edisoncastile

[edisoncastile]

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (2025) dir. Eli Craig

[edisoncastile]

Edward & Adam Prime Target, S01E01

[edisoncastile]

Bent forward, hands clutching his knees, Eddie was still trying to catch his breath, having felt suddenly winded. He knew Mason would follow, would question him, but he hoped a change of scenery would help, that fresh air would stop the spiral. The training centre had been too suffocating. “There’s not - it’s nothing,” he denied between breaths, trying to change the course of the conversation, stop them before they went too far. “There’s no big ’this’. Okay? I just needed some air. I needed space to - think for one second. Just - gimme a sec.” For a few moments, he felt like he was winning the battle, the squeezing sensation on his lungs slowing down, allowing more air in. If he just kept focusing, he could completely stop whatever this was. But then he felt the tug on the neckline of his shirt.

His reaction was instant, defensive, Eddie jerking back, knocking Mason’s hand away. He stood tall now, panting, feeling his breath double up once more. Oh, fuck. Truthfully, Eddie hadn’t even remembered the marks, indents of teeth and deep bruising littered across his collarbone and back. They were markings that had come about in the moment, a product of an intense passion he’d never experienced before. Crossing into the taboo had felt right, sensible, as if there’d never been stigma in the first place. Admittedly, the concept had been intriguing for him, and considering how good it had felt each time, Eddie hadn’t thought about it again. But now, their ritual was being dragged out into the harsh light of day, the dhampir reeling, cringing away from the discovery, from the realisation that he’d well and truly crossed the line. In fact, he’d crossed every line. Again, he couldn’t answer Mason, but the silence was enough.

Eddie’s eyes were wide with alarm as his body desperately tried to fight against the second rising wave of panic, the blood now pounding in his ears. He almost couldn’t hear his friend over the noise. This was far worse than what he’d experienced only minutes ago. He shook his head, deep in denial, needing to shake off the clammy feeling that clung to his skin, the feeling that told him clearly he’d made a huge mistake, many actually, and that he’d kept making them over and over and hadn’t noticed. Or if he had, hadn’t cared enough to stop himself. In fact, he’d only reassured himself that it had been the right thing to do. But it hadn’t been, and it never had been. He’d gone too far. It had grown far beyond having fun, distracting each other, improving his Moroi’s mood. It had become something else entirely. But he couldn’t have done that, he couldn’t have fucked up that badly. Could he?

Eddie kept shaking his head, denial his only lifeline as he processed the shock. 'Serious’? Is that what it was? “No. No, it’s not - we’re not —” He couldn’t even finish the sentence, struggling to talk around the lump in his throat that told him he was lying. “It’s not what you think.” But it was. Even as he denied it, he felt the hard rock of realisation sink down, deep into the pit of his stomach, landing with a hollow thud. He’d done everything Mason had accused him of and more. His best friend was completely right. And he’d noticed it so quickly, seen it all in only a short, playful interaction, yet Eddie had never once seen his own behaviour for what it truly was. Never questioned the level of intensity in their relationship. Never caught himself breaking almost every moral code he’d ever had instilled in him. For a moment, Eddie couldn’t breathe at all, entirely overwhelmed by the dual realisation. As a guardian, he’d crossed almost every line that existed, putting his future and he and Adrian’s dynamic in serious jeopardy. But worst of all, he did have very serious feelings.

“I- I don’t know what’s happening,” he gasped, stumbling backward, the breath finally returning to his body. He’d never experienced anything like what he was right then. He didn’t have a name for it. “Mason —” His voice was tiny, strangled, wanting his best friend to make it stop. The shock crashed through him, Eddie’s face suddenly crumpling in distress, feeling the intensity of the fear. Tears hadn’t even had a chance to form, the dhampir sucking in too much air. “I - I’ve fucked up. I’ve fucked up. I’ve fucked it all up.” Repetition seemed to work, seemed to get his brain to process the truth, but he was unable to see Mason anymore, vision fading to white. It was terrifying. “I can’t lose him,” Eddie choked out, the panic gripping his airway.

Whatever reaction Mason had anticipated, it hadn’t been that. He’d expected Eddie to tell him to fuck off, or to mind his own business, or to prove him wrong by denying it. But the blonde’s behaviour was an answer in itself, so whilst Eddie bolted, Mason remained still in thought, his features twisted with confusion. He’d been right, clearly. But sleeping with your charge wasn’t entirely unusual, certainly nothing to panic over. Frowned upon, most definitely, but they’d all been guilty of having relations outside of their betrothed. Even the elders didn’t see it as a cause for concern, so long as it wasn’t serious; a phase that was grown out of. This seemed too deep of a reaction from Eddie, however, to be dismissed as simply getting each other off. It only left Mason with more questions, so after a moment’s hesitation, he followed his best friend outside.

Mason’s mood continued to dampen when he saw Eddie hunched over, guilt trickling it’s way in amongst the rest. He’d intended the comment to be playful and inquisitive, not a topic for upset. “Eddie…” with a sigh, he breached the space that remained between them, choosing to face him directly. “We’re gonna’ talk about this now. ‘Doesn’t have to be here, but I’m not letting you deal with whatever…. this is, by yourself.” Mason tried to catch the fellow dhampir’s eye, but it was then that he saw under Eddie’s shirt, the circular bruising along his collarbone. Nobody would catch it if were up straight, the markings sitting directly under the lining of his workout gear, but considering Eddie was still hunched, it was in plain sight. As if Mason wasn’t already feeling enough, anger joined the fold. He reached over, pulling down the material to get a clearer view, confirming what he already knew. Definitely bite marks. “Are you fucking bloodsharing?”

He’d expect it from Adrian. That wasn’t the cause of Mason’s surprise here. But Eddie had always taken their rituals and taboos seriously, outdated or not. They’d had these prejudices instilled into them since they were children, and it was almost impossible to unravel that mindset. Unless you had someone you cared about enough to challenge them. “Look, I’m not judging you. But you know how I feel about him. If he’s…” Adrian was a flirtatious sexual pest, sure, but he’d always been heavy on consent, which meant Eddie had wanted this regardless of what they’d been taught, that he’d wanted Adrian enough to dismiss their rules entirely. Mason swallowed hard before continuing. “You don’t get this freaked out over nothing. It’s serious, isn’t it? You and him.”

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#mood

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“A breeze isn’t worth your life,” Eddie countered, frustrated, but he knew the argument was fruitless. To his great dismay, Adrian was already drinking — but it at least gave Eddie the upper hand, the guardian dragging his sleeping bag away from the window despite the other’s words, knowing there’d be no real push back. The Moroi could hardly walk. His current state only solidified Eddie’s urge to protect him. The trio were in a completely new environment, surrounded by neighbours they didn’t know and didn’t trust. At least when they were on the road, Adrian was mostly sober, and the threats were loud and obvious. Here, in a town full of the supernatural and enhanced, they had no idea what could be lurking behind a smile. It had been a risk to even give the leaders their real names. Alas, Adrian continued to whinge anyway, but as expected, had no real intentions of getting up, so Eddie continued setting up with a roll of his eyes. That was, until, he heard a faint voice carry through the walls.

Frowning, his back straightened instantly, and the dhampir turned to look at Mason, matching his best friend’s tense stance. Already, he was preparing to throw himself in front of Adrian, calculating the steps towards the window, their nearest exit. But then Adrian’s name followed. That voice. They knew that voice. Eddie’s expression melted from one of concern to one of shock, mirroring the other men in the room. They all stood in silence, in trepidation, waiting for their friend to find them, too stunned to speak.

Then suddenly, she was crashing into them, the four becoming a collision of limbs and staggered breaths. The relief that poured through the group was tangible. There was still a wariness that clung to Eddie, there always would be with a Moroi to protect, but in an instant, the town had gone from a great unknown to a place of refuge, to trust. If Rose was there, somehow still alive and well, then they had to be safe there. It had to be better than what had come before.

Well aware what Rose meant to both of his best friends, Eddie knew he wouldn’t be the one to break the silence, his shock subsiding much faster than the others once he realised he had a new role to play. Of course he loved Rose too, and was wholly grateful her death had clearly been a Capitol ruse, but he would not impede on their reunions. Eddie quickly sprung into support mode, intentionally tightening his arms around both men, wanting them to feel grounded. It was all so surreal, but he had to cling onto reality now, make sure they stayed ready for anything.

At Adrian’s words, he heard Rose’s choked laugh, but the girl did nothing more than tighten her hold on them, and it made Eddie wonder. He’d never seen her so quiet before. Suddenly feeling the need to bring them all back down to earth, force them to take stock of what had just happened, Eddie began to pull away, breaking the group hug, nodding towards Adrian and answering for them. “It’s alright, he could afford the loss.” Joking was what came naturally, noticing the intensity still in the trio’s expression and wanting to relieve it, a hand reaching out to squeeze Adrian’s arm. The hard stuff could come later, Eddie thought.

Knowing his time was the least important of the other two boys when it came to Rose, Eddie quickly pulled her in for his own hug, gripping her tight, giving the others a chance to breathe. “Really glad you’re alive, Hathaway.” Through his voice, it was obvious he was grinning. “I couldn’t stand looking at these two any longer.”

It wasn't like Rose to actively check her messages, but as somebody who never slept, she often burnt through her options pretty quickly. As obviously grateful as she was that the war was now over, she was finding it a lot harder to pass the time, especially when alone. She was about to give up and reach out to Lip for the fourth time that week when the tablet buzzed with a familiar alert tone. She eyed the device for a moment, hesitant, hating the way her chest tightened with longing every time she heard it. She'd tried her best to bury the feelings, refused to get her hopes up, but it was getting harder to ignore with each arrival, the last few months a blur of emotional reunions. It seemed everybody was getting their second chance, a new start with their loved ones. Everybody but her. Pretending not to care as much as she did, she grabbed the tablet and read the alert, scanning the words quickly, as if doing so would lessen the inevitable sting to follow. She wouldn't recognise any names, she never did. But suddenly, it felt like her heart had stopped. Adrian Ivashkov. Edison Castile. Mason Ashford. She stood in a rush, her head spinning as a result, the tablet clattering to the floor. It had to be a mistake, her scattered mind playing tricks. She reached for the device and read the alert again. And again. And then she was up, her heart in her throat, making her way to Halfway House with any real thought. She had to see for herself if this was real. Had to find out who to blame if it wasn't. Halfway House was intimidatingly large, and with Panem growing more unstable by the day, there was no shortage of new intakes. Rose practically tripped over them in her panic, kicking some belongings over as she searched frantically, running from room to room. "Mason?!" She suddenly called out, her feelings betraying her desire for control, growing more desperate with each unfamiliar face she passed. "Adrian?" She kept moving, strangers looking at her pityingly. "Mason!" Finally, a response. An actual response. Rose?

Panting from the effort, the anxiety, Rose followed the noise, staggering up the stairs. "Oh my god," she breathed, pausing at the door, taking in the sight of the trio. They looked exhausted, battered, older, certainly. But still every bit as handsome, and familiar. She crashed into them without another moment's hesitation, pulling them impossibly closer. "Oh my god." She couldn't stop saying it, couldn't process anything else, clutching them all to her as if they would disappear again at any moment.

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Though a hint of a smile remained on Eddie’s face, his expression was otherwise neutral, squinting at Mason in confusion. It was obvious he was being teased about something, but Eddie truly didn’t know what. Finally, Mason explained, and the blonde immediately felt a twinge of anxiety, not having expected to be confronted by something he hadn’t really thought about himself. It didn’t have a label, or a meaning. All he knew was that it wasn’t to be discussed, that it was something private, shared only between guardian and charge, and that he’d wanted to keep it that way. In that moment, he realised his subconscious had known it was wrong, that he was breaking the rules, going against the natural order. He thought he’d only been doing his duty, as a friend and a guardian, but without either of them realising, it had become more than that. It hadn’t meant to come out, they hadn’t meant to be caught. Doing his best to collect himself, Eddie forced another smile, shrugging his best friend off. “I mean, I don’t know about Neville, man, but you know Adrian. He can get like that after a session.” It wasn’t a complete lie — more a minimisation of the truth, a dodging of context. But then Mason asked him outright, his gaze searching, and Eddie faltered, unable to comprehend the mixed emotions he suddenly felt.

The panic had crept up slowly, starting as a flush on the back of his neck, but the final question sprung it into total alarm. Eddie and Mase didn’t lie to each other, not even when they were kids. That wasn’t how their relationship worked. There was no avoiding the truth now, not when it had been demanded so literally. But the truth caused Eddie serious turmoil, suddenly realising what it meant. Suddenly realising what he’d done. His face reddening, Eddie clenched his jaw, overwhelmed by the shock of his own discovery. How could he have been so stupid, so ignorant? How could he have risked something so great? He’d worked his whole life for this position, only to risk throwing it all away. The silence stretched on between them, and Eddie couldn’t meet the redhead’s eye, the question becoming answered in the silence. As if his visible panic wasn’t obvious enough. Eddie swallowed, voice strained. “— Listen, Mase. Can we… maybe talk about this later? Somewhere else?”

He couldn’t afford to fall into turmoil in such a public space, only steps away from where they trained, and where the Lightwoods still stood. They’d had professionalism and duty beat into them since they were toddlers, and everything Eddie had done, everything he’d thought he’d been doing to serve a greater purpose, ultimately spat in the face of that. Realisation continued to dawn on him, the fear of failure, of losing Adrian, suddenly gripping him tight. Without another word, Eddie fled the centre, desperate for air. “Fuck,” he breathed, doubling over after he’d made it outside, clutching his chest. What had he done? Why hadn’t he seen it?

“What was what?” Mason repeated back, his tone dripping with mockery. At first, he thought Eddie was withholding the information on purpose, trying to act coy. But after studying his features, Mason realised his best friend was being entirely genuine with his innocence. He honestly had no idea. “You’re kidding me, right? Oh, dude.” He almost laughed, but he wasn’t sure if he had reason to find the situation funny yet. Adrian was a notorious player, and if Eddie wasn’t leaning into that knowingly, he risked getting hurt. Mason couldn’t have that. At least the relationship with Rose was mutual, as jealous as it made him. “His tongue was on you. Like, literally. I’m pretty sure that’s not standard guardian procedure, unless Nev’s been holding out on me.”

Tilting his head, Mason wondered how far it’d gone. If Eddie wasn’t with him or Juliet, he was with Adrian. That was a lot of undiscussed time to account for. He’d thought nothing of it, until right now, and the guardian cussed himself for not being more observant beforehand. “Before you tell me Adrian flirts with everyone, I know he does. But you don’t, and you’ve been really serious about your work with him lately. More than you ever were when we back at the academy. So what’s going on? Are you like… fucking him, or something?” Mason was joking, exaggerating for comedic effect, but there was a shred of curios concern that lingered, and a feeling he couldn’t shake. Perhaps it was Adrian’s reputation to blame for that, or perhaps he was simply right, seeing the signs. After all, he knew Eddie better than anyone.

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“Hey, buddy. Ready to head out?” Eddie approached with a grin, bringing a hand down to slap Mason on the shoulder in greeting. Only a month earlier, a grin would’ve been a rare sight post a training session, considering his charge either barely showed up, or was usually obliterated when he did. It was rare for Eddie to leave sessions feeling like they’d actually made progress, like the pressure he felt weighing on his chest had slightly eased. It had been weeks since he’d last found Adrian so drunk he could barely move, or since he’d woken in the middle of the night to Adrian screaming. Things just felt better, easier to handle, Adrian’s mood noticeably improved. In turn, it had lifted Eddie’s mood, the guardian occasionally allowing himself to return to old habits, to mess around with Mase and Rose. He was keeping up, he didn’t have to work so hard.

The intimacy seemed second nature to their relationship now, Eddie developing a knack for it once he’d realised it had made all the difference for Adrian’s wellbeing. They’d fallen into it without thought. Their goodbye was hardly comparable to nights spent together, so Eddie hadn’t taken any notice. He raised his eyebrows at his best friend now, confused by the question. “What was what?”

Mason had agreed to meet Eddie for lunch after their training sessions, so as soon as he’d cleaned up, he headed straight towards the center’s entrance. As he approached, he caught the end of what he presumed was Adrian and Eddie saying goodbye for the day, the pair of them stood at the door. It was a surprise that Adrian had even attended today, but that wasn’t the cause of Mason’s raised eyebrows. It was Adrian seemingly brushing his lips against Eddie’s ear as he exited the building that triggered his shocked expression, because despite Adrian flirting with everyone, it rarely got physical. Unless it was with Rose, much to Mason’s dismay. “What was that?”

[edisoncastile]

#mood

[edisoncastile]

It wasn’t unusual for Adrian to be late to training, nor skip it entirely. It was, however, unusual for Eddie to not do a thing about it. When the Moroi wasn’t in his direct sight, he was typically wracked with anxiety, but ever since his breakdown with Mason a week or so earlier, he’d been desperately trying to work on boundaries. He realised now that boundaries would protect them both, but most importantly, protect Adrian, and Eddie couldn’t be guilty of crossing that professional line again or they’d both suffer the consequences. He thought he’d been doing the right thing, but he’d only gotten lost in the intensity. Misguided, lead by only instinct and no formal training, Eddie had put Adrian at risk. Now that he’d had some distance, some time alone, he saw it for the failure that it was. And he refused to do it again. Without any conversation, he’d put space between them, and so far, had maintained that distance successfully. It was just better that way.

Which was why, when Adrian showed up to training after all, Eddie didn’t immediately relax, like he might have before. Instead, his body tensed up entirely, jaw clamped with the sheer effort made to not look back in the Moroi’s direction again. He’d clocked the cigarette, seen the irritated expressions on everybody else’s faces, and had immediately been flooded with guilt. Adrian didn’t deserve this reception, and he was itching to intervene, to de-escalate. But he kept reminding himself that it wasn’t his place anymore to interrupt. Boundaries. Boundaries meant letting Adrian fight his own battles, from time to time. To deal with his own fallout. He could handle it.

It all seemed to be going relatively smoothly, Eddie letting out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding when the cigarette was put out. There was certainly awkward tension, an obvious shift in mood that made Eddie feel like shit, but thankfully, Adrian had decided to play along. Or so he’d thought. Eddie’s eyes widened at the remark, not having expected it. He’d thought the hard part had been over, but tensions had been flared once more, now bordering on aggression. Worriedly, Eddie’s eyes flicked over to Benjamin, scoping out the reaction. Unfortunately, he’d been right to be concerned. Benji’s expression had gone from one of annoyance to sheer rage, his fists curling dangerously, and with the verbal confirmation that Adrian was harboring very real resentment toward Eddie himself, he realised silence was no longer an option. Not if he was to keep the peace, keep Adrian safe and the rest of the group placated.

Seeing Benji turn, Eddie shoved his guilt aside and quickly intervened, snapping. “— That’s enough, Adrian. Leave her alone.” Thankfully, this stopped Benji in his tracks. The man was still obviously rigid with anger, but Eddie didn’t want to see him pushed any further. He was their mentor for a reason, he was known as a god for a reason. He didn’t want to see him anywhere near Adrian when he was like this. Continuing on, desperate to defuse the situation, Eddie tried his best to ignore the deep sting Adrian’s final words had caused and made his tone soft this time, keeping his gaze focused on Benji despite addressing Adrian. The more tension he noticed in the mentor’s body, the more his own muscles responded accordingly, feeling protective. “You don’t have to do this, okay? Just - go.”

Juliet had noticed Adrian’s arrival before he’d even entered the room, the scent of clove cigarettes suddenly overpowering her nose. Annoyance flared within her, disconnecting her focus from Alec’s opening speech. They often met as a group before splitting off into their paired training sessions, and although it was merely a formality, Juliet still found the routine important. A few moments passed before the others caught up with her enhanced sense of smell, but their expressions soon matched her own when Adrian strolled through the door, appearing nonchalant. To her own surprise, Juliet spoke up on behalf of everyone, her harsh tone influenced by hunger and the general emotional strain of Benji’s presence beside her. “You cannot be serious. Put that out.”

[edisoncastile]

LEO WOODALL

BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY (dir. Michael Morris. 2025)

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LEO WOODALL Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)

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FRIENDS 3.19 • The One With the Tiny T-Shirt

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WOTS3WEEK ∙ day 4 ↳ favourite scene

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Cauthor reunion + hands

@lgbtqcreators creator bingo: free choice

[edisoncastile]

PROMPTS FOR PATCHING UP WOUNDS *  assorted dialogue, adjust as necessary

it's honestly nothing. i can deal with it myself.

next time something like this happens, you have to promise to tell me.

you're making a big deal out of nothing. i'll be fine.

how long have you had that?

i'm good at this, you know. patching up wounds.

would you cut it out? i'm trying to help you.

why didn't you tell me you were bleeding?

you didn't have to take that hit for me.

what are you hiding from me?

it's not the worst injury i've ever seen, but it's pretty bad.

how long were you going to hide this from me?

at least let me look at it.

there. it looks much better.

this will help with the pain.

i'm forever in your debt.

i didn't have anywhere else to go.

this wasn't supposed to happen.

is that your blood?

i've patched up nastier wounds than this.

stop squirming! you're going to be fine!

this is bad. this is really bad.

i just need a band-aid and a nap. i'll be fine.

we need to get you to a hospital.

how does it look? be honest.

keep your eyes open, okay? keep looking at me.

it doesn't hurt that bad.

give me your hand. let me look at it.

who taught you how to patch a wound like that?

it's not as bad as i thought it would be, that's for sure.

would you just let me help you? please?

you saved my life.

let me go find my first aid kit. it's in here somewhere.

i'll take care of it. you just sit and rest.

see? that wasn't so bad after all.

i've seen worse.

take two of these and drink some water.

ow! that really hurt!

i've got you, okay? everything's going to be fine.

you're gonna have to take your shirt off.

well... it could have been worse.

it looks worse than it really is, i swear.

roll up your sleeve a little, will you?

does that feel all right?

i didn't even realize i was bleeding.

you could have been killed out there!

give me a second to patch this up.

don't close your eyes. you hear me? stay with me.

i'm not giving up on you just yet.

you still need some time to heal.

i'm right here. i won't leave your side.

thank you for taking care of me.

if you can still hear me, help is on the way!

just squeeze my hand when it starts hurting.

how long have i been out?

let me check for a fever.

did you patch this up?

i've had worse injuries than this.

where did you learn to do that?

take some deep breaths for me.

look at me. you're going to be fine.

hold still! stop moving around so much!

i'll take care of you.

what the hell were you thinking?

where does it hurt?

i'm so used to doing this myself.

lift up your shirt a little so i can see.

lay back down. you're not healed up yet.

you never should have put yourself in harm's way like that.

looks like i've got myself a really good nurse.

will you stay with me while i sleep?

no one's ever helped me like that before.

i would have died had it not been for you.

don't you get it? if you don't let me help you, you'll die.

we have to be quick about this.

this could get bad.

[edisoncastile]

Everywhere I look it’s just one big reminder that my best friend is gone and it sucks.

8.11 | Holy Mother of God

[edisoncastile]

MICHAEL GRAY ▸ Peaky Blinders, 4.5