNOW's September Scene Study class (Justice for my Sister Fellowship) and helped the next generation of folks learn about "inclusive and trauma informed filmmaking for radical, authentic storytelling"!

Source: Instagram

Vico's voiced a new Audio book thats available now! Jasmine is Haunted is available at your local library and anywhere Audiobooks are sold!

"Jasmine Garza has a problem... and it’s not just the ghost that’s been haunting her for years! 👻 Perfect for any young listener who loves Ghostbusters, this queer, #LatinX paranormal fantasy is a fun and thrilling ghost hunting adventure perfect for spooky season. Available now everywhere #audiobooks are sold and at your local library with @hoopla.digital and @libbyapp! ✨🎧"

Source: Dreamscape Media Instagram

== Dominic Burgess ==

Dominic knows all too well how to get my attention. More Cat content.

Source: Dominic Burgess Twitter

== Rachel House ==

Rachel's film Te Maunga (The Mountain) was awarded the CIFEJ Award at the Schlingel Film Festival! Oh - and Correction, The Mountain movie was available 10/02/24 on digital in AoNZ and AUS. It's not available yet int the US. Sorry about the confusion!

Source: Rachel's Instagram

Another shot of Rachel at Tiff!

Source: birdrunningh2o Instagram

== Lindsey Cantrell ==

Our dear Set Designer Linds Cantrell shared some shots of a bakery in Auckland. Now-- is she clearing out her phone, or is there more to it? You decide :)

Source: Linds Cantrell Instagram

== OFMD Rewind ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew and @astroglideofficial kept the OFMD Rewind Watch Party going on the 3rd, and got it trending! Wanna see the tweet thread and have access to twitter? Visit them here! If you don't have access to twitter and want to see it, visit the Renewal Repo!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Never Left Podcast =

Some fun news from the Never Left Podcast team! They interviewed Etana Jacobson & Alec Moore, Director & Writer of Advanced Chemistry! Keep an eye out for it on October 8th!

Source: Never Left Podcast Instagram

= Gay Pirate News Hour =

Another episode of Gay Pirate News Hour is back Oct 5, 2024 1pm Pacific, 4PM Eastern on Youtube! Hosted by Our Flag Means Fanfiction, and joining are @ringasunn and IreneAdler. So excited for the next episode! (One of these days my life will calm down and I might get to join them). Check it out on OFMFF Youtube!

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction

== Love Notes ==

Happy Friday Lovelies! I realize this recap is for weds and thursday but I'm gonna roll with it! I hope the rest of the week was kinder to you than the previous parts of the week. Please know we're thinking of you crew, it's okay if you're keeping low on the radar of fandom at the moment. It's also great if you're out honking your nose off! Whatever you're doing is what you need to do, and don't let anyone tell you any different. I know sometimes it seems like things just keep getting worse, lovelies, the world is a chaotic place, and it's okay to sit with your feelings and feel that. Just remember you're loved and it can and will get better one day. There will always be high points and low points in this life, that's just how it goes, but how you cope with those points changes for the better each and every time they pass. Remember you are wonderful, and you are strong, and you're gonna get through whatever you're dealing with, okay? Sending love and hugs, and all the good vibes into your weekend <3

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by bailey ☻ (@anxiety.positive)

Source: Anxiety.Positive Instagram

[bloody-ugly]

“ ah, well, heather, nice to see a new face, ” australian twang starts to blend into esses and hisses as the first few fluid ounces of alcohol begin to metabolize. yet, tiffany knocks back half a glass of   …   something. lurid, possibly poison, but somehow trumping every ‘way better bar.’ tiff finishes with a big, bucked-tooth smile, lined in neon red, tingling from a fresh dab to the gums. a giggle, coupled with a friendly touch on heather’s arm : “ you’re away from those people now. they can’t harsh your mellow anymore. you’re safe. ” nerves pinch, muscles ache                   stomping in platforms for hours comes with a cost, one that tiffany is fully willing to pay, but still, she scoots up onto a barstool and leans towards heather. it’s almost as if she’s wagging her tail : new friend! new friend! she’s giggly and smiling, the result of a lethal mix of fruity drinks and pure gregarious persona. hand retracts from heather’s arm and stretches out for a shake : “ i’m tiff, by the way. ”

          The club is always where she feels most comfortable — the throb of the base in her chest makes her feel alive. Perfectly manicured hands snatch up the offered martini with a reverence not unlike a starving animal accepts food scraps. It’s her first drink of many for the night and she’s grinning from ear to ear. 

          “ — Can’t say I’ve been here before. Feeling adventurous, ”     Heather makes herself comfortable on a bar seat, fighting to keep her skirt down as she settles. Stiff and territorial has never frightened her off before and it sure as hell isn’t about to now,     “ — also got kicked out of my favorite club this week for getting too drunk and taking my shirt off. Thought that place was cool but… apparently not. ”

A roll of her eyes, and a smile. Her lips leave black around the rim of her glass as she takes a sip,     “ I’m Heather. ”

[laurenairay]

hi lauren! congrats on your milestone! may I request “shy kiss” with andrei svechnikov? 🥹🫶🏼

Shy Kiss – Andrei Svechnikov

Words: 606

Thank you for requesting this one for Svech, Tiff! I had a lot of fun writing it.

~

“So this is me.”

You stopped walking, pausing out of your apartment door, smiling up at the guy in front of you. This was your third date with Andrei Svechnikov, and after an amazing dinner date, he’d insisting on walking you safely home, almost making you swoon at his gentlemanly nature. The two of you had walked hand in hand, Andrei looking bashful almost as he threaded your fingers together, and as you walked, the conversation continued to flow as it had all night.

But now you were home, and the night had to end, as much as you didn’t want it to.

“I had a really good night. Thank you for letting me take you out again,” Andrei said sweetly, shifting his hold on your hand so that your fingers were twisted now that you were facing each other.

“Thank you for asking me out again. I had a really good time too,” you replied, feeling heat dance across your cheeks.

It felt like some kind of dream, or an old romantic movie, the way he acted around you and the way he treated you like you were something precious. You’d never dated anyone like this, that was for sure.

“Maybe we can do this again, yes?” he suggested.

Like you would’ve said no.

“I’d like that,” you nodded, not needing to think about it in the slightest.

His small sweet smile spread into a wide happy grin, making butterflies erupt in your stomach. How can one guy be this cute?

Then his grin turned into something a little nervous, a little hopeful, and he took both of your hands in his and squeezed gently.

“Could I, maybe uh, could I kiss you?”

Your heart felt like it skipped a beat as his shy question rushed through you, but you didn’t hesitate in nodding, the relief spreading through his face. Did he really think you were going to say no? Why would you say no?

Andrei leaned down slowly, clearly giving you chance to stop him, until his nose bumped yours and he shot upright, a frantic blush racing across his face.

“That was not…I didn’t mean…I, um…”

He trailed off, groaning in embarrassment, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. He was usually so smooth and charming – what was throwing him off now? Of all the things to be nervous about, you hadn’t thought that kissing you would be at the top of his list. But somehow it was endearing – this big strong guy who regularly threw his body around for his job was nervous about a goodnight kiss?

“Do you want to try again?” you asked, trying not to tease.

“I get a second chance?” he asked, astounded yet still hopeful.

You just nodded, trying not to seem too eager, and this time Andrei released one of your hand to cup your face, guiding himself to kiss you properly. This time, his lips lightly touched yours, and you found yourself inhaling sharply, leaning into his touch as he continued the shy embrace, keeping his kisses short and soft and sweet. Sweet, just like him. Eventually, just as your head started to spin, Andrei pulled away, eyes wide and cheeks flushed as he stood upright once more.

“Wow,” he said happily, still seemingly in a bit of a trance, making you giggle.

“Goodnight, Andrei. Call me when you get home?” you asked.

“I will. Goodnight solnyshko,” he said, smile shy all over again.

He squeezed your hand one last time before he dropped it and started walking away, leaving you to smile like a giddy schoolgirl as you opened your front door.