#and while a little jarring for the audience

[hoofpeet]

I'd probably have to read the printed version and web version back to back at some point to note all the differences but... ough

[dxxdhood]

drains me slowly

pairing: wade wilson x gn!reader

summary: deadpool finally invites you, the coworker he has a massive crush on, over, which means the two of you end up doing more than just watching a movie.

tags: smut (18+), sub!wade wilson, dom!reader, pain kink, use of superpowers to fuel a pain kink, light masochism, teasing, gentle dom, hand job, scratching, body worship

wc: 3.3k

a/n: fic inspired by the new deadpool movie coming out!!! also, title is from love me dead by ludo.

No surprise that Wade wasn’t exactly anyone’s favorite– that goes for among the heroes he’s worked with and throughout his life in general. He’s – to put it in the kindest way anyone’s ever told him – fucking annoying. Oh, he’s more than aware that he’s a little too out-of-pocket, abrasive, impulsive– a nightmare to interact with, really. And those were just the recent comments made by the closest thing he has to coworkers! The shit he heard from people growing up was leagues worse. 

Look, having a rough start in life isn’t uncommon and he’s sure as hell not gonna get the tiny violin out for himself and throw his own little pity party, but he’s grown enough since his healing factor got beat out of him to acknowledge that he’s had it tough over the years.

He’s still going, though! Yeah, he may not always be the best at doing his laundry quick enough to get any clean clothes to wear, or at stopping his room from becoming cluttered with too many half-empty water bottles, but he’s still making it by, day by day.

But, well, it’s still really hard to constantly put himself out there, get assigned – or infinitely more likely, just shove himself into – whatever jobs or missions he feels like taking on when everyone treats him like Jar Jar Binks.

That was until you came along. So, obviously you’re crazy hot – he’s gotta get that out of the way first – but more than that, you were confident. Competent, too, and those rarely coincide in Wade’s experience. You mostly worked on call, joining the occasional mission, battle, or investigation because your mutant powers came in handy often, but you also still kept up with your day job. Honestly, Wade thinks the reason why you weren’t always present in fights was to stop the other mutants from being out of a job. Your ability to slowly deteriorate surrounding biological tissue, while horrifying and a pain in the ass to control – your words – was basically winning on easy mode.

But no, you were adamant about keeping your involvement with the X-Men infrequent– only joining when your presence was absolutely necessary. Apparently nonstop high stress situations aren't good for your mental health– who knew?

And he wants to pretend he became obsessed with you because of all those things, and of course they helped, but really, you had him at hello. Or well, you bothering to say hello and actually talk to him in the first place, to ask him questions about his life in moments of downtime where usually he’d be left with an unenthusiastic audience instead of a warm-hearted listener who actually laughed at his jokes.

So, of course, he has to go and fuck it up.

…

“So, glad that’s over, huh?” Wade says through a smile, the whites of his mask squeezing as his cheeks rise. “Speaking of over, you wanna come?”

“Over?” you shake your head a little, flashing your teeth as you try and comprehend him. “Right after we took on a whole crime ring?”

“Well, what a better time to unwind, am I right?”

“Oh?” you raise your eyebrows. “We’re unwinding?”

It’s small, but you swear Wade ups his talking speed, “Well, yeah, you know. Watch a movie, order in, show you my Pokemon cards, the works.”

You hum, pretending to consider it, “Depends, you got a holo Charizard?”

And now, for sure, he exhales his relief. “You insult me.”

The two of you enter his apartment not long after you’re dismissed from the mission, and Wade briefly excuses himself to change out of his suit. Making yourself at home, you take a seat on the couch and glance across his living room. His apartment is surprisingly nice. The kitchen and living room are one large, open space with a sleek, modern design. Also, you’d assume someone as chaotic as Wade would keep their house in a messier state, or hell, at least a little dusty, but the living room is spotless. Maybe he cleaned recently? What, was he planning on inviting someone over?

Snorting as you shake your head, a small click from across the hall catches your attention.

You’ve only seen Wade on the job, so naturally he’s always been wearing his red suit, but for some reason, you never stopped to picture him wearing civilian clothes. Actually, now that you’re seeing him in a sweatshirt and sweatpants – awfully warm for this weather – you’re struggling to reconcile the image of him you had in your head with the person right in front of you.

Well, at least until Wade brings up a fist to cover his mouth, illustrating his nervousness, and the tension fizzles out. Only Wade has body language that cartoonishly exaggerated.

“Nice sweats, green looks good on you.”

Wade pauses for a moment, registering your words before he giggles softly, arm falling to his side, “I’ve been thinking about changing the color of my suit. You know, hiding all the blood is great and all, but sometimes I gotta wonder – could this thing be more flattering?”

He walks over with a spring in his step before sitting by your side. Cutely, he wraps you up in the larger blanket first before settling the smaller, throw blanket over himself. You try your hardest not to show your confusion outwardly, but seeing Wade up close now has you questioning his outfit all the more.

He’s a bit tall, so the sweatpants don’t go all the way down to his ankles, but Wade’s wearing calf socks, as if he specifically were trying to avoid them being uncovered. Also, his hoodie’s easily a size or two larger, which makes it the perfect thing to wear to lounge around and watch a movie in, but also, the sleeves cover his entire hand sans his fingers. From the little you can see of them, they look puckered in scars.

But obviously Wade’s hands are scarred– he’s a mercenary. He’s handled all sorts of weapons and been in hundreds of fights over the years. You weren’t expecting his skin to be baby-smooth. 

What’s interesting to you is why he’d go through all the trouble to hide it.

Also, yeah, the most obvious pointers were that the hood of his sweatshirt is up even though you two are indoors in his own home and – how could you forget this one – his Deadpool mask is still on.

Was he just uncomfortable with sharing his identity in general or was he specifically trying to shove distance between the two of you? Whatever, if he doesn’t want to take his mask off with you, he doesn’t have to. You feel a distinct pang in your chest, but you try not to let it color how you respond to him. He’s more than in the right to only share what he feels most comfortable with.

Wade’s been fiddling with the remote while you’ve been – hopefully – subtly looking him over, and the screen finally changes from a streaming service page to the opening of the movie.

“We’re watching The Princess Bride? I didn’t take you for a romantic.”

He bats his eyes – at least, you think he does, given the mask– and speaks in a sweet voice “Why, me? Oh please, I know romance. I’m not going to invite a lovely, gorgeous, incredible person over and force them to watch Die Hard on the first–”

His back straightens out like he’s been electrocuted before he forcibly relaxes his posture to finish his thought.

“Hang-out.”

Okay, you want to go easy on him, especially because he seems so tense, but you can’t just let that one slide. You close the small distance remaining between the two of you, causing your entire side to press against his. Even through his sweatshirt, you can feel how warm he is.

“Mmm, just a hang out?” you mumble, sliding your head onto his shoulder. You’ve done this before, either for comedic effect or just in an attempt to push his buttons the same way he always tries to push yours – which, despite his best efforts, always ends up endearing him to you instead of bothering you – but never in a context like this.

He inhales sharply, and you count the seconds until he finally lets himself release it. Sometimes, you think he takes his healing factor for granted.

Turning his head to peer down at you, Wade considers you for a moment, keeping his face and body language deceptively neutral. You try your hardest to keep your eyes focused on the movie and your body loose and comfortable.

“You want this to be a date?” he says, flat.

“Why, thank you for asking, dear sir,” you copy his sweet voice from earlier before returning to your normal. “Yes, Wade, I like you.”

“I–” he starts, but the words get caught on their way out. His fingers bury themselves in the material of his sweatpants, and the movement draws your attention to them again. Shades of blotchy red and pink curve all across his skin.

Wade doesn’t say anything, which is concerning enough on its own, but following your confession, you feel like he’s more than out of his element. 

“That’s why you invited me over, right?” you try and help him out. “You feel the same, too.”

And then, feeling bold, you turn your head to face his still mask-covered head and kiss him lightly on the cheek. Instantly, you see fireworks go off inside him, because Wade hurriedly shuts the TV off and runs off to close the blinds. There’s barely enough light in the room now to make out shapes, but apparently Wade doesn’t take any issue because he peels his mask back and kisses you on the lips.

His lips are textured, and your intuition flashes quietly in the back of your mind, but for right now, you focus on how energetic he is. If his body is warm, his mouth feels like it’s on fire. He’s constantly moving, trying to experience all of you as fast as possible. 

It’s making your face heat up, how quickly he demands your complete attention and how relentless he is in grabbing it. Wade bites your bottom lip, causing you to gasp into him, and he uses the opportunity to explore across your own teeth and tongue. After a few more seconds, you break away, needing the space to breathe.

“Holy shit,” you whisper, voice rough.

“You’re telling me,” Wade coughs out. “We could’ve been doing that this whole time?”

“Well, all you had to do was ask.”

And although you can’t see him, which you know is the point, you understand something in him has shifted. He gets up from the couch, takes you by the hand, and leads you towards his room. His pace is so quick, you barely comprehend his actions until you’re both standing right in front of his bed.

“Is this okay?” he asks, quiet. You don’t think you’ve ever heard him stifle the amount of words he let loose before.

“Yes, of course it is. But Wade, we have to turn on at least a lamp or something in here.”

“We do?”

“Yeah,” you pause to give him a second to think. “I can’t see you at all like this.”

“What if – and you're just going to have to trust me on this one – you’d prefer it this way,” Wade’s voice is light, but it feels like it’s cracking at the edges.

“And why’s that?”

Not like you’d be able to see, but the anxiety radiating off of him makes him sound wide-eyed, “Huh? Oh, I– uh…”

“Look, if you’re worried about how I’m going to react to you having a bunch of scars– don’t. I don’t mind,” the sound of fabric rustling in front of you makes you think he just flinched. “I figured it out. You’re not sneaky.”

“You say that, but…”

“Wade, I don’t care. And I mean that kindly! Really, it doesn’t bother me.”

Wade starts pacing in front of you, nearly tripping on the leg of the bedpost, “Look, I appreciate the whole hero act you got going on here – really fits you good, you should totally quit your day job – but you don’t have to force yourself, I–”

“Wade, you either confront your insecurities head on or I’m not doing this with you. I told you what I think, the only person who’s going to worry about how you look here is you. We either have sex with a light on or not at all, okay?”

No one speaks for a few seconds once you finish saying your piece, and you cringe, realizing how forceful you must have come off. You’re about to speak up again to apologize when you hear a shudder-filled exhale from a few feet away.

“Jesus H. Christ,” he groans. “You’re so hot when you're putting people in their place.”

Your lips curl into a shaky smile, “Yeah, what else do you think is hot?”

And you can practically hear the gears turning in his head from here.

…

It’s actually happening. No fucking way he didn’t dream this up. But you were pretty adamant about him getting his head in the game in order for you guys to actually get down and dirty, so for you, he tries to keep his train of thought as focused as possible–  a big ask.

“Bossing anyone – everyone, especially me – around. You using your abilities–” you reach over and find Wade’s hand before running your fingers up his arm. “Shit, umm, using your abilities in general, but, umm, I really like when I’m there.”

“Oh?” you giggle. “When you get to watch, or?”

“When I get to feel.”

Your hand moves over to the nape of his neck, reaching under his hood and mask, to rub at his rough skin. Wade’s nerves light on fire as he waits for you to respond– for some reason, it never feels like your words come out fast enough.

“You got a thing for pain, Wilson?”

He chuckles, “You’d be surprised.”

“Okay, but are you sure? I can try, but it might not be all that good for you.”

“Don’t worry,” he thinks back to all those times he had a hard on while the two of you were fighting together. “It’ll be great for me.”

You hum, “Alright, then, but you tell me to stop the second you don’t like something, okay?”

“Aye, aye, captain,” he salutes, though you probably can’t see it. “And, same goes for you.”

“What a gentleman, letting me destroy him and giving me an out.”

He’s blushing something furious and he’s never been more grateful for the dark, “Anything for you.”

Those are the last words he whispers before he begins undressing. He knows you probably meant for him to strip with the light on, but he’s really not so sure he could stomach being looked at like a bug under a microscope. The attention, while electrifying, was already starting to get to him, so he lets himself stay in his comfort zone a little longer. As a treat. 

Once his sweats are off, he hesitantly peels off his mask before slipping into bed, keeping most of his body under the covers. After shutting his eyes, he clicks the lamplight on.

You’re not saying anything. That’s– a sign? A good one, a bad one, Wade doesn’t know. He’s trying so hard to keep his breathing steady, but he can feel his body start shaking all on its own.

You join him on the bed, kneeling next to him, before your warm breath falls across his cheeks as you kiss his forehead. Only then does he open his eyes, and you reward him by cupping his cheek in your hand.

“There,” you say. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Wade gets the strong urge to snort, and so he does, but your eyes narrow. There’s a soft scratching at the back of his skull as you snake your hand over, and quickly you dig your nails in slightly. Wade has to bite his tongue to keep the noise in.

“I’m sorry, is that funny to you?”

“No!” he whispers sharply as you bring your hand down to scratch along the line of his neck.

“Good, seems like you’re learning.”

You kiss him, teeth clacking together at first before Wade melts into it. Your hand is still slowly exploring his body, running along the line of his shoulder and towards his upper arm. When you reach his bicep, you very obviously squeeze the muscle there, and you let out a pleased sigh as you begin groping in earnest.

He wants to turn to hide his face in the pillow, not sure how to react to all the positive attention and appreciation, but you catch him trying to turn away, and you kiss him deeper.

While one hand begins to explore his pecs and abs, your other hand scratches down his v-line, softly caressing the skin of his inner thighs before moving around to squeeze his ass.

Wade rewards you with a small whine, and you carefully trail a finger down his dick. You move in to whisper in his ear, “You’re so hot, I’m not forgiving you for hiding for so long.”

Trying to stifle the embarrassing moan that he knows will come out, he bites down on his lip hard, but you take the hand not teasing his cock to gently pry his lip away.

“From now on, I get to hear you, okay?” you say and Wade nods rapidly.

You take the moment you wrap your hand around the base of his cock, and after giving him a second to ready himself, you ask, “I’m going to use it now. Tell me if you want to stop.”

“Okay–” he responds before he feels the sweet sensation of you jerking him off coupled with your power. It’s a humming, dull feeling of pain resting in the background– almost like the sensation of being choked except it’s affecting his entire body. Wade feels like there’s a weight pinning down each of his limbs and it’s so freeing– so relaxing.

He sighs and turns his head to the side, letting out a deep moan when you up the pace of your hand and bring the other to fondle his balls.

“How is it?” you ask, sweat dripping down your brow at trying to control your ability. Sure, it’s  powerful and at times pretty horrifying, but Wade always loved how he was essentially immune. At the same rate you could destroy the flesh around you, he could heal his own right back. Just knowing that made him feel good, somehow, like he was made perfectly for you.

“It’s good– so good, I–” he nearly shouts, forgetting about the neighbors.

“Yeah, baby? What do you need?”

At hearing the pet name, he straight up whines as he tries to bury his hands in the sheets instead of his own thighs. 

“Not sure, umm, a little more–”

And he doesn’t know which god he has to thank for putting you on this planet, but he’s willing to pay them all a visit. You read him like he’s not some mess, some walking disaster nobody bothers paying attention to, and you give him what you know he needs.

From the base of his chin, you drag your hand in a deep scratch across his neck, chest, and stomach, your eyes watching the pink lines blend in with his scarred skin. It’s a flashing pain, sharp like being scalded and it feels so good mixed with the blunt feel of being under your power.

“I’m gonna–” he says, and of course, you seem to already know. He cums with a deep grunt, rutting his hips into your fist before he thrusts his head forward to kiss you again.

As soon as he comes down, he pulls away only slightly, just so he can say what he’s been wanting to say since he met you.

“Thank–”

You cut him off with another kiss, because sometimes, he really does need to shut up. 

[swampjawn]

God I love animation. I love it for the way it can bring anything to life beyond the constraints of boring ol' reality, but also the ways that it's inextricably linked to, and draws on the conventions of live-action film-making.

So fuck it, let's look at how Hayao Miyazaki straight up copies some camera framing techniques from his predecessor and the other most influential Japanese filmmaker of all time, Akira Kurosawa! (Kurosawa really was the master of framing scenes around his characters, so he's a great source of inspiration)

(btw, this is a screenshot from this TV special where the two met for the first time just after the release of Kurosawa's final film. It's pretty interesting, and also very cute how nervous Miyazaki seems to be to meet one of his idols.)

Specifically, how the two each choose to break the 180 degree rule (well, not technically 'break' in the case of Kurosawa) to show their protagonists' changing destiny in "Throne of Blood" and "Princess Mononoke".

For anyone who doesn't know, the 180 degree rule is a basic film-making rule of thumb which states that in any scene where two characters interact, you should draw an imaginary line between them and the camera should always stay on one side of that line.

("In the Mood for Love" - Wong Kar-wai)

This way, one character is always looking to the right of the camera, the other is always looking to the left, and the audience doesn't get confused by the geography of the scene. Crossing this line can be disorienting, but when done intentionally, it can convey a paradigm shift of some kind in the scene.

In this scene from "Throne of Blood," (a feudal Japanese retelling of Macbeth) Washizu's wife Asaji discusses tactics with him and tries to convince him to aspire to the throne and to assassinate his lord Tsuzuki while he sleeps.

As two servants appear to notify them that Washizu's sleeping quarters are prepared, the camera dollies left and around the characters' backs. This camera movement is motivated by the motion of the servants' torches outside the room, but it also signifies a change in Washizu's outlook.

Washizu is completely silent for most of this scene, contemplating his wife's advice. But as the camera slides behind his back and across the line of action, the scene is now re-framed, illustrating his change in perspective.

He's been convinced and the trajectory of his life is about to change - and now, facing away from the camera, is the time for action.

Because the camera slides smoothly across the line, Kurosawa isn't technically breaking the 180 degree rule. Miyazaki on the other hand, takes it a little further.

The complimentary scene in Princess Mononoke comes near the start when the wise woman of the village reads Prince Ashitaka's fortune after he's cursed by the wild boar spirit. She tells him that it is his fate to leave the village and travel to the west, where he may be able to lift the curse on his arm. The trajectory of Ashitaka's life changes in this moment too. As he accepts his fate, the change is symbolized by him cutting off his hair, but also by the camera jumping the line.

Throughout this dialogue scene and even as he cuts his hair, the simulated camera sits just slightly to the side of Ashitaka's left shoulder.

But once it's done, for the final shot, the scene is reframed and we jump to the other side, where Ashitaka is now looking to the right of the camera instead of the left.

Making the camera dolly across a scene like Kurosawa's version in 2D animation is no simple task, so this transition with a simple cut is in a way subtler, in another way a bit more jarring, but it conveys the same meaning.

This is the moment when our protagonists make the choice to embark on a new destiny and re-frame their lives.

This has been an excerpt from a short video essay I made a while back, which not many people watched. I think this is at least in part due to my failure to package it well, and it seems you tumblheads like this animation/cinematography analysis stuff, so this is an experiment to see if, with the help of y'all, and a new title and thumbnail, it's at all possible to give this video a second wind in the eyes of the Youtube Gods!

So if you found this interesting, I'd appreciate if you checked it out! Thanks for reading!

[leonardcohenofficial]

there’s a great write up by someone on here that i will have to search for in which they discuss how the ultimate evil for david lynch is sexual violence against women (even more severe than murder, which is often auxiliary to that type of specific violence); twin peaks is incredibly soapy—on purpose! lynch and frost are playing with form and content on purpose to examine incredibly difficult subject matter through a (for lack of a better word) more palatable format—which most of the time i think works to its advantage and makes those moments of visible horror so much more effective (i use “visible” rather than “true” or other similar adjectives because the horror is always there, it’s embedded in the entire town, shows up in every generation we see in screen and we watch them grapple with it in different ways, but that’s a separate post)

however—and i’ve talked about this before—i find that once you’ve watched fire walk with me it is so much harder to watch the show because the ignorance of nearly every single member of the town (yes, including cooper) pervades the way the action unfolds. twin peaks viewers knew the premise of the show going in and we get to discover details and information alongside the characters. when albert rosenfield comes in as the only voice of reason and reality, it’s set up to be jarring to both the townspeople and to the viewer. why?

sheryl lee said in an interview, “fire walk with me was very difficult for me to watch… and, emotionally it’s a reminder: this is a movie, but this continues to happen every day and how can we stop it? when i watch fire walk with me now, as a mother, i watch it and i think look at all those signs that were being exhibited. this girl was in danger, and look at all these people that were in her life. what would have happened if someone, somewhere, somehow could have helped or stopped it? that’s hard to watch.”

much has been discussed critically about fire walk with me and whether or not it’s exploitative in the ways that it portrays sexual violence against women. while lynch does not shy away from making that violence visible, it is done so in an attempt to make the viewer examine their own relationship to that violence and how it shows up in their own lives. the audience is forced to think about the ways that they are complicit in how and why these violent acts occur and what they can do to stop it, which is why for many it is an uncomfortable watch. for others, it is a painful (and speaking from my own perspective) necessary watch because lynch didn’t make a horror movie, he made a documentary.

fire walk with me is necessary (in my humblest of opinions) to understand why the pieces that lynch and frost put into twin peaks work. there’s so much backstory to how they weren’t originally going to reveal who laura palmer’s killer was until ABC made them, lynch wasn’t around during much of the second season so things got a little off the rails storytelling-wise, etc. etc. but fire walk with me allows them to tie difficult, often horrifying threads (ben horne unknowingly attempting to have sex with his daughter, the townspeople’s distancing of albert, the hands of random townspeople trembling as BOB attempts to claw back into the material world, the list goes on and on) back to the central thesis of “sexual violence is the ultimate evil, it is completely avoidable, and you have a responsibility to recognize the signs and stop being complicit”

[fxrmuladaydreams]

his video (sv5)

pornstar!seb x camgirl/pornstar!reader

summary: sebastian wants to try something new for his channel, maybe something a little softer than his usual content?

notes: okay after finishing this i wouldn’t call it “soft” but more tame for pornstar!seb

warnings: !! INCLUDES SMUT, MINORS DNI !! oral (f receiving), unprotected p in v, slight size kink

prev part next part

Begging To Cum feat. Sebastian Vettel

Your video had made the home page and stayed there for about a week now. Money flooded into your virtual tip jar, along with comments praising your video. It seems your audience really enjoyed watching you and Sebastian. Even in the livestreams afterwards comments flooded in asking if Sebastian was going to be joining you.

You enjoyed having him with you. A part of you had always been afraid of filming with another person, but you were glad you bit the bullet and did it with Sebastian.

You kept in contact with him for days after filming, updating each other on how well the video had done.

It should have worried you, the little jump you felt in your heart when you saw a text from Sebastian. You were becoming close, messaging each other every day, sharing the occasional phone call in the evening. Your conversations slowly started to turn from updates about your video to more personal things, updates on each other’s day to day lives. You were becoming far too close to someone who you could call a coworker.

You made plans to meet with him in person again, this time to film a video for him. He asked if you wanted to use your room again, wanting to make sure you were still comfortable with him, but you agreed to use his studio. It would be interesting to see where he films all of his other videos.

When you asked if you should bring anything with you, he just grinned and shook his head. “Just your beauty schatz.” You couldn’t see him since you were talking over the phone, but you could practically hear the smile on his face.

You opt for another dress, this time a soft white sundress, giving you the perfect innocent look you knew his viewers would eat up.

Sebastian had insisted on picking you up and driving you to his studio himself. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but a part of him was just desperate to see you in person again as soon as he could.

He offered you a bottle of water and let you pick the music as he drove. You made conversation with him on the way there, while he let his eyes drift back and forth between you and the road ahead.

He parked the car in front of a large beige building. There weren’t really any other businesses around, mostly just a few houses scattered down the road.

Sebastian was quick to hop out of the car and dash over to your side to open the door for you.

“Thank you. You didn’t bring me here just to murder me, did you Seb?” You ask teasingly as you glance at the woods behind the building.

“No schatz, I would never!” He huffs, placing a hand over his chest with a look of fake-hurt on his face.

He grabs his bag from the backseat of the car as well as a backpack, and leads you inside the building. A couple seems to be exiting one of the rooms, the man grins as he spots Sebastian.

“Got the room all nice and warmed up for you.” He says as he gives Sebastian that half hug-handshake that guys do.

You recognize the man almost immediately. Daniel Ricciardo, another very popular, though not quite as popular as Sebastian, pornstar. You’d seen quite a few videos of his. He had a style similar to Sebastian, definitely the dom type. But now you could see that he seemed like an all-smiles person. Maybe it was a high from a good shoot?

The girl with him just stands by, a dazed smile on her face. Sebastian takes a glance at her then back at Daniel.

“Yeah, I can see that.” He laughs.

Daniel looks over at you and smiles holding his hand out for you to shake. “Hi, I’m Daniel, big fan of your videos.” He winks.

You feel your face heat up under the gaze of the dark haired man in front of you. “Thank you.”

“If you ever want another filming partner, let me know.” He says as he steers the girl he’s with outside.

Sebastian feels himself tense up. He can feel the jealousy slowly building up inside of him. You have the right to film with whoever you want, he knows that, but he doesn’t like the thought of sharing.

“C’mon, I’ll show you where we’ll be filming.” He says, his voice slightly gruff.

He guides you down a hall, past a room you recognize from a lot of Sebastian’s other videos, and Daniel’s as well. It’s just a simple room with a couch on one wall, nothing more.

Instead he leads you to a different room. This one is fully furnished, decorated with a bed, a dresser, a closet, even posters and frames on the walls. It looks like a real bedroom.

“I was thinking maybe we could do something a little different for my video too. Maybe something kind of soft?” He asks.

You smile and nod. “Yeah, that sounds fun.”

“And don’t worry, I won’t kiss you.” He smirks. “I wouldn’t want you to fall in love with me or anything.”

You laugh and shake your head.

“Why do you have that rule?” He asks. When he gets a few seconds of silence in return he adds “You don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.”

You sigh. “I don’t know. You’re the only person I’ve actually filmed with, you know that.”

Sebastian feels pride swell up in his chest.

“Kissing against someone’s skin if fine, it’s just… actual kissing just seems… too intimate? I’m already giving you and my viewers so much, I think I want that one thing for just me…”

Sebastian nods. “That makes sense. You want to save some part of yourself from everyone else.”

He sets his bag up by the door again after he pushes it closed and locks it. He pulls his camera out of his backpack along with the tripod for it to rest on.

You sit yourself down on the bed and run your hand over the blanket that lays over it.

“You look like a dream schatz.” He says as he finishes setting up. “Are you ready?”

He presses the record button only when you give him the okay, then saunters over to the bed and sits next to you. He slowly leans his head down, his nose brushing softly against yours.

“No kissing.” You remind him quietly as you try not to let yourself drown in the blue of his eyes.

“No kissing.” He confirms, then drops his head down to your neck.

His lips trail softly against your skin as his hands find their way to your hips. He leans forward as you lean back, laying down with him on top of you as he softly bites at your skin.

You open your legs for him to rest between them and tangle a hand in his soft blonde hair.

He feels a soft tug when he bites down near your collarbone. He smirks to himself, sucking on the skin again, then smoothing his tongue over it.

He rolls his hips against yours, pushing your sundress further up your waist. The rough denim of his jeans feels good through your panties as you lift your hips up to meet his.

He tugs at the bottom of your dress, brushing his hands against your thighs. You lift yourself up enough to pull the dress off and toss it to the side.

Sebastian pulls away just enough to get a good look at you and the white lace set you’ve worn, then sighs. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you bunny?”

“Do you like it?” You ask him.

“I love it.” He dives his head back down to continue kissing along your collarbone, along as much of the newly revealed skin he can.

His hand travels back behind you and swiftly unclasps your bra. He pulls it off your shoulders and tosses it away.

His lips trail down between the valley of your breasts as his hands give them a soft squeeze. He gets lower and lower until he’s reached the waistband of your panties. He looks up at you, his blue eyes wide, asking you a silent question.

You nod your head, wanting nothing more than for him to rid you of your underwear.

He pulls them down with his teeth until they hang around your ankles. You kick them off and watch the man between your legs in anticipation.

He spreads your legs open and lets out a low groan. “You’re so pretty, bunny.” He says, his eyes locked on your cunt.

He lifts your legs over his shoulders and slowly licks a long stripe over your folds until his tongue flicks against your clit.

You gasp at the sensation, squirming when he sucks it into his mouth. He holds onto your thighs with a firm grip, keeping you still so he can take what he wants. Even now, as he’s pleasuring you, he still needs to be the one in control.

“C’mon bunny, let me hear those pretty noises you like to make.” He says, his lips brushing against your folds.

You lay back as he eats you out, tangling your hands in his blonde curls. You arch your back off the bed as his tongue fucks into you.

He moans into you as he feels you try to squirm in his hold. He leans his face as close as he can into you, his nose pushing against your clit as he thrusts his tongue in you.

“Oh god, I’m gonna cum, please may I cum sir?” Your grip on his hair tightens.

“Cum for me.”

You let your orgasm wash over you. Sebastian continues licking you though, taking as much of your release as you’ll give him.

“You taste delicious bunny.” He says as he moves your legs from his shoulders.

He kisses back up your body until he’s eye to eye with you again.

The denim of his jeans was once a welcome feeling between your legs, but now the material makes you shift away in slight discomfort, the material too rough over your sensitive folds.

“Do you think you can be a good little bunny and ride me?” He asks as his fingers reach back down to toy with your clit.

You nod up at him. “I can do it.”

He rolls over, pulling your body on top of his.

You can’t help but think to yourself just how this looks right now, you completely bare, straddling him, completely clothed. You tug his shirt off and take a good look at him. He’s never really shown much skin in his other videos, so you’re a little surprised to see the lines of his torso now on display. The muscles in his chest and abs shift as he moves.

“Like what you see?” He smirks up at you.

You flush at his words and move your hands down to unbuckle his belt and tug his jeans down his legs. His boxers are quick to follow. His cock slaps his abdomen as it’s released. It’s big, not that you hadn’t already pictured Sebastian was packing. It’s good length, and thick as well. The mushroom tip is a pink color, a bead of precum spilling out the top.

You wrap your hand around it, stroking it up and down, you thumb tracing along the slit at the head.

“You think it’ll fit?” He asks as your fingers only just barely touch while wrapped around him.

You can see just how deep it’ll be when inside you as you stroke it, it’ll practically be rearranging your insides.

You lift yourself up and run the head along your folds, collecting your slick. You slowly lower yourself down onto him, taking about half of him before you need to stop. You whimper as you try to get used to the feeling, the stretch that he gives you.

“Aww, am I too big for you bunny?” Sebastian coos, his hand running along your thigh.

You feel yourself squeeze around him impossibly tighter, rocking yourself back and forth on him.

“You can’t do it, can you bunny?” He asks with a fake pout on his face.

“No, no, no, I can do it, I can do it.” You insist. You start to let yourself drop further down until you’re speared on his cock. You can feel the head impossibly deep inside you, his girth pulling you apart unlike anything before.

“I did it, it fits.” You moan as you begin to rock yourself against him.

Sebastian tries not to let himself fall apart too fast. He tries to remember that he’s on camera, that to his audience he’s meant to be the one in control, but he feels that control slipping away as he looks up at you. You’re eyes are squeezed shut as you try to ride him, your hands are pushed against his chest in an attempt to keep yourself balanced. You throw your head back and let out a moan when he hits a certain spot inside you, and he think’s it’s the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard.

He closes his eyes and pushes himself to sit up, moving your hands to his shoulders. He needs to regain some of his control, and he knows just how to do it.

“C’mon, be a good little bunny and bounce on my cock.” He says, giving you a light tap on the ass.

You grip onto his shoulders as you lift yourself up, then drop back down. You slowly build up your pace until you’re a mess on top of him, your tits bouncing with your movements and your words no longer coherent as they turn into garbled moans.

Your legs are shakey underneath you, your strength fading as you chase your impending orgasm. Sebastian can feel your pace start to slow down. He lands a harsh smack to your ass, causing you to yelp.

“Can’t do it by yourself bunny? You need my help to make you cum?” He asks.

“Please, please, please make me cum.” You beg him.

He starts thrusting himself up into you, reaching even deeper. Each of his sharp thrusts are met with a quick whine from you.

He uses his right hand to play with your clit, rubbing quick circles into it, pulling you even closer to the edge.

“I’m gonna cum.” You moan.

“Cum for me bunny, cum on my cock.” Sebastian groans under you.

Your walls tighten around him as he feels you cum. Your body gives out, falling almost limp against his own. He flips you over and fucks into you. He feels himself near his own release as he pulls out from you and fists himself. His head drops down to your shoulder as his warm cum covers your stomach in white spurts.

He holds himself up on his elbows so he doesn’t crush you underneath him. He pulls away to rest on his knees and looks down at his work.

You’ve got a blissed out smile on your face and a hazy look in your eyes. You reach down to your stomach and swipe a finger through his cum bringing it to your lips. You moan at the taste of him while he smiles and shakes his head.

“You really are trying to kill me schatz.”

The term of endearment brings you back to the present, as does his warmth leaving you so he can turn his camera off. He pulls a soft towel from his bag, wiping his release off you, and yours from between your legs.

“So, did I do good?” You ask, reaching down for his shirt to pull over your head.

“You were amazing.” He smiles, pulling his boxers back on.

He hands you a bottle of water, uncapped by him, and a snack. He grabs the same, and sits next to you on the bed.

He realizes quickly that he could get used to this sight. You in your post-sex glow, wearing his clothes. A light purple mark brandished on your neck from his teeth. He reaches over and brushes his fingers over it.

“Sorry about that.” He apologies sheepishly.

You shake your head and laugh softly. “It’s okay. Have you seen your shoulders?”

He looks down to see the pink scratch marks that trail over his shoulders, some going down to his chest. He smiles to himself, maybe he doesn’t mind being marked up, as long as they’re marks from you.

A nice silence falls over the room as you continue to eat your snack. Your head falls softly against Sebastian’s shoulder as your eyes start to droop closed. He wraps an arm around you, pulling you closer to him. He wraps one of the blankets around the two of you, cocooning you together.

“Can we stay for a little bit?” You ask him quietly, nuzzling yourself further into him.

“We can stay for as long as you’d like schatz.”

[thoughtsonkm]

Jeju pt.1 in a nutshell

(more than that, I just love this pretty aesthetic shot)

The vibe was definitely different because logically two people (especially jm&jk) are gonna behave differently than a three person group. Just a matter of numbers, synergies and the need to deliver a specific product to the audience. Nonetheless it was so entertaining to me. I realize I kinda missed these three together sharing 2 braincells (1 for jimin and 1 for tae&jk). The first two episodes were so chill and they felt like they almost had a lowkey underground vibe as if they were in their own bubble away from everyone just living life in their little part of the world accompanied by a moody scene and dim lights while this episode was like a action packed manic episode, so bright so cheerful with childlike wonder. I'm glad they can still have fun together and always enjoy the moment.

Plus let's be honest jikook are gonna jikook no matter the place, time and people around.

Some of the funniest parts of the ep to me were: The contrast of Jimin yapping about Aewol and Tae&Jk eating like there's no tomorrow. The drive through ordeal. The perfect comedic scenario of Jimin chasing Tae to make him eat like it was the last thing he would do.

Favourite reaction meme/face of the day. The betrayal, the suspense, the drama.

LOOK at this little bean stopping and collecting Jimin's 1930 shoes and going after his shenanigans like the dependable banryeo he is 😭 (remember back in 2019 when jimin called jk that and everyone went crazy and rolled with it for MONTHS? Good times)

~

On another note it's actually very interesting how you can feel and see how in every second Jimin tries to be in control of the situation and always on top of everything, every angle and every concern. He also always looks so deep in thoughts during these episodes, it's like he's given himself the task to be the artist, entertainer, manager,producer and everything all at once in this show. I'm sure it also has to do with his own personality and being someone who looks at every minor detail, a perfectionist who tries to curate everyone and everything.

~

The way Jk's life flashed before his eyes when he saw blood on Jimin's lips ~ so fuckin cute

And after Jimin's lip incident happened, Jungkook could not stop licking his own lips for the rest of the episode and probably day, I see you

THAT scene was so thought inducing, so ao3 ff coded it was insane. Just Jk silently staring at a dazzling and sleeping jimin in the ground. 37292 scenarios could've been played and then.. just walked away to take a shower (⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)

Not okay seriously! The concern, the adoration, the yearning.

Blaming Jk for his actions was never an option. LOOK AT HIM

I LOVE the constant little comedic improvs Jikook do together, they're so fun!! You can tell that it's part of their usual daily thing (it's actually smth i also do with my friends and it always gets hysterical)

~

The idea that they went on a private trip to Jeju in August and then went again for the show in September, fills me with joy. Love that they had the opportunity. Seems like they keep on going to the same locations twice, just so they can get that full experience with each other.

~

I kid you not, this is one of my top3 fav things they do together. JIMINSSIII - JUNGKOOKSSIII

The editing being almost backwards and all over the place really is a little off-putting sometimes, jarring even. Not keeping events in a chronological order is sus on it's own, like they're scraping for footage at this point..

And yes it is also kinda bothering me that it's been years and years of content creation and they still can't do a good job at translating and coordinating what everyone says, is it really that hard? is it??

Imma put her on blast just out of pettiness 😆

[anothermansjeans]

I just think it would be so sweet youtuber!reader and Spencer recording a skincare video, being silly with face masks and the whole thing (obviously normally he just washes his face with water before bed but the reader is in the process of changing that)

oh my god this was going one place and then i took it somewhere else LMAO but i love this sm! thanks for sending it in 🫶

cw: fluff, menace spencer at it again, soooooooo sweet it will give you a toothache

wc: 1k

youtuber!reader masterlist

++

“You ready, babe?”

Spencer looked down at the vanity adorned with various products, giving you a small nod before looking between you and the camera. Ever since watching Spencer just rinse his face off with water one morning about a week ago, you've been brewing up the idea of a skincare routine video to get him in the groove of taking his skin health seriously. For a man who loves to tell you what products (or lack of products) aren't helping your skin, he sure did little to make sure his routine was up to his standards.

“Okay! Hello, lovelies! Today I’m with Spencer,” you gestured over to him, “and we are going to be doing my nighttime skincare routine! Spence, would you mind sharing with the audience your skincare routine?”

He furrowed his brows and looked over to you, “a routine is a sequence of actions regularly followed, like a fixed program. I don't have procedures I go through so I wouldn't classify it as a routine.”

“Okay,” you tried to maintain your giggles, “then tell them what you usually do for your skin before you go to bed.”

“Well,” he began, looking back at the cameras and talking with his hands, “Sometimes, if I feel as though my pores had excreted more oil than normal and Y/N’s face wash is out, I'd use that, but more times than not, she's in bed before me so I’ll just use water.”

A pout formed on your face as you looked at the camera. “Terrible, I know.”

“Hey!”

“Anyway,” you gently placed a hand on his arm, the action soothing him while simultaneously letting him know you meant no harm, “we’re going to fix that. Today, I’ll not only be showing you my routine, but also getting Spencer to do it with me!”

The video went on without a hitch. You started with a cleanser and then went into an exfoliator. Now, you had your container of clay mask sitting in front of the two of you. “Now we’re on the third step. This mask cleans pores, brightens skins, and detoxifies skin,” you look up from reading the jar to see a contemplative look on Spencer’s face. “You good, Spence?”

“Yes, yes, I just don't know how I would go about putting it on my face.”

With soft eyes, you gently opened the lid and scooped a small clump of the mask onto your finger. “I’ll put yours on for you, okay?”

He smiled and gave a nod before you swiped your finger down his cheek, spreading out what you had into a thin layer. “This feels nice,” he said, closing his eyes and letting out a soft hum.

“It’s supposed to.” The moment felt very domestic, and you couldn't wait for the time where you'd do this without the camera. The serenity of the moment was cut short though, when you went to scoop more of the mask onto your finger and the jar started to slip from your grasp. The shock of it almost falling sent one of your hands flying up, which caused whatever clay you had on your hand to fling onto Spencer’s unsuspecting face.

You registered the gasp he elicited when you stabilized the jar on the vanity, and when looking over at Spencer, you saw the splatter of clay painted across his face. “I am–” you started to laugh, but used your clean hand to cover your mouth, “I am so sorry, baby.”

“No, no, it’s okay.” His thin smile was giving mixed signals, but you assumed nothing of it when he changed to topic. “Could I take a look at the ingredients?”

Giving a quick nod, you didn't take notice of how quick he grabbed the mask and swooped his fingers in. Not a second later, you felt the cool substance flung across your face. All you did was blink at him– him, and his shit-eating grin– before folding your lips in and letting out a hum. “Spencer…”

His face slowly morphed into one of concern, “I don't know why I thought that was okay. Y/N, I’m sorry. We can clean this up and–” and a big splat sound echoed in the room and Spencer promptly shut his mouth when a lump of the mask landed on his forehead and began to drip down the bridge of his nose. Your laugh caused a fire to light in his eyes, and he once again grabbed the jar. “Oh, I see how it is.”

“You started a war, Spence.” When he aimed his fire, you stood up and ran over to your bed, grabbing a pillowcase. “You wouldn't target one of our very expensive pillowcases?”

“You're the one sacrificing it!” He flung the clay, and you used the pillow to block the blow. At the amount on the pillow, your eyes widened with humor, “That’s almost the entire jar!”

Laughing, Spencer stalked forward with another handful of the mask. “I’ll buy you more,” he said, cornering you before smearing his hand all down your face.

Your gasping giggles filled the room, and Spencer leaned his forehead down onto yours as you both calmed down. “This video has gone off track.”

“I’m sorry,” his voice was soft and gentle, a big contrast from the chaotic clay war from moments ago.

“Don't. I’m having more fun than anticipated.” Your arms made their way around his neck, gently carding your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. Yeah, you still had the clay mask all over your hands, but you were over one-hundred percent sure the two of you would be taking a shower in less than five minutes.

“You didn't anticipate having fun with me while doing skincare?” His eyes held a playful glint.

Gently pulling his head down so that your lips grazed his, you whispered, “I always anticipate having fun with you, Dr. Reid.” And with that, he captured your lips with his, the face mask smearing all over your faces without a care in the world. The video was the last thing on your mind… you'll continue it at a later time.

++

youtuber!reader taglist: @im-a-ghost666 @lyd14k4y @happiestcat @hauntedtv13 @obi-wansgirl

let me know if you would like to be added or removed!

[bogunicorn]

I think it says a lot about the shitty way queer people are treated that my reaction to the extremely obvious Cressida/Eloise chemistry this season is paranoia and suspicion rather than just seeing something with my eyes and trusting that that is, in fact, what I am seeing.

Cressida is obviously being set up to marry Debling to avoid being forced into a marriage set by her father, and characters won't stop reminding the audience that Debling is going to immediately disappear for years after the season and leave his wife to run his estate and live whatever life she wants while he's away. Violet has consciously given up trying to encourage Eloise to find a husband, and instead their conversations are about how Eloise needs a friend other than Cressida. They use the same language that the hetero couples use (Cressida calling Eloise not wanting her friendship earlier as "rejecting my suit," Eloise calling on Cressida the way a male suitor would, seeking each other out anytime they're at a shared function), and Cressida's father warning her to stay away from Eloise is straight out of the coming-of-age queer romances I read as a teenager. It's shot like a romance. If they went full Tipping the Velvet in ep 5, I wouldn't be at all surprised. The showrunner is also a gay man whom I would hope isn't stupid enough to be writing them like this "by accident."

It's also really clear this season that the writers have been listening to the show's reception and answering critiques in-universe. It can be a little obvious, but I don't think any of it is mockery or pandering. Violet is genuinely more helpful instead of pushing her kids into situations, Danbury and Charlotte talked about how the "season diamond" thing is Whistledown's terminology rather than the actual title of the role, Kanthony gets ep 1 spotlight and an actual explanation for why they're not around unlike Daphne and Simon, Eloise has been allowed to grow instead of being pigeonholed as the humorless obnoxious SJW. It would make sense to me that they would have also paid attention to the conversation about Benedict possibly being bisexual and realized that viewers would be accepting of and even enjoy Eloise being bisexual in the main text.

I'm getting into pure speculation here, but I also don't think thos production team expects to get the full 8 seasons. Netflix just doesn't produce dramas that go that long. My speculation is that they more or less have the greenlight for season 4 and MAYBE season 5. 4 is obviously going to be Benedict and Sophie, and my suspicion is that they have 5 earmarked for Francesca, since IIRC in her book she's a widow and s3 has her meeting her husband. They've done basically nothing with Sir Phillip and seemed to have put a bow on Marina's storyline in a way that I think would make it jarring to have them circle back to her and be like "she's dead now and this nothingburger husband is going to hook up with Eloise." They had chances, limited as they were, to have Philip make a memorable impression or have some foreshadowing between him and Eloise for the future and didn't even bother with lip service. I don't think THEY think they'll even get to Eloise's season.

Again, that's entirely speculation based on my gut feeling. But my point is that the show has put itself into a position where I think only the most diehard book fans would complain if Eloise's big love interest is a woman, and the show obviously gave up on catering to book accuracy ages ago.

[heliza24]

Complicated Thoughts on Daniel's Turning (or, in defense of disabled vampires)

So I have complicated feelings about Daniel’s turning. The way I feel about it changes every day. Sometimes I don’t mind it, but some days, on days like today when I’ve dealt with a bunch of other ableist bullshit out in the real world, I kind of hate it. Or at least I think I might, depending on how season 3 pans out.

One of the first reasons I fell in love with the show was its inclusion of a disabled character as the main audience surrogate. I’ve already written a lot about what good disabled representation Daniel is, and how including a sick character serves as a foil for the bodily transformation vampires experience and adds to the story. So many of the show’s themes of immortality and grief are thrown into high relief by the inclusion of Daniel as a disabled/chronically ill man.

Interview with the Vampire is a show about trauma and grief, and I found it especially exciting that the show’s refusal to pull any punches extended to addressing the pandemic. The pandemic is a huge source of loss, trauma and grief, especially for disabled people, and Hollywood’s response to that has been to memory hole it as quickly as possible. Most shows, artists and viewers find it too painful to delve back into these sore spots. But Interview with Vampire can’t do that, because the main plot of the show is about a character being “protected” from trauma by having his memories removed. This is a show that wants us to confront our grief in our pain and learn how to move through it.

So you can see how Daniel showing up as a vampire in the very last minutes of season two was a little jarring and initially upsetting to me. Gone are all of those complex explorations of illness and trauma and instead Daniel is almost a completely different character. The fact that this was dropped as basically a tease for the next season, like a Marvel post credits sequence, was what really bothered me. This incredibly important transformation was reduced to a punch line at worst and a “coming next on” at best.

There are a lot of unfortunate tropes that get used almost every time an able bodied writer decides to include a disabled character (and let’s be real, they are always able bodied, because disabled writers do not get hired to show run). One of the most common is the “magical cure“. This happens in almost every example of speculative fiction that includes a disabled character that I can think of. It means that disabled characters are effectively written out of almost every fantasy and science fiction story. There are a lot of problems with this trope. It tells disabled people that they don’t deserve stories that include magic or adventure. It takes away opportunities from disabled actors and means that able bodied actors are cast, and then instructed to “crip up” for the scenes that take place before their cure arrives. (I love Eric’s performance, but it’s not lost on me that he’s an able bodied actor playing a disabled character). There’s the fact that cures are very rarely complete, and most disabled people live in a halfway world of having some access and some treatment that is effective, while they still deal with the physical pain or exclusion that being disabled brings. And there’s no reason that this in betweenness would not extend to treatment available in speculative worlds. Perhaps the worst part of this trope is that it bends to able bodied peoples’ discomfort around this ambiguity. Chronic pain and inaccessibility and reliance on care is sad and scary to a lot of people, and they’d rather not see it. And because of that, they lose out on an opportunity to explore all sorts of themes that only disabled characters can really unlock. Themes about the body, about metamorphosis, about community, and about a hundred other things that us crips understand in a way that someone outside our bodies cannot see in the same way.

So the way that Daniel was presented at the very end of season two was as a complete and total magical cure. He doesn’t have to worry about pandemic anymore, his movement seems a lot easier, and he’s immortal now.

If the show moves forward in this way, without digging deeper into Daniel‘s transformation and perhaps re-examining some vampire lore, it’s going to end up sacrificing some of the themes that made season one and two so great. And it’s going to make me very upset.

However, I think there’s a lot of opportunity for the show to explore Daniel’s transformation with sensitivity and depth. I haven’t talked about Armand yet in this meta, but I love him and I love shipping him with Daniel. My love for Devil’s minion is perhaps the one reason I wasn’t purely angry about Daniel being turned in the way that he was; I do appreciated the way it sets up the show to explore their complicated dynamic. In particular, I’m fascinated by the fact that Armand not only violated his own personal vow never to turn someone, but also violated the great laws when doing so. Daniel breaks the laws in just about every way – he’s written about the history of the vampires, he knows the vampires true identity and has been allowed to live, etc. But the biggest violation is that Daniel is “crippled“ when he’s turned. Now I’ve already written about the way the vampire coven and the great laws espouse eugenics, and I think the show makes it pretty clear that these laws are harmful. The greatest tragedy of the show is Claudia‘s murder. She was killed because according to the coven, she was turned too young. This early turning really had no tangible negative impact on her life as a vampire except in the way that other vampires perceived her. The consequences were all imposed by the coven, who saw her body as wrong and unacceptable. In show canon Armand was also turned when he was sick. Specifically, he had some kind of wasting disease, then made him lose muscle and feel weaker as he came closer to dying. I’ve always maintained the part of the reason that Armand comes down so hard on Claudia is because he projects his own insecurities and weaknesses on her. If he doesn’t eliminate her, someone might recognize how similar they are and question Armand‘s power and authority.

I wonder how much older Daniel’s Parkinson’s reminds Armand of his wasting disease. I wonder if the fact that their vampire eyes are the same color makes Armand think about how similar they are, and about how they are both violators of the Great Laws. I wonder if they ever talk about the ableism inherent in vampire society. I wonder if Armand worries that his transformation of Daniel will be incomplete or botched, because he’s never made one before and because why would there be a prohibition against turning disabled people if there weren’t potential negative consequences? I wonder if sometimes Daniel feels conflicted about leaving behind a body that caused him pain but also shaped him into the person he is, the person that Armand fell in love with (fell in love with again?). I wonder if the show will explore any of these questions with the depth the deserve, or if it will lean fully into a quick and tidy magical cure for Daniel. I really, really hope they do the conversations around Daniel’s turning justice. Because I think in the right hands, a script that explores these issues could be transcendent. These are all themes that the show has already been exploring, and it would be a downright shame to fumble the opportunity to deepen the storytelling around bodily difference, eugenics, grief and change at the final hurdle.

If I were writing on the show, I would lobby hard to have Daniel still retain some symptoms of Parkinson’s even after he’s turned. I know that Daniel will be an unusually powerful fledgling, because he’s Armand‘s only and Armand is very powerful and old. But disability does not preclude power. Daniel should have extraordinary vampire instincts, and power – we’ve already seen him master long distance telepathy quite early, and he could have access to other gifts as a young vampire too. But he could be doing all those things while still sometimes having tremors or fatigue or experiencing the ghosts of old pain. What an interesting way to add complexity to a loud and brash new fledgling.

In general, I want to make the case for disabled vampires. Anne Rice was immensely talented but also immensely ableist. But that doesn’t mean we have to be too. We can take her world and make it more colorful and diverse, just as the show has already begun to do. And let me tell you, there is no group of people more prepared to become vampires than disabled people. We’ve already had to adapt to bodies that act in unruly ways. We’ve already had to cope with being outcasts in society. And those of us with chronic pain (I include myself here) have a more similar relationship to pain and bodies to vampires than to most other humans. Vampires spend a lot of time being afraid of pain; since they are immortal, it’s the next biggest threat after death. Not a lot of people experience pain in this way, as totally separate from a mortal threat on their life. But I do, because even on days when I am in blinding, horrendous pain, it is in no danger of killing me. Its only consequence is the toll it takes on my mind and spirit. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone more prepared to weather the uncertainty and the pain and the brutality of living forever than disabled people. And I would absolutely love to see a disabled vampire in action on my screen.

As we move into season three, and into Lestat’s rockstar career, we’re going to necessarily leave behind the world that is still concerned about the pandemic. Rock venues and musicians in the real world have abandoned any kind of Covid precautions and no longer care if their concerts are super spreaders. Lestat doesn’t strike me as someone particularly concerned with the health of mortals, so I’m sure he’ll be the same. So I hope in order to balance that out, the show does make a deliberate attempt to continue exploring disability through Daniel. I guess they might also weave the pandemic into the Great Convergence and whatever they’ve got cooking for Those Who Must Be Kept since those things were mentioned together and season one, and I would also be excited to see that.

In the meantime, I’m going to be writing a fic that explores Daniel’s turning in a way that delves into all of the questions I asked earlier about the intersections of disability, eugenics, and vampirism. I would love if you read the first chapter and subscribed. I would also love if you included disability in your discussions about the show, and especially about baby vamp Daniel. I can only hope that the writers will follow our example!

[ladykailitha]

The Hellfire Exotic Club Part 2

Hey, guys! This story is going to be a lot of fun, so buckle in we are in for a ride.

Just a little thing about this chapter that will only make sense in context. But Eddie did NOT start stripping until the previous owner retired. I tried to make that clear, but I'm not sure I did. Again, Eddie danced burlesque but did not strip until he took over as owner of the night club. Got it? Thank you!

Part 1

~

They didn’t have time to build up the Steve turning from the angel Samael to the demon Satan not with him having only three days to learn the dance, so his first appearance on stage was that as the envious Satan.

Steve was wearing a red corset and boy shorts with matching high-heeled pumps and black fishnet stockings.

He started the set that would be his one hour in the spotlight leaning over a stool and then as the spotlight hit his head snapped up, glaring at the audience.

The way his body slunk and shimmied across the stage so different to the bruising stomp of Asmodeus. If Asmodeus was the harsh envy of wanting whatever one else had because he thought he deserved it, then Satan was soft simpering envy of a man who had been denied everything and still wanted, still yearned.

By the time Steve had finished his set that first night, even though he didn’t remove a single article of clothing, the money that was thrown at him was as much as Asmodeus in his heyday. On his first night.

The other dancers had been gathering the thrown money all night and Steve picked up the rest from his finale. They brought it all to Eddie to be counted. Same with the tip jar at the bar. The money for the dancers was a much bigger pile than the one at the bar, but the tip jar wasn’t slouching either.

Eddie carefully doled out the bartenders and waiters tips first. Robin’s eyes going wide as she held few hundred dollars in her hands.

“I didn’t think Sundays would be very popular,” she breathed, carefully dividing it and putting it in separate places so if her purse got stolen she didn’t lose all of it.

Eddie cackled as he counted out the money for the backup dancers first. They got the same amount every night as did the other Sins on their non-starring days while the club and the main dancer got a cut, except Saturday nights when Eddie danced then the dancer’s cut would be divided six ways among the other Sins.

“I think it was people coming in and expecting the new dancer to fall on his face,” Eddie said, handing out the money to his other dancers. “And then were blown away when Stevie here simpered and slunk his way into their hearts and more importantly their pocket books.”

He took his cut and then handed the rest to Steve.

“So it might not be this big next week?” Steve asked, chewing on his lip.

Eddie laughed. “Oh, honey, you have nothing to worry about,” he said, standing up to put an arm around Steve’s shoulders. “Give them a chance to watch you dance all this week and especially with the fallen angel dance you and Lilith will do on Saturday. Once they’ve seen that, there’ll be a line outside of the club just to see you.”

“I’m with Eddie on this one,” one of the backup dancers said. She was spunky black girl called Choronzon. Well, her real name was Cheryl but you get the idea. “Asmodeus was a boring, stereotypical stripper. Pole and all. But you? Man you’re going to make everyone else envious, okay?”

Steve ducked his head and blushed. Robin bumped his shoulder with hers.

“Hell,” Gareth said with a giggle at his own stupid pun, “most of us spent that hour of you with the backup dancers just watching you. Something I assure you doesn’t usually happen, not even when we first started.”

“I can’t wait to start dancing with you,” Chrissy said earnestly. “I’ve even asked that you get the same days off as me so it’s expected we dance together.”

“What days are those?” Steve asked sharing a glance with Robin.

Eddie winced. “Yeah, I know you both wanted the same days off, but I could only manage one of the two, sorry. It’s just with the other waiters’ schedules I just couldn’t make it work. You’ll both have Tuesdays off, but Steve will have Fridays off, and Robin with have Thursdays.”

They shrugged. It was better than nothing. Hell, they were even back to back. They could make that work.

Jeff laughed, “He wants Steve to have Fridays off because he’s afraid I’ll be outshined on my own day.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up at he looked at Eddie in shock. “You really can’t tell me you actually think I’d out lust Lust, do you?”

Eddie scratched his cheek and looked up sheepishly. “Well, not precisely, not really. But you can’t deny you have a sex appeal that can’t be matched or compared. And that’s what we don’t want. People comparing you. Because even so-called progressives still find white people more aesthetically pleasing and the more we can keep people from making that direct comparison the better.”

Steve half shrugged. “I have no problem with that, but I guess that means my dreams of dancing with him have been dashed.”

“Sorry, man,” Jeff said dramatically, “I’m a solo act. I don’t do partners. I inspire lust, I don’t fall victim to it.”

He pretended to faint in Jeff’s arms and he dipped him dramatically. They straightened up with giggles. Eddie was starting to think he might have to swap sins with Steve if his stomach churned every time Steve flirted with someone else.

Which was ridiculous. He didn’t date his dancers and he wasn’t about to start now just because his head was turned by such a pretty face. Besides, it seemed that Steve and Robin were job rovers and they no doubt would get sick of this place and move on to the next one.

“All right,” he said cracking his knuckles as he sat back down at his desk. “The cleaners will be here in a half hour, so if you don’t want to help them, I’d clear out.”

Everyone made a scramble for the doors, all except Steve. He lingered at the door after everyone had left and when Eddie spotted him, he cocked his head to the side.

“Is there something you needed, Steve?”

Steve chewed on his bottom lip and then surged forward. “It is okay that I’m doing the whole angel thing, right? I wasn’t trying to change the theme of your club. I just picked the song to stand out. I figured you had every variation of every song about devils, demons, and hell,” he rambled.

“Whoa, whoa,” Eddie said, holding up his hand, “take a deep breath there before you pass out on me.”

Steve took in a large breath and just stared at him wide eyed.

“Sit down a minute,” he continued and waved a hand at the chair in front of his desk.

Steve wavered a moment before doing as he was told.

“I’ve been managing this club for longer than I’ve owned it,” he began.

Steve blinked at him a moment in shock. “What? It wasn’t originally yours?”

Eddie shook his head. “Nope. Back when I first started here as a dancer, it was called the Kit Cat Titty Club.”

“That’s a horrible name!” Steve said, rearing his head back in disgust.

“That it was,” he agreed. “The owner started it as a proper burlesque club. A throw back to the speakeasies of the 1920s. You had waitresses in bunny suits, cigarette girls, a live jazz band in the corner playing the tunes the dancer would strip to.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, and nodded appreciatively. “Sounds like a fun way to spend your Saturday night.”

Eddie smiled at him. “Yeah it does. Too bad it got hit with the whole steampunk era. No one wanted decadence and jazz music. They wanted Victorian era saloons and public houses. Gas lit halls and lots and lots of ruffles.”

Steve winced in sympathy. He had a couple of friends who had gotten into the phase a few years back. Too many ruffles and gears and too many gears getting caught in said ruffles.

“So what happened?”

“I told him the best way to fight the wave wasn’t join to in,” Eddie said, “but to create something new and it became the Hellfire Exotic Club. Then when he retired a couple years back, he gave it to me. Said it was mine and had been for years anyway, this was only making it official. God, I miss that bastard some days.”

“Yeah, where did he retire to?” Steve asked.

“Back to Bumfuck Middle of Nowhere Indiana,” Eddie huffed. “Or better known as Hawkins.”

Steve cackled. “I’m from there and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to go back.”

“My uncle, Wayne always was more stubborn than he was smart,” Eddie said shaking his head fondly.

“You stripped for your uncle?” Steve asked, his eyes wide.

“No, no,” Eddie said trying to hold in his laughter. “Of course not! Not everyone strips here. Brian, our Greed only gets as far as his pants. Chrissy will leave her g-string on. Like if you wanted to, you wouldn’t have to strip. It’s about sensuality and titillation than bump and grind style stripping. I think that’s why Billy never really fit in here. Because if Billy was anything he was your typical stripper. I know we throw that around a lot but he was it. Here.” He dug around in his desk for a moment and pulled out a picture.

He handed it to Steve. “This is our first night as the Seven Deadly Sins. Everyone else you know, so Billy won’t be hard to pick out.”

Blond, muscled, tanned, and oiled. Typical male stripper. Nothing special. Nothing new.

“Was he someone your uncle hired?” Steve guessed handing the picture back.

“Yeah,” Eddie said, “because he looked good in spats and suspenders. But he never really fit in and maybe that’s why it blew up the way it did. Anyway the point is dancing for my uncle was hell of a lot better than working with my dad, so...” He wagged his eyebrows once.

“What did your dad do?” Steve asked.

“Stole cars.”

“Oh.”

Eddie chuckled. “It’s fine. He’s in jail now in Texas. Third strike, will be in there until I’m old and grey.”

“Shredding on your guitar,” Steve said softly, “while the next generation of Sins dance to your music.”

Eddie smiled fondly. “I like the sound of that.” He cleared his throat. “Shit, we got way off topic there. The point of my story is that this place has changed before and change if done right it’s a good thing. Besides what makes demons so interesting is that they used to be angels. People love a hero, but what they love even more than a hero is to see that hero fall. We’ve just never tapped into that potential yet,” he finished with a shrug. “So don’t you be worrying that pretty head of yours, okay? I’m good at this.”

Steve smiled and stood back up. “That does help. Thanks.” He scratched his cheek and then hummed. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I guess so,” Eddie replied softly. “Good night, Steve.”

“Night, Eddie.”

Once Steve was had left, closing the door behind him, he buried his head in hands. This was going to be hell. He could feel it.

There was just something...sparkling about Steve. Something bright and beautiful. And Eddie couldn’t believe his luck. He doesn’t know why Robin left work at the rec center where Steve taught pole dancing as exercise, or even what she did there, but he could tell they were both really worried about money right now.

But whatever the reason for their leaving, he doubly grateful they landed in his lap. She was a good waitress and Steve was a phenomenal dancer.

But unlike every other dancer who had walked through those doors and into his life, Steve also walked into his heart too. And Chrissy crushing on Robin wasn’t good, this was bad. He couldn’t be seen to have favorites.

So he would have to keep his distance.

Famous last words, he knew. Fate liked throwing curve balls at Eddie, and he really should have been more careful about making promising he couldn’t keep.

~

Part 3 Part 4

Tag List: SEVEN SLOTS OPEN

1-@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @cryptid-system

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @justforthedead89 @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @dreamercec @sadisticaltarts @too-much-tma-stuff

[hollycrowned]

cipherhunt log: some sunny day

It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?

On July 27th, I went to the Hillsboro Barnes & Noble signing event for The Book of Bill. I’ve decided to come back to this account at least for a moment to write a little bit about what it was like. At the end of this post, there’s some Cipher Hunt related news, so be sure to read all the way through.

The Q&A was a lot of fun. There was excitement in the air even before the event began, with eager fans wearing Dipper hats and flannel shirts hurrying to their seats. A few fans were in cosplay, too, which was heartwarming to see. While there were several kids with their parents in the audience, most of the fans there were younger adults—which really made it hit me that the series first aired over ten years ago.

By total accident I ended up next to the door Alex stepped through and caught his entrance:

Alex has the type of charm that can get anyone laughing, and his own laughter is contagious. I didn’t record much of the talk, wanting to simply experience it, but here’s a short video I took of him talking about how The Book of Bill came about:

Over the half hour, Alex talked about the the book itself, about the show, his characters, and about creating a television series. Fans, when the mic was turned over to the audience, said what they love most about the series and asked about intentionality and the possibility of crossovers (Alex’s immediate “yes” was a hit). Alex expressed after one question that while he never could have guessed that people would like Gravity Falls so much, he’s grateful for the enduring love fans have for the show.

The event coordinator, who schooled a few questions to Alex before mic was given over to the audience, asked what I think we all want to know: “What are you working on right now?” Alex gave the answer he’s given in the past: that as is typical in Hollywood, he can’t talk about the projects he’s currently involved in.

If you were around when I was active here, you might remember that by the time I left, my focus had become to follow Alex through his career. To recap: after Gravity Falls ended, Deadline reported in 2018 that Alex had signed a multi-year exclusive contract with Netflix. Not long after, Netflix announced the opening of its own animation studio, alongside a reel showcasing some of the artists they’d recruited. The reel highlighted that this group of artists included industry legends, young talent, and diverse voices; each artist in the reel talked how excited they were for what the studio itself meant the future of animation, and for the opportunity to work there. Alex was in this reel, too.

Although I’ve moved on to other fandoms and my own creative work, I’ve kept up with movements in the animation industry. If you have, too, you may know about the massive cuts and cancellations Netflix has made in the last several years, especially to its animation department. Alex has produced and consulted on a few projects at Netflix since his contract began—chief among them Inside Job, which was initially renewed by for a second season before Netflix reversed their decision six months later and cancelled the series altogether. Shion Takeuchi, the creator of Inside Job and previous writer on Gravity Falls, confirmed the cancellation, saying “I’m heartbroken.” Alex, in a reply, expressed the same, adding, “Grateful to have had the chance to help on one of my best friends shows, for however briefly”.

In the six years since Alex signed his contract with Netflix, there have been hints that he’s been working on a series with his name on the masthead. In late 2020, he tweeted about staffing his new show:

But if his project was among the cuts Netflix made a few years after that, he gave no sign of it in his answer.

It’s jarring, and saddening, to watch that reel from 2018 with the knowledge of what has happened since. Outside of Netflix, things seem just as dire, with the dragging of AI into animation giants like Disney and Dreamworks by their corporate executives—notably, as The Animation Guilds’ contract approached its expiration date. In 2023, Vulture published an article which included testimonies from four artists who worked on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse about the unsustainable working conditions at Sony while the film was in production. Over the last few years, Warner Bros has shelved two animated films and one hybrid for multimillion-dollar tax write-offs. In addition, their subsidiary HBO Max purged multiple animated series from its catalogue, denying the artists who worked on them access to their own works—and for some of them, residuals as well.

The final question at the Q&A was from a fan who said that they’re currently in school for animation. They asked Alex if he had any advice for new animators trying to break into the industry. Immediately, my mind went to all of that news I linked in the paragraphs above. I listened intently…

Alex’s response did not have hopelessness in it. He did talk, foremost and with humor, about how risky it is to pursue art as a career, especially at this moment—laughed, as he ended a sentence with, “Don’t go into the arts.” But he moved on from that, and gave an even more honest reply: hone your skills, put your work out there, and don’t give up. Be persistent, share what you make, make what you love. Make sure it’s easy for people to contact you, explore feelings through your work even when it’s uncomfortable, and show your work to others, even though it’s scary. Alex also remarked on creating itself being hard work, from the raw process to putting your art out there to taking criticism to learning from what didn’t work and applying it to your drafts and future projects. Hard work, challenging in more ways than one, on top of an unforgiving cultural moment, yes—but keep going. Keep creating.

Keep making art.

Then the Q&A ended, and the signing began. I found myself at the end of the line, but I didn’t mind; neither did anyone else waiting with me. In the moments when I wasn’t chatting with other fans, I thought about that last question and Alex’s response.

There is little that is easy about being an artist these days. I have come to know this by having friends who are artists, by following the careers and accounts of other artists, by reading the news, and—since becoming an artist myself—finding out firsthand. But I have come to know, just as well, that the best remedy for these ills is community. Whether you create art as a hobby or you have a career in the arts, whether your medium is collaborative or solitary in nature: in the face of intolerable working conditions, cutthroat corporations and corner-cutting clients, the advantages they take, the instability and uncertainty, and what all artists can relate to: the challenges of the creative process itself—it’s the support of your fellow artists that helps you survive. It helps art survive. A community that creates alongside you can give trusted critique, celebrate with you, stand up for you, introduce you to other artists you can learn from, and give what is necessary for so many of us to create at all: encouragement. A voice that says, keep creating. This gives to the world what is necessary for us all: more art.

If tech companies develop their AI by stealing from artists, if the c-suites who own the studios see artists as disposable, with the way freelancing can throw water on creative fire, if popular opinion increasingly trends toward art only having as much value as money it makes, then we must support each other. Helpful, practical advice given by a successful artist on how to succeed in the arts in this particular moment is a gem to anyone who is reaching for that goal. But invaluable and eternal is example; not just of success, but of how to be good to your fellow artists—and in turn, to yourself.

And I just think that’s how an artist ought to be.

As the line moved, and I got close enough to see the signing table across the room, I watched Alex greet the fans ahead of me. I found that he was as sweet to people as I always have heard he is, as I remember from watching the Periscopes he appeared in during Cipher Hunt: generous with his time, genuine, and good-natured. One fan skipped away from the table with their book, and a big smile on their face.

And then it was my turn.

When you meet him, he looks you in the eye. I always forget, until I shake someone else’s hand, how small my own hands are. I told him my name is Holly. He asked, “Spelled how it sounds?” I spelled it for him, reflexively, before I could fully process the question and simply say yes. I said lightheartedly that he must be extra happy to see us, being that we were at the end of the line—it was over three hours after the event had begun—and he said, “I’m sorry you all had to wait for this long.” While he was signing my copy, I asked if he was enjoying Portland—though what I really meant to ask was if he was happy to be back in the PNW, in the summertime. He said yes, he loves it here.

It all happened so fast, with me completely forgetting that I’d passed my phone to a kind father of some fans waiting near me in line, and I almost walked away without getting a picture with him. When you meet a celebrity crush from your younger years, it has you reckon with how the part of you who crushed back then has walked with you through time—in what ways who you were back then is still a part of who you are now, and who you want to be. And, of course, it gets your heart beating a little faster, too.

There was much more I wanted to ask him (this has never stopped being the case), but there were other fans waiting for their turn, and he had given his time to just shy of 150 people already. So I smiled at him, and said thank you, and moved along.

I am, and always will be, excited to see anything Alex makes. Hearing him talk about his art, and artistry, and being an artist, was beyond wonderful; not only young Holly’s wish come true, but inspiring for Holly, today—as an artist in my own right. In the years since I retired this account, as I’ve read all this news about the industry, I’ve often wondered how Alex has been. I am very happy and grateful I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the signing, and meet him.

And finally…the Cipher Hunt news.

First: the fan waiting in front of me in the signing line (I’m so sorry I didn’t get your name, but if you’re reading this, I hope you had a safe and smooth flight back home!) said she had been to Confusion Hill recently, and that Bill and the treasure box are still there. I haven’t been to Confusion Hill since I last went in 2017–before COVID—but I think about Bill and the treasure box all the time. It made me so happy to hear that fans are still visiting and exchanging treasures. I hope I get to go again, someday soon.

The second announcement: by chance, I happened to meet a fan who is working on a documentary about Cipher Hunt. I introduced myself and said I’d be more than happy to help out with the project! The creator, Keyan Carlile, can be found on both Twitter and YouTube. I hope you’ll follow along!

I met so many other lovely fans while waiting in line, as well. There is still so much affection and excitement for this series, and it was so nice to step back into the fandom, if only or a moment. If we spoke with each other: it was so nice to meet you! Maybe our paths will cross again, someday. And to everyone, all of the fans who were there, and all of you out there with The Book of Bill:

happy reading!! ∆

[silent-browser]

*sigh* oh the tragic romance of a merfolk x human story. Neither can be with the other without giving up something important. Usually fins for legs. Also usually their entire family to simply love and exist with this person in a different biosphere. Rarely legs for fins if we wanna go a reverse little mermaid here.

But what if it was different. And no one had to give everything up. And maybe yandere. With a bit of soulmate shenanigans thrown in for flavor.

Imagine if you will, a walk on an empty beach. Headphones in, listening to your favorite song and sining along. Kicking up sand and the smell of the ocean air. Just minding your own business and having a good time by yourself.

Or so you think. Because not far from where you are walking a single quiet audience member hides behind some rocks, wondering why your song, your human song, sounds so similar to their soul song.

The song that they would normally perform for other merfolk in hopes of attracting their perfect life partner. But they had never garnered any attention for it.

So how did you, a weak and squishy human get them so immediately. No creature had ever been so close to repeating his own soul song back to him. And with your own little twist too. Human words and slightly different notes in his soul song. Your song. Our song. He soon found himself refering to it in his mind.

It takes a while of them impatiently waiting for your return and slowly learning your 'walks on the beach' schedule for them to finally make their move.

On the day that changed the rest of your life, you were simply walking along and humming softly to your favorite song once again when you heard the most fantastic voice start to follow along the melody with you. They matched your tone and moved their voice in such a way that it felt like an instant musical connection.

They were worried that you would stop and run away when they started but tried not to let that fear taint their song. If you ran further inland they would have a very hard time following you. Not impossible but certainly difficult. So they took your continued humming as a good sign and continued.

They began to dribble their emotions into the notes. The lonelyness. The fear of an uncaring ocean. The rush of affection they felt when they first heard you singing. The need to see you. Hold you.

Slowly, what started out as a dribble became a riptide of intense emotions they never knew they were capable of feeling. Longing. Jealousy. Want and need so powerful he felt like he would wear out his voice singing it all. By the time he stopped he was mortified that he put all of that on you. And before the first courting gift too! He suddenly felt awful. He gutted his soul when he never ment to and you weren't even singing anymore. What if you didn't want them? What if it was all too much for you? What if you left and never came back!?

You were stunned. Breathless. The emotion. The raw intensity. No words were ever sang and yet the song resonated in the very depths of your being. You felt intimidated to ever even think of humming ever again after that impromptu masterpiece. You wanted to respond but couldn't find the words to, much less the notes like they had. So you instead made your way to the shore where the music seemed to come from and searched. Looking for this person who simultaneously swept you off your feet and explained their life story in one song with no words.

Two star crossed lovers. Separated by the sea. One filled with obsession. The other with curiousity. Both wish desperately to meet and yet both are not quite ready. How strange that love can both bind and seperate. How strange indeed.

Idk where to go with this so no continuations for this one unless I suddenly get inspired. Also the end feels really jarring to me. Mostly because I originally intended for this to continue but I couldn't come up with anything so I just cut it lose. I hope you like it none the less.

[pandoa]

smile with me!!

where they see you, who is never one to show much emotion, smile for the first time

~feat. cater diamond, azul ashengrotto, rook hunt, and lilia vanrouge~ twisted wonderland x gender neutral reader

~headcanons~

a lot of you guys chose this in the poll i posted earlier, so here it is~ i chose which characters to include btw- have fun lolol

cater diamond sees you smile for the first time when he is mindlessly taking candid photos of the both of you together. it happens when you're looking at the adorable plushies featured at a themed café that had just opened up within the isle of sages. cater had wanted to visit it "for the aesthetics" and decided to bring you along simply for the fun of it. although he would never expect the surprise he felt when he saw a bright smile form on your charming face as he spam-clicked the camera button on his phone, taking random candids of the two of you as your eyes seemed to light up at the small, little plushies that came hugging the straws of your drinks. at first, the young man couldn't believe his eyes; you weren't exactly the type to reveal much emotion, let alone actually smile. but as a light giggle escaped your mouth as you took your own pictures of the soft stuffed animals, cater had realized how lucky—and special—he was for you to be comfortable enough to show your real emotions around him.

"Prefect! Oh my Sevens!"

"Look at these tiny plushies that come with our drinks! They look so so. . . cute?"

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing. The pictures I just took of us came out adorably~"

"Of course I already took photos! You never know when one pic can be the photo that's Magicam-perfect. But don't worry; I won't be posting these on Magicam."

"Why? Because they're too special to showcase to the internet, silly~ Oh yeah! And (Y/n), before I forget—"

"You have a precious smile~"

azul ashengrotto sees you smile when you let out a dazed sigh of satisfaction while performing for an audience at mostro lounge. it was an odd time for you to smile, actually. given the debt you were in with his business, azul was sure you would be anything but happy at the damages your little cat familiar had caused—which was why you were there now, performing in front of an audience full of students to make up for the debt you and grim were inevitably in. although, since it was your final performance for the week, the man supposed a little relief on your part was granted. he just didn't think he'd finally see a wide grin from your usually blank face shine and fill the room as the lounge's spotlight continued to glimmer above you. crowds of applause played throughout the room, whistling of some audience members sang in admiration, and you bowed, satisfied with your final performance. azul had even caught the chatter of some students sitting near him gushing over your radiance on the lounge's makeshift stage. but he had to admit... he, too, felt something small tug within his heart the moment you displayed a smile that could catch the attention of anyone around you. it was strange, but he would consider himself lucky for getting the chance to see it that day.

"Well done today, (Y/n)! Here, have a sip of some water for your efforts—no charge included."

"Sales were especially successful tonight and I am proud to say that if you keep this up, you and Grim will be free of debt sooner than originally planned. I trust that you will keep up the good work."

"Tips left for you are in that jar on top of the counter, along with some comments and notes left by the audience."

"You did well, Prefect."

"Oh and, if you feel comfortable in doing so, please keep on doing what you did today whenever you perform here."

"That smile of yours is very charming, if you did not know."

rook hunt spots a smile slowly escaping the corners of your face as he gently applies a soft shade of lip tint to your lips that matches your complexion. you were on your usual visit to pomefiore—off to go see the eccentric huntsman in his dorm room—when the man had suggested that he give you a little makeover with the new products vil had given him earlier that day. the young hunter seemed quite excited about the whole ordeal, so how could you refuse? giddily sitting you down on a seat in front of his dorm's mirror, rook had begun to apply shades of makeup gradually, delicately holding your face close to his to get a more detailed view of the cosmetics painting your cheeks. the man was completely focused on the strokes of his brush until he caught sight of a small, but enchanting smile, gracing your typically neutral expression when he had been applying a layer of lip tint to your face. any expression—or lack thereof—of yours was already spellbinding to him, but this time it had been different. this time, rook could have sworn he felt all the troubles of the world dissipate into thin air as the room seemed just a bit more brighter with your smiles filling each corner of the hunter's heart, making him endlessly fawn and ramble over how angelic you had looked at that moment.

"Mon ange! My, how most dazzling you are today!"

"Your beauty is always a sight to behold, however, today you are gleaming so incandescently! I must be careful; I may go blind by your shinning glow."

"Surely you see it as well, mon trésor. The way your existence illuminates tenfold whenever you bless the world with your joy."

"Your smile is something I wish to never be taken away from you."

lilia vanrouge catches your smile as he sneaks up to you in surprise, melodic laughter coming from your form following right after. just as he had caught you off guard, he was surprised as well seeing as you had never reacted that expressively the other times he had magically sprung up in front of you, hair oddly hanging from his head and body upside down as lilia's figure floated above you. perhaps it was the adorable way his cheeks had seemed to squish together as it gravitated down to the ground that had caused you to laugh so happily. or perhaps it was the cute, little "boo!" that came out of his lips that made you jump up, pleasantly astounded. either way, whatever reason you had that caused you to be so amused had lilia grinning as well in satisfaction. your rare smile had simply looked so endearing; it was like an unknown force was pushing against the third year—calling him to treasure and protect this emotion of yours at all costs. the specialness of your joy made the heart of this old fae flutter at the loveliness you had shown only to him that day.

"Boo!!"

"Ah, my apologies, Prefect, I did not mean to startle you too mu—"

"Hm? Oh? It's alright? My, that was unexpected, if I may be completely honest."

"Nothing to worry about, dearest (Y/n)~ I just want to engrave this moment into my mind for eternity, hehe."

"Why? To remember the sights of the first smile you had given me, of course~"

"That right there is something quite special to treasure in itself, wouldn't you say so, dear?"

a/n: believe it or not, my motivation for writing this came from people seeing my face for the first time after wearing a mask ever since 2020 (but extremely romanticized ofc lolol)

[piratefishmama]

I Wish | Part 5

It felt like he was underwater.

Everything moved by so quickly, the sounds of an applauding audience, the greeting of their host, the friendly back and forth his friends engaged in. His friends attempted to pull him into and failed because he’d checked out the moment his backside hit the cushion, it all sounded so muted, all muddled together.

He sat on the couch, nobody questioned it, although Jeff gave him a curious once over before he took the lone chair closest to the host, allowing Eddie to sit between Dougie and Gareth, safe, secure, protected by the scrappy little one and the big protective one.

It wouldn’t have been too far from the truth to assume him fragile enough to need protection.

The Host was lovely, just as Steve had predicted, just as he'd promised. The host held up a little foam board prop with an image of what Eddie assumed to be an album cover printed onto it, asked questions that Jeff answered.

If anyone thought Eddie's awkward quietness was strange, nobody mentioned it.

Even the host, whose job it was to engage with them all seemed to realise that Eddie wasn’t quite right in the moment, so he naturally glossed over him, let him be to give the others in the band the limelight.

They couldn’t pin point when it started, and so there was no point in trying to bring him out of it there and then and risk a blow up that could have the appearance cancelled.

It was only after the laughter inducing back and forth regarding a broken arm Gareth sustained on their last tour thanks to an unfortunately aimed stage dive, well into their interview now, that the spotlight finally landed on Eddie.

“So, Eddie!” Eddie jerked to attention, eyes snapping to the host as if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar “A little birdy told me that you and the rest of corroded coffin, are all seasoned Dungeons and Dragons players, is that right?” Eddie’s eyes widened a fraction further, as the audience cheered, forcing Eddie’s gaze away from the host to the audience in surprise.

It was… something to be excited about, now? Their nerdy little game, that’d seen them ostracised society, caused panic among the god fearing crowds, and had suburban mothers clutching their pearls overdramatically, was something to be excited about?

The muddied sound seemed to clear just a little. He knew this. He knew DnD. Even if they hadn’t played for a while, even if they had played recently and he just didn’t know, he could spin something with that!

What many in the audience would have called Eddie’s signature toothy grin lit up his face, and for the first time during that interview, he seemed to come alive. “Hell yeah we are, Jimmy! Although many a lost little sheep have come and gone from those hallowed halls of my legendary domain, we’ve been playing since middle school! Garebear not so much, he came to us in high school, guided by my good man Jeffinner over there with a character that so utterly not him that he died way too fast in the game to have been any note.” Jeff rolled his eyes at the nickname, but seemed happy that Eddie was finally talking.

“That was how we became friends really!” Gareth chimed in “Me an Eddie anyway, he thoroughly wiped the floor with us on my first campaign so I thought that was it, they were kickin me out, but NOPE he cornered me and helped me out rolling another character in one of the empty labs, made something way more myself, it was… really cool of him. It was my first year of high school, first attempt at making friends, I was terrified an he just… he’s always been really good at that, bringing people in, making them feel accepted.” An if Eddie felt himself getting just a little choked up at how fond Gareth spoke of him, well… that was between he himself and him.

“Well GOOD, because few of my friends an I, have been playing a campaign—” the audience collectively oooh’d as the cameras opposite them swung around to face a now lit up set of what could only be a campaign mid-way through. The map was down, the DM screen was set up, the mini’s were placed, dice were available, there were even character sheets and binders full of information on them resting neatly at each station along with drinks and snacks. It looked like a party had just got up and left mid-campaign. “—An we’re kinda new to it! But I’ve seen on your Instagram that your narrations are something of legend… so I think, we would all just love it if you’d DM a little for us.” Interest piqued, Eddie looked back to the host. “I simply do not have the gravitas to pull this off the way it ought to be done.”

He didn’t know what Instagram was, but he sure as shit knew how to DM something.

“Race you” was Eddie’s only comment, before he was up and scrambling over like a kid who’d just been greeted by a mountain of presents under a Christmas tree, definitely not the 50-something year old ex-addict he now was, earning laughter from the audience that felt real instead of prompted.

For the first time since waking up in that older, weathered body, Eddie felt like maybe not everything had to be bad about that possible future. At the very least he still had DnD.

He made it to the table first, granted he was the only one racing, but he set himself up at the head of the table behind the DM screen and immediately got to work while his bandmates found their own seats for the cameras and their audience. He skimmed through the pages in front of him, the scene their host had set up, the campaign they were working on, or at least what little notes they had on it as it clearly wasn’t a full campaign.

Just a set piece, an activity to fill the time, something to do, but Eddie could work with it.

“Oh hell yeah…” Eddie crooned to himself as he looked over the notes, it wasn’t much, but it was more than enough, he had a town name, he had a list of NPC’s both living and deceased, he had notes on his bandmates new characters, he even had a little script to make his own for the scene itself, but best of all… he had the details of the enemy. Something he hadn’t heard of before, something that didn’t exist yet in his own time, something that definitely didn’t belong in a little snippet scene like that one. It looked to belong in something long, but… soaking in the details of it… he was gonna fuck his friends up when he got home.

“That doesn’t sound good for us” Gareth sighed with a gentle shake of his head, already counting down the minutes before his poor little gnome would meet his inevitable end. Poor thing only had a few hit points left, which was curious considering their mini’s appeared to be situated at the gates of of a simple town by the sea. No dungeon to be seen.

“Tell me about it” Dougie groaned, head in his hands

“Alright alright, are we ready boys?” Their host seated himself on the left of Eddie, his own sheaf of papers in front of him, looking exactly as Eddie had done initially, like a kid at Christmas.

Eddie looked up over his screen, a glint of mischief in his eyes “dim the lights please! Spotlight on me, I require atmosphere.” The lights dimmed save for one lone warm white spotlight on him, the star of mayhem to come.

“Was nice knowin you, gents” Jeff sighed, already accepting the fate of his poisoned ranger. This poor party were in dire straits despite there being no clear villain, or any potential followers of it to be seen on the board.

“The Haunting bell of the town square clocktower rang thrice, echoing through the misty din of Rainwund Harbour’s early morning air” Eddie lifted the mic on his jacket closer to his lips and with the back of his throat, made a sound not dissimilar to the chime of a clocktower bell, once, twice, a third time, and then silence “You walk the deserted lamp lit cobblestone streets, your once sure footed steps wearied, your bodies strangely tired, worn, exhausted, trudging your way through eerie silence until you come upon your destination, The Seabird Inn…” He smiled with a devilish glee, the point of his canine tooth brushing his bottom lip, cheek dimpling with the pull of his smile if any of them felt comfort before he smiled, it was gone now. “Roll for Perception.”

Part 7

[ingravinoveritas]

Hi!

Have you seen Georgia's insta story? She's filming david and one of the kids called her a creep

https://instagram.com/stories/georgiatennantofficial/3212913988487468030?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

The only purpose of the video is just showing that even the kids think that her filming david all the time is weird

Like, yeah all of it is probs a joke but it rubs me the wrong way🤔

What's your opinion? Your blog is the 1st place i go to when i see news abt DT, GO or MS

(Grouping together since these are related.)

Hi there! Oh, I hadn't seen Georgia's Insta story until I saw your Ask, so thank you for bringing it to my attention.

A little backstory, for those who haven't seen it: Today was David's panel at NYCC, and he started to tell an anecdote about being given a pair of shoes for Christmas when members of the audience began shouting out telling him to tie his (very pink) shoes that were untied on stage. David actually tied the shoes, and the video of the moment was posted by NYCC on Twitter. An hour or so later, Georgia jumped in with a response and at the same time, posted this story on Insta (and the photo in Georgia's tweet appears to be from the same day that the video was taken):

For my part, I was under the impression that this was not a recent video, so to your question @phantomstars24, I don't think she is actually at NYCC with David. Rather, it looks like Georgia was searching for David's name on Twitter (again) and found a place to jump in with the screenshot and video.

In giving my opinion on this, I have to reference Georgia's Insta story from last month at the festival she and David attended, where she recorded him while he was walking and eating his ice cream:

Here, we see David take notice of the fact that Georgia is recording, after wondering why she was walking so slowly. He turns away for a moment, then looks back at her and says, "It's never gonna stop," and his voice is uncharacteristically...terse. He doesn't smile, or laugh, or give any indication that he is kidding (that I picked up on, at least). David's energy and the video as a whole just seemed off, but like many of Georgia's posts, it was written off as a joke.

The voice we heard of one of Georgia's children in today's video reminded me of that. Leaving aside the fact that this child actually flat-out called Georgia a "creep" (for which I'm also hard-pressed to find some alternate/jokey meaning) for recording David, the theme in both of these videos is Georgia constantly recording David for the sake of having content. And as we saw with today's Insta story, her then saving that content to use at a later date. I know the people who hate-read my blog will insist that Georgia gets permission from David before posting anything on social media and that he's fine with it, but it is really hard to think that he seems fine in the video from the festival. And how okay would any of us be if our partner constantly took video of us not to make cute memories, but so they can use it to prove a point later on?

As I've said before, all we get is this little slice of their lives that Georgia shares on social media. But increasingly, those little slices are starting to look like moments that might have been better left unrecorded/not posted to social media. To hear Georgia's own child call her out like that was jarring, but it also made me wonder how much they do see/what they think of what they are seeing. Even now it says something that they're already aware of her social media use and the lengths she is going to for content. (For that matter, I wonder what they will think in the future, such as if/when Birdie sees Georgia's Insta post calling her a "drunken accident"...)

Again, this could easily all be chalked up to me just missing whatever the joke/dry humor is here, but these were the impressions I had from seeing Georgia's content today. Happy as always to hear what others think, however, so feel free to chime in on this post...

[beneathashadytree]

Hi guys!! Kind of a long post here, but it’s actually pretty important, so give it a read if you’re a writer and you’ve got the time!

Please be careful when tagging your fics/posts. I know many people are new to Tumblr/fandom around here, but Tumblr’s tagging system is not the same as Instagram or AO3. You can’t filter posts to show only certain things while simultaneously avoiding other tags. So using the tags that are only relevant keeps things all tidy on this website, and makes it easier to navigate.

Also, cross-tagging clutters the tags. Sometimes I’m only feeling like reading a Zayne fic, but his tag is full of Sylus fics because people incorrectly tag their works. I know we all want more people to read our works, so cross-tagging is a sure-fire way to get more people to see it, but trust me it’s only harmful to the community/fandom because it causes readers to be unable to find the stuff they’re actually looking for amidst all the clutter☹️

Another thing: please, for the love of everything good, tag your smut fics as smut fics only and not fluff. I myself am on the ace spectrum, and my relationship with sex (even when written!) fluctuates daily. Sometimes I’m completely sex-averse and reading anything remotely sexual icks me out, and sometimes I’m perfectly okay with writing and consuming sexual content. That means that I can’t just block out the smut tag since I do occasionally seek it out, so instead I’d normally avoid searching it up until I want to read it. But now, I end up searching the fluff tags and find straight up porn lying there, which I’m definitely not in the mood for. It’s jarring, to say the least.

And for the people who do want to read smut specifically, tagging your fics as smut only makes it much easier for them to find your work!! This way, you’ll curate your audience and make their reading experience go more smoothly. You avoid attracting people who don’t want to read smut, and you bring in the people who want more of it!! It’s a win-win situation🙏🏽

One last thing: please clarify if the seemingly-innocent thing you’re writing about is a kink. Whether it’s in the warnings prefacing your fic, or in the tags, I’d much rather not be jumpscared mid-reading by things turning sexual when they weren’t remotely so at the start. I’ll be reading a cute little fic about tickling or something, then I’ll find out that this writer has a tickling kink😭 Enjoy whatever you like bestie, just make sure to correctly tag that/add warnings so that others don’t unknowingly consume content that they’re actually not into.