#we'll see how the audience responds to it

[poirott]

A Haunting in Venice feature in TOTAL FILM September 2023 issue

James Prichard, Agatha Christie's great-grandson and executive producer of A Haunting in Venice, did a little teaser interview.

He talks about the characters, Christie's legacy, a possible 4th Poirot film (yes, they'll do another if Branagh and the screenwriter want to do it!), and the film's nods to the paranormal as per the book and that they're just what the franchise needs. "If we are going to continue to make these films, we can' t do the same thing over and over. Departure at this moment is possibly risky, but it also has the potential to keep it alive, bring in a different audience, and do something interesting that will hopefully surprise and delight."

He didn't want to share any spoilers but said: "In some ways the supernatural is a suspect." :)

[violetarks]

"i like you, i like you, i like you!"

show: alien stage

characters: till, ivan, luka

summary: in an attempt to make the new season of alien stage even more riveting, the pr team has decided to stage a relationship between you and one of the other contestants. despite it all being for show, can you two really keep it strictly business?

warnings: g/n! reader,, fake dating lmao, till has never seen someone else's back before, LUKA IS 30-YEARS-OLD????, you two share a room in till and ivan's, luka is condescending in his

↣ till

flashing lights from cameras and yells to 'look over here' are tiring to you now. while you were accustomed to it, being a model and all, you found this limelight to be much different. 'alien stage' wasn't like your job. and your guardian seemed far less hesitant to sign away your life than you would've hoped.

you hooked your arm around till's, standing in front of the back drop with 'alien stage' written in patterns on it. your 'boyfriend' was never one for this kind of thing, whereas it was your specialty. putting on a gentle smile and standing still for the audience was all you were made out to be. till couldn't help but squirm beside you, hands in his pockets and his face scrunched up in irritation.

"this freakin' sucks." he grumbles to you as more yells go out to you two and the other contestants.

"we'll be back in our rooms in a few minutes." you retort, not sparing at look at him. you only slide your arm to rest against his hip, pulling him taut against your side.

he squeaks, feeling his face heat up at the touch. but at the empty look in your eyes and the faux smile, he groans, placing his own arm around your shoulders lazily.

a reporter begs you forward, and one of the pr managers nods at you. you sigh softly, leading till towards them. they speak in a different tongue, and the tablet they provide give you real-time translations, showing up in holograms. a camera is shoved into your face and till scoffs, pushing it further from him.

"how long have you two been together for?"

"four months." you respond, brain reading off a script. you look to till, who suddenly looks back at you. your smile is superficial, but you hold his arm with urgency. "isn't that right?"

"yeah." he replies shortly.

"how have you been encouraging each other for this season?"

"we practice every day together." you say, tilting your head a little. your signature smile earns some more camera flashes. till can barely see, making his cover his vision with a hiss.

"any fear that you two might be facing each other?"

you freeze up for a moment, swallowing your nerves. you're running through every line possible, what was the answer? did you remember what you needed to say? why were you now drawing a blank? "well, thats—"

till drags you by your arm, taking you way from the reporter before scoffing out, "not a chance."

the walk down the carpet, behind mizu, sua and ivan, consisted of more flashes and calls. you don't answer them, only walking beside till and grinning at every reporter you see. this brand deal with some few names depended on you. meanwhile, till was showing them all his index finger, mouthing curse words at everyone who looked his way.

you have your arm around his waist again, and he wraps his around your shoulder. you look to him for a split second to see him already looking at you.

the doors close behind you two as you enter your shared room. two beds, two bathrooms, pretty much two different bedrooms, just meshed into one. till's one is to the left, and he flops onto it, not even bothering to rid himself of his clothes. you, on the other hand, open your closet.

"thanks." you say, breaking the silence as you unbutton your top.

till lifts his head to see you facing your closet instead of him. the sight of your bare back makes his face the ceiling again, red face. you don't notice, instead continuing to change into comfortable clothes.

"it's nothin'." he retorts, hands behind his head as he rests on his bed. you let out a hum, pulling a shirt over your head to cover your stomach. he finally looks back to you. "you don't get tired of all these questions, or do you just like hearing your own voice?"

he's been like this ever since you were little, teasing you and all. while you entertained him, teasing him back, you grew older and soon lost that part of you when you were adopted into the real world. till would rarely see you after that, only on billboards. it would be a lie to say that one of the few reasons he didn't oppose to joining alien stage is to see you again.

he doesn't know whether you feel the same about him. he can't tell from the way you act with him in public, all clingy and happy, compared to how you are in private. have you always been this distant?

"of course i get tired." you reply, changing into your sweatpants. your head hurts. "but they think it's better if i talk than if you do."

"tch." he clicks his tongue, rolling his eyes as you close your closet door, "whatever..."

you go quiet again, rubbing your face, as you hear till get up from his bed. you continue to get ready for bed and you assume he's going to change his clothes and do the same as he ruffles through his closet. but after a few seconds you come back into the room, he's laying on your bed, resting his head upon your pillow. you look to him as you turn off the bathroom light.

"what? 's cold." he's wearing a tank top and sleeping shorts.

"right." you scoff, shaking your head. you blink at him, slight smile on your lips with upturned brows. he furrows his own brows and pout his lips as he turns to the wall. your stupid face...

you turn off the lights to your shared room, sliding into the bed. you can hear till's breathing and how he swallows his nerves. his back is nearly touching your shoulder. it wasn't a small bed, a queen size, but till was laying right in the middle and you didn't like being right against the edge. you face the ceiling, listening to him.

he doesn't know what to do. he's slept in your bed with you before. it always feels the same; it's always awkward. this is the closest he ever gets to you.

till is more than surprised when he feels your hands snake around his waist, pulling yourself to mold against him. your warm transfers to his back and your legs nudge against his. with your head against his shoulder, he's sure that you can hear his pacing heart.

"are you still cold?" you question, breath hitting the back of his neck. he shivers in your arms, making you hold him a little more taut against him. "i, uh... i don't want you to get sick."

"n—no." he stammers, breathing heavier. he's staring into the faded outline of the bedside table with your lamp and your headphones, trying to calm his heart. "thank you. you feel nice."

"really?" you hum out, hair tickling his neck. your lips brush against his skin at how close you are to him.

he shivers again and he mutters out, "sh—shut up! go to sleep!"

you go quiet after that, and till almost believes you listened to him. but your sudden movement to sit up behind him makes him turn his head to face you. except he catches the outline of your face, leaning close to his own. he has no time to react before you're pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.

he's still, unable to move at how close you are to him. your chest is pressed against his, hand on the other side of the bed. till holds his breath, eyes wide as you barely kiss him.

when you pull away, he's staring at your figure. he doesn't know how you really feel, but maybe it's similar to how he does. before you can say anything, till's arms are wrapping around your neck and pulling you down.

you lay on your side, facing till and he hugs you to his chest. he's on his side as well, nose buried in your hair as he squeezes his eyes shut. due to your position, you can hear his heartbeat pumping as fast as it can. you chuckle, pulling your arms around him and feeling him shiver.

you chuckle, hugging him again, "goodnight, till."

"night, y/n." he sighs out. you were too much.

↣ ivan

"another photoshoot?" you sigh, looking away from the city-scape in your window. ivan, with his arms crossed against the wall, nods his head. you roll your eyes, eyes to the window again. "i'm not going."

"there's no debate." he retorts, shaking his head. he lifts himself from his position, moving to the clothes set on your separate beds. unzipping the bag, he sees the dark red material inside. this was just for the public view, not for the shoot itself. still, it was so... 'out there'.

you look at him, knit brows. "are you being serious?"

"you better hurry, we have to be at makeup in thirty minutes." he tells you, unbuttoning his collared shirt, "you don't want them to drag you out, do you?"

you click your tongue, getting up from your chair and marching towards your bed. ivan followed your movements with his eyes, turning to see you still annoyed as you roughly open the clothes. "stupid brand deals... why are you so freakin' popular, ivan?"

he sighs at your question, looking at you with pointed eyes, "you always complain."

you glare back at him before you both turn around and start changing. it's not long before you're ready and you have to be escorted by the guards to your photoshoot with some new designer brand. the ride down in the glass elevator shows you the crowd outside waiting for your arrival. the guards in front of you shield you from the flashes as soon as you land on your floor and walk outside.

ivan holds his head up high, showing a soft smile and waves at the fans and paparazzi. he wasn't afraid of the fame, it was just a product of how hard work. glancing down at you, he sees how you glare at the floor, clutching at the fabric around your wrist.

he internally groans, slipping a hand through yours and tugging you to stand closer to him. you make a small noise, bumping shoulders with him. "just relax." he whispers to you, giving you a smile that makes you feel a bit belittled, "we'll be in our ride soon. smile."

you glare at him a little before squeezing his hand, turning to the cameras and giving your most comfortable smile possible right now. with both you and ivan showing off your faces, the flashes doubled. it blinds you, and you're almost thankful for the car taking you to your photoshoot as it separates you from the public.

"ugh." you grunt, rubbing your eyes after dropping ivan's hand, "i'm gonna' lose my sight. i'm... i'm actually crying from how bright their lights are."

he glances at you, leaning his arm against the window. you were literally tearing up from the bright lights. ivan raises a brow before reaching forward towards you with his free hand.

"you're fine, stop whining." he huffs, brushing your tears with his thumb. he begs you to look at him, fingers guiding your chin to face him. you drop your own hands from your face, showing your irritated face. "don't look at me like that."

"i'm not doing anything." you claim with the same expression, letting him hold your face in his hand now. he was somewhat warm, even with the gloves he was wearing.

"right." he hums to you, bringing you closer. you let out a scoff as you shift closer to him, one hand grasping at his wrist and the other pressed against the cushion of the seat. your loose hold on him doesn’t do much.

ivan can feel your cheeks heat up under his touch, but your annoyed look stays. “don’t ruin your pretty face like that.”

you blink at him before pulling away, clicking your tongue, “shut your mouth.”

he watches as you face the window, crossed arms. it was cute how you played this act no matter what. ivan knows when people like him, it’s a skill he had acquired from being so popular. and he knows that you don’t hate him.

when getting into the photoshoot, ivan walks in front of you, having been here a thousand times before. the other individuals of all different space races stop to stare at you. ivan’s partner. you’ve never had a photoshoot done before.

you hold into the edge of ivan’s sleeve, walking close with him. you look around at everyone, accidentally bumping into ivan’s back for the lack of attention you were paying. he’s talking to who is probably the director, explaining to him what was going to happen. you understand very little, but you hear your name and suddenly feel another hand on your elbow.

“ivan.” you mutter out, now clutching onto his hand tightly. he looks back to you and the stylist asking you to come along. you look scared, not wanting to go alone.

he talks to the director for a moment before nodding at you. “let’s go. we have an hour before the shoot begins.” he says, holding your hand gently and leading you to the change rooms.

you are given your outfit not long after, the stylist setting up a divider so you can have privacy. ivan sits on the sofa on the other side, leg over his knee and an arm resting on the back of the couch as he waits for you.

when he hears you stop shuffling around, he listens closely. “ivan…?” you call quietly.

“i’m here.” he retorts. he watches as you step out from the divider and show your outfit. it fit you nicely, you looked breath-taking, yet you stand there nervously. he stands, clearing his throat and walking over to you. he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. he finds himself staring. “it looks good.”

you look at yourself in the mirror. “i don’t know.”

he stands behind you, peering at your expression in the mirror. “you look amazing.”

you stare at him for a moment before you sigh, “okay. you can go ahead—“

ivan presses a kiss to your cheek, lingering for a moment before pulling away slowly. he doesn't know what came over him, he's never acted out like this. but you were just so captivating in that moment, how could he not kiss you?

you seem just surprised as he feels. you turn to face him, palm resting against where he kissed you.

“ivan—!” you mumble out, your face unbearably hot. he smiles a little before the stylist and makeup artist come in.

they talk with ivan for a moment before handing him his outfit and gesturing to the divider. he gives you a nod before you are whisked away to a joint room, where your makeup would be done.

your eyes never leave ivan, not until he goes behind the divider. and now you have to sit and get your makeup done while your mind is running.

↣ luka

he loves the attention he got on stage. the way his singing was appreciated was like nothing he had ever gotten. the press was always on luka, being a past alien stage winner. and since you were assigned as his partner, that meant all eyes were on you too.

you knew who he was, he was all over the billboards and the tv back at home. you were surprised when you saw him in real life, and even more-so when you found out that you were going to be his 'partner' in order to up the popularity in alien stage's new season.

sure, you had your fair share of popularity as well, but did that really make you the best candidate for this task? at first you were afraid of messing it up, but now? you wish they would fire you.

"singing is everything, y/n." luka says to you, watching as you put the mic back on its stand.

the stadium is nearly empty, which is perfect for you and luka as it was time for the both of you to practice and the stage was the best place. however, you despised the camera crew that had to come along. luka was in the middle of filming this documentary based off the behind the scenes of his shows. since alien stage was his most recent, and you happened to have struck a deal with the producers, that meant you were also going to be in this.

you glance at the camera as it zooms in on luka, sitting in the chair directly in front of the stage. he continues on, "you need to practice those runs, sweet thing. we don't want to be pitchy, now, do we?"

you want to throw the mic stand at his stupid face. he was so condescending, showing off his fake smile as if to lighten the blow of saying you were 'pitchy'. you click your tongue, masking your irritation with a nod of your head.

"good." he replies, clapping his hand, "now, shall we take it from the top?"

you internally groan at him. he had made you run through the song three times already, and it wasn't dwelling well on you. "why don't you start practicing, luka? my voice is about to give out." you offer, rubbing your throat.

he thinks for a moment before looking to the camera. "i suppose i can show off a little now." he sends a wink, as if to swoon anyone watching. you roll your eyes and head off the stage.

the camera pans to the both of you in the single frame. luka hands you your drink bottle, standing from the seat and allowing you to rest on it. as you sit down, you stretch your neck, closing your eyes.

luka reaches a hand around and cradles the back of your head. it's supposed to be comforting, but the feeling of the camera on you makes it the opposite. he has this dazed look in his eyes when he stares at you. a few seconds later, he seems to snap back to reality, opting to lean down and press a kiss to your forehead. "rest up, my star."

you watch as he gets up on the stage, fixing the microphone to his height. luka begins his warm-ups and vocal runs, and the camera suddenly turns to you.

"what do you have to say about luka's singing?" the director asks you.

"he's talented for sure." you respond, opening your drink bottle, "he knows what he's good at and excels at it. luka's got a beautiful singing voice and he uses it very well. like his falsetto, not many male contestants can hit his notes comfortably. he uses that to his advantage."

the camera lingers on you as you turn back to luka, who has started his music up.

it was all from a script, luka had given you clear instructions to say those things. you were hesitant at first, thinking you should be honest, but after seeing how strict it was that luka have a good reputation, you decided it was best just to listen to him. in return, he said he would hold back on the passive-aggressiveness. that seemed like a lie now.

an hour or so later, the others leave, claiming that they had more than enough footage for the day. it was good to leave you two alone to practice, not having to act with the cameras up.

you sit on the edge of the stage, utterly exhausted with your legs dangling on the edge. your drink bottle is beside you, and you gulp the rest of it down. luka stretches his back as he stands up from the chair, letting out a sigh of relief.

"well done, maybe you have a chance of winning this." he claims, walking towards you, "don't worry, just do your best, lovely."

he comes to stand in between your legs, hands on top of both of your knees. you glance at him finally, raising a brow. he was being somewhat nice to you, despite there being no cameras on around you. you give one last look around the stadium. "y'know there's no cameras. you can drop it."

luka grins, tilting his head. "i'm not acting, good-looking. you don't think i'm telling the truth?"

the smile he has on his face tells you the opposite. he has that look on his face when he's playing around or when he's trying to seem like a charmer to the audience. you've seen luka when he's not like this. you've seen him lash out, frustrated and on the brink of tears. and you've seem him in a way that just looks blank. this facade he carries around annoys you to the core, because you know nobody else has seen this side of him. they think he's a prince.

"you never compliment me out of the good of your heart." you reply, glaring at him a little. he raises a brow.

he holds your chin in his hand, bringing you closer to him. with a small grunt, you obey, furrowed brows. "such an adorable thing like you shouldn't be thinking that way." he claims, smiling at how annoyed you are, "i just love seeing you flustered."

you push his hand away from you, closing your eyes. "shut up, luka."

he doesn't reply to you which is odd. opening your eyes again, you see that he looks almost upset at what you say. at the kicked puppy expression, you go to apologise when luka suddenly leans forward, capturing your lips against his own.

you freeze up, blinking in surprise at his actions. you let his hand go and luka rests it against your neck, pulling you closer towards him. you ultimately melt against luka, reaching a hand to his chest and clutching his shirt. you begin to kiss back without thinking. his lips are cold, much like his fingers are, but with your warmth they heat up.

it lasts only a few seconds before he pulls away, letting go of your neck and resting his hand against yours on his chest. he sees your stunned expression and chuckles, "i'm sorry, love, am i too much for you to handle? you look the cutest when you're all confused like this."

you cover your face, all about embarrassed now. "luka...!"

he laughs some more, bringing you closer and cradling you against him as you sit on the stage. you're so humiliated, how could he catch you like that?

regardless, you slip your hands from between the two of you and hug his waist. while luka might play this game for the publicity and his reputation, you couldn't say the same. you hate to admit it, but in this world, it's nice to have someone who holds you like this. even if it is someone like luka.

[lurkingshan]

Love in the Big City: A Proposal to Extend the Discourse

Many of us have been anticipating this full length drama adaptation of the beloved novel by Sang Young Park for months, and when you watch the trailer above, you can see why: this is a queer story through and through, written semi-autobiographically by a queer man in South Korea about his own experiences, and then lovingly and determinedly made into a live action drama to bring his story to more people. It's a landmark show in the Korean media landscape; nothing of its kind has been made before. And that is exactly why the show is drawing harsh backlash before it even airs. It's too honest, too heartfelt, too steeped in empathy and understanding for the nuances of the queer experience in a suppressive society, and that scares people who want to continue shoving queer folks back in the closet.

As a result of this backlash, the story, which mirrors the novel by being structured in four parts with a different director and focus story in each set of two episodes, is being released in one giant episode dump to ensure that it all makes it onto air. Sang Young Park himself confirmed that conservative groups in South Korea are trying to prevent this show from being seen, and he is fighting to keep promoting it and will ensure its release on October 21st. It will air on TVING in South Korea and on Viki for the international audience.

The best thing we can do to fight back against this kind of censorship is to watch the show loudly, to write and make art about it and celebrate it, and to do that for more than just a couple days. Earlier this year, @bengiyo and I started the Love in the Big City book club to read the novel with friends in anticipation of this drama's release. For four weeks we coordinated weekly discussion posts to correspond to each part of the story, and we intend to do the same with the show. Given what's going on with attempts to suppress this story, I want to open up that invitation beyond those of us who are participating in the book club to include anyone who wants to watch and talk about this show, regardless of whether you've read the novel.

So here's the proposal:

Beginning Monday, October 21st when the show drops, we'll each watch the show on whatever cadence we like (personally, I will be watching two episodes at a time with breaks in between, because that is how it was made and intended to be seen)

Regardless of when we each actually watch it, we will post weekly starting on Mondays about each part of the story in turn. So the week of October 21st we will post art and meta and reactions to Part 1 (episodes 1 and 2), and each subsequent week we'll post about the next part (or each set of two episodes).

Ben and I will also write up and post book club discussion questions each Tuesday that will be more about the adaptation to live action and comparisons to the novel. Anyone who has read the book is very welcome to respond to those even if you haven't been in book club with us previously.

My hope with this proposed schedule is that we can keep discussion of the drama alive for a solid month and give it its full due. Tumblr is a crucial part of the fandom ecosystem and I want to do our part to ensure this show isn't buried. This is a complex story with so much nuance, and if we binge and forget about it in a few days, we cannot do it justice. I want to support Sang Young Park and so many others whose stories have been forced under wraps by this kind of oppression, and I would love it if you all would join me.

[worriedvision]

The inadequate act - Mr Reca

Gender neutral reader, Mr Reca may be out of character but screw it I thought this up. Happy ending I promise. Kind of suggestive at the end?

--

Being Mr Recas partner was difficult at times.

Specifically, it was difficult whenever someone fell in love with him to the point they would keep approaching him. You got with him as he was your best friend and you owed him a favour. He was fed up with people asking him out and not taking no for an answer.

So, you start dating, and you land up beginning to fall in love with each other. A pleasant surprise, you'd find out that he was a really good lover!

Unfortunately, one person who was an actor on a film Mr Reca directed also thought of him fondly.

A little too well. The actor thought Mr Reca loved them, to the point that during filming they found out your address to send flowers and gifts to. Your boyfriend brushed it off as an admirer at first, but you were uncomfortable with the idea of some stranger knowing where you lived.

And that's before the letters start - the gushy ones, the ones that rip your character apart, the ones that talk about how supposedly miserable Mr Reca was since your relationship started.

"What do you mean, 'it will stop soon'? This person keeps remarking on how I'm holding you back!" You huff, Mr Reca letting you speak your mind. "And why are you okay with this person continuously sending threatening letters to my - our - home?"

"Don't worry, darling. This is all going according to my plan." Mr Reca reassures you.

"Your plan for what? Breaking up with me?" You huff, Mr Reca unsure how to respond. "If you wanted to break up with me you could have at least told me yourself instead of getting an actor-"

"That's not what I was talking about!" Mr Reca roars, causing you to flinch. "I can't reassure you without ruining this plan. You'll just have to trust me."

"Relationships are about communication. If you can't even tell me of this plan of yours, how can I know you're not just trying to extravagantly break my heart?" You cross your arms, Mr Reca furrowing his brows before shaking his head.

"I would never embarrass you like that!" Mr Reca tuts, walking towards the door.

"You're leaving?" You ask, wincing after saying it as you realise you did create an uncomfortable house space via argument.

"We'll talk later." Mr Reca sighs, uncharacteristically quiet.

--

Hearing a knock on your door, you think it's your boyfriend. Opening the door, you're horrified to see the actor.

"I heard things haven't been too good between you and that director boy toy of yours?"

"Don't refer to my boyfriend like that. Besides, as an actor shouldn't you be able to maintain professionalism?" You retort.

"Well, just giving you a heads up, he's leaving you tonight. For me." The actor smirks. "I'm just here to get you to pack your bags. I'd help you, but I don't want to dirty my hands with your clothes."

"I want my boyfriend to-"

"Ex-boyfriend!" The actor corrects.

"To tell me himself. Not the homewrecker." You finish, closing the door before another word can be uttered.

--

Your boyfriend texted you, telling you to turn the TV to a channel. Taking a deep breath, you expect it to be a bit on your break up. He seemed rushed to test it to you, so it was obvious that this was running live.

"And today we have the honour of interviewing the one and only Mr Reca!" The interviewer smiles, the audience cheering and applauding.

"Mr Reca, I do hope I'm not intruding too much on your personal life, but can we get an update on your romance?" The interviewer starts. "You never confirmed publicly who it is you're dating, but there have been speculations online about an actor!"

You hear a series of ooh's in the audience, and you're reminding yourself to keep breathing as you watch on.

"Well, I am still happily in a relationship. With that being said, there has been a certain someone who's changed that." Mr Reca hums, waving for someone to be brought on stage.

To your understanding, it's the actor. They take a seat across from Mr Reca, and the way they're practically staring hearts at him makes you feel sick.

"It's so lovely for my boyfriend to make things official!" The actor giggles, the camera panning to Mr Reca who holds the most disgusted loom you've seen from him.

"And who is this boyfriend you speak of?" Mr Reca spits. "I've brought you here to address a concern."

"Thats right, Mr Reca!" The interviewer nods, turning to the camera. "This is not an interview like viewers will think. This is a PSA for those who cross both professional and personal boundaries."

"What is the meaning of this?" The actor chuckles, looking st Mr Reca as if they were innocent.

"My dear lover - not you, by the way - has been bombarded with horrible letters from you." Mr Reca sighs, the actor being cuffed. "The threats were serious enough, but to hear that you visited my partner to make them think I'm leaving them? For YOU?"

"How did you know about that?" The actor protests, the audience gasping.

"An admission of guilt. What a shame, I was hoping I could break your character down, however you are doing this all by yourself." Mr Reca laughs out. "Take them away, I'm filing a restraining order and therefore barring them from starring in any of my films."

"No, please, wait!"

"One final question." The interviewer asks, everyone on board as the screaming of the actor was far enough that it wasn't causing a big disruption. "Will we ever find out your lovers name?"

"The name I call them behind closed doors, or their real name?" Mr Reca jokes, before shrugging. "I'm afraid you'd have to ask them. I like having them to myself, after all."

"It was worth a try." The interviewer runs the back of their head before standing up to address the audience. "Thank you all for being here. Please enjoy the rest of your evening. Next up-"

You turn off the TV, the tears you only now realised were running down your face intensifying as you processed your boyfriend wasn't being dismissive, but rather taking things more seriously than you seemingly did. He got the law inforcement involved!

You think of how you could possibly apologise to him for being so harsh to him, for not trusting him, and you think a start would be by preparing a nice home cooked meal for him to enjoy when - if - he decides to come home tonight.

Before you can, however, you hear another knock on the door. Reluctantly opening the door, you see your boyfriend with a bouquet of flowers. He pushes the door open the rest of the way, eyes softening as he realises you've been crying, and he pulls you in for a hug before entering the home, closing the door.

Neither of you say anything, both of you just enjoying each others warmth as you begin to finally relax into him. You finally felt like you could relax, knowing the actor was not involved with your boyfriend at all.

"I thought about taking you out for dinner, but I think we can have much more fun at home." Mr Reca starts, caressing your face as you makes direct eye contact with you.

"Plus, I think actions speak louder than words for apologies."

[marigoldendragon]

Everyone's freaking out about the Twst anime having to slowly go through all the books and how we're gonna have to wait several years for the Pomefiore/Ignihyde/Diasomnia chapters. But, I'm not sure that's what they're going to be doing honestly. The crux of each season is probably going to be similar to each book, but the main plots and stories are probably going to be more intertwined.

Mostly because it won't make for good tv otherwise. Tv is a much different medium than a game that allows you to get to know the characters outside the main story, manga novels that can be produced and sold in a lot more insular way. Audiences typically don't respond well to a constantly changing cast of characters, a new protagonist/plot every season.

So I suspect we'll end up with something like oh how do I say this. The main game story but blending the books together more, with a lot more viginette style stories sprinkled throughout plus lots of set up for various character arcs? So yeah we'll probably have to wait a while to see Malleus overblot, but I dont think each season is gonna be quite so clear cut as everyone if probably fearing/picturing.

I could be wrong of course. Just thought I'd put in my two cents to help ease peoples anxieties about not seeing thier favourites in action.

This might help, I don't know if I'm doing a good job describing it in words so I scribbled out a visual. I guess what I'm trying to say is that ideally they'll weave all 7 of the Twst plots into one.

[ironstrange1991]

Baby, I'm the lucky one

Pairing: Defender!Strange x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: Defender is having a rough day and his wife comes to help him to relax.

Word Count: 5,9k

Warnings: SMUT: Thigh riding, blow job, cum eating, p n v sex, creampie.

A/N: It's finally here! It took me a long time to finish this one and I really hope it's worth the wait. I made it very romantic and although it had already appeared in some of my headcanons, seeing Eric inspired me with the glasses thing and is Vincent in the pic, but I can only see Defender in it so bare with me and have a nice reading ;)

The sound of approaching footsteps in the hallway informed Stephen that he was no longer alone in the Sanctum. He thought he heard the creaking of a portal and now the sound of boots on the floor confirmed it. Sighing, he closed the huge old book he was reading and took off his glasses, placing them on the desk and pressing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

Defender Strange was having a rough day, to say the least. It was actually a rough week that came right after a terrible mission. It seemed that the problems were piling up and he could no longer keep up with them, much less solve them before another one came up. To make matters worse, in addition to the feeling of helplessness he felt with each new impossible situation that was brought to him hoping he would magically find a solution for them, he also felt guilty for being so busy the last few days that he could barely pay attention to his pregnant wife.

The recently discovered pregnancy had been quite a surprise and was definitely not planned, but Stephen was happy with it, he just wished it had happened at a calmer time, but then again, there would ever be some calmer time in his life since he took on the position of Sorcerer Supreme and leader of the Defenders? Of course not.

The sound of footsteps got closer then stopped and Stephen heard a soft knock on the door to which he responded with a quick "Come in."

Wong entered the room with an expression in his face that told Stephen the master was bringing bad news.

"Tell me" Defender asked, putting on his glasses again and rummaging through the desk drawers for the pack of painkillers he had left there days before. It was true to say that excessive work combined with worries and poor diet over the last few days were contributing to his migraines. This time he decided to take a pill as soon as the first symptoms appeared in the hope of being spared of another terrible one.

Upon finding the pack, he took the pill and got up, heading towards the small corner table where he left a bottle of whiskey and two glasses arranged on a tray. He poured a dose and took it in one gulp along with the pill while listening to Wong explaining how preparations for the next mission had been halted because two of the masters who were supposed to go with the Defenders ended up injured in a battle against an interdimensional entity that had been released into the Kamar Taj by a curious student.

"I'm afraid we'll have to postpone it or else..."

Wong didn't finish what he was going to say, but Stephen added, "I'll have to go."

Wong sighed "It's been a rough few days for sure, but things will calm down like they always do."

Defender sat down again and pointed to the book he was reading "I haven't found any spell that can repair the damage caused by Nightmare in the passages of the Dream Realm. If we can't fix that we will have more problems in our world and that is something that I cannot allow. Lives have already been lost."

"It was not your fault." Wong stated and then suggested the same thing that Stephen had spent all afternoon considering.

"Perhaps it is time to request an audience with the Vishanti. You are the Sorcerer Supreme and only you can do it."

He nodded, "I don't think there will be any other alternative, but in any case I will continue my research into the night. Why would I rest, right?" He said bitterly and watched Wong's lips form a thin line.

"I feel like I'm failing you, my friend, especially at this time when your personal life is changing."

"But a Sorcerer Supreme must place his duties above his personal life, Wong. You know this very well because you were the one who told me this so many times." Defender responded dryly and then shook his head and spoke again in a calmer voice. "I'm sorry. You're a good mentor and a great friend, Wong. You've never failed me. You never could."

Wong nodded but pressed the issue "Strange, you need to take care of your pregnant wife. She needs you now more than ever."

Stephen ran his hand over his face, sighing heavily. "And how do you suggest I do that while jumping from mission to mission, meeting to meeting, and spending days and nights studying magic books in this office?"

Wong's answer was firm and decisive, "You need to delegate some tasks, Strange. These books, I can take them to the Kamar Taj with me and have them examined by our librarian. If anything important is found, you will be notified. Regarding the mission... I can go in your place if you wish."

Stephen shook his head "You belong at the Kamar Taj, Wong. The place would be a mess without you."

"Do you have a better idea? Besides, Master Hamir can take care of the place in my absense;." Wong insisted. "You already said you don't trust anyone else to do the job. Let me take over this mission and you can have some calmer days to rest."

Stephen knew his friend was right and no matter how much his pride and sense of duty said no, he ended up giving in.

"Fine, but I'll stick with the books tonight. I doubt I'll be able to sleep anyway. You can come get them by the morning."

Wong nodded "I will immediately return to the Kamar Taj to finish the preparations."

"What about the student?"

"Oh, he'll be punished. Don't worry."

Defender nodded watching Wong leave the office and close the door. The footsteps moved further away until they disappeared and the Sanctum was once again plunged into complete silence. IStephen sighed feeling the tiredness of the day hitting him. His eyes felt heavy as he tried to return to his reading, but it wasn't sleep that afflicted him, but an exhaustion so great that it seemed to consume him. He turned his attention back to his books, anyway, and barely noticed the hours passing by.

...

The Sanctum was plunged into darkness when you got home from work and you wondered if Stephen was still at the Kamar Taj at that hour. It was way past 8pm and you were working overtime almost everyday of the week since last week. It was safe to say that the last few weeks had been challenging for you as much it had been for your husband, but although you said everything was okay and that you understood, you knew he blamed himself for spending so little time with you, especially now that you found out about the pregnancy.

It was recent. Your belly wasn’t  showing yet and you hadn't told anyone. Not even your parents knew because you wanted to complete your first trimester before telling the news. Stephen had promised that he would try to spend more time with you, but since then so many things had been happening and demanding his immediate attention that it had become impossible for him to keep his promise and although you said you understood, you knew he blamed himself.

You went straight up to your room, took a shower and changed into comfortable pajamas before looking for Stephen around  the Sanctum and finally finding him in his office leaning over one of his huge books reading until exhaustion.

He tried to smile at you when you opened the door, but you could clearly see that he was not well, tiredness taking over every expression on his beautiful face, his always blue eyes, now darkened behind the lenses of his reading glasses.

"Don't tell me you spent all day here." You said, already knowing the answer.

"Pretty much." He replied sheepishly watching you approach, but instead of sitting in one of the chairs facing him, you walked around the desk and stood next to him waiting for him to turn around and then bending down to kiss him. You tasted whiskey on his lips which wasn't a good sign. Stephen only drank if he was very happy or very upset.

"Tell me how your day was, baby." He said before you had time to ask anything.

You grimaced, “Tiring and boring, but okay.”

He chuckled, "I guess that sums mine up too. Don't we make quite a pair?"

You nodded, watching him bring his hand to your belly and gently feel it. "And the baby?"

You smiled, "You know it's too early for me to feel anything, right? But overall I think it's okay. The morning sickness is killing me though."

He nodded, bending forward and placing a small kiss on your belly that made your heart flutter in your chest.

"I know I've been really busy the last few days, but I promise things will calm down." He said looking away as if he felt too guilty to look at you. You cupped his face and lifted his chin making him look at you.

"Stephen, it's okay. I get it. We've been together long enough for me to understand how things work." You assured "Besides, I have been working a lot too."

"I made you a promise..." He started to say, but you interrupted him by placing your index finger on his lip.

"I won't hold it against you, baby. I knew full well what I was getting myself into when I married the Sorcerer Supreme. It's not a job you drop anytime you want and get vacations from."

He allowed himself a sigh and you realized how much he needed to hear those words. In fact, looking at him closely you noticed how much more tired he seemed, how dark circles were appearing under his eyes and the lines on his forehead seemed deeper.

"Did you eat something?" You asked, again, already knowing the answer. He just shook his head.

"You've barely slept lately, Stephen. You know you need to rest or your body will end up forcing you to stay in bed one way or another." You said as your hand tugged on his hair tie and let his soft hair fall down his shoulders in a cascade of dark and silver strands.

"I care about you, baby." You confessed, placing the hair tie on your wrist and combing the strands with your fingers, gently undoing the knots. That small gesture that you had already repeated countless times was always enough to disarm him and as you expected, he hummed contently and moved the chair away from the desk, enough to pull you by the wait waist to position you in front of him. You straddled one of his thighs and he wrapped his strong arms around your waist and leaned forward to kiss you harder this time.  You cupped his face feeling your body melt before him and your stomach turned in that specific way that only he made you feel.

When you broke the kiss he glanced at you from behind the lenses of his glasses and you smiled "You look super cute with glasses, you know that?"

He blushed and instinctively reached to take them off as if only at that moment he had realized that he was wearing them in front of you, but you stopped him and kissed him again, feeling his hands return to your waist and the sensation in your stomach increased. You buried your face in his neck admitting. "I miss you, baby. You've barely touched me this last week and I know it's not your fault, but I really miss it."

"I know. I miss you too. Come here, kiss me."

You kissed him hard, your fingers immediately tangling themselves in his hair and a soft moan escaped his throat. The sound made you lose your composure. Without you realizing exactly what you were doing, your hips began to move back and forth, riding his muscular thigh and desperately looking for some friction.

You and Stephen had an amazing sex life and you weren't used to going without sex for a long time and eight days was a lot for you.  You needed him like air to breathe and your body searched for him instinctively.

He sighed contentedly as his hands slid from your waist to your bare thighs, his fingers digging into the soft fat there helping you move.

"You know I wasn't absent for lack of desire, don't you? I was just very tired." Stephen made a point of explaining and you smiled and bit your lower lip as you increased the movements of your hips and a moan escaped your lips. "I know. But I can help you relax a little if you let me."

Stephen nodded, raising one of his hands to your ass and squeezing your cheek as he lifted your chin and made you look into his eyes while grinding yourself shamelessly in his thigh. "I'm sure you can, but right now it seems like you're more interested in seeking your own pleasure, right?"

You knew he was just teasing. Stephen's altruism extended to bed as well. He was always more concerned about satisfying you than satisfying himself.

"Its been too long" You complained. "I spent the whole week thinking about making love to you. You barely slept by side this week. I even tried to resolve the issue myself, but I couldn't cum, it's as if my body refused to have pleasure without you there."

Stephen eyes glanced at you in complete awe "That's so beautiful, baby. You have no idea how happy you make me by telling me this."

"But now I want to make you relax, to give a little bit of a special attention to my beloved husband." You insisted, cupping his face and moaning again, but contradicting what you just said, you started to move faster, rotating your hips and looking for the delicious pressure that Stephen's thigh muscle provided on your clit and feeling yourself getting wetter between your legs, the wetness soaking his pants and making him hiss in pure surprise and satisfaction.

"It's okay love, you know I love providing pleasure for you. You have no idea how hard I am right now." He confessed lacing his fingers in your hair and tugging then a little bit.

"You're going to show me, aren't you? Tell me what you want me to do to make you feel better, baby."

Stephen smiled humming contemplatively to himself. "You're already doing it."

Resting both hands on Stephen's shoulders, you forced yourself against him, increasing the intensity of the friction and moaning, surrendering to your pleasure and a wave of heat took over you as your body found the ecstasy you were so desperately looking for.

Stephen kissed you passionately, his tongue searching for yours, sucking it lightly. He broke the kiss with a teasing bite on your lower lip and when you finally opened your eyes and allowed yourself to look at him there was a beautiful smile on his face that showed perfect teeth while also showing the crow's feet around his eyes. God, your man was so handsome.

"Satisfied?" He teased to which you immediately shook your head.

"Not until I make you forget all your worries."

"And who said I'm worried?" He replied, caressing your cheek with the back of his hand.

"The whiskey I tasted in your tongue."

He hummed "You know me way too much for me to lie to you, isn't it?"

"I don't even know why you try." You said, placing a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Want to tell me about it? I know there's not much I can do to help, but I can listen. You don't have to be the leader of the Defenders or the Sorcerer Supreme when you're with me. You can be just Stephen."

He listened silently glancing at you with tenderness and then nodded "I thank you every day for that." He said and then smiled and you noticed a slight flush in his cheeks. "I know it's cheesy to say this, but I really am a lucky man to have you as my wife, Y/n. I could never ask for a better woman."

You smiled broadly. You were used to your husband's constant compliments and it was safe to say that although he wasn't given to public displays of affection, behind close doors he was the most affectionate man in the world.

"Maybe it's a little cheesy, but I never get tired of hearing you say it." You confessed, getting up from his lap and feeling your face heat up when you saw the wet circle on his pants.

"Let's go to bed. You need to rest." You said, taking his hand and pulling lightly, hoping he would agree easily, but he didn't move a muscle and shoot you an apologetical glance.

"I promised Wong I would finish this tonight."

You sighed "Stephen..."

"I know, but Wong will take my place on the next mission and that will give me a few days off to rest. I promise things will be calmer and we will have plenty of time for both of us."

You smiled, surrendering to his charm, but not completely convinced.

"Sounds good, but it doesn't change the fact that you need some rest tonight." You said looking angrily at the gigantic books on his desk as if they were your most hated enemies and then you smiled to yourself "Perhaps... I think I can help you with that."

"With my reading?" He asked, knowing full well that it wasn't what you meant.

But you just smile, pushing his chair back to give you more space and kneeling between his legs. The act itself was self-explanatory and Stephen let out a satisfied groan.

"Will you give me your mouth, baby girl?" He asked with a dose of extra sweetness in his voice.

You bit your lower lip feeling your heart flutter with the pet name. "Do you want it?"

"Always." Defender replied watching you unbuckle his belt and unbutton his pants. The gesture was enough to make his dick throb.

"You're so hard, Stephen." You said taking it in your hands. His cock was so beautiful, big and thick, veiny with a red tip. There was a drop of precum leaking from his slit and you licked it slowly, letting it stick to your tongue in a string and then sucking it into your mouth.

"You did this to me, baby. Seeing you ride my thigh left me like this." He said caressing your face and moving his fingers down to your chin, lifting your face to make you look directly at him. "You are so beautiful. From the moment I met you I knew I would be yours."

You smiled and as if you wanted to prove to him that he was right, you gave a slow and long lick on the back of his cock ending with a light suck on the sensitive head and you kept your eyes locked with his all the time. He moaned and his hips jolted against your mouth involuntarily. You placed light kisses on the side of his length, teasing him.

"Such a tease..." He whimpered, giving in to the desire. "I need to be inside your mouth. I want to feel the heat, the wetness. Such a sweet mouth."

You surrendered to his pleas and took him into your mouth, sucking him slowly and bobbing your head up and down while swirling your tongue around him to give him maximum pleasure.

Maybe Stephen didn't know, maybe he was so selfless that he lacked the ability to understand that you loved him just the same. That he was worthy of being loved in that proportion and even more.

He considered himself the luckiest man in the world to have you in his life, but you knew that in reality, you were the lucky one to have the love of a man so decent, so courageous and most importantly, so caring and attentive.

His moans filled the room and reached your ears like music as you pleasured him slowly, rotating your hand along what you couldn't take in your mouth without gagging.

"So good to me, baby... doing so good to me." He muttered softly almost as if speaking to himself.

You let go of his cock to use both hands to brush your hair out of your face and twist it into a bun and then direct one of Stephen's hands to your head to keep it there. Stephen complied by grabbing your hair in a fistful, but he didn't push, he just accepted what was being given to him willingly.

You returned your attention to your work, working your mouth and tongue along the entire length of his cock, stopping only to draw a breath of air into your lungs and then returning to pleasure him.

"Oh baby it's so good." He said as his dick pulsed in your mouth. "Can I cum in your mouth?" He asked. He always asked even if the answer was always yes.

You hummed positively feeling the weight of his other hand on your head and hot cum filling your mouth as he moaned and gasped for air. "Oh baby..." He let out a loud groan when you took him out of your mouth. "Fuck, such a sweet mouth. You are so good to me." He said caressing your cheek affectionately. "This was amazing. Thank you."

You gulped his cum down unceremoniously and responded with a proud smile as you put his cock back inside his pants.   You stood up, taking his hand again and pulling him to stand up too, but he gave you that apologetical look again making you roll your eyes.

"I know you don't want to leave here before you finish your work, but we can stay. Your office is comfortable enough. I just need you and I think you need me too."

He hesitated for a moment, but then something in your face, probably the way you batted your eyelashes at him, made him chuckle and get up from the chair.

"You know you can get anything from me when you give me that look, don't you?" He said pinching your cheek.

"Anything? Really?" You confirmed.

"Anything." He said wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer to him. You chuckled and wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "Then leave work for later and make love to me."

Stephen hummed allowing himself to be pulled across the room. There was a small two-seater recamier in front of the unlit fireplace and that was exactly where you led him.

The night was particularly cold so Stephen lit the fireplace with a quick and almost imperceptible gesture of his fingers and in the same way he locked the door to his office. At the beginning of your relationship he tried not to use magic in front of you, but now, years later, you were used to small things like this.

You touched his face and pulled him to your lips, kissing him like you haven't done it in days, hungrily, thirstily and most of all passionately. And oh, how he loved it when you kissed him like that.

Your hands began to unbuckle his belts and he let himself be undressed slowly, piece by piece while you devoured him with your eyes. There was something about the passion with which you looked at him that made him feel like the luckiest man on earth.

Stephen never had trouble getting a lay. Women used to throw themselves into his arms in the days when he worked as a surgeon at the hospital and he had fucked pretty much every woman that worked there, but none of that could be compared to what he had with you. You were the first woman Stephen made love to. And before, he swore that the term was nothing more than a silly romanticization of sex, but you changed his mind. You changed him completely and he knew that no sex in the world could compare to making love with someone who truly loves you.

"What is it?" You asked, probably noticing the way he looked at you as you helped him get rid of his underwear, leaving him completely naked for you. Your eyes left his for a second to see what you should already know. He was ready for you again. In fact, there was no way he wouldn't be when your eyes seemed to burn his skin with desire.

"I love you, Y/n. I know I've said this a million times, but I..."

You kissed him again, interrupting him and then nodded "And I love you. You have no idea how in love I am with you and every day I feel like I love you more."

He smiled feeling your hand running down his chest and going to where he needed you most at that moment. You grabbed him and pumped him slowly up and down and he cupped your face with both hands resting his forehead on yours "These hands..."

You just smiled, squeezing your hand around him a little tighter and then gently pushing him to sit down and proceeding to undress yourself for him. You were so beautiful. Your hair, Your eyes, the shape of your body, everything was so inviting.

You started by taking off your pajama top. You weren't wearing anything underneath it, so he was treated to the wonderful view of your breasts, the nipples hardened by the cold night air. You caressed one of your breasts to tease him, knowing full well how much he loved them. Then you reached down and took off your shorts and panties, quickly kicking them to the side on the floor and walked over to him with a proud smile on your lips. 

You knew. You knew exactly what the sight of your naked body did to your husband and you liked it.

"Come here, baby. Let me touch you. You said you miss my touch." He said.

You nodded holding the hand he extended to you and straddling his thighs.

You took both hands to the temples of his glasses and gently took them off and put them on with a smile plastered on your face. Stephen couldn't help his own smile.

"What do you think?" You asked with a cute pout.

"Charming. It looks much better on you than it does on me, that's for sure."

You shook your head, removing the glasses and placing them to the side. "I like you with glasses, even though you don't like me to see you wearing them."

Stephen stroked your cheek. "I'm a vain man. It's hard to accept that I have to wear them, let alone that you see me with them."

 "Silly." You said, leaning in to kiss him and Stephen wasted no time, he needed to be inside you. He missed you as much as you missed him.

He spat into his hand and rubbed the saliva over the red, extremely sensitive head and directed it towards your entrance. You both moaned loudly as you let yourself sink down onto his cock, the penetration easy but tight. Stephen loved how you felt so warm and wet around him, it felt so good. To be inside you always felt like home.

There was nothing in the world that compared to the feeling of having Stephen inside you. He was big, thick, but not only that, he was the love of your life.

His hands grabbed your waist as you began to move slowly, rotating your hips sensually and feeling him fill every inch of you. You closed your eyes and increased the pace, your hand seeking support on his shoulder, the other twisting a nipple between your fingers.

"Just like that, baby. You look so beautiful riding me like this. Feels so good."

He pulled you to his lips and kissed you hard, his hips thrusting up which made you moan between his lips. He brought one hand between you and started circling your clit with it which made your entire body shake on top of his and he hummed in satisfaction. "So sensitive. Tell me, was it that touch you were missing so much?"

You nodded vehemently "Oh yes" You responded increasing the pace of your hips as you moved up and down, fucking him, but it didn't feel like It was enough, you needed more.

"Baby please..." You murmured between countless tireless kisses "...need more."

He immediately held your waist and started thrusting up, going deep and giving you the relief you wanted. A little scream left your lips as he reached that special spot inside you.

"Yes, yes, yes..." You screamed amid the sound of your bodies colliding "Oh my god, baby..." But he interrupted your cries with a hungry kiss as he held you tight in his arms and got up dragging you to the floor.  Your back touched the plush rug and his lips trailed down your chin and neck until they found their destination on your breasts. He held them with both trembling hands as he sucked one nipple and then the other and gave small bites to your skin, hiding his face between them and moaning as he did so.

"Stephen..." You begged and he surrendered. He directed his dick back to your entrance and slowly penetrated you, burying his face in the crook of your neck while your legs were intertwined behind his back and he began to thrust slowly, but putting more strength and intensity with each thrust until he reached a hard rhythm.

You wrapped your arm around his back, nails digging into his flesh while the other got lost in the sea of ​​dark and silver hair, fingers tangling in the soft strands, pulling them with each thrust that was quickly taking you to your limit.

Your moans right in his ear and your fingers tugging at his hair in rhythm with each thrust were triggers that were driving Stephen to his limit. He could feel his balls tightening, his cock was pulsing deliciously and he didn't want to fight it. He was in paradise, lost between your legs he felt like the happiest man in the world. He searched for your lips and kissed you hard feeling your walls contract around him.

"Baby tell me you're close" He asked between your lips and you nodded.

"Yes baby, so close. No need to hold it. Just give it to me." You said between desperate kisses on his lips. You knew him so well, he even needed to tell you that he was about to cum. You simply knew how to read all the signs on his body.

Stephen moaned loudly surrendering to his own pleasure. He gave three more strong thrusts and then stopped, burying his face in your neck and moaning deliciously in your ear. The sound was the ultimate trigger that launched you straight into your high as you felt him filling you with hot cum and your walls contracted around him as your legs trembled beneath him.

"Oh baby I love you." He whispered in your ear before allowing himself to look at you. There was a beautiful smile on his lips and tenderness in his blue eyes. All the tiredness you saw in them seemed to have disappeared.

...

The Sanctum was dark and silent when Wong stepped through the portal into the main hall. However, the light emanating through Defender's office door showed that the Sorcerer Supreme was still engrossed in his tireless work.

That made Wong sigh. A man needed to recognize that he was just a man and needed rest like any other human being.

Wong devoted himself to the duty that brought him there in the first place and was about to leave when he decided to beg Stephen to go to sleep. He knocked and waited. The sorcerer's voice came soon after.

"Yes."

Wong tried the handle, but the door was locked, which was strange.

"Can I come in?" He asked and when he heard a chuckle coming from the room he understood.

"I don't think it would be appropriate at the moment." Defender replied and another chuckle was heard. "Is it something important? Give me two minutes. I'll meet you in the lounge."

Wong smiled to himself. All his worries melting away. "No. It's okay. I talked to everyone involved and we managed to work out the latest plans for the mission. We'll leave tomorrow night. I'll keep you informed. Take the opportunity to rest, Stephen."

He turned to leave and then he heard Y/n's familiar voice "Good night, Wong."

"Indeed, my dear." He muttered to himself opening a portal back to Kamar Taj. The Sorcerer Supreme would be fine as long as he had his wife to make sure that happened."

...

"He's going to be traumatized." You said, laughing softly.

Although the night was cold, the heat coming from the fireplace combined with the heavy blanket Stephen had conjured and his own body heat were more than enough to keep you warm.

He was lying with his back on the rug and his arm extended to support your shoulders. Your legs were tangled with his lazily.

"He should be pretty used to it by now." He responded caressing your cheek with the back of his hand. "He was worried about me, just like you. That's why he offered to go on the mission in my place."

You nodded, lifting your head to stare at him. "I know things get difficult sometimes, but you need to learn to delegate, Stephen. Especially now."

"I know." He sighed and you noticed how he looked less tired now. You didn’t really think you could save him of all his problems, but it was undeniable that he felt better when he spent quality time with you.

"He knows." Stephen confessed.

You smirked knowing exactly what he was talking about. "I thought we agreed to keep it a secret until the end of the first trimester."

He nodded. "I needed to tell him. Wong is my best friend and my right-hand man. He helps me manage this madness that is Kamar Taj. He needed to know and besides, I know you two are going to be okay and I can't wait to see it growing inside of you."  He said, lowering his hand to your belly and keeping it there.

"Still, I'd rather wait before telling anyone else. Promise me you won't tell anyone else."

"I promise."

You smiled "Are you really happy with it? I know we weren't planning on it."

"I'm very happy. And terrified." He said chuckling and you cupped his face and kissed him.

"Me too. But I know we can do this because we have each other."

Stephen nodded and tilted his head up to kiss you again, this time harder and then turned around putting you underneath him, his hips pushing his way between your legs, his face lost in the sea of ​​your hair taking a deep breath and then kissing you again .

"You're like medicine to me, you know? It's incredible how you can make me feel better when I'm having a hard day. I was on the verge of a terrible migraine, but now I'm cured."

You held his face in your hands and smiled proudly "It's good to know that I have such power over the great Sorcerer Supreme."

He kissed you and lightly bit your lower lip "You have no idea" He said grounding his fast hardening cock against your core, which made you moan softly into his lips.

"Again?" You confirmed, watching him bring a hand between you. He rubbed himself a few times and then entered you again.

“Fuck yes.” He responded with a groan.

It seemed that the books had been long forgotten.

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DEFENDER STRANGE MASTERLIST

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[thevoidstaredback]

Everyone's comm beeps in their ear, drawing their attention. "Kon, Jon, Cassie, and Bart all know now. I'm bribing them with the footage of Phase One." Tim's voice says. Their comms beep again and the line goes silent.

Dick sighs. Yeah, that checks. Honestly, he's surprised those four hadn't been told way earlier than now.

"What's wrong?" Wally asks from beside him.

"Nothing," ha answers. He finishes the drink in his hand in one go.

Wally snorts softly. "Yeah, sure. I assume someone's blown it?"

"Tim and Dami. Both Superboy's, Wonder Girl, and Impulse all know now."

"Our Wonder Girl?"

"Tim's.

"Ah." A beat. "The problem?"

"No problem. Though, B might say something."

"I thought he was all for telling the teams?"

"He is! This was all his idea! But Tim's bribing the other four with the footage of the Cave."

"You mean the footage that I haven't seen yet?"

"Yep."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Wally grabs his hand, "Let's go get Donna and go watch!"

Dick sighs again and goes along. He clicks his own comm on and says, "Me, Wally, and Donna are gonna come watch, too. Wally insists."

Damian's voice comes next. "Since when does Troy know?"

"Probably since I told her and Wally."

"What?" Steph's voice whines, "You've had two people know for so long?"

Before he can respond, Barbra hisses, "Hey! This is supposed to be a distraction free line, guys."

Jason snorts, "Me, Roy, Lian, and Duke are on our way, too. You girls should come watch; we'll make a party out of it."

"Good idea," Cass says.

Dick can see Bruce on the other side of the room, unable to react to a thing that's being said in his ear. Ha!

***

Bruce watched his kids all leave the room. He's glad that their teams know, though why did they have to let it slip while the party was still going on? Oh, well, nothing to do about it now. Especially because Oliver's agreed to give a speech.

"Ollie, dear, it's time for your speech now, isn't it?"

"Ah, yes." Oliver says, light pink dusting his cheeks at the address Bruce had been using since they were in high school. He made his way to the stage, the band quieting as he took the podium. "If I may have everyone's attention for just a moment?"

Great start, Ollie.

"Like all of you, the invitation to this gala tonight came as a surprise. A welcome one, but a surprise nonetheless. Now, I won't keep your attention for long, but, on behalf of Bruce, I'd like to thank everyone for coming tonight. This Gala tonight, Charity for Justice, is a fantastic way for us to give back to the people who work so hard to save us. And it's not just the Justice League; Doctors, Teachers, Veterans, et cetera. They're all heroes who deserve all the help we can give them. Being here tonight, while it may seem superficial, is a step in the right direction to helping the heroes of the world. Now, I don't know how Bruce is going to get this money to the Justice League, but I'm not one to questions his ways or his motivations. He's been a friend of mine since we were in high school, and I trust him with my life. Thank you, Bruce, for hosting tonight; And thank you all for coming and donating." Nodding to the audience, Oliver walked from the stage as they clapped.

Bruce smiled at Oliver as they met at the bottom of the stairs leading to the stage. "Thanks, Ollie. I didn't know you trusted me so much."

Oliver matched his smile. "'Course I do, Brucie! And what you're doing tonight is really good. I might just have to steal this idea from you."

Laughing, Bruce patted Oliver's shoulder before taking his place on the stage. "Thanks, Oliver, for speaking tonight. I know it was last minute, but you did great." The crowd chuckled a bit as Oliver raised the glass he now held. "At the risk of sounding like a broken record, thanks again, everyone, for coming here tonight. I know a lot of you are far from home, but it means a lot that you made the trip out.

"Admittedly, this entire gala was a spur of the moment decision. My kids, actually, came up with the idea, so if you're going to thank anyone, it should be them. They did everything on their own while sat back and let them do their thing.

"When you think of heroes, you're most likely to think of the Justice League and their sidekicks. But, who were the heroes before the Justice League was founded? Perseus, Heracles, Aeneas, Remus, Romulus, Vldar, Ragnar Lodbrok, Hua Mulan, Guan Yu. All of them were warriors. But, does combat make a hero? I don't think so. I think the thing that makes a hero is the willingness to help; the willingness to give even if you have nothing to give; the willingness to do what it takes to make sure someone gets to live even just a little bit longer.

"Oxford dictionary defines the word 'hero' as "a person who is admired or idealized for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities". While I agree, I think that this is a much too niche definition. After all, I've met hundreds of people who I would consider heroes, heard thousands more stories- and not one of them has been 'admired' or 'idealised' for it.

"Tonight, I've asked for donations from each of you. All of the money will be going towards helping the heroes of the world; those who are recognised as such, those who aren't, and everyone in between. Every donation made will be matched by not only myself, but Wayne Industries as well. Then, all the money will be anonymously give to the heroes of every city represented here.

"Again, I'm so glad everyone could make it tonight, and I'm beyond glad that you've all be generous enough to help our heroes. Please enjoy the rest of your evening." The applause was loud as he walked off stage, the music picking up softly before crescendoing as the crowd began talking again.

The comm in his ear clicked just before Barbra started speaking. "That was a good speech, B. Brought some of us to tears."

He picked up a drink and sipped it as he spoke into his own comm piece. "You're watching the cameras?"

"Naturally," Damian said.

"We're all too comfortable to move," Tim explained, "So Bab's pulled the cameras up on the TV just as Oliver finished speaking."

"I've never heard Batman talk so much..." That was Bart Allen, clearly close enough to hear him over Tim's line, but not close enough to be intentional.

"Hell," Donna was probably sprawled across Dick and Wally, "I've never seen him express emotion and I knew who he was!"

Bruce hid a laugh and a smirk behind his drink. "Watch it, now."

There were a few squeaks as the comms all clicked off, Barbra taking care of his as well.

The ballroom was emptying, slower than he would like, but faster than expected. The kids (because that's what they are, no matter how old they may be) all trickled back into the ballroom, waving goodbye and joining their families as they went, though his own kept themselves near the door to say goodbye to everyone leaving. He decided to join them.

Just as Oliver, Dinah, Roy, and Lian were leaving, he stopped his old friend and pulled him aside.

Oliver's guard was still down, relaxed even as Bruce pulled him into a completely empty room and shut the door. He heard the click of a comm turning on, though no one spoke, so he could only assume it was his own.

"I was just about to head home; What's up, Bruce?"

"Oliver, there's something I need to tell you." This was gonna be so funny.

"Bruce?"

When had first started out, he knew that having the same voice in and out of costume would be a potentially detrimental mistake, so he'd dropped his voice as low as he dared and added the grit to it. Eventually, he'd gotten a voice changer, but he'd kept up the training to make sure he didn't damage his voice in case the voice changer ever broke.

Taking a deep breath, Bruce turned around and dropped his voice. "I'm Batman."

Part 16 Part 18

[starberry-cupcake]

SHORT STORY + BONUSES (read it like when gollum says bagginses) INTERMISSION!!! Today we'll take some time to dive into the Harrow bonuses and a couple of short stories, one of which I should have read before, but such is life.

previously, in the tlt universe:

I finished harrowcita del 9

Bonus 1: BoE google doc for the soldiers

differently from the other recaps, I did these while I was reading them, not when I finished reading a whole chapter/story

so maybe the thoughts are more rambly than usual

sorry about that

ANYWAY I have to give it to the BoE folks, they've got a lot to deal with over here

they're like the audience, coming into this blind

and have to try to understand how necromancers operate on the fly

'bullet to the head but don't be too confident on that' seems to be the most useful tidbit

it's like a resident evil gameplay

BoE is in resident evil, gideon is in survivor and harrow is in a gothic pulp novel

the advice for engaging lyctors is "avoid them at all costs"

I keep spelling it BoA instead of BoE because of her

blood of adam? blood of awake me up when september ends? idk

Pronounciation guide (aka I do what I want, but apparently pronounce nonagesimus like the author)

dr reverend emperor john chose the name gaius for himself, it wasn't his real name

gaius sounds like gallo, the spanish name for gallus gallus domesticus, which in english would translate to cock and alludes to the fact that he is a dick

agustine is pronounced like in english and not like in spanish (agustín), I have been pronouncing that one right but I could have called him agustín all this time

cassiopeia was a queen but we already knew that

sixth house, ceramics, cooking, checks every one of my boxes

"CRIS-ta-bell. Rather than “crees”."

what is the difference oh my god is there a difference there

pyrrah is achilles's drag name, which is cool

valancy and cyrus were like this

I'm still gonna call the mithraeum mithrandir whatnot the emperor's bolthole, it's in the sacred text

the nonniad is in dactylic enneameter, which is a ninth version of greek epics (which are hexameters) and it's making me send my ancient greek professor from uni good vibes wherever he is

Glossary

we know more about the beasts now, or have more ordered info, the gist of it is this

so the RBs are only the nine OGs from the nine planets of dominicus that the emperor fucked up

those are the ones that can go from the river to the physical world and viceversa

the other minor beasts can only exist in the river

I still think this is all the emperor's and the lyctors's fault for starting this nonsense and killing planets for power and whatnot

so yeah, Consequences of your Actions, johnny boy

the heralds, as we had established, are kind of like borg, responding to the RBs

necromancers kinda go mad at all this as if they were looking at cthulhu

I wanted to google what the two first verses of wake's name were but the first results that pop up are tlt sources and I'm not looking into that, in case of spoilers

I've already come this far without massive spoilers, I'm not gonna risk that now

what quotes would you like to have as a name if you were one of these folks?

If I could choose three, I'd probably pick: Yo tengo el corazón como la espuma / das Leben Sie nicht vergessen hat, daß es Sie in der Hand hält / Quieto en la tierra y sentir que mis pies tienen raíz

probably un monceau d’idées et un monceau de douleurs would be another contender considered

idk how that'd be shortened though, maybe espie because espuma

house quiz was book 1, boe name assignment is book 2

The Mysterious Study of Doctor [tumblr keeps blocking my post and I'm gonna try to avoid this word to see if this is it]

ANYWAY, SIXTH HOUSE TIME

from the blurb I can tell that:

1) all this time I thought Dr S was like a funny nickname someone had given palmolive for being correspondence-horny lmao

2) is this the magnus institute???

3) "Enter Palamedes Sextus and Camilla Hect, age thirteen" we're gonna look at some baby picturessss

"Every thirteen-year-old necromancer in the Sixth House is gifted."

"I was born with four kids in my generation eligible to produce children with me. Palamedes had two"

maybe that's why he went for a correspondence gf

camilla describing that's she's the best and me just going

this thing of 'being attractive' as a category would get me demoted at the sixth, though

but working in data, I can do that

I am really liking archivist zeta

there's something that was sealed for a lot of years and now is unsealed and that's very exciting!!!!

lost media!!!!

so many stairs would be a problem for me, but there's lost media at the end of the tunnel

archivist zeta: don't touch anything

palmolive: including the bone hands?

archivist zeta: the what now

apparently the hands are younger than the time the room has been sealed

with the forms being color-coded, I'm starting to think this is less magnus institute and more office of incident assessment and response 

them making references to other houses remind me that other houses socialized, seeing everything from the ninth made me feel like everyone was isolated all the time lol

add to my list of sixth house love the fact that we have murder mysteries now too

gotta love the sixth house

kinda ominous the hand bones now that we know what we know, of camilla carrying palmolive as a tamagotchi in a bone hand after harrow changed the skull

palmolive and camilla age 13 are a whole other book I would have devoured at age 13 myself btw

giving me his dark materials vibes

there was a skeleton in the air vents above the hands

camilla says she's gonna start taking measuring tape with her alongside everything else and I also can relate to going places with 25 million things, just in case

palmolive steals pens, apparently

I've used this meme for palmolive before but it still fits

the skeleton was possessed by the dr himself, he got kinda stuck on his way there after the fifth person tried to call him and got his hands into his study through skeleton shenaningans

palmolive needs to touch something in order to prove the "why" and everyone votes in favor, because he's on a roll

the cool wooden orb that was in the desk was a cool wooden puzzle, like the Karakuri Creation Group ones

man, I love those

the dr solving a puzzle after his death and coming back to prove it is me with some niche puzzles I used to have a sideblog for

don't ask me

there was paper inside and everyone got outside super fast and started congratulating each other (hello????? you did nothing????) and shaking camilla's and palmolive's hands

they don't wanna give palmolive multiple points for solving a several hundread years old mystery, which isn't fair tbh

"Don’t expire in a fit of hubris." oofffffffff

the paper had letters, which palmolive thinks are love letters

with his years of experience on pining letters

the one at the ends says "Tomorrow you will become a Lyctor and finally go where I can’t follow"

is this about cassie??? aka cassiopeia????

loved the camilla and palmolive murder mystery dinner

As Yet Unsent

this is judith's diary and this is how I imagine she looked while writing it and judging people

judith assisted the BoE with her own healing but it's kinda tough when you're also handcuffed and with your eyes covered and whatnot

judith is still in the emperor's side

I don't blame her, she hasn't met the man

yandere twin has met him and still saved him so, I can't judge judith too much

there's a corpse that isn't rotting

promising stuff

there's a commander called We Suffer

they're wearing masks and camilla is being "converted" to their cause

and she didn't even meet the man, but apparently BoE had contact with the sixth house at some point in the past

cassie?????? is this you??????? who knows

sixth house though, earning more points

also, camilla says that palmolive would want to find out what they know and, you know what, fair

I would too

camilla is also good at chess, because she's good at everything

they're playing ceiling chess like in queen's gambit

judith thinks about martita, who will soon do some awesome things next to mati nonnius

judith is also marinating the fact that everyone was fooled by the twinsies and the fact that regina george twin has no necromancy

she also complains about her being too emotional and prone to trust people

every point regina george twin makes about BoE sounds pretty solid to me tbh

the more I see, the more I think the emperor is a dick, like his name implies

judith argues with regina george twin a lot but also notices that her ears go pink when she's impassioned so...why are you noticing that judith????

how did you notice that???? *smirks knowingly*

judith has to deal with the limitations of medical care when you don't have a bunch of people who do body magic stuff

so she's dealing with recovery in a slow way and with machines plugged to her

it's hard for her because she was from the house where necros are also very able to do physical stuff

camilla is giving her strongly worded positive reinforcement

regina george twin and judith have a lot of moments that go from flirty to fighting

I can't keep using smirk reactions images so (¬‿¬)

regina george twin is also being trained to be rambo barbie and I think that suits her

"In a different time I would have found ways to apologise to Palamedes Sextus, whom I at the very least critically misjudged"

palmolive always getting the indirect compliments my goodness

he's so popular

"The princess has by turns tried to charm Camilla, play with Camilla, flirt with Camilla, and cajole Camilla. Camilla is currently unmoved"

nobody's good enough for her, regina george twin, move along

regina george twin is also being kinda aphobic towards judith's response on her being uninterested to romance camilla

I don't think judith is aro at all but that doesn't mean we have to be assholes about it, regina george twin, thank you

judith and regina george twin think BoE is wrong about necros having orgies and I'm here like

so, apparently, judith propositioned martita because she was pretty much obsessed with her

and martita said no

and she thinks camilla is holding onto tamgagotchi palmolive out of some sense of not wanting to let go of him

unaware of the fact that he's in his river loft waiting for his bones to be womanhandled by harrowcita

also, the BoE has an old ship that judith wasn't helpful with, so they don't really have much patience with her

regina george twin and judith keep flirting in that intense tlt way

I'm starting to think regina george twin has a big crush on judith and I'm here for the dynamics of that

"It said, Ugh! Then it said, Eugh!" is this mercygirl??? it sounds like mercygirl to me

and fixing someone's insides as if they were cleaning a sewing machine also sounds very mercygirl

mercygirl is also curious about this body that doesn't rot and I wanna know what it is because I want so bad for it to be gideon-related but I can't let myself hope

also, she gave them the coordinates to find harrow in the cool planet

"And Camilla said, The Warden and I know they can die like anyone else" 👀

"The corpse of the Ninth House cavalier is as pristine as when Camilla Hect convinced them to take it on board"

YESSSSSSS

YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

MY HOPES WEREN'T UNWARRANTED

LET'S GOOOOOOOOO

GIDEON ARMS INTACT BABYYYYYYYY

regina george twin proposes necro-cav marriage to judith and judith says no because no relationship here can be straightforward

"Why would I ever knowingly take Coronabeth Tridentarius’s, having desired her already for twelve long, stupid, fruitless years?!"

DRAMAAAAA

AND THAT'S IT!!!! FINALLY!!! This took me a lot longer than I wanted it too but I enjoyed the stories ♥ See you in the next one!!

[hewasverycinematic]

Psychological warfare has been committed

So in-ho is my second favourite character from S2 of squid game (After the salesman cause daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn)

anyway

he's so complex and layered so I thought I'd list all the times I noticed him just fucking with Gi-hun

Sang-woo styling

So the first one has been said before many a time and it's how he's obviously styled his hair similar to Sang-woo. This works in two ways; One being that he's showing familiarity to Gi-hun, making him instantly comfortable around him, but ALSO that he should not be trusted in the same way Sang-woo definitely shouldn't have been. But also in a way that's so subconscious to Gi-hun that he wouldn't even register it. The other way this works is that the fluffiness makes him seem literally soft just from looking at him, making not only Gi-hun trust him but the rest of their little squad. So even if Gi-huns sub-conscious kicks in with the "maybe lets not trust him, he looks like that dude who betrayed me last time and he's got that same number as someone else I shouldn't have trusted" he would look insane (Rightly so.) This also makes Jung-bae not telling him he's suspicious of 001 even more painful.

Mingle

Then grabbing his best friend in the mingle game. Not much to say on this one, I originally thought it was odd bc why Jung-bae? It makes itself clear by the end of the season that he needed Jung-bae to stay alive for the gut punch at the end. It's also very clear, however, that Dae-ho would 100000% have paired up with him, so why did In-ho need to take him specifically? Well, he knows there's not being enough rooms for everyone. So he knew he would probably have to kill someone and this also makes sure Gi-hun doesn't see this side of him and cause tension/distrust early on. (He saw his reaction with Sang-woo and the glass bridge remember)

X O

He originally votes to continue the game, telling Gi-hun that he did it because of him. This really is a double blow, because he's basically shifting the blame of the games continuing onto Gi-hun. If he hadn't been there to give faith to "Young-il", he possibly would've voted X and this set of games would have ended. But he's also, once again, makes Gi-hun believe he has the power to make change and help people. The tone in which he speaks to him, whilst also being a bit told off, makes him come across as meek and clueless i.e. harmless. He does this alot in front of Gi-hun, the amount of times he apologises and says he must've misunderstood or didn't know adds to this.

The second time he votes, he changes to X. And, again, says it's because of Gi-hun. Repeating the same steps as before backwards, but getting the exact same result. Gi-huns ego is boosted (literally showing he can change O's minds) and appearing powerless as a follower.

Late night talking

Narratively, I love this scene, we get to hear directly from In-ho his motivations for going into the first game. But we also get to see how messed up he is that he's lying about something so deep and personal. Using it as a way to get closer to Gi-hun, appearing to let his guard down, I honestly think In-ho needed that conversation as he seemed to have disappeared to Jun-ho before he could properly grieve and process. Then again there's a gap in his history that we as the audience do not know about. After he won and before becoming the Front Man (I'll probably make another post on my theories for S3) In terms of Gi-hun this conversation is probably the one which solidifies his trust in 001 as he's showing he does care about someone so much he is willing to risk his life and ensure others death. The reasoning mirroring Gi-huns in the first series, they are one and the same in that aspect. But it's so evil because In-ho knows all this and uses their shared grief against him.

"We'll have to hope more of the other side died"

After the Mingle game, Gi-hun suggests counting how many people are left on each side, and In-ho responds with "We'll have to hope more people from the other side died". This instantly made me think of the scene in the first season where Ji-Yeong is mock praying that they can send more people to their deaths for their own survival. This is so on the nose that I'm surprised Gi-hun didn't pick up what In-ho was putting down. He's slowly drip-feeding into Gi-hun that he's thinking the exact way the hosts want them to. Us vs. them as opposed to us vs. the machine, which is a direct link to when the frontman tells Gi-hun that the games won't change unless the world does. He's also got a slight smirk in his eyes which is essentially him internally going "I told ya so"

"Is that really what you want?

Before the third vote Gi-hun & co are discussing how to make sure they win the vote. Whilst Gi-hun wants to go over to try and persuade them to change from O to X, In-ho says "If we provoke them now, we may end up in a big fight before we even get to vote. Is that what you want Gi-hun"

And then after the tied vote and during the conversation of The Plan™ Gi-hun asks "Are you going to kill each other all night and hope you survive? Is that what you want Young-il?"

This is so ironic because they're saying the exact same thing back to each other "Are you sure you want to fight?" Which has sooo many layers. Yes, they're talking about the players being split into X vs. O but what Gi-hun doesn't realise yet is that he is the O (player) and In-ho is the X (host). As In-ho says as the frontman, the games only work if there are players. And the games stop if there's no one to host (If society changes and there's no wealth disparity making VIPs obsolete).

And that's just the literal meaning of what they've said. The fact that this is the first time Gi-hun has repeated In-hos' behaviour, in a somewhat catty way and not in an "I'm just like you, you should trust me" way. It still shows how similar the two are. I think this is why people theorise that Gi-hun will be the next front man. I think the point is that during the rebellion, he already is the frontman, just to the players following his orders.

Also, can I just add the cinematography of the beam separating the two is *chefs kiss*

Repeating Jung-bae

So we all saw the jealous look In-ho had when listening in to Gi-hun and Jung-baes conversation. I, actually, think he saw it as another way to toy with Gi-hun later on as we see. In the conversation with Jung-bae they're laughing about how much of a cheapskate Gi-hun was when they were friends. In-ho is in a totally non 457 way showing he can be the same as his best friend, but with it being such a common thing to say, if this wasn't a show it'd be something to easily overlook. With it being a show, I cannot overlook the parallel.

Rebellion things

Smaller things I noticed:

When discussing the special game he only said "you" instead of "we" - "How are you going to get the guns" etc.

Until he says "Small sacrifice for the greater good? In that case, I'm with you" - Further pointing out how similar they have become.

He didn't shoot the guards when they were in the stairwell/corridor unless he was speaking. Possibly to cover up the fact he wasn't shooting - Was he saving ammo? Doubt it - Says he's nearly out of ammo without checking - Not wanting to be hit in the crossfire? Maybe

Saving Gi-hun

So he saves Gi-hun twice, once when he's about to be shot and again when he shoots Jung-bae instead. I don't believe this is just because he's grown fond of him but because, as Gi-hun said in the limo, the games are so much more entertaining for the VIPs with him in. Unfortunately, I have to speculate that him being in there has caused more money to be donated by the VIPs, further upholding the games. The reality is Gi-hun was never going to be killed. He has plot armour both for us and the VIPs watching.

The final fuckery from In-ho as Young-il is the "Are you sure" with the most suspicious look on his face. People kept saying that that was the ammo that shot Jung-bae, but it wasn't, it wasn't even the same gun. It was really the last of the ammo they had, and giving it to In-ho was just leaving them defenceless, being the catalyst to the retreat and end of Jung-baes life.

Other sass

Joking about the umbrella dalgona as if he wasn't watching

"Besides, we've got a previous winner with us" as if he wasn't also a winner

Making dad jokes about his name

Disappearing in mingle to reenforce to Gi-hun that he cares about his wellbeing

unrelated note: people saying why would he kill his own guards, as we see with no-eul, they're seen the same as the players. (trash) he doesn't care about them either

[fanfictiongirlie]

Twilight: Some Soulmate - Chapter Eleven

Click here for masterlist

Parings: Paul Lahote x Reader

Description: Y/N a member of the Cullen family is imprinted on by one of the wolves, she is shocked, he is shocked. She is struggling with drinking animal blood over human, and he is disgusted by a vampire for a soulmate… But maybe it could work..?

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: None

Words: 1,024

"I love you so much" Paul whispered as he lips kissed along my jawline, his hands were running up and down my sides and back as I laid underneath him. His kisses were aggressive, animalistic, he growled before he moved back to my lips, kissing me hard. It was amazing, we were practically the same strength, so our lips bashing against one anothers didn't hurt. I could feel his love towards me, and currently his lust. 

Pauls hand started to move down to my hip and underneath my top, it sent alarm bells off in my head. I suddenly pushed him off me, and jumped back to lean against the bedpost. 

"I'm sorry" I stutter. He was watching me, mostly confused, and flustered. 

"It's ok love" He said, he moved up next to me, and wrapped a arm around my shoulders. 

"Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable" He added. 

"It's not that, I've just never been with someone like this before" I admit, I'm sure if my cheeks could, they would be extremely red right now. 

"I thought you would have, you've been alive for so long" Paul says, awkwardly chuckling. 

"The only relationship, per say that I've been in, was the one my parents set up for me" I explain "That was quite early days, I died a few weeks before our wedding" 

I thought about the memory for a little bit, it had been a while since I thought about that. 

"Did you love him?" Paul asked quietly. 

"I barely knew him, I can't even remember his name" I say, unsure.. I lent up to kiss Paul's cheek, and smiled to myself. 

"Despite being 155 now, I think, you are my first love" I admit, I felt his warm arm cuddle me closer. 

"You're so sweet, you are my first love too" He admits "Everyone thinks I've been with tons of women, that I'm a ladies man, but I've kissed one other girl, besides you love" 

I turn to him and smile.

"Thank you for telling me that Paul" I say, leaning forward to kiss him, I went to kiss him further, putting my hands on his shoulders and sitting on his lap, but my phone ringing interrupted me. 

"Y/N, we need you to come home now" Carlisle spoke through the phone. 

"Why wants wrong?" I answered. 

"We'll explain when you get here, alone" He added and ended the call. 

I frowned and looked and Paul had heard the conversation of course, he was pouting too. I reached over and kissed his lips. 

"I'm sorry, I'll be over next time I can" I explain, he nods, kissing my lips again. 

"Tomorrow?" He then asks as I jump off the bed. 

I grin and nod. 

"Sure, I love you" I say

"I love you too my love" He responds, and I leave his house. 

I speed home, worry overcoming me, what could be so wrong that I was needed home so urgently. 

I reached the house and Esme was outside waiting for me, I ran into a hug and then I pulled back, seeing the look on her face, it was sad, and scared. 

"Esme what's wrong?" I ask. 

"Bella and Edward are home" She replies and takes my hand, we start to walk into the house. I could hear my families voices, as well as Bella. I walked into the living room, and froze when I saw Bella, she was not a vampire, she was sickly. Her face was hollow, and she looked thin. 

"What's going on?" I ask. 

"Bella's pregnant" Rosalie says. 

"How?" I ask, that's impossible. 

I sit down, and Bella explains to me, with too much detail, there were things I didn't need to know about my brother. I was still shocked, vampire's couldn't have children, I'd be lying if maybe a tiny spark of heop didn't flare up inside of me. I came back to reality though, maybe if I were the wolf, and Paul the vampire it would maybe be a possibility. But it wasn't. 

I saw Edward give me a sympathetic look, I hated that he read my thoughts, I hated that he could hear my vulnerability. 

"Wait.." Edward suddenly spoke. "The wolf pack, they want to kill the baby, Jacob is outside, he has decided to protect us"

I stood up, wanting to go see Paul. 

"Y/N, you can't !" Edward grabbed my arm to stop me, but I threw him back, I was stronger than him. 

"Y/N, the wolf pack are against us now, Paul will have to follow Sam's orders" Carlisle explains, I feel Esme's hand on mine, stroking it gently. 

"Y/N, Paul wanted to kill it too" I looked up to see Jacob in the doorway, I hissed and moved away from them all. They tried to grab me but I ran out of the house and into the woods, I heard the wolves howling and I ran towards it. 

"You're on our land leech!" I heard, Sam and the other wolves, including Paul were by his side. 

"Paul" I whispered, reaching out, I was too scared to step forward. 

"Paul please" I whispered again, I could feel his love towards me, but his face mimicked the other men, looking at me disgusted. 

"Let's go Paul!" Sam yelled turning away, the others following him, but not Paul. He stepped towards me, taking me in his arms. 

"Y/N, I'll never stop loving you, but I've got to follow my pack" He then kisses my lips, holding onto my face. And then Paul runs off, to follow his pack, I stumble backwards, shocked. Did we just break up? If the wolves were ready to kill my family, he would help.. 

I ran home, confused and hurt. I loved him so much, but he would fight against my family, and before anything I would pick my family. But my heart ached so. I felt as if I kept finding happiness and losing it soon after. I couldn't fight against Paul, I knew the wolves couldn't harm an imprint, but would that change because I was a vampire? Because our family were now in the wrong? 

Previous Part - Next Part

[w0rmdahl]

the ring girl — MM

gif ©: magnusedom, mkayoung, ayoedebiris

film: monkey man (2024)

synopsis: tiger's temple never had a ring girl, nor one as straightforward as their first would turn out to be. however, unbeknownst to anyone who'd interacted with her in the workplace, she was no mere ring girl — at least she wouldn't be by the end.

word count: 3.7k

featuring: kid, (oc) ishani, tiger

warnings: (it's monkey man be fr) strong language, misogynistic themes

a/n: pssst! this was originally just an outline for me (similar to 'the beginning' for ilyily) but i wanted to provide backstory b4 i posted anything else for MM! hope you enjoy :)

he remembered the first time he saw her; the black sheep with her head down as she entered the locker room of the arena, a meager woman compared to the grimy crowd of men housed inside. like a lamb in the lions' den — or tiger's temple, perhaps — eyes would begin to collect on the anomaly in the room and people started to further notice the oddities of the situation, including himself as he peeled off the signature monkey mask. without the latex obstructing his view kid could now see the substantial gashes and bruises along her skin, the determination in her eyes as she walked herself right up to his boss, jaw clenching once he'd noticed her.

"what the fuck are you doing here?"

"you're tiger, is that right?"

the greasy-haired man sneered. "and who the fuck are you?"

kid would slam his locker shut from his place across the room and, though he was all ready to go and rest for the night, he'd linger around to keep an eye on tiger whilst he spoke with the willful woman peering up at him through narrowed eyes.

"you need a ring girl." she said simply — matter-of-fact. "i need a job. maybe we could work something out."

tiger's face would screw up into a look of disbelief as he glanced around the audience surrounding to see the commotion, a mixed reaction from the crowd bringing his attention back to her. he'd mirror her folded arms and cocked brow before responding half as professional and twice as patronizing, utterly unsuspecting of the girls' smile that would follow.

"we don't need a ring girl."

the dark-haired woman almost chuckled. "course you do; why do you think ring girls exist?"

tiger now actually took a moment to ponder her query — the first, not the second. the second was obvious. but that was exactly why he paused; this random girl off the street was opting to be ogled at in a bad part of town just for a job. who knows, maybe it could even bring in new audience members — but his wildest ideas more focused on the limitations of her willingness. how far would she be willing to go for money?

a cagy smile would curl the boss's bitten lips before he laughed and swiped a misplaced hair behind his ear. "you..." he trailed off and shook the deceit from his thoughts, "you've got yourself a deal, there. come back tomorrow at 4 and we'll talk details."

she'd offer a mere nod before beginning to turn, halted by tiger's voice booming off the tile flooring once more. "wait! what the fuck is your name?" the woman casted her sharp gaze over her shoulder when the pseudonym left her mouth.

"ishani."

tiger would then be abandoned to stew in his suspicion about her as she exited the same way she came, leaving the room to erupt in conversations left utterly unheard by kid who'd exited out the back door as soon as ishani was out of sight. by the time he laid down with his eyes on the ceiling fan, the occurrences of the day wholly left his mind, replaced with the abrasive memories that kept his eyes open until the sun rose. and then, just like every day, he would return to the ring once more to be beaten until the crowd was happy — the only difference being the new ring girl wearing half as many clothes as when he'd last seen her and a smile that didn't convince the monkey man one bit.

the months that followed ishani's arrival took some adjusting to get used to. matches changed, payment changed, tiger changed. at first it was just getting used to a woman being in the building — especially one dressed the way ring girls did. the other men were like starved dogs in overheard conversations that had him keeping a closer eye on them — to the point that he began noticing each and every snide comment that accused of 'not belonging' and weird notes left from a 'secret admirer' on her mirror. it was all tough to stomach even for him so he couldn't begin to imagine how she felt walking home at night.

but then it was the audience that changed. sure, she was booed here and there at the beginning in favor of the actual fighting they'd come to bet on, but after a while she started gaining traction. there were men who'd come only to cheer when she stepped into the ring with that stupid sign, eagerly waiting by the back door until her shift was over to ask for her number or who to bet on next. there was even an incident where a sold-out show for two unpopular fighters was terminated early due to the absence of life in the crowd when ishani wasn't visible, but the important detail to tiger hadn't been the lack of enthusiasm for the actual fight, it was the attention and money he made without the fight.

the locker room became a slaughterhouse by the time tiger started favoring ishani. talks of how 'desirable' she was turned into how pesky she was, perverted smooches turned into arrogant scoffs, and all the while ishani remained totally uninterested in it all. she kept her head down and did what she had to do, which often entailed skimpier outfits than typical or (objectively worse) humoring the sweaty patrons for 900 rupees an hour. either way, she continuously endured the bitter tasks put forth day by day without ever making a fuss until finally, on an evening as regular as any other, she seemed to snap.

it came after an apparently tough day when she walked into the building with her hair tied in a rat's nest at the top of her head and dark circles under her eyes to emphasize the frown creased besides her nostrils. tiger had begun calling out to her as she swung open the door to her personal storage closet and, without uttering a word, slammed the door shut behind her. the peeved man would then look around to see if anyone else had witnessed this variation in her demeanor, naive to the eyes behind the monkey mask watching his every move under a microscope.

she was sour from that point on, the perpetual scornful knitting of her brows evident to anyone who cared to look from the beginning of her shift until the very end. she'd kept her mouth sewn shut the entire day even when tiger called her over before she could change and grab her stuff to leave the vile workplace — even when he'd asked her to 'have a drink' with a customer for another hour — even when said customer spilt his drink down her front. only when kid noticed the grubby hand on her thigh creeping inward did ishani finally release whatever had been caught on her tongue all day, her own drink now being thrown in his face.

"fuck off you worthless pig! keep your dirty dick in your pants and leave me the fuck alone!"

any and all conversations from lingering individuals in the vicinity would cease entirely upon hearing the howl released from the formerly well-mannered ring girl. caught in the sights of her boss and coworker for two entirely different reasons, ishani shot up from her seat to storm off from the man at the table, called after only by tiger as she made her way toward the locker rooms.

"ishani!"

she didn't even glance back at him, continuing her way out of the central arena to leave the bewildered audience behind as she disappeared into the employee-only section of the building. kid would catch himself rushing through any leftover tasks before he could go home with ishani in the forefront of his mind, holding on to the hope that he could run into her before she'd left and offer some sympathy for her day — only to find the locker room entirely empty when he grabbed his bag. with the release of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, he'd opt instead to simply keep an eye on her tomorrow and make sure she was alright, stepping out the back door with slumped, aching shoulders.

— and then, as he took in a deep breath of the fresh air on the second step, his eyes would be quicker than his mind to notice the figure in his peripheral. by the time he recognized her, ishani's attention was already on him, sitting slumped against the brick wall with a quirked brow at the lanky man on the eroding staircase.

finally, after months of mutual intrigue and accidental eye contact with the other who seemed to be watching when they weren't looking, kid and ishani would interact for the first time with a comfortable breeze between them and hushed voices under the twinkling stars.

"are you okay?" he'd asked sincerely. the wind brushed her hair from her cheeks as she replied, "yeah. all good." and yet, he could've sworn he'd noticed a glum cadence in her words.

"do you want me to call a taxi?"

"it's alright, but thank you." she produced a small smile identical to the other sad grins presented throughout the day. "just waiting for him to go home before i leave."

him — the man at the bar. kid was already leaning on his heel to turn back inside. "i can tell him to leave." he could almost see the rain clouds looming over her head begin to part as her downturned smile grew brighter, unalloyed while her shoulders straightened out.

"i'd appreciate that."

she spoke with the gratitude obvious in her sparkling eyes, and so, with the simple nod of his head, kid would then head back inside to oblige. he'd even go as far as to exit out the front door for his walk home just to make sure the perverse man didn't turn back around, all the while contemplating his limited interactions with the ring girl. unbeknownst to him, this decision would finally grace ishani with the first real smile she'd experienced in a long while, one that remained imprinted all the way home as if to remind herself how to do it.

the days following this incident would proceed as normal if not for the instances when their eyes caught from across the room once more, a different kind of smile on her lips than the one he’d grown used to. it caught him totally off guard the first time and left him utterly unsure of how to react or respond before she was whisked away by tiger to fulfill another duty in the day. however, by the second honest smile kid had become certain this wasn't just a fluke, mustering the courage and the will to push through the throbbing in his jaw as he replicated her grin. it wasn't nearly as genuine or convincing as ishani's, but it was there, and that's all that really mattered in her eyes.

day by day, little by little, kid and ishani's smile-laced glances would grow friendlier and friendlier despite their lack of communication — even getting to the point where others had begun to notice.

"making after work plans, there, kong?" cobra would snicker as he took a step closer to the beast on the other side of the ring.

"stop talking and hit me."

it wasn't until a little over two weeks after they'd spoken that ishani and the monkey man would be in contact with one another again, finding themselves interacting once more due to a complex work situation;

he was waiting against the wall of tiger’s perpetually locked office door when he’d noticed her enter the locker room — practically barging through the greasy guys with hands balled into fists as she walked right past him and up to tiger's office. she'd knock with heavy knuckles against the chipped oil paint and, after a brief pause, the door would swing open to reveal their hasty-looking employer with an astounded and somewhat irritated expression on his face.

"ishani," tiger hummed with condescension weaved in his tone "i don't suppose this could wait."

she stood her ground with a simple "no," replicating his low octave but without the distain present in her vocal cords. kid swore he could still sense it.

“alright,” their boss sighed and pulled the door open further to let her in. “grab a seat.”

before entering ishani would promptly glance over at the bloody man leaned into the wall beside her, a look of what he could only describe as sympathy creasing her features. this puzzling gesture urged him now to respond the only way he could — the only way they did — and earned her a comforting smile as she started to head inside. the minuscule flash of her grin appeared on her lips for only a second before she then disappeared from his view, completely failing to close the door behind her.

the monkey man wasted only a moment on internal debate before deciding to inch closer to the doorway and listen in, back pressed flat to the wall and eyes forward while he overheard their conversation. she must've left the door open for a reason, right?

"it's like i've told you before,” tiger spoke in an annoyed grumble “that isn't how business works, and that isn't how this is going to work — if it did work like that i'd be the richest person in the world tomorrow, but unfortunately company comes before personnel."

"all i'm asking is for you to stick to your word. i don't expect any favors. just respect."

"respect?" he asks with an exasperated thinness, a scoff caught in his throat. "respect you?"

ishani, on the other hand, is surprisingly calm despite her previous demeanor. “would you break a promise with someone you respect?” tiger finally scoffs.

“what promise, ishani? i never promise anything to anyone — especially not the ring girl with a fake name who prances around for money.”

kid can almost hear the smirk in her voice. “the ring girl whose made you an extra few thousand rupees every night? s’that the one you’re talking about? — because if so, that’s even more of a reason to keep your word.”

there is a beat before tigers response that left the eavesdropping man outside to ponder his own theories of what he was doing during this time. maybe he was pushing his tongue in his cheek to keep his big mouth from saying something he shouldn’t. maybe he was brushing his hair behind his ears as the thought of a cool and collected response. maybe —

“i don’t give hand-outs, ishani.”

on the contrary to his mulling, her answer was immediate. “that is such bullshit, man! you rig every match! how am i asking too much when you make me to stay late every night just to laugh at some sweaty guys' jokes? not to mention the other things you beg me to do. and yet i never complain and i never whine — which is why i asked you last week for my pay today. i need that money today, tiger.”

kids brows would furrow upon hearing this new information. he knew tiger did things under the table, of course, everyone did! most matches were rigged and he did ask ishani to sit with some overzealous customer just about every night, however her emphasis on other things caught his full attention, the implications nearly baring his teeth.

"i can't give you your pay tonight. best i can do is friday."

"friday?" ishani repeats, her volume raised higher than before "it's tuesday, tiger — how am i going to eat tonight? how will i wash my clothes tomorrow? what am i supposed to do until friday?"

"honestly, i don't know, but i believe you'll figure it out. now, i have somewhere to be, so i will see you tomorrow." tiger's annoyance is now outwardly apparent in his voice.

"that's it? i should just go fuck myself then?"

"if that's what you wish to call it, sure; go fuck yourself — now get out of my office."

from around the corner kid can hear a chair screeching as its legs skid against the ground before landing with a thud. then, ishani's swift but heavy footsteps, her face beet red as she exited the office in the same manner as she had arrived. and before kid even has the chance to do or say anything, tiger is peeking his head out to see who else had been looming around to speak with him.

"you come to make demands, too?"

make demands. he noted tiger's verbiage before shaking his head.

"all right, let's get this over with."

kid would almost hobble out the back door for a cigarette after his match when he’d noticed ishani already two steps ahead, mid-drag as she looked over to see who'd stumbled into her alone time. of course it was the monkey man — who else? she exhaled the smoke before speaking.

"i always feel sorry for kong. looks painful."

her voice seemed so much softer when directed at him, though maybe that was just the foreignness of them actually speaking to one another. kid took a moment to respond while restraining a wince from the shift in weight as he worked down the second step. “don't feel sorry, kong's 'the beast.'" ishani shifted to face him when he arrived at the third.

"is he, though? or is that just how he's made out to be?"

kid would have to pause once more in order to work through what she was saying — what the true meaning was hidden in the ambiguity — and more importantly what he was going to say back. he’d watch her take another drag with her eyes fixed on him, finally making it down to the final step before deciding to mirror her intentional vagueness. “does it matter by this point?”

the warm twinkle in her eyes ran cold upon hearing this response, now more of a troubled glint as she pulled her gaze from his silhouette trudging to lean against the brick. from her peripheral she could see him fishing for something in his pockets and her own free hand would subconsciously slip into hers, the other bringing the menthol back to her lips. “i think so…” she’d trail off, and for a moment, that was that.

and then he was the one to suddenly speak, his tone barely over a whisper after a long exhale of billowing smoke. “can i ask you something?”

“sure.”

“why’d you leave the door open?”

a deceitful smirk graced her lips as she took another drag in what he assumed was an act to postpone her answer. “because.” ishani hummed lowly, “i didn’t want you to think i was soft.”

this took him aback entirely. of all hypotheses he had conjured up over the last two hours to explain her varying demeanor, this was not one of them, didn't even make the list. kid's adams apple bobbed while he swallowed the hesitance in his vocal cords, her gaze returning to his just in time to catch this quirk.

"i don't."

the warmth in her eyes would return again after these words left his mouth, and though she would only smile in that sincere manner she had revealed all those days ago, it felt as though she wanted to say something; the corners of her lips twitching as her eyes flicked between his. how awfully he wished to hear it — her thoughts on his rare transparency — but ishani would remain utterly silent with the grin on her face fighting to show teeth. kid would grow timid quickly under the pressure of her gaze and silence, unintentionally prodding him to abruptly blurt out what he'd been poring over since the moment he'd left tiger's office.

“do you know ‘kings?’ the elite club in uptown mumbai?”

ishani’s brows furrowed as she shook her head. “no, i don’t think so.”

“well…” he took a breath in an attempt to navigate how to go about this, each explanation coming off worse and worse. he looked off to the skyline. “all the wealthy businessmen go there to pay for girls to laugh at their shitty jokes. if anyone could do it..."

there was a beat before her response that left kid out in the cold for the few milliseconds it took her to find what to say, the anxiety in his chest rising until an entirely unfamiliar sound eased his swirling worries, light and harmonious in the night chirping with crickets. he'd glance back over at ishani to find her restraining the giggles emitting from her throat with her pointer on her lips, eyes now looking back up at him as she smiled.

"you trying to pimp me out?"

her apparent delight would grow along with her grin as she watched his face flush with the unsure and somewhat nervous chuckles falling from his split lips. "that is what it sounds like, huh?" he'd look away to ash the dwindling cigarette between his trembling fingers "just wanna help, is all. promise."

ishani turned towards him even more now, inadvertently catching his full and undivided attention, though she simply pressed the butt of her dead cigarette into the brick. "see?" she spoke sweetly — knowingly as she took half a step toward the back door with a vivid twinkle in her eye, "kong's not as bad as people make him out to be."

and with that, she turned, filter in hand as she monitored him all the way to the back door. with her fingertips grazing the rusted handle ishani would offer one last salute towards the monkey man before finally heading back inside, leaving him alone against the brick to ponder their interactions once more. the absence of her response had his suspicion snowballing on how she'd taken the offer and, with another puff of tobacco, kid found himself accepting her subtle rejection.

— so imagine his shock the next day when he'd exited the kings' kitchen for a breath of fresh air only to find ishani doing the same.

"hey," she'd smile, a familiar glow in her gaze on the dumbfounded man "funny seeing you here."

[mayashesfly]

I know touched on this before in this post and a few others

But it's truly fascinating to me how Alastor and Vox are visualizes as being beside each other instead of being against each other.

In my previous post I already pointed out that these two scenes portray the two as being beside each other but with a definite line between the two of them

And near the end of the song, this pattern still keeps itself until Alastor ended it (we'll touch on that)

An interesting thing at the start of Stayed Gone when Alastor entered the picture is that Alastor, oddly enough, kept his eyes closed at first.

Before he opened them to quite literally, poke fun at Vox

And even "pushed" his boundaries quite literally as Alastor moved the distinct line between them that keeps them separated.

This caused the line between them to quite literally be pushed around

And, while it can't be seen in this screenshot because it's been cropped down below, Alastor's cane has now quite literally crossed that line.

In both of these cases, they haven't actually physically looked at each other in the eyes since this was done through broadcasting instead of an actual physical confrontation together.

It's been merely visualized that way for us the audience.

Also, the distinct line between them is still in place.

However, this pushing around between them have caused that line to be breached as in the next scene briefly

And we see Alastor's eyes dilate.

The scene ends with Vox only being able to successfully reenter the picture/push Alastor away when he's shown to be below him before he surrounded Alastor.

This is interesting since it took Vox two tries of trying to cover up Alastor to successfully take his place.

While Alastor was easily able to reenter the picture all by himself without a struggle and Vox didn't even attempt to push him away anymore.

Note how yet again, Alastor has his eyes closed for the most part while Vox is the only one keeping his eyes open.

Interestingly enough, the line between them is back yet again, even if it moves slightly from the sound of Alastor's voice.

Moreover, the line itself is red now instead of it being a merely separation between red and blue. Showing that, alongside it responding to Alastor's voice, it seems like this line is under Alastor's control.

(I made a previous post before where I think some of the sequence of events that happened in Stayed Gone showcase that Alastor has somehow hijacked the speaker towers and got into Vox's office which is why he knows of Vox's unbroadcasted lines. I didn't notice this red line before but it seems to be a tie in/another possible evidence to that post. However, I won't elaborate on that even more in this post since it's getting quite long.)

All of these things and the way things were visualized makes the audience think that Alastor is more in control. After all, he rather effortlessly moved the line between them around and easily reenters the picture when Vox pushes him away. However, on Vox's side of things he only successfully reenters the picture when he's below Alastor and had to make two attempts so he could successfully cover up Alastor. And even then, Alastor reenters the scene yet again, now with the line between them being in his control.

I can't say for certain what all of this means (Sorry guys, the autism decided to overanalyze that entire scene)

However we'll finally get to the point that made me do write this post in the first place.

The idea that they're visualized as being beside each other even when there's a line between them instead of being visualized as against each other similarly to Alastor and Lucifer.

I already shown the other examples of this from Stayed Gone, so we'll move onto the other examples of this idea.

Canonically, this is the other instance of the two of them being visualized as being beside each other. In the actual photo, they're physically beside each other.

However, just like in Stayed Gone, there is now a line between them since the picture has been quite literally torn apart.

There has also been some speculation that the vacant seat on Rosie's left in the Overlord Meeting is Vox's.

Once again, while Vox and Alastor are beside each other, or well in this case on the same side instead of the opposite, there's a line between them with Rosie.

What exactly is the significance of Alastor and Vox being visualized on the same side instead of opposition? Well, I think this shows how the two of them had previously worked together and maybe even well together since they slotted perfectly together.

Obviously, this doesn't seem to be the case anymore but the visuals of them being beside each other is still there even when there is now a definite line that divides them.

The only times we see Alastor and Vox looking at each other at the opposite side instead of the same side is when there's a screen between them.

But even then it's not shown in the same way as Lucifer and Alastor's as we can only see their faces separately instead of being directly shown at the same time on screen.

This decision of not visualizing the two of them directly being on the opposite side compared to how we physically saw Alastor and Lucifer directly being in opposition is an interesting decision on the team's part.

Only time and Season 2 will tell if this decision to visualize Alastor and Vox as being beside each other with a definite line between them instead of in direct opposition will change or not alongside their current dynamic.

[fcthots]

okay maybe nottttt the exact type of jason content you’re writing but i do really just need jason loving a curvy reader so good bc she’s having a bad body dysmorphia day

Ok im going for a more hc approach to this to keep it geared towards a more broad audience as I have to be able to relate to be able to write it. also I rlly just wanted to try out this format lol

ok so its date night and Jason looks fucking HOT

and you really wanna give him a treat. You wanna look good for him!

You want him to look at you and think "Wow! I'm so lucky! I'm so glad I found you."

You try on a dress that you think will look cute

It... doesn’t look like you thought it would

oh well. you'll just try another even though you were really planning on the first one

So you try the next one and that one doesn’t look right either

you try on the third outfit and you're starting to think maybe you're the problem

you know you're late but maybe if you find that outfit, he’ll think you're so pretty that it'll be ok. He'll think you're so beautiful that he'll forgive you. You just have to be pretty enough.

You just have to try to deserve forgiveness. You just have to try to deserve a fraction of all of the amazing love he gives you.

And that's how Jason finds you 30 minutes later, naked on the floor of your apartment surrounded by probably 14 different outfits

He sits down criss-cross next to you

"thought I'd find you in here. I got worried when you didn’t show up at my apartment. thought I had the wrong day at first."

you don’t even respond or look at him. you don’t think you can. you have no excuse

He does it for you. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

You lean up, grab your blanket off the bed, and put it over your entire body, including your face

you hear him sigh and move closer to you before he moves the blanket away from your face

"please tell me? please."

You cave and tell him everything. He sets his jaw and listens.

you finish talking and it takes him a full minute before he speaks.

"We'll circle back to some things later, but I got you a present. I wanted you to wear it tonight. Also got some stuff I thought we could use tonight. You wanna see it?"

You nod your head, more confused than anything else. He comes back in two minutes later with a bag he tosses at you.

You open it

It's pajamas

Not lingerene

Pajamas like a giant shark onesie

you look at what else is in the bag

its a Shrek dvd

He speaks again. "I think we definitely need to watch Shrek tonight. in our matching shark onesies."

You don’t know what to say

but he does

"I'm with you because I love you and I like you. Every inch of you. I think you're smart and funny and amazing. And I also think you're sexy and gorgeous and beautiful. I can't change the way that you think. But will you at least believe me when I say that in my eyes you are the most beautiful woman on the planet?"

You pretend you're not actively crying "I think it would do me some good to watch Shrek"

He laughs and helps you up.

[finnott]

IF I GET HIGH | MATTHEO RIDDLE

CHARACTERS : Mattheo Riddle — GENRE : pure angst — WARNINGS : Mattheo has a panic attack, drugs and alcohol. — REQUESTED : no.

Note : story is inspired by If i get high by nothing but thieves :)

Mattheo was growing tired. He was currently at the three broomsticks at Hogsmeade, near a window, with a perfect view of a father and son going past. The young kid slipped on an unleveled stone in the stone walkway. Mattheo waited with bated breath for the father's reaction, but all he did was smile at the boy, help him up, and pat him on the back, assuring him that everything would be alright. The boy simply smiles at his father before pointing to an ice cream shop and heading towards it. Mattheo stared at the spot where the boy had fallen and let out a breath he had been holding. His face was emotionless, almost numb. He’d been spacing out more than usual lately, and his friends were starting to notice. He came to the three broomsticks to be alone for a bit and try to get stuff off his mind, but it seemed like the universe had other plans. There was going to be a party in the Slytherin common room later tonight, and he was mentally preparing himself for all the questioning looks. Normally, he enjoyed the attention and watching how others reacted to him as the dark lord's son, but lately, the glances ranged from uneasiness or fear to concern, which he despised. It made him feel as if everyone was watching and waiting for him to crumble. He hasn't even had the energy to respond to the people staring; typically, he'd shout an insult or make a witty remark, but he can't be bothered anymore.

Mattheo stood in front of his dorm bathroom mirror, staring at himself. His eyes were glossy and dull, and despite the fact that he appeared emotionless, he felt the opposite; he was filled with so many emotions. His father expected him to gather more people to join his army, so he demanded Mattheo recruit his friends, leaving Mattheo with an empty feeling in his stomach. The Slytherin party was about to start, and his friends were waiting for him in their dorm. Mattheo turned the bathroom doorknob slowly before stepping out of the bathroom and getting the attention of the other two boys in the dorm. "So, you finally decided to grace us with your presence. I was starting to think you were hiding in there forever." Lorenzo spoke up with a grin as Mattheo approached the boys with an uninterested look. Lorenzo and Theo stood up, each holding a plastic bag of goods. Mattheo guessed it was a combination of drugs, munchies, and party game supplies. "Ready to go?" Theo asked with a curious expression. Mattheo loathed how much Theodore could see through him, he did his best to deliver one of those sarcastic smirks. "Of course I am. Do you think I'm scared?" Mattheo asked, tilting his head slightly. Theodore looked at him, concerned, before sighing, "Okay, let's go then." He motioned towards the door, and the three boys left their dorm to join the Slytherin party.

Multiple Slytherin students hooted and wooed as the boys entered the common room. Lorenzo smiled at the audience before turning to face the other two boys. "Separate and conquer, boys!" "We'll meet up for party games later." He offered the other two boys a friendly wink before slipping into the crowd. Theodore stared at Mattheo again with a look Mattheo couldnt quite place "I'll be by the drinks." With that, Theo went. Mattheo remained there for a second, staring at the other Slytherin students, before taking a deep breath and running his hand through his hair. He began walking because he needed to; if he stood and observed, he would become paralyzed, and he despised being stuck. He grabbed one of the firewhiskys from the drink table and chugged it. He liked the scorching sensation that slid down his throat; it served to distract him from everything else. He badly wanted to be in charge of his life, and as he continued to drink, he felt peaceful because he was choosing to do so. He is in control of himself right now. Mattheo's body began to tingle, but he ignored it, remaining in control as he picked up another cup and turned around. His gaze fell on Theodore, who had his back against the wall, talking to a blonde Slytherin girl. He tilted his head at her and whispered something in her ears, to which she simply giggled. Mattheo felt tingling sensations spread throughout his body, becoming nearly painful in his hands. He cannot picture seeing Theodore working for his father. He watched Theodore laugh with the girl before looking around and searching for Lorenzo who was sitting on the couch, talking to a group of people. He approached Lorenzo, trying to steady his breath. He glanced around, discovered Lorenzo's plastic bag, and looked inside it. Mattheo reached inside his bag for several joints and a lighter before returning his gaze to Lorenzo, who was preoccupied with the group's conversation. Lorenzo has a full life ahead of him, and Mattheo knew he couldn't spoil it simply because his father said so. Mattheo puts the joints and lighter in his pocket and walks away from where Lorenzo was. He sees Theodore again, still talking and laughing with the Slytherin girl. Mattheo walks by them without Theo even noticing.

Mattheo comes out of the common room and stares down at his hand, which has curled into itself. He attempts to open it, but it's difficult and uncomfortable. As he walks, chills run down his body, and he tries to take a breath but chokes. He feels like his entire body has been set on fire while also being extremely cold. He feels his heart sink as he realizes he is choking, forcing something to snap inside him. He was walking at a decent pace one second, then running the next. He has no idea why he was running away, but he knew he had to; if he looked back, he would be stuck and paralyzed. He arrives at the astronomy tower and starts jogging up the stairs, but with each step he takes, he feels faint. He has no idea how he hasn't yet because he isn't sure if he is breathing or not. He reaches the top of the tower and collapses to his feet, placing his hand on his throat in an attempt to breathe. He felt as if he wasn't breathing; he needed to feel anything. He stands up carefully and walks, approaching the tower's rails. As the chilly air struck him, he took another breath and finally felt like he was breathing. He sat down, facing the landscape, and returned his attention to his hand. The pins and needles were so painful that he attempted desperately to move his hand, but it kept locking back up. His shoulders and stomach were so sore. He's trying hard to remain calm, but everything hurts. He lies down on his back, staring at nothing. He takes one of the joints out of his pocket and puts it in his mouth before taking the lighter and lighting it. He takes a deep drag from the joint before exhaling. His body is still numb and throbbing, and he desperately wanted to curl up and disappear. He shuts his eyes, takes a few breaths away from the world for a moment, and feels something wet slide down his face. He rubs his face, confused, and opens his eyes, only to discover that his vision is blurry. He sits up, scared, and rubs his eyes, attempting to wipe away any tears. He is not a cryer; he dislikes crying, so why is he crying? The panic he had gotten rid of returned as he held his knees to his chest. He cannot comprehend what went wrong and why he is broken like this. Why can't he be normal? Why was he doomed to live like this? Forced to be his fathers son? He choked back more emotions and leaned his head on top of his knees, staring into the view. All he longed for was to have control over his own life - to dictate his own destiny without the meddling of others. Yet, as he stared at the view of Hogwarts before him, he realized that he couldn't outrun his destiny. He was tied to his fate like a puppet on a string, and no matter how hard he struggled, he would always be controlled by something greater than himself.

Word count : 1420 | ට finnott, 2024.

[nayziiz]

Team Dynamics | LN4

Summary: To celebrate the launch of their 2024 car for the upcoming F1 season, McLaren hosts a masquerade gala event that sees two souls connect and lead to a whirlwind romance. Unfortunately, the pair realise soon after that they are to work together quite closely after they agreed it would only be a one-night thing.

Warnings: Smut, alcohol, one night stand, unprotected sex

Pairing: Gemma (I don't like writing with Y/N or reader) x Lando Norris

Series Masterlist

PART 8

The forest echoes with the sounds of rustling leaves and the distant calls of unseen birds as Lando and Gemma continue their journey deeper into the woods. The once well-defined trail had now become a patchwork of twigs and scattered leaves beneath their feet. A sense of uncertainty hung in the air, but Lando’s lighthearted banter helps diffuse the situation. He picks up a stick and pokes her calves with it as she walks.

“Cut it out. It’s your fault we lost the group.” Gemma grunts breathlessly. “Why of all places did we decide hiking in the middle of nowhere would be a good idea.”

As they walk through the dense foliage, Lando couldn't help but notice the worry etched across Gemma’s face. Her cautious demeanour clashes with his adventurous spirit, creating a dynamic that was as intriguing as the winding trails they traversed.

Gemma pauses and scans their surroundings, her brow furrowed with concern. She tries to listen if she can hear their friends’ voices, but all she hears is Lando digging in his bag behind her.

“We’re lost.” Gemma concludes as she too pulls off her backpack and clears an area to sit down.

“We’re not lost. We’re just taking the scenic route.” Lando counters as he sits down beside her. “It's like a choose-your-own-adventure hike. Adventure being the key word.”

Gemma struggles to suppress a faint smile despite her growing anxiety.

“I prefer knowing where I'm going. And right now, I have no idea.” Gemma argues, but Lando is simply undeterred.

“We're just temporarily misplaced. Besides, I've seen every survival show on TV. We just need to find a river and follow it downstream.” Lando explains to her.

“Lando. There is no river here, like at all.” Gemma counters, her scepticism lingering.

“Then we'll just have to rely on my impeccable sense of direction. North is... that way.” Lando states as he points in the opposite direction.

“Impeccable, huh? How can you be so sure?” Gemma asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Because the moss on the trees is growing... uh, in the direction of... adventure?” Lando responds confidently.

Gemma couldn't help but smile at his attempt to lighten the mood. Suddenly, a distant rustling noise interrupts their banter, causing her to tense up.

“Did you hear that?” She asks as she looks around the woods.

“Just the forest critters cheering us on. They're our woodland audience.” Lando teases, attempting to ease her mind, but her uneasiness remains. “Hey, it's okay. We'll figure this out together.”

“Maybe we should just retrace our steps back to where we last saw a marker.” Gemma suggests.

Lando nods and stands up before pulling her up to her feet. The duo retrace their steps, attempting to backtrack in hopes of stumbling upon the familiar markers of the trail. The forest, however, seems to play tricks on their sense of direction, making every tree and rock look strangely similar. As they venture deeper, Gemma's initial unease escalates into discomfort. She begins to feel a nagging queasiness in her stomach, an unsettling twist that she couldn't shake off.

“Lan.” She mumbles as she pauses for a moment and rests against a tree making him turn around to face her. “I don’t feel so good.”

“Maybe it's just nerves. We'll find the trail soon, and everything will be back to normal.” He assures her.

“Do you reckon we’re heading in the right direction? It feels like we’re getting even more lost.” Gemma wonders.

“Lost is just a state of mind. We're on a detour, that's all. The scenic route, remember?” Lando counters. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Gemma nods, but the queasiness persists as they continue to walk. The dense forest begins to thin, revealing a small clearing. Suddenly, a wave of relief washes over them as they stumble upon their friends, who were gathered around a makeshift picnic site. Laughter and the scent of food filled the air.

“There you two are!” Alex exclaims, causing everyone to turn their attention to the pair making their way towards them.

“We had to take the scenic route.” Lando jokes as he joins the group and takes a big sip of water.

As Gemma joins the group, her discomfort becomes more apparent. She declines the offered snacks, her stomach now churning with a different kind of urgency.

“Hey, hey, are you OK?” Lando asks, concerned when he notices her discomfort and wraps his arm around her for support before letting her sit down.

“I don't know, I just feel off. Maybe it's something I ate.” Gemma speculates as Lando joins her on the ground.

Lando’s head swivels to the sandwiches being passed around between the group and realises that the earlier impromptu picnic might be the source of Gemma's discomfort.

“Did you eat anything from here?” Lando asks her.

“Yeah, I had some of the sandwiches and...oh no.” Gemma groans as she leans against him.

“We need to get you back to civilization. This might be more serious than just getting lost.” Lando admits.

Their friends gather around, concern evident on their faces. With quick thinking, Lando gathers everyone, explaining the situation. The group rallies together, packing up the remnants of their picnic and setting off on a determined mission to find the trail and lead Gmma to safety.

As they navigate the forest once more, the urgency of the situation added a new layer of tension. Gemma, weak but supported by Lando, clings to the hope of reaching help soon. The forest, once a place of adventure, has now become a challenging obstacle that tested their resilience and camaraderie - quite the contrast to the battles they faced during races.

The group pushes through the thick foliage, their pace quickened by a sense of urgency. Gemma's discomfort escalates, and the forest, once enchanting, becomes a labyrinth of shadows and uncertainty. The rhythmic crunch of leaves beneath their boots was now punctuated by occasional rustlings in the underbrush, amplifying the tension.

“I really don’t feel good, Lan.” Gemma mumbles against Lando’s shoulder as she leans against him as they walk.

“I’ve got you, Gems. I’ll get you out of here.” He promises.

As they continue, they stumble upon a faint trail. A collective sigh of relief echoes through the group, and they follow it, hoping it would lead to the safety of civilization. As they emerge from the forest, the trail widens, revealing a clearing where sunlight filters through the trees. A distant sound of rushing water catches their attention, and they discover a small stream.

Gemma's condition doesn't improve. She grows weaker with every step, and the worry on Lando’s face deepens. The group maintains a brisk pace, but the forest seems to stretch endlessly.

As they continue to walk, Gemma stumbles, unable to keep up. Lando, with genuine concern, supports her, determined to keep her moving as he pulls her closer to him.

“Hang in there, Gems, we’re almost there.” He continues to assure her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Suddenly, the distant sound of voices reaches their ears. The group quickens their pace, and around a bend in the trail, they find a ranger station. Relief washes over them when a Ranger approaches them and spots Gemma.

“What happened?” The Ranger asks, beckoning for them to follow him into the station.

“We think she may have food poisoning.” Lando explains and he takes Gemma to the station and places her on a bed.

The ranger radios for assistance, and soon a medical team arrives. They provide Gemma with the necessary care, ensuring she would be okay.

The atmosphere in the hospital room is tense as Gemma lies in bed, her mind occupied by the events that led her there. Lando, sitting beside her, diligently types a message to their group of friends to provide updates. His focused expression conveys both concern and a sense of responsibility.

After locking his phone, Lando turns back to face Gemma, the worry evident in his eyes. The silence between them is palpable, filled with unspoken thoughts and emotions. Lando, breaking the quiet tension, takes a deep breath before speaking.

"I’ve let everyone know you're okay." He assures her, his voice gentle.

Gemma, appreciating his presence and the effort he's making to keep everyone informed, manages a small smile. The unspoken dynamics between them take on a new significance in the face of adversity, as they navigate the uncertainties of the situation together. In the quiet hospital room, the vulnerability of the moment brings forth a genuine exchange between Gemma and Lando.

“I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Gemma tells him, appreciating his support and presence in the moment.

“We’re a team, Gems. Lost or found, I’ll always be by your side.” He assures her.

“Even when you’re poking me with random sticks.” Gemma teases.

“Of course.” Lando chuckles as he takes her hand in his and kisses the back of it.

“You’re my favourite person.” Gemma informs him.

“Move over.” Lando instructs.

Lando lays down beside her, wrapping his arms around Gemma, ensuring to be careful around her IV port. Gemma rests her head against his chest, listening to the reassuring rhythm of his heart. The unspoken dynamics between them evolve into a shared closeness, providing comfort and connection in the midst of uncertainty.

“And, you’re mine.” Lando informs her as he kisses her temple.

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Gatecrashers

Help. I bet you smart sleuthers have already covered this topic somewhere around our Tumblr neighborhood, but per usual I'm late to the party. Will someone please help me better understand Sparry's so-called "visit" with the King because the photographs and timing just don't add up. Connecting the dots seems to reveal 2 rebellious overseas unroyals who were determined to show up at Clarence House with or without permission.

On Tuesday, I felt annoyed to see the Royal Family YouTube channel (unaffiliated w/the BRF) patched into a live stream outside of Buckingham Palace. I thought it was a ridiculous invasion of privacy. Now I understand that the King was previously scheduled to arrive at BP (late morning) and the media was waiting to capture the first photo of king Charles post -treatment.

It seems Charles & Camilla were on a tight schedule which could explain the early morning (or overnight) visit with Beatrice & Edo.

The British media obviously knew that Charles was expected at BP and yet they disregarded this important bit of information to focus on Sparry's PR talking points---- all the while these manipulative talking heads knew the King had a prior engagement in his diary.

Pressure Pressure Pressure is what The Meghans wickedly tried to apply to Charles & William. There was even a mention of an EMPTY Frogmore Cottage. How low can these 2 go?🤬

Perhaps Mr and Mrs Sparry informed the men in grey of their plans to gatecrash the king & queen's departure. "Coming with or without permission." This would also explain why they flooded the media with Sparry's intention to see his father "within the next 2 days" followed by that crystal clear photograph at LAX. Someone around our Tumblr community or perhaps on reddit shared a catchy manifesting term...I'm sorry I didn't write it down bc it perfectly describes how The Meghans use her sharp elbows to bully their way through life.

All of this MANIFESTING crap to manipulate a face to face meeting with Charles: a man reeling from a life threatening diagnosis, recovering from an invasive procedure, and preparing for some sort of systemic poison.

Have I mentioned that The Meghans SUCK at compassion!!!

Beatrice & Edo

Doesn't it seem likely that family members have been welcomed to Clarence House (post-diagnosis) to wish Charles well before his Sandringham retreat-----perhaps the beginning of holistic treatments or simply to recover from the 1st of several adjuvant treatments.

The couple seems dressed for an early morning visit with a family member, NOT an audience with the King of England.

vs.

Sparry

Perhaps Sparry told the Palace "Me too! I'm coming to see my father too" and he was told "not this week," and MEgain responded "we'll see about that!"

I seem to remember Sparry had to be forced (by the Queen Elizabeth) to speak to his father and that meeting ended with shouting.

I also seem to remember Sparry had no time to give his family before or after His father's coronation.

As a courtesy, the men in grey delayed KC's departure & granted Sparry an audience with His Majesty the King, not a visit/block of time for a father-son brunch or lunch.

Sparry wearing all black upon his entrance to Clarence House but upon departure he's photographed wearing black and white, with a tie. Why didn't Sparry change clothes on the airplane?

This publicity stunt was meant to bury the African Parks story and the story about the (mon)ARCHewell revolving door. The Meghans have proven to the family (yet again) that there is no bottom to their depravity.

It was also a test for His Majesty's government as they push for IPP status, a campaign for royal housing, and of course information gathering for blackmail.

Let's do the math:

An audience with a sovereign (or even a President) is only about 5-10 minutes plus or minus time for photographs.

Sparry arrived at Clarence House by 2:45pm. Charles & Camilla were in a vehicle by 3:30pm. Sparry (if the photo is current) changed into business attire while at Clarence House. How long was Sparry in the same room as Charles?

Have I mentioned that MEgain and Sparry are SCUM and so are the British talking heads who served as their mouthpieces!?!?!