#chords of orion

[spaceintruderdetector]

"Reel" Frippertronics with Reel to Reel Tape Decks! (Ambient Guitar Techniques)

[artificial-absinthe]

cybernetic/robotic interfacing

This: pleasure (Soundwave and Megatron interfacing) "You deserve other than treason"

Megatron has never known solace, fulfillment or any sort of pleasure different from that of violence or murder. Soundwave assist .

Full image under the cut

Read in Ao3

This is my first purely er°tic writing, where I introduce how I conceive interfacing. I'm using the se x ual interfacing tag for approximation only, as I'm not adopting the widely spread and assimilated fan made conception of valve and spike penetration, too similar to organic intercourse. I wanted to explore the idea of an intimacy that is not derived from human ways. No valve nor spike here. My vision is purely robotic and cybernetic, and inherently se x less, involving chords, ports and networks solely, but also meaning a sensorial stimulation, and even, a more intimate engagement.

Into the lighthouse (9246 words) by ARTificial_Absinthe Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Megatron/Soundwave (Transformers), Megatron/Orion Pax (past and implied) Characters: Megatron (Transformers), Soundwave (Transformers)

Series: Part 2 of The ever-dying sun

Summary: Megatron has spent all of his life in darkness, in every possible way. Now, no longer a miner, no longer a gladiator, no longer ignorant nor cautious, he claims new life and a new world of his own as he claimed a new name, and he shall get it. Loss and new casted shadows inevitably came with it, but there's a constant he can always rely on, a shaft of purple light. Soundwave is always willing to aid Megatron. He led him out of ignorance, he'll help him to raise from the low, and there's still one more thing he can help with, one more thing that he can still teach to his Lord. Or, "Soundwave introduces Megatron to interface pleasures." Takes place after the High Council audience that plunged the world into war.

Super resolution of the art available at patreon

[gyuswhore]

minghao + beside you (keshi)

im thinking like a friends to lovers bc that’s what im getting from this song but it’s completely up to ur interpretation! cant wait to see what u do with this c:

HI BABES!!!!!

I got serious friends to lovers from this too so that's what I did! Shitting my pants rn hope you like it muah

masterlist

***

[11:35]

Dusting your hands on your pants, you attempt to pry Minghao away from the tire when he's not entirely convinced it's tightened.

It was 10 PM on a Thursday night and, Minghao took it upon himself to drag you out of the slum that was your dorm room and to some cliffside he had gone to with his friends. It was also mandatory for his pickup to get a flat tire just before you were about to head back home.

"It's thickening the plot" He had said, attempting to bring his forced positivity into a road with no streetlights and a scissor jack that took him 20 minutes to find.

You managed with your phone flashlights and a couple scrapes, more grateful that you weren't stranded in what was basically a forest by yourselves at nearing midnight.

"Can we sit in the back for a little bit more, I'm pooped" you whine, clambering into the blanketed cargo bed before he can reply.

Hao has an inability to say no to you so he obliges, wondering if he could switch gears a little bit and move to a topic he's been wanting to bring up.

You both are comfy, heads on pillows, looking up at the stars as you whip out your constellation app.

You're checking for Orion when Hao starts to talk.

"Do you still think about Jun?"

You freeze as you hear your ex's name, not expecting the abrupt change of topic.

"Haven't thought about that one in a minute" You reply with a laugh, looking over at him.

You were telling the truth. Because somebody else had taken over the empty space he left, very quickly.

"Why'd you ask?"

He turns to his side to face you, bringing his hand up to his head, elbows supporting.

"Do you have anyone in mind? You haven't gone out with anyone after Jun, just thinking about it"

Your face answers enough for him, and he starts smiling before letting out a yelp.

"There is someone, isn't there?!"

"No there isn't" You deadpan, trying to cover up for yourself.

"Yes, there is! Who is it, tell me"

He's bluffing just as much as you are, but he may be doing it better as you haven't caught on yet. Minghao is smart, observant, analytical; he knows when something's up. So when he began to feel the lingering touches and dreamy eyes, he knew what it was before you did yourself.

Not to say he didn't feel the same way, the window that came about after your split was enough to re-ignite the fire that he had attempted to subdue long ago. You only encouraged him.

It was cute, though, watching you struggle to keep your composure when asked the blistering question so head on.

"I'm not telling you!"

"So there is someone" He strikes the chord.

You look at him, a little like a deer caught in headlights. "That's not fair"

"Not my fault you're stupid"

"You're right, I was stupid enough to fall for you"

The universe had slammed the pause button the second the words tumble out of your mouth. The owl had stopped hooting, the trees had stopped rustling. You had stopped breathing.

You closed your eyes, not wishing to perceive anything. Your mouth with its tendency to voice your thoughts had gotten you in serious trouble before, but you really didn't think you could ever pull something of this caliber.

You wished you never fixed that tire, maybe you'd be left stranded here to die. It wouldn't matter that you had just effectively confessed to your best friend if you were both dead meat for the coyotes.

Unbeknownst to you, Hao had been smiling ear to ear. All smug once he got over the initial shock.

"Thought I wasn't your type?" he asks. He's enjoying your pain a little too much.

"Please, just don't" You moan, hand coming up to cover your face, in hopes of forgetting object permanence and perceiving Hao as nonexistent.

"Oh, you fool" He sighs dramatically.

You were expecting that.

You suddenly feel a hand removing the obstructions from your face, and what feels like a kiss is being placed right on your lips. He's smiling as he cradles your face, despite the awkward position. You open your eyes to look at him, finding him staring down at you with nothing but infatuation in his eyes.

You were not expecting that.

[inexplicablymine]

WIP WEDNESDAY

so I’m late because look at the banner!!! (I am way more proud of that than I ought to be lol)

Serving up a little something special from Little Drummerboy CH 3.

READ: CH 1 | CH 2

There is a lot of pressure to say something important then. To communicate something more than just having a good time or being heartbroken. Alex knows that it's pretentious to say so, but he knows Henry agrees. They spend Valentine's Day ripping into bad love songs that are too redundant to effectively say anything. It devolves into talking about their favorite love songs after one too many comments on overused words and tired chords. Alex still feels a little squirmy when he thinks about the way Henry sat down at the piano, well into the early morning of the fifteenth, and crooned out “Can’t Help Falling In Love” while playing softly on the piano. It doesn’t matter that it came about from an argument. Alex didn’t want to think about the thirty minutes before or after that performance. All he wanted to think about is how there weren’t eighty thousand people on a stage claiming it was sung for them, to them. That night under the swirling stars of Orion and the ever chasing Scorpius, it was music just for Alex and nobody else.

Annnnnnnd with that I leave you to the tags!!!

Also I can’t emphasize this enough, open OPEN wide open tag pls share some of your words and ideas or art or anything and tag me so I can come look and support and scream with you about these silly silly boys

Thank you to these amazing lovely people for sharing their words with the world and WITH ME MWAH 💋 @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @kiwiana-writes @suseagull04 @anincompletelist @firenati0n @rockyroadkylers @leojfitz @orchidscript @cha-melodius @onthewaytosomewhere @getmehighonmagic @indestructibleheart

Tagging some lovely loves I want to see your writing today! (Or whenever you get to it ;) @adreamareads @anchoredarchangel @affectionatelyrs @cricketnationrise @14carrotghoul @callumsmitchells @clottedcreamfudge @everwitch-magiks @dumbpeachjuice @dragonflylady77 @futureseaempress @daisymae-12 @gayrootvegetable @gay-flyboys @sparklepocalypse @smc-27 @heybuddy-drabbles @lily-s-world @lem0nademouth @leaves-of-laurelin @magicandarchery @ninzied @nontoxic-writes @roseapothecary @read-and-write- @happiness-of-the-pursuit @rmd-writes @welcometololaland @three-drink-amy @tintagel-or-cockleshells @vonpeepsisback @wordsofhoneydew @xthelastknownsurvivorx @zwiazdziarka

[camp-mithril-lake]

IDW Timeline - Part 1: Pre-War "Modern Times"

I am organizing the comics in chronological order because I have a lot of ideas centered pre-war and needed some reference. Plus I am planning to make a more comprehensive overview one day. I listed dates when I found them and the comic it is in and event notes.

Ex-RID #17: “Shockwaves”

Shockwave choosing a Prime and planting a “seed” in the ruins of Crystal City.

Shockwave became a senator in the wake of Jhiaxus and the others departing. He opens his school at this time.

Reveals Proteus was the one who assassinated Nominus to make Sentinel Prime.

More Than Meets The Eye #38

1st Cycle, 012, Megatron is born in Con Facility 113, the Silver Harvest of Tarn as a miner.

Transformers (v2) #22-23

Megatron may be working at the mine under Nova Point at this point in time in Iacon.

4th Cycle, 499, Megatron is assaulted by Whirl in jail after being arrested in a bar fight. He meets Captain Orion Pax.

There was an attempted assassination attempt on Nominus Prime in the news by a bomber. Orion Pax, Captain of the Dead End area of Rodion. A few hours after Orion arrests Whirl and releases Megatron, Whirl’s friends fight him and Orion Pax pushes his way into the Senate and meets Shockwave.

The Senate is voting on the Clampdown.

Shockwave decides to make Orion the Prime he chose.

More Than Meets the Eye #34

Megatron has been sent to Messatine, partially due to Orion Pax name dropping him in the Senate, and Trepan prepares to Shadowplay him as things have been escalating. He has befriended Terminus who has been smuggling out his writings. Terminus vanishes (saved by Necrobot) and Megatron is racked with guilt about taking his writings instead. He internalizes this later. Terminus was the one pushing for Megatron to be a center figure while Megatron was more for group/community involvement.

51st Cycle, 500

More Than Meets The Eye #9-11: Shadowplay | More Than Meets The Eye #37

“Iacon, 4th Cycle 501-Pre-War. A few cycles earlier, the word ‘Decepticon’ first appeared in connection to the samizdat writings credited to a certain miner from Tarn. Nominus Prime hasn’t been seen since the assassination attempt, and the Clampdown is in full force. Proteus and the increasingly factionalized Senate are struggling to manage a population demanding greater influence over decisions taken in its name. The shanix is trading poorly against the galactic currencies. The Primal Guard is embroiled in the Phobos Controversy. And in sports news, Blurr has won the Ibex Cup for the tenth cycle running.” - Rewind

1st Chord, 4th Cycle, 501

In the news at the time a ex-military former Primal Vanguard member burst into a Relinquishment Clinic and started shooting donors.

Prowl and Chromedome were working in Iacon/Rodion at this point. Macadam’s was in their precinct.

Drift and Ratchet meet in Ratchet's Dead End clinic. Ratchet and Orion are already friends.

Orion and the Outliers steal the fake Matrix and in doing so anger the government.

Senator Shockwave is shadowplayed. Orion Pax goes on the run.

More Than Meets The Eyes #36 | Megatron Origin #1

Orion Pax and the Outliers are on the run and defending the sparks in Alyon.

1st Cycle, 502, for several subcycles has been on the run from Sentinel. Meets Zeta of Sistex he contacts Shockwave’s old allies and outliers and went underground. Orion is delighted to talk to Megatron and invites him to join them. Orion mentions Megatron is older than him but still young.

1st Cycle, 502, having been transferred to Croteus-12 (Mining Outpost C-12) Megatron has been seething since the lose of Terminus and the assault by Trepan. Decimus will be closing them down. Megatron kills this day.

Sentinel orders Prowl to investigate the attack on Decimus because he doesn’t want to.

Megatron Origin #2

Time Skip for Megatron to establish himself.

Prowl has been investigating and uncovered the arena and Megatron. They are moving in on him at the same time Soundwave is meeting him for the first time.

Drit #2 & 3

Megatron recruits and renames Drift at a Decepticon Rally. He is named Deadlock and already has a reputation as a killer.

Ex-RID #17: “Shockwaves”

Megatron recruits Shockwave via Starscream after the Senate meeting about the Energon Crisis. This is during Megatron Origins.

Orion reunites with him on the streets the day before the Senate assassination.

Shockwave visits Dai Atlus to injury him and prevent him from being caught in the destruction.

Megatron Origin #3 & 4

Has Constructicons and Combaticons and the deal with Soundwave in place. Megatron begins moving against the government.

Recruits Starscream and others.

Funeral for the cops.

Seekers attack Decimus’s “recognition of service”. Kidnap the Senator as part of the trap and the cops arrest them all.

Kaon take over. Prowl after seeing Sentinel fall makes executive decision to pullout forces and the Iacon backup turns into evac team.

Additional Notes (Exact Dates Uncertain):

Ratchet and Drift are born before Orion (a little after Megatron) and Megatron (5 million years ago)

Orion is born in Iacon

Rodimus is born half a million years after Megatron

Thunderclash knew Ratchet and helped him when he was studying. They both attended the Iaconian Academy of Science and Technology. Ratchet was attending medical school there and Orion Pax was there and they became friends

Prowl is brought online as a Cold Construct and serves in Petrex, a very prejudice town, where he learns how to get around rules. He eventually gets transferred to Iacon, around Rodion but not Orion's precinct. By the time of Croteus-12 he has transferred to Kaon under Sentinel directly, and seemingly fairly high up given his interactions, ability to give orders, and the presentations he gives.

Following Kaon, Zeta becomes Prime raising a New Senate and the Decepticons begin occupying more territory.

Dominus and Rewind leave Cybertron before war breaks out to pursue Luna-1.

Declaration Day presumably happens following Kaon being taken over and Sentinel being killed.

[vampseraph]

Hai squid ,,, uh ichika Hoshino npts please: 3 thank you!!:33

ichika hoshino npt!

names

evanthe, ramone, reed, piper, miles, mari, stella, estelle, steren, callisto, wren, lark, celise, mavis, aster, calia, astra, arista, strix, rayne, auden, mica, leo, regulus, aura, orion

2. pronouns

cae/caer, chor/chors, chord/chords, note/notes, guitar/guitars, strum/strums, song/songs, melo/melos, tune/tunes, star/stars, aur/aurs, stelle/stelles, fen/fens, lyr/lyrs, shine/shines, sing/sings

3. titles

prn who plays guitar, hatsune miku's #1 fan, the unit leader, the skilled guitarist, leo/need's lyricist, prn who sings, the vocalist, prn who is calm and harmonious, prn who loves the stars

[lets-try-some-writing]

Optimus & Bumblebee Headcannon (part 1)

I know a lot of people have probably already done this but I have some cute little headcannons for Optimus and Bumblebee, they are just too adorable to not have any.

Origins

I imagine Bumblebee was picked up by the Autobots not long after he and the other newsparks emerged from the Well.

Knowing that there would be no more newsparks from that point onwards, the Decepticons swooped on in and grabbed as many newsparks as they could before proceeding to slaughter the rest.

By some miracle Bee ended up surviving the attack after falling into stasis among the bodies of his fellows.

The Autobots turned up not long afterwards but there was little for them to salvage.

Optimus refused to cease rescue efforts until every newspark was confirmed to be offline, however finding cold frame after cold frame did not do anything good for his mental health.

Eventually, and much to the relief of every Autobot present, he found Bee.

Optimus took every precaution in getting Bee back to base safely and refused to leave his side all throughout Ratchet's examinations.

Thankfully Bee was not seriously injured, a gash on the leg but nothing to worry about.

When Bee woke up he immediately attached himself to Optimus, instinctively knowing the Prime meant safety.

Optimus humored him for a while, coddling the newspark and humming old lullabies he didn't even remember learning. He even felt the beginnings of a bond fluttering in his spark as Bee reached out to him, desperate for parental love.

However Optimus, being Optimus, and despite his own growing urge to take on the role of primary Caretaker for Bee, firmly clamped down on the fledgling bond.

Fearing Bee would be in unnecessary danger by associating with him, Optimus left as soon as Bee went into recharge.

The whole base heard Bee's cries when he woke up and found his rescuer gone.

It didn't matter who looked after Bee, he was completely inconsolable without Optimus.

No amount of energon goodies, toys, or other forms of entertainment could cheer the newspark up.

It eventually reached a point where Bee began refusing energon, falling into a depressive state.

After being threatened several times with a wrench and very angry Ratchet, Optimus found himself back in the medbay comforting Bee and convincing him to refuel.

After finishing refueling Bee excitably cuddled up against Optimus, relishing in his presence before proceeding to joyfully coerce the Prime into playing with him.

Optimus knew he should reject Bee's growing affection towards him but seeing the newspark check every few seconds to ensure that he was still there struck a chord in his spark.

The true depth of Bee's attachment to him was only driven home when Ratchet pointed out Bee must have felt, being saved and lovingly cared for by Optimus, giving him plenty of time to imprint on the Prime, only to then be promptly abandoned for an extended period of time.

Feeling guilty and at last relenting to the continuous tug on his spark, Optimus allowed a bond to form between him and Bee, officially making the newspark his mechling.

Just a random drabble

Optimus: *lovingly cares for Bee, acting as a proper Sire should and finally getting a chance to improve both his and Bee's mental health*

Ratchet: Yes

Optimus: *leaves abruptly*

Ratchet: Wat.

Optimus: *Proceeds to avoid Bee*

Ratchet: The Frag!?

Optimus: *Continues to avoid Bee because of Primely responsibilities and thought processes*

Bee: *Becomes depressed*

Ratchet: Scrap this! *Picks up wrench and ominously approaches Optimus*

Optimus: *A little shaken and fearful*

Ratchet: Get your sorry aft in there! Or so help me Orion I will tear the plating off your protoform and hand you over to Megatron personally

Optimus: B-but I don't want to endanger hi-

Ratchet: Aft. Medbay. Now.

Optimus: *Does a complete 180 and heads to the medbay immediately to finally bond with Bee*

Ratchet: Yes

[thenamelessentity]

Name: Crimson Bellerose

Gender: Male (he/him)

Age:  28

Height: 6′5″ (even taller in heels)

Singing Voice claim: Somewhere between Steve Perry (Journey) and  Damiano David (Maneskin) with a hell of a range

Music genre: Self-proclaimed “Slutrock” (think Maneskin) with some disco/alt undertones at times (fairly eclectic)

Inspiration: Peter Allen (specifically the Boy from Oz), Freddie Mercury

Random facts:

Triple threat (can sing, act, and dance)

A classically trained pianist with a love for musicals (would probably be on Broadway if he wasn’t so flighty)

Surprisingly good cook and loves making food for the band

English is his second language, French is his first

Fully aware of the way he dresses but loves the absurdism of it

Absolutely loves rock/disco from the 60s, 70s, and some 80s

Would be more coordinated if he payed more attention (has gotten tied up chords and stuck in objects many a time)

Would rather laugh something off than get angry but some things can push him over the edge

Though he’s big and bombastic on stage, he can actually be pretty insecure about his music

Fastest way to this man’s heart is to complement his music (fell unbelievably hard when Orion left his job for them)

Highly promiscuous but a hopeless romantic at heart

The worst at professional communication (will send Orion snapchats through email if he has to)

Still has the tattoo from when he was dating Seven but is planning to get a cover up (has been on the fence about it for a while)

Has the vibe of a big dog that thinks it’s small and will wedge himself in seats/situations that are way to small for the giant that he his

Though he does have flights of fancy, he shockingly doesn’t fall for people very often, and because of this it takes him a long time to get over someone he actually has feelings for

Playlist: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4PwyaGFnQOlEl2tiN9QGZR?si=3b18c229a727491a

I’ve been seeing all the great bios people have been putting together so I decided to make one for my boy since I can not stop thinking about this character. Also figured this was a great chance to show off some of his horrendous (and amazing) outfits. 

So fucking hyped!! @infamous-if

[tsarinatorment]

*Props elbows on table* Do continue the Apollo's children are Greek AND Roman meta, please!

Okay, so this took a while because the blog got shadowbanned and rl got a bit mad and just. Stuff in general. But I am still very much on this hill and yelling out about this (as two of my friends can attest to because they got trapped in a vc with me nattering on and on about this last night, oops), so let's get back to talking about this in depth.

This is the original post I made on the subject; it's very short and overview-y but several people asked for an expansion and as it's been a while I'm gonna ping the people in question: @rosesandlove44 @adequate-problematic @linds997

I'm actually upgrading this from a headcanon to a theory because the more I poke around and chat with others about it, the more it seems to fit with the narrative. So: Apollo's children are both Greek and Roman.

Now, before we can properly get into the children, we need to look at Apollo himself. If Apollo, like the rest of the gods, flits between Greek and Roman, then his kids would do the same and we'd have a split between them just like the rest - but he doesn't, and we don't.

Apollo never changes between the two. Not only that, but he's never shown to have any problems reconciling the two at all.

Starting chronologically, in Blood of Olympus, we meet the twins for the first time since the schism starts. Interestingly, however, it's Artemis who places more emphasis on the schism when they talk about it - Artemis, of course, becomes Diana for the Romans, and we know that the schism does affect her.

‘Delos is our birthplace,’ said the goddess. ‘Here, we are unaffected by the Greek–Roman schism. Believe me, Leo Valdez, if I could, I would be with my Hunters, facing our old enemy Orion. Unfortunately, if I stepped off this island, I would become incapacitated with pain. All I can do is watch helplessly while Orion slaughters my followers. Many gave their lives to protect your friends and that accursed Athena statue.’

If I, she says. While the implication is there with her use of "we" to describe them being safe from the schism on Delos, when it comes down to details she only talks about herself - specifically, that she would be incapacitated with pain. Apollo, when the same topic comes up, is nowhere near as specific:

‘To shoot my bow, I would have to step off Delos,’ Apollo cried. ‘Then I would be incapacitated, or Zeus would strike me down. Father never liked me. He hasn’t trusted me for millennia!’

Yes, he says he would be incapacitated, but his focus is immediately on Zeus and the punishment waiting for him. Admittedly, this and when he talks about Delphi do make it sound rather like there's something to do with the schism that's affecting him, but when we look at the scene more closely, there remains this curious lack of specifics or focus on that. Rather, what he says could very easily be misleading (and considering how much of an act he's putting on during this scene, what with the death threats to Leo that there's no feasible way he could ever have meant for so many reasons, what's a little more of an act?).

Apollo’s bow turned back into a ukulele. He plucked a dramatic chord. ‘When the schism began between Greek and Roman, while I struggled with confusion, Gaia took advantage! She raised my old enemy Python, the great serpent, to repossess the Delphic Oracle. That horrible creature is now coiled in the ancient caverns, blocking the magic of prophecy. I am stuck here, so I can’t even fight him.’

He says he struggled with confusion, but it never specifies what that confusion was by. In fact, as the other gods, as Artemis helpfully points out earlier in this same scene, are pained by the schism, Apollo seems rather odd to just be confused - actually, confusion would track more with him trying to work out why this is happening all of a sudden, especially as his own twin is affected, rather than it impacting him, personally.

Of course, there could be some inconsistency in the worldbuilding here. Rick has admitted several times to fudging things, and these two passages are the only ones that potentially contradict the theory, but I'm not entirely convinced on that because of the rest of the scene.

As we're facing Artemis, not Diana, and the twins are on Delos, the Greek island, it's heavily implied that we ought to be seeing Greek Apollo here. But if it's Greek Apollo, then why does he talk so familiarly with Frank, and about Octavian? We see from Mars and Bacchus with Percy that the Roman gods have no overlap with the Greeks in terms of knowledge and awareness of what their counterparts are up to, but Apollo is perfectly aware and comfortable talking about the Roman camp while in the Greek territory and setting.

‘You wrong me!’ Apollo wailed. ‘I was misled by Gaia and that horrible Roman child!’ Frank cleared his throat. ‘Uh, Lord Apollo, you mean Octavian?’ ‘Do not speak his name!’ Apollo strummed a minor chord. ‘Oh, Frank Zhang, if only you were my child. I heard your prayers, you know, all those weeks you wanted to be claimed. But alas! Mars gets all the good ones. I get … that creature as my descendant. He filled my head with compliments. He told me of the great temples he would build in my honour.’ Artemis snorted. ‘You are easily flattered, brother.’ ‘Because I have so many amazing qualities to praise! Octavian said he wanted to make the Romans strong again. I said fine! I gave him my blessing.’

Here, he refers to Frank's father being Mars (not Ares) with no issues at all. He also refers to his dealings with Octavian in the first person - there's no suggestion that he separates himself into Greek and Roman; he could have said "the Roman me" instead of "I", but even that requires him to be aware of what his counterpart was up to, which, again, is something that tends not to happen from what we're shown in the books. As it is, the implication is blatant that it is this Apollo who was dealing directly with the Romans... even though he's Greek.

That doesn't quite track with everything else, so even in BOO we can see signs that Apollo isn't affected the same as the others.

Then, of course, we have Trials of Apollo. Again, we're explicitly with the Greek Apollo, here; he usually refers to Artemis over Diana, he goes to Camp Half-Blood, where Chiron, the demigods, and later Dionysus all treat him with the familiarity that comes from being their side of things.

And yet, Apollo continues to have no problems at all with the Greek-Roman thing. We get little snippets like this, which show Apollo being casually familiar with Mars without any mental pause at all:

Below us stretched a landscape only slightly more hospitable than Mars. (I mean the planet, not the god, though I suppose neither is much of a host.)

That's definitely some good old brotherly/Olympian shade being thrown right there, without any pause at all.

“That’s a very Mars thing to say,” I noted. “Despite my many disagreements with Mars, I mean that as a compliment.”

Many disagreements - Apollo's used to talking with Mars as well as Ares, clearly.

And I just wanna backtrack a little bit to Frank and Apollo again, because as I was grabbing this passage as some more evidence, I noticed something else:

I almost didn’t recognize Frank Zhang. The first time I’d seen him, back when I was a god and he was a legion newbie, Frank had been a baby-faced, heavyset boy with dark flattop hair and an adorable fixation on archery. He’d had this idea that I might be his father. He prayed to me all the time. Honestly, he was so cute I would’ve been happy to adopt him, but alas, he was one of Mars’s. The second time I saw Frank, during his voyage on the Argo II, he’d had a growth spurt or a magical testosterone injection or something. He’d grown taller, stronger, more imposing—though still in an adorable, cuddly, grizzly-bear sort of way.

The first time, Apollo says, and then goes on to describe something that is never shown in HOO: Apollo seeing Frank pre-Son of Neptune, as a legion newbie and before he became part of the Seven. This may well have been one of the times when Apollo visited Octavian (although Frank clearly never knew about this, because their meeting on Delos is treated very much like their first meeting, and he wouldn't have held on hope of being Apollo's son right up until his claiming in SON if he'd met Apollo before that, because I can't see Apollo letting him continue to hope after meeting in person), but it's more evidence that this Apollo is the one that interacted with Octavian, visited Camp Jupiter... and yet he's definitely still the same Apollo that's got all the Greek familiarities, too.

Yes, my examples all seem to tend towards Mars, but that's because Apollo talks about Mars the most. One more little snippet:

I considered that. When my followers called, had I ever shown up and granted them three wishes? LOL, nope. Maybe one wish, if that wish was something I wanted to happen anyway. And if this ritual only allowed me to call one god, who would it be—assuming I could even choose? Perhaps my son Asclepius would be able to heal me, but he couldn’t very well fight the Roman emperors’ forces and the hordes of undead. Mars might grant us success on the battlefield, but he’d look at my wound and say something like Yeah, rough break. Die bravely!

Not only, when Apollo's considering which god would work best, does he have a solid prediction for what Mars' reaction would be to his wound, he also has faith that Mars would likely help Camp Jupiter.

Delving into Camp Jupiter proper, Apollo is openly familiar with the place. At the start of The Tyrant's Tomb, he tells Meg about visiting it:

“You know how to get to Camp Jupiter?” she asked. “Of course.” “ ’Cause you said that about Camp Half-Blood.” “We got there! Eventually.” “Frozen and half-dead.” “Look, the entrance to camp is right over there.” I waved vaguely at the Oakland Hills. “There’s a secret passage in the Caldecott Tunnel or something.” “Or something?” “Well, I haven’t actually ever driven to Camp Jupiter,” I admitted. “Usually I descend from the heavens in my glorious sun chariot. But I know the Caldecott Tunnel is the main entrance. There’s probably a sign. Perhaps a demigods only lane.”

Specifically, how he used to arrive, and the way he phrased it - usually - implies that it was more than a one-off visit, although we also know that the Roman gods tend to be even more absent than the Greek ones, considering how much of a big deal it was for first Juno and then Mars to appear in quick succession during SON. Greek god visiting a Roman camp? Why?

He mentions more familiarity with the camp a few times, but I'm picking this one out because it has not only some titbit about Jupiter but also actually directly addresses the ways mortals influence gods:

The lake’s south shore was the site of Temple Hill, with its chaotic assortment of shrines and monuments. On the summit, overshadowing everything else, was my father’s impressively ego-tastic Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. If possible, his Roman incarnation, Jupiter, was even more insufferable than his original Greek personality of Zeus. (And, yes, we gods have multiple personalities, because you mortals keep changing your minds about what we’re like. It’s exasperating.) In the past, I’d always hated looking at Temple Hill, because my shrine wasn’t the largest.

He says "we gods" despite clearly being the same between Greek and Roman (at this point, the implication is so blatant it wouldn't make sense for it to be anything but the case, in my opinion), but on a tiny segue into real life mythology for a moment, Apollo - like the other gods - was viewed differently even within different areas of Ancient Greece, so he would still be affected by this in general, even if it's clearly not the case during modern PJO-era.

I'm not going to go into great detail on it here, because it's an essay in its own right, but of course there is another, huge, part of TOA that directly points to Apollo being the same: the Triumvirate.

All three of them are familiar with Apollo, and Apollo is equally familiar with all of them. The Roman emperor-god Caligula wants to replace this Apollo. Nero fully expects Apollo to recognise him (and, once he dredges it out of his mortal-teacup memory, Apollo does). And then, of course, there's Commodus.

Of course, when I visited Roman camps, I usually spent all my time in the commander’s tent, lounging and eating grapes like I used to do with Commodus…. Oh, gods, why was I torturing myself with such thoughts?

I grabbed this one because it also continues the theme of Apollo's familiarity with Camp Jupiter, and Romans in general, but it does also add in the pointer that it's this Apollo, our Apollo who's definitely not pure Roman, that remembers the romance with Commodus in so much depth. This Apollo is the one that had that romance.

Why would the Romans be so much of a threat, care about Apollo so much, if he wasn't their, Roman, god? Python, meanwhile, is very much from the Greek side of things - Greek and Roman enemies, both targeting the same facet of the same god.

Apollo being both Greek and Roman, at the same time, is the best-fit explanation for this that I can see, and I could continue to draw out more quotes and discussion on this, but I still want to get into how this affects his children, so I'm going to leave this section here.

Let's move onto his children.

The major point here the distribution of Apollo's descendants between the two camps: most of Apollo's children are in Camp Half-Blood.

In fact, if it were not for the known existence of Apollo Legacies (Octavian), and Frank's desperate hope to be a child of Apollo, it would seem that Camp Jupiter doesn't have any children of Apollo at all. As it is, the implication is that there are very few.

Why? Let's start with Octavian, and the augur position.

Octavian is a legacy of Apollo. He is not a son of Apollo; there are a few generations (at least) between them, and yet he is the one in the position of camp augur, which implies that there's no-one better for the job (or that has the money to bully their way in, but I don't think that's really the case here, which I'll get to in a minute). Octavian has prophecy powers (which actually throws a lot of other implications about Apollo's kids and which domains they inherit, let alone whether legacies actually have any demigod abilities, for a bit of a spin), although we heard from Apollo himself in BOO that he blessed Octavian, which is where I suspect his prophecy powers come from (but again a talk on legacies and power inheritance is for another time). How is a many-generation legacy the best person for the job?

Apollo has a lot of kids. It's inferable that he has more kids than any other god (bear in mind that the overly-populated cabin eleven also contained unclaimeds and minor gods' kids - take them away and the number of Hermes kids is almost certainly lower than the number of Apollo kids, but that's yet another topic for another time). It seems unrealistic that a legacy is a better fit for the job than one of his own kids when there should be so many of them running around.

But not only is Octavian the best fit for the position, he's also the only fit for the position:

No. Of course. The legion had no high priest, no pontifex maximus. Their former augur, my descendant Octavian, had died in the battle against Gaia. (Which I had a hard time feeling sad about, but that’s another story.) Jason would’ve been the logical next choice to officiate, but he was our guest of honor. That meant that I, as a former god, was the ranking spiritual authority. I would be expected to lead the funeral rites.

Over half a year after Octavian's death, Camp Jupiter still has no augur. Octavian has not been replaced, despite an augur being an incredibly important role. Yes, emphasis is put on Octavian throwing money and influence around to get his own way in HOO, but the fact that his position hasn't been filled after this long suggests that Camp Jupiter has no-one else who can.

We're also looking at the healers: Pranjal is a son of Asclepius, not Apollo.

“My name’s Pranjal,” said the young man. “Head healer for the legion. I worked on you when you first got here, but we didn’t really meet then, since, well, you were unconscious. I’m a son of Asclepius. I guess that makes you my grandpa.”

He's Will's counterpart for Camp Jupiter; it just seems really bizarre that there's no child of Apollo floating around and checking in on their dad.

In fact, we're not introduced to a single child of Apollo throughout the entirety of TTT, despite him interacting with a lot of the legion, and the fact that Apollo always seeks out his own children in the books. In Camp Jupiter, he spends time with not just Pranjal, but also Lavinia, the daughter of Terpsichore, one of the nine Muses - if his own children were around, why did he not interact with them? The only logical explanation is that there aren't any children of Apollo in the camp at this point (and, potentially, no other legacies, either, therefore leaving the augur position open because there's no-one around with any prophetic potential).

The conclusion here is that all of Apollo's kids, near enough, end up at Camp Half-Blood. It neatly explains why there's so many of them there (at least during PJO, before they get annihilated during the wars), while Camp Jupiter has so few. Why Camp Half-Blood? I made a separate essay on this, but in brief: Apollo is implied to be the patron god of Camp Half-Blood. It makes sense that he'd want to bring his children into the camp he founded, rather than let them go through Lupa's rough initiation and then to a camp named for his father and under the patronage of Mars.

And as Apollo is clearly both at the same time, that means his kids are also not going to be one or the other, and could therefore fit in easily wherever they end up.

There's one other little side-effect that would come into play here, though: languages.

Greek demigods are fluent in Ancient Greek. Roman demigods are fluent in Latin. Following this logic, Apollo kids would therefore be fluent in both.

This actually explains why Chiron teaches the Greek demigods Latin; it always seemed a bit weird to me that he'd spend the time to teach them Latin when they already have an old language they're fluent in, and Latin doesn't really fit with the otherwise very Greek theming. And yet, he's explicitly stated to have taught Annabeth, and of course Percy, and it's likely that he's taught the whole camp.

“He heard them talking in Latin.” “Latin? Were they campers?”

While Apollo's a little confused that people in the woods surrounding Camp Half-Blood were speaking Latin, he still doesn't discount that they could be campers based on that. It's only a small piece of evidence, but it's still there.

And on the Roman side... I am still no expert on Octavian, but the way he knows Greeks exist early on with a certainty that most of the legion dismiss suggests that he has some degree of proof. Yes, his conversations with Apollo may have brought that to the fore, but there's also the potential that Octavian knows because his family, and perhaps he himself, can speak in Ancient Greek despite never studying it. Octavian is many things, but stupid is not one of them.

Overall, the way Apollo is unaffected by the Greek-Roman schism, has no pause identifying as both the Greek Apollo and the Roman Apollo, and the fact that all of his known children are concentrated in one camp (particularly the one that he founded and remains connected to), heavily implies that there is no division between Greek and Roman for either him or his children.

[lovesosweeet]

better left unsaid

chapter nine

in which orion has leukemia, and calum doesn't know.

calum hood x fem!oc

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july 26th, 2018 los angeles, california orion

Even though I don't want to, I feel myself pulling away from Calum. Of course, that’s not fully possible when we live together. I just know that the more we talk and are happy in each other’s company, the more I’ll want to talk about what’s actually happening, and I can’t do that. I can’t put him through that. I'm crying the minute I'm alone every time, whether it's while he's at rehearsal or when he takes Duke outside. He can tell I'm sad, surely, but I think he just thinks it's because he's leaving.

So instead of pulling away fully, I just find myself scrolling on my phone more often while he’s home. I don’t start as many conversations and I’m less likely to initiate any kind of physical contact. If he notices the small shifts in our dynamics, he doesn’t say anything.

My heart is torn between wanting to savor our time together, clinging to him like glue, or taking a step back so I don’t have to bring myself to painfully expand upon the lies I’m building as a wall between us. It’s hard to pretend like I’m okay and happy, but I have to. I can’t let him know things are going wrong, so when he asks if I want to come along for rehearsal today, I say yes.

I dread having to see Ashton. We haven't spoken since our interaction in the hospital parking lot, but he's texted me several times saying things like "I just want you to know I love you" and "please let me be there for you if you need someone." I just reply with hearts each time.

"Do you want to grab bagels on the way?" Cal asks me while I'm in the bathroom doing my makeup.

I nod, smiling slightly. "Yeah, sure. Rosie's? Or is there somewhere else on the way?"

"Nah, let's do Rosie's."

He doesn't leave the bathroom after that, just stands in the doorway, watching me in the mirror. I'm brushing some brow gel on when he speaks again.

"Are you feeling okay? Did the sinus infection come back?"

So he has noticed.

I clear my throat and nod. "Yeah, not feeling the best."

His eyes show some kind of emotion I can't place. "I'm sorry, do you want to stay home today? You can come to rehearsal another time. We've still got a few more."

"No, I'll come." I shake my head, offering him another small smile.

"Let me know if you want to leave, at any point. Okay?"

"Sure."

Once my makeup is finished, we head down to the lobby, hand in hand. I've always loved holding hands with Calum. Mine are small and always freezing, and his dwarf mine and are always so warm. His hand tattoos have also always been my favorite, mostly because I love the thought that his parents have a hand in everything he does. We're both close with our families, and I absolutely adore his family. We've not spent a ton of time together, but Joy, Mali, and I have a group chat that we talk in a few times a month.

When we get in the car, he doesn't let go of my hand while he drives, except when he needs to use a turn signal or something. Feeling tethered, grounded in the moment — it's a great feeling. It's helping to keep me sane this morning.

I wonder if he'd hold on tighter knowing that I'm dying.

I've placed on online order for Rosie's, so Cal just turns on his hazards in front of the shop while I run inside to grab our bagels and coffees. I always feel kind of rude hopping in front of the people in line, but it's not worth waiting when our food is already ready and waiting for us.

While Cal drives to rehearsal, I unwrap his sandwich in a way that makes it easier for him to eat while driving. He gives me authority over the aux chord, which he rarely does, so I try to make it worth my while. I play some Still Woozy, The Wldlfe, and Medium Build. Part of the reason I rarely get the power over our music is because I like to mess with him and play his own music. I can tell he appreciates today's choices.

We get to the rehearsal facility and are the last ones there, but we brought bagels for everyone, so they don't mind that we're slightly late. Luke lights up when he sees me, setting his guitar down quickly and runs over.

"Orion!" He practically squeals. "I've missed you!"

Laughing, I give him a hug, which leads to him lifting me off the ground and spinning us around. My mood is instantly lifted. "Hi Luke."

"Cal, you should bring her everyday, she's so fun to have with us."

I scoff. "Luke, I literally just sit on the couch and watch you."

"Yeah, but you actually sing along and you always bring snacks."

My feet are back on the ground, and I'm quickly met with hugs from Mike, Ash, and Matt. Ashton's hug lasts a little longer than everyone else's, and his face is sad in the midst of everyone else's grins. It doesn't seem like anyone else notices.

"Cal's the one behind today's snacks, don't give me the credit," I tell him, but he just shrugs and throws his arm over my shoulders.

"Still, you always sing along and dance sometimes. It's nice to have an adoring fan."

It is kind of funny that I wasn't a fan when I met Calum two years ago, and now I'd say they're my favorite band, and not just because I'm dating one of them. I truly just really love their music, and I love dancing, so it's not hard for me to want to dance when they're performing or rehearsing. It's not like they've been performing a ton in recent years, but that summer I remember quickly learning every song so I could sing along whenever I visited Calum across Europe.

"Wish you could come with us," Michael adds.

"Next time," I say, even though I don't know that that will be possible. I'd like to think it is.

"Can I get that in writing?" Cal chimes in.

I playfully stick my tongue out at him. "I'm gonna miss you guys." I look over at Ashton and meet his eyes instantly. He looks like he's trying not to cry, and I have to look away before I start to dwell on it.

Luke wraps me into another hug. "You're so tiny, we could just put you in a suitcase and sneak you on the tour. Your professors won't even know you're missing." When he lifts me up again, Matt decides to cut the conversation.

"All right, you've told Orion you love her. Let's get to work."

"Such a buzzkill, Matty," Michael whines, grabbing his water bottle off the ground and walking over to his guitar on its stand.

Luke still has me wrapped in his hug and awkwardly carries me over to the couch. I wish Sierra or Crystal or Kay were here to sit with me, but it's nice to be able to put my feet up on it. He ungracefully drops me onto the leather cushions before he heads back to his own guitar and mic stand.

I look over and catch Cal strumming a few random chords on his bass. At least, they seem random to me. I'm sure he's got some intention behind it. Everything music-related goes above my head.

It's nice to get to watch the set before they show the world. I've always loved the way they try to offer a different experience for their music when they perform it live. Of course, there aren't any lights or anything in this essentially empty building that's just a step above a warehouse, but that gives the music a chance to shine as what it is. Art.

Watching them do what they love reminds me that this time apart is necessary. This is what they love. This is why they do what they do. Performing, bringing their work to the people who make it all possible. I love that they get the chance to do this. I've never had resentment towards Calum for going on this tour, but still, watching them practice the set is giving the time apart an additional level of worthiness.

While I'm getting treatment, Calum will be doing what he loves most in this world with his favorite people. I'd feel so selfish taking him away from it.

I nearly start crying when Cal practices his speech for his talking break.

"Los Angeles, this next song is dedicated to my best friend, my partner in life, and my biggest fan. This is Better Man."

It's going to be fine. It has to be. He's going to go on this tour and then when he comes back he can be by my side as I continue to deal with whatever leukemia throws at me.

—

"Matty, we're gonna go to the beach after this, wanna join?" Michael calls across the room. He's the only one who calls Matt 'Matty' and naturally Matt hates it.

None of us have swimsuits, but we all agreed that the beach sounds like a good idea. It's still hot out, since it's the middle of summer, but it's not quite as hot and humid as it has been for the last few weeks. Rehearsal also didn't take too long today, so we have a lot of the day left.

"I'm tired of you guys and about to spend four months with you. I'll pass." Matt actually loves the guys, but he's a grumpy person in general, and he does have a point. "See you tomorrow." He walks off then, going through a door that leads somewhere that I've never been. I can understand finding them annoying. They can be a lot — but I love them and I love being part of their shenanigans.

We all head out, everyone hopping into Cal's Jeep to minimize beach parking chaos on a beautiful day. I offer to sit in the back since I'm the smallest and the guys are all very tall, but nobody lets me and the three of them cram in like sardines in the backseat. We drive with the windows down, and Cal even lets me control the aux again, so I just keep the playlist I'd had on earlier.

Once we get to the beach, as soon as the car's in park, Ashton opens his door and jumps out. "Last one in the water is a loser!" He screams, running full force down the wooden walkway and ripping his shirt off in the process.

Luke and Mike scramble out to follow him, also stripping their shirts and trying to kick their shoes off while they run. Luke trips, giving Mike a lead, but naturally Ashton gets to the water first. I have no hope of trying to beat them, so I've not even opened my door yet, and I'm surprised to see Calum still sitting in the driver's seat when I look over.

"You didn't want to race?"

"I know you're not feeling too great. I didn't want to leave you and make you the loser. That's not a fair fight," he explains. "C'mon, let's go after them."

I frown. "You could've gone."

"I'm about to leave you for four months. I don't need to leave you yet."

He makes my heart ache. Why is he so good to me? How can someone love me like that?

Instead of revealing how I feel, I plaster on my best fake smile, kick off my shoes, take off my shirt, and get out of the car. "Let's go!"

He follows suit, and then we walk hand in hand down the beach. The other three are already in the water, each trying to push the others to fall over, which ends up with all three of them falling over. When Cal and I reach them, they're all yelling, "LOSERS!"

"You are literal children," I tell them, wading into the water. I love the beach. Floating in the water, laying in the sun, looking for shells. All of it.

"You're younger than all of us," Ashton points out, laughing.

"Shut up," I say, leaning back so I can float in the water. I don't let go of Calum's hand, and he keeps me anchored so I don't drift off.

I can't get to a point of relaxation, because before I know it, Michael splashes water in my face, making me jump and turn upright. I splash him back, and when he splashes me again, it hits Cal. Once Cal's in on it, the other two join in, and we're all just splashing each other, squealing with laughter and squinting from saltwater hitting our eyes.

When I can't see because of all the water that's hit my eyes, I halt my splashing. While I rub at my burning eyeballs, someone must notice, because they stop.

"Man down!" Luke yells.

I feel Calum's hands grip my forearms, stopping my movements. "Stop rubbing and let your tears flush it out, babe," he says.

I do what he says, dropping my arms and trying to open my eyes, the sting making it impossible to try to look. "It burns!"

He laughs. Seconds later, I feel him pull me closer to him, hugging me against his damp torso while waves lap around us. I keep trying to blink and get the water out of my eyes, but it feels pretty futile so far.

It's kind of strange to think about this life. I'm just swimming in the ocean at a random beach access near LA with my boyfriend and his three best friends. Those four people happen to be internationally famous musicians who are about to embark upon a world tour. They're massively famous but so normal, just four more guys at a beach splashing water at each other.

And I'm just a random girl at a random beach access who happens to have leukemia. The odds that we're all here, right now, together, feels so special. The universe put us here for some reason, and I'm so happy I'm here with them. I'd say I feel lucky to have been handed this deal of fate, but I know that this blip of a moment pales in comparison to my recent diagnosis.

I try to soak in the feeling of the sun on my face and the weight of Cal's arms around me; the smell of salt and the coolness of the water. I even try to memorize the way my eyes burn. I just want to remember the way this feels forever.

We hang out in the water for an hour or so, then go back to the shore to lay out and relax. Luke and Michael are turning pink quickly, so we don't stay out too long. I make sure we get a selfie of all of us on the beach together before we pile back into the Jeep.

Calum drives everyone back to their cars, and we all get out to say goodbye. Everyone is damp and sandy, but I don't care. I give each of them a bear hug, squeezing them as tightly as I can. Luke picks me up and spins me around again, and Ashton's hug feels nearly bone crushing.

"See ya tomorrow, Cal!" Mike says, giving him a quick hug. "Bye, O. Thanks for coming along today!"

"Love you both," Luke adds in. "Have a nice night!"

"I love you guys. Let me know when you're home!" Ash calls.

Once everyone has given each other a hug and we're sick of feeling sticky, sweaty, damp, and sandy, we all clamber back into our own vehicles and head out.

"How ya feeling?" Cal asks once we're on the road.

"I'm okay," I tell him. It's not wrong. I'm okay right now, and I'm not feeling that sick. The beach was mostly a nice distraction from the heaviness that's been consuming me.

"Ice cream?"

I know he's just trying to make the last of our few days together as special as he can, but for some reason it almost makes me feel more sad. I'm lucky to have someone who makes such a big effort, but I feel bad. It's hard to put words to the idea.

"If you want ice cream, sure," I say. "But I think we have some at home, too."

He doesn't take his eyes off the road while he places his hand on my thigh. "Let's get ice cream and take a walk while the sun sets. We can get some golden hour selfies."

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[prettyandsarcastic]

heart on the stage

Seven (@infamous-if)/MC

≈2,300 words

Mentions of substance/alcohol abuse

EDIT: I had to repost this because I noticed I got Avina's pronouns wrong. Also added some things.

Music to read by: "Euclid" by Sleep Token 

The whiskey sears down her throat as Munroe throws back the shot, so used to it now that it no longer comes with the full body shiver as it settles in her empty stomach. For courage, she tells herself, has to tell herself. Not to dull the ache in her chest or the pounding between her ears, or burn out the sharp pain in the back of her throat. And that’s definitely why she’s taking shots in the bathroom of the green room because she’s not hiding it. No, of course not. 

Her eyes drag upwards to meet her reflection in the dirty mirror and she nearly laughs. The stage makeup just barely hides the dark circles, and the contour only draws more attention to how hollow her cheeks have become in the last months. Despite the wild, manic brightness behind her eyes, she can’t help but think how threadbare she looks. 

Munroe takes a deep, steadying breath and steps out into the green room as her bandmates all turn to her with varying degrees of concern. And why wouldn’t they? These last months they’ve seen her fall farther than she ever thought she would trying to chase away an unspeakable heartbreak, while she tried to keep the fracturing pieces of herself together long enough to get them through to the winner’s circle. And with all their eyes on her, Munroe has never been more aware of the fact that she’s become their weakest link. 

Especially after their last gig landed them in the bottom two and so close to elimination. She knows it was her fault, so out of her mind that she barely remembers performing. When she watched the performance back, saw how she staggered around the stage and skipped whole lines in the lyrics it made her physically ill. 

Her vision fills suddenly with Orion as he steps up to her. His warm hands cup her face and draw her eyes to meet his. Munroe sees herself as he sees her in the reflection of his dark eyes - blown pupils, clammy and flushed with the hint of whiskey on her breath. 

“Munroe…” he trails off, his expression crumpling in disappointment and worry. Because she promised him she’d ease up. Orion didn’t want to see her burn out, collapse on herself like a dying star and leave just as much devastation in her wake. 

Munroe appreciates Orion and everything he does, more than she could ever say, but this isn’t what she needs from him right now. She needs the man who has helped take care of her, promised to get her through this, who has kept her on just this side of breaking. She needs the calm, steady presence that she’s come to rely on - the eye in the center of the storm she's become.

“I’m fine,” she snaps, twisting her head from his hands. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea? We’ve never played this song live before,” Devyn pipes up. Beside them Iris anxiously gnaws on her thumb, and by the look on her face she agrees. 

Munroe sighs. “Look, I know this hasn’t exactly been the experience we expected and I know I fucked up last gig, but I need you guys to just… keep trusting me.”

She knows she’s asking a lot, but Devyn’s right. The song they have lined up for their performance has never seen the light of day. And while Munroe puts a piece of herself into every song she writes and bares herself for the world to judge with every performance, this song will be the equivalent of pulling her heart from her chest for a live audience. 

Rowan rises from his seat, nervous energy obvious in the way his fingers twitch at his side - pantomiming his chords. He’s unusually serious because he knows what this song means to her, knows what singing it is going to do to her. But he smiles wide and confident as he cups her face in much the same way Orion had. 

“We’re gonna fucking kill it,” he says, taking over Munroe’s usual task of assuring them that their performance is going to be amazing because she’s not sure she could muster her optimism. “They won’t know what hit them.”

“We’ve got your back, Munroe,” August says with a nod.

Her phone vibrates in her hand as Rowan steps away and Munroe finds a text from Sebastian: 

‘Good luck!’ 

Quickly followed by another:

‘Oh crap, I’m not supposed to say that… Break a leg! Maya and I managed to get second row! She’s practically vibrating with excitement!’

Despite herself, Munroe smiles. She can only imagine how excited Maya is going to be when she realizes the song they play is one she’s never heard. Munroe wouldn’t be surprised to see the girl combust from the stage. 

The speaker in the green room crackles to life before a tinny voice filters through: “Wanderer please make your way to the stage. Wanderer, to the stage!” 

The crowd doesn’t know it, but they’re about to witness a performance that they’re going to talk about for the rest of their lives.

.

.

Seven can’t stop smiling as the band stumbles, laughing and hollering into their green room. They gave, hands down, their best performance thus far. There’s no doubt in any of them that they’re going to make it through to the next round. One step closer to the finale. 

He feels too big for his body as he grabs and chugs a water, like he wants to run in every direction at once just to expend the pent up energy. Although he always gives everything he has into every performance, tonight feels different and his throat is on fire from singing, adrenaline bitter in the back of his throat and he can hear his blood in his ears. Nothing could kill this high. 

Not even when Avina turns on the TV and switches to the channel featuring Battle of the Bands and he hears: “Stay tuned! Up next are everyone’s favorite underdogs: Wanderer! Can they claw their way out of being in the bottom two from last show?” 

“God, turn it off,” Kieran moans, “We don’t need to watch them this time - we won this round!”

Avina turns and gives Kieran a look. Their hair is sweat-damp mess, cheeks rosy. “I want to watch it, thank you very much.”

Kieran gapes at them before turning to him, “C’mon man, I know you agree with me. Besides, after their last gig, ain’t no way they’re staying after this week.” 

Part of him wants to agree with Kieran. Wanderer bombed their last gig so badly Seven's surprised that they weren't eliminated. And it wasn't even the band's fault - it was Munroe. She'd been such a mess, so clearly not in her right mind, her voice wrecked and thready, even forgetting her own lyrics.  

But Seven’s on cloud nine, his ex could walk into their green room right now and he wouldn’t give a shit. He shrugs, “Let 'em watch it.”

The commercial break ends, the camera pans along the audience before Munroe’s band is introduced and then the lights on the stage go out completely. Seven resists the urge to roll his eyes - always with the theatrics. 

A single spotlight comes to life on the stage. Munroe is seated at a keyboard with no sign of her bandmates. Seven watches as she takes a deep breath before raising her hands to the keys and starts to play - something slower and emotional so unlike Wanderer’s previous, high energy performances. Did she really think a ballad was a good idea? 

It feels like a bucket of ice water gets upturned over his head when she begins to sing - no back up, just Munroe and the keyboard for the opening lines of the song. It’s been so long since he’s heard her play, he had almost forgotten how good she was. It feels like a lifetime ago when it was just her and her keyboard and him and his guitar writing together, falling together between chords and lyrics. 

“Turn it up,” Seven says, ignoring the surprised looks from his band. 

As the lights dim once again, the rest of the band’s vocals rise like a choir in the dark for the refrain, which surprises him because Rowan and Iris don’t usually provide backup vocals. He sees Munroe’s shadow take her mic and make its way to the front of the stage, place the mic in its stand. The rise of the band’s instruments finally coming in takes his breath away as the lights come back up and Munroe, now joined by the band, is backlit by the stage lights, her too thin silhouette outlined in the short, sheer black kaftan-like dress she’s wearing. 

These months on tour have worn her thin, broken her down in a way Seven never thought possible. Munroe is an eternal optimist, she's not like him, she pushes aside her anger, her hurt, holds it quietly inside herself and puts a smile on her face, always, because she never wants anyone to worry about her. But this tour has dulled her light, turned her into something Seven never, no matter how he felt about her, wanted to see. 

Munroe has thrown herself into self-destruction as she is wont to do. Into the parties, the hookups, and the glamor of it all - anything to avoid facing herself. She’s tried to hide the effects, but Seven notices more than he’d like - the drinking, the erratic behavior, the insomnia, the bloody noses. 

Something in his chest kicks watching her and it suddenly occurs to him - he’s never heard this song before. This is new, or at least unreleased… and then it dawns on him: This is for me. And Munroe’s singing with her entire being, all her rage and pain and heartbreak displayed on live television for someone who has barely shown her any kindness these last few months. 

And she had endured it all, his snide comments, his attutude, his disdain for her with such grace. While there were moments when Munroe seemed to reach the end of her long suffering patience, she still smiled at him, always had a kind word for most everyone, hid behind her laugh. Now, a shadow lurked behind her eyes, and Seven is forced to face the uncomfortable fact that he's, at least in part, responsible.

The camera pans to the audience that seems to be held in a daze as they watch her. And Seven understands, he really does. At her best, Munroe is magnificent on stage, something divine - a goddess demanding devotion and supplication from the masses. 

They bring Munroe in close up - there are tears lining her cheeks, but her voice is strong as ever, ringing clear throughout the venue as the song comes into the denouement. It’s as soft as the beginning of the song, with the band slowly fading out until - 

"You will never be mine…"

The lyric hits like a punch in the gut as, for a moment, the crowd is quiet in awe and then erupts into uproarious applause. He watches as Rowan sets his guitar aside and rushes Munroe, enveloping her in his arms. To the crowd and the people at home, it’s a happy hug - a celebration of just how amazing their set was, but it’s not. It’s to keep Munroe from crumpling right there on stage - he saw how her knees went weak.  

Seven’s on his feet before he even realizes he’s moved, propelled by a sudden gripping panic. He hears the questioning of his bandmates, but can’t make out the words over the roar in his ears, the way his heart wants to escape the prison of his ribs. He rips off his mic, then he’s over the back of the couch and out the door of the green room, sprinting full tilt down the hallway. 

The song wasn’t just for him. It was good-bye. It was letting him know, in the only way he’d listen, the only way he'd hear, that Munroe was letting him go. And Seven realizes he doesn’t accept it, can’t accept it. Once, not even very long ago, it was what he wanted, a freedom from the grip she's always had on his heart and soul. But he didn't realize until now just how much he unintentionally let her light and warmth back into himself because despite his behavior toward her, Munroe still tried. Tried until she was fractured and hopeless and worn. It was something he loved and loathed about her in equal measure, her refusal to give up even when she should. 

Seven bursts through the door to backstage, dodging stage crew and members of other bands. He’s managed to make it backstage in time for Wanderer to come off the stage. He has to get to Munroe before she’s mic’d up again, before the after-performance confessional. 

His body collides with hers with a surprised grunt, and for once he doesn’t care about the cameras and the people as he gathers her against his chest. 

“Seven?” Munroe chokes out. But he feels her cling to him, her hands under his vest, nails in the back of his shirt. Then she's trembling, crying softly into his chest. Finally shattering apart as he tries to hold her together.

“I’m sorry,” he says, into the damp of her hair. He has so much to apologize for, so much to make up to her. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, as he angles her face up to his, thumbing away fresh tears. And the awe on her face breaks something in him in turn, because he knows she doesn't believe he's there. 

“I’m sorry,” he says against her lips. They have so much lost time to make up. 

And kissing Munroe feels like a sun rising in his chest, like being found, like coming home. 

[spaceintruderdetector]

FREE "Frippertronics" Delay/Looping Mini-Course

[masivechaos]

orion! - send me a character + a prompt/situation -> i’ll write a little blurb!

steve harrington and him learning to play acoustic guitar for reader <3

lover!

steve harrington x gn! reader | 0.7k

warnings: pure fluff!! (i don't how to play the guitar soooo :)) also i realised i started to write it as a steddie fic lmao, it works if you ignore the reader parts

masterlist/ stranger things masterlist / navigation / taglist 

Eddie had to stop himself from laughing. Steve Harrington, the Steve Harrington was in front of his trailer asking for advice.

“What?” Eddie questioned with a chuckle and the boy in front of him groaned as he rolled his eyes. He hated that he had to come to Eddie’s house for this but he didn’t know anyone else who knew how to play. He really loved you.

Steve looked up at the long-haired man “Don’t make me ask again” but Eddie didn’t care and grinned and Steve gave in reluctantly “Can... Can you tell me how to play the guitar for Y/n?”

From the look painted on Steve’s face, with his eyebrows frowned and the mouth in a thin line, he knew he really mustn’t laugh, but it was very hard. “Well, c’mon” 

Eddie opened the door further, inviting Steve to enter the small trailer. That’s when the long-haired man turned around that he realised the mess the house was in.

His eyes widened as the realisation hit his brain. He took a big step, nervously trying to clean the coffee table, taking all the papers to make a pile that ended up falling to the ground.

Steve watched the scene with amusement “I don’t mind the mess” he informed the stressed man who let out a sigh of relief.

“Take a seat I take the guitar,” Eddie said, passing by Steve to reach his bedroom. The latter sat down on the couch, observing the room with interest. He took special note of the collection of mugs hanging on the wall. It was messy but living. He liked it.

Eddie came back into the living room, and Wayne’s bedroom at night, with his red electric guitar “If you hurt her” he said, pointing at the instrument, “You’re dead” he warned.

The other man bit his bottom lip. He knew you, sure you loved some songs with electric guitar in them but he wanted to play your favourite song and make it calm and acoustic. It would represent your love story, especially with some little errors he will probably make while playing, even if in the relationship the small mistakes and arguments came from the both of you.

 “Y-you…” he started, not quite wanting to ruin Eddie’s excitation. In fact, the curly-haired man was smiling widely but Steve didn't know if it was from amusement or excitement. 

Eddie looked at the man next to him with a smile “...Are going to kill you if you damage my guitar? Depends, does playing D&D make me a worshiper of Satan?”

Steve’s eyebrow lifted, not expecting this answer. He didn’t know Eddie very well except for what Dustin told him and he seemed to be a normal person, maybe just childish sometimes. Dustin was also playing D&D and a worshiper of Satan was the last thing he was. Steve always found it weird the way people will think this about fantasy game players.

“No- It’s just… do you maybe have… an acoustic guitar?”

Eddie offered the man a grin “Of course you would want an acoustic guitar. You’re Steve Harrington. You’re a lover” he teased before getting up again and coming back into the living room with another guitar.

He sat next to Steve and set down the guitar on him. “Okay first-” Eddie struggled to find words and just positioned Steve’s hands on the guitar.

During the next hours, Eddie helped Steve to play the chords he wanted to play. Your boyfriend chose your favourite song and wanted it to be perfect, so he listened carefully and tried his best. He continued to practice, ignoring the pain in his fingertips. 

In the end, he was so tired but it was worth it. Eddie even offered him to take the guitar home so he could practice and play to you. 

For the next week, he practised as much as he could, even sometimes passing by Eddie’s house if he needed help, earning Dustin’s teasing because of how much he was ready to do for you.

And all these efforts paid. One day, you were laying down on his bed with a smile on your lips. Steve had just said he had a surprise for you but you needed to close your eyes.

You opened them and you found him sitting next to you, guitar in his hands and he started to play. You saw the focused look on his face as he looked down, making sure he was doing the right thing.

When he was done you quickly wrapped your arms around his shoulders and kissed his lips. That was the best gift ever.

⋆ ★ steve harrington taglist: @sw34terw34ther @cauliflowertree @moonlitmeeks @rhydianissuperior  @loveeharrington @vintagepearlss @gilmore-angel @heartfucks @moondemon123 @mystic-writings @natashxromanovf @kidcuisinesvcks @percy-the-hufflepuff

[goodbysunball]

The weight off

One last missive before list season consumes us and 2023 is vacuumed up by time.

The Lewers, 518A (Lulu's Sonic Disc Club)

Yet another new supergroup from the endless expanse of Australia's underground, this one featuring Yuta Matsumura (Orion, Low Life, solo, many others), some folks from Itchy Bugger and Rapid Dye, and more. The Lewers douse these seven tracks with loads of reverb and a couple great Itchy Bugger-style guitar lines worming under the surface. Think 4AD: gauzy, dreamy excess best paired with a juicy red wine, topped with deceptively catchy vocals. "Postcards for Terrorists," a big winner in the song title contest of 2023, is probably the poppiest number, the intertwining vocals of Yuta and (I think) Sarah Davis driving the chorus home. The songs led by Davis ("Kalopsia," "Specter Vermillion") and others like "Sin Tonight" have a 70's English folk-like quality, lilting and haunting, performances that seem inspired in part by the soundtrack to The Wicker Man. While every track on here sounds good, and I keep returning to the record during the gray days and long nights, most don't register in my memory after the record's done, with the exception of "Postcards" and "O Karina." The latter is almost an instrumental song, with Matsumura singing well beneath the shroud of guitars, and when that second, sharp guitar line that slices through about two-and-a-half minutes in, it trickles in through the brain and down the spine every time. This kind of lush, textural music often benefits from a little length, but the Lewers keep things trim, maybe to a fault, as a couple tracks could have been teased out like "O Karina." Likely I just wish the record was a bit longer; even if it isn't anything new, 518A's confines, most definitely outfitted with a white faux-fur area rug, are a fine place to sprawl in contemplation.

The Native Cats, The Way On Is the Way Off (Chapter Music)

Long-player number five from Hobart's finest, many years removed from their last, John Sharp Toro. In the interim, the Native Cats released two of the best singles in recent memory - Spiro Scratch and Two Creation Myths - so expectations were high. Their core sound remains Chloe Alison Escott's spoken-sung vocals and incisive, biting lyrics grounded by Julian Teakle's bass, but they're joined by live drums on a number of tracks here, and there are even points when Escott cedes control of microphone to backing vocals (The Last Gang Vocal on Earth, according to the credits). Over the past ten years, Escott's lyrics have shifted from fictional scenes to the semi-autobiographical, incorporating more personal details in the songs, sporting ferocious tenacity or tender self-affirmation depending on the song. Her queer and trans identity is inseparable from the Native Cats' evolution, including all the frustration, self-doubt and pockets of joy involved in coming out and being out. She hardly sounds defeated; given the spots of violent imagery across The Way On Is the Way Off, I wouldn't bet against her in a fight.

The record begins in fits and starts, and while the first three tracks are undeniably in the now-recognizable Native Cats style, I think the action really begins after the "Former Death Cult" interlude. "Small Town Cop Override" roars into action with a drumroll and features one of Escott's sharpest lyrical performances ("I strive for victory or hallucination" and "I've seen the future, it's a chain of tricks/Come 'round and watch me turn a crisis into six") atop pounding live drums and blaring chords, burning bright and out in 80 seconds. It bleeds right into "Vivian Left Me," a slow, plodding number with a bass line ripped from David Sims' playbook. Escott has free reign to prowl over the buzzing, ominous terrain, and drops one of my favorite lines of the year with "When your dreams come true, they feel/distressingly like dreams." The track sears and bubbles without cresting, endless tension floating exhaustedly into the haunting "Dallas," a spare, solemn ballad. The lyrics are opaque, tangled; it feels like a meditation on what has changed for Escott, and what can't be changed or outrun, all wrapped up in the album of the same name released ten years ago.

"Suplex" kick-starts the B-side, a mean bass line and Escott's sneering vocals competing for the first minute and a half, and then the song's taken over by keyboard and piano, a pillowy landing from the body blows of the first half. "Rain on Poison," like "Dallas," is moody and restrained, pounding toms and a single piano note ratcheting up the tension along with Escott's powerful vocals, and as the song progresses, elements are stripped back until it's just Escott in your ear: "Time is running out/At a rate I can handle." It's an almost absurdly powerful affirmation, implying some mastery over the passage of time, but such is the confidence espoused by the Native Cats across The Way On Is the Way Off. It ends the world-beating five-song stretch, and while the rest of the record is good-to-great, even including some of Escott's solo piano work at the end, the middle section is so rich that it feels excessive to have more music outside of it. Yeah, "Tanned Rested and Dead" is a burner, and the NYC-in-the-early-aughts bounce of "Battery Acid" is a good look, too; those tracks might be my favorite part of the record next week. That's the innate joy of a Native Cats record, now more than ever: still harshly resistant to snap judgement and best lived in, seeping into your skin like a sauna and pulling lost memories or feelings or chemicals to the fore. And yet, The Way On Is the Way Off remains endlessly listenable despite the weight of dreams or expectations, the band fully in control of their sound, as comfortable as ever in it. I don't know if it's their best yet - ask me in another few months - but it definitely feels like it might be. Stunner.

Howard Stelzer, oh calm down you're fine (No Rent)

Great tip from my brother to check this one out, he being an effective filter for No Rent's endless release schedule. Howard Stelzer is not a new name, but new to me, and oh calm down you're fine is a sterling example why digging for new music remains my favorite pasttime. Stelzer layers tape loops here, of anything and everything; during the impromptu Bandcamp "listening party," which Stelzer "attended," he revealed that samples include that of making an omelette and the school band warming up next to the classroom where he teaches, the latter featured prominently on "Everybody Thinks So." He's in the league of artists like Joe Colley or Jeph Jerman to my ears, though less wracked with anxiety than the former and more interested in the noise made by humans (as opposed to nature) than the latter. What makes Stelzer's work so exceptional here is the subtle sense of composition; the hard-to-follow logic in the way the sounds are paired, or layered, reminds me of how Philip Jeck would compose and arrange his music. One could mistake "Reconsider From Memory" for something by Jeck with unfocused ears, reminiscent too in the unhurried pacing across the tape. The results are decidedly much more abrasive in Stelzer's case, more smart aleck than somber, though like all experimental noise music worth its salt, what's being communicated is in the hands/head of the listener. As the somewhat disarming "Proportional" appears to wind down, Stelzer introduces some dizzying drum loops, conjuring some sort of ritual where you're at the stake, until the laugh track hits. Better luck finding the thread next listen. My favorite tape of the year, and lucky for you, still available from the label. Dig into more of his work on his Bandcamp.

Water Damage, 2 Songs (12XU)

2 Songs is my first proper run-in with Water Damage, and that is something I've committed to fixing after living with this LP in constant rotation for a month. The ensemble, running eight members deep, creates a thicket of psychedelic repetition, playing with tenets of noise, jazz, krautrock, and hip hop across two side-long tracks, appropriately titled "Fuck This" and "Fuck That." The former rips into action after a false start, a dense, throbbing miasma anchored by a tireless bass line and squalls of guitar noise and feedback circling each other. The band takes a quick breather after six minutes, coming back even noisier, and then inexplicably does the same thing again thirty seconds later - and somehow it all works, the two intentional hiccups swallowed by the aural equivalent of The Blob over the track's barely registered, but deeply felt, ebbs and flows. "Fuck That" is comparatively lighter, roomier, allowing room for a maddening circular xylophone (?) line and keyboards to float atop the distorted bass line and agile drums. Stick around until the bass line becomes loose and rubbery, the whole song submitting to its own weight, like the ghost of DJ Screw just took over your turntable. It's really difficult to do this record justice with words; it feels like it consumes the room, your house, then you when it's on. The density of the record is rendered in sharp relief through the high quality recording and the combined power of the players here, combining as one pulsating mass or frictionlessly bobbing and weaving. That they're an octet likely means I'll never have the pleasure of getting to see them do it live, but it's a consolation that 2 Songs is the best-sounding record of the year; it'll peel your scalp back plenty, and I recommend that you grab the LP and let it rip.

[broomsticks]

women of the house of black rec list: gifts for me edition!

apparently i have a brand or smth

a rec list for @womenofthehouseofblack fest 🖤

double drabbles

💛 Narcissa/Minerva: yule never guess (how much you mean to me) [chapter 4: soft] by @nanneramma & nocturn 💛 Narcissa/Lily Evans Potter: Like Steam by nocturn ❤️‍🔥 Bellatrix/Andromeda: the simple lack of her by @fantasyborn ❤️‍🔥 Bellatrix/Tonks: Masks & Morsels by @vdoshu 

misc (poetry and art)

💚 Bellatrix/Charity Burbage: [ART] I am not the same as them. by @digthewriter 💛 Narcissa-centric: A flower amongst stars by @bluesundaycake 

longer reads

💛 Andromeda/Lily: don't wake the stars by @girl-with-goats 🧡 Andromeda-centric: The Waves by @nanneramma ❤️‍🔥 Bellatrix/Andromeda: Absinthe (and a candy apple) by spellingqueenbee ❤️‍🔥 Bellatrix/Rodolphus: Sweet, Glorious Madness by The_Shift ❤️‍🔥 Walburga/Orion: Hate, lead the way! by @black-sparroww ❤️‍🔥 Tonks/Sirius: Throwing Rocks by @black-sparroww

-#-

double drabbles

💛 Narcissa/Minerva: yule never guess (how much you mean to me) [chapter 4: soft] by @nanneramma & nocturn

what a wonderfully written yuletide reunion! the build, the atmosphere, the tension! masters of microfic formats at work here.

💛 Narcissa/Lily Evans Potter: Like Steam by nocturn

mmmm STEAMMMYY. hogwarts era secret relationship perfection.

❤️‍🔥 Bellatrix/Andromeda: the simple lack of her by @fantasyborn. She’s dressed for the occasion: ball gown and mask obscuring her features. She blends in. No one knows she’s here. She just – she needs to see Bella.

the desperation, the tension, the hurt! also, i'm still not over how perfect this title is. <3

❤️‍🔥 Bellatrix/Tonks: Masks & Morsels by @vdoshu 

“I’ve caught you again, my little morsel”: oh no i’m in danger dot gif. i requested regency au and wow did these two fics deliver!!

misc formats (poetry and art)

💚 Bellatrix/Charity Burbage: [ART] I am not the same as them. by @digthewriter

Charity/Bellatrix - who is at mercy of whom? -- OMG THIS PAIRING!

💛 Narcissa-centric: A flower amongst stars by @bluesundaycake

Narcissa comes to terms with being different -- beautiful imagery and lovely feelings-realization!

longer reads

💛 Andromeda/Lily: don't wake the stars by @girl-with-goats || 3k, T

a first wizarding war-ish battle of hogwarts au! i love all the little moments we get to see between the two of them, both in the present day and in flashbacks, and the there was only one bed setup was SO good.

🧡 Andromeda-centric: The Waves by @nanneramma || 3k, M

Go walk into your dawn, you snotrags, tell 'em we never cared Go tell 'em how we fucked you up and, oh my God, it's so unfair We were the winter nights so you could be the morning snow Your life begins by leaving and our love is shown in the letting go

i’ve said forever that the amazing devil’s Chords is the Bad ParentTM apologia fic i want to see exist if i thought for a second it wouldn't kill me to write, so, forever grateful to nan for writing this. tedromeda, druella & andromeda, andromeda & tonks... canon compliant from pre-marauders era to post-DH, what an incredible character study.

❤️‍🔥 Bellatrix/Andromeda: Absinthe (and a candy apple) by spellingqueenbee || 6k, E

December 1970. One of them is getting ready for war. One of them is preparing to leave her family behind. Neither of them knows that this is their last Christmas holiday together.

impeccable characterization, incredible prose! creepy and monstrous and terrifying and beautiful!

❤️‍🔥 Bellatrix/Rodolphus: Sweet, Glorious Madness by The_Shift || 2k, E

femdom bella 😈 this fic is primarily rodolphus/rabastan but there’s enough bellatrix here that i feel comfortable — compelled! — to rec it. love her in this so much!

❤️‍🔥 Walburga/Orion: Hate, lead the way! by @black-sparroww || 5k, E

firstly: some of the most amazing walburga art i’ve ever seen??? secondly: so much depth to the background relationships: kreacher and walburga, sirius and walburga, blood purity, gender roles... such a good story for such an complicated character.

❤️‍🔥 Tonks/Sirius: Throwing Rocks by @black-sparroww || 10k, E

Tonks has never been one to idly stand by and watch good people suffer in solitude. She pays Sirius an unexpected visit on her day off with the plan to make his time at Grimmauld Place a little easier.

trapped-in-grimmauld-place sirius is understandably broody, but this fic somehow manages to make it fun and so hot! tonks is an absolute delight, love their rapport, love me some german speaking blacks, and this extended smut scene is so good.

[narasimblr]

After Jin shared a video playing guitar on Simsta, Nam Liang - the school's heartthrob and no. 1 softboy himself - extended an invitation for a jam session. Curious, Jin accepted and found himself at Nam's apartment. Contrary to expectations, the place was surprisingly tidy and well-decorated. The walls of his room (no, Jin did not get all anxious when he invited him there) were covered with trippy posters, some graffiti doodles, instruments and groovy furniture. It all looked very Nam.

previous. / beginning. / next.

monday, 6pm @ Nam's apt.

After Jin plays a particularly angry chord, he sighs and looks lost in thought, an insistent crease between his eyebrows. Nam is eyeing him curiously, bass strings still vibrating on his fingers, the sound like a low hum.

“So I guess you’re not friends with the Michaelsons anymore?”

He winces at the memory but can’t blame Nam for asking, especially when Jinho looks ready to unleash his bottled-up anger on the poor guitar.

It’s evident, even after just a day, that something’s off with him and his school friends. At lunch, they’d always be inseparable – sometimes sneaking off to smoke, other times at the library, with Orion dozing on Jinho’s lap while he and Atlas chatted. But never apart.

This Monday, Atlas was MIA, Jinho buried in a book in the classroom, and Orion likely holding court at the team’s table. Gossip was undoubtedly brewing.

“Yeah. I think not. Things are messed up and I don’t feel like they’re gonna get any better soon.”

“Must’ve been some big serious shit. I remember you guys back in grade school,” Nam nods sympathetically, carefully putting his instrument aside and looking at him. Jin misses the nice view of Nam and his bass for a moment. Thankfully, he came closer, and Jin couldn’t complain much longer now that he could smell his nice cologne. “Wanna talk about it?”

He didn’t, really. But it was hard saying no to Nam. Jinho had always had a little thing for the boy, and it made everything else much worse. After Atlas and Orion, he didn’t understand anything about his feelings anymore. Was it even okay for him to still have a crush on Nam? And why wouldn’t it, if he didn’t even have time to feel something for Atlas - or maybe understand what he did feel?

“They… played with me. With my feelings.” Nam looks genuinely interested, head tilting and a compassionate expression on his face, which urged Jinho to elaborate. And so he complies, with another heavy sigh while sitting down. “They made a bet on who would kiss me first. Orion said it was because they both liked me, but I particularly wouldn’t treat ‘kissing someone I like’ like some kind of game. If… if I had feelings for someone, you know, I would like it to be… special. It’s pathetic, yeah, but if I wanted to just kiss someone randomly I would’ve done it before. But Atlas stole my first kiss, made me believe it was indeed something special, and in the end… it was just a bet,” he scoffs. “All of that in, like… three days. I’m so damn confused and pissed off.”

“I don’t blame ya’. That’s a very shitty thing to do to anyone, let alone a friend,” he shakes his head, and Jin feels validated by how incredulous his expression was. “That’s not how you deserve to be treated, Jin. You’re better off without them.”

“Maybe, but not sure I like being alone, though.”

“You won’t be. I’ll be with you, hm?” he smiles. “Atlas won’t even think of trying any shit with me around. He knows I don’t like him already. Is that okay?”

“Yeah…” he answers, embarrassed at how breathless it sounded. “Yeah, it is.”