#from the movie to the stage was delightful

[chloecherrysip]

breaking news: local woman goes to the movie theater and somehow DOESN'T see the mario movie again for the millionth time? who IS she??????

[royalsweetteaa]

Hi can you do a Steve Rogers x shy reader smut

Where she’s shy to make moans while Steve paces harder to make a moan🥰

Title: Music to my ears

Pairing: dom!Steve Rogers x shy!reader

18+ ONLY | MINORS DNI

WARNING - The following fic contains: explicit smut, smut with no plot, fluff, rough sex, dom!Steve Rogers, sub!reader, dom/sub dynamic, p in v sex, cumshot, praise kink, pet names.

It’s quiet as the only noise echoing in the bedroom is the queen sized bed squeaking.

Steve is on top of you, entering the stage of home base as he pushes the tip of his cock past your pussy lips and into your pulsing core. He already goes into a steady pace with your legs around his waist, pulling him in closer.

Your breathing becomes heavier, but that’s about the only sound he gets to enjoy from you while he in contrast audibly grunts. Light squeaks leave your lips at best, and while he absolutely adores those short little noises, he knows there’s more in you.

He knows you’re ashamed and you keep feeling the need to suppress those moans and cries as he makes you feel good with the way his cock hits your cervix with each thrust.

He has heard you scream from horror before as you have watched scary movies together, so he knows the high level of sound your lungs can create.

And oh, how he wishes to hear you scream from pleasure.

Steve doesn’t stop praising you as he continues to roll his hips against yours, his huge cock thrusting in and out of your tight hole, making you see stars by how much he fills you.

“Feels so good being inside of you, baby…” Steve groans as he closes his eyes for a moment, taking in the way your pussy sucks in his cock as he drags himself out before he fucks home again. “I’m going to move a little faster from now on, is that okay?”

You nod shyly as Steve plunges in deeper, and you quickly slap a hand around your mouth to keep quiet as the pool of arousal in your abdomen tests your limits. Already by then, you pick up the look of disapproval Steve pulls, and you frown.

“A-ah, no covering your mouth. I won’t allow it anymore...” Steve sets the new rule as he pins your hand to the side, making your eyes go wide as blood rushes through your cheeks.

“B-But…- mmmhaaah!” A sudden mewl is ripped out of you as Steve starts to pound into you faster, his heavy balls beginning to slap against your ass at the quicker pace.

You become overwhelmed, your mouth left hanging to let out cries for each thrust Steve performs. Embarrassment showers over you like cold water, but the heat from Steve’s breath tickling your neck and the constant friction is enough to distract you from it.

In final attempts you try to keep your mouth shut, but Steve surprises you yet again as he holds you by the chin and kisses you, slipping in his tongue to meet yours. It’s beyond erotic, and it prevents you from keeping any noises slip. When he pulls back, he gives you the warmest smile, stroking your cheek ever so lovingly before he speaks.

“I know you’re shy, hun…but I’m about to show you how much I want to hear you…how desperate I am to have you moan for me…if you won’t allow yourself to make noises, I’ll have to force them out myself.”

He thrusts harder, making sure you feel every inch of his thick shaft slide inside of your wet cunt. Your eyes roll back with your head as you let out the loudest moans you have ever made before. Steve holds you by the hips, pulling you back as he slams into you, causing his cock to enter you ever so deep. You cry out so loud you think everyone in the city must be hearing it, but Steve’s hums of delight reassures you there’s nothing to worry about.

“Mmmh, my love…I could never say enough about how wonderful you sound. Keep making those sounds, be as loud as you want. Let me know how amazing it feels to be stretched…how much you crave to be fucked…”

“O-Oh Steve…Aaaaah!~ Feels too good! I-I can’t - nngh!~ M’gonna cum!” Cries and moans escape your mouth uncontrollably now as Steve pounds away, making him grin with pride. There it is, he thinks.

“That’s my girl…cum for me, doll…sing for me…”

Your back arches against him as you reach your climax through a cry, making your cunt hug Steve’s cock tighter as a new flow of wetness surrounds inside. Steve grunts and snaps his hips into you once more before pulling out, cumming all over your stomach and making a hot mess.

He pants with his chest rising, and hovers over you one last time to kiss your lips tenderly before he lays down to rest next to you.

Steve sighs with content, “That was…”

“Embarrassing…” you barely mutter with your palms hiding your face.

Steve frowns, and let’s out a sudden chuckle as he playfully pinches your cheek, “It was no such thing, my love. Quit speaking nonsense. You were amazing…made me cum so hard and fast hearing your cute cries as you clung onto me desperately during your orgasm…you’re my precious doll…” he picks a towel by the nightstand and cleans his mess off your stomach before he drags you closer to him, giving your shoulder a peck.

“…I love every part and aspect of you. Don’t think otherwise...” He whispers, and it makes your stomach swirl with butterflies at his reassurance.

N/A: Thank you for some inspiration, anon! This became just a simple drabble but it helped getting my writing skills in use!

Hearts & Reblogs are very appreciated! Thank you! <3

[enderon]

One of the reasons I love Ian McKellen so much is because my earliest memories of seeing him in a movie (honestly, from even before I can remember) were the Lord of the Rings movies, and in those movies he does such a magnificent job of making Gandalf seem like a person I would genuinely want to have in my life, which in turn has always given me the lingering impression that Ian McKellen is the kind of person I would want in my life.

I know, I know, he might not actually be like that, but I like to think he is just as delightful as his presentation of Gandalf.

[luvyeni]

❛AFTER-PARTY❜ (h. jisung )

p. rockstar!jisung x fem!reader w. 1.5k

warnings? strangers to potential lovers , oral (m. receiving) , cumming on tits , unprotected sex , riding , handjob

— 𖦹 ( jisung had his eyes set on you ) !

jisungs eyes scanned the room , landing on you for like the 9th time , he'd been watching you ever since he spotted you in your crowd at his show , you had attended with your friend who was currently "dating" one of his members.

"hyunjin said that she is single , doesn't go out much." lee know sat next to her. "don't you like them like that?" han rolled his eyes. "why are you telling me this?" his eyes never leaving you. "because you've been staring at her for the past hour , just go talk to her." the older boy said. "before someone else does."

listening to his friend , he made his way over to you , you were sitting on the couch , drink in your , ready to go home. "hello." he said , you looked up from your drink , eyes widening. "oh hi." you waved. "han , right?" he loved the way you said his name. "that's my stage name , everyone else calls me jisung." you nodded. "well hi jisung."

he was cute , his long wavy hair framing his face nicely , you weren't that familiar with the band , only what your friend told you , but he was definitely working his way to being your favorite member. "can i sit down?" you nodded , moving over patting the seat next to you. "here." he sat down next to you , his leg pressed against yours. "thank you."

"so you know my name , what's yours?" he was cheeky , it made you smile. "(name)." you responded. "cute name , did you enjoy the show (name)?" you nodded. "yes i did you guys are super talented , i didn't know much about your group , but i'll make sure to look further into you guys."

"well i hope i'll be your favorite." he said. "i don't want to lose such a pretty fan to any of the other fan." your face heated up , but you still decided to play along. "i don't know seungmin is pretty cute too , his voice is amazing." he pouted. "im kidding." your laugh was like a new song stuck in his head. "we'll see." you said. "i'll take it."

the night went on , and you and jisung got closer , literally, the more you talk , the closer you got. you drank the rest of your drink , sitting the cup down. "ah , do you want me to get you another one?" you shook your head. "im almost certain my friend is going home with your band member , and i have to get in a cab alone , i'd rather not be drunk."

he didn't want you to go , he never took girls home , opting to be alone , taking care of himself — but he can't help it , you were beautiful , and you actually were interesting , you loved to stay home and watch movies , everything he liked.

and he couldn't even kid himself , your body was a dream , he prayed to meet a girl like you — your plus thighs , the tight miniskirt extenuating them , your boobs which he couldn't keep his eyes off since he saw you at the show were basically on display , being held by the shirt barely covered anything , your side boob protruding from the shirt — you were his dream girl.

"what if don't go home." he said. "what if you come with me?" you quirked your eyebrow up. "you trying to take me home jisung?" he smirked , the drink giving him a boost of confidence. "it's all up to you princess."

you didn't even bother telling your friend , she was safe with hyunjin , you and jisung making your exit. the cab ride to jisungs apartment was nothing but you sensational touching , and flirty comments in each others ear.

by time you make it to his elevator his arms are wrapping around your waist silently , you both get on the elevator and make it to his apartment , he opens the door , letting you walk in , and take a look. "you have a nice apartment." you took your heels off , sighing in delight when your feet hit the ground. "thank you." he closed the door , following behind you. "i don't normally bring girls home."

"why?" you questioned. "you're a handsome man , you mean to tell me girls aren't throwing themselves at you?" he laughed. "of course they are." it was your turn to laugh. "but i'd rather not stress about it knowing i'd probably never see again." you turned around , facing him confused. "but you invited me here?"

"yeah i did." he smirked. "you plan on seeing me again." he hummed. "depending on how this night goes , i plan on seeing you many times." his confidence was definitely a turn on for you , you chuckled , rubbing your neck where the string dug into your skin in pain. "stupid shirt."

he wrapped his arms around your waist. "does it hurt?" he toyed with the string. "s-so much." you breathed , his lips came up to your cheek right to your ear whispering , pulling at the string. "then take it off." he grabbed your jaw , pulling you into a passionate kiss.

your lips moved perfectly in sync , he took the grabber the other string , pulling at it , stepping back , letting your shirt fall to the floor , your boobs falling their natural state. "fu-fuck." he groaned , cock twitching in his jeans. "so fucking pretty."

you grabbed his hand , guiding him to his couch , pushing him down on the couch , spreading his legs , slotting your body into between them. "you look so pretty in between my legs like that." he caressed your face. "gonna suck my cock like a good girl?" you nodded , batting your eyelashes. "then take it out princess."

you got straight to work , undoing his jeans , pulling them down to his ankles , kissing his clothed cock. "sh-shit , no teasing baby , take it out." his demanding voice made you clench your thighs.

you pulled his cock out , his tip bright red. "you're so big." you kissed his tip , precum sticking to your lips. "yeah? but you can it , i know you can." you stroked his cock , bringing your lips to his mushroom head sucking on it. "oh fuck , there you go." he sighed. "suck my cock like a good girl."

you took him all the way in your , pulling out a long whine from his pouty lips. "your mouth feels so good." he grabbed the back of your head , guiding you up and down his shaft. "fu-fuck im gonna cum , wanna cum on your tits." he groaned. "fuck please let me cum on your tits."

you pulled off his cock , spit trailing behind as you took him back into your hand , stroking him. "wanna cover my tits in your cum." you looked so hot , lips swollen and red. "cum for me sungie." the way you called him that in that tone , sent him into overdrive , he groaned , cumming all over your tits , some getting on your chin , you gasp. "you came so much."

he had a lazy smirk on his face as he caught his breath , watching his cum drip from your chin to your tits , his cock hardening against , twitching against his stomach. "fuck get up here." he helped you off the floor , stripping you of your skirt and underwear. "want you to ride my cock."

he grabbed the base of his cock , letting you climb into his lap , his tip pressed against your hole. "wanna see your tits bounce while you're bouncing on my cock." you both moaned out as you sunk down on his cock. "fuck you're pussy is tight." you sat all the way down on him , he slapped your ass , grabbing the flesh. "come on , bounce on my cock."

he threw his head back against the couch , groaning as you moved up and down , his cock stretching you out. "god damn , you're so fucking good at this." he said. "fucking yourself on my cock like that."

"fu-fuck jisung." you moaned , your hands on his shoulders as you moved up and down. "you feel so good." he slapped your ass , making you jump forward. "faster bun , fuck yourself faster." you moved faster , moaning even louder. "sh-shit princess , gonna cum." he panted. "me too."

he reached in between your bodies rubbing your clit. "fuck jisung m'gonna cum!" you scream. "fuck im cumming!" you cursed , cumming around his cock. "sh-shit baby you gotta get off." he felt his orgasm approaching. "fuck." he sighed , as you climbed off his cock , sitting in his lap , stroking his cock until he came into your hand. "shit."

you brought your fingers to your mouth , licking the cum off. "fuck baby you're nasty." he grabbed your jaw , smashing his lips against yours.

you both sat there for a few minutes before getting up to shower together , spending another hour in there because jisung initiated round two , before you actually got clean.

"our tour ended yesterday , so i'll be home for a while." he spoke up , a anime playing on the tv. "huh?" you said. "i want to see you again." he said. "we don't have to go out or anything , we can have a home date or something." you nodded , kissing his cheek.

"sure , lets do it."

©️LUVYENI

[bellshazes]

dreaming up a syllabus for an imaginary course on metanarratives about gameplay, which i think would go something like:

unit 1: who do you think you are i am - auto-documentary & games

Vlogs and the Hyperreal, Folding Ideas

The Slow Death of Let's Play Videos, Meraki (to ~10:00)

World Record Progression: Mike Tyson, Summoning Salt

ROBLOX_OOF.mp3, hbomberguy

Life as a Bokoblin: A Zelda Nature Documentary, Monster Maze

optional: Braindump on the History of Let's Plays, slowbeef

unit 2: what like it's hard? - intro to challenge narratives

Chapter 26: Games as Narrative Play: Two Structures for Narrative Play, Rules of Play

A different kind of challenge run: Minimalist 100% (BOTW), Wolf Link

Surviving 100 Days on Just Dirt, Mogswamp

Can You Beat DARK SOULS III with Only Firebombs, the Backlogs

Is it Possible to Beat Super Mario 3D World while permanently crouching?, Ceave Gaming

The Pacifist Challenge - Beating Hollow Knight Without Collecting Soul [CHALLENGE] - Sample

optional: How to 100% Snowpeak Ruins in under 15 minutes, bewildebeest

unit 3: nelly you don't understand, i AM the narrative - form and function

The Future of Writing about Games, Jacob Geller

Can You Beat GRIME Without Weapons?, the Backlogs

Mushroom Kingdom Championships, Ceave Gaming

My Life as a Barber in Hitman 2, MinMax (Leo Vader)

MyHouse.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod, PowerPak

optional: Mega Microvideos, Matthewmatosis

the theme and structure is mostly intended to introduce at least one critical or historically contextual work followed by examples of the type of narrative in question.

in unit 1, this is the idea of "How do people talk about their own experiences in the context of YouTube and playing video games?" across three rather different kinds of documentaries. unit 2 is intended to take that lens of who is telling what tale and dial in on challenge running, where i first noticed the way some videos turn the story of overcoming a challenge into its own narrative that is distinct from but related to the narrative events of the game itself. unit 3 circles back to the bigger picture with a variety of examples that, to me, are maximally metanarrative, the emergent story of the player-narrator now functionally replacing the game's embedded narrative.

bonus unit: broken narratives

Glitch & the Grotesque at the MLA, Sylvia Korman

Watching time loop movies to escape my time loop, Leo Vader

The Stanley Parable, Dark Souls, and Intended Play, Folding Ideas

Breaking Madden, Jon Bois

The TRUTH about the Pizzaplex in FNAF: Security Breach, AstralSpiff

this one is highly underdeveloped, but i'd love to work out something more robust building on randomizer challenges that produce intentionally bizarre, semi-ironic "lore," and bois-esque endeavors to break games so hard the story itself crumbles. but that's really out of scope so i'm just including the links to things i couldn't bear to get rid of. more rambling abt the challenge runs I chose under the cut.

Challenge runs represent one of the most obvious places to start, due to being extremely plentiful and having a hook that makes a "here's how I did X thing in Y video game" format almost unavoidable. Minimalist 100% is an underrated and sweet straightforward example that I mostly include as a baseline for reporting-out style narrative; here are the facts, here's what happened, this is the thing that it is. Mogswamp's 100 Days on Just Dirt is similar in style, but the physical measuring of days is a delightful and, more importantly, external narrative device.

Now oriented, we get a taste of Ceave Gaming's narrative approach to Mario challenges with the no-crouching run, and while we still aren't at the degree of player-characters being constructed for the narrative's sake, the spirited belief in crouching sets the stage for other rhetoric in more extreme cases we'll see later.

The Backlogs' entire body of work qualifies here, but GRIME is the strongest inspiration for putting this list together. I include the DS3 firebombs run because what was initially a factual description of how his wife's use of firebombs inspired him to play differently in the original DS1 firebombs run has developed into full-blown multi-game narrative arc with the Firebomb Goddess (his wife, who also voices the character) compelling his in-game character to achieve his destined quest. Grime takes that even further,

In-Game Documentaries

I include Life as a Bokoblin mostly as a contrast to My Life as a Barber - there is a level of fictionalization and roleplay involved in the Zelda in-game documentary that highlights exactly what I want to single out when I am talking about metanarrative, the story about a story.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Katharine Hepburn (Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen)—This woman. I have been obsessed with her for years. I know the urban legend is a popular one at this point of her walking around set in her underwear when her pants were stolen and she was left with only a skirt, but the pants thing is honestly enough for her to be the hottest in the room in my book. She refused to wear anything else at a time when the public in general and especially the studios did not like that. She was independent, stubborn, and so so very capable. Competency kink anyone? Also, if you want one final way that Katharine's entire life was saying "fuck you" to the establishment, it started young! Her mother took her to suffrage events, and she never got rid of that attitude of justice. I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of all the ways she was such a badass that I'm turning into a rambling mess instead.

Jessie Matthews (Evergreen, First a Girl, It's Love Again, Gangway)—known as “the dancing divinity”, jessie matthews was a british musical star of stage and screen in the 20s and 30s - if you're an enjoyer of lavish art deco musicals of the likes of fred and ginger, busby berkeley etc, definitely give her movies a try they are delightful! (tantalizingly there were multiple attempts made to pair her and fred together that never came to fruition - gaumont-british tried to get fred for evergreen and mgm wanted jessie for a damsel in distress.) and for the women in tuxedos enjoyers, her 1935 movie first a girl was the first english language remake of viktor und viktoria, famously later remade with julie andrews.

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Katharine Hepburn propaganda:

I'm sure one million people will submit her as an iconic Hollywood star but that iconicness might lead people to forget just how insanely hot she was like she had it ALL she was skilled she was funny she was smart she was beautiful AND she was likely bisexual

The single word I would use to explain Katherine Hepburn's appeal is *range*. In her acting career, that meant covering all the ground between lush period dramas and the comedies she did with Carey Grant and Spencer Tracey. In terms of hotness, it meant an uncanny ability to bring anything from a Dietrich-esque androgyny to some of the best Classic Hollywood Glamour you will ever see.

Katharine hep was so cool. The VIBES, the INDEPENDENCE,,, living life on her own terms.

she just had this.... bearing to her, this power. she could be funny, even silly (like in bringing up baby) but also so regal and elegant. she was nobody's fool and dear GOD that's so hot

Fancam link

She’s not only stunningly gorgeous (those eyes that pierce your soul! a jawline you could cut glass with!) but her delivery and physical presence in roles gives off confidence and authority in such a sexy way (truly the biggest dick energy of Old Hollywood). Her fiery energy in The Philadelphia Story? Unmatched.

God she's. She's so hot y'all. She has the range!!!!! Funny and dramatic and lovely

She IS the transatlantic accent. Classically gorgeous and such a strong personality.

She's literally one of the funniest women to ever live! She goes shot for shot with Cary Grant in Philadelphia Story and we damn well love her for it! She's the most annoying creature to ever live in Bringing Up Baby but she's so insane and funny that we simply cannot help but fall in love with her (and root for her to give Grant an aneurysm!)

i know she's accounted for but i really want to be sure someone has submitted the scene in bringing up baby where she's pretending to be a gangster

She simply stuns onscreen; you cannot do anything but be captivated by her presence. Also a non-gender-conforming icon and mild tumblr celebrity by virtue of that one picture from The Warrior's Husband (stage play).

Katharine Hepburn was out here casually changing the lives of young butch lesbians with her gender swag! She wore pants even when people said she shouldn’t, she refused to marry or have kids, and she wore menswear in at LEAST one movie!

If I start thinking about her face for too long I will cry she is so so hot. Katherine is so charismatic and charming in everything she appears in - watch her adopt a leopard and fall in love with her. Also she has the biggest dick energy ever (she and her pal Lauren Bacall share that accolade). Also had an incredibly long and varied career from screw ball comedies to serious dramas - she’s a queen of the screen and I adore her.

Someone's got to mention it, but she's won the most Oscars out of any performer and is largely considered one of the greatest actresses ever. She's got an incredible voice, an incredible presence, and she absolutely steals every scene she's in. She was private person and deemed standoffish and unapproachable, but she was also profoundly concerned for people's rights and was an outspoken supporter of abortion access. Finally, the Katharine Hepburn slacks look is just iconic. I mean look at her.

(I hope someone else submits real propaganda but just in case they don't:) Cries. Screams. Wails. The woman who singlehandedly made me realize I was bi. A real "do i want to look like her. be her. or be with her.' crisis, where the answer was all three. Holy shit please all three.

Jessie Matthews:

Star of British 1930s stage and screen, she introduced classic songs by Noel Coward and Rogers and Hart to English audiences, and then played perky heroines, but today it’s her genderswapping role in First A Girl that probably gets most attention.

[lovelytsunoda]

mr. ghostface // lance stroll

summary: a trip to spirit halloween with her husband plants an idea in lance's head that he can't quite shake. knowing how stressed his beloved has been lately, he just wants them to have a little bit of spooky and festive fun.

pairing: lance stroll x wife! reader

warnings: straight up p*rn guys, idk what to tell you. there’s some light roleplay, but it’s done in a very playful and loving way so it’s not too intense, a few brief mentions of anxiety, two people that are truly madly and deeply in love with each other. i am going to hell for this.

authors note: i really like this one because it gave me a chance to play around with two people exploring the kinkier side of their relationship in a fun, lighthearted and carefree way, a way that works for them so they can experience the best of both worlds sexually. i had a lot of fun with this one, and now all I need is a lance in my life :)

there were few stores that y/n stroll loved more than spirit halloween. even now; as a married adult woman, there were few things she thought she could enjoy more on a fall afternoon than walking through the halloween store with her husband, a mcdonalds milkshake in one hand and her beloveds hand in the other.

lance was having the time of his life, delighting in scaring the bejesus out of his wife using the pedals that activated the animatronics. she would always jump, and clutch his arm for dear life, even if she partially knew what was coming.

wife. husband. neither of them would ever tire of calling the other, even after one year of marriage. lance was always saying things like “I’d like you to meet my wife”, or “have you met my wife yet” whenever he met someone new or reconnected with an old friend in the paddock.

their relationship seemed to have never left the honeymoon stage, bursting at the seams with love.

“babe, babe!” lance gushed, fumbling to get a hanger off the display wall. he held up the red costume corset, dangling limply off a plastic hanger. with his other hand, he grabbed the sequinned devil ears hanging above it. “you would look so fucking hot in these.”

she blushed, choking on her milkshake. “lance! outside the house? no fucking way, I’m not that bold.”

“you don’t have to wear it outside. in fact, i was hoping you’d wear it somewhere else. somewhere a little more…intimate.” lance hummed, his hands now resting on her waist, the corset back on the display wall as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“baby, i don’t even think that would fit me. that’s way too small for my ribcage, much less my boobs.” she laughed, slipping her free hand into lances back pocket and resting her head against his bicep.

lance chuckled, kissing her hairline again before reaching to the wall and grabbing a plastic mask. “oh, what about this?” he laughed, slipping the scream mask over his head and turning to his wife.

“whats your favourite scary movie?” he rasped, before breaking out into laughter. “come on, babe! we could be ghostface and casey!”

she laughed, trailing her finger up lances chest before yanking the mask off his head. he pouted playfully, and she laughed before she kissed him gently.

“absolutley not:”

“oh, I’m getting the mask.” lance insisted, taking the plastic from her.

she shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. she didn’t really care if lance bought the mask or not, she just wanted their couple costume to be a little classier than a fictional serial killer and his first victim.

“it’s your money.”

_______________

she sat at the living room desk two afternoons later, finding her attention span increasingly reaching it's breaking point as her bleary eyes wandered away from her laptop screen and towards the picture window, watching the changing leaves on the trees outside. everywhere around her, fall was settling in on the quebec countryside.

"babe!" lance's voice carried from their bedroom. "are you busy? i wanna show you something!"

technically, she was busy. she had a big project due at work, but she was practically begging the universe for a distraction at this point. closing her laptop, she pushed herself back from the table and started walking through the ranch house. the tile floor was cold against her bare feet as she passed through the kitchen, poking her head down the hallway in hopes of finding her husband.

"lance?"

she heard a closet door opening behind her, and when she turned around, she jumped, shriek piercing the air.

"you and that goddamn mask."

lance laughed, face hidden behind the white plastic ghostface mask. "sorry, babe. couldn't resist."

after her initial shock faded away, she realized that aside from the black silk pajama pants on his lower half, the mask was all that her husband was wearing.

"please don't kill me, mr. ghostface." she pouted, wrapping one slender leg around her lover's, running a hand up his bare chest, feeling every muscle and ridge. "i wanna be in the sequel." she wanted to kiss him, but with the mask, that would be hard, so she settled for gently kissing his collar bone. "what's all this for?"

lance raised an arm, pushing the mask off his face. “you’ve been really stressed lately. the other day, i watched you worry about the health implications of having onion rings with your sandwich because you were worried you haven’t been eating well this month.”

and that was true: she had been more anxious than usual, and her intrusive thoughts had been much more pervasive. she’d been trying to get back into a routine, following stretching videos on YouTube and going for walks, trying new recipes. but she was still having trouble falling asleep, keeping focussed. hell, she was even having trouble keeping the routine.

not getting lost inside her own head.

she kissed him gently, resting her body weight against him. lance still made her feel like a teenager in love, her teenage dream. even after a year of marriage there was still so much to look forward to.

like, apparently, nineties slasher roleplay in bed.

"i love you." she hummed, nuzzling into his neck.

"love you more, pretty girl." lance smiled, kissing her forehead. "take fifteen minutes and go make yourself feel sexy, i'm going to get some things out of the freezer for dinner. i'll make that pasta you like?"

“sounds like a plan.”

she tiptoed into the master bedroom, closing the door behind her before stripping out of her leggings and the baggy shirt she had been wearing, trading her cotton panties and wire bra for a short corset top and silk pajama shorts in a deep royal blue. the little silver “l” pendant that she wore around her neck fell gracefully against her skin, hair falling around her shoulders.

she could hear clattering coming from the kitchen. it was lance fumbling around to get the ground beef out of the freezer and into a bowl of cold water to defrost.

she popped open the bath and body works spray on the dresser, mist dusting her skin with body glitter. her spine tingled in anticipation of what was to come, goosebumps rising on her skin as she settled on the end of the bed, one leg crossed over the other so her shorts rode up, showing off more thigh than was necessary.

lance was a sucker for thighs. specifically hers.

the door creaked open, and lance crept into the room, the mask over his face once again. he paused before the end of the bed, and she was momentarily pissed off that she couldn't see the way he was looking at her. but she knew what that look in his eye would be: pure love and adoration.

"you look stunning." he whispered, his fingers ghosting over her skin as he brushed his hand up her leg, to her thigh. "hey, don't take this super seriously, okay? we're just having a bit of fun."

"i know." she took his hand in hers, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. "just be gentle with me."

"always."

she dropped his hand, and he brought it to her face, gently caressing her cheek as she looked down at her through the mask.

“what’s your favourite scary movie?”

“hmm, the one where I make it to the end?” she quipped, smiling up at her husband.

“oh, i think I can work with that.” he hummed, running his thumb down the side of her face, down the side of her neck, over her shoulder.

she giggled, flinching under his touch when he brushed against her neck. she had always been ticklish there.

“how are you going to make it worth my while to let you make it to a sequel?”

she uncrossed her legs, spreading them wide and leaning back on her palms. the fabric of her silken shorts had moved just so that lance could see that she wasn’t wearing any panties, a slight dark spot beginning to form on the fabric.

she could hear lance exhale, his breath reverberating against the mask. “you spread your legs pretty fast, darlin’. is this what you want? to let mr. ghostface have his way with you?”

his tone was lighthearted, his voice curling up into gentle laughter at the end of the sentence. it kept the carefree nature of their usual sex life embedded in the scene, despite its adventurous nature, which she would forever be thankful for. she could see the outline of his rapidly hardening cock through his silken pants.

“oh, yes, mr. ghostface.” she purred playfully, playing right into lance’s hands as she palmed one of her tits through the cups of the corset top. “please.”

he grabbed her leg, hiking it up and over his shoulder, dragging her to the edge of the bed and spreading her open for him. she gasped, falling back onto her forearms and pressing her chest up.

“jesus christ.” lance exhaled, his fingers brushing over her sopping entrance. “you’re dripping for me, sweetheart. is this turning you on? you want me to ravish you?”

“yes, mister, please.” she whined, pressing up against the pads of his fingertips. “touch me.”

lance slipped two fingers inside her with very little warning, barely giving her time to adjust before he started flexing his digits rapidly. she moaned under his touch, falling back against the bed.

“uh uh, darling. eyes on me. i want you to see who’s making you feel this good.”

his fingers brushed against her sensitive walls, and she bucked her hips against his hands before struggling up to her shaky arms, moaning even deeper at the sight in front of her: leg up on her husbands shoulder, the mask on his face, the way the muscles in his arms flexed as he finger-fucked her.

“that’s it, my good girl. my good, beautiful girl. so good for me.” lance hummed, his thumb coming down to circle her clit. “there better not be a single anxious thought in that head of yours.”

and for the first time that day, there wasn’t. she had crumbled under lances touch, her head empty the second he had kissed her in that hallway. she loved it.

loved him.

“oh god, lance,” she breathed, allowing herself to slip out of character as she reached for his wrist. “i think I’m gonna cum!”

the hand that previously kept a bruising grip on her leg dropped to reassuringly rub circles on her thigh. “I’ve got you, love. just close your eyes and ride out. cum on my fingers, you know you want to.”

she closed her eyes, arching her back as she felt her pussy contract, sucking lances fingers in and refusing to let go as she fell apart around him, whining his name as he scissored his fingers, dropping her leg and trying to guide her through her climax.

he withdrew his fingers, now covered in her release, making sure that his wife was watching before he lifted the mask just enough for her to watch him slip his fingers into his mouth, sucking up every last drop.

she whined at the sight, and would have clenched her thighs together if not for lances leg holding them open. instead, she found herself grinding against his thigh as he lovingly cradled her wrist against the mattress, leaning down to drop a kiss on her forehead.

“you’re so good, pretty girl. so perfect for me in every way. i hope you know that.”

“I know.” she giggled, pressing against him again. “thank you for doing this:”

lances nimble fingers slipped underneath the lacy cups of her top, taking her nipples in between his fingers. she writhed under him, exhaling his name.

“you don’t have to thank me, pretty girl. you just need to scream my name.”

“that can be arranged.” she was certain that her shorts were soaked; they would need some extra stain removal methods when she did the laundry.

lance could feel it too; a dark spot forming on his pants where she rubbed against him. he was starting to sweat under the mask, his hair matted to his face and his breathing heavy.

he slipped a finger underneath her bra strap, teasingly dragging it down her shoulder. she shivered under the sensations, knowing full well how she must look.

lust-drunk, face flushed and covered in a sheen of sweat, pupils dilated.

and he hadn’t even fucked her yet.

normally she’d be above begging. but not tonight. not while he was looming over her and fulfilling a fantasy she didn’t even realize that she had.

"please, please, i need your cock." she whined. "i need to be fucked, mr. ghostface. please."

under the mask, lance smirked. he wished he could kiss her, feel her whine into his mouth. “baby, baby, you never need to beg for me. because that means I’m not treating you right.”

“then put your cock in me!” she whined, nudging him with her leg.

chuckling to himself, lance pulled her shorts down her legs, dropping them to the carpet before he got up and slowly shed his own. his wife watched from the bed, butting her lip so hard he thought she might draw blood as she watched his rock-hard cock slap against his abs.

she couldn’t help it, one hand gently palming her clit as she watched lance stalk towards the bed, his breathing loud from inside the mask. despite the lack of control there appeared to be, she knew that she was 100% in control of what was about to happen.

lance gently pushed her hand away from her swollen clit, crossing her wrists over each other and holding them down with one hand. her breath hitched as he ran his cock up and down her folds, her hips bucking, trying to take what little he was giving her.

“are you ready for my cock, princess? are you ready to fucking scream my name?”

“yes, lance, please stop teasing me.”

he slid home in one swift movement, switching his grip on her wrists so that he had one wrist in each hand as he roughly drove into her.

her eyes practically rolled back in her skull as she moaned, her tight center squeezing his cock.

“oh, fuck.” she breathed, closing her eyes with an exhale. “fuck, you feel so good inside me. so deep.”

“you’re doing such a good job, pretty girl. you’re taking me like such a good girl.” lance praised, thrusting harder before loosening his grip on her wrists. “take off the mask, baby. I know you want to. let me kiss you.”

she reached up with one hand, eyes bleary from the pleasure she was feeling as she grabbed on to the black hood of the mask, gently tugging until the mask fell away.

“oh no, now I know your face.” she joked, playing along with the scene. “whatever will I do now? please don’t kill me mr. ghostface.”

lance laughed, leaning down to kiss her. he but down gently on her lip, sucking her bottom lip in between his own. “well, we have two options. I can make you my partner in crime.” he paused, reaching down to pinch her swollen clit. she jumped, squealing in pleasure. his hand still pinned one of her wrists to the bed, the other hand leaving red marks on his shoulder as he continued to pound into her. “or I could make you cum so hard that you forget my face and decide not to turn me in.”

she giggled, pretending to think it over. “I think I’ll take the orgasm.”

“good choice.”

she wrapped her legs around him, pulling his dick even deeper inside of her. he let go of her wrist, bracing himself on the bed while she dug her nails hard into his back, leaving scratches behind. he dropped his lips to her neck, pressing open mouthed kisses to her ticklish skin. she giggled, squirming underneath him.

lance loved it when she laughed during sex. to him, there was nothing sexier than seeing his wife let go. no anxiety, no self-consciousness. it made him feel close to her.

“my beautiful wife.” he grunted, rutting into her hard enough to push her body up the bed. she whined his name, arching her back to press her nipples against his chest.

the skin to skin was what she loved the most. that feeling of being as close as you possibly can to another person.

“oh, baby, right there.” it came out broken and raspy, and she found herself trying to hide her face in her husbands neck. “fuck, that feels so good.”

her walls fluttered, and lances thrusts faltered as he struggled to hold himself up. “are you close, baby? it’s okay, I’ve got you. you can let go.”

she clung on to him for dear life, skin flushed and juices dripping down her thighs. she couldn’t form words, nothing but incoherent whining coming out of her throat. she felt so full, so loved, the coil in her stomach threatening to snap as lance presses his lips to hers, sucking on her bottom lip and bringing one hand down to rub circles on her clit.

“lance, I’m cumming!” she cried, her nails digging into his back as she wrapped her body around him, shutting her eyes tightly as she pressed her face into his shoulder.

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you. you did so well, princess. you looked so pretty with my cock inside you.” he said softly, kissing her forehead as he guided her through it, feeling himself start to reach his own limits. “where do you want me to finish, pretty girl?”

she barely had the energy to respond, still trying to get her breath back as her legs shook from overstimulation, tears pressing at the corners of her eyes. “inside me, please, god, I need it.”

“fucking hell.” lance grunted, thrusting faster, his balls slapping against her sensitive skin as he went. “god I love you.”

he moaned as he dropped his head, nuzzling into her neck as he came with a howl, his cock jerking as it painted her walls white with his release. he stilled, peppering her face in kisses.

“I love you, baby. I don’t like seeing you stressed.”

she hummed, tangling her fingers in his hair and looking up at her husband. “I love you, too. thank you for saving me from myself.”

lance pulled out gently, his wife whimpering at the newfound feeling of emptiness. she clenched her thighs together, watching as her lover got up from the bed, pulling his silk pants back on.

“oh, babe, put in different pants.” she laughed, playfully throwing the ghostface mask in his direction. “those ones are probably gross as shit right now.”

“they’re not as bad as yours.” he shrugged, fishing a clean cotton t-shirt out of their shared dresser. there was something so casually intimate about sharing a dresser. “come on, let’s get you out of that corset.”

she sat up, pulling the comforter over her bottom half as she lazily leaned back into lances touch. his fingers glided down her back, unhooking the corset clasps and kissing over the red marks where the hooks had dug into her back. she raised her arms and he slipped the shirt over her head, watching the fabric billow gently over her features.

lance settled in next to her, and she rested her head against his chest, gently tracing his tattoo with her fingertip.

fortune favours the bold.

“you work too hard. it’s not healthy.” he hummed.

she sighed, leaning into his touch as he ran his fingers through her hair. “I know. once this project has been handled, the big boss is giving us some time off.”

“that’s good. maybe we can go somewhere. it doesn’t have to be anything big, maybe maine or calgary?”

“yeah, that sounds nice.” she rolled over, supporting her weight on her forearm. “thanks for this, by the way. and for keeping it fun.”

“of course. any time you want me to do all of the thinking for you, just let me know. that’s what husbands are for.” lance slowly started to sit up, easing her back down to the bed to remind her that she needed rest. “I’m gonna go start dinner. go to the bathroom, have a glass of water, and remember to rest, okay? I’ll wake you when it’s ready.”

she smiled, rubbing his arm gently as she looked up at her husband “or I could come to the kitchen and watch. you know I think it’s so hot when you cook, especially when you do it shirtless.”

“oh yeah? maybe I should get a chefs outfit for the next time we spice it up a little.”

“in your goddamn dreams.”

TAGS

@magnummagnussen @thatsdemko @oconso @libraryofloveletters @diorleclerc @lorarri @cartierre @sidcrosbyspuck @scuderiamh @silversainz @silverstonesainz

[vulgar-mary-p-ppins]

A glorious and stunning movie, well worth going to see. Miyazaki has not shied away from talking about the war before: The Wind Rises, albeit at it’s core a love story is still about the problem of creating the kamikaze planes and how life continues even in war time. As Miyazaki’s work has matured and his son has taken over more and more of the production, I find that his stories have become darker and his story-lines more complex. As such, I am delighted to see him make something so unsettling and mature as a (extremely loose) Dante’s Inferno. This is a far, far, FAR cry from something like Kiki and Totoro.

The details in which the shadow of the ongoing Pacific War color this film lend to Miyazaki’s style of talking about calamity in the softest way possible. Barring the opening sequence in which the main character witnesses the firebombing in Tokyo, there is no other “war violence”. However, at one point, his father stores something his factory is making in their house: the cockpits of the kamikaze planes. A character in the other world mentions off hand “soon, your world will be enveloped in fire”, which is clearly in reference to the bomb. Background details show wartime propaganda posters, nationalistic symbols, and children and adults performing the volunteer work usual for late stage war time. Much like Nausicaä, these are all details of the setting and are almost never overtly mentioned or pointed out.

This is a story about grief, just as Dante’s Inferno is, but also about the processing of war time trauma by a country besieged. Mihito, the main character, means “sincere one” and, when looking at this piece through the understanding that many Japanese perceive themselves as victims of World War II, he is a symbol of the victim mind-set of Japanese war time. He takes things as they come, never having a strong reaction either way. He isn’t bitter or angry, neither is he sad or grieving. He is numb. He goes through the motions of politeness, the motions of nationalistic fervor, the motions of life; but he is numb. It is only when the promise of retrieving his mother from death comes to him that he begins to break through his numbness, but it is the retrieval of his aunt that makes him a little boy again — a symbol of processing the loss of his old way of life, pre-war Japan, by embracing the new, post-war Japan.

I need to do more research into the symbolism of particular birds, because the usage feels too specific for me, but frankly, I haven’t yet. I loved the movie. I can’t wait to watch it again. Its a movie about sitting with your emotions, however, so, much like Miyazaki’s other more mature works, it is almost painfully slow. But that is what makes him a master storyteller; as an artist he reminds us to sit down and wait. The world is too fast now, and he has stated in interviews that his works is supposed to instill nostalgia for a time when we were younger and the world wasn’t so fast nor demanding. He wants us to sit: with the whimsical, with the painful, with the romantic, and in this case with the unsettling. And he does it again.

[totalswag]

could you do headcannons of drew starkey x singer!reader? where his schedule is free for some months so he goes on tour with her, and she has a nessa barrett/young forever vibe. 🩷🩷

support buddy — DREW STARKEY

authors note this was such a great idea because i’m currently in the works of making a singer!reader x drew starkey 🤭. i hope you really like this lovie :) i’ve listen to a few of nessa’s music and i have a couple songs that are some of my favorites of hers!!!

summary drew joining you on tour while he has time off from filming.

taglist! if you would like to be added to my taglist leave a comment or let me know by sending me in my ask.

warnings drew being a supportive boyfriend.

➪ Drew has been filming his new movie in Europe while you are on tour, performing at sold-out shows. You both miss each other a lot.

➪ Drew had informed you that he would be taking a few months break from filming and that he would love to join you on tour during this period. That made you very delighted, and you had originally meant to ask him.

➪ The entire time he's been with you has been memorable. Every second and moment is forever captured. Will never forget this.

➪ "You are gonna do amazing baby, promise," Drew tells you between kisses in the dressing room before you had to walk onto stage.

➪ The sound of screaming fans could be heard from the audience as you walked closer to stage, hand in hand with Drew.

➪ Half an hour into the show, everyone is having an amazing time. You’ve played songs from your newest album that has a different feel and vibe to it compared to your first album.

➪ When you were in the middle of talking to the fans when a large crowd starts screaming on the side where Drew and his cast of Outer Banks stood at the private area on the second floor.

➪ You smiled into the microphone, making fans pay attention at you, "My lovely boyfriend decided to join me on tour for a month while he has time off from filming, and it's been amazing," fans all awed.

➪ Drew waved to the excited fans below him with a kind smile.

➪ The rest of the show consisted of songs from your album as well as older songs that you had previously performed. You often glanced at Drew, blowing him a kiss or simply smiling at his beautiful face.

➪ You played two songs from your album that you wrote about Drew that mean a lot to you. You wrote this when you were going through a tough time in your life and he was the one that was there for you.

➪ Cried throughout various portions of the song, along with fans who had their phones out, capturing the times when you looked up at Drew and never took your focus away from him. The moment was lovely.

➪ After the show, you rushed into Drew's arms. He whispered nice things into your ear just for you to hear. He wanted to take you somewhere special—just the two of you.

➪ "Where are we going?" you innocently inquire. "Somewhere that will keep your mind relaxed and listen to the sounds of water hitting shore," Drew answers between laughter.

➪ The rest of the month with Drew continued to be the best times filled with a lot of emotions and happy moments.

my taglist!

✰ if you would like to be added to my taglist and be notified whenever i post please let me know in the comments or in my ask box. if there's a line across your name that means i couldn't find your account.

@runningfrom2am @winterrrnight @chenslucy @brooklynscherry-z @johannelis2302nely @rosezza @solanathascientst

[omegalomania]

i think what i admire most about this record after sitting with it for a full day is the marriage of its musicality and its lyricism.

lyrically..."nihilistic" is a really good way of putting it. i was honestly kind of floored by how goddamn bleak so much of the lyricism on this record is. there's so much desolation, so much hopelessness, so much struggling to find meaning in meaninglessness. lyrically, i think this might be some of pete's darkest but also some of his best work. there's so much grappling with the feeling that maybe it's all pointless. maybe none of it fucking gets better. maybe you're always going to be fighting to figure out some kind of sense and feeling displaced and the further you look toward the horizon, the more the inevitability of the end scares the living shit out of you.

so much (for) stardust is utterly desolate lyrically. even little granules of hope feel tongue-in-cheek or in denial. so...what? does anything ever get better? are we all just flailing around, trying to make our stupid lives make sense? but at the same time, fall out boy are the happiest they've ever been as a band. they waited five years so they could savor making this record and they were genuinely excited to share it with all of us. pete is wearing skirts and letting his hair down and they're playing songs that once got them booed off stage with fearless love in their eyes and they're looking after each others' mental health and supporting one another through it all. what does it mean for a band to release something this somber at this point in time for them?

the "reality bites" pink seashell speech sums it all up kind of perfectly. so maybe life is inherently meaningless, but at the same time...there's good food. there's beautiful weather. there are still good movies, and the sound of rain on the windows, and hope, and friendship, and joy. maybe there's no point. but that doesn't change that there's still laughter. there's still love.

and that's what's in the sound of this record. the big, cinematic swell of an orchestra. the upbeat chirps of a synth. the screeching of a guitar and some bouncy, catchy goddamn riffs that'll live under your skin for days. this is a record you dance to and cry to. (cry a little, cry a lot, but don't stop dancing, don't dare stop.) sonically, this is a record laden with grit and delight and a powerful sense of purpose, from catchy pop hooks to roaring, cinematic anthems. it sits in delicious contrast to the words but it doesn't undermine them. it complements them. happy music for sad people.

of course there's pain, and there's frustration, and the world is full of tragedy and hopelessness and maybe the worst part of it is that it doesn't go away once you grow up. as you get older, you don't ever magically learn how everything clicks together. you just have to fumble through it and hope for the best, even if it feels like it never gets any easier.

it's a hard lesson to learn. but you aren't alone in it. so what fates do we share? we're all stardust. we all share the same end. we are not alone in our fears and uncertainties and we will not be alone at the end either, not really. we came from stardust and to stardust we will return.

i think if there is a hope i can take away from this record it's like...this feeling that it doesn't get better, really. but you do get better at living with it, and to someone like me, that's vital. years ago i had to come to terms with the valuable, painful lesson that i will not, mentally, neurologically, ever get "better." there will never be a point where i am "cured" of all that i must live with. but i've grown better at living with it. and there are things out there that i'm living for anyway - good food, better friends, and maybe a long-anticipated record you need to put on replay for a good long while as you soak it in.

maybe none of this matters, in the end. but if it doesn't, then this is what matters. this.

"if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do."

[cipheramnesia]

The "movie about a movie that kills you" is a surprisingly robust genre of horror. There's a wide range of approaches, but one key factor is the question of how good the deadly film in a film is, on its own. Some approaches are keeping the faux film entirely unseen, use brief clips, or make it real short.

Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made goes in for a high risk approach and delivers a complete finished film, ostensibly made in the 70s and never released, framed by brief opening and closing info bites to set the stage of it.

Somehow this thing was completely off my radar, which means I was taken fully off guard as an ominous warning about the content in white text on black appeared on screen, giving a thirty second count down to leave if I wanted.

Wonderful showmanship and canny filmmaking that got me right in the mood to enjoy what followed. While I wouldn't call it a scary movie, I found it almost delightful in the atmospheric dread and devotion to its aesthetic of low budget 70s films. Nothing in it feels like a curse on its own, but it does feel like the sort of movie that could easily prompt psychological distress for anyone under psychotropic influences, pre-existing emotional vulnerability, or prone to delusional states. Not through anything supernatural, more because it works hard to keep the viewer in constant doubt over what is and is not real for the characters in the film. Combined with the framing device of it being a movie somehow able to influence the real world of the viewer, and the use of fractionally visible flashes of occult symbols on the screen, it generates an intense feeling of unreality which for me was an almost drug-like high and an immersive pleasure.

The premise of Antrum is simply a brother and sister decide to dig a hole to hell, and the movie plays out around this event by surrounding it with disturbing sounds and imagery, as well as real world dangers that weave the protagonists between the supernatural and mundane while keeping them in a state of terror and madness that grows until it becomes unrelenting.

In a certain sense it also feels cursed, like the kind of film where there are elements that feel very transgressive - in particular the opening scene which to my mind evoked Un Chien Andalou - not the infamous eyeball slicing scene, but the use of rotting animals. The few and very basic visual effects remind me as well of the early Survival Research Laboratory devices engineered by Mark Pauline.

However, the core question for me is also always what is the movie about besides the plot. If I had to identify some rough themes, I would say it's trying to explore the idea of understanding death and violence through the eyes of children who do not yet have the psychological tools for processing such matters, but who have been left on their own to do so regardless.

Many of the unusual elements in the movie can relate to death rituals poorly understood, starting from the very premise of digging a hole into the earth. And the same act is surrounded by strange rituals unclear in their origin, ideas which might be logical drawn from watching words recited over a grave without having a connection of purpose. Their encounters with other people are fully without possibility of communication as none of them speak the same language, and these mundane threats feel at times akin to a satanic Alice in Wonderland, rituals and violence whose meaning cannot be understood by the protagonists.

Likewise the supernatural is full of unprocessed images of death. Demons with black skin who look like mummified corpses. River crossings and empty chains dragging through leaves. It's as if death itself has manifested through the ambient world, surrounding the two children and refusing to let them leave its circle.

In combination with the intriguing use of sigils inscribed throughout, it creates a movie that is for me a joy to watch. An absolutely perfect Halloween spook for next year, but your mileage may vary between finding it full of pretentious nonsense or maybe the scariest film you'll ever watch. It can really come off either way, and I'm honestly not quite sure why my reaction was actual joy in the watching. Not to undercut the severity of the subject matter, but I just can't stop thinking about how happy I was to watch the movie at work mechanically, to enjoy the well oiled pieces fitting together, and then all topped off with the delicious extra treat of the framing device. Surely worth 90 minutes of your life.

[emelinstriker]

Macaque ♡ Private Play

I can't help but imagine Macaque using his Shadow Play skills to get money- now imagine the reader, his lovely spouse, being a regular of his shows and boom :D

Pre-Shadow Play episode btw cuz he do kinda be needing that lamp still

The pain of having to write this level of wholesome fluff when you've never been in an actual romantic relationship yourself- So I had a lot more fun telling the tale at the end and making it all more dramatic- omegalul

♡ ~ Fluff ~ ♡

It was yet another night at the theater, and a certain shadow monkey was doing his usual routine of retelling tales that he knew of from his own perspective and memories. Nothing out of the ordinary happened of course. He didn't get many people to see his performance, as usual, due to his plays' times and because of people not usually being interested in the concept of shadow plays as they preferred movies.

Such a shame, really, they were missing out on a great show! At least that's what you thought everytime you would see only a portion of the audience seats having been filled. Your husband did such an amazing show and you would be awestruck each and every time at the visuals he was able to create. Not to mention, his soothing voice was a nice bonus no matter which tale he told. He even used his powers to spice up your private wedding a few years back, using his shadows to calm you down from your nervous high, as well as putting on a shadow play for the few guests you had.

Once the play you were currently watching was over, you and the other people in the audience clapped, delighted at the performance. Some even stood up while the demon man on the stage bowed at the applause.

It didn't take long for the last people to leave the room while you simply sat in your reserved VIP seat as usual. And it didn't take long for your shadow to become a portal for the hooded monkey either as he emerged from it, wrapping his arms around you from behind.

"Hey there, sugarplum, how was work?", he said while nuzzling the crook of your neck. He was still in his human disguise, so unfortunately you were unable to appreciate his fluffy fur. But that didn't make you appreciate him any less as you leaned back into his hold.

You actually showed him your workplace before, which is a rather small thrift shop. Macaque needed some human clothing because the red and black cloak he's using during his plays would not suffice in certain areas of the city. Him in a hooded cloak, being all dark and mysterious, would most certainly garner unwanted attention from demons and humans alike. That's when you showed him some stylization options. Everything you showed him was extremely casual and he loved it.

"It was alright. Not much happened today, besides one customer who didn't understand how a warranty works", you muttered. The monkey let out a low chuckle as you could feel his chest's vibration on your back, leaning further into you. "Anyway, once you're free we can go take a stroll. There's this new 24-hour shop we haven't been to yet." Finally, you decided to turn a bit to give him a quick peck on the lips, making him smirk.

"Well, you're in luck. This one just so happened to be my last play for the night. Just gotta clockout at the counter and we're off", he said as he removed his disguise with his ability, revealing his demon form. He was still wearing his hooded cloak however, nuzzling you with his fur now.

And as he said, he clocked out at the counter... Or rather a shadow clone did while he himself carried you bridal-style outside the theater and onto the dark streets. He didn't let go of you until you were in the darkness of an alleyway, embraced by the shadows. You knew he specifically did this to make you feel safer. Because something he told you early on into your relationship: 'You're a lot safer in the shadows. So don't be afraid of them, especially when I'm here.'

The two of you walked hand-in-hand down the alley, talking about whatever else happened at each of your respective workplaces. Apparently the theater had a major fangirl come in who couldn't stop squealing at Macaque's voice, overall mysterious demeanor, as well as shadow abilities.

You laughed a bit at the image of a random girl in the back of the audience having a fangirl meltdown. "She did stay behind after the play to ask me for my number. Of course I said no and showed her my ring, but can you believe that?" He rolled his eyes at the memory.

"Yes, I can believe that would've happened eventually. After all," you started as you made your shoulder bump into his in an affectionate manner, "you do have an irresistible charm on the character you're putting up while in disguise."

You could've sworn his tail wagged underneath his cloak from the faint movement of fabric your eyes were able to catch behind him, giving you an amused smile. He pouted at your word choice.

"Just while in disguise? Damn, guess I'll need to step up my game as amazing husband to top that character", he chuckled before pulling down his hood. "How about I top the 'mysterious storyteller' right now with a tale I know you'll love?"

You simply stared at him in awe before excitedly nodding your head to give him the 'go'. In response, he let go of your hand and pulled out his lantern from underneath his cloak, twirling it in a fluent motion before it abruptly stopped and lit up in all its purple glory. He then winked as he handed it to you for safekeeping before taking a few steps back towards the opposing wall.

Macaque used both his hands and body to make the shadows behind him move in the usual shadow play fashion you knew from his public plays. Despite being fully aware of his abilities, knowing he doesn't need to do such thing to create those visuals, you appreciated his need to be a bit more dramatic than necessary. It simply added a bit more flare to the experience and made it a lot more enjoyable. But this time he actually incorporated his tail into the play too.

He started out with his eyes closed and his hands behind his back, using his smooth voice to his advantage, "Welcome my loveliest viewer, to a shadow play. The likes of which have never been seen." The simian's eyes opened as he threw a loving glance at you before raising his hand to the night sky. His arm's shadow formed a monkey man behind him. You knew that was him from his previous plays.

"The tale follows up on a warrior's story told not so long ago... There was a lonely warrior, wandering the most darkest corners of an unknown town. Cast aside by his former source of light, the hero, he sought out to find another source to feel whole once more", he started as his shadow now depicted himself and Sun Wukong. The Monkey King seemed to vanish as if turned to dust before being blown away by the wind. Macaque's expression held a sliver of hatred, but was quickly replaced with a gentle smile as another memory resurfaced.

"One day while roaming the town in the dead of night, a thunderstorm approached. Desperate to find shelter, he came across a different kind of light. A light so powerful, its source did not seem to mind sharing it with everyone they met." His eyes dilated a bit as he turned to face you, seeing you hold onto his lantern with extra care, making sure not to block its light. You didn't even notice your own lovestruck smile until he smiled back. "That light was a generous and kind mortal human, who offered him their home to shield him from the cold and damp. They even offered him silent comfort from the sounds outside as lightning continued to strike."

The shadows now depicted a human holding their hands over the warrior's ears, making both gaze at one another in close proximity. Then it switched to a scene with both holding hands while looking at what could only be described as sunrise.

"As the storm faded into the night, so did the moon. The sun started to awaken as its rays made the warrior realize that this human was his new source of light. And yet he told himself he had to leave, for he did not feel worthy of their compassion." The shadow of the warrior let go of the light's hands, but then was quickly stopped by the light refusing to let go of one hand, lightly tugging him back towards them.

"However, the light proved him otherwise. They did not agree with his mindset and instead asked him to stay longer." The human now pulled the warrior closer to them before giving him a hug. Macaque couldn't help but let out a little chuckle as he recalled the memory. "And eventually, the warrior seemed to have been put under a spell so strong it sent him into a spiraling trance. One that would bind him to the light for the future to come." Your husband then slightly leaned closer in your direction with his signature grin. "It was a spell of love."

The scene shifted once more to show both of them kissing while sitting on a bench under a tree, one familiar one you recognized with ease. "Over the coming months, their love for one another grew, and so did the shadow's courage to propose marriage to his beloved light. He came up with a plan to meet up under the tree's branches once again, and he expressed his devotion to the loving light of his life..."

Suddenly, the lantern became dimmer by the second as he approached your now blushing form with his arms crossed, clearly hearing your heartbeat. "I believe you already know how this story ends."

And as the lantern's light faded away, you launched yourself forward to capture him in your embrace, giving him a passionate kiss on the lips. You were still holding onto the lantern with one hand behind his back. He wrapped his arms around you in return and leaned more into you. Once you pulled away for air, you gave him a bright smile as a few tears formed in your eyes from the joy you felt. Despite the dark that surrounded you two, the simian was able to see your happy response to his small, private play. Macaque knew how to pick his words far too well.

"You dork... I love you, Mac", your mumbled voice said as you nuzzled your face into his chest. His lips made contact with the top of your head as he pulled you closer to him, letting out what sounded like a low purr.

"I love you too, sugarplum."

> Link to Masterlist <

[the-broken-pen]

Hiii, I love your writing! It's so great that you're back! Could you write something like two actors are playing hero/villain in a movie or theater, but both of them sometimes just gets too in character/or just gets too stuck in character, so for like moments they actually forget that they are just acting?

“You didn’t think I’d let you die by anyone else’s hand but mine, did you?” The villain cocked their head to the side, grinning.

Distantly, the hero registered the whispering of stage commands, but tuned it out.

“You can’t just kill anyone who threatens me,” they argued back. They watched as the villain’s grin sharpened.

“Watch me,” the villain whispered, stepping closer. Fake blood was drying on the side of the hero’s head, and it itched more than usual. Must be a new brand from costuming.

“I could arrest you,” they offered, but they let the hesitation show on their face. Visible enough for the camera to catch their unwillingness, no matter how fake it was. Good enough nobody could tell the difference between real and not.

“You won’t.”

The hero tipped one head to the side

“And why’s that?”

The hero shifted, leaning in towards the villain.

“Because you’re mine,” the villain whispered, tone playful as their eyes seared into the hero’s.

The hero’s mouth went dry. It wasn’t on purpose.

Something kindled in their chest.

“Oh yeah?”

The villain shrugged one shoulder in perfect time to the script, and the hero pulled the next line to the tip of their tongue—

“Prove it.”

That was not the next line.

That wasn’t a line at all.

The villain blinked just once, the only sign of surprise they would allow, before their grin widened. Their shoulders loosened into something feral, something that delighted in this change.

Something that belonged off-stage.

“I’m covered in the blood of the people who hurt you,” the villain’s voice was smooth sliding down the hero’s spine. They shivered. “What more proof do you want, love.”

They blushed furiously at the nickname, even underneath the stage makeup, and at the pleased look on the villain’s face, it was visible.

What was the line what was the line what—

Their hands fisted into the front of the villain’s costume, dragging them closer. The villain let them, hand settling on the hero’s waist in a movement far too smooth.

“I don’t know,” the hero murmured, and they were just as surprised as the villain when their lips hovered just over the other’s ear. “Why don’t you stop trying to kill me, for starters.”

The villain tugged them closer, and the hero’s eyes went to their lips.

The villain looked at the hero like they wanted to devour them.

Fuck, what had been the line—

“Oh, but you’re so pretty covered in blood, Hero,” the villain crooned, and the hero opened their mouth to say something, their tongue a separate entity from their brain at this point—

“Hold!” Someone off-stage called, and they both froze. A second later, they were halfway across the stage from one another. Slipping out of being the hero and back into being themself felt like hitting a brick wall.

If the way the villain shuddered was any indication, they had forgotten they were playing a character too.

The hero turned away to face the tech crew, hand settling over their face to hide their blush.

The villain’s gaze was molten and heavy on their shoulders, even from as far away as they were.

“I don’t think that’s in the blocking,” the stage manager frowned, flipping through the script.

None of that was the blocking. No matter how much the stage manager searched those pages they would never find those lines.

Fuck.

“Improv,” the hero choked out, flushing. “It was, uh. A creative choice—“

From behind one of the curtains, they heard a crew member snort, muttering something about teenage actors and horniness—

The villain was smirking, a wicked thing.

“Right,” the stage manager said slowly, brow furrowed from where they sat. They murmured something into their headset, eyes shifting up between the villain and the hero, before they slid a screen in front of themself.

Just barely, the hero could make out the shape of the scene they had just filmed.

The screen went black, the room silent for a moment, before the stage manager let out a long suffering sigh.

“We’re changing the blocking.”

“What?” The hero yelped.

The villain settled their hands into their pockets, unbothered and grinning.

“We’re keeping the scene,” the stage manager nodded towards their tablet, and the hero almost passed out on the spot. They watched the stage manager eye the pleased and possessive look on the villain’s face. “For now, though, let’s call it a wrap for the day.”

Shuffling began, lights flickering off, and the hero escaped to their own dressing room, panting slightly.

Dear god, they were so fucked. They had forgotten they were acting, again—

“Improv, hm?” The villain grinned, lock sliding into place. The hero hadn’t even heard them come in.

The hero groaned. “I don’t know what happened—“

“Yeah,” the villain nodded, and they were closer than they had been a moment ago.

The hero swallowed.

“I’m sorry.”

The villain raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

The hero waved one hand between them. “For, you know—“

The villain was still smiling.

It was then they remember who had fought so hard in the writers’ room for the villain and the hero to end up together.

‘Enemies to lovers,’ the villain had said, eyes dark. ‘The fans will love it. There’s been sub plot for the last two seasons.’

The directors had pushed back, but now—

Oh. The villain wasn’t mad.

They were pleased.

The hero choked.

“You,” the hero tried.

“Me,” the villain agreed, and then they were kissing, all-consuming and desperate.

They made a noise in the back of their throat, the villain twining their hand into the hero’s hair.

“You forgot you were acting,” the villain murmured against their lips, and kissed them again before the hero could defend themself. “That I’m not really your villain and you aren’t my hero.”

The villain settled the hero onto the counter, coming to stand between their legs, one hand on their hip.

“Fuck,” they gasped, and they could feel the villain’s grin against their skin.

“Mhm.”

Somehow, the hero’s arms had ended up looped over the villain’s shoulders.

“Maybe stop killing people, and I’ll consider it,” they said between breaths.

“What?” The villain pulled back slightly.

“The line I forgot,” the hero said. They could drown in the villain’s eyes, they were sure of it. “Maybe stop killing people—“

“Don’t care,” the villain bit out, and then their mouth was on the hero’s again and nothing else mattered.

Maybe they weren’t truly hero and villain—but god were they good at pretending.

Three months later, the internet couldn’t decide what was better—that finally, after years, the hero and villain had ended up together on screen; or that off stage, their actors were desperately, hopelessly in love too.

[larrylimericks]

23Mar23

We’re feeling some internal friction At silver screen Louis’ depiction; All the world is a stage But it’s hard to engage When plot lines combine fact and fiction.

I get really rambly below the fold. Proceed with caution if you’re over the discourse already.

I debated seeing All of Those Voices in theaters. I didn’t see either of Harry’s films in theaters — Harries are too much of a wildcard, and I refused to sit through hours of squeals and gasps and reactions, not to the movie but to “omg! Harry’s going down on someone! omg, Harry’s bum!” So I was already tentative about seeing Louis’ film in a shared space, outside the protective silos of tumblr. But I bought a ticket, because I want to support him and because I was genuinely curious what story would be told. Then we got the trailer and I hesitated again, not wanting to watch a propaganda film. But, I’ve lived through all the other Bullshit moments, so I figured I could live through Bullshit on the big screen.

My theater crowd was great — pretty neutral aside from an amusing row of politely excitable Larries I was in secret solidarity with. And I pretty much loved the film. Well, 92% of it. I look forward to watching it again when it streams. I mean, it was an hour and a half of content featuring this fascinating creature we’re all obsessed with. I didn’t want to blink. I hung on his every word (when I could understand them). How cool to get, essentially, a long-form interview, where he’s not promoting an album and we’re not getting the same sound bytes. Louis is wonderfully open and vulnerable, and the story of his life (heh) is inherently compelling. The cinematography is beautiful. The behind-the-scenes are delightful and delicious. I can’t wait for the AOTV gif sets once we have it in high-def.

But it has some plot holes as wide and deep as the ones in Don’t Worry Darling.

First, there’s the confusing (to the uninformed) absence of a love interest. Louis is asexual, as far as the film goes. There’s not even a ghost of Eleanor, with whom he’s cumulatively spent a decade and who is supposed to have inspired so many great love songs and with whom he is supposed to have survived a pandemic. Props to E for living her best life now: going to see Scream on AOTV opening day, enjoying full custody of the pups, publicly supporting her assumed partner — sorry you got Kiki Layned from the film, but I’m guessing you weren’t even written into the script. (It’s not like the film was conveniently re-edited in the months since their break-up. Her stunt tapering was intentional.)

Then there’s the glaring absence of a baby mama (thank god; that family would have been even more insufferable). We’re cruising along for 45 minutes or so and then, wham, Dad!Louis enters the chat with a fully formed 6-year-old child. The kid just magically appears with no backstory — just like in real life ... twice (the first time with the pregnancy announcement and the second time with the revival of Dad!Louis after several years of dormancy, right in time for documentary filming. Just like Harry stunted with his co-star during filming and production, Louis stunted with his.)

The kid is cute, and faultless in this. The scenes are objectively sweet (as they were designed to be). But Louis, who normally keeps things very close to the vest, is all of a sudden an emotional spigot you can’t turn off when it comes to these scenes. It seems quite out of character. Which brings back to mind that this Louis *is* a character. The Freddie scenes just didn’t seem to have a point in the plot other than: Louis is a dad. And that role isn’t integral to the film’s story.

He’s incredibly emotional with Freddie, but the movie doesn’t tell us why. The storytelling gets lazy here. The lad/dad plot seems wedged in. The movie would be perfectly complete without it. I felt like it could have been integrated a few different ways: Louis experienced tragedy after tragedy after tragedy — loses 1D, loses his mum, loses his sister ... and then impending fatherhood either becomes another trial he must reluctantly face (in the surprise pregnancy narrative) or it helps him navigate the grief of losing his sole parent, his closest confidante. OR, Louis, not wanting to be like the absentee father he had, shows up for his own oopsie baby despite the unexpected circumstances. But there’s no exposition or rising action. No footage or photos from the first few years of the kid’s life that we haven’t already seen. Just an immaculate conception.

I think the most compelling narratives of the film are these:

Louis’ overcoming adversity after adversity after adversity. Holy hell. I lived through 1D ending, through the devastating news about Jay (god, I remember the shock and sadness of that day — it was incomprehensible), through the heartbreaking news about Fizzy, and then when you think Louis is gonna get his moment of victory with his first solo world tour, coronavirus pulls the rug out. (That sequence was well done: where we keep seeing the dates get closer and closer to March 2020, and we all know the villain that’s coming, but it’s still such a blow.) I lived through all that in real time, but seeing it in such a concentrated sequence really highlights the shit he’s been dealt, and hearing him open up about so much of it ... that’s the character development relevant to the film’s denouement. And getting to see Louis get what he deserves, finally, and hearing him acknowledge that he deserves it, was a lovely ending.

Louis’ journey to find his footing and his confidence as a solo artist after unfathomable success as part of a group. But, in a sort of plot twist, he’s not really solo, is he? The film gives a lovely introduction to his band now — and in their own words, reveals that they’re not just a backing band, they’re a *band* band. Louis has let them in. He’s forged a new brotherhood. *That*, for me, was the heartwarming story. I loved those scenes, loved seeing Louis in his element, which is in a collective, where he is both king and jester at the same time. (Or perhaps Oli’s the jester. Thank fuck for him, man. Oli is the standout. The breakthrough performance. The comic relief. I want a spinoff series.) It’s easy to miss 1D and glorify those short years and think nothing will ever top it, but Charlie’s storytelling of the LT Band is remarkable. We’re left looking forward, not back.

I know Louis’ dedication to his fans and his fans’ dedication to him is a huge focus, but I don’t really enjoy watching commentaries on fandoms I’m a part of. I’m living it. I don’t need outsider context. And in a fandom as fractured as Louis’ (and 1D’s) there’s not a universal experience. The film depicts dedication as sleeping on streets for rail, hopping from country to country and draining bank accounts — because that’s the kind of “superfandom” that gets easily turned into a marketable freak show. Show me the documentary on the fans who organize the light projects, who run the fashion accounts, who curate livestream sources on show nights, who have turned giffing into an art and science, who help promote Louis in the absence of a competent marketing team, etc., etc. I also thought the interview with the American(?) girls talking about LATAM shows was shortsighted. And showing the rainbow factions but not addressing them? What a missed opportunity to talk about songs like Only the Brave becoming a queer anthem. Straight artists can have gay fans, you know.

But the film doesn’t make the kid relevant to any of those storylines. He could have been worked into the first, but wasn’t. It was like a standalone narrative, with footage from a narrow set of days. I was at both those L.A. shows. The energy was so different from night 1 to 2. And in retrospect it’s clear Louis was performing the first night so Charlie could get the right shots. More like a choreographed play than a rock concert. It makes sense now why the Clarks weren’t in the VIP box with Freddie — couldn’t have them cluttering the frame or distracting the actors. Just, everything about the Freddie scenes is heavy-handed. Make a sign for your dad! Draw his logo in the sand! Fly a kite at sunset! He’s the spitting image of Louis! (Len does all the heavy lifting.) And all the maneuvering it had to take to get all those shots from the L.A. show?! In the VIP box from behind (and from the front, and when he just happens to be mouthing along to Two Of Us), side stage watching Louis end the show, on-stage watching Louis approach Freddie after the show, on-stage catching the moment Louis gives the lad a shout-out ... Charlie had a shot list. But sure, nothing was set up, it was totally organic.

I’m still unsettled by how heavily Charlie laid it on at the first premiere press conference — *he* was the one to bring up the kid, and was weirdly emphatic that nothing was staged, nothing was forced. It had the same energy of the “It’s. Not. Real” thrown baby doll moment, only it’s Charlie insisting that It. Is. Real. Thou dost protest too much, me thinks.

And of course, the lack of interaction between Louis and Harry remains, as ever, the biggest tell. We get poignant post-1D Nouis and Lilo moments in the film, but no Larry. We’re spoon-fed these Very Emotional Moments between father and son (“love you,” “Darling,” mouth kisses), when the real story, the real emotion, the real connection is in just a few seconds of furtive glances between Harry and Louis in the backstage footage of the last 1D performance. Christ, the way Harry’s eyes bore into Louis — chin tilted down, eyes glancing up from beneath a furrowed brow, lips tight, disguising his attentiveness with a hair flip ... they mastered so many forms of silent communication. The quiet call and response, the depths of love and care and concern and protection contained in micro-expressions. Fuck, give me 90 minutes of that. Just a silent film of Louis and Harry looking at each other.

Anyway. Sorry this sounds so grumpy. I did really love most of the movie. But I haven’t made sense of why this film was made. I don’t know its purpose. Maybe the introspection forced by the pandemic lockdown is to credit for this glut of music docs (“docs”) lately. Maybe nine minutes frees him up for nine more months or nine more years. I dunno. He obviously wanted this story told in this way.

Seeing a movie requires the willing suspension of disbelief. You have to ignore critical thinking in order to enjoy the story you’re being told. You tune out your knowledge that everything is fake for the sake of being entertained. We know that Superman can’t actually fly, but we still buy tickets to the cinema. But, a documentary shouldn’t require us to employ this semi-conscious perceiving mode. Yet here we are. I’m just not sure how much more or how much longer we can suspend our disbelief to enjoy fandom.

[afewproblems]

Steve always falls first, falls fastest.

It happened three years ago with Nancy, it happened with Robin back before the bathroom confession cemented their platonic soulmate status. It happened with Lauren MacNeal in Steve's freshman year, and Cindy Carlile back when he was eight years old.

He knows himself and knows the beginning stages. It's always quick and never painless, and seems to hurt more with every passing year. A dull ache in his chest that throbs and whispers darkly, 'remember Harrington, you'll always be bullshit'.

And when he finds himself falling for one Eddie Munson, he knows exactly when it starts.

Movie nights became a regular thing shortly after Eddie was discharged from the hospital. Robin, Steve, and Eddie all pile into the Harrington living room or the Munson trailer every other week, it's too hard to be apart.

Really, it becomes a way to keep a late night conversation going with Eddie while the credits roll, Robin dozes on the beanbag in the corner and Steve can't help but stare.

Eddie is so animated when he talks about something he loves, his brown eyes light up with his thousand watt smile and the dimples come out in full force, Steve almost has to squint with the amount of natural sunshine this man emanates when he talks about his passions.

He says as much to Robin during their next shift and she can't help but roll her eyes and gag, "Steven Remington Harrington-"

"Not my name," Steve cuts in with a laugh as he stuffs their second copy of the Shining into the machine to rewind.

"Don't interrupt dingus," Robin continues imperiously, "I get it, you have heart-eyes for the guy, but you gotta stop gushing about him to me and tell him".

Steve rolls his eyes and ignores the way his stomach swoops at the thought of telling Eddie how he feels, and the realization that it's happening again.

"I-I mean, it's not like I'm in love with the guy Robin, he stutters out eventually, "it'll go away, or he'll find someone else to talk to, they always do eventually".

He focuses on picking up the stack of freshly rewound tapes and walking them into the shelves, avoiding Robin's silent sad look that bores into the back of his head as he hides in the stacks.

Weeks turn into months and Steve absorbs nearly everything he can about Eddie.

He wears a size 10 shoe, but the 'shit-kicking' steel toes always look a smidge bigger - the inch or two it adds to Eddies height doesn't hurt either as Steve finds he has to tilt his head up to meet Eddie's gaze when he's decked out in his metal gear for a show...

He got his first guitar when he went to live with Wayne, it was a simple acoustic that he learned his chords on and practiced CCR on to his uncles delight.

He hates orange juice and loves coffee.

He loves cats and is scared to death of birds.

Every detail draws Steve in, but that small voice in the back of his mind reminds him again and again, 'they always leave Steve, don't get too comfortable'.

But how could he not?

Eddie is comfortable, he's nice and funny, and seems to enjoy hanging out with Steve almost as much as Steve enjoys being with Eddie. There is a softness to him when they're alone that makes Steve feel safe.

So what if he doesn't feel the same, Steve isn't about to give this up.

Not yet.

Steve takes to dropping by the Corroded Coffin band practice every weekend, a six pack in one hand and a small wary smile on his face - he's still not entirely accepted by Gareth and Jeff but the beer helps and Eddie vouches for him every time.

The atmosphere is still somewhat stilted, but it isnt as icy as it had been. Now Gareth even sits with him after practice while Eddie and Jeff go over their solos just outside the door as they share a joint, blowing smoke rings into the evening air.

"You know," Gareth says one night to Steve as he plops down beside him onto the sunken couch in the garage, "If someone had told me in high school I'd be sitting here with King-Steve and sharing a beer after practice, I'd laugh in their face".

Steve fights down a wince at the mention of the old nickname, and nods once. Who was he kidding, 'King-Steve' was not something he'd ever be able to outrun.

"So," Gareth continues, tapping his hands against the neck of the bottle, "how's the crush going?"

Steve chokes on his beer and swings his hand up to pound his fist into his chest to loosen up the liquid, Gareth claps him on the back with an alarmed expression on his face.

"Jesus Harrington, y'alright?" Gareth says as Steve tries to catch his breath.

Steve nods and breathes deeply through his nose, his eyes flick to the open garage door to see if Eddie or Jeff are on their way back inside, "I-I don't think I heard you right," he manages with a rasp.

Gareth snorts and shakes his head, leaning back against the couch. He's quiet for a moment, eyes trained on Steve's face.

Steve, for his part, stares resolutely at the floor hoping his gaze is strong enough to burn a hole into the concrete he can jump into.

"Look," Gareth says after a beat, "I guess its not really any of my business Harrington," his eyes travel over to the open door before flicking back to Steve, "and I don't mean to sound like a prick when I say this, but you're not really his type man".

Something in Steve's throat pulls tight, bullshit echoes in the hollow cavity of his chest as he nods and swallows the last dreggs of his beer.

"Right," Steve mumbles, he puts his hands on his knees and stands up from the couch, "Right, yeah, I mean, makes sense...".

He crosses to the door and manages to toss the now empty can into an open bin they'd officially commandeered for empties.

"Dude," Gareth says softly standing as well, he makes no move to walk towards Steve though.

Steve waves a hand and drops the other to his back pocket to hide the sudden trembling. Gareth is right, it doesn't make sense. Why would someone like Eddie ever want to be with someone like Steve? How would that even work?

Always fast but never painless, right on time.

"You guys were uh, great as usual, I'll see you around man," Steve says with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, he hasn't had to pull out the 'King Steve' smile in a few years but it still fits, still manages to hide a few things.

He turns away from Gareth and walks out through the open garage door.

The sun is nearly below the horizon and the stars have begun to migrate, the inky blue of night begins to steep into the last vestiges of light, if he's careful he can slip past Eddie and Jeff without either of them noticing.

He makes it to the beemer before Eddie turns towards him.

Eddie's brown eyes widen before narrowing in a questioning stare, he opens his mouth but Steve opens the car door and quickly slides into the driver's seat.

He stares straight ahead as he backs out of the driveway and pulls out onto the road.

Steve can feel those brown eyes follow him as he makes the long drive back to his empty house.

Part Two Now Up!

[steveshairychest]

previous anon! :D

child actors steve and eddie who worked on a movie together and developed crushes on each other. after the movie, they dont see each other again until eddie is playing music at this fancy party. he recognizes steve immediately because steve became a famous model. it takes steve a second to recognize eddie, but steve knows it's eddie because of his eyes. they have a reunion and kiss. 💅🏼

oh this is delightful! Child actors steddie has got my brain worms spinning around.

The first and only movie they ever did together became quite a hit. Steve and Eddie both played the love interest for the other young girl in the movie, but the reason the movie became so popular is because of the amazing chemistry between the supposed rival characters that Steve and Eddie played.

They spent a lot of time together on set. Eddie was 14, Steve was 13, so they got in quite a bit of trouble for causing mischief on set, as was to be expected of teen boys. They also rehearsed their lines together and when no one was looking, Eddie would lean in close and kiss Steve's cheek just like he had to do with the girl. "I've got to practice!" He'd say.

Steve never denied him. Not even when he accidentally misjudged and planted a kiss right on Steve's lips.

That was Steve's first kiss. Eddie's too.

"Look at her, not at Steve!" The director would scold Eddie while he was giving his lines. He never looked at Steve on purpose, he just found his eyes wandered while giving the sweet lines.

It was just a coincidence that his eyes always found Steve while delivering the line, "I think I love you."

After the movie and all the press was over, the boys went their separate ways and very rarely saw each other.

Eddie sometimes saw Steve's face plastered on billboards while he walked the streets because Steve had abandoned acting and chosen to model. If he stopped and stared for an obscenely long time, well that was his own business. Eddie always used to tell Steve he was pretty.

Acting didn't work out for Eddie either. He got enough money from the one gig to set him up but now he spent most of his time making music and performing at other famous people's parties. It's not the type of stage he wanted to perform on but it was better than nothing.

He was performing at his old co-stars party that night, the girl from the movie, he barely remembered her name. The only thing he remembered from back then was Steve. He still knew that Steve's favourite colour was sunflower yellow and that he liked 3 sugars in his coffee. They used to drink so much coffee at that age to stay awake.

Sometimes he wondered if Steve would even remember him. Would he stop and say hi if he saw Eddie on the street or would he keep walking? Would he add him back if Eddie was man enough to follow him on instagram? Probably not.

Eddie had changed since they were kids. Lots of tattoos and piercings and long hair instead of a buzz cut made him nearly unrecognizable. Steve had barely changed. Eddie could still see the young boy he'd had a crush on in the handsome face that stared at him from billboards.

He's tuning his guitar while the party guests meander into the crazy huge mansion when he spots a familiar face in the crowd. A face that caused him to stop and just stare, his eyes unable to look away from Steve Harrington. He watched Steve glide through the crowd, his smile bright and friendly as he hugged and greeted people, some he kissed on the cheek which made Eddie remember the first time he kissed Steve's cheek.

Steve didn't see him at first, his focus on the people around him, but then Eddie bumped into the mic and caused a feedback screech to echo around the building. "Sorry." He laughed into the mic.

And then Steve's eyes meet his and Eddie could see no hint of recognition in them at all. He smiled up at Eddie as if to say, 'It's ok', but then something changed. His smile dropped and his mouth fell open into a surprised little oh.

Eddie could see Steve mouth his name, could see the realization wash over him as he took in Eddie on the stage.

"Hi." Eddie said into the mic, both to the audience and to Steve, who was walking slowly towards the stage.

"Hi." Steve mouthed the words to him.

Eddie was glad that he took this gig, was glad that he took the time to put on his best outfit and brush his hair.

But most of all he was glad that Steve remembered him.