#what is plot what is setting all i care about is the ✨ moment ✨

[azaracyy]

the night is long, the night is young haikaveh week 2024 day 4: sharing a bed

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

🧪 Character Arcs 101: what they are, what they aren’t, and how to make them hurt

by rin t. (resident chaos scribe of thewriteadviceforwriters)

Okay so here’s the thing. You can give me all the pretty pinterest moodboards and soft trauma playlists in the world, but if your character doesn’t change, I will send them back to the factory.

Let’s talk about character arcs. Not vibes. Not tragic backstory flavoring. Actual. Arcs. (It hurts but we’ll get through it together.)

─────── ✦ ───────

💡 what a character arc IS:

a transformational journey (keyword: transformation)

the internal response to external pressure (aka plot consequences)

a shift in worldview, behavior, belief, self-concept

the emotional architecture of your story

the reason we care

💥 what a character arc is NOT:

a sad monologue halfway through act 2

a single cool scene where they yell or cry

a moral they magically learn by the end

a “development” label slapped on a flatline

─────── ✦ ───────

✨ THE 3 BASIC FLAVORS OF ARC (and how to emotionally damage your characters accordingly):

Positive Arc They start with a flaw, false belief, or fear that limits them. Through the events of the story (and many Ls), they confront that internal lie, grow, and emerge changed. Hurt factor: Drag them through the mud. Make them fight to believe in themselves. Break their trust, make them doubt. Let them earn their ending.

Negative Arc They begin whole(ish) and devolve. They fail to overcome their flaw or false belief. This arc ends in ruin, corruption, or defeat. Hurt factor: Let them almost have a chance. Build hope. Then show how they sabotage it, or how the world takes it anyway. Twist the knife.

Flat/Static Arc They don’t change, but the world around them does. They hold onto a core truth, and it’s their constancy that drives change in others. Think: mentor, revolutionary, or truth-teller type. Hurt factor: Make the world push back. Make their values cost them something. The tension comes from holding steady in chaos.

─────── ✦ ───────

🎯 how to build an arc that actually HITS (no ✨soft lessons✨, just internal structure):

Lie they believe: What false thing do they think about themselves or the world? (“I’m unlovable.” “Power = safety.” “I’m only valuable if I’m useful.”)

Want vs. need: What do they think they want? What do they actually need to grow?

Wound/backstory scar: What made them like this? You don’t need a tragic past™ but you do need cause and effect.

Turning point: What moment forces them to question their worldview? What event cracks the surface?

Moment of choice: Do they change? Or not? What decision seals their arc?

🧪 Pro tip: this is not a worksheet. This is scaffolding. The arc lives in the story, not just your doc notes. The lie isn’t revealed in a monologue, it’s felt through consequences, relationships, mistakes.

─────── ✦ ───────

🛠️ things to actually do with this:

Write scenes where the character’s flaw messes things up. Like, they lose something. A person. A plan. Their cool. Make the flaw hurt.

Track their beliefs like a timeline. How do they start? What chips away at it? When does the shift stick?

Use relationships as arc mirrors. Who challenges them? Enables them? Forces reflection? Internal change is almost never solo.

Revisit the lie. Circle back to it at least three times in escalating intensity. Reminder > confrontation > transformation.

─────── ✦ ───────

🌊 bonus pain level: REVERSE THE ARC

Wanna make it really hurt? Set them up for one arc, and give them the opposite. They think they’re growing into a better person. But actually, they’re losing themselves. They think they’re spiraling. But they’re really healing. Let them be surprised. Let the reader be surprised.

─────── ✦ ───────

TL;DR: If your plot is a skeleton, your character arc is the nervous system.

The change is the thing. Don’t just dress it up in trauma. Don’t let your character learn nothing. Make them face themselves. And yeah. Make it hurt a little. (Or a lot. I won’t stop you.)

—rin t. // thewriteadviceforwriters // plotting pain professionally since forever

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:

[chiaraswritings]

Batman Vs Bruce Wayne Headcanons: Date Night with fem!Reader

Disclaimer: I do not own DC or their settings. This is certainly not canon.

Warnings & Topics: Smut, comfort. 18+.

Important Note: 18+ suggestive headcanons begin after the stars (✶ ✶ ✶), and will have a star (✶) in their intro.

Author's Note: Don't come for me, it's been awhile! For everything. This is my first time posting headcanons so I'm sorry if I didn't do them right. Nonetheless, I hope you're all having an incredible summer, and I hope you enjoy.

Listen on Spotify while you read…

☽ Batman

☽ Batman not wanting to take off the Batsuit until you have to physically take it off him. And then physically put the matching hoodie you got on him.

☽ Batman not being anywhere near finished with the case he's working on.

☽ Batman letting you sit on his lap while he "finishes up real quick".

☽ Batman grumbling because you saw him rubbing his eyes, and now you're worried about the blue light from the Batcomputer affecting him. "The computer is not the enemy, (y/n)."

☽ Batman looking over your shoulder to see who you're texting and rolling his eyes that you're actually playing a merging game.

☽ Batman letting you fall asleep on his lap, and when you wake up, he still has his arms in the exact same position around you as he did an hour ago. The only thing that's changed is the screen.

☽ Batman rolling his eyes fondly when you get bored by his research on the screen. "Technically, this is classified information. You're not even supposed to be reading this."

☽ Batman letting you order Chinese food to the manor from his phone. You abandon his lap only to run up and get it, coming back with the plastic bag. He only eats when you hold the chopsticks up for him (both of his hands are on the keyboard).

☽ Batman allowing you to steal kisses every so often, then complaining you taste like beef and broccoli.

☽ Batman giving you gentle squeezes to check in. He'll run his hand down to yours and squeeze, and you'll capture his hand with your fingers.

☽ Batman finishing his work and turning you in his lap to give you his full attention.

☽ Batman scoffing when you ask if you can watch a Disney movie on the Batcomputer, but it only takes a few moments of convincing before he grumbles and relents.

☽ Batman breathing in the smell of your shampoo as he half-watches the movie with you. You glare at him, subtly telling him to pay attention to the plot, and he finally does. "What, are you quizzing me on it later?"

✶ ✶ ✶ (18+ content ahead) ✶ ✶ ✶

☽ ✶ Batman totally not getting distracted when you take off your shirt and go right back to cuddling in your sports bra. Because he's Batman, of course he doesn't get distracted.

☽ ✶ Batman forgetting all about the movie and starting research on you instead. Our ADHD king. ✨

☽ ✶ Batman making out with you in the middle of the Batcave, his hands unashamedly memorizing your curves. Your waist, your thighs, up to cup your breasts in calloused hands, then back down to your thighs again.

☽ ✶ Batman pulling you into the Batmobile of all places for privacy. "What? It's the closest place with a lock." So now you are destined to have sex in his car. Though the darkened windows do give a certain... aura to the tight space.

☽ ✶ Batman pulling you on top of him in the driver's seat, secretly grateful you made him take off the Batsuit earlier. You're soon locked in a kiss again, his lips eager and his hands running over your thighs.

☽ ✶ Batman gruffly apologizing when you bump your head on the roof of the car as he peels off your leggings unceremoniously. "Careful. It's cramped in here." He keeps his hand near your hand after that.

☽ ✶ Batman's hands supporting your hips as you grind against him, you can feel his growing erection through those goddamn sweatpants you made him wear. The only noise he makes is low grunts and deep exhales through his nose, clear signs to your trained ear that he's enjoying this.

☽ ✶ Batman keeping his hands on your thighs the entire time you ride him. His fingers roughly dig into your skin, keeping your legs parted, helping you move up and down. His lips find yours, muffling your shrill moans.

☼ Bruce Wayne

☼ Bruce Wayne not really having a preference between going out and staying in.

☼ Bruce Wayne loving the way you dress up when you try a new restaurant together. You have the best smear-proof lipstick, so he can kiss you as often as he wants.

☼ Bruce Wayne keeping you close when he sees a camera lens pointing at them. If the picture's going to hit the news, he wants everyone to know you're his girl.

☼ Bruce Wayne not really paying attention to anything but you. He mumbles absently to the waiter, his eyes trained on yours. It could be the completely wrong dish that comes out, one he despises, and he wouldn't really care. He's too happy being with you.

☼ Bruce Wayne not minding your requests to stay in instead of go out. He'll take off his jacket and shoes without a second thought, handing you one of his hoodies to stay warm in. "Here. You're going to steal it later anyways."

☼ Bruce Wayne putting on your favorite Netflix show as you curl up into his sheets. Word on the street is he wanted to buy the whole show just for you, and when the company turned him down, you had to stop him from punching the representative.

☼ Bruce Wayne binging a pack of Oreos with you, and then kissing you even with cookie in your teeth.

☼ Bruce Wayne keeping you close when you fall asleep, but even then he doesn't turn off the show. By this time he's way too invested in the plot he once rolled his eyes at.

☼ Bruce Wayne waking up in the middle of the night to see you re-watching the episodes you slept through, and gladly watching them again. He's so bad at not spoiling the ending. You'd think he could keep a secret, with all the secrets he already keeps.

☼ Bruce Wayne falling asleep right at the climax (he's already seen), and you low-key getting pissed off at him because you're so invested and on edge.

☼ Bruce Wayne drifting in and out of sleep until you finally fall asleep with him, the show playing in the background. You'll have to finish it another day.

☼ Bruce Wayne waking up before you do and brushing his teeth so he won't have morning breath when he kisses you.

☼ Bruce Wayne insisting you can't just eat Oreos for breakfast, though you argue it has the same nutrients as a muffin would.

✶ ✶ ✶ (18+ content ahead) ✶ ✶ ✶

☼ ✶ Bruce Wayne insisting he only joined you in the bathroom so he can shave, and nicking himself more than once because he was sneaking peeks at you in the shower.

☼ ✶ Bruce Wayne finally giving up on shaving and watching you in the shower without shame. His eyes follow the lather that runs over the curve of your hips and down your legs.

☼ ✶ Bruce Wayne staring for so long, you finally open the shower door as an invitation. He strips in record time and steps in, quickly turning the water to a hotter temperature.

☼ ✶ Bruce Wayne being fully aroused from the moment he steps in the shower, but taking the time for foreplay. His hands move from your waist, to your stomach, then between your legs, his fingers doing nimble, skilled work there.

☼ ✶ Bruce Wayne wrapping one of your legs around his waist, his lips doing their duty on your neck, his fingers working between your legs where you need them the most. He usually takes the lead in foreplay, reducing you to a mess in his arms.

☼ ✶ Bruce Wayne keeping his hand between your legs as he thrusts into you, fingertips pressing against your bundle of nerves. He knows exactly how to please you, and how to not overstimulate you.

☼ ✶ Bruce Wayne murmuring sweet (sexy) nothings into your ear as he fucks you. All you can do is open your mouth in a silent moan, your breath coming out in a long sigh.

☼ ✶ Bruce Wayne resting his forehead against yours, the water running over your lips, making them look so inviting. He's not so lost in pleasure that he can't notice this, and he pauses his thrusts to kiss you like you're an addiction. Your hips buck, the lack of movement annoying you slightly. He grins and resumes, his fingers moving in between your bodies, fucking you in all the right ways.

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[michi-beans]

I realized I haven't really shared what the overall plot for the sirens!AU is sooo excuse my rambling below 🤣

ko-fi | Patreon

Basically it used to be more zosan centric. Zoro is a guy who travels a lot and has no permanent home. He finds himself lost along a coast and stumbles onto a village. A fishing village he soon discovers it to be. Zoro ends up staying longer then he tends to in places and learns all about this odd place. He's not surprised they have tales of man eating monsters that lurk in the waters or bewitching devil's of the sea that sing men to their doom. What intrigues him more is Sanji, the son of the innkeeper. His father, Zeff is a well respected man, trusted and known for his cooking. Sanji however is the talk of the town. People say Sanji, while charismatic and kind, is a very strange man, they're weary of him. They say he tends venture past the rocks that no local dares to pass, that's monster territory they say. Always caring a large bag. Zoro questions the sanity of these people because he doesn't understand what's so odd about this. Monsters don't exist, this guy probably just wants to get away from the crazy ppl of this town. Unfortunately, he's proven wrong when he follows Sanji one day. There among the rocks sitting on an old beaten dock, is Sanji talking to two men in the water. Upon further inspection these two are no ordinary people. One is eating some peace of meat as blood drips from his chin while the other lounges beside Sanji against the dock. Zoro notices fangs, claws, pointed ears and scaled tails splashing in the water. He unfortunately loses his supposed hiding spot and ends up slipping into the water. Gets dragged up to the surface by one of the creatures and comes face to face with the bright blue eyes that have plagued his mind ever since setting foot in this village.

And this was pretty much my first thought process for this AU. A bit more on Sanji and lulaw | Sanji met them as a teen, as it turns out there were man eating things in the waters. He learned this newly mated pair were called Law and Luffy who only tended to attack the humans that ventured too close to their territory. He came to like their company, far better then the ppl from the village. He was able to convince them not to attack the boats anymore if he brought them food. Few sailed here anymore anyway but he can't help but feel proud of his cooking when two otherworldly beings seem to enjoy it this much, especially the smaller on Luffy.

And yada yada shit happens, Sanji hits it off with Zoro, Zoro stays in the village and life goes on. The angst lore about the lulaw baby happens after the Zoro thing. When they notice Sanji spending less and less time with them they decide it's finally time to try for guppies and well you guys know the rest ✨.

A bit more lulaw trivia | Law got his arm scar when he got so tangled in fish nets he almost cut it off until Luffy saved him. This was when they were courting so even more doki doki moments between the young lovers and more fuel to fire against humans. Luffy's chest scar was from another siren that happened after they became mates and met Sanji. That's how Law officially trusted him fully because he helped save Luffy from his injury.

Aannnd that's all I have now so far. Hope it makes sense I typed this all up like at 2 am lmao.

[farfromstrange]

Fictober Day 4: Thigh Riding

Fictober Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader

Prompt: Thigh Riding (✨)

Summary: You ride Matt's thigh. That's it. That's the plot.

Warnings: SMUT (18+), thigh riding, dirty talk, use of "good girl", PWP

Word Count: 817

A/n: Today, you are getting a Drabble. I finally managed to write something a little shorter, but I did it mostly to challenge myself. I don't write Drabbles often, so this was fun to do, especially with that prompt. If you were hoping for something longer, I apologize, but thigh riding is one of the juiciest prompts for our Deranged Catholic Lawyer ever and I might use it again in the future.

[Smut right under the cut!]

Read Me On AO3!

The air is thick with sweat and despair. Every breath you take gets caught in your throat and turns into a wanton moan. It’s loud enough to bounce off the walls and spiral back to you. 

You most certainly lost your mind a long time ago. 

Matt has been so busy lately, never leaving a hopeless stone unturned until he has done everything he can to help those who can’t help themselves. It’s one of many things you love so much about it. You are so in love it sometimes makes you want to bash your head through drywall. And tonight, he has taken the night off from the streets of Hell’s Kitchen to take care of his girl. Because you need him, and he can’t say no when you need him. When he can smell the arousal soaking through your panties the moment he sets foot in the door. 

The dinner you made was forgotten before you even had a chance to tell him what you made. Matt walked in, and the second his senses picked up on you in that tiny black dress, he pounced like a starving animal on the hunt. 

Your bare cunt drags over the fabric of his clothed thigh as his nails bury themselves in the flesh around your hips. With every brush of your clit against the taunt muscle, a million fires reignite in your belly. You are weak to the smoldering heat of an inferno waiting to happen and level you to the ground. 

“That’s it,” he grunts in your ear. “Just like that.”

There is nothing more ethereal to him than you when you are like this—mouth agape against his shoulder, biting the fabric of his dress shirt, and your heart beating through your chest into his. He can feel you in every crevice of his being, taste you on his tongue. When you’re this vulnerable for him, when you let your guard down to take the pleasure you deserve, you are the easiest to admire.

His words are far out of his control as they slip, injecting them right into your bloodstream like the most addictive drug on the market—and you are getting it all for free. 

Good girl. Take what you need. Gonna make yourself come, hm? 

Your eyes roll back into your head. 

Gonna wear those pants to work tomorrow so I can smell you. Imagine what it’d be like to bend you over and fuck you ‘till all of New York knows my name. That what you want? Yeah, you do. That’s my girl. 

To him, it sounds like gibberish, but with every syllable uttered, your heart starts beating faster. Your walls clench around nothing. Your lungs contract, and you cry his name into the void. That’s what he was looking for. 

Matt drags his nose from behind your ear, down your throat. Your pulse jumps under his touch. He revels in the way you react to him, always. Like you have never been touched before. 

“Mine,” he writes those words on your upper thigh as he says them, barely conscious yet precise with his fingertips. “You’re mine.”

The possessiveness he feels with you makes him crazy, but you are not so far behind him. He has long driven you into madness. You would use a hot iron and brand his name into your skin if it meant you could stay like this forever, with him. 

“Yours,” you choke out between pants. Yours, and only yours. Though you’re not strong enough to say much more, not when it feels this good to ride those thick thighs of his.

His hand comes to rest around your neck. Air is a luxury, but with him, you don’t need it. You like it when your head gets fuzzy, and all you can hear is the blood rushing in your ears as the noose of pleasure threatens to hang you. 

He’s flexing his thigh and squeezing your neck, and the crescendo is building; you can’t outrun it. Your cunt continues to grind against him, so selfish, so needy, and you know you would give him anything if he just asked. 

The light at the end of the tunnel is right there. Every drag feels like a punch to your gut, but a pleasurable one nonetheless. Not a second goes by when you’re not connected to him. And when you open your eyes and you see the look on Matt’s face, the way he’s taking you in, it’s more than enough to send you hurdling over the edge.

As always though, he is there to catch you as you fall. 

“Shh,” he runs his hand through your hair, “I’ve got you. Breathe.”

You breathe him in. Your legs may be shaking, and you have lost all sense of time, but you are with the man you love, and nothing could ever make you quite as happy as he does. 

@ebathory997 @the-b33skn33s @scoliobean @drmeghanjones @lanae111 @steve-chandler @lucienofthelakes @xnatyx @gpenguin666 @linamarr @mcugeekposts @itwasthereaminuteago @norestfortheshelbywicked @yarrystyleeza @littlenerdyravenclaw @etanordoesbullsh1t @thychuvaluswife @harleycao @schneeflocky @imjustcal @pipsqueakkitten @merlinbtch @sya-skies @amberritonicole @ravenclaw617 @pigeonmama @bohemianrhapsody86 @a-gir1-has-n0-name @callsign-ember @chittaphonstar @buckyyyismahhlife @trublu2u @zomtart @ethereal-blaze

[fanfictionismyaddiction]

Family, F1, and everything in-between

Social Media AU

pairing: Toto Wolff x wife!reader

summary: Follow the glamorous yet grounded life of Y/n Wolff, the supportive and stylish wife of F1's Toto Wolff, as she navigates the fast-paced world of Formula 1 alongside her husband, sharing moments of love, family, and behind-the-scenes paddock life ______________________________________________________________

Weekend getaway to the Austrian Alps with my favorite person ❤️ #QualityTime #NatureLover

LewisHamilton: Looks peaceful! Hope Toto unplugged from work for at least a minute 😂 → MercedesAMGF1: Of course I’m relaxing, @ LewisHamilton. Don’t worry, the team’s in good hands 😉 #WorkHardPlayHard

Charles_Leclerc: A much-needed break for the boss! Enjoy your time away 🌲 GeorgeRussell63: So this is what Toto looks like when he’s relaxed. Never seen it before! 😄 ValtteriBottas: Beautiful scenery! Make sure Toto doesn’t try to race down those mountains 😂 AngelaCullen: What a perfect place for some fresh air and reflection! Enjoy every moment ❤️ DanielRicciardo: Careful, Toto might start plotting his next strategy on those hikes! 😆 FanGirlSara: So adorable! You two are the ultimate power couple! ❤️ #Goals RacingHeart88: This is the break Toto deserves! You guys inspire us to balance work and life 👏

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A rare sight: Toto taking a break from his phone to actually enjoy dinner 😋 #DateNight #FineDining

PierreGasly: Impressive! How did you manage to get him to put the phone down? Teach us your ways, Y/n! 😂 EstebanOcon: A true miracle! Can we expect a happier Toto in the paddock now? 👀 LandoNorris: Bet he's still thinking about the next race strategy, though 😆 → MercedesAMGF1: I’m capable of multitasking, @ LandoNorris 😜 But yes, it’s nice to just enjoy the moment with my beautiful wife -Toto

CarmenMundt: You two are such a stylish couple! That dinner looks amazing too ✨ JessicaButton: Love seeing you both taking time for yourselves! Well-deserved break 🥂 FanPage_Y/n: This is such a wholesome post! Y/n, you’re a magician if you got Toto to put his phone away 😂 F1Life74: I aspire to have this level of work-life balance one day! Enjoy your evening 🌙

______________________________________________________________

Early morning runs are better with a partner 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ #FitnessGoals #CoupleWorkouts

CarlosSainz55: who’s setting the lap times? 😉 MaxVerstappen1: Morning runs? Toto really is dedicated. Next time, invite the rest of us! DanielRicciardo: Must be tough keeping up with him, Y/n! I’ve seen that man in the gym 💪 → MercedesAMGF1: She’s faster than you think, @ DanielRicciardo. Might have to consider her for the next driver lineup! 😂 -Toto

RosannaTennant: Couple goals! I’m inspired to get up early tomorrow… or maybe just sleep in and watch from here 😂 MarkWebber: Toto’s secret to success—early starts! You two look great! FitnessF1Fan: Y/n, what’s your running playlist? Need some motivation! 🎧 SpeedQueen99: You both look so fit! How do you balance everything so well?

______________________________________________________________

My favorite place to unwind: our garden at sunset 🌅 #HomeSweetHome

SebastianVettel: A perfect place to recharge. I’ll trade you some honey for a spot in that garden 😉 FernandoAlonso: You have to take good care of that garden, Y/n. It’s where Toto recharges his winning energy! GeorgeRussell63: That’s where all the secret Mercedes strategies are born, right? 😂 → MercedesAMGF1: It’s where I find peace, @ GeorgeRussell63. And maybe, just maybe, where I come up with a few ideas😉 -Toto

RomainGrosjean: Beautiful garden! Can’t wait to see it in person sometime soon 🌸 ReneeWolff: That garden is pure magic! Love seeing Toto relax there 🌼 LoversOfF1: Toto smiling and flowers blooming—this is the content we’re here for! �� EcoRacer17: Your garden is a dream, Y/n! And having Toto in the background is a bonus 😊

______________________________________________________________

Just another day at the track supporting @ MercedesAMGF1 🏁 Always proud of my boys! #F1Family

MickSchumacher: The ultimate team supporter! We’re lucky to have you around, Y/n 😊 LewisHamilton: You’re the glue that holds this family together! Appreciate you always ❤️ NicoRosberg: Always nice to see you at the track! Brings back memories 😄 NataliePinkham: Y/n, you’re such a star! The energy you bring is unmatched ✨ Y/nWFans: Love seeing you at the track, Y/n! You bring such positive vibes to the team 💙 Formula1Fanatic: You’re the real MVP of Mercedes, Sophia! Keep doing what you do! 🏆 F1_GossipCorner: Y/n Wolff is truly the queen of the paddock! So much respect for her 👑 MercedesAMGF1: Couldn’t do it without you by my side, @ Y/nWolff. Team Mercedes is a family, and you’re at the heart of it 💙 -Toto

______________________________________________________________

A little family time before the next race 🐾 #FamilyFirst #DogLovers

ValtteriBottas: That dog is living the dream! 🐕 You guys look so happy! → MercedesAMGF1: Our dog has the best life, @ ValtteriBottas. He might even join me in the paddock one day! 🐕 -Toto

LewisHamilton: Love seeing you all together! Give the pup some extra pats from me 🐾 PierreGasly: Y/n, you might have the cutest dog in the paddock! 😍 AngelaCullen: Dogs are the best stress relievers! Enjoy your time together 🐶 RomainGrosjean: Family time is the best time. I see Toto is more relaxed when he’s around the dog 😊 DogLoversUnite: That’s the cutest family photo! Your dog is so adorable! 🐾❤️ PaddockPets: Can we get more of Toto and the dog? This is the content we need! 🐶

______________________________________________________________

Behind the scenes of an F1 weekend 🏁 #TeamSupport #PaddockLife

LewisHamilton: Y/n keeping the team spirit high as always! 🙌 Charles_Leclerc: t’s always great having you in the garage, Y/n. You bring such good energy! ⚡️ GeorgeRussell63: Look at Toto, all business as usual 😂 → MercedesAMGF1: Focused as always, @ GeorgeRussell63. Y/n is the secret to our success in the garage 😉 -Toto

LandoNorris: Y/n in the garage = good vibes only! 🎉 TechFanF1: Seeing the behind-the-scenes action is awesome! Thanks for sharing, Y/n! RacingWivesClub: Y/n, you’re the real MVP behind Toto’s success! 💪

______________________________________________________________

Pre-race rituals with the one and only 🏁✨ #RaceDayReady #F1Life

LewisHamilton: That’s the pre-race boost we all need! Sending good vibes to you both! ❤️ MickSchumacher: Now I see where Toto gets his race-day focus from! 🏎️ NicoRosberg: Aww, bringing back memories! You guys are the best 💫 JessicaButton: Love seeing the love and support between you two! Power couple vibes all the way 🌟 TheWolffsfan: That’s such a sweet moment! Toto’s good luck charm ❤️ SpeedyF1Fan: This is too cute! No wonder Toto’s always so calm before a race. RacingLife_92: Y/n, you’re definitely the best part of the pre-race routine! 😍 MercedesAMGF1: Every race is better with you by my side, @ Y/nWolff. You’re my good luck charm 💖 -Toto

______________________________________________________________

When in Monaco… 🇲🇨 #MonacoGP #LivingTheDream

Charles_Leclerc: Looking stunning! Hope you’re enjoying my home race 🏎️🇲🇨 DanielRicciardo: Monaco magic! You two look like movie stars! 🎥 MaxVerstappen1: Y/n, you’re outshining the entire grid with that look! 😎 AngelaCullen: Wow, you both look amazing! Monaco has never looked better 😍 PierreGasly: Y/n, I think you just set a new standard for race day fashion 👏 FashionAndF1: This is what we call couple goals! Y/n, your dress is absolutely stunning! ✨ MonacoMagicFan: Toto and Y/n, the ultimate power couple at the ultimate race! 🔥 MercedesAMGF1: Monaco feels even more special when I’m with you, @ Y/nWolffYou make every event shine ✨-Toto

______________________________________________________________

Back to Brackley! Ready to get back to work with the team 🏠🏎️ #HomeBase #F1Family

LewisHamilton: Welcome back! Let’s get back to business 💪 GeorgeRussell63: The team's energy always picks up when you’re around, Y/n! Time to put in the work 💼 ValtteriBottas: There’s no place like home! Brackley is ready for the Wolff magic 🏁 AngelaCullen: Exciting times ahead! So glad to see you back with the team 😊 TiffanyCromwell: Y/n, you always bring such positive vibes! Can’t wait to see what’s next 💥 JamesAllison: We’ve missed you around HQ! Let’s gear up for an even stronger season 🔧 MercedesF1FanForever: It’s great to see you back at the heart of Mercedes, Y/n! Your presence is truly inspiring 💙 F1_Fanatic88: Y/n back in Brackley! Can’t wait to see what the team achieves next! #TeamMercedes MercedesAMGF1: Back to where the magic happens. Couldn’t do it without you by my side, @ Y/nWolff. Let’s make this season one to remember 🏆 -Toto F1FamilyMoments: Y/n support is what makes Mercedes more than just a team. It’s a family. Welcome home! 🏠💙

[queenariesofnarnia]

the general and her boys

gif not mine!

wc: 2,025

fraternal poly! bad batch x f!reader (absolutely no clonecest)

warnings: 18+ content! mdni! porn with a sprinkle of plot in the beginning, nothing crazy, group sex, praise kink, use of sarge, anal, piv, unprotected, cum swallowing, oral (m receiving), handjobs, and i think that is it!

✨✨✨✨

All you asked for was a night of rest since you’re finally on shore leave. A night in your secret apartment gifted to you by Padme. Relaxing in your silk robe that matched the red in your squad’s armor, lined with black lace. You accomplished most of the self-care routine you planned for the night. Sipping on a glass of wine you picked up on Naboo, enjoying a trashy holofilm.  Several knocks echoed through your apartment interrupting the climax of the film. You had a feeling this was going to happen, even though they promised you not to start a fight with the regs. You entered the code to the door, meeting five sets of eyes as it whooshed open. Standing to the side letting them in to find a seat.

“I don’t want to hear about who started it or why you got involved” you grumbled sitting back in your original spot which now has you nestled between Tech and Crosshair.

“We’re sorry general” Hunter’s gruff voice sounds over the film you went back to watching. You glance at him and nod before turning your attention back to the screen. Wrecker helped himself to whatever snacks he could find in your kitchen.

“Wrecker, were you even going to ask if helping yourself to the general’s food was okay?” Echo was the one to question the large clone.

“I don’t care at this point. That’s why I have snacks in the first place. I knew my night alone wasn’t going to last” you tell Echo without breaking your focus from the screen. Finishing your wine, you placed your glass on the table before leaning over Tech who was busy with his datapad to grab the bottle on the side table. This gave Crosshair and Hunter a view up your robe, while Echo and Wrecker had a view down your robe. Plopping back down to refill your glass the room went quiet except for the film ending.

“Why didn’t you ask me general?” Tech broke the silence amongst your squad.

“You seemed busy, so I just did what was easy” you sent him a smile before taking a sip of from your glass. Crosshair took the bottle from your hand taking a quick swig before passing it to Hunter who had his hand out towards his brother.

“Don’t worry about why she didn’t ask Tech. Let’s talk about how the pretty little general gave us a little show as she reached over you.” Crosshair informs his brother placing his gloved hand on your thigh. The action made you take a gulp of your wine.

“What’s under the robe mesh’la?” Hunter whispers in your ear causing you to jump since you didn’t notice he left his previous spot.

“Tech start recording” Wrecker chuckles at the order given by Crosshair.

“I have been recording since the moment she opened the door” Tech says a smirk reaching his face. In this moment you knew you were in for it. You jokingly flirt with the guys all the time. However, you never thought it would lead you here. Echo was now sitting with his legs crossed intrigued by what is unfolding in front of him.

“Take the robe off for us sarad” Crosshair orders you giving your thigh a squeeze. You stood after chugging down the rest of the wine for the courage you will need tonight to survive. Back facing them you untied the robe letting it glide off your shoulders hitting the floor. Your spine tattoo now exposed to them. Each of their helmets and their names written by them decorated your spine. A chorus of groans sounded in the quiet living room as they took in the sight of your tattoo and your backside.

“Turn around for us little tooka” Wrecker’s voice cracking at his own request. Their jaws dropped when you turned around. The signature skull and 99 inked above your left breast, a loth wolf started at your waist ending at your mid-thigh, a 5, a crescent, and jaig eyes decorated your left bicep.

“When did you get all these tattoos cyar’ika?” Tech’s question breaking the trance his brothers were in as they stopped looking at the tattoos that decorated your body and back to your face.

“We can discuss that later. Now is there a real reason why I’m naked?” you questioned smirking your arms crossed beneath your breasts pushing them up.

“Get in the bed and we can show you” Hunter’s voice sounding deeper than usual makes your stomach flutter and your pussy tingle. Making your way past them without a word your hips swaying as you make it down the hall into your room. In about five minutes after the boys have taken their armor and blacks off they were surrounding your giant bed. You pretended to be busy with your datapad until it was snatched from your grip by Crosshair. He tosses it on the lounge chair in the corner of your room.

“Get on all fours mesh’la” Hunter instructs you. Immediately obeying, they command you to arch your back for them. The cool air in the room hitting your back side showing off your anal plug.

“She looks so pretty” Wrecker groans palming his cock. The others agreeing each walking around you to get their own perfect view of you.

“Wrecker get in front of her. Crosshair, Tech each of you take a side, Echo get behind her and mesh’la let me get under you.” Hunter gives out instructions. You never expected this moment a pleasant tingle was sent through your body as each of them found their spots round you. You were thankful for a big enough bed, so Wrecker fit in front of you nicely. Echo removed the plug from your puckered hole slowly. The mewl it pulled from your lips made each cock twitch. You spit in each hand before wrapping one of them around Crosshair’s and the other around Tech’s length beginning to slowly pump each of them. Hunter’s skilled fingers quickly found your soaking pussy dipping to fingers in, and Wrecker tapped the head of his cock silently directing you to open your mouth. Opening your mouth wide, tongue licking the underside of his shaft before taking him in your mouth. This was Echo’s opportunity to position himself before entering your ass. Feeling him stretch you made you moan around Wrecker’s length as Hunter’s fingers found your clit, whilst mouth attached to your nipple. Hunter continued to toy with your clit which was bringing you to the edge quicker than you would hope. The sensation of his mouth attached to your nipple turned you into a moaning mess. Each of your boys whispering praises to you.

“Look how pretty you are” “Kriff, you feel good” “Just like that sarad” “You look exquisite” you took praise well. Echo’s scomp was resting on you lower back and you enjoyed the cool metallic feeling. You could feel Hunter line up with your pussy with one thrust up he was buried in you to the hilt. He and Echo took their turns thrusting in and out of you at a brutal pace. Hunter’s fingers still rubbing your clit and quitting before you could finish each time, he took you there. He left his marks all over your breasts. Wrecker’s thrusts were faltering each time you moaned around him. Using the precum from Crosshair and Tech’s cocks was helpful since spitting on your hand would have been a challenge. Crosshair doing his best not to fall apart and Tech not caring that he was practically melting under your touch.

“I’m not going to last like this pretty girl” Wrecker’s sentence was broken up between each thrust. “You gonna let me cum in your mouth?” you nod your eyes glossed with tears and your moans desperate. His final thrust you felt the warmth of his seed hit the back of your throat before pulling out to finish the rest of his load on your face. Smiling at him before swallowing.

“I hope you got that Tech” Crosshair said before a string of curses leave his mouth. Tech could only nod.

“Tech come here” you gesture in front of your face and take him in your mouth. Using your now free hand to cup and squeeze his balls. You knew he wasn’t going to last long so when you pulled back you slowly grazed your teeth on the underside of his shaft, before taking him back in your mouth all at once. When you gagged on him, he couldn’t help but release in your mouth making sure each drop was in your mouth before he pulled out your mouth.

“Go ahead and smile for me cyar’ika” he instructs you his hand wrapping around your throat making you him in the eyes. You smile again showing him his cum. “You may swallow” he nods at you and pulls away. Placing a kiss on the top of your head thanking you. Crosshair took over stroking himself for you.

“I’m going to paint your face now sarad. But I’ll be in you later.” He hissed before releasing all over your face and hair. Smirking at your cum covered face he gets off the bed.

“Do you want me inside or do you want me to pull out cyare” Echo’s tone is soft yet rough as he whispers the question in your ear.

“In me please” you whimper biting into Hunter’s shoulder. He pulled out for a moment for Echo to finish. Rough fingers gently wrapping around the back of your neck pulling you in for a keldabe kiss. Echo leans down placing a kiss on your shoulder as his thrust falter, releasing in your ass. He waits a few seconds before pulling out of you slowly, putting the plug back in you until Hunter has his turn to finish. When he got off the bed, he made his way to the lounge chair in the corner. Hunter flipped you over with ease, guiding his cock back to your entrance thrusting in you at a rough pace, bending your legs back to where your knees touched your chest with one hand. With the other his thumb circled your clit.

“Go ahead and beg for it mesh’la” His sergeant voice making your walls clench around him. “You look so pretty all used by us” he whispers in your ear nibbling your earlobe as he pulls away. “I know your close mesh’la beg for it. That’s the only way I’ll cum in you.” His pace made you lose your train of thought.

“Kriff, Hunter may I please cum?” your tone is airy as you gasp between words.

“No. You can do better than that. Come on mesh’la” he pulls his thumb away right when you could feel yourself at your peak. You let out a string of curses that make Crosshair huff with laughter.

“May I please cum Sarge? Pretty please” the neediness evident in your tone. His thumb returned to your clit as you kept mumbling ‘please’ for your release.

“Go ahead” he grants. The moan you release higher than you expected as your back arches. Your pussy convulsing around his cock. Moments later he collapses on top of you, painting your walls with his cum. Placing a soft kiss on your neck rolling off of you. Once he moves Echo comes back over to gently tug the plug out to let his seed pour out your other used hole. Tech making sure he gets this part for their recording.

“You did so well for us general” Hunter compliments. You could only smile and nod. You could feel the exhaustion. Crosshair went into your fresher to get you a warm cloth to clean you up with. Wrecker went to the kitchen to get you a snack and get dressed. Tech, Hunter, and Echo went to put the bottom halves of their blacks back on before coming back to your bed. Crosshair cleaned you up before going to grab his bottoms. You’re snuggled up in between them all as they pile in your bed to cuddle. A moment you could only hope to get on camera one day.

[torialefay]

❤️‍🔥 Mercury in Libra 🪫

bangchan as your boyfriend series!!! (pt 5)

(based on astrology) 🔞

✨bangchan x reader (f); angsty sad times, little fluff if you try

✨word count: ~3.1k

✨5th and final part in chan’s astrology series!!! together, let’s take a look into chan’s natal chart to see what type of boyfriend he would be!

✨i will give a brief synopsis of what each chart placement means throughout the series (for all my non-astrology friends out there <3) and how that would affect channie in a relationship

✨ author’s notes:

(1) i do brief compatibility readings w/ skz members! if interested, send your natal chart to my inbox, as well as which member you’d like me to read for OR if i think there is one member best suited to you <3

(2) the aspects in this reading are based solely on my opinions and interpretations! nothing about a person is set in stone simply because of astrology. please don’t use anything i say as canon :)

✨warnings: sad plot, theme of unfaithfulness, occasional cursing

✨tl/dr: chan is a loverboy who gets caught up in flirting when he doesn’t even know he’s flirting. then he ends up a blubbering mess.

Mercury in Libra:

-Mercury is the planetary ruler of communication and intellect. It shows how you connect with others throughout everyday life, just in speaking with them. It can also tell you a lot about how you relate to others and interpret the information they give you.

-Libra is a cardinal sign, meaning that people who are in this placement REALLY live by the aspects associated with that placement- in other words, chan is likely to hold very true to these values.

-Libra is the sign of love, beauty, charm, and balance. Libra in Mercury has a few key traits when it comes to communication. They are natural charmers and can instantly make people like them simply by talking with them. Libras are very good at placating to what others want, so they can speak to you in a way that they tell you what you want to hear. Libras also love beauty, so they many times will have an elegant way of speaking or cute quirks and mannerisms. Lastly, Libras value harmony and balance, so most likely their communication style will either (1) mimic yours, or (2) counter yours to be able to reach a happy medium.

-Long story short: Mercury in Libra people are sweet talkers who can charm anyone they meet, make them feel special, and meet them at the communication level that they are in. HOWEVER, the downside to Libra in Mercury is that they do not like confrontation- so they are likely going to avoid any conversations that could disrupt the peace between them and that person.

As your boyfriend:

• Chan always supports you exactly how you need him to.

◦ Had a bad day? He understands, come lay on him and talk about it.

◦ Upset over a test score? Scores are stupid, he’s gonna buy you ice cream and let you rant about how ridiculous it was.

◦ Got into a yelling match with a close friend? Hold his hands and talk him through it. He wants to know how he can help.

• He adapts to what you need in that moment- if you need someone to listen, he will sit there with an open ear. If you need advice on what to do, he will analyze every option and patiently walk you through what he thinks is best.

• If you get really frustrated or angry over something, he will 100% come up behind you and bear hug you, shaking you around until you give in and put a smile on your face.

• “Come here and talk to me,” he says, pulling you down to sit on his lap.

• He loves talking about deep things with you, like the meaning of life. It makes him feel so lucky to have such a smart significant other.

• He stares at you in awe as you talk about things you’re passionate about. Even if he genuinely doesn’t care about the topic, he holds on to every word, thinking of how cute you are in this moment.

• He remembers every little story you tell him about your childhood. When you bring up a long-gone aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc., he says “Oh, the one you told me about who ___?” You always smile at how he remembers these little things.

• Chan knows that you’re mad. He ALWAYS knows.

• He can tell in the way that you don’t instinctively turn your knees towards him in the car and when you don’t automatically reach for his hand when you walk next to him.

• He may not know why you’re mad, but he does know that you are.

• What he has a really hard time with is addressing it.

• He’s been trying for days to make up for it- whatever it is.

• Every day, he starts with “Good morning beautiful.” And every night, he finishes with “Good night princess.” Making sure you didn’t feel unloved.

• He’s been doing extra housework- cooking, cleaning, finishing up odd jobs you’d asked about a month ago. Could that be it?

• He’s been putting his foot down at work, leaving every night 5 PM to make sure he gets to spend the evenings with you. Maybe that’s what this is about- maybe you just missed spending time with him.

• Chan doesn’t know what’s wrong, and nothing he’s done so far has changed anything.

• He was hoping that his efforts would change your attitude toward him, or even make you forget about it, but he just couldn’t understand why you weren’t letting up. Why you weren’t letting him in as closely as you once had. Why things were so good, but now they are so different.

• All he knows now is that he is hopelessly in love with you, but it seems like you don’t feel the same anymore.

• You both sat together on the couch for a while. You thought Chan wouldn’t notice as you slowly inched yourself away from him, more slowly as the minutes passed.

• But he knew. He tried to reason that something was wrong. He didn’t want to push for an answer yet for fear of learning one that he wished he wouldn’t have.

• You continued to scroll on your phone, mind-numbingly on the ‘X’ app. This was a habitual routine, but one you decided you needed to break.

• There were a lot of great posts on there, but there was a lotttt about your boyfriend on there as well. One more unwanted post you knew would send you into a spiral.

• But you couldn’t help yourself. You had to know.

• You scrolled through the hashtag on the app. “#bangchan” splayed across the search bar.

• Cute photos and gifs. Adorable collages. Sexy TikTok edits. The usual. It took you probably 10 minutes of scrolling before you found something that got you ticked off again.

• ‘Every goddamn time,’ you thought, as your scoffed and rolled your eyes. You stared down at the video playing on the phone, as if this was the first one you’d ever seen.

• The caption of the video:

“how cute is #bangchan looking flirting with #fem/idol 😭🥰”.

• You focused on the interaction on the screen. There was Chan at the award show last night, leaning in and whispering something into fem/idol’s ear. When he pulled back, he looked down at her with a big smile, and you could see her reciprocate by blushing intensely and batting her eyelashes back up at him. You watched as he continued to talk for a few moments, laughing and offering up big hand gestures before saying goodbye, making sure to fully catch her eyes and bow as he went.

• You quickly scrolled underneath to the comment section, hoping that someone would say something- anything- to make you feel better.

◦ “God I wish he would look at me that way 🤭”

◦ “omfg she’s so pretty id def have chan’s reaction too”

◦ “Crying 😭😭 When do you think they’ll announce that they’re together? ❤️”

• You swiped out of the app entirely, shutting your phone off afterwards and placing it in your lap. You continued to stare down at the black screen until you felt tears start to well up in your eyes.

• You quickly tried to blink them away, but you couldn’t help it. This was the third time THIS week that you’d seen him do shit like this. Smiling, blushing, and heavily complimenting one girl, helping another fix her shoe, and now this. Before, you could reason it away- chuck it up to him just being a “nice guy.” But you couldn’t keep doing that forever.

• You always saw the comments people left under the videos about how cute they would be together and how Chan would be the perfect boyfriend.

• ‘But little do they know,’ you thought as you sighed.

• You turned your legs along with your body fully toward the other side of the couch, opposite of where Chan was. You looked a bit ridiculous facing the other way, but you didn’t care. You didn’t want to see his face. You couldn’t stand to.

• You let your mind wonder, repeating the video in your head. The way he looked at her and the way she looked back.

• ‘Am I stupid?… Have I been stupid this whole time?…’

• You thought back to when you first decided to make things official with him, and how you both agreed that it would be easier to not publicize the relationship. You didn’t want anyone coming in the way of what you have together.

• ‘Was that my first mistake? So he can date me in secret and go out and flirt with any other idol he wants?’

• Your mind drifted to each other interaction you’d seen with him. You had make excuses time and time before. But it hurt to see him like this. Your OWN boyfriend talking to another girl the way that he SHOULD be seen talking to you.

• You couldn’t help yourself as one tear escaped. Then two, then three. Before you knew it, there was a release of waterworks all down your face. Your mind got the best of you as you started sobbing into your hands, burying your face into the side of the couch. There was nothing you could do to stop yourself.

• “Baby?” Chan called. His response was met only with more tears.

• “Baby, what is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, scooting his whole body next to yours to hold your back.

• “Get off of me!” you lashed out. He looked confused for a moment, but released his grip from you.

• “Honey, please talk to me. What’s wrong?” he asked, genuine sadness on his face.

• Hearing him call you pet names, all while pulling shit like he just had, completely set you off. “Don’t call me that.” You straightened back up in your seat, slightly turning toward him, not daring to look him in the face.

• “Don’t call you what?”

• “Honey, baby, whatever. You don’t get to call me that anymore.”

• “Y/n, what is going on? Seriously?” He placed his face in front of yours and used his hands to move your shoulders around to face him. This is the first time he could see how red and puffy your face had become. He felt like a piece of him had broken off just looking at you.

• “What’s going on?” you cried. “I don’t know Chris, why don’t you tell me what’s going on.” You quickly unlocked your phone, the video still open on it. You dropped the phone down to him as you stood, then taking a couple of steps to get some distance.

• He watched the video, moving his head around as if he was studying it. He replayed it a couple of times, then turned it intently, like he was looking for a hidden message. But he could find none. He furrowed his brow, then looked back up at you with a stare of confusion.

• You scoffed. “Okay. So you see nothing wrong with that?”

• “With what? Talking to another girl?!”

• “FLIRTING with another girl, Christopher! Flirting!… I’m not stupid! This is the THIRD video I’ve seen like this in a week. Do you know how humiliating it feels to have to see you, who was supposed to be the love of my life, out here flirting with all these other idols THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.. AND THEN having people comment on top of it about how you two would be ‘just the cutest couple ever’! Do you have any idea how that feels?!”

• You saw him get a tinge of sadness in his eyes, but you cut him off before he could speak.

• “No, you know what? I KNOW you don’t know how this feels. Because I would NEVER think to look at another man the way that I look at you.. So you know what!? If you’re that interested in other girls, you can go for it! By alllll means, don’t let me stop you!” You could feel steam coming off of yourself.

• You didn’t even want to hear what he had to say, you just wanted to get out of there. He could have his idol life. Do whatever the fuck he wanted. He had you fooled for a while, but now you saw him for who he was. A liar. Wants his cake and eats it too. But not with you anymore.

• You turned on your heels to leave, thinking you’d go ahead and pack an overnight bag to head out. As you took your first step, you felt a grasp and a tug on your wrist in the opposite direction.

• You stumbled back, feeling him cling to your hand, then pull the top of your body slightly as he stood himself up. By the time he settled, he had you back facing right in front of him with your one hand in his.

• “Y/n, please don’t say that. Please, just listen to me,” he begged, eyes bigger than you’d ever seen them.

• “Listen to what? Listen to you explain how it’s okay to flirt while you’re in a relationship?”

• “That wasn’t flirting!”

• “Oh really, then what do you call that?!”

• “I was just being nice! I thought-” his voice cracked, tears starting to well up in his eyes. “I thought I was-“ he hung his head to the side. “I thought I was being nice!” He looked so defeated.

• And just like that, he started sobbing. Tears were streaming down his face like you’d never seen before. So powerful, they left visible marks even on his black shirt. He kept trying to get words out through his cries.

• ”Baby, I- I’m so sorry, I didn’t know,” he cried. “I didn’t know it would come across like that… I would NEVER,” he genuinely could not contain himself as he strained to get the words out. “I would NEVER do that to you! I could never think of someone else like that.”

• Teardrops kept trickling down as he reached to grab your other hand into his. “I love you- only you! I could never flirt with someone else! But the fact that I made you feel like that- that that’s what it looked like to you…” he couldn’t even see anymore with the water flowing out of himself. “I am just so sorry… Y/n I’m so sorry! Please, please believe me.” He was getting choked now. His face was red like he was about to pass out from lack of air.

• You stood still, not knowing yet what to believe or what to say.

• “Baby please! Please,” he took your face in his hands, feeling of the few stray tears on your own face. “Please. I love you. Please don’t shut me out. I thought I was just being nice and I- I-… I’ve..” he huffed, struggling to get out what he wanted to say. “I’ve done the last thing I ever wanted to do. I would never intentionally hurt you, do you understand me?!” He tried his best to look into your eyes. All you could see were tears weeping out, redness shooting in all directions, and a look of absolute brokenness. “I promise I never meant to come across that way. I thought I was just being nice to her, that is ALL. YOU are the only person I care about. No one else means anything to me. Without you, I am NOTHING. Please baby, please listen to me. Please don’t leave me. I’ll do anything to make this right.”

• He continued to wail as he brought his arms around your body, resting his head on the side of yours. His tears began to soak down into your hair. There was still nothing you could say. I mean, what could you say? Your boyfriend was notorious for being a charming guy… But knowing that didn’t make this situation any easier.

• “Please baby,” he rubbed your head as he plead. “Please just tell me how to fix it and I will. I don’t want you to ever feel that way again.” You felt the water from his eyes now drench your hair entirely. “I PROMISE if you show me what I’m doing wrong, I will never do it again. I promise I will be perfect for you. Just tell me how. I will do ANYTHING! I am BEGGING, y/n!”

• He stood there, holding you as tightly as he could while cradling your head and trying to quieten his sobs. He waited for you to give him some sort of response. Good, bad, ANYTHING was better than nothing. He felt his heart physically break inside his chest when you remained silent, not even motioning to begin getting a word out.

• He slowly pulled his face away from your hair, coming up to face directly into you one last time. His whole face was swollen, pink cheeks now extended into a pink nose and pink ears, streaks of both new and old teardrops going in every direction.

• “Y/n please,” he begged. “Just tell me something… Anything.” He felt like the floor could drop from under him any moment. A gnawing pit formed in his stomach that he felt was going to jump out of his throat while waiting to hear you.

• You stood still for another moment, moving your eyes down and contemplating what you could even say at this point. Your emotions were so mixed.

• “I love you so much. Please know that,” tears still in his eyes, he leaned down to kiss you. It was wet and you could feel the desperation in the intensity he moved his lips over yours. You leaned into it the slightest bit, giving him most minute sense of hope. He clung onto the kiss with everything he could, throwing his lips further into yours before you felt the tears start to slowly separate you again. He pulled his lips off of yours with violent hesitancy.

• He whispered now, as if he didn’t want anyone else in the world to hear him. “Please teach me what you want. Say the word, and I will do it...” small tears now were the only ones coming out. “I would give up everything for you, y/n. Money, fame, anything. Please just teach me what you want…. Please-” he cried, “please don’t leave me.”

• wellll, I’ll let you decide what your fate is with chan 🤭 to forgive or not to forgive?

• ohhh the world of a mercury in libra

——————————————————————————————

If you enjoyed, please consider liking, commenting, or re-blogging <3

[o-sunny-day]

Caine Analysis, MUSIC MAN EDITION!!!

The track that plays during Zoobles therapy session….first of all, goes unneceSSARILY hard. highly recommend, give it a listen, save it on a playlist.

But also OH MY GOD, THE WAY THE MUSIC IS USED IN THE THERAPY SCENE(S), IM OBSESSED WITH IT!!! I just gotta yap about it here.

Before the scene analysis though, I wanna talk about the song as a whole/on its own…it just feels like Caines theme- its so ridiculously goofy, with a moment that has a smooth…elegant piano…that plays a few notes…that then goes straight back to wacky again HDHCHEH like yeah I feel like that sums him up as a character pretty well. Also the sound effects used just kinda scream “this guys got a screw loose”

but I digress…

ONTO THE SCENE!!!! analyzing the music is the main idea, but plot twist this is also just generally a therapy scene analysis…. this is the longest thing I have ever written for this show….so im gonna put a Keep Reading here so uh…If you’re as committed to this show as I am, uh, godspeed soldier.

Before Caine even brings therapy up, theres no music, and Caine is more or less forcing this conversation onto Zooble. He snaps his fingers, and BOOM the music comes in, setting the tone for something ridiculous and silly, something that therapy…famously is not.

I love Caine, but this definitely feels like one of his more…morally dubious scenes/parts of his character. This isn’t him looking to help Zooble, as it is more helping them ONLY so they participate in his adventures. Sure, he may be concerned over WHY someone wouldn’t want to go on his amazingly fun adventures, but the main goal here is still just getting Zooble to participate…. in general, not the best intentions/goal-

This beginning scene is also a really good example of how much control Caine has over the space, I rewatched the pilot recently and found on a writing perspective how cool the ending is. We have just witnessed the entire cast struggle and get bodied by this abstraction/finding the exit problem, before Caine comes in and fixes every issue in 10 second by snapping his fingers twice, but the WAY he “fixes” these issues is also really cool and informative. It only proves his control, not his HELPFULNESS. Caine doesn’t help by fixing Kaufmo, or even getting rid of him in a dignified way, just CHUCK EM DOWN A HOLE! And for the exit? lets just teleport you away, there ya go, oh yeah btw the exit wasnt real HAHA so funny right? anywho heres a feast.

BUT UH- ANYWHO BACK TO MUSIC THINGS.

The session begins by Caine asking whats on Zoobles mind. They make an attempt to escape like “hey man…imna have to sit this out” before Caine demonstrates what we just talked about. How he has ALL the power here, laughs and shuts that DOWN. The music abruptly stopping at this, before continuing like it neveerrr happened ✨

The music stops again, however, as Zooble begins to talk about their issue, then deciding its pointless. The music then continues when it goes back to Caine. This pattern goes on throughout the whole thing, starting when it focuses on Caine, and stopping when it focuses on Zooble, showing a very stark contrast between the 2 in…everything about them, but also in how they’re handling the situation

The music doesn’t come back when Caine shows the bee he drew, though. I think thats mainly because, even though the shot is focusing on Caine, the point of it is to convey Zoobles perspective on the situation. instead of focusing on Caine and the fact that hes not paying attention, its Zoobles reaction to him not paying attention. (The whole “forget it” theory and that being a command, I think, is really cool and could easily be true, but i’m hesitant to believe it only because I feel that that could easily take away some of Caines accountability in only caring about adventures instead of actually being concerned for Zoobles well being.)

After a break and seeing what our manor buddies are up to, we come back to Caine being more elevated- the tone taking on a less hehe-playful-silly vibe, and more of a subdued version, id think thats just to fit the situation, because of the aforementioned elevatedness. Though the music is still playing and its not silent because its still RIDICULOUS, not meant to be taken as seriously (though Caines anger here is so real cause this is my exact reaction when I cant remember things)

it does stops though when Zooble finally opens up, giving a chance to be serious one more time….before going STRAIGHT back to silly, and not the subdued kind either, theres no toy noises but its still lively-er

then.

THIS PART.

THIS PART, IS WHAT MADE ME WRITE THIS ENTIRE THING IN THE FIRST PLACE.

THIS IS WHAT THROWS ME FOR A LOOP.

Zooble responds to this so-called solution, saying it just doesnt work, as the music fades out. It doesnt CUT out, Zooble is being pretty gentle here, saying that they have honest to god TRIED his attempt at a fix, but it just doesnt work.

BUT THEN THE MUSIC COMES BACK AGAIN AS CAINE DISMISSES THIS, AND GOES STRAIGHT BACK TO THE ADVENTURES. This is the most important part to me in my point that Caines flaws SHINE in this scene. Zooble confiding in Caine for the PROBABLY HUNDREDTH TIME, getting the SAME SOLUTION, telling him it DOES NOT WORK. and then he flat out IGNORES THIS. “So, back to the adventures :D” LIKE WHAT THE FUCK MAN 😭 I love him so much I am not Caine hater I promise hes my favorite character and I love his flaws I just think its so funny HCDHHHDHDH

But with the music, and how it fades out, it CUTS BACK IN REAL QUICK! As Caine desperately tries to get what he wants out of this.

but the SOUND of the music that cuts in… its just so…off?? I lack the proper music terminology to describe it- It just WAVERS in a weird way, it feels like a voice crack, and as Zooble says to forget it, its like Caine stumbled trying to get back to get to the adventures, and is stumbling even more as hes trying to make sense of Zoobles “forget it” line.

and then. the music just. completely dies, after slowly fizzling out with the whole awkward comeback thing. Its quiet as Zooble explains why nobody likes Caines adventures, similar to how it went quiet when Zooble explained their OWN issues. Caine flies over, going back to being all goofy. except the music doesnt come back.

But after all the glitching… IT JUST GOES RIGHT BACK….like it never happened✨

And for why the music doesnt return in this last bit with Caine on the therapy couch, im not too sure. I cant tell if its because this is also supposed to be taken seriously, or if its just cause it worked the best with the scene it just left on, but I personally….dont know. idk how serious its supposed to be taken that Caine definitely needs therapybHBEHBDEHHDEHHDE

CONCLUSIONS: MORE YAP ABOUT A FEW THINGS THAT DONT INVOLVE MUSIC BUT MORE JUST THIS SCENE IN GENERAL!!!

fucking phenomenal voice work on Alex Rochon here, im obsessed with the sudden change in tone with the line “all i’m….good at.” and then the shake in his voice, both things that we have NEVER HEARD come out of this character before….nor..expected??

and idk if its just because ive watched this scene like a hundred times and im over analyzing BUT the way Caines eyes shrink here…It feels like hes making this realization that its “all hes good at” as hes saying it, like he has never thought of it that way before, but now that he is……

AND LASTLY!!! Something about this scene in GENERAL that I dont quite understand about the common take away, is that the reason why Zooble doesn’t go on adventures is just because they arent good in Zoobles head, like they very much establish it has nothing to do with the adventures it has everything to do with them. The only reason why they bring up that “no one likes the adventures” is because thats all that Caine cares to hear about, at least from their perspective.

in real conclusion……i love Caine, Zooble, and Caines flaws.

[ladyjayde]

Okay, I have some things to say about the first season of The Magnus Protocol... This might be a long one but I don't care ✨

SPOILERS OBVS IF YOU'RE NOT UP TO DATE

I'd like to mention beforehand that I absolutely ADORED TMA, and I'm a big fan of Jonny and Alex's work. Maybe this is just me having too high expectations for this series, but I have spoken to some of my friends who also listen to this podcast and have listened to Magnus Archives and pretty much everyone agrees. So here we go

I'm not feeling it. I didn't enjoy this season at all in all honesty. The only moments that excited me was the lore we had for the TMA characters to which, as far as we know, have nothing to do with this story. It was all filler to please the fans which is appreciated, but every statement in this season felt unimportant. Sure, we had Mr. Bonzo and a couple others that we saw again as part of Gwen's work, but they never truly felt like a threat to me. If anything, most interactions they got felt coincidental more than anything.

Which leads to my second point, there was no action in the season and it made it political and boring to me :/ I understand that's this is how TMA kinda started as well, with a lot of build up and set up for the world. BUT, at least we got SOMETHING by the end of the season. There was real danger and survival instinct activated for the characters. TMAGP has none of that... They jump in, no questions asked and no questions answered. There's no thrill, there's barely any suspense. It feels empty.

And now the characters themselves. Well, except from the very charged introduction to all of them at once that lead many fans to be confused and have difficulty identifying each of them in the first few episodes, they are pretty mundane. None of their stories truly engage with me. Don't get me wrong, I still love them, but they feel a bit boring and all too similar to each other. They get lost in the plot and don't feel like individuals. It's like they're forgetting who they are in order to feed into the plot.

Now, with all of that being said, here's what I think could've helped make this a better series.

1. Make it a longer series. As of now, there's only one episode left which, yes, is supposed to be double length, but nothing has happened yet for me to want a second season. Even if it has taken an extra year or two, I would've rather waited. So, unless something very intense happens next Thursday, I don't think S2 will be in my "Need to listen" list. Too much setup, not enough fear. Like, I'm not even worried that Sam or Celia will die in the next episode. They have so much plot armor I'm certain they'll survive.

2. Make the statements have an effect on the characters. Only Sam seems to take interest in them. But with the others just setting them aside and ignoring the stories, it makes us feel like they're unimportant as well. And it sucks, cause TMA's statements had an effect on the characters and changed their ways of thinking. Now, they're just there to be there and not much is coming out of them.

So yeah, this is MY PERSONAL OPINION and I still want to support Rusty Quill for all the beautiful podcasts they create for us, but TMAGP was not it for me. I love this fandom, I love the lore and the writing itself, but the story didn't hook me in as much as I would've liked it to.

I might regret all of this by next week when the last episode comes out, but for now, these are my thoughts.

I'll get back to you all next week to share my overall thoughts on the S1 of The Magnus Protocol.

Feel free to comment or repost with your own thoughts! I'd love to hear if I'm alone in this or if people agree

Love you all <3

[three-masked-ducks-chugging-hj7]

Alright, incoming ridiculously long rant about the Finding Nemo stage show at Animal Kingdom. Specifically, a rant about the current version and how disappointed I was with it, as someone who knows the original show almost line-for-line.

My first problem with it: the visuals. Most of the puppets are the same, and, don't get me wrong, there are some fun new effects and backgrounds in the current show (shark teeth on the bubbles during Fish Are Friends Not Food, I'll miss you...) My issue comes from two main things, those being the lack of wires being used during Just Keep Swimming and Squirt's puppet.

As it stands now, the choreography for Just Keep Swimming consists entirely of Dory and Marlin kind of just prancing along the stage, rather than gliding and flipping over the stage through the use of wires. Maybe there was something wrong with the wires (or maybe Disney had already trashed the wires when they thought that show wouldn't be opening back up), but it just made for a much less visually interesting musical number.

As for Squirt, he's not a half-puppet-half-costume on bungees anymore. He's just a puppet now. He's still cute, and I'm not as upset about this as I am about things to come, it's just, again, less visually interesting compared to what was there before.

Now, the much larger problem: the pacing. Basically, everything that wasn't a song (and even a few of the scenes that DID have songs, like the jellyfish scene and the scene toward the end with the fish caught in the net) were cut. In place of these scenes, we would just cut to Gill explaining in two-to-three sentences what happened. This means that, instead of being linked by full scenes with dialogue, all of the songs are just linked by a very brief summary of what WOULD have been shown in said scenes. So, the entire show is now just Gill briefly talking -> song -> a couple sentences -> song -> a couple sentences -> song, and so on.

And this leads to another problem with the show. It's set up as though the fish from the dentist office are telling us the story of Finding Nemo, but with the way the show is structured, it is ENTIRELY reliant on the audience already knowing the story. We aren't even shown what HAD been the first scene, in which we see Marlin and Coral being excited about having kids, only for a barracuda to come and eat Coral and all but one of the eggs, which leads to us knowing WHY Marlin is so overprotective of Nemo and scared to go exploring the ocean. Instead, we're just told that the story begins with a little fish named Nemo, and we cut straight to Nemo being excited about school and exploring, while Marlin's chasing him nervously. This isn't too big of an issue if you DO know the story because, in that case, you KNOW why Marlin's so worried, and you KNOW why you should be caring about either of them. But, if you DON'T, you're just left wondering why you should care about these two fish.

The way things are structured also leaves potential for confusion when trying to follow the plot. For example, the jellyfish scene being cut out means that you just see Marlin and Dory talking to the fish who point them toward Sydney (🎶aaaaaaaaah✨), and then, next time you see them, they're with the sea turtles. Yeah, we don't get the trench scene because we don't get the jellyfish scene, and, oh yeah, we're also missing a chunk of Just Keep Swimming because of those scenes being cut! Which also means, we don't see the moment when Marlin actually kind of starts to bond with Dory! Yay, missing character development!

And, on THAT note, there are MANY important scenes for character development that were cut! I already mentioned the beginning scene with Marlin and Coral, as well as the moment with Marlin during the jellyfish scene, but there are even more pivotal moments missing. For example, Marlin talking with the other dads dropping their kids off for school. Here, we have some dads who have already been in Marlin's place, so they know that their kids will be fine, and they're not worried at all. Marlin attempts to have the same chill attitude about everything, and he manages it until they mention the drop-off. At which point, his fears get the best of him, and he rushes after Nemo. NOW, the drop-off is just mentioned by, if I remember correctly, some off-stage voice, and Marlin freaks out. Again, his panic would seem odd to someone who didn't know the story because we're missing that beginning scene.

Then, when Nemo first ends up in the fish tank. In the original show, we see him being placed there and, at first, thinking he's alone. He has a whole song expressing his fear about being alone and guilt over swimming away from his dad and now missing him. It's only then that we're introduced to the other fish in the tank, and they slowly ease Nemo's fears and make him feel less scared...GUESS WHAT! THAT'S gone now, in favor of the fish telling the story just being like, 'Oh! Here's where WE come in!' And it goes straight past Nemo's fear and worry and guilt, and he's just immediately fine and talking with these fish.

And now, one of the most important moments that's missing from the current show: the scene with all the fish being trapped in a huge net. Now, what's so important about THIS scene, you may ask. For that, we have to go back to when Marlin finds Nemo about to swim toward the boat. They do still have this whole argument in the current show (we still have THAT, at least.) Marlin's final statement during this argument is, "You think that you can do these things, but you are wrong!" That's where the importance of the net scene comes from. In this scene, along with all these other unknown fish, Dory gets captured. Nemo, having previously been aided in escaping a much smaller net by all the other fish in the tank swimming down (which we DO still have in the current show, even though it doesn't have its payoff anymore), tells Marlin that he knows how to help Dory and the other fish escape. Another brief argument ensues, following a similar pattern to the first one, all the way up to Marlin's 'final' statement, "You think that you can do these things, but-" He cuts himself off, remembering what Crush had told him before. He has to let Nemo do things on his own. He has to let him go. He can't just let nothing ever happen to him. He 'kneels' down, holds Nemo's face in his 'fin' and finishes his statement with, "I know you can." The net scene is gone now. We don't get this moment, which is the completion of Marlin's character arc.

The structure of the current show really just takes away so much of the charm of the original show. Not only are important scenes missing, but we're missing scenes that were less important to the story, but arguably the most enjoyable parts. We've lost Dory and Marlin's guessing game, where Dory keeps thinking of Marlin because of her short-term memory loss. We've lost the moments of bonding between Nemo and the other fish in the tank. We've lost the word of Marlin's adventure being spread all across the ocean in silly little vignettes. We've lost, "Sea monkeys took my money...Yes, I'm a natural blue...AAAH! I WAS FRAMED! I WAS FRAMED!...Good morning!" And we've lost Nigel and Bubbles all together. Yeah, that yellow fish who's obsessed with bubbles, who was present in the original show? Gone. (I guess he didn't make it to the institute with the others. /j)

It's just never going to bring me as much joy as the original show did. Not because it's different, but because it's just worse.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Cat's People Book Review 🦇

❓ Do you have any pets? What are their names? 🦇 Cat is a curious, observant stray feline who spends his days among five New Yorkers: Núria, a single-by-choice barista who takes care of strays Collin, a bestselling author and self-professed hermit who needs a little love in his life Lily, a fresh-out-of-high school Georgia native searching for her long-lost half-sister Omar, the beloved neighborhood mailman going through an early midlife crisis Bong, the grieving widower who owns Núria’s favorite bodega When Cat suddenly falls ill, these five strangers bond over their desire to care for him and discover that chance encounters can lead to the meaningful connections they’ve all been searching for.

💜 What a heartwarming story. Let's break it down:

✨ Characters (4/5): Each character is at an interesting crossroads; keeping a secret, struggling with grief, feeling stuck in their career. While this unites them in an unseen way, so does Cat. Each human's story was rich and well-written, but it's Cat's story, how he connects them, that makes this book special. There aren't a lot of books out there that switch to an animal's POV so much, but instead of feeling awkward or unrealistic, Cat's perspective is the glue holding the story (and his humans) together. This is, above all else, a found family story about connection, community, and possibility.

✨ Plot and Pacing (3/5): The pacing wavers from time to time, slowing the story. With an ensemble cast and multiple POVs, it's sometimes difficult to find balance.

✨ World-Building (3/5): Though the story is set in New York (which has its own, unique culture that can drastically change each time you turn a street corner), I didn't feel it much. There's so much tell in this story, but we're shown very little of the setting; a setting that should have a dramatic impact on Cat.

✨ Romance (3/5): The story's romantic subplot was cute, but the execution is a bit awkward. As much as I adore Collin's lack of people skills, the pseudo-stalking is a bit much. The letters he exchanges with Núria are sweet and show us his emotional depth, but I didn't really feel the intensity of the moment when they realize the other's identity (namely, the last coffeehouse scene). Same with the reveal between Núria and Lily; the emotional impact is missing. The one scene that DOES carry emotional weight is at the animal clinic, when the five humans come together to worry over Cat.

✨ Mystery/Suspense (2/5): I would have held off on revealing Lily's secret to the audience a LITTLE longer, if only to build tension.

✨ Tone/Prose (2/5): The prose is stilted and lackluster; all tell over show. Sometimes, that causes the pacing to drag. Unfortunately, I don't have any annotations for this book; a rare thing.

🦇 Recommended to all animal and cat lovers!

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🐈‍⬛ Multi POV 🐈‍⬛ Secret Crush/Love Letters 🐈‍⬛ Uplifting Stories 🐈‍⬛ Found Family 🐈‍⬛ Cats!

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #CatsPeople

[unytret]

I think it's probably because marriage specifically is a big thing for both of them? like they're ready to be committed (e.g. get a house together) but carla obviously has a complicated history regarding getting married and lisa is still tied to becky in lots of ways so maybe that's the catch?

ooh thanks for responding!

i completely validate this perspective

i do however believe that the driving force of the conversations we saw in yday’s scenes surrounded the topic of timing rather than past marriages. imo, if it were a genuine concern for this moment, the writers(who usually take good care of their communication) would have set the stage for them to talk about it and it would have been brought up. it’s not lost on me how carla’s main scene objective at the bistro was simply her just trying to figure out for herself if lisa meant it. but i’ll admit that when i said i preferred the house as the next step, i likely preferred it without the knowledge of a possibility of a proposal. i think it leaned more into me wanting to see a major storyline for them without any heavy pressure behind it, but the whole proposal antics that got mixed into all of this makes even buying a house seem just as serious as an engagement for me, making me contradict my own initial opinions 🫠. i guess i just feel like there’s going to be this lingering pressure of proposal pt.2 just because they (eventually) get the house and now i don’t know what order makes the most sense anymore but to your point, you’re right—carla will probably just propose it in a way to convince lisa she’s all the way in as an act of commitment when it comes to their blended family. also i do think if lisa was serious about the location of their wedding being in Ibiza, they’ll probably use that lore as an excuse to hold off the real engagement/wedding cause that’s not cheap lmao. i think i’m just complaining about how the show really could’ve held back on putting both the proposal and house conversations so close together (because i genuinely want both for them in good ✨timing✨)but at the same time ig i get it because they needed something dramatic to bring in the house purchasing plot so they pulled the biggest guns out.

[whinlatter]

author's note | chapter 9: wintering ❄️

thank you so much for reading chapter 9 of beasts. in this chapter, ginny goes home for christmas, back into the fold of the family that anchored the anti-voldemort movement now grieving the loss of a brother and a son - and finds it's tougher to keep secrets from one harry james potter than she might otherwise have thought. this was a tough chapter to write, and one i cared a lot about trying to get right. so - let's have a chat about it (and a little sneak peek of chapter 10)...

✨ spoilers for this chapter below the cut  ✨

writing notes and headcanons:

writing: this is the first chapter where i’ve strayed from the chapter plan and shunted scenes to a future chapter. i ummed and ahhed about it, then remembered no-one else knows what the plot is and what this chapter was supposed to be, then got a grip lol. lesson learned - if it’s hard work and it feels like you’re trying to force it, you probably are, so chill out lmao

this ended up, then, as a chapter about families. we see the blacks, the order itself, andromeda and teddy’s new little unit, little glimpse of the lovegoods - and the possibility of new families, most obviously in the case of bill and fleur’s baby on the way. at the core of this chapter, though, are the weasleys, this openly political family of freedom fighters, first family of the resistance, and a family thoroughly scarred by war. i’ve talked a bit about this elsewhere, but i have always been so struck that the weasleys enter the narrative as add-ons to ron, harry’s mate, but over the series increasingly become the core of the entire anti-voldemort movement, with a history of resistance and also of grief and sacrifice (fabian and gideon). so this chapter spends some time with each member of the family, a little panorama of the weasleys eight months on from the battle to see how they’re all coping (or not). it was really really important to me that each family member’s grief and emotional state got a moment in this chapter. partly this is because i think that writing character-centric fiction shouldn’t neglect attending to the broader emotional context of the ensemble around a character, but also because each family member is quietly showing ginny the different ways they’re all responding to fred’s death in ways that might get her thinking about who she feels most similar to and who her family needs her to be. that bill is the only family member who answers ginny’s wish that her family would talk about fred more and stop avoiding saying his name was deliberate. with his parents struggling so much, bill is clearly stepping up as the person to look after his family. he’s aware of his own emotional responses, he’s discussing his own grief, but he’s also looking to the future, making plans for it and trying to improve the world he’ll spend it in, even though he knows  it’ll be bittersweet. it was important for me to have ginny to have that behaviour modelled to her from someone she singularly admires.

space: as the plot of ginny looking back and processing a childhood at war progresses, i wanted to draw together and quietly contrast two spaces, grimmauld place and the burrow. these are the two headquarters of the order of the phoenix, two family homes, two sites of familial rupture - and, now,  two places equally haunted by the ghosts of people who once lived there and who are now gone. writing this chapter i did a lot of imagining the communal spaces in both residences kind of as a set for a play with ensemble characters walking on and off stage at whim, which actually made the whole thing much easier when i was freaking out about having too big a cast for one chapter lol.

harry and ginny: see here!

molly weasley: my real soapbox issue for this chapter is that molly weasley’s grief really, really matters. i know molly is rarely anyone’s blorbo. she’s increasingly hated in certain corners of the fandom (check the most kudos-ed fic tagged under molly & ginny lol) and even among those people who like molly, lots of postwar fics focussing on different characters’ pics have her just sort of return to normal, get back to fussing about the house and the kids’ relationships and careers in her mumsy way. i do get this: it’s hard to want to give a lot of time in a fic to a (usually) tertiary character’s grief rather than the protagonist’s, especially when everyone is grieving, and molly is an often convenient source of either amusement, nuisance or even antagonism in hinny fics (many of my own favourites!) for her (seemingly) conservative views on sexuality and her busybody behaviour. but i’ve never subscribed to this in my own headcanon as a canon coherent choice, simply because canon is very clear that molly weasley’s worst nightmare is the death of one of her children, and that nightmare happens. (in fact, it’s even worse than she imagines in the boggart, because even in her worst nightmares she didn’t imagine one of the twins dying and not the other.) while i absolutely do not want to relate this fictional loss to the real life experiences of friends and family who have known terrible loss, it was important to me to try and write an alternative version of molly that centred her grief in a way that felt plausible and true, and acknowledged that the loss she and arthur have endured is one that would change them enormously.. truthfully, i don’t think either character would ever really be ok again (which why grief is so hard to work with narratively - it offers no neat conclusions or easily legible arcs of healing).over the past few months, ginny has been worrying about a very teenage set of worries re molly, stressing about her mother’s response to her losing the captaincy and poor school performance, thinking she might get a howler, gearing up for a fight over whether harry can sleep in her bed - only to get home to find her mum has fallen apart. narratively, i wanted ginny to see her mum like this, and to finally start to understand why her mum was so insistent on her being a child and having a childhood and keep her away from the war that ginny was so desperate to fight in. 

the other point here, and i do feel strongly about this, is that for a fandom very interested in how families, loss and trauma during wars shapes characters (marauders fics are some of the richest best explorations of these themes), i worry we don’t care nearly enough about what molly weasley goes through, and about how women respond to their grief in complicated and nuanced ways. as @saintsenara has pointed out, the lack of attention paid to molly weasley’s backstory and grief over her brothers, and especially her grief after fred’s death, smacks of misogyny. perhaps molly’s frumpy mumsy unchic domesticity fretting about her children’s grades makes her not a cool enough character to care about her pain: perhaps it’s that she beefs sirius, everyone’s traumatised fave (and a character i adore). but i do really care in this fic about offering a rendering of molly that shows a possible way she would respond to fred's death, now seeing in her children the grief she has lived with already for so long, no longer able to return to the person she was before. i think molly weasley is a person who understands how their awful world works and tries to encourage her children into a path that will provide for them with material security and offer chances to do meaningful work towards reform. and while you can disagree with that as advice to her children, i don't think that worldview invalidates her right to thorough, compassionate treatments in fics and analysis as a character who is so very loved and special to harry. molly weasley is the only person who demands these children have a childhood and we should not forget it!

andromeda: ahhh man. ok this chapter i learnt people writing andromeda are really strong soldiers because i tried like 30 different characterisations until i found one that didn’t make me want to gouge my own eyes out. she couldn’t be too warm, because she’s a) a black and b) canonically wary of strangers and quick to be offended/insulted (ted’s the gentle one of the two of them). she does have to have a certain domesticity to her because tonks mentions her knack for household charms, but couldn’t be overly mumsy, in contrast to molly, because tonks clearly was drawn to molly’s mothering instincts (early HBP kitchen scene) in ways that suggest andromeda’s were less obvious. i wanted her to be a proud person, someone polite but wary, self conscious (and self critical) of her own particularities and mistakes as a parent, who has a working relationship with harry but not a maternal one, and who would probably be a bit suspicious of all these teenagers playing with teddy, who is now the centre of her world, lest they drop him on his head or stand on his baby toes. i imagine ginny and andromeda having a cordial but eventually slightly fractious relationship - 'girlfriend of the teenage godson to my orphaned grandson' is a weird role to play in a person’s life, after all. i can see ginny reminding andromeda of the daughter she lost, and it was fun to draw that out a bit here (andromeda immediately kibboshing the broomstick idea as a case in point).

relatedly sirius: finally getting to begin using some of my sirius scenes now we’re at grimmauld place 😈 i’m really excited about the plot to draw in the memory of sirius in this fic, and so it seemed right to begin bringing him in in a chapter about families, generations (mothers!) and what living with trauma and grief after war can do to a person. we see him finally arrive in person in a flashback to the day the weasleys arrived in his house, freshly reconfined to grimmauld and sullen because of it, but also being perceived by ginny and the weasleys as someone with great presence. he becomes the subject of a great deal of interest and hero worship by the twins and ginny, with only ron (following hermione) noting that sirius black does not seem to be a well man. sometimes in fics the (understandable) impulse to focus on sirius’ good godfather traits can be taken a bit too far with authors overstating how warm/inviting/interested sirius would be in the parade of weasleys who move in with him at a very low moment for him personally. i liked having sirius being sort of shrug about their arrival, having only the briefest moment with ginny where a commonality between them (the betrayal of a brother) is identified but saying nothing about it. sirius black is in no place to reassure someone about sibling estrangement. ginny, in her approach to sirius, tries to position herself in opposition to her mother, apologising for her with an eye roll kind of vibe, and raging at her for excluding her from the order meeting when no one else was. she also expresses empathy with sirius’ plight of being confined for your own protection when you really want to fight and have your revenge (👀). meanwhile, in the present, harry and ginny wake up in sirius’ childhood bed, spend the day inside grimmauld watched on by paps, and the ginny goes back to her own family home, where she throws herself into christmas planning and prepping to try and raise spirits and distract from all of the shit going on, à la sirius in ootp. (i’ll finish that sirius and ginny meta before the next chapter i swear). 

dolohov: me, a few months ago, realising that the man killed fabian and gideon prewett also killed remus

percy: so far in beasts, percy has come up only in passing - unfavourable press coverage, and on the board in graves’ classroom, part of the machine that sent muggleborns to azkaban and some, in all probability, to their deaths. lots of brilliant brilliant fics (some rec’d below) explore percy plausibly as a resistance agent working within the ministry, but i’m always a bit suspicious of this reading, given his line in the room of req  (‘it’s been coming on for a while, but I had to find a way out and it’s not so easy at the Ministry, they’re imprisoning traitors all the time’ - this doesn’t sound to me like a road to damascus moment the second scrimgeour died, does it? when exactly did you realise you'd fucked up perce? like babe you’re the assistant to the minister - how many people did you help imprison, given the muggleborn registration commission was up and thriving within a month of the ministry takeover?) i think, whatever the extent of percy’s resistance (and there will be more on this!), it’s clear that ginny, of all of the siblings, would probably be the least likely to forgive percy. it’s not just that the decisions he makes are so far from her own, or that his treatment of her parents was egregious, it’s also her loyalty and ferocious protectiveness of harry, who percy royally fucks over at every possible turn with little remorse. (he doesn’t engage with or apologise to harry in the room of requirement!) ginny wasn’t there with percy when fred died like ron was, an experience that i think would help ron decide life’s too short and make a cordial peace with percy. i think ginny would want percy to feel a hell of a lot of shame before ever warming up to him again. i like percy as a character, i think his arc is so good, but i also find satisfaction putting him in the corner at the weasley christmas with old xeno, stood with the other guy who should have done the brave thing and didn’t.  just because your family tease you doesn’t mean you should commit war crimes!

teddy: me writing this chapter like 

the order: the interaction i have in this chapter between lee and ginny, over whether the order beat voldemort, is my attempt to get something i have been thinking a lot about without much resolution, which is (partly) what does the order actually do, but also how do the order think about the end of the war when it turns out they kind of were peripheral to the effort of winning it? obviously they did some things, and order members obviously fought in the battle, but the order actually were instrumentalised by dumbledore into a bigger plot that involved harry that he kept them in the dark about. i think it would be very weird for the order in the aftermath of war to think about what their efforts really meant when their losses are huge and their accomplishments minimal, other than helping keep harry alive at times - and weirder still for ginny, who was never old enough to join and was kept at arm’s length from the soldiers’ table only to find out those soldiers didn’t really matter anyway.  no profound takes just curiosity on my part, but very interested if anyone has any takes on this!

ron and hermione: very sorry to the lovely anon who just asked about hermione — saying nothing for now but what do you think’s going on there! weird innit. a real mystery. if only someone would tell us

harry’s kitchenware collection: what’s up with that hmmmmmm

songs on the playlist for this chapter:

i listened to a lot of choral music for this chapter - ofc christian symbolism is all over the series (can't move for it), so was leaning into that a bit (lol), and the little church by the graveyard in godric's hollow with the muggles inside on christmas eve has always struck me as a very beautiful and sad image, so i was trying to channel those vibes too a bit in this chapter (ginny and bill listening to the carols in the village in the garden, and the view from molly and arthur's window of the ottery st catchpole church spire). my favourite is the holst arrangement for lullay, mine liking, a fifteenth century carol originally in middle english, which has these very tender lyrics that are about the infant christ but also work painfully well for molly's grief: lullay, mine liking, my dear son, my sweeting.

lullay my liking (arr. holst) by the godley singers | hey, ma by bon iver | gregorian chant for the dead by aurora surgit and alessio randon | 7 o'clock news/silent night by simon & garfunkel | i don't like my mind by mitski | this is me trying - the long pond studio version by taylor swift | should have known better by sufjan stevens (i mean - my brother had a daughter/the beauty that she brings - illumination. perfect no?) | hope by james newton howard (i have a lot of songs from the soundtrack to terence malick's incredibly beautiful film a hidden life on this playlist, because that film remains a real touchstone for the visuals i'm imagining for a lot of this fic but also a lot of the vibes of family and resistance)

reading list: 

on percy (loads here):

dawn is coming, open your eyes by dialux (an all time fave) The Last Something That Meant Anything by Anonymous (TW for sexual assault) 'Hope' is a Thing With Feathers by PeachyKeener

on molly (and molly and ginny):

Every Mother is a Grave by @witchofimber Mother, any distance greater than a single span by Simon Armitage (did anyone else read this for gcse english lit and still find themselves thinking about it a dozen years later?

on sirius and molly:

'He slammed the door in her face' by @ashesandhackles Meta: An alternative read on Sirius and Molly's argument also by @ashesandhackles

on andromeda:

turncoat: in defense of andromeda tonks née black by dirgewithoutmusic

on teddy and the potter family:

little accomplishments by irnan

ok technically i am cheating with this sneak peek because technically i shared a bit of this scene a bazillion years ago/way back in january, a month or so before i started putting the fic out (over here), so here's... a bit more of it hehe:

‘Did it hurt?’ she asks. ‘Becoming an Animagus?’ His laugh is a bark. ‘Unbelievably.’  ‘It must have been worth it, though.’  ‘It’s hard to know what things are worth.’ Definitely in one of those moods.

[imagionationstation]

Okay, so…

As I was in the mist of ✨emotions✨, my explanation skills were barely sub-par, and I gave a lot of people misconceptions to my thoughts on the episode “A China Town Ghoststory”.

So let’s try and fix that.

The episode itself is okay as a fill-in ep that doesn’t have anything to do with the season plot-wise, though it’s existence didn’t really seem necessary, other than an early acknowledgment that ‘impossible spiritual powers do exist so be ready’, which set me up to accept explanations on the unexplained and impossible, like Vision Quest and Leo’s Healing Hands.

Spiritual insanity simply exists. There’s no more to it than that.

And I appreciate that they introduced it without a clichè, “by the way they suddenly have magic as a big plot-point even tho it hasn’t existed at all until now! Why? Oh, I dunno, it’s in their blood or something I guess.”

We got a casual introduction by a villain that only ever comes up once more in all five seasons. Respect. 3/4 out of five stars.

The one aspect that always boils my blood when it comes to this episode, however, is the fight scene between Donnie and his brothers. The first time I saw this episode, I did not understand how they went from trying to kill Donnie, to- Oh, look, let’s go get some pizza! (As my new-to-turtles mind interpreted it).

I was extremely confused, and continued to be confused for the next few watches. Then, at one point while doing research, I saw the scene from Donnie’s eyes, and not from the eyes of a viewer. And I was even more mortified by what I saw.

The way this scene plays out really feels like (note: I’m saying ‘feels like’ and not ‘definitely is’) the brothers were choosing pizza over Donnie. The episode was kinda insulting, the way they go through this whole insane battle, throw him out of a tornado, and then just… Go bicker over pizza? Really?

It makes sense when you lay it all out. The brothers are acting as brainwashed guard-dogs. Donnie is a danger to what they’re guarding. The only way for Ho Chan to keep control is for the brothers to not recognize who it is they’re hurting. The spell makes them see him as a danger, and they don’t fully comprehend that they’re about to end a brother’s life while serving an evil sorcerer.

There’s nothing dangerous or threatening about pizza. It’s something they love, and something they’ve been known to bicker about. If the brothers are in there subconsciously fighting back, it would make sense that they would give into the urge to go after the pizza pies and stop serving their ‘master’. Use the brainwashed aggression to fight over pizzas, or assault the brother who wants to help the captives that you’re guarding. Easy choice.

No matter how you look at it (whether they have some control or they have zero control), it would make sense that they’d go after the pizzas.

Still.

Still.

This must be horrific to witness from Donnie’s POV. Super-powered brothers all banning together to fight you to the death, and every instinct in your being is like “well, I can’t kill them!”- so you’re forced on defense the entire time. One wrong move and you’re dead, and it’ll be at their hands- and it doesn’t really look like they’re fighting back. They’re hurting and chucking and attacking you, seemingly willing to kill you without a second thought, and it’s like they don’t even care-

And for this big brain boy and his canon insecurities, Donnie is going to be overthinking this one moment way more than he should be for a long time.

The way that he still hasn’t picked himself off the ground when Casey reaches his side, and then has to lift him up to snap him out of a shocked stupor- well, that says something to me.

I feel like this episode could have and should have played out differently, but I know many people wouldn’t agree.

To summarize:

…..

I KNOW IT’S A CARTOON AND SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY AND ALL

I REALLY DO

BUT FROM A REAL PERSPECTIVE THIS IS TERRIBLE

WHY THE WRITERS HAVE TO JERK AROUND HIS EMOTIONS LIKE THAT, HMM?! 🥺

My rewrite of this scene is here

[sofjoy82]

I’ve been wanting to make a snippet for @stormcallart Elf Izuku and Orc Toshi AU for a while now. I added my own little ✨spice✨ with some plot explaining how Toshi got a baby elf.

~~~

It wasn’t unusual for the tavern to be filled with interesting patrons throughout the night. Particularly towards the end of the day when the weary traveler stopped for a drink.

Kurogiri knew not to ask where anyone was going, who they were, or what their business was. Everyone had their own story and either he didn’t care to know or he wasn’t supposed to know.

The tavern was popular amongst thieves and travelers for that reason. People could come and not have to worry about questions or the law. In this tavern they were just men and women grabbing a drink, gambling, or talking.

Kurogiri was putting some coins away when he saw the door open in the corner of his eye. A large man stepped into the tavern and held the door open for someone behind him before closing the door and walking over to the bar. The bartender looked up at his patron and greeted him when he sat down with a grunt.

It was an orc. A rather large one at that. Orcs were regarded as a rather violent race of creature and this man was covered in scars from old battles. His hair was bone white and styled into two large bangs. He set his axe down and leaned it against the bar before settling down.

Kurogiri nodded to the man and took out a glass for him. “Afternoon, Sir. Is there anything I can get you?”

The orc had been looking to the side at something and looked back up at Kurogiri when he was spoken to. “An ale,” He said gruffly, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a few coins. He placed them onto the bar and nodded to the chair beside him. “And a milk for my companion. If you have it I’d also like a pen and paper for him.”

Kurogiri hadn’t noticed until that moment that the orc wasn’t alone.

The bartender leaned over the counter slightly to look down at his other patron, a small elven boy. He had to be three or four summers old. His pointed ears and forest green hair were indicators of his elvish heritage. A mass of freckles splattered his face and two big green eyes peered up at Kurogiri.

The boy smiled and waved at Kurogiri before attempted to crawl up into the bar stool. The orc watched him struggle for a moment before reaching down and plopping him down in the chair beside him. The boy beamed as the orc fixed the flower crown in his hair.

Kurogiri swiped the coins into his pouch before fetching the order. The orc nodded his head in thanks when he was handed his ale and the little boy happily thanked the bartender when handed his milk and paper.

The orc waited until his ward was happily doodling away on his paper before holding up a hand and calling the bartender back over. Kurogiri walked back and saw the orc had a laid out a wanted poster.

“Has this man come through here?” The orc questioned, tapping on the sketch on the paper. Kurogiri only glanced at the sign before shaking his head in denial. “I don’t remember any of my customers, much less who comes and goes.” He said automatically.

You don’t sell out clients. As long as they paid their tab Kurogiri had no issue with who or what they were. People wouldn’t want to come to his tavern if they found he was selling them out.

The orc studied him for a moment before shrugging and taking a sip of his ale and calmly explaining his reasoning.

“I’m trying to find this little one his mother.” He nodded to the boy beside him, who wasn’t really listening to the adults. “Inko was my friend and Izuku’s mother. I believe this man took her. He left the kid in the house and I’ve been caring for him since. If I find him I can figure out what happened to her.”

Toshinori read the silence of the bartender and took out the poster again. This time Kurogiri took it wordlessly.

“His name is Hisashi Shigraki, but people know him as All For One.” Toshinori added, watching the other man study the poster.

“I don’t know him personally, but I know of him.” He lowered his voice, watching the other patrons carefully to ensure no one was eavesdropping. “He’s known as the demon king. A king of thieves and criminals. I don’t know what he wants with your friend, but if you find the right person they’ll be able to take you to him. I’d bet someone here may know.”

With that, Kurogiri handed the poster back and walked away to attend to other patrons around the bar. Toshinori sighed and took another swig of his ale.

It had been months since Inko disappeared. They grew up together as children. Toshinori admired her for her kindness and gentle beauty. He had been horrified when Izuku came to his home in the middle of the night, crying that someone took his mama. Since then Toshinori had been asking around and following leads to try and find the woman. He used his connections as a bounty hunter to get here.

Toshinori could feel Izukus eyes on him and glanced at the boy. Izuku was looking up at him with a hopeful expression.

“Are you trying to find mama?” He asked hopefully. It had been close to a year since Mr Toshi took him in. They had been going on adventures together and catching bad guys, all while looking for his mama.

Izuku wanted to feel mamas warm hugs again. See her smile, hear her laugh, and play with her. He hoped secretly that she’d make Toshi his new dad. Then they could be a family who went on adventures together!

A gentle hand ruffled Izukus hair, making the boy smile softly and lean into the touch. “We’ll get her back.” Toshinori promised. He had been promising himself that since the beginning. He’d find Inko and bring her home.

The orc quickly changed the subject to something more positive and pointed at the picture Izuku had drawn. “What’s this?” He questioned, taking the paper and holding it up to study. Izuku smiled and pointed at each of the figures. “Its us!” He explained proudly. “You, me, and mama.”

Toshinori felt his heart soften at the picture. It was a little family portrait. They were all smiling in a field of flowers and happy. It sometimes amazed him how Izuku managed to see such a bright and happy future at all times. Perhaps it was childish wonder and innocence or the darkness the orc had seen, but he truly hoped it never left his boy.

The tender little moment was interrupted when a heavy hand fell on Toshinoris shoulder. “I heard you’re looking for trouble.” A gruff voice began. The orc stiffened and quickly turned in his chair to face the speaker.

A large man with blond hair smirked down at Toshinori. Izuku winced when he saw one of his eyes was scared over and gone, replaced with a glass orb. Toshinori recognized him as Gato, although many people knew him as the rather violent bandit Muscular.

Toshinori spoke firmly, not allowing himself to let his guard down around the criminal. “I’m not looking for trouble. Just here for a drink with my son.”

The blond sneered at Toshinori. “Because I heard you were looking for the demon king. That sounds like trouble.”

It was at that moment that Toshinori noticed several other men in the tavern watching them. Four of them sat in the back of the tavern, drinking as they watched the confrontation. The hairs on the back of Yagis neck stood on end as he realized they were waiting for him.

Toshinori narrowed his eyes and let his hand fall to his belt where his knife rested in its sheath. Izuku was looking at the adults around him with wide eyes. “It’s not a problem unless we make it one. As I said, I’m enjoying a nice evening with my son.”

It quickly became clear that this man wasn’t going to stop bothering Toshinori. The orc stood and tried to grab Izuku to carry him out, but at that moment Gato lashed out with a wicked laugh and lunged at the orc.

Izuku squeaked and jumped in his chair when his caretaker reacted in an instant, grabbing the other man by the wrist and back of the neck and yanking him forward, slamming him into the bar counter. The force knocked several glasses off the counter to the floor where they shattered. Gato yelled in surprise and pain and quickly tried to wrench himself out of the orcs grip.

Toshinori held the writhing man down for another moment before letting him go and allowing him to scramble back. Gato looked surprise at being taken on like that. Toshinori had a calm expression on his face as he reached over and picked up Izuku and placed him onto the bar. He made eye contact with Kurogiri and set down a couple of coins.

“Give him a milk, please. This’ll only take a minute.”

Izuku sat on the counter with a cold glass of milk as he watched his adoptive father fight with the big scary man. He sipped on his milk calmly and followed the fight as Toshinori delivered blow after blow to Gato. Soon the other thieves joined in an attempt to defend their friend, but quickly realized fighting a massive orc after several ales was by far not a good idea.

Kurogiri stood beside Izuku and cleaned a glass as he watched the fight unfold. He noted the calm demeanor of the child and hummed. “Does this happen a lot?” He questioned.

Izuku nodded and took a sip of his milk. “A lot.”

In the end Toshinori dropped the last bandit on the floor and watched with a dark look as the man scurried away in fear. Now that that was handled, he zeroed in on Muscular who was tending to a broken nose. His excitement over the fight seemed to have waned as he realized they hadn’t even landed a blow on the orc.

Toshinori walked over to Gato and yanked him up by the front of his shirt, peeling him off of the floor. “Where is All For One?” He demanded harshly.

Gato smiled up at him, showing a gap where a tooth had been just a moment ago, and let out a laugh of disbelief. “I guess you earned it, big guy. All For One will be able to take care of you. He has a small outpost down the river. He’ll kill you, I hope you know that.”

Toshinori studied him for a moment before reaching down and grabbing the coin pouch at Gatos belt. The thief’s eyes widened as the pouch was tossed over to the bar. Kurogiri gave a nod of thanks and accepted the payment without a word.

Gato was dropped like a doll and ignored as Toshinori walked over to his boy. He took Izukus drawing and carefully rolled it up and stowed it in his bag before lifting the elf into his arms. He raised a questioning brow when he saw Izuku had a whole bottle of milk in his arms.

Izuku smiled at his papa and happily held up the gift from Mr Kurogiri. “Can we come back here again? I had fun!”

Toshinori smiled at his boy and carried him out of the tavern. “Sure. I had fun as well.”