#i had to look at the cast list to find the name of the actor who played shane

[sebstanaddict]

Capturing Chemistry

Sebastian Stan x Reader One Shot

Summary: Reader is a photographer booked to shoot Sebastian for a magazine spread when during the shoot Sebastian keeps flirting with her. Will something come out of it or is he just playing with her?

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Warning : none

Word count : 5k words

Read more Sebastian one shots here : The Stan and Barnes Oddyssey

---

Capturing Chemistry

The morning light filtered through the large windows of the studio, casting a warm glow over the expansive space. The hum of New York City traffic buzzed faintly from outside, blending with the low chatter of the crew setting up for the day's shoot. Y/n adjusted her camera lens, her mind focused on the task ahead. This wasn't her first high-profile job, but there was something about today's assignment that had her stomach fluttering with anticipation.

Sebastian Stan.

The name alone sent a ripple of excitement through the team when the booking was confirmed. He was a Marvel actor, beloved by fans for his portrayal of Bucky Barnes, and known for his disarmingly charming personality. Y/n had photographed celebrities before, but there was something different about Sebastian-something that made her palms sweat and her heart race just a little faster.

Y/n took a deep breath, shaking off her nerves. Today was just another shoot. She was here to do her job-capture the essence of Sebastian Stan through her lens. The concept for the magazine spread was a mix of rugged and refined, meant to showcase both Sebastian's A list Hollywood actor persona and his softer, more introspective side. She had prepared extensively, studying his past work and thinking through poses that would bring out something new, something that hadn't been captured before.

The door to the studio swung open with a soft creak, and Y/n glanced up just in time to see Sebastian enter. He was casually dressed in a navy sweater and jeans, his hair slightly tousled as if he'd just rolled out of bed. There was an effortless grace to his movements, a kind of quiet confidence that immediately drew the eye. But it was his smile-a genuine, boyish grin-that caught her off guard, making her heart skip a beat.

"Good morning, everyone," Sebastian greeted the room, his voice warm and inviting, with a hint of that unmistakable charm that had made him a fan favorite. His eyes scanned the space, finally landing on Y/n. She straightened instinctively, feeling a wave of self-consciousness wash over her as his gaze settled on her.

He walked over to her with a purposeful stride, his smile widening as he extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Sebastian," he said, his tone casual yet engaging.

Y/n shook his hand, trying to ignore the electric spark that shot through her at the contact. "Y/n," she replied, her voice steady despite the fluttering in her chest. "I'm the photographer for today's shoot."

Sebastian's eyes sparkled with amusement, his grip lingering just a second longer than necessary before he released her hand. "Y/n... I've heard about you," he said, his tone playful yet sincere. "They say you have a real talent for capturing the soul of a person in a single frame. I'm looking forward to seeing if that's true."

Y/n felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, a mix of flattery and nerves. "I'll do my best," she replied, her professional demeanor slipping slightly under the warmth of his gaze.

"Oh, I have no doubt about that," Sebastian said with a wink, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But just so you know, I don't make it easy on purpose."

Y/n chuckled, shaking her head as she tried to regain her composure. "I'll take that as a challenge, then."

His smile widened, and he took a step closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "You know, I have this little problem... Whenever I'm in front of a camera, I find myself getting distracted. Usually by something-or someone-much more interesting."

The way he said it, with a playful lilt in his voice and that mischievous glint in his eyes, sent a shiver down Y/n's spine. She was used to dealing with celebrities-actors, models, musicians-but Sebastian's attention felt different, more personal. It was as if he wasn't just being polite; he was genuinely interested in her, in who she was beyond the camera.

"Let's get started," Y/n said, breaking the moment before it lingered too long. She turned back to her camera, adjusting the settings with slightly shaky hands. "We've got a lot to cover."

As the crew moved into action, Sebastian gave Y/n one last lingering look before heading to the set. "Looking forward to seeing what kind of magic you can work, Y/n," he called over his shoulder, his tone teasing but laced with genuine curiosity.

Y/n took a deep breath, steeling herself for the hours ahead. She wasn't about to let a little flirting throw her off her game. This was just another shoot, and she was a professional. But as she glanced back at Sebastian, now standing in the center of the set with that same easy confidence, she couldn't help but feel a thrill of anticipation.

The shoot began smoothly, with Y/n guiding Sebastian through a series of poses. He was a natural in front of the camera, his expressions shifting effortlessly from intense to relaxed, playful to contemplative. But it was the moments in between the shots that caught her off guard-the way he would glance at her with that crooked smile, or the way he would comment on the lighting or the angle, always with a hint of flirtation that made her heart skip a beat.

At one point, as Y/n adjusted the lighting, Sebastian caught her eye and raised an eyebrow. "You know, I've always thought photographers had the best job. They get to see the world through a different lens-literally. But I bet you see a lot more than most people do, don't you?"

Y/n looked up from her camera, caught off guard by the question. "I guess you could say that," she replied, trying to keep her tone neutral. "It's all about capturing the right moment."

Sebastian tilted his head, studying her with a curious expression. "And what about this moment? Are you going to capture it?"

There was a challenge in his eyes, one that Y/n wasn't sure how to respond to. She lifted her camera, focusing the lens on him. "Maybe I will," she said, her voice soft but firm.

He grinned, leaning slightly forward as if to meet her halfway. "Go ahead. I'm all yours."

The playful innuendo wasn't lost on her, and Y/n felt her cheeks warm again. But she didn't let it distract her. Instead, she snapped the picture, capturing the moment in all its flirtatious glory.

As the shoot continued, Sebastian's flirtations became more frequent, but always light and teasing, never crossing a line. He had a way of making Y/n feel at ease, his humor disarming her usual guardedness. He was quick with a joke, often poking fun at himself in a way that made her laugh, and yet there was always an underlying sincerity to his words, a genuine interest in the person behind the camera.

During a break, as Y/n was reviewing the shots on her camera, Sebastian strolled over, a bottle of water in hand. "Mind if I take a look?" he asked, peering over her shoulder.

"Not at all," Y/n replied, scrolling through the images to show him.

He leaned in close, his shoulder brushing against hers as he studied the screen. "These are incredible," he said, his voice filled with admiration. "You've really got an eye for this."

Y/n turned her head slightly, finding him just inches away. His proximity made her heart race, but she kept her composure. "You make it easy," she replied, her voice steady.

Sebastian chuckled softly, his eyes locked on hers. "I think we make a pretty good team."

The way he said it, with that smooth, almost flirtatious edge, sent a thrill through Y/n. She had to remind herself again to focus on the job, not the man standing so tantalizingly close.

As the shoot progressed, Y/n found herself relaxing into the rhythm of the day. Sebastian's charm was infectious, and she couldn't help but respond in kind. She was used to keeping a professional distance, but with Sebastian, it felt natural to let her guard down, to enjoy the banter and the easy connection that seemed to spark between them.

"Alright, let's try something different," Y/n suggested as they approached the final set of shots. She adjusted the lighting, creating a softer, more intimate atmosphere. "I want to capture a quieter moment, something introspective."

Sebastian nodded, slipping into the mood effortlessly. He settled into a chair, his posture relaxed but thoughtful, as if he were lost in his own world. Y/n moved around him, capturing the subtle shifts in his expression, the way his eyes seemed to reflect a deeper emotion.

It was in these moments, when Sebastian wasn't performing but simply being, that Y/n felt she truly saw him. There was a vulnerability there, a depth that went beyond his public persona. She found herself drawn to it, wanting to understand the man behind the actor.

After the final shot, Y/n lowered her camera, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "That's a wrap," she announced, a smile tugging at her lips. "You were great."

Sebastian stood, stretching his arms above his head. "All thanks to you," he replied, his tone sincere. "You made this easy."

Y/n felt a warmth spread through her at his words. "It was a pleasure working with you."

He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "The pleasure was all mine."

There was a charged silence between them, the kind that makes the air feel thick with possibility. Y/n could sense that this was the moment, the point where their playful banter could either end as a fond memory or lead to something more.

"Listen," Sebastian began, his voice softer now, almost hesitant. "I know this might be a little forward, but... would you like to grab a coffee sometime? Maybe dinner?"

Y/n blinked, caught off guard by the directness of his question. She'd felt the chemistry between them, sure, but she hadn't expected him to make a move, at least not so soon.

"Are you asking me out, Mr. Stan?" she teased, trying to mask her surprise with humor.

He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way that made him look boyish and endearing. "I suppose I am. But only if you're interested."

Y/n considered him for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. This wasn't just some random guy asking her out-this was Sebastian Stan! A world-famous actor! But in this moment, he didn't feel like a celebrity. He felt like a man standing in front of her, genuine and a little vulnerable, waiting for her answer.

"I think I'd like that," she finally said, a smile spreading across her face.

The relief that washed over Sebastian was palpable, and he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"Great," he said, his smile widening. "How about tonight? I know a great little place not too far from here."

"Tonight works," Y/n replied, feeling a flutter of excitement.

"Perfect." Sebastian's grin was infectious, and Y/n couldn't help but mirror it.

As the crew began packing up, Sebastian lingered near Y/n, making small talk about the city, their favorite restaurants, and the latest movies. The conversation flowed easily, with none of the awkwardness that often comes with first-time interactions. There was a comfort in their rapport, as if they'd known each other far longer than a few hours.

When it was finally time to leave, Sebastian walked Y/n to the studio door. The late afternoon sun bathed the streets in a golden hue, the city alive with the usual hustle and bustle. Sebastian paused, turning to face her.

"I'm really looking forward to tonight," he said, his voice sincere.

"Me too," Y/n replied, her smile warm.

He hesitated for a moment, then leaned in to press a soft kiss to her cheek. It was a simple gesture, but it left her feeling light-headed, her skin tingling where his lips had touched.

"See you later, Y/n," Sebastian murmured, pulling back with a smile that was equal parts charming and shy.

"See you later, Sebastian," she echoed, watching as he walked away, disappearing into the sea of New Yorkers.

Y/n stood there for a moment, her heart still racing, a grin stretching across her face. She'd come to the studio today expecting just another photo shoot. She was leaving with something far more unexpected-the possibility of something new, something exciting.

And as she headed back to her apartment to get ready for her evening with Sebastian, Y/n couldn't help but feel like this was the beginning of a new chapter, one that she was eager to explore.

The city that never sleeps seemed to hum with possibilities, and Y/n couldn't wait to see where this unexpected day would lead her.

---

The streets of New York buzzed with life as Sebastian and Y/n walked side by side, their footsteps in sync as they navigated the familiar chaos of the city. It was their first date, a moment Y/n had hardly dared to imagine when she was just the photographer assigned to shoot him for a magazine spread. But now, here they were, on a warm summer evening, with the promise of something more lingering in the air between them.

Sebastian had insisted on taking her to Rubirosa, his favorite pizza spot in Nolita. It was a place that felt like home to him, with its cozy, unpretentious atmosphere and the best thin-crust pizza in the city. The kind of place you could only know about if you'd lived in New York long enough to discover the hidden gems.

When they arrived, the restaurant was bustling, but they managed to snag a small table near the back. The warm, inviting smells of fresh dough, tomato sauce, and melting cheese filled the air, making Y/n's stomach growl in anticipation.

"This place is amazing," Y/n said as she took in the cozy interior, the walls adorned with vintage photos and memorabilia. "I've walked past it a hundred times but never actually stopped in."

Sebastian grinned, pleased that he could introduce her to something new. "It's one of my favorite spots. I come here all the time, especially when I need a break from the craziness of the city. Plus, the pizza is to die for."

They ordered a classic margherita pizza and a bottle of red wine, the conversation flowing easily as they waited for their food. Sebastian was charming, funny, and so down-to-earth that Y/n found herself relaxing more and more with each passing minute. The man she had been nervous to meet as a photographer was now someone she could see herself getting to know on a much deeper level.

"So, what kind of music do you usually listen to when you're editing your photos?" Sebastian asked, genuinely curious.

Y/n smiled, considering his question. "It depends on my mood, but I tend to go for something that keeps me focused. Lately, I've been into indie pop and a lot of instrumental stuff."

Sebastian nodded, his interest piqued. "I can see that. For me, it's all about the 80s. That decade just had so many amazing bands and artists. I can't get enough of it."

Y/n looked at him with a raised eyebrow, a playful smile on her lips. "80s, huh? What's your favorite band?"

"Easy," Sebastian replied without missing a beat. "Depeche Mode. I've been obsessed with them for years. Their sound is just... timeless. And don't even get me started on 'Enjoy the Silence'-that song is everything."

"Depeche Mode is great," Y/n agreed, feeling a connection spark between them. "But if we're talking 80s, I'd have to say my favorite is U2. The Joshua Tree is just one of those albums that I can listen to over and over."

"Now you're speaking my language," Sebastian said with a grin. "That album is legendary. 'With or Without You' is probably one of the best songs ever written. And 'Where the Streets Have No Name'-man, I could listen to that on repeat for hours."

Y/n felt her heart skip a beat, thrilled by the easy connection they shared. "You've got good taste, Sebastian."

"I try," he said with a wink. "But really, the 80s were just an amazing time for music. Prince, Madonna, Michael Jackson-those artists shaped an entire generation."

"You're right," Y/n said, thinking back to her own memories of 80s music. "My parents used to play a lot of Bruce Springsteen when I was growing up. 'Born in the U.S.A.' was basically the soundtrack to my childhood."

Sebastian's face lit up with recognition. "Yes! Springsteen is a legend. 'Dancing in the Dark' is still one of my go-to songs when I'm in the gym. It just gets you pumped, you know?"

Y/n laughed, imagining Sebastian working out to Springsteen. "I can totally see that. There's something about his music that just makes you feel alive."

As they continued their conversation Y/n found herself drawn to the way Sebastian could switch from playful to serious in an instant. He shared stories from his time on the set of Marvel movies, talking about the camaraderie among the cast, the intense training for his role as Bucky, and the surreal experience of becoming a part of such a beloved universe.

"But enough about me," Sebastian said after a while, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "I want to know more about you. What got you into photography?"

Y/n hesitated, caught off guard by his genuine interest. "It's kind of a long story," she said, smiling slightly. "But I guess it started when I was a kid. My dad gave me my first camera when I was ten. He was always taking pictures, capturing little moments... I guess I wanted to do the same."

Sebastian listened intently, his blue eyes focused on her with a kind of earnestness that made her feel like the only person in the room. "That's amazing," he said softly. "You're really talented, Y/n. I could tell just by the way you directed the shoot today. You have a real passion for it."

Y/n felt her cheeks warm under his praise. "Thank you," she said, feeling a mix of pride and humility. "It's just... I love telling stories through my photos, you know? Capturing those fleeting moments that people might not notice otherwise."

He nodded, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "That's what I love about acting too. Getting to tell stories, becoming someone else, even if it's just for a little while. But it's also about those moments in between the lines, the things you don't say out loud."

Y/n found herself admiring him even more. He wasn't just charming and funny; he was thoughtful, with a deep appreciation for the art they both loved.

When the pizza arrived, they both dove in, and Sebastian was right-the Margherita Pizza was incredible. They ate and talked, discovering more common ground. They shared the same taste in music, with a mutual love for 80s music. They even had a few favorite books in common.

"Wait, you're a fan of 'The Catcher in the Rye' too?" Y/n asked, surprised.

Sebastian nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely. It's such a raw, honest look at the world. I read it when I was a teenager, and it just stuck with me, you know? Holden Caulfield... that guy just gets it."

Y/n felt a warmth in her chest, a sense of connection she hadn't expected. "I felt the same way when I first read it. It's one of those books that just makes you feel... understood."

As the night went on, Y/n found herself relaxing more and more, drawn in by Sebastian's humor and sincerity. He had a way of making her feel special, like she was the only person in the world who mattered. Every time he laughed, every time he flashed that grin, she felt her heart flutter just a little bit more.

"So, Y/n," Sebastian said, leaning back in his chair as they finished their meal. "Do you believe in fate?"

Y/n tilted her head, intrigued. "Fate?"

"Yeah," he said, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "Like, do you think it was fate that brought us together today? That somehow, out of all the photographers in New York, you were the one chosen for this shoot?"

Y/n smiled, feeling a spark of excitement at his question. "I don't know... Maybe. Or maybe it was just luck."

Sebastian leaned forward, his gaze intense. "I think it was more than luck. I think... some things are just meant to be."

The way he looked at her, the way his voice softened when he spoke, made Y/n's heart race. She couldn't deny the connection between them, the chemistry that seemed to crackle in the air. And in that moment, she realized that she was falling for him-hard.

"Maybe you're right," she said softly, her eyes locked on his.

For a moment, they just sat there, the noise of the restaurant fading into the background. It was as if the world had shrunk down to just the two of them, sitting at that small table, sharing a moment that felt like the beginning of something special.

Sebastian smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way that made him look both charming and endearing. "You know, Y/n, I'm really glad I met you today. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"Me too," Y/n replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "This has been... really nice."

He reached across the table, taking her hand in his. The touch was gentle, warm, and it sent a thrill through her that she couldn't ignore. "How about we take a walk? There's this great little park nearby. It's my favorite place to just... think."

"I'd like that," Y/n said, feeling a sense of calm wash over her.

They left the restaurant and strolled through the quiet streets of New York, the city lights casting a soft glow around them. As they walked, Sebastian continued to share stories, his humor and wit keeping Y/n smiling and laughing. They talked about everything and nothing- places they wanted to visit, dreams they had for the future.

When they reached the park, they found a bench overlooking a small pond, the water reflecting the twinkling lights from the city. They sat down, the comfortable silence between them only broken by the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze.

Sebastian turned to her, his expression serious but tender. "Y/n, I know we just met, but... I feel like I've known you forever. Like there's this connection between us, you know?"

Y/n nodded, feeling the same way. "I feel it too, Sebastian."

He smiled, his eyes softening as he leaned in closer. "I don't want this night to end. I want to get to know you more, spend more time with you. What do you say we make this the first of many dates?"

Y/n's heart swelled at his words, and she couldn't help but smile. "I'd like that."

Sebastian's grin widened, and without another word, he leaned in and kissed her-a soft, tender kiss that felt like the perfect ending to a perfect night.

When they finally pulled away, Y/n felt a warmth in her chest that seemed to spread through her entire body. She looked into Sebastian's eyes, seeing a mix of tenderness and excitement that mirrored her own emotions.

"I have to admit," she said softly, "this is probably the best first date I've ever been on."

Sebastian chuckled, a low, pleasant sound that made her smile. "I'm glad to hear that. I was kind of worried I might have come on too strong."

Y/n shook her head, still feeling the lingering softness of his kiss on her lips. "Not at all. You've been... well, perfect, honestly."

He grinned, clearly pleased with her response. "I was just being myself. I'm glad it worked out." He paused, looking around the park with a sense of contentment. "This is my favorite spot in the city. I come here when I need to clear my head, especially after long shoots or when things get a little too crazy."

"I can see why you like it here," Y/n said, glancing at the stillness of the pond and the trees swaying gently in the breeze. "It's peaceful. Almost like a little escape from the city."

"Exactly," Sebastian agreed. "Sometimes, when I'm here, I forget that I'm in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. It helps me reset, you know? Reminds me of what's important."

Y/n nodded, understanding the need for such a place. "I have my own spots like this, too. It's important to have a place where you can just breathe and be yourself."

Sebastian turned to her, a curious glint in his eye. "Tell me about them. What's your escape?"

Y/n thought for a moment, feeling a smile tug at her lips. "There's this little café on the Upper West Side. It's tucked away on a quiet street, and they have the best coffee in the city. I go there when I need to think or just want to get away from everything. The owner knows me by name, and it feels like a second home."

Sebastian smiled warmly. "Sounds like the perfect spot. I'd love to see it sometime."

"You'd like it," Y/n said, imagining him there, fitting in effortlessly with the laid-back vibe of the place. "It's not as glamorous as this park, though."

"Hey, glamor's overrated," he joked, leaning back on the bench. "Give me a good cup of coffee and a quiet place to think any day."

They both laughed, the sound echoing softly in the still night air. Y/n found herself wondering how it was possible that just a few hours ago, she hadn't even known Sebastian personally, and now, it felt like they were already building something meaningful.

Their conversation shifted to movies. Y/n was pleasantly surprised to find out that Sebastian shared her love for 80s cinema as well.

"You're telling me Back to the Future isn't one of the greatest movies ever made?" Sebastian asked, his eyes widening with mock disbelief.

"Are you kidding? It's a masterpiece," Y/n said, laughing. "I've seen it so many times, I practically have it memorized."

"Same here," Sebastian said, his expression softening. "There's just something about that movie... it captures the magic of that decade perfectly."

Y/n felt a warmth spreading through her chest as they continued to bond over their shared interests. She was struck by how easy it was to talk to Sebastian, how natural it felt to be with him. He was funny and charming, yes, but there was also a sincerity to him that she found deeply appealing.

She felt a connection that went beyond mere attraction. It was as if they were two pieces of a puzzle that had finally found their match. The more they talked, the more she realized just how much she admired Sebastian-not just for his talent and looks, but for his genuine personality, his kindness, and the way he made her feel special.

As the night wore on, the city around them began to quiet down, the streets emptying as the late hour approached. Neither of them seemed eager to end the evening, and they stayed on the bench, wrapped up in each other's company.

"Y/n," Sebastian said after a comfortable silence, his voice thoughtful. "I don't want to rush things, but I have a really good feeling about us. This connection we have... it feels different, you know?"

Y/n looked at him, feeling the same sense of certainty that had been growing inside her all night. "I feel it too, Sebastian. I'm really glad we met today."

"Me too," he said, his gaze softening. "I can't wait to see where this goes."

There was a sincerity in his words that made Y/n's heart swell. She could tell that Sebastian wasn't just talking about some fleeting fling; he was serious about wanting to explore whatever was happening between them.

They eventually decided to head back, walking together through the quiet streets of New York. Sebastian kept close to her, his hand brushing against hers as they walked. Finally, he took her hand, intertwining their fingers in a simple gesture that felt incredibly intimate.

When they reached her apartment building, they stopped at the entrance, turning to face each other.

"This is me," Y/n said, feeling a little reluctant to let the night end.

Sebastian smiled, still holding her hand. "I had a really great time tonight, Y/n. Thank you for saying yes."

"I had a great time too," she replied, her voice soft with sincerity.

He leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead before pulling back slightly. "So... can I see you again? Maybe we can check out that café of yours?"

Y/n smiled, her heart fluttering. "I'd love that."

Sebastian grinned, looking relieved and genuinely happy. "Great. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow sounds perfect," she said, squeezing his hand.

They stood there for a moment, neither wanting to be the first to let go. Finally, Sebastian released her hand and took a step back, giving her one last warm smile before turning to leave.

As Y/n watched him walk away, she couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement for what the future might hold. She had no idea where this newfound connection with Sebastian would lead, but she knew one thing for sure: tonight was just the beginning of something truly special.

[i-padfootblack-things]

My Heart is Yours [Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal x reader]

Author's Note: Rosie Rosenthal has my whole heart, and I couldn't find any fics for him, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is based on the portrayal of actors in the Masters of the Air series on AppleTV+. I respect the referenced real life stories and people wholeheartedly. This is not meant to offend anyone.

Warnings: Reader is a nurse, Historical Inaccuracies, Injuries.

Hope you enjoy this little fic! My requests are open, so if you have any ideas, don't be shy!

Pilots are known to be cocky- I mean, I get it. They're pretty badass, if I can say so myself. But I have never in my life met such a down to earth pilot. Major Robert Rosenthal was, without exaggeration, perfect.

I was standing by the window, counting the planes that were appearing from the grey clouds, landing from their mission, silently praying Rosie was among them.

I exhaled in relief-- only one plane down from the fifteen that left. My heart was in my throat as I waited for the ambulances to bring in the injured men.

As if on cue, the doors flew open and several men on stretchers were placed on beds, in order of emergency. I went to the man in the worst shape, ensuring his airways were clear and then going over the burns that littered his whole body. It looked bad, and my heart ached for him-- he would never look the same as he did before.

"I can take over, you're needed elsewhere." I nodded as I gave another nurse my forceps. He was stable and I had to move on.

"Have you seen Rosi- Major Rosenthal?" She shook her head, a sad smile casting a shadow on her lips.

"He's not on the list." She said, referring to the list of injured men that had been brought in. I close my eyes, trying to calm myself. It didn't mean he was dead, although that's what it usually meant.

After going over every pilot and ensuring they got the right treatments, I allowed myself a break-- I needed some fresh air. I had no clue if Rosie's plane made it back, none of the pilots that flew with him had come in, and that is rare occurrence.

As I exited the building, leaving behind the pained screams of injured men, I made my way towards the bench Rosie and I always met at, still holding onto a sliver of hope that he was alright and he was going to come back to me. I was walking slower than usual, given how tired I was, taking the time to rub the back of my neck as a way of relieving the tension.

A deep voice called my name, making me freeze-- I could recognize it anytime. I raised my eyes to his face, and my knees couldn't take it anymore.

"Rosie," I whispered, as I fell to the ground. He was there in a second, grabbing me by my forearms and holding me to his chest. I could feel his heartbeat against my own.

"Woah, woah... Are you alright?" I nodded, my eyes going over every inch of his face, making sure he was okay.

"I just--" I couldn't keep calm, my tears spilled out as a sob escaped. "I thought you were gone, I didn't know if your plane made it back..."

"I promised you I'll always come back to you, didn't I?" He had the nerve to smile, as he raised his hands to my cheeks, wiping my tears away. I was still silent, trying to catch my breath. I was still so focused on his perfect face, and how he had not even a cut anywhere, but what brought me back to the moment was the feeling of his finger caressing the spot between my eyebrows.

"Why are you frowning, my love?"

"You're fine." I said it quietly, as if I couldn't believe it, but he was in front of me, fine as if he didn't just drop some bombs over Berlin. "You're fine. You're fine!" I laughed, realizing he was actually standing in front of me. Perfectly fine!

I raised my hands to his face, caressing his jaw, then his cheeks, his nose, and then forehead. I brushed them through his hair, wrapping them around his neck. He was watching me with his beautiful smile lighting his whole face ul.

"I'm fine, my love. See?" He gestured towards his body in a 'ta-da' motion, making me laugh.

He then closed the small distance between us, kissing me on the corner of my mouth.

"I will always, always come back to you, my love. My heart is yours." He whispered, before kissing me deeply.

"And mine is yours, Rosie."

[noneorother]

Season 2 is the tales of Crowley Hoffmann, *part 2*

I guess this has to be a series now too. Part 1 l Part 2

I'm doing a series on the (frankly) astounding amount of parallels between the Powell & Pressburger movie The Tales of Hoffmann and S2 of Good Omens. I really recommend part 1 first. 7. Green is evil So if you've wondered to yourself why Hell has changed so much, colour-wise in S2 vs S1, I have come with answers! Here's a fun comparison between the two hells :

Now let's looks at the the evil admin exchange in the Tales off Hoffmann :

(The Tales of Hoffmann, Lindorf takes the contract in The Automaton Ball)

Whenever something evil happens in "The automaton ball" sequence, the light changes to this sickly green. Colour is THE important symbolism in Hoffmann, so now we know green is evil. 8. All the main characters are present and accounted for I've already covered in part 1 how Crowley is Hoffmann, Aziraphale is Stella, and alluded to the fact that Lindorf (main bad guy) is the Metatron. Here's a more comprehensive list of all the characters, because they're all there. N.B. The same actors play multiple roles in The Tales of Hoffmann. Gabriel is Schlemil/Spalanzani/Franz Léonide Massine actually plays 3 characters in the movie : Franz, a housekeeper who sings the only funny song in the opera:

He also plays Spalanzani in Venice : A high ranking double agent who's been crossed by the bad guy Lindorf before, and who is currently hanging around Stella in Venice. He also plays Schlemil in The Automaton Ball, who helped make Stella the automaton and helps put on the ball. He strikes a deal with Lindorf to sell Stella.

Muriel is the assistant Andreas

Andreas doesn't have much of a role in the story, they are mostly worry free and eager to please. They are there to be bribed by Lindorf to give him the key to Stella's dressing room, and the note for Hoffmann. I say they because even though this role is played by a man, this getup is EXTREMELY ambiguous for 1950s England.

Now look at the last scene of both the movie and S2 of good omens.

Shax is Nicklaus

In both casting and character, Shax is obviously Nicklaus. The all red outfit is a dead giveaway, but even the haircut in hell is similar. Nicklaus is Hoffmann's buddy, but they don't actually move the story forward or help him much. The fact that they're everywhere in the story but not really DOING much except casting doubt is pretty telling.

Beelzebub is the muse

Now we get into characters where's it's kind of important know know both the opera and the movie. The only character we seem to be missing in the movie version is Beez, but don't worry, I've got another male character now usually played by a woman dressed in Charlie Chaplin drag and their name is "The Muse". Basically, the muse in the opera is there to make sure Hoffmann does his job (being a poet) and isn't interested in the girl anymore (Stella).

Jacques Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann, The Muse & Lindorf, S2E6 Beelzebub

The Metatron is Lindorf

Lindorf is a major bad guy in both, but movie Lindorf has had all of his lines removed at the beginning, so he's the bad guy in the sense that he's doing all these bad things, and is the antagonist in every minisode and in real life. But we never really find out why. His evil genius speech is cut out of the movie, but is very much there in the opera. He's a shapeshifter, and takes on the form of 4 characters in the movie, all of whom hurt Hoffmann by ultimately taking Stella away from him.

Here's Lindorf spying on Hoffmann in the prologue. And the reveal at the end when he comes to take Stella to "the temple of the gods"...

Here are his other three forms in the minisodes. By the way his name in the last one, I shit you not, is DR.MIRACLE. In each minisode he plays a pivotal role in removing Stella from Hoffmann, first by legal contract, second by convincing Stella to double-cross him for a shiny reward, and third by trapping Stella in a time loop and then straight up killing her and sending her to heaven (she gets resurrected no worries).

So my question for now is : Does the plot of season 2 ALSO follow the movie?

_____________________________________

Obviously, there's always more. Next post it's analysis time baby....

[divine-donna]

Impressions

pairing: tashi duncan x bipoc! fem! reader

word count: 1.9k words

context: 2019. los angeles. tashi duncan is looking to cast the protagonist for her newest film. she finds the perfect actor for her protagonist.

no specific pronouns used. reader is able bodied and can speak. reader is about 25, while tashi is 31/32.

this is me dipping my toes into the ghostface au. based on this post. if people really like this, then i will continue to write more.

Tashi Duncan.

Actress. Director. Producer. Screenwriter. Sometimes cinematographer.

Her list of credits are long. A child actress who evolved beyond the children’s sitcoms that your younger sister was obsessed with. You remember seeing her so clearly, seeing her laugh, seeing her cry, seeing her amazing fashion sense. Tashi Duncan was beloved and an icon.

Furthermore, she knew her standing.

She talked about the hard things, the things that kept so many people out of the industry: stereotypes and typecasting, racism, sexism, queerphobia. Tashi Duncan was a phenomenon, but only outside of the context of her being. She was an abstract to the industry, in an attempt to make her more appealing to their “base” demographic.

Some of them kept you back, kept you out. You were hoping this would be the moment where things would change for you.

You were an adjunct at a community college. You taught the basic writing classes. Most of your students were freshmen. On the side, you auditioned, did the occasional improv show, and helped students and peers with their films. You loved the movies. You loved films. You loved acting. You loved it all. You were excited to be teaching a class on film the next semester. One of the units, you knew, you wanted it to be on auteurs. What film would you show? What would you assign your students?

Reading helped pass the time when you were waiting for your name to be called. An open call casting for a new horror film by Tashi Duncan. The perfect opportunity for you. You remember the description: Non-white woman or femme presenting person. Mid 20s to early 40s.

You found that reading the script over and over again could cost you an audition. You would overload your brain, causing it to short circuit. You’d forget lines, stumble over your own words, and your cheeks would burn with the sense of humiliation. So instead, you were reading your book, highlighting and making notes in the margins. How many people would strangle you for such a crime?

“(Y/N) (L/N).”

You snap the book closed.

The room smells sterile, like they had soaked it in bleach and Febreeze. You almost wanted to choke. You were expecting to see a casting director. But in the middle of the table, with her sunglasses resting atop of her head, was Tashi Duncan.

She wore a combination of silver and gold jewelry. You recognized her gold cross necklace. The button down dress showed off her legs, bringing your eyes to the wedges that matched the white and blue vertical stripes. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. Her brown eyes scan you. She saw right through you.

“Auteurs and Authorship.” Her voice commands the entire room. The door clicks shut behind you.

“I’m…sorry?” You’re so small in front of her.

“Barry Keith Grant. Your book.”

“Oh. Yes…”

“Interesting. An amateur move.” She folds her hands together on the table and leans forward.

“Could you…explain what you mean by that?”

“Makes yourself seem interested in the…intricacies, we’ll say, of film. Gives off the impression that you’re an academic. You’re a real film person.”

“Ummm…I do work in academia. I’m an adjunct. It’s what I do on the side.”

Tashi’s eyebrows rise. “Really now? Do you teach film, then?”

“Not right now. That’s the plan for the fall. I’m trying to plan the syllabus out.”

“And you want to talk about auteurs?”

“At some point.”

Tashi leans a little bit more forward in her seat. “Do you think I am an auteur?”

What a complicated question.

“Well…traditionally—”

“I don’t want the traditional answer. What I want to know is if you think I’m an auteur.”

Your mouth is dry. This had to be some sort of trick question. It had to be some trap. Piss off enough people and you’re done for good. Tashi Duncan was a phenomenon and if she wanted to, you could be erased. Hollywood did not provide the environment for solidarity. If one door opened, another door closed. If one movie was a sensation, then any movie that bore a resemblance (a resemblance that wasn’t even a resemblance) to said movie would just become that thing, reduced to that thing, ignored in all of its nuance and creativity and its passion. You lick your lips. “I think…it’s hard to tell.”

“And why is that?”

“Well you just started directing. You have three films and a couple of television episodes. Most of your credits are acting. And auteurship is thought more in terms of directing than acting. If you want to ask if you’re a star, then absolutely you are. But an auteur? I would wait some time. I don’t think three films and some television episodes is enough for an auteur study.” Your heart was pounding miles per hour. You were anxious, on the edge. “I’d want to see what else you’re doing. The landscape is always shifting and naturally, so is your auteurship.”

You can see the way her jaw unclenches. Or clenches? It was hard to tell. She detangles her fingers from one another and leans back into her seat. “If you need to use the script to read the lines—”

“I remember my lines.”

“Well look at you. Well prepared.” Tashi clears her throat. “The set is quiet. Everyone is on edge. She turns to camera 3 and speaks.”

Like a puppet, you speak.

“No, no.” You shake your head, reading the essay. You highlight a portion and then type up your comment on the Canvas page. You’re probably giving the student a heart attack right now, if they have the app on their phone. A constant stream of vibrations as the instructor leaves an annotation on their submission document. You drink your lemonade soda. Blueberry lavender lemonade soda. It was always your go to, along with a cranberry orange loaf slice. It was a small cafe by the college with cheap food and cheaper drinks. Very popular among the students.

“You work a lot, huh?”

You look up from your computer. You’re tempted to close it, but you don’t. You lean back in your seat. “I tried calling you. But you wouldn’t pick up.” Tashi sits down in the seat across from you. Her hand reaches out and she closes the laptop. She doesn’t want to look at your stickers.

“I keep my phone off during the work day. Gets things done easier.”

“You don’t listen to music while working? Or anything of the sort?”

“I do it through my laptop. They have a Spotify desktop app, you know.”

A smirk is curling at the corner of her lips. “You’re quick, I’ll give you that.”

“So, you came to tell me I didn’t get the part? Personally? It’s a lot better than a lot of other people.”

“I read your resume. Couple of extra roles. A role on SVU for three episodes.”

“Doesn’t everyone go through SVU?”

“You’re not wrong. And a couple of short films. One of them critically received. And yet, no credit. No invitation to the award shows.” Tashi shrugs. “Nothing. What’s up with that?”

“What do you think? You work with some white people and a nepo baby. And the nepo baby takes everything that was supposed to go to you. It’s like a more fucked up version of Lena Lamont and Kathy Selden except there’s no retribution and the nepo baby isn’t talented at all but apparently their film is good.”

“You’re a little film critic, huh?”

“If you want to be a good actor, a good filmmaker, generally good in the process, shouldn’t you be a film critic? Lot of the greats got started in film criticism. Lots of people start their career by criticizing and addressing discrepancies.”

“Like what?” Tashi folds her hands and places her chin atop of them.

“Well, this is kind of a basic example. But The Watermelon Woman. Cheryl Dunye notices this discrepancy in old silent films where Black actors were not credited. And if they were, sometimes they'd be credited by a stereotype like The Mammy or, in the case of the pseudo-documentary film, the Watermelon Woman. And in the film, she’s creating an alternate film history that addresses this erasure of Black actresses and particular sapphic, lesbian Black actresses. So what does Dunye do? Make a cornerstone of Black and lesbian cinema.” You shrug.

“And is it on your top four on Letterboxd?”

“It is, yeah. Do you have Letterboxd?”

“I do. It’s a great way to interact with the fans.”

“Like Sean Baker?”

“We follow each other.” She shrugs. “He likes my reviews every once in a while. I enjoy that he talks about his viewing experience for the movies he watches.”

You pick up the small plate and take a bite of your loaf. The sour cranberry cuts through the sweetness, giving you that perfect balance of tartness and sugar. “Well, if that’s all you want to talk about—”

“I’m giving you the part.”

“What?”

You stare at Tashi with disbelief. She pushes her sunglasses up to rest atop of her head. You just realize that she’s wearing a sleeveless black turtleneck. Her cross necklace glimmers in the sunlight. “Me…the part?”

“You gave the best performance. And everyone in Hollywood is a yes man. I don’t want a yes man. I want someone who’s going to engage with my material critically, who understands what I want to achieve. Who has a knowledge of film history.” Tashi pulls out the script from her purse and sets it atop your laptop. It’s quite hefty. “I want notes. I want revisions. Production doesn’t start until next month. So cancel teaching. Find someone to sub in. Maybe a grad student. You’ll be filming a movie instead.”

A movie with me, was what she was really saying.

And you’d be stupid to miss out on this opportunity.

“Yeah…yeah. Of course. Of course!” You were in utter disbelief.

“Tried to call you to tell you that. But you didn’t pick up.” Tashi stands up from her seat. “The movie’s…a bit out there. Little something I’ve been brewing for years. They want to promote it as the next Get Out and Us.” She rolls her eyes. She pulls out a small notebook and scribbles her phone number down, placing it on top of the script. “It’s anything but. Think about it in terms of…exaggerated autobiography mixed with real life tragedy and homages to Dario Argento and taking inspiration from Santa Sangre.”

You weren’t the only cinephile, it seems.

“Yeah,  yeah. That sounds really interesting.” You swallow your own saliva nervously. “I-I’ll come back with notes.”

“Great.” Tashi reaches out. She holds your chin between her fingers and her thumbs wipe away some crumbs on your lips. Your lips explode with heat, her touch leaving tingles. “You better not disappoint me.”

She pulls her hand away too soon.

“I’ll see you in two weeks. My house. I’ll text you the address.”

You watch her walk back to her car, an Astin Martin. She pulls her sunglasses down and gives you one last glance, as if trying to take you in your natural habitat. Was she studying you? Studying your natural self to get a sense of how she would direct you? She turns to face the road and pulls smoothly out of her parking spot.

And that was how you started working with Tashi Duncan.

[thisbluespirit]

How To Find Your (British Actor) Blorbo On The Radio: A Brief Guide

(Disclaimer: British, because the main tool I'm using is the BBC's Genome.)

If you want more of your fave actor, or you love full-cast drama podcasts/audios (and audiobooks/NF content too) here's a guide on how to get your hands on BBC Radio broadcasts.

The BBC have a great free resource called Genome, which has all the Radio Times listings from 1922 to the present day (plus some of the actual articles), and it's searchable. Up until its arrival, it was really hard to do that, so \o/

Not all actors do radio and not everything you find will be obtainable, but it's always worth a try! It's especially likely for actor-blorbos who do other audio work, or theatre (theatre tends not to pay so well, and radio is a handy extra thing that can be more easily slotted in between performances than TV/film.)

Go to Genome, and put your blorbo's name into the search box:

Press search, which will bring back a bunch of results from both radio and TV listings from 1922 up to the current year:

2. Filter down to "radio only" on the sidebar to avoid scrolling through all the TV. At the top of the page you can change the display order to First broadcast (or Availability, if you want it only to bring things currently available to stream on the BBC website), among other options.

I can also cut down on extraneous results by selecting a date range that only covers when my guy was active.

I scroll down until I find something that looks interesting, in this case a proper audio drama, called The Hornblower Story. It's from 1980 and is an adaptation of a well known book. The details give me enough info to search the wider internet, and see if I get lucky...

3. Search the internet and listen to your blorbo act in radio drama!

There are several ways to obtain radio drama online. If you use streaming sites like Audible and Spotify, it may be there, although usually only if it's had a commercial release.

The BBC still broadcast old programmes on the radio, so it might be currently available on their website to stream - and unlike TV, you can listen to BBC Radio anywhere in the world! (If you are in the UK, you can also download and use the BBC Sounds app.) The Genome will usually provide a link for you to go straight there, if that's the case.

However, obviously, most BBC Radio from past decades is not available commercially or being broadcast by the BBC now and some doesn't exist in the archives, or was never recorded (as with TV), but as methods of recording audio at home have been widely available since the 1950s and 60s, there are loads of off-air recordings of radio made by listeners/collectors, and some have freely shared their copies online. Some are in closed forums etc., but three good sites to try first are YouTube, RadioEchoes & the Internet Archive.

I usually start with a Google search - e.g. '"Title" radio' or radio bbc and if that doesn't give me anything add on first "Radio Echoes" and then "Internet archive" to the search.

And I'm in luck! Radio Echoes appear to have the adaptation I'm after. I need to check the broadcast dates to see if they match up & then I can stream or download for free - and hear my blorbo play a stern Admiral for 5 minutes or less, hurrah!

Clicking on the links takes you to a screen where you can press play to stream or right click on the play bar to download the mp3 file to your device. (Click the "Save audio as..." option).

These are archive off-air recordings, so the quality can vary, especially for older programmes.

4. Rinse and repeat with each new likely Genome discovery.

If you find a copy of what you're looking for on the Internet Archive instead, you'll get up a page with a play bar (like the one above), with episodes listed plus details (to varying degrees) below. If you want to stream, just click play and enjoy. If you want to download it, then click on the MP3 files line on the right-hand sidebar, which will then give you an "X no of files" button to click and you can download them to keep.

(You can download all the files, but I usually cut straight to the chase and just nab the MP3s.)

Sometimes the BBC have released a commercial audiobook. In those cases, if you already use audio/music streaming subscription sites like Audible or Spotify, you should be able to find it there.

If you don't, or you want to buy a download, I've found the best option (weirdly!) (for UK users, at any rate) is to get the audiobook up at Penguin Books, which links to various paid subscription streaming and download options, so you can find the best one for you (and you know it's been recced by a hopefully reputable source.)

Last year, I wanted to buy Vivat Rex, the BBC's landmark dramatisation of all the English history plays rolled into one giant starry-cast Jacobean audio serial, and successfully used this route. (I'm very old by internet terms and still like listening via MP3 files on my MP3 player, as long as it survives.)

Pretty much the only affordable download option I've found so far I got courtesy of Penguin's links to Hive. (But this may be a UK only option.)

If what you're looking for seems likely to exist even if you can't find it by any of these methods - keep trying! New things are being added daily to all these websites, and the BBC cycle round old shows all the time.

And if you want to go deeper, there are closed forums etc. for radio enthusiasts where you need to make an account, but you may then be able to torrent or download an even wider variety of things.

Of course, whether or not your blorbo has been in anything good or any radio at all will depend on them, but I hope this guide will help enable you to find out!

YouTube, Radio Echoes, the Internet Archive and Old Time Radio all have radio from other countries too. So while the BBC Genome can't help you with anywhere outside the UK, the other links here can be good places to look around and browse for things you might be interested in.

You can of course use the same methods to search for things like a favourite author, or particular plays, to see if the BBC have done any radio adaptations - BBC Radio have done heaps of things that have never been adapted on screen, so it's always worth a look for anything you'd be into.

Radio Echoes is browsable as well as searchable, and while Internet Archive is a bit less so, there are some excellent collections you can look through, like the Saturday Night Theatre collection, and the BBC Radio Shows listings.

[heartfullofleeches]

Maunder Labyrinth Character Intros/General Information

-

A concept blurb for my haunted attraction yan series in which the Reader applies for a position at the location to make some extra cash for the upcoming season. This post lists the main cast plus a few of the rules they have to follow. Feel free to ask any questions

-

SawBones (she/they)

Doctor; grouchy 24/7

A woman of science looked down upon by peers and loved ones for her unorthodox methods. Tricked into visited the Labyrinth by "friends" and betrayed by that same group right before the exit. Seeing the talent in her twisted mind she was given a second chance. Was gifted the bodies of all four members as a welcome present to her new home which she then stitched into a new pet who carries out patrols for her. Turns every guest she gets her hands on into a new guard or another trophy on her shelf.

Sawbones lost an eye to a guest before being fully twinned to the Labyrinth. Hates Hound for stopping her from chasing after them once they had safely escaped her section. Her sole comfort is a cassette player she had in her pocket before venturing to the attraction with a mixtape of the songs it once loved. It serves a deeper purpose as her real name is on the tape.

-

Martyr (He/Him)

"You can trust me!" You can't trust him.

A once shy and awkward body with a tame love for horror now a homicidal fanatic. Lost his mind to the horrors and wonders of the Labyrinth, and slaughtered his friends as offerings for a hope to appease. Bangs himself up and dupes his way into large groups to slowly bump them off one before breaking into a frenzy and killing the rest in his lust.

Welds a chainsaw he decorates with stickers and prints guests might have on them. If something they own is cute enough he will let a guest go - if a ten minute headstart means anything.

-

Jumpscare

...

...

....boo

Not much is know about Jumpscare. They reappear and disappear mostly as they please. There one second and gone the next. Devoid of expression and is alot jumpier than they look. Half of their scares are from being startled upon finding living guests while disassociating, and screaming their head off because of the realization.

Jumpscare is one of two actors who will not actively kill guests (unless they have a heart condition). They are interested in the outside world and offer places to hide in exchange for knowledge. Pulls back from this habit once Reader joins the crew and dumps their questions on them instead.

-

Bedevil

"I see dead people...." "B, that's a mirror." "I know...."

Plagued by wails and visions of the damned. Has trouble telling guests from living or dead and will fly into panic when they attempt to interact- adding another voice to the choir that haunts them. Reader's name tag helps Bedevil differ them from others, but they cling to their side to assure their companion is still among the living. Has thought of asking Reader to quite, but is too afraid of being alone again.

-

Hound (they/them)

Do not remove their muzzle. Do not interact.

Hound is the other member who will not kill guests - they are also the most monstrous in appearance. Hound is reluctant in their cannibalistic urges, but feels they deserve to live same as everyone else. Eats the corpses of guests littered around and offers sanctuary for survivors in their bunker. It is the only safe zone in the main building.

Twins - Leader (he/him) & Follower (whatever you want)

Follower and Leader swap between manning the front and being guides for the tour. Follower is very assertive, dominant, and boastful. Leader is reserved, submissive and self hating. Follower will lead a tour safely through the maze unless a guest acts against them. Leader will do just about any order giving to them, but has a walkie-talkie at all times to receive them from their bother. If a guests asks for a discount - they will give it. If they ask to be let go - Leader will let them go.

Spector [It]

Enforcer of law, order, and punishment. Has free range of all corners of the Labyrinth and the ability to phase through walls. A tell tale sign of their arrival is the temperature dropping. The cameras around the attraction are their eyes.

-

Boogeyman

Your Boss.

-

THE SEVEN IMPORTANT RULES ACTORS HAVE TO FOLLOW

Do not attack guests until signaled.

Do not fight amongst each other.

Once inside Hound's bunker no actor is permitted to attack guests until they exit.

Do not leave your assigned area.

Do not cover the cameras.

Do not take the hired helps name tag. Failure to comply to this rule will be met immediate termination.

Failure to comply otherwise will result in the mask given to you sewn into place. A second strike will give the jailer free range of punishment.

[nothingenoughao3]

hai i'm curious about what twin peaks is, can you explain it to me (preferably without spoilers) /nf

Oh, is it my birthday?! Yes I can do that!

I will say that I generally do not consider things that happen in the pilot or first episode of a TV series to be "spoilers" so much as "premise". So anything I say here that's direct plot-stuff will only come from the pilot. All right? Let's dig in!

CAPSULE SUMMARY

Twin Peaks is a surreal/magical realism/police procedural/drama/horror/soap opera produced by David Lynch and Mark Frost. It had two seasons of 30 episodes total, a film (Fire Walk With Me), and a third season that came out 25 years later in 2017.

In the pilot episode, a teenaged young woman who everyone in town knows, Laura Palmer, is found murdered. The town reels to cope with her demise and the investigation. A second young woman is found alive and wandering--and she crossed state lines as she wandered. The police call in the FBI, since it's now a multi-state case, and in walks Special Agent Dale Cooper.

As Cooper begins his investigation, he discovers that there's far, far more going on in Twin Peaks than he'd first anticipated.

[NOTE HERE that Twin Peaks covers a LOT of extremely tough and triggering topics over the course of its run. DoesTheDogDie should have a list of all triggers, although those will come with spoilers. The main one to be aware of is that sexual assault, domestic abuse, and rape are discussed. The aftermath of these crimes is depicted. It's 1990, so it's not graphic as in Law & Order: SVU, but it is very much present. Please take care of yourself first!]

NOT-SPOILER REASONS TO WATCH IT

It is a vital historical work of art. Twin Peaks revived the police procedural, popularized soap operas as an art form, launched and relaunched multiple acting careers, introduced surrealism to multiple generations of TV watchers, taught basics of Buddhism, helped spread awareness of the Free Tibet movement, and inspired countless references and imitators. When you watch Twin Peaks, you'll feel like you've seen it before... because you've almost certainly seen something which only exists because of Twin Peaks.

David Lynch is Autism Patient Zero who does not compromise his writing or his vision for NT audiences. He writes dialogue and directs actors in a way that can only be described as "everybody's got the autism accent", and it is a DELIGHT to experience.

The visuals are, often, so strong that you will forget how to breathe. Many of the sets and locations are treated like characters in and of themselves.

The title, Twin Peaks, ties into the show's central themes about identity, which is one of my favorite themes in fiction. What makes you who you are? If there was someone who looked a lot like you, would that compromise who you are? What if they have the same name as you? Are you no longer who you are if you can't remember your past? Is it sometimes a good thing to change your identity? What if everybody thinks you did something unforgivable, but you don't remember it? Does society require all of us to have public faces and private faces? Does anyone really know another person's private face?

When I first watched it, nobody shipped Trucoop (Cooper with the local police sheriff, Harry S. Truman). Now it seems like everybody does and I am not alone, yaaay.

Features one of the very few trans characters in media at the time who was unambiguously positive!

Watch an episode, then pull up the IMDB and see who everyone is. I guarantee that you'll almost always find SOMEone who was famous for other stuff. If you like Star Trek, you'll find that half the damn cast was either on TNG or DS9. It is honestly astounding to me that Jeff Combs wasn't on the series (because, I assume, he was shooting Bride of Re-Animator and other stuff).

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR

The subtitling in some versions of the show (on DVD specifically) is really bad and unreliable. I found that the Netflix subtitles were OK. If you don't know about OpenSubtitle, I recommend using them to find better subtitles in case you need them.

As stated above, the show gets into really dark themes, and it does not shy away from them when necessary. I feel that these things are addressed in a sensitive way and frequently related to plot, but it hits everyone different.

The music... eh. I like the electro/late 80s theme and the instrumentals that back most of the scenes. But every time someone sings, I get the cringe. I've never been able to get on board with what Lynch thinks good music sounds like. But a lot of people do, so that could just be me.

It takes a lot of work to watch this show. Since so much of it is visual, it is absolutely a show you have to watch with no distractions. I found it to be worth it--past a certain point, I didn't want any distractions. But I get where it's a sacrifice of time and concentration.

If you watch it and enjoy it, you will probably end up with Lynchian Syndrome, where you are compelled to watch every other thing David Lynch has ever made and develop elaborate hypotheses on how they're all in the same universe and suchlike.

So yeah! I hope this gives you an spoiler-free idea of why this show is so special, and if you had any other questions about it, let me know!

[babiebom]

Stardew Bachelor/ette’s as Mean Girls (2024) characters

A/N: i recently watched the new mean girls musical movie and it wasn’t as bad as people were saying it was. Like the singing and the songs were good, the cast fit their characters(except for Aaron’s actor sorry I feel like they could’ve gotten someone hotter but I do understand where Cady was coming from like he’s cute enough that if you’re in high school and in the same class as him at least one person would have a crush on him.) so like I do with everything I consume let’s stardew-ify it!!

Tw:mentions of bullying, cursing, sex, drugs, lmk if there’s something I missed!!

Bc: at least 4 for each

Stardew Valley Masterlist

Shane

Principal Duvall

Is tired of this shit

And teenage girls lowkey frighten him

Would yell and get everyone’s attention in the hallway bc I think he has the lungs

Would leave it to Leah to take over the assembly lmao

“Tell everyone you’re not a drug pusher PLEASE”

Elliott

Damian

While Elliott and Abigail aren’t really friends

He has the flamboyancy I feel to fit this character

Also it’s canon that all characters are bi so it’s okay for him to be in this role

Would probably have all the tea and would be as dramatic as Damian

“She doesn’t even go here?????”

He just seems bestie type

Alex

Aaron Samuels(is that his last name?)

I think this is as obvious as who Regina is.

I don’t think he’s as smart as Aaron is, BUT is popular enough to make Haley want to have some claim over him.

And is cute enough that new girls will immediately have a crush on him

Would actually be crushed if he got cheated on

Harvey

Kevin

The guy on the mathlete team or whatever it was called

Mostly because he’s smart and I do think he would’ve been in some nerdy ass club as a kid

Also at high school college point I do think he would’ve gone through a slightly edgy phase of being a nerd that talks about getting bitches all the time

Would want Maru on the team

Leah

Ms.Norbury

Because I think it’s funny

Like out of all of them Leah would be the one to be called a drug pusher

Like I personally think she smokes weed or eats like weed salads or something

And personally I think she’s above all of the drama of mean girls

Would gather everyone and be like WTF is wrong with y’all we are better than this.

Emily

Karen

Now don’t get me wrong Emily isn’t as dumb as Karen at all

BUT they both have this daydream-y airheadedness about them

And I don’t mean airhead as in stupid either, just more….in outer space than other people if you know what I mean

Like always in their own head

Don’t care about what others think to an extent

If you think about it she fits kinda

Somehow finds herself in the drama even though she’s just been daydreaming this entire time

Maru

Cady Herron

Listen I don’t think Maru would have the balls to do what Cady did

But they both are insanely smart and I can see Maru falling in love with any boy in her class that gives her attention

Would tell someone they aren’t as smart as they thought they were while drunk

She is in calculust yall

Penny

Gretchen Wieners

In the movie Gretchen is very insecure and just wants to be the best friend she can be even if it’s by helping Regina bully others

And at some point turns on Regina because she’s had enough

And is quiet enough to be overlooked as the pretty friend of the popular one

Meek and accepting like Gretchen is

Literally just wants to fit in

Abigail

Janis

I went between her and Leah for this but I think Abigail fits this role more

I think it’s more about style Janis always has a punk rock look about her and Abigail is emo/goth/punk

And while she isn’t autistic I think she is more likely to be called a pyro-Les than Leah is.

Abigail is just the right amount of unhinged to be Janis

Haley

Regina George

Come on this was the most obvious thing about this list

Like actually blonde, gives off bully vibes

Would take over a school and is probably rich.

Would be an absolute bitch and be mean to people then throw a fit when it turns around on her.

Tell me who “world burn” and “introducing the plastics” fits more. I’ll wait.

Unfortunately there aren’t enough characters so Seb and Sam don’t get anyone to themselves but I think both have the energy to fit both Aaron and Damian. Like both are total cuties that anyone would have a crush on even though seb is intimidating and introverted. And both I feel like would have the sass and bestie vibes of Damian so both could be both oof

[dawnagustd]

unholy night: epilogue

The queen has made her list and checked it twice. She’s visiting those who have been naughty, and punishing them in ways that are oh so nice.

- Part of the Unholy Night Series     

➻ title: epilogue  ➻ pairing: ot7 x f!reader  ➻ genre: fantasy | holiday | magic | smut  ➻ word count: 2.8k  ➻ rating: 18+  ➻ warnings: language | discussions of the adult film industry | plot twist i guess | orgy/group sex/gangbanging... whatever you wanna call it | spit roasting | unprotected sex because this is fiction | Dom/sub undertones | spit/spit play | anal | fingering (vaginal and anal) | rough oral | deepthroating and gagging | hair pulling | mentions spanking | rough sex | nipple sucking | breast play | sloppy kisses | cum shots | facials | dirty talk | pet names | multiple orgasms | triple penetration | throat grabbing | panty sniffing | scent kink | masturbation | handjobs | throat fucking | choking on cock | public/ outdoor sex | squirting | itallics are from the script | mentions polyamorous relationships | the ending is fluffy to me | unedited ➻ author’s note: Well, this is the last one. I’m kind of sad. I’m going to miss these characters so much. Thank you once again for the support. Also, special thanks to @taechwitaaah for beta reading some of these and @yoon2k for this beautiful banner. I hope you all enjoy this one and Happy Holidays!

“Wait a minute.”

Hoseok momentarily takes his eyes off the paper to check in with you. You’re sitting at your desk reading along with him and the rest of the potential cast. Seven of the biggest names in the industry sit silently in your home office after just reading the screenplay you’ve printed for them.

You’re a tad bit nervous, but your poker face has never failed you.

“You wrote this entire thing?” Hoseok asks in disbelief. “By yourself?”

You can imagine they’ve never thought about what the people who write these things may look like, but whatever their imagination held certainly was not you.

Here you are sitting in your home office, a jobless adult film writer wearing a pair of dress pants and a blouse asking seven hot porn stars to be in your low-budget film. Unfortunately, you have no choice. Bills need to be paid, and work has been hard to find. 

You had to gather up whoever you could find, and these top-paid actors just happened to be looking for a gig.

“Yes, I did. It’s what I do,” you respond.

Hoseok looks over at Yoongi, who’s shaking his head in the corner of the room. He finds humor in his friend’s bewilderment, and it’s because he knows all about your credentials.

“Dude, she’s the real deal. She used to write Hu$tler’s shit,” Jimin explains. 

You nod to that statement, taking full credit for their greatest hits. Not only did you take part in writing and piecing things together, but you also produced several films there. 

But unfortunately, they did not see the vision you have for Unholy Night. They said no female actor would be able to pull off the role. And that there’s too much plot for a porno. But you have to disagree. 

Many people enjoy a bit of stimulation before doing their thing. However, when you have a bunch of people thinking with their dicks, you can never get your point across. You quit the same day, and no matter how many times they call you a day, you aren’t going back.

“Really? So why didn’t they reach out to our agents?”

You answer Taehyung’s question immediately. “Because I no longer work for them.”

You look around the room at the curious looks etched across the men’s faces and further explain the reason behind your departure from the company.

“One can only write the same plot so many times before they are worn out,” you add.

“So why not write something different?” asks Jungkook.

You gesture towards the papers in their hands.

“I did… And they laughed.”

The company didn’t think you could pull it off, nor did they think they could profit off of it.

“Well, I’d pay money to see it,” Seokjin interrupts. “I’m in.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Both Jimin and Jungkook join him in agreement, leaving four men left to respond.

“Well, I can’t agree until I know who’s the leading role,” Yoongi informs.

The other guys become curious as well because up until now that hasn’t been brought up.

“Let’s be real… I can’t afford to hire anyone else. This is a one-woman show, my friends. I’m writing, producing, directing, and… I’m starring in it.”

The room is silent once again. 

Everyone, including the people that were on board with working with you, are now skeptical about this. You have no experience. No screen time under your belt, but you’re planning to portray the leading actress yourself. It doesn’t sound too promising, and for actors of their status, it could be career changing.

You’re confident that you can manage, though. Being a writer gives you experience with creating personalities and characters. Your other secret weapon is your experience. You sure didn’t pull these ideas out of your ass. Sex is one of your favorite pastimes. Though, it’s been a while since you’ve visited that department.

Yoongi sighs before he offers his input.

“Look, you’re hot and this sounds fun. And it’s a great storyline, but…”

“You’re going to have to show us what you’re working with before we put our careers on the line,” Namjoon concludes.

Seokjin takes one look at your face, and he starts to apologize on Namjoon’s behalf.

“Um, I think what he means is we don’t normally work with inexperienced actors, and—”

“I know what he means, Mr. Kim,” you interrupt. “I understand your concerns.”

Namjoon’s comment actually reminded you of why you’re doing this. So many plots you’ve written where the female is left dick-whipped and in a post-orgasmic haze while the male role stands over them on a power trip. So many actresses stuck in the same loop, role after role, an empty filler with the same bimbo personality. They’re programmed to think this is what people want to see, but many viewers have grown exhausted from getting off to the same old shit.

And you would know because you sure didn’t enter this industry for the money.

“I’m not a company that can promise you a shit load of cash. There’s a reason I didn’t reach out to your agents; I knew they’d decline. What I can promise, however, is a good fuck and a brand this industry has never seen.”

You make sure you hold eye contact with everyone in the room before you continue. The last thing you want to show is that you lack confidence. You rise from your seat to make yourself appear larger, claiming dominance since this is your space.

“I have already proven to you how sexy my brain can be, but if I need to show you more… I don’t have an issue with that either,” you shrug.

You lean over your desk, resting your right knee on the surface so you can be closer to Namjoon who has claimed the seat in front of you. You both stare at one another until your smirk produces a tiny reaction from him.

“So how do you wanna do this, Mr. Kim?”

“Up to you, beautiful,” he challenges.

Your focus shifts to the other men for a moment, and then back to Namjoon.

“Well, if I can’t have all of you then this doesn’t work for me.”

“So how do we settle this?” Yoongi asks, gaining your attention.

All seven men scoot to the edge of their seats trying to figure out what happens next, but you plan to show them rather than telling them. You push your papers off of the desk and climb on top of it.

“I guess you all will have to come and push the ‘try me’ button.”

They all get up at once and make their way toward you. 

Namjoon is the closest, so you grab his hands and place them on your body. 

“You better pick a hole before it’s filled,” you whisper to him.

He responds by tearing your blouse. You watch the buttons bounce off the desk and then hit the floor. Namjoon’s fingers trace the black lace bra you’re wearing before he reaches behind you to remove it. 

Behind you, Taehyung helps to remove your shirt, and once your top half is bare, both men start groping your mounds. Your head lolls back on Taehyung’s shoulder while Namjoon leaves a trail of kisses down your neck. 

His hands move down to your pants, and he unbuttons them before slipping a hand inside.

“Shit.”

You hiss when his cold fingertips find your clit, and a wide grin spreads on his face.

“I want this one,” he chuckles, moving his digits toward your entrance. When he notices how wet you are already, he looks at Taehyung. “She’s been thinking about this.”

He grabs your throat and forces you to look at him.

“Why didn’t you speak up, sweetheart? We could have fucked you when we got here.”

“Ah. I—”

“Don’t be shy,” he laughs.

“I’m not.”

“We’ll see,” says Yoongi.

Namjoon slowly pushes two of his fingers into your cunt while Taehyung continues to feel all over your body. Jimin and Hoseok climb on the table with you, naked with their cocks in hand. They come close enough for you to take over and pleasure them while you are being pleased.

“Oh, she is not bad,” Hoseok comments.

“I agree,” Jimin says as well.

But you can do so much more. This is just pregaming.

You grind your ass on Taehyung while Namjoon fingers your pussy, and the action withdraws several comments. He praises you for the softness of your ass, and you show appreciation by turning to sloppily make out with him. 

Namjoon is impressed but still tries to break you before the fun even begins. He bends over and wraps his lips around one of your nipples, sucking while Taehyung twists and pinches the other.

“Fuck!” Jimin cries, and Taehyung teases him.

“Damn, dude. Is Namjoon sucking on your tits or hers?”

“Shut up. This feels so fucking good,” he moans, and Hoseok cosigns.

“Yeah, she’s talented.”

Namjoon releases your nipple and speaks. “I’m still not convinced.”

“Because you’re too afraid to whip your dick out,” you laugh.

Namjoon immediately retracts his hand, leaving you wet and disappointed. However, when he starts removing his clothes, excitement builds inside you.

Jungkook, Yoongi, and Seokjin are seated completely bare, stroking their cocks to the sight before them. It only makes you eager to get this started.

You feel Taehyung tugging on your pants so you leave Jimin and Hoseok for a moment so you can hop off of the desk and allow him to pull them down. He takes off your panties too but throws them to Jungkook.

You watch as he catches them and bundles them in his hands, sniffing the fabric before passing them to Seokjin. He passes them to Yoongi once he’s done, and Yoongi takes his turn with them. He wraps them around his dick once he’s taken a big whiff of them.

Before you can get caught up watching him get off with your panties, Namjoon reminds you of your tasks. He’s walked around the table and is now standing behind you.

“Quick math quiz,” he says in your ear. You hum to let him know you’re listening. “There are seven cocks in this room… How many can you take at once?”

Everyone waits for your answer with wide eyes. You can’t help but giggle at the question he asked you.

“I’d say all of them,” you reply.

Namjoon smirks. “I like that answer.

Your scalp burns from all the tugging and your ass stings from all the blows delivered to your skin. Your throat is sore from moaning and sobbing, but your adrenaline and desire remain high.

Namjoon and Jungkook take turns fucking you from behind while you lie bent over your desk while Yoongi, Hoseok, and Taehyung stand in front of you shoving their cocks down your throat. They all grab your hair and turn your head in every direction, making your head spin from all the commands they are giving.

“That’s it. Choke on it, love,” Hoseok grunts as you gag around his dick.

As soon as he hits the back of your throat, Taehyung grabs you and does the same. You do your best to keep Jimin and Seokjin’s dick in your hands, but Jungkook nearly makes it impossible with his thrusting. 

Out of nowhere, you feel a hand touch your ass, but not to spank you. Its fingers move towards the center and collect the arousal gushing from your cunt. You look back and see Namjoon smirking at Jungkook as he pushes his finger into your back entrance. Your eyes roll back from the fullness that overcomes your body.

Jungkook spreads your cheeks, and Namjoon allows his spit to drip into your hole. Jungkook fucks you faster and deeper, making your squeeze your hands around Seokjin’s and Jimin’s cock for support. They’re already sensitive since they’ve had their turn with you after winning a game of rock, paper, scissors so the pressure nearly drives them over the edge.

“Fuck, your turn, bro,” says Jungkook as his cock twitches inside of you. He knows better. All of them do. 

No one can come until you’re satisfied. 

Is it fair? No. But so far, you’ve had two orgasms; you know this final one will be mind-blowing then you’ll think about letting them reach their highs.

When Jungkook slips out of you, Namjoon takes his place. However, you don’t get to moan out his name when he enters you because Yoongi demands your attention.

“Open up,” he requests, and you do as you’re told.

Just as Namjoon did, he enters you with urgency. The two of them begin fucking you so hard that the desk shakes violently. Your cheeks and chin are covered with spit, tears, and precum while your ass and thighs are covered with large red handprints. Your mouth and throat are raw, and your body feels like it’s on fire.

Your muffled cries are broken and weak, but the pressure building inside of you is strong.

Namjoon removes his fingers, making you believe he’s done playing with that part of you, but you are proven wrong when his cock slips out of your pussy and enters your ass.

You scream, and the widening of your mouth allows Yoongi to travel deeper into your throat.

“Fuck! Every hole she owns is tight,” Namjoon groans. His legs wobble and shake, making you laugh even while he and Yoongi are buried inside of you. The vibrations cause Yoongi’s knees to buckle, and he looks around the room at his buddies before he speaks.

“I hate to disappoint but we gotta speed this up. I almost lost it.”

“Yeah,” Namjoon agrees. “I don’t think I can tag anyone else in. All of you look like you’re done for.”

With it set on their minds, Namjoon and Yoongi decide to take it home. These others gather around like a prayer circle and beat their dicks while their friends split you open.

Yoongi powers through, using your mouth like it’s his favorite toy. You breathe through your nose and relax your throat so you can last as long as he does without choking. Namjoon also makes the most of his last few minutes in paradise. He utilizes both of your holes, fucking one until his muscles are tired and then filling the other. 

Eventually, the pressure becomes too much, and an orgasm washes over you. You squirt all over your desk, leaving Namjoon mesmerized. His cock slips out of you, but that doesn’t stop you from coming. You lay flat on your stomach while Yoongi uses you like a sleeve, still coming and screaming their names.

Once you come to your senses, you hear the cries of pleasure surrounding you and quickly tap Yoongi’s thigh. He removes himself from your throat, and you slide off the table before running toward the center of your office. 

You fall to your knees, and the men get in formation. You look them in the eyes as you massage their balls and lick their cocks to help them reach their high. Even though you’re on your knees, they’re still under your control.

“Damn, sweetheart. We’ll help you with your movie. You’ve earned it,” Namjoon announces, and the others agree.

“But you haven’t read the ending,” you point out.

Your voice is rough and almost inaudible, but they respond, letting you know they heard you. No one knows how Unholy Night’s queen saves Heauxville from those damned souls, but they’re about to find out.

-

As you wait on your knees for Heauxville’s naughty batch to deposit their seed and paint your body as white as the snow beneath you, the morning sun starts to melt not only the cycles of ice decorating the town, but also, your frozen heart…

Okay, that was a lie. You have no heart, but you’ve always wanted to say that.

Though these men have been punished, you’d be a fool to think they won’t continue their nasty ways. It’s been a cold winter, but things will only heat up from this point forward. This town won’t be able to handle the wrath of these bruised egos. There’s only one person for that job, but she doesn’t plan to stay here any longer.

“Come for me, my loves,” you whisper, and your body becomes their canvas.

Cum and snow begin to cover you until, eventually, it stops. Your body falls onto the piles of white mush, and you smile as your new lovers join you. 

You lie there thinking and staring at the clear sky until it turns into the crystal ceiling of your castle. The chilling snow becomes the cool comfort of your satin sheets. Gentle snoring fills your ears, and you think about the amount of time that has passed since you shared your bed with someone. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be after all. Maybe it isn’t. Regardless, however. There are no rules on your end. 

What the queen wants, she gets. And right now, she wants seven toxic boyfriends… And now, she has them. It all works out perfectly. You’re already imagining what kind of trouble they will cause, and you become wet just from the thought. 

You sigh.

“Tis the fucking season, bitches.”

[cellarspider]

7/30 germs.

(Previous) | (Index) | (Next)

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We return to a movie that disrespects the archaeological importance of roads, Prometheus.

I am still not over that. I will never be over that.

This time, content warnings for continuing frat boy archaeology, cringeful application of racist terms to lily-white androids, me screeching about site contamination some more, and Apollo’s dodgeball striking this movie with a glancing blow about masking.

So, back in the theater in 2012, I had already lost sympathy for the cast. They were being set up as stock horror movie characters, they were doing their jobs in a way with a certain flair for the incompetent.

And one of them, I suspect, the movie intends to make into a “flawed but you feel for him” kind of guy. Or, I hope they intended to make him “the guy in the slasher movie who you hate and want to see die”. That’s Holloway, one of the two archaeologists. He’s robot racist.

Like, seriously robot racist. The whole crew is, David literally gets referred to as “boy” here, which isn’t so much a dogwhistle as a tornado siren. No wonder David is quietly starting to show his disdain for the human crew.

“They're making you guys pretty close [to human now], huh?”

“Not too close, I hope.”

One of the few themes the movie handles halfway competently is the parallel between the humans stumbling all over themselves as they rush to go meet their makers, while David is already experiencing the disappointment of actually meeting his, and finding out they’re a bunch of clueless assholes. Are we supposed to believe the same of the Engineers? I don’t know. They definitely think of humans as lesser, though. More to come on that later.

Because right now, an expedition is barrelling toward the alien structure–again, driving all over the FCKING ALIEN ROAD–and they’re doing it with only six hours of daylight left, because Holloway literally says “It's Christmas [...] and I want to open my presents.”

I cannot communicate how heinous this character felt. The actor did a perfectly fine job playing him, but if Charlie Holloway was real, his name would be said with the same venom as that of the man pictured below: Heinrich Schliemann, the man who found the real, actual city of Troy, and immediately dynamited a trench through the royal palace, destroying who knows how many artifacts from the period the Iliad was based off of. Yes, I picked out the most assholish-looking photo of him I could find on purpose.

Also, Holloway’s an anti-masker, apparently.

I’m going to step back for just one second and list the one practical, movie budget reason why characters might take their helmets off. The costume designers did an admirable job coming up with something that fits the general requirement of a helmet in major studio releases, prior to The Mandalorian: make the actor’s faces completely visible, because without actors with a strong sense of physical presence and voice acting, you’ll lose connection with the audience.

They did a great job with that. Unfortunately, shiny helmets are a bastard to digitally edit film crew out of. 

It’s not impossible to place lights and crew so that the audience won’t notice them. Alien certainly pulled it off. Clear plastic elements in helmets also mean other logistical challenges, though: fogging being the main one. This, and cooking your actors in a fishbowl under studio lights.

Both problems can be simultaneously combated by installing A/C fans within the helmets, but because these helmets are entirely clear, you’re limited to hiding them down near the neck, and anybody who’s done similar for a cosplay or suit will know that it’s potentially noisy and not always effective. You can actually see condensate on the helmets in the movie, though whether that’s from the actor’s breath or a deliberate choice, I don’t know.

All this adds up to increased time resetting actors (i.e. cleaning sweat off of them without disrupting their makeup), more exhaustion from said actors, and the worry that the highest-paid, plot-critical actors may decide they don’t want to do a sequel if the shooting experience is too physically unhealthy.

And then there’s also more time spent carefully arranging crew and lights to hide their reflections, or more time making some poor VFX artist erase a transparent, curved reflection from frame and replace it with something else, or make the actors more comfortable by adding the glass in later with CGI, at the potential loss of some realism. The average modern movie studio would choose one of these VFX-driven options and demand it done in a week, which is why VFX artists need to unionize.

So. I understand at least a few logistical reasons why you don’t tend to make actors wear helmets for too many shooting days. But it has to be balanced with the story. It has to feel believable. It has to fit the story. It has to not make your characters look like mud-witted morons.

As soon as they find liquid water and the oh-so-deadly CO2 levels start to drop, Holloway takes his helmet off.

“Don't be an idiot.”

“Don't be a skeptic.”

Flames on the side of my goddamn face.

Now, this is the moment a lot of people lost sympathy for the human characters, even back in 2012. It was a dumbass idea even then, in the pre-’rona years. Sadly, Millburn the biologist isn’t written smart enough to punch Holloway in the nuts over even thinking of doing this, because we have two problems with what Holloway’s doing here: Biology, and biology.

First, biology.

(https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/13-viruses-virus-3d-model/1071200)

Obviously, they don’t know if anything’s in the air. He could find out that humans are deathly allergic to alien dust mites. He could have just caught himself a case of space covid, which he and the lemmings that follow him can then transmit to the entire crew if he’s not kept in quarantine. They can sterilize the sealed suits, but they can’t sterilize the inside of his lungs. Yet.

Second, biology. 

Specifically, Earth biology. Do you know how carefully modern space agencies sterilize anything that’s headed for Mars, or anywhere else that might have a biosphere of its own? A lot! They sterilize everything a lot! Because microbes are hardy little bastards. We’ve never found extraterrestrial life, only precursor molecules that show the capacity for life to develop in other places. How are you going to verify you’ve found alien life, or even those precursors, if you can’t prove that your samples are uncontaminated? What happens if microbes from Earth manage to survive the trip and establish a foothold somewhere? What if they destroy native life?

This movie’s characters treat this with only a fraction of the gravitas that the cinematography does, which is part of why this remains so jarring throughout. The practical sets, the art direction, and the camerawork are all excellent. The editing continues to do its best, though it almost feels like things were cut very tight through this to speed things along and to give more time, unfortunately, to what the characters are doing. 

their crimes against my sanity are not done yet

⛬

(Previous) | (Index) | ⛬

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As a side note, rounding up some discussion from a previous entry: The most excellent artist @noordzee pointed out that the clashing artistic style of the moon and stars slapped onto the carving of Kʼinich Janaab Pakal I. In the previous post, I focused on the link between that carving and its use in ancient aliens conspiracy theories. But let's dig a bit into actual Maya iconography around celestial bodies instead.

Now, I am not an expert on Classical Maya stuff. Not in the slightest. And there is a lot of information on their art that is linguistically inaccessible to me, as a non-Spanish speaker. But out of the Maya art and writing that survived the book-burning conquistadors, we have some iconography for the moon and stars, and they don’t look like what’s in the movie.

I wasn’t able to find any specific pieces of art that contained stars, but I did find the glyph for star, ek’. 

I was only able to find depictions of a crescent moon in the context of the moon goddess, where she tends to be sitting on the crescent like a chair, or one part of it is shown behind her, almost like a tail (though I can’t be certain whether that’s due to chipped paint).

The moon by itself was somewhat harder to find. I couldn’t find any Maya depictions of it with my limited poking around of the spanish internet, but I did find a (much later) Mixtec depiction of the moon, complete with a lunar rabbit! Much like East Asian cultures, the darker markings on the moon are culturally interpreted as a rabbit shape.

Thanks again to nordzee for pointing out the dissonant art style, because the real mesoamerican art on this subject is phenomenal.

Next time, the movie will hurt me more, so if anybody else has fun facts to share or details to point out. PLEASE. Ease my pain.

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(Previous) | (Index) | (Next)

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Alt text citations:

None this time. Many ramblings, though.

[writingfool001]

An Unknown Fan

Authors Note: I have been dead for the past couple months due to school just hounding on me and finals are coming up. I hopefully can get back to writing during the summer and next semester. 

Request: Yes by anon   

Pairing: Vil x Fem! Reader 

Warning: Female Reader, you/your, she/her, & so forth

Sitting on set, Vil was scrolling through Magicam and somewhat listening to his manager go on about his schedule before checking the trending list to see a new name.  

Clicking on your name, he was presented with different posts involving you like fan edits, photoshoots, interviews, and movie posters. The most recent one he saw was of you sitting in a chair while resting the side of your head on your knuckles with a confident smirk on your face. While sporting a tasteful outfit, you had a playfully confident aura. 

Rising actress making villainy look good. This young actress climbs the ranks of well-known faces in the film industry for her acting skills, making her movie villain roles iconic and well known. With being an upcoming name, most put her together with Vil Schoenheit, a well-known actor who has always been called to portray villains. 

Vil didn't read the rest before noticing you were tagged in the photo. He clicked on it to see your Magicam profile. You had a decent follower account and he carefully scrolled through some of your posts. It was a mixture of your personal and professional life. He decided to keep an eye on you, resulting in him following you with his secret account. 

Over the next couple of months, he watched some of the films that you've acted in, and he thought you had excellent acting skills, bringing your characters to life. He thought the first post he saw was lying about you only playing villain roles, only to find out that your career was built off of playing villains. He believes that you have more potential than just playing the villain.  

Vil was invited to do a Q&A for a recent movie that he was a part of which was taking place at a convention. While checking the venue out, he also noticed that you were also going to be there and checked what time your panel would be at. He had his manager buy him a ticket so it wouldn't raise any suspicion. He would get there early and hide himself in the crowd with a disguise. 

When the day came, he arrived at the convention and was accompanied by his manager and one of his bodyguards in case there was an incident. They all waited in line before being let in, the seats Vil got were decently in the middle of the two sections. He sat between his manager and bodyguard then browsed on his phone until the announcer came out and started talking to the crowd. 

When the announcer said your name, you came out to a roaring cheer of people and waved to them. You wore a nice casual outfit, not too professional or casual, and you sat down between two of your co-stars. Vil kept an eye on you as he watched the rest of the cast come out. Once everyone was seated, the announcer made small talk with the cast for a bit then the Q&A panel started. Vil watched as you interacted with your cast, being friendly, and as well with fans who asked you questions. 

“Have you ever been offered roles that weren’t villains?’ 

“I have been offered other roles that were not villains, I had a director recently ask if I could play the leading hero in their upcoming movie, but I respectfully declined the role since it would clash with another project.” 

"Mind sharing with the class?" The announcer questioned. 

"I am sworn to secrecy until given more instructions." 

“That’s something I wanted to know,” one of your cast members asked, turning towards you. “Why do you only play villain roles?” 

“Playing the villain is more fun than the hero, there is so much more you can do to drive the story." 

“Was there someone who inspired you to do this, or do you just want continuous villain eras?” one of your costars questioned. 

“Yes, to both, Vil Schoenheit has played many excellent roles, but he is mainly known for playing villains that get overshadowed by the hero. As much as the hero is great, the villain drives the story further and basically makes the hero.” 

“Are you trying to hide your love and admiration for Vil?” 

“I will not deny that Vil is breathtaking and drop dead gorgeous, but I appreciate his skills more.” 

“She didn’t deny it!” One of your costars yelled, causing the crowd to go wild as you smiled then shrugged. 

Vil felt a little moved by your explanation of why you always play the villain, but that doesn't change his opinion on you having more potential than just being stuck in a typecast role. He continued to see as the panel went until the end came and then the signing panel started. He told his manager and bodyguard he would be fine, but the bodyguard told him that they would watch from afar. Vil thought that it was a decent compromise before entering your line. 

He waited in line, holding a small piece of paper, and silently watched you interact with fans before silently laughing at how friendly yet professional you were with fans. Once he finally reached you, you greeted him with a smile and gently took the piece of paper Vil handed to you.  

“Who do I make this out to?” You ask, ready to write. 

“Put whatever you want” he said before watching you write something before pausing, waiting for who to make this autograph to. “Vil Schoenheit. 

He watched as you froze and lifted your head up as he took his glasses off and gave you a smile, causing you to malfunction a little. He enjoyed seeing you fangirl a bit as your costars saw this and were having the time of their lives as they watched you freak out. You both shook hands and exchanged niceties before your manager asked if you both wanted a picture together which he at once agreed. You both posed as your manager snapped a picture of you both. You thanked him for coming again and bid him farewell as he left, dodging the fans in the lines who were trying to get a picture. Every celebrity has moments when they want to walk around in public. Once he reached his bodyguard, he looked down at the signed photo to see if you wrote something at the end. 

PS I think you’re pretty cool.  

Later that night there was a bunch of coverage about the earlier interaction from fans and the convention themselves talked about it. Vil scrolled through your tag to see you wearing sunglasses, but you had napkins underneath the glasses to cover your face. 

The last picture of the collection was of you shooting a peace sign towards the camera, making Vil chuckle a bit. Once he clicked on your profile, he followed you and sent you a message. 

The director I am working with is interested in offering you a part of their movie. Would you be up to it? 

He watched as three dots danced around before seeing the message you sent. 

Depends on, maybe we’re already going to be working together. Who knows I may end up being your villain? Can you keep up with my pace? 

This was going to be an interesting friendship. 

[tmntkiseki]

I have finally watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (beware for OPINIONS)

And the tl;dr opinion: I am surprised by how much I liked it

Obviously, it wasn't as good as the first movie and I definitely have a few issues with it, the biggest one being that with the exception of Donatello, the turtles barely used their weapons. I know this was because people complained that the first movie was too violent, but C'MON, PEOPLE. If Leonardo has a pair of swords strapped to his back, he should be using them, damn it!

My other big issue is Casey being completely absent from the plot. I might have been forgiving towards this if they provided an explanation somewhere in the script (something like "His mother is not doing well and he needs to take care of her,") but he's just gone with no acknowledgement that he even exists and it is so jarring when he was such a prominent member of the cast in the first film. Subsequently, I'm extremely divided on Keno. I do really like him as a character, and I wouldn't mind if they brought him back in another iteration at some point, but he ultimately feels like a substitute for Casey that they didn't actually need.

But otherwise, most of my complaints range from minor nitpicks to stuff that I'm not necessarily sure is actually a problem. For instance, the turtle costumes don't look as good, but I feel like that's more to do with the brighter lighting rather than a genuine decline in the overall quality (the darker lighting of the first movie did a lot to hide the imperfections in the suits.) April being played by a different actress certainly is weird, but Paige Turco does a pretty acceptable job playing our intrepid reporter, even if I do still prefer Judith Hoag. The overuse of slapstick comedy is a little grating at times, but there were a lot of jokes that made me laugh so I can let it slide. You win some, you lose some.

The really interesting thing though is that unlike the final two seasons of the 2003 series, the tonal change didn't actually bother me all that much. I think it was because despite the tonal change, the turtles, for the most part, still felt very in character when compared to the first movie. In Fast Forward and Back to the Sewer, there were a number of lines that genuinely went into "He would not fucking say that" territory, but here? Yeah, it' still the same turtles from before, just a little bit goofier.

And now for a bulleted list of pretty much everything I liked or am at least accepting of.

Even if I'm sad that Leo, Raph, and Mikey barely use their weapons, the fight choreography for the movie was still fantastic.

I know that both Raphael and Donatello's voices were recast for this movie and in terms of Raphael, Laurie Faso does such a convincing impression of Josh Pais performance that you can barely tell that the actor was changed.

As for Donny, I actually like Adam Carl's voice for him better than Corey Feldman's (not sure if this is a controversial opinion or not, but that is how I feel)

Speaking of Donny, they did put more emphasis on him being the tech guy of the turtles. That was the only thing I found off about him in the first movie, so I'm glad about this.

Listen, I know Jordan Perry's character is basically a stand-in for Baxter Stockman and he might as well just have been Baxter Stockman, but there is something I just absolutely love about him and his dumb bow tie.

Tokka and Rahzar... not entirely sure how I feel about these two? I think I like their concept enough and for the sake of the movie's plot they were utilized reasonably well. I just wish they had more personality than "literal infants." (Also, I feel dumb. I've been pronouncing Rahzar's name as "Raah-zahr," but for most of the movie, it's pronounced like razor.)

Even though there aren't really any significant character arcs in this movie and thus very little character development for the turtles, I did really like the brief angst that Don and his brothers had after finding out their mutation was a complete accident.

Frikkin Super Shredder. His appearance was extremely brief, but I can understand why the concept has been revived so many times in the franchise since this movie because it is so cool.

Do genuinely love the movie's soundtrack. Who the hell is Vanilla Ice, though?

[ghostherlig]

johnnshi swap au drabble

this is just a small concept piece, but i've been thinking about it a LOT- something short and sweet just to help make some space in my brain - enjoy <3

Kenshi Takahashi was a household name.

A popular and well off actor, always starring in the newest thrillers, his tattooed skin and mysterious eyes and albatross hair making him the perfect candidate for serial killer casting.

He had the dark and intimidating look down, and Johnny was surprised to find that some of it wasn't acting.

Kenshi was just like that. Somewhat of a brooding figure, yet his words always took on more a teasing tone, a mischievous tongue hidden behind pearly white teeth like poison.

Johnathan Carlton was a professional. He'd been doing this for years, had the list of contracts to prove it, but this was a case that The Cage had never faced.

It made it interesting and exciting and so much more fun.

He was nestled into a quieter corner of the bar, the after party for this premiere lasting far longer than he had expected. He had been eyeing Takahashi all night, watched him wander from table to table, stool to stool, watched him dance his way through crowds and charm a few casting directors.

He was in his element.

Johnny wasn't one to dance around his paycheck, but something about Kenshi Takahashi made him want to.

It was unnerving.

"Enjoying the after party?" Kenshi's smile was cocky, his posture easy going and relaxed. To be fair, he was one of the biggest actors in the building, so the attention probably had him swaying more than his drinks.

"Very much, Mr. Takahashi," Johnny replied, eyeing the man over his sunglasses. He brought his glass to his lips, swirling the large sphere of ice in his drink before he let it sit on the counter top.

"That's good to hear, Mr.?" Kenshi's smile widened, and Johnny tilted his head back, the lenses saving him from the gleam of his teeth.

"Cage." Johnny smirked, simple and to the point. He watched Kenshi tilt his head, curious.

"You're an interesting character, Mr. Cage." Kenshi spoke over the music, the bass duller in the small corner Johnny had resided in.

"How so?" He asked, swirling his drink again, and Kenshi leaned in closer, an inked up hand pausing Johnny's movement. He felt the other slide over his waist, stopping just above where he had a blade concealed.

"You've been watching me," Kenshi purred, his tone as easygoing as when he had walked over, "All night." He tacked on, and Johnny chuckled, something breathy and sweet.

"So I have." He answered, turning so he was facing the man currently caging him against the bar, "Does it bother you?" Johnny poked, and Kenshi's smile turned into a smarmy smirk, his eyes giving away his intentions clear as day.

"Not at all, sweetheart," Johnny let the actor's hand wander, felt it stop over his collarbone, Kenshi's eyes dark with want. "Why don't you come home with me?"

Johnny wanted to laugh.

It seemed suspicious, almost. Kenshi was yakuza, could know all about Johnny and his jobs, could be luring him away from this busy place to kill him somewhere else.

But, it also gave Johnny the chance to get his paycheck earlier and easier than he had expected.

"You got gin back at your place, Takahashi?" Johnny teased, his arms wrapping easily around Kenshi's neck.

"The expensive kind, Cage." Kenshi's smile returned, and Johnny couldn't believe it had been so easy.

"Then take me home, Kendoll."

[filmmarvel]

PJO Series Overall Thoughts + Pros and Cons

Disclaimer! First of all, there are a lot more cons than pros here, and if you loved the show and don’t want to hear my criticism just keep scrolling. Second, I’m not someone to complain just because it isn’t exactly how it was in the book! I have quite a range of feelings about story changes. In regard to the ones I’ve listed as cons, i’m just irritated that they haven’t been able to match the book in frankly any capacity. I believe that if you’re making changes, it should be a) out of necessity, b) to improve upon the material, or c) taking positive creative license to try a new spin on an element from the source material. But the changes I’m complaining about, for the most part, haven’t met any of those requirements.

Pros:

Sets and Visuals

It was so magical seeing camp come to life!

The Underworld looks fantastic, the visuals are super cool, especially the Fields of Asphodel. That was a really cool spin on the books- the CGI was pretty good, and the concept there was really interesting.

Olympus was very cool looking too! It reminded me of Asgard.

Overall I Just Think There’s Lots of Potential!

Since the leads are fairly inexperienced (and kids), you can’t expect them to be incredible. They’re doing just fine, but I think they have a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see them grow over the course of the series!

Generally I still really like the casting and have high hopes for these actors, I just wish (for our sake and theirs) that they had better material to work with.

Plot Changes

This ones kind of a pro AND a con: Generally, I really like the flashbacks! They add a lot more depth to Sally, and her relationships with Percy and Poseidon. That being said, the episodes typically feel far too short to be adding material that wasn’t in the books. I thought it was fantastic in episode 7, but in other episodes it didn’t quite work when so much else was cut, or there were opportunities left untaken as a result.

I also liked that they included a few flashbacks with Luke in the finale- there was so much training and time at camp that didn’t fit into the first two episodes.

They got rid of the “names have power” stuff which is great (never made sense in the books).

They did a really nice job humanizing Medusa, but still creating conflict with her, and simultaneously setting up further issues with the gods.

I also agreed with their decision to move the fight from Santa Monica to Montauk, to save time.

Cons:

Dialogue and Writing

The dialogue is definitely less charming than in the books. It’s a huge part of what makes them fun, and the dialogue here is honestly pretty bland. The characters don’t totally feel like themselves, but it isn’t only the acting. Forcing the characters to be explaining stuff to each other nearly every time they have a conversation makes them a lot less personable.

Honestly, this series feels kind of elementary in comparison to the middle grade books. I’d imagine that, like the books, they were aiming to create something that could be enjoyed by young kids and adults alike. But I didn’t find it as successful as the book in this regard.

And the dialogue is consistently so surface level! Stiff, boring, and above all, CONSTANTLY telling over showing. This affects the likability of the characters, and the ability of the actors. Both parties are deterred by the info dumping, as they aren’t really given as many genuine lines or interactions as they should have.

Honestly, it kind of feels a bit like they gave some of Percy’s personality to Annabeth in parts of the show? I saw someone else point out that they’re kind of giving Annabeth the Hermione treatment (ie giving her some of the other characters good moments), which I kind of agree with. However, a lot of that was towards the beginning and middle of the season and has somewhat improved since.

I posted a whole rant earlier about the Lotus Casino episode, which I’ll just summarize: theres a consistent pattern in the show of having the characters figure out what’s going on immediately, removing the danger, and more importantly, not allowing the characters to make mistakes, which weakens both them and the plot. In addition, I didn’t like that they brought up May Castellan already, primarily because it was just another info dump, which (in my mind) gets lost amongst all the other info dumps and removes the poignancy from the reveal. Now, there’s absolutely time to fix the May Castellan situation and ensure that it still packs a punch later on, but for this season it wasn’t great. Go check out my last post if you’d like to hear the rest of my argument on that episode!

Some additional examples of the ‘not letting the characters experience danger’ thing: Procrustes (obviously), and Kronos- forget whether or not Percy should know who Kronos is, the biggest issue is that there’s very little evidence or buildup, so (again) there’s no tension or shock at the reveal. And finally, with Luke. I was so annoyed when Percy figured it out! I could’ve believe that they were doing it AGAIN. I still enjoyed that scene because Walker and Charlie were great, but that was disappointing for sure.

The thing with the pearls honestly amounted to nothing, and there was no reason for Annabeth to not be present in the underworld: that was just a tearjerker for the sake of being a tearjerker (manufactured drama).

Lowering the Stakes

I just wish they’d made it SLIGHTLY more mature- don’t get me wrong, it’s a kids show! I’m very well aware of that! But this feels a lot tamer than a lot of kids (PG) movies involving monsters and stuff.

Gabe was a real piece of shit in the books, but in the show they just kinda made him look lazy and turned him into comic relief. And I don’t believe in the argument that they had to make this change to benefit a younger audience- they didn’t really need to change anything there.

Throughout the majority of the season, I felt like they weren’t allowing the gods to be truly intimidating, or powerful. First with Ares, who wasn’t BAD but generally didn’t have that kind of dramatic presence that he had in the books. Again with Hades, who wasn’t shown as being REMOTELY intimidating, and perhaps the biggest offense of all- Zeus. Having the deadline pass with seemingly zero consequence or threat of consequence does absolutely nothing (and certainly doesn’t increase tension like I’m pretty sure Rick Riordan said was their reason for changing it). Up until the finale, viewers had very few reasons to fear the Gods. Even Dionysus and Hephaestus! In the books there’s a clear line- you can interact with them, but you DONT want to offend them. There’s a clear threat of power, and that just wasn’t remotely present for a while.

And again, I just want to clarify- this is an overall writing problem! It’s not that Ares, or any other one of the gods I just mentioned has a different personality than in the books, it’s that a show like this (KIDS OR NOT) should still be compelling, and part of that includes having real danger and clear stakes.

I would add that they did a much better job with this in the finale! Lance Reddick gave such an amazing performance, and truly made Zeus an intimidating figure. The fight on the beach with Ares was great as well. So I’m optimistic about this criticism moving into season 2, but I stand by the idea that this was an issue for the majority of the series.

Overall, it felt like they weren’t taking the serious parts seriously, AND they didn’t take the comedy as seriously either? So it isn’t as lighthearted OR as impactful as the books. It feels so much more bland and watered down by comparison.

Episodes Were Too Short

Everything just flowed really well in the books, here the pacing is off and the dialogue isn’t as natural (again, they’re forced to rely on a lot of telling instead of showing which takes away from genuine moments). Many character details and personality traits were cut for the sake of additional verbal explanation

As many others have pointed out, the fight scenes also feel pretty rushed, and haven’t quite conveyed the sense of urgency that they should. It all just lowers the stakes.

This Ones Kind of a Joke, but the Casting for Hephaestus

It’s mostly my book bias. This guy was NOT giving Hephaestus. Mainly because Hephaestus is the god of the forge, and I can’t picture this guy anywhere near one of those. He kind of looked like one of Santa’s elves, he’s giving tinkerer not GOD of the FORGE. This is also something they can absolutely fix/win me over in time lmao

Changes

I already mentioned most of the changes (good and bad) already, but there’s one more. I kind of wish they had kept Percy’s dream about Tartarus, especially given that they decided to have Percy figure out Kronos is behind it all earlier- it just would’ve clicked a little easier.

Finishing Thoughts

I don’t want to totally sound like a hater! I’m still enjoying the series, and I really hope it gets renewed for season 2! I was just disappointed in the weak writing. I hope that the writers will be able to recognize these flaws and improve for season 2.

Alright, I don’t really expect anyone to read this whole thing, but if you made it: thanks for reading! I’m curious to hear your thoughts, so I’d really appreciate comments, just keep it civil!

[syrupsyche]

Went to stalk Facebook for pics of me watching Les Mis when it came to my country and thank GOD for 15 y.o. me taking a pic with the cast list (though it was mainly bc an actor had the same name as me lol) so now I can look back at my very blurry memories and attach faces to the characters.

For starters, it mostly comprised of the cast from the Australian production back in 2016, with the exception of Earl Carpenter as Javert:

and opposite him starred Simon Gleeson as Valjean:

Alas I do not remember much of their performances but I do remember liking Valjean's Soliloquy and Javert's Suicide alot as well as crying at both of their death scenes so pretty sure they did something right lol.

Fantine was played by Patrice Tipoki:

I also do not remember much but I did find her death scene to be extremely haunting. The production I watched had the stage feel really bare so the coldness of it all really seeped in.

Marius and Cosette were played by Paul Wilkins and Emily Langridge:

Again I don't remember much LMAO but looking at Cosette's outfit here, it's extremely pretty! Alas I think by this production, Every Day (Marius and Cosette) had been cut out (or extremely cut down) so I didn't get to hear their rendition of it :(

Éponine at the back was played by Kerrie Anne Greenland:

I was an Éponine girlie at this age so I was really focusing on her parts lmao. She was good from what I can remember! Her On My Own was brilliant and I did cry at her death scene :')

Enjolras was played by Chris Durling:

Slight side track but WOW looking back at these pics, he is quite the quintessential Enjolras. Though Les Amis didn't catch my attention in the movie the first time I watched it, the images that burned into my mind the most from this production were of Enjolras and Les Amis. I know fans aren't too happy with the revolving barricade switch-off (and now that I know of it, I definitely agree the new scene doesn't hold a candle to it) but imagine 15 year old me seeing the guy I've been rooting for unceremoniously dumped in the wheelbarrow alone under a spotlight? It was still chilling, especially when compared to the colours and noise of the movie version. Another scene that haunted me was Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, when the ghosts of Les Amis picked up the candles left behind. THAT was good, I really loved it.

The Thénardiers were played by Cameron Blakely and Helen Walsh:

Hilarious duo lol. My favourite memory comes from Master of the House, when a young girl sitting in front of me asked her father what Mme. Thénardier was doing with the baguette during "...but there's not much there" and what the joke meant. Her father just said she was too young to understand 😭😭

Overall, this production of Les Mis was a changing point in my life. It was my first ever live musical and it expanded my interest for musicals and Les Mis ever since. I had only watched the movie previously just so I could be caught up with the plot, but iirc, this production got me to buy and read The Brick shortly after. And 7 years later, here I am still screaming about it :')

Also I found a rendition of One Day More by the 2015 Australian Cast so y'all can hear roughly what I had experienced back in 2016! Only difference is that Javert is played by Hayden Tee, Marius is played by Euan Doidge, and the Thénardiers were played by Trevor Ashley and Lara Mulcahy. Enjoy!

[avacoleman]

when the lights go out || a firstprince fic

summary: Henry Fox’s career is in crisis and his dating life isn’t faring much better either.  After a chance encounter with a charming man becomes memorable for all the wrong reasons, Henry throws himself into his next assignment: writing the memoir of a beloved C-list actor. Henry, however, knows Alex best for the role he played as his random, awkward one-night stand. Henry enters their professional partnership keen on keeping their relationship just that. But after Henry confesses that their hookup was less than spectacular, Alex concots an arrangement that Henry is unable to resist. In addition to ghostwriting Alex’s life story, Henry will teach him a thing or two about satisfying a man.  As they spend months out on the road together, they must decide if the connection between them is yet another story worth telling.

chapter 3/8 || rated e || read on ao3 *updates every tues. and fri. *

Minneapolis, MN Twin Cities Con Day 1 Henry sits front row at the Crescent Valley panel. Today, the announcement will go live and Alex and his castmates will reunite on this very stage to deliver the news fans have been waiting for. Henry has seen all the hashtags and petitions that have been created online since the show went off the air five years ago. Viewers made passionate pleas, conducted letter writing campaigns, and made countless videos demanding, at the very least, one special to give them a glimpse into the lives of their beloved characters and to see the cast together again. It’s interesting sitting among them now knowing full-well what’s in store.  The energy in the room is off the charts as the Crescent Valley theme song starts to play and the cast files onto stage. Seeing them all in the flesh is a bit disorienting. Henry’s gotten so used to seeing them on his laptop screen, yet here they are all now right before his eyes.  Henry’s gaze slides to Alex and at once he feels centered, but he’s quickly thrown off again seeing Alex and Nora putting their heads together, laughing about something as the moderator reads out everyone’s names. Henry figures it shouldn’t be surprising given their history. All the same, it makes an unnameable emotion swell in Henry’s chest.

He quickly pushes the feeling aside and allows the sheer pandemonium around him to consume him. He finds himself joining the masses and cheering on the cast as they smile and wave at the audience before taking their seats.

The panel goes along much like any other until the end during the Q&A portion. A man steps up to the mic for the final question and though Henry personally has no clue who he is, the audience collectively gasps. From overheard whispers, he learns the man is none other than the creator of Crescent Valley.

Henry looks up at the stage, his eyes landing immediately on Alex. He sees the excitement in his eyes like a kid on Christmas morning.

The show’s creator waits for silence to fall before he speaks.

“Now, I have just one question for you guys,” he says looking at the actors on stage. “Are you ready to step into the world of Crescent Valley one last time?”

“Yes!” the cast says together into their mics as the monitors on the sides of the stage flash with the news.

Crescent Valley returns for a two-hour special this winter!

The eruption from the audience is unlike anything Henry has ever seen or heard before. People are jumping out of their seats, crying, screaming, hugging each other. Through it all, Henry can’t take his eyes off Alex and the cast as they drink it all in, the Crescent Valley theme song playing once more as the perfect soundtrack for the reverent fans losing their ever-loving minds in the room.

There are so many questions Henry wants to ask Alex about this moment, but he knows any hopes for talking about the book or literally anything else today are completely dashed now that the news is out in the world.

~*~*~

Henry’s suspicions were right. Alex's phone had gone off all afternoon with calls and texts from Zahra with interview requests that have been streaming in. On every platform imaginable, #CrescentValleySpecial is trending and Alex’s mentions are in complete disarray. Henry had expected things to get crazy, but this was outright insanity.

He was able to get introduced to the cast after the panel when he went backstage. All his inexplicable nervousness in meeting Nora turned out to be for nothing.

The way she and Alex interacted with one another was more like brother and sister. Whatever romantic feelings they held over five years ago was clearly ancient history.

He left Alex to spend the evening with his castmates though he had been welcomed to join them. It was a sweet offer, but Henry figured blocking out a few hours to work on his notes and configuring the preliminary skeleton of the book would be a wiser use of his time. He checked in with Pez, making sure their apartment was still in one piece and gave his friend an update from the road.

Pez was freaking out about the special just like everyone else online. He wouldn’t let Henry go without him promising to fill Pez in if he caught wind of any spoilers over the next few weeks.

Looking at his document, Henry feels satisfied with the work he’s done this evening. 

It’s eleven o'clock now and according to the tour itinerary, Alex has a signing in the morning followed by a cast reunion photoshoot. He mentally prepares for another day where they won’t get to see much of each other or truly be alone together.

Henry brushes his teeth, studying his reflection in the mirror when he hears his phone vibrate on the counter. He looks down, turning his head to read the text message that appears on his lock screen.

Alex cant sleep. up for another lesson?

Henry spits out his toothpaste and rinses out his mouth before picking up his phone and answering.

Henry Ready when you are. 

Five minutes later, there’s a knock at Henry’s door.

“Hey,” Alex says. 

He stands before Henry in his glasses, wearing checkered navy blue pajama pants and a gray t-shirt. It’s a bit ridiculous how good he looks even when severely underdressed like this.

“Sorry for the late night message. My head’s been buzzing all day and I still feel completely wired. Also, I missed you today. And now I’m realizing I’ve literally sent a godforsaken ‘u up’ text. You would’ve been well within your rights to tell me to fuck all the way off.”

Henry laughs at how quickly Alex gets all these words out. 

“I’m a bit of an insomniac anyway so you’re hardly disturbing me. And besides, I sorta missed you too.”

Alex smiles a little and sways in place.

“Oh, do come in,” Henry says belatedly, stepping aside. He closes the door and locks it behind him.

“What’s next on your syllabus? We’re still on touch, right?” Henry asks.

“Yes, getting to know thy cock.”

A laugh rips out of Henry. “You’re the worst.”

Alex winks and takes a seat on Henry’s bed.

“Okay, so touch and getting more acquainted with what your partner likes,” Henry says. 

He thinks on it for a moment.

“As I’ve mentioned before, this really will be trial and error each time you’re intimate with someone. It’s not unlike when you’ve been with past partners. I’m sure you’ve found that what one person may love, another isn’t too fond of.”

Henry pauses again. 

“I wonder if this might not be better for me to show you rather than explain,” Henry says.

Alex looks confused, his brows furrowed. 

“Like…you give me a handjob or…I give you a proper one this time?”

“Or, option C, I get myself off and you watch,” Henry says plainly.

Alex blanches and Henry takes a bit of pride in being able to shock Alex like this.

“You said you wanted to know what I liked, right? Feels like this could be the best way to do just that.”

“Well, I am a visual learner,” Alex says quietly.

Henry crosses the room and goes into his suitcase, starting to dig around. 

“I think people have a tendency to get wrapped up in the idea of penetration being the only ‘real’ kind of sex,” Henry says thoughtfully. “If you ask me, that’s a very limited scope. There are so many different ways to intimately connect with your partner. Manually is one of them.”

He takes out a small bottle of lube and turns back to face Alex. 

“Whether it’s you getting your partner off or watching them and vice versa, this is another way you can, for a lack of a better term, come together when intimate.”

Alex laughs. “Yes, I have the humor of a middle schooler. Sue me.”

Henry rolls his eyes and steps closer to Alex.

“Can I kiss you? It helps,” he says, not explaining further.

If Alex is confused, he hides it well. He simply parts his legs where he’s seated on the length of the bed and Henry steps between them. He frames Alex’s face, leans in and kisses him straight away. 

The man is a pro at this and after a few moments, Henry can feel that familiar stirring in the pit of his stomach. Alex kisses him hungrily, deepening it and Henry feels his body respond immediately. He kisses Alex for a little while longer before forcing himself to pull away.

Rather than sit beside Alex on the edge, he gets in and lays back against the pillows.

Alex shifts to look at him. Henry tugs off his sweats and boxer briefs. It’s ridiculously easy to feel comfortable being naked in front of Alex and the fact that there’s still more weeks ahead should not thrill him in the way that it does.

He squeezes a small drop of lube in the palm of his hand. He coats his cock, shivering a little at the feel of the substance against his sensitive skin.

Alex’s eyes are wide and unblinking as he watches Henry’s movements.

“It’s the same principle you might have for when you get yourself off. Sometimes you might want it quick and rough, but more often than not, for me anyway, I really like the buildup. I enjoy getting myself worked up and close to the edge before letting myself let go completely. When I’m with a guy, I like it the same way. With teasing too. I can’t get enough of that, if I’m being honest. It drives me wild.”

He demonstrates, slowly stroking himself and circling the tip of his cock. Precome glistens on the head and he smears it with the pad of his thumb.

Henry shivers and practically purrs. 

Alex doesn’t even look like he’s breathing as he watches.

“That first night, you were overthinking it. It made you second guess yourself rather than follow your instincts. If there are moves or techniques that you enjoy, chances are that your partner might like them too. But you’ve got to give them the opportunity to really experience it before jumping so quickly onto the next thing.”

Henry squeezes himself and pumps his hand again slowly along his shaft.

“I actually really like this and you had the basic thought of it when we hooked up, but it felt sort of mechanical. I could feel your hesitancy and it took me out of the moment,” he says gently.

Alex frowns. “Sorry about that.”

Henry shakes his head. “Nothing to be sorry about. Now you know for next time.”

Something flickers in Alex’s eyes and it makes a pleasant chill run down Henry’s spine. The promise of next time. Henry has no clue when their next hookup will be, but the idea of Alex’s hand on him makes him even harder.

His eyes roll shut and Henry lets his imagination run with the fantasy. He pictures this moment now, only it’s Alex’s hand between his legs, pleasuring him, teasing him. He thinks back to that night in Arizona, their first foray into the touch component. 

Alex’s movements in his room were far better than their initial night. It seemed he had really taken Henry’s preliminary feedback into consideration. Since that night in Arizona, Henry had been wondering how things might have gone if they hadn’t stopped at strictly over the clothes, if he pushed their lesson a bit further.

A soft sound falls from his parted lips as his head tips back against the plush pillows as he envisions it. He spreads his legs wider and teases the slit of his cock. Distantly he hears Alex hiss. Henry does too. He’s so aroused and sensitive, even the air in the room makes the sensations more acute.

He bites back on his lower lip as he continues to stroke himself, his freehand massaging his balls. He feels the bed shift and he opens his eyes to find Alex on the bed in earnest, settled on his knees, studying him with rapt attention, his hands balled into fists against his lap.

Henry’s back arches as he stares at Alex, his heart pounding steadily. He gives his cock another firm squeeze on a downstroke and moans. It’s intoxicating knowing he has Alex locked into him like this. Alex’s cheeks are flushed, his eyes hungry and curious.

“Are you hard too?” Henry asks, his breath catching in his throat.

Alex scoffs. “How could I not be? Fucking hell, Henry, look at you.”

Henry smirks as he continues jerking himself off, teasing his leaking slit, his eyes never leaving Alex.

“Touch yourself with me then?” he hiccups. “If you’d be okay with—,”

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence. Alex is already racing to get his pants off. He settles beside Henry, occupying the space on the other side of the mattress. His cock is slick already and Henry whimpers quietly at the sight.

“Think we can get you to come with me?” he asks, turning his head towards Alex. 

“After watching you like this? I’m shocked I haven’t lost it already.”

Maybe it’s just easy banter but Alex makes him feel so desirable, wanted.

There’s a soft sheen of sweat at Alex’s temple and Henry’s eyes track a bead of it slowly racing down the side of his face. Knowing that Alex is this riled up because of him just arouses Henry more.

He watches the muscles flex in Alex’s arm, studies the way his fingers wrap around his own cock and work over the shaft. It’s unbelievably erotic and Henry feels his cock swell as he studies Alex. Alex’s breath is shaky as he watches him in turn.

“See? This can be just as hot. Maybe even hotter,” Henry notes. “Mutual masturbation can really do the trick too. It’s a different way of thinking about touch.”

Alex nods in agreement or understanding as he leans over, lips already searching. Henry kisses him at once. It’s heated and messy and only spurs them both on. The bed shakes as they both work to get themselves off feverishly, the two whimpering and moaning as they go.

Alex’s tongue toys with Henry’s so expertly it makes Henry’s toes curl. It’s too much all at once and Henry’s resolve slips. He comes hard into his fist, gasping into Alex’s mouth.

He rests his forehead against Alex’s as the man reaches his end a few beats later. Henry’s eyes are glued on the sight, his throat dry watching Alex’s release spill onto his hand and stomach. The urge to taste him is overwhelming. It takes every bit of restraint he has not to lick him clean.

Alex’s breaths are shaky as they fan across Henry’s face.

“How’d I do?” Alex asks, voice strained. He pulls back enough to look Henry fully in the face. His eyes are bright and wild and Henry would bet every dollar he has that he looks exactly like this too.

He outstretches a hand, tucking it under Alex’s chin.

“Top marks, Mr. Claremont-Diaz. Ten out of bloody ten.”

~*~*~

Minneapolis, MN Day 2

The excitement for the Crescent Valley special seems to have taken on new life the following day. At the convention center this morning, it felt as if every other person Henry walked past was speculating about the show, shooting off their headcanons and best guesses at what the writers had planned. Much like yesterday, Henry felt like a fly on the wall, a spy behind enemy lines getting intel on the ground.

The cast has been privy to it all. After their signing, they all sat around backstage talking about all the messages they’ve been receiving from fans all over the world. Henry couldn’t wrap his mind around that, a life in the public eye where people from all corners of the earth knew his name and cared so deeply about the work he was doing that they’d invest so much of their time and energy into it.

Henry tagged along with Alex to the cast photoshoot downtown. Once more he was struck by just how different his life was from Alex’s and the way even Alex himself seemed to be two people in one. When the cameras were on him, he could bring forth a version of himself that fit the celebrity bill to a tee. But the second he was off on the sides, away from the spotlight, he was his down to earth self, making jokes and keeping things fun for everyone around him.

Upon their return to their hotel, they head to their respective rooms with promises to see each other again soon. 

In his room alone, Henry feels antsy for reasons he can’t explain. He watches a few episodes of Crescent Valley which is quickly (and still secretly) becoming his biggest guilty pleasure before he decides watching Alex on screen is no substitute for the real thing. He grabs his laptop and leaves his room, marching down the hall to Alex’s.

He knocks twice and stands back, running a hand through his hair, his brows lifting as Alex answers the door, a towel wrapped low on his hips, body glistening with water.

“Sorry, did you text me? I must have missed it.”

Henry shakes his head, mouth suddenly very dry.

“No, I thought I’d swing by, but I definitely should have reached out first. I didn’t mean to catch you at a bad time.”

“Don’t be ridiculous; come in.”

Henry tears his eyes away from Alex’s damp torso, in particular the water droplet that makes its way down from his chest to the towel at his hips.

He steps inside of Alex’s room.

“What brings you by? Missed me already?” he teases, unknowingly hitting right on the truth. 

Alex slips on a shirt, the fabric quickly blooming wet spots from Alex’s fresh-out-the-shower skin.

Henry turns away, letting him get dressed with some modicum of privacy.

“I wanted to share the preliminary draft pages I worked on yesterday. I know I could have emailed them and you could make edits in the doc, but I thought it might be more helpful to go over it together in person so we could talk through any suggestions or changes you might have.”

Alex comes into view from behind him and takes a seat on one of the two single seater armchairs in the room. He’s fully clothed now which is both a relief and a disappointment. Henry switches off the side of his brain that feels the latter.

Rule number one of this arrangement could not be any clearer. The book will always be their top priority.

Henry sits in the chair opposite Alex and sets his laptop down on the round table between them, opening up the document.

Alex pulls the laptop forward and Henry anxiously watches as Alex starts to read. Henry kicks himself then. Maybe he really should have simply shot Alex an email. Watching his reaction in real time is nerve-wracking even though Alex seems to be enjoying it.

“We’ve really been spending a lot of time together, haven’t we?” Alex says, looking over the top of the laptop at Henry when he’s done. “You’ve got my voice down so well. This is actually kind of scary. You see, this is why we wanted you. You’re incredible at what you do.”

Henry laughs and waves him off. “It’s nothing.”

Alex shakes his head. “It’s a gift, Henry. You’re like a shapeshifter. You forget, I’ve seen the samples from your previous works. Each piece is so singular. It’s wild to know you’re behind them all.”

Henry blushes a bit at the compliment. “That means a lot, thank you.”

Alex sets the computer aside.

“You’re always asking questions about me, let’s switch it up.”

Henry laughs. “I’m not the one with a memoir due out, now am I?”

“Hmm, no. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to learn more about you. So, tell me. Do you think you’d ever write a book of your own?”

Henry rubs the back of his neck. It’s strange being the one under the spotlight, even in a harmless moment like this where it’s just the two of them.

“I’ve thought about it before. More than that, I’ve made attempts, but I don’t know. I think I’ve gotten so used to losing myself in other people, I’m not sure there’s much of me left.”

Alex searches his eyes.

“You clearly have a voice, Henry. People already pay good money for it. Just imagine when it’s your own stories on those pages.”

Henry smiles. “I’ve started quite a few stories. But ghostwriting, it’s been steady, sure work.”

“But are you passionate about it?” Alex asks and Henry is a bit taken aback by how effortlessly Alex seems to see right through to the heart of the matter.

“That book you had with you that night in New York, the gamer guy. You didn’t look happy at all sitting there with it.”

Henry shrugs. “I was having a bit of doubt around my career when we met, yes. I’m sure these aren’t words you want to hear from the man currently working on your book.”

Alex waves him off. “At least it’s the truth. You should be excited about what you do. Writing is clearly what you’re good at. The way you’re able to voice all these different people, I can only imagine the characters you dream up. I’d hate for you to get a bad association with writing if you keep cranking out books that don’t motivate you.”

Henry frowns. 

“I am excited about working on this one with you,” he says.

Alex smirks. “Well, yeah, that’s because I’m awesome and who wouldn’t want to spend every waking moment with me? I’m a goddamn delight,” he jokes before growing serious again, leaning forward a little and holding Henry’s gaze.

“Can you promise me something, Hen? After you’re done with our book, can you get back to one of yours?”

“Your book,” Henry corrects. Alex jokingly snarls. “But fine, yes. I’ll try with it again.”

“Good because I really think you should go for it for real this time. You’ve got far too much talent to let your words just sit on your laptop or for your characters to only live in your head. The world needs to hear you and know your name.”

“You know, if acting ever stops working for you, you’d make a killing as a motivational speaker,” Henry says.

Alex laughs and closes the laptop.

“We’ll call that plan B. I like keeping my options open.”

He gets up and stretches out on his bed, propping his head up on his hand and looking at Henry.

“It’s much comfier over here,” he says.

Henry laughs softly at the not so subtle invitation, but he gets up and lays beside Alex, staring up at the ceiling. He can feel Alex’s eyes on him, feel the warmth of the man’s body so close to his. Most of all, he can feel the growing tension between them, born out of nothing more than simply being next to each other and sharing space.

Some distant part of Henry’s brain cautions him against this, telling him to somehow scale back this very obvious attraction he feels towards Alex, but at this point, it’s as natural as breathing. He couldn’t help it if he tried.

He turns his head and Alex is right there, bright eyes already fixed on him.

“Since we’re doing things a little differently tonight,” Henry says, “how about we apply that to today’s lesson as well?”

Alex’s brows furrow.

“How so?”

“It’s important to know what your partner is into, how they like to be touched and handled. You’ve been doing really well with that, but I realize, it’s been a bit one-sided.”

Alex shifts slightly, still looking perplexed.

“I like how things have been going.”

“That might be so, but I want you to enjoy this too. These lessons have been about teaching you how best to work with your partner, but you should be able to know how to advocate for what you want as well.”

“Again, for the record, I have in fact been enjoying the hell out of myself. But I get what you mean and I appreciate it.”

Henry nods. “So, with that in mind, if you’re up for it, I’d like for us to focus solely on your pleasure and your needs tonight.”

In the quiet of the room, Henry can perfectly hear the breath that falls from Alex’s lips. To his credit, Alex quickly composes himself and nods.

“Yeah, I’d be alright with that.”

Henry smiles and leans forward slowly, watching Alex’s lips part in anticipation for him before he presses their mouths together. Alex all but melts into him and Henry is right there with his arms circling his waist at once.

They take their time, hands wandering along the slopes of each other's bodies, their tongues savoring each other’s taste. Henry can’t imagine he could ever grow tired of kissing Alex and, distantly, he thinks of the fact that one day very soon, this will all come to an end.

He pushes the thought from mind, opting instead to focus on this present moment where Alex is his alone.

Henry breaks the kiss first, but his lips don’t go far. He peppers a trail of kisses along Alex’s jaw as the man tangles his fingers in his hair.

Henry lets out a soft sound as Alex tugs and presses their bodies closer, rolling his hips forward, rutting up against him. Henry grinds back, stifling a groan at how half hard Alex is already.

“Tell me what you want most right now.”

Alex sighs, tightening his grip on Henry’s strands. Henry can hear the sharp inhale he takes.

“I want you to go down on me,” Alex rasps, breath catching as Henry continues dropping kisses on his skin.

“With pleasure,” Henry whispers against the shell of Alex’s ear, nipping gently on the man’s earlobe. He earns a deep moan in response.

Alex sinks back down against the bed, reaching for his jeans but Henry shakes his head and takes a hold of his hands.

“Allow me.”

Alex mutters a curse under his breath, his brown eyes growing darker still as he nods. Henry lets go of Alex’s hands and the man settles more, his arms folding behind his head as Henry begins to undo his jeans.

“Enjoying the view, are we?” Henry teases.

Alex grins shamelessly and shrugs. 

“A guy could get used to this.”

Henry laughs and places a kiss against his hip before removing the rest of his clothes. He’s hardly a stranger to Alex’s body but still, being faced with it like this makes him a bit speechless.

He runs his hands up the length of Alex’s thighs which the man spreads, a silent invitation to all of him.

Henry curses. Alex merely smirks.

How could it be that one person can be both his salvation and damnation? 

Henry lays on his stomach and skims his fingers along Alex’s inner thighs and feels the instant tremor in the man’s legs, watching how much his cock stiffens almost instantly. A pearl of precome gathers at this tip. Henry’s eager to taste it.

He decides to take mercy on them both and takes a hold of Alex’s cock, giving him a few steady strokes before taking him slowly into his mouth.

“Thank God, I was about to start begging,” Alex huffs.

Henry smiles to himself.

“Damn, should have held out a moment longer,” he teases before sucking softly on the tip of Alex’s cock, still taking his time but giving Alex enough to know he’s not being toyed with.

“Henry.” The name falls from his tongue in a fierce growl.

When those rich brown eyes land on him, Henry hardly recognizes them. Gone is the humor, the teasing.

In its place is something so carnal and exact it pierces right through Henry and leaves him aching for more. He opens his mouth further and takes more of Alex. He closes his eyes and moans, letting his tongue swirl on the underside of the man’s cock. He massages his balls, squeezing them here and there as he goes.

Alex’s hips tip upwards and Henry pays close attention to what techniques get the biggest reactions from Alex.

The man is never shy or unresponsive in the bedroom and now more than ever, Henry appreciates how vocal Alex can be.

He repeats his ministrations, all too pleased to hear every sound his actions coax out of Alex.

He takes him down deeper, his jaw slackening to accommodate. Henry feels his eyes water a little, but he keeps going, a deep moan emitting from him as Alex’s cock hits the back of his throat. 

Alex trembles like never before. Henry half expects him to be levitating, suspended in some other plane of existence entirely. It only makes Henry double down. He can taste Alex on his tongue, feel the early traces of his release. Alex is right there teetering on the edge.

Henry keeps his touches deliberate, the tips of his fingers gently skimming across Alex’s inner thighs once more. 

“Fuck,” the man hisses from above. Henry looks at him, feeling himself harden at the sight of Alex covering his mouth with the back of his hand, his fingers curling into a fist.

Noted, Henry thinks to himself, pleased to discover one of Alex’s weaknesses.

“Wait,” Alex chokes out. 

Henry pulls away immediately and takes the time to catch his breath.

“I want…,” Alex rasps. “Fuck, I don’t want to you to stop, but I don’t want to come like this. I want…I don’t know.”

“More?” Henry asks. Alex nods heavily, his legs trembling.

Henry places a kiss on each of Alex’s thighs before getting up on his knees. 

“I need you to be specific then. More could mean anything.”

Heat rushes to Alex’s already flushed face.

“Well, if we’re keeping with the theme of doing things a bit different…I, uh, I kinda want to try something new. I didn’t put it on the syllabus because we didn’t do it that night and, well, I don’t even know if it’s something you’d be into.”

Alex sighs, picking absentmindedly at the bedding.

“This would completely blow past other steps we should probably take first, but it’d be so…it would be everything. God, this is embarrassing as hell.”

Henry places a reassuring hand on Alex’s knee.

“It’s okay. We can talk about it. What’s going on?”

Alex licks his lips and looks away, still picking away  at the bedspread before catching Henry’s eye again.

“Since you’re down there, I mean, I wouldn’t exactly be opposed to feeling your mouth elsewhere…or your tongue. God, don’t make me say it. Is that specific enough?”

Henry quirks a brow. “I think so,” he says, gently slipping a hand under Alex’s ass, his thumb ghosting over his entrance. Henry stares at him, silently asking.

Alex shivers, eyes fluttering for a moment as a look of relief washes over his face.

“Yeah, I wanna feel you there,” he says as he settles back, taking a breath. “I want to know what it’s like. I've seen videos and I’ve…always wondered.”

Henry brushes his thumb against him again as he nods. 

“Let’s not keep you waiting then, love.” 

Alex’s eyes go comically wide. 

“Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Henry echoes. 

This may indeed be more advanced than where they are in Alex’s outline, but Henry reasons it’s a worthy exception. It’d be a different case if the roles were reversed. He knows what he’s doing here and Henry is a man of his word. This is something Alex has been curious about and he’ll provide a safe space for him to explore it.

Henry grabs a pillow and descends again. He positions the pillow under Alex right on his lower back, giving himself better access. Alex takes a deep breath and swallows hard.

“Doing okay?” Henry asks, lightly stroking Alex’s cock.

Alex nods twice. “Yeah, keep going. I’m ready,” he assures. 

Henry smiles at him before turning his attention to Alex’s entrance. He maintains his hold on Alex’s cock and licks experimentally at his rim.

Alex cries out sharply, his cock twitching, a telltale sign of his arousal at this new development.

“Holy shit. That’s it. Again, sweetheart, please,” Alex sputters.

Henry doesn’t hesitate. He licks again, slower this time before swirling his tongue. Alex huffs out a rough breath. Henry repeats the move over and over, taking his time and letting Alex truly experience these new sensations. 

Alex opens beautifully for him. Henry’s own cock feels heavy between his legs but he ignores it, so focused and devoted to the task of pleasuring Alex as he wants. 

His tongue delves in deeper, gently probing now, and greedily searching. Alex’s whole body twitches. He gets a hand in Henry’s hair and tugs.

“Oh, my fucking god,” Alex chokes out, his legs instinctively trying to squeeze shut. But with Henry so firmly in place, the move merely traps Henry further.

He lets out a moan, knowing the vibrations will only heighten the sensations coursing through Alex. He gets his confirmation as Alex lets loose another curse, his breaths raspy and uneven. 

Henry’s hand continues to pump Alex’s shaft. He can feel Alex’s resolve slipping in the way his cock drips and his walls tighten. But Henry doesn’t let up; he takes these cues as motivation to keep going, to dive deeper inside of Alex, leaving every bit of Alex explored. He can feel Alex’s walls clenching more as he gets more vocal. Alex fucks into his fist, back arching a bit before he thrashes against the bed.

A flurry of curses and moans fall from Alex’s lips. Henry’s thumb encircles the head of Alex’s leaking cock as he rolls his tongue inside him once more. He nibbles softly, smirking as Alex cries out again. Henry could spend hours like this, but from Alex’s sharp reactions, he knows it’s only a matter of time before he breaks.

Henry rolls his tongue faster, squeezing Alex just under the head of his cock. Alex shudders hard and grabs a fist full of Henry’s hair, panting and riding his tongue, begging Henry not to stop. 

It’s a pointless request as Henry has absolutely no intentions of slowing down, let alone cutting things short all together. He strokes Alex again, getting lost inside Alex and sending another moan through him.

Alex slams his other hand down against the bed and makes a choked sound before crying out as he reaches his end. His release coats Henry’s fist, makes a mess of his fingers but Henry doesn’t stop. He carries Alex through his orgasm, delighting in the soft broken sounds that escape his mouth as he rides out the wave. 

It’s only when Alex falls back against the bed and stills that Henry resurfaces. 

He finds Alex still catching his breath, his fixed to one spot on the ceiling, eyelashes and cheeks wet. Henry settles into the spot beside Alex and kisses his shoulder lightly. 

“I’m starting to think you aren’t actually real. Or maybe you're like, some kind of sex god that got put in that bar that night to completely wreck me,” Alex muses, turning his head to face him.

Henry laughs. “I’m going to hold you personally responsible when I inevitably turn into a raging egomaniac.”

Alex shakes his head. “You’d deserve to gloat. Fuck, you’re really a pro at all this stuff.”

A smile works its way onto Henry’s face as he props his head up on his clean hand.

He sucks his index finger into his mouth, eyes fixed on Alex’s as he tastes him. Alex stares in stunned silence for a moment before he curses.

“Years at all-boys boarding schools will do that to a person,” Henry says, picking back up the conversation as if nothing has happened. “I’m glad I could make you feel good.”

Alex shakes his head as if to clear it.

“We can safely add that to the list of things I like,” Alex says. “Shit, that’s officially in first place actually.”

Henry laughs. “Welcome to the exciting world of rimming.”

“I really like it here. I’m moving in as we speak.”

Alex laughs breathlessly and searches Henry’s eyes for a moment, a bit of uncertainty in his gaze the longer he stares. He reaches out a hand and traces the curve of Henry’s bottom lip with his knuckles.

Henry wonders if Alex even realizes how intimate his little touches can be. 

“We’re still doing what I want, right?” Alex asks, lowering his hand. 

Henry can still feel his touch like a phantom sensation on his lip.

He nods slowly, curious what Alex has in mind.

“The night is completely yours, yes.”

Alex looks down between Henry’s legs where his sweatpants do absolutely nothing to hide his arousal. 

Alex clenches his jaw, the muscle flexing. He looks away again, back at Henry’s face. His fingertips ghost along Henry’s inner arm instead now. 

Henry can feel goosebumps rise in their wake. Truly, did Alex not know how much he was making him come undone with these subtleties?

“In that case, I want to watch you get yourself off and when you do, I want it to be on me.”

Henry’s brows shoot up to his hairline.

“Is that too much?” Alex asks.

Henry quickly shakes his head to dispel his worries.

“Not at all. I’m just surprised. I didn’t see that request coming.”

Alex laughs deeply. 

“Hey, man. I haven’t stopped thinking about you touching yourself since that one magical night. You can’t give me an experience like that and not expect me to want a repeat.”

Henry laughs. “I never said I had any objections,” he counters smoothly, already reaching for his waistband and slipping out of his sweats and boxer briefs in one fell swoop.

“In fact, I’d be all too happy and willing to oblige.”

He switches his position and straddles Alex’s waist, settling on top of him, his messy right hand already on his own slick cock. It’s filthy, but Henry hardly cares and judging by how hard Alex swallows and stares up at him, the other man doesn’t mind either.

Henry doesn’t bat an eyelash as he sets a slow rhythm on himself and stares back, anchoring his free hand to the center of Alex’s abdomen.

“This is so fucking hot,” Alex murmurs, rubbing circles against Henry’s thighs at once.

Henry laughs softly before growing serious again, keeping his eyes trained on Alex’s face. He rolls his hips over him, moaning at the feel of Alex’s spent cock against his ass.

The way Alex looks at him, so intent with sheer wonder, it makes it easy to slip up and forget that this isn’t something Henry gets to keep.

“You’re so goddamn gorgeous like this, Henry. Seriously. Shit. So, so beautiful and good for me.”

Henry shivers at that, basking in the praise. He grinds once more against Alex’s cock, biting back on his lower lip.

Alex reaches a hand forward and tugs Henry’s lip free with his thumb.

“I want to hear you when you lose it. Don’t get quiet on me. I want to know how badly this gets to you, sweetheart.”

“Christ, Alex,” he mutters, feeling the command squarely between his legs.

Henry teases his slit, hissing at how sensitive the flesh is. He lets out a moan unabashedly as he trembles.

“Good. Just like that,” Alex whispers and Henry has no clue how the power dynamic has shifted, but he feels so desperate to keep hearing Alex talk to him like this. 

He can see the moment it fully clicks too in Alex’s eyes. That wicked smirk Henry has been obsessed with since day one makes its way onto Alex’s lips.

“You like that, don’t you? Being good for me? Putting on a show only I can see?”

Henry gasps, his hand moving faster along his shaft. His throat feels dry, his heart racing, but he doesn’t let up for even a second. He nods obediently and whimpers in response.

“Yeah, I can tell you do,” Alex continues, rubbing Henry’s thighs again. 

A keening noise slips from Henry’s lips. 

“You like being all mine. Having me watch you. It drives you crazy, doesn’t it? I bet you want me to touch you. But I know you can continue being good for me. I know you can get yourself there. Go ahead. Show me how good you can be, sweetheart.”

Alex’s hands find their way to his ass and grip Henry tightly. Henry arches his back and cries out, his hips rolling once more, cock leaking. He encircles his tip with his thumb, staring into Alex’s hungry eyes as his palm slides up and down his throbbing shaft.

“I’m so close,” Henry pants.

“I know. Let it out. You’ve been so good. You’ve earned this. Come for me. Nice and hard, baby, right on me.”

It’s the pet name most of all that sends Henry careening off the edge. He moans Alex’s name as he comes, his body shaking with the sheer force of it.

His release paints streaks across Alex’s stomach and chest. Henry can feel his face flush seeing just how hard his orgasm hits, the rivulets of his finish thick against Alex's skin. But Alex’s darkened eyes eliminate any fear or concern that this is all too much.

Alex sits up just enough to kiss him. It’s heated and sloppy and Henry can’t get enough of it. He strokes Alex’s cheek as they kiss, moaning into the man’s mouth. It takes every bit of his willpower to pull away.

“Maybe we should add that to the syllabus?” Alex says. “We kinda slipped into new territory there with dirty talk at the end. Are you okay? I’m sorry if I went too far.”

Henry leans in and kisses Alex twice. “Not in the least,” he assures. 

“We’ll call that extra credit, but yes. We can cover that down the line if you want, but I’m telling you right now, you don’t actually need instruction there. As you saw firsthand, it’s another thing I enjoy and you’re damn good at it. Scary good. Don’t be afraid to lean into that with me. It's fully encouraged.”

He smiles at Alex who looks relieved. Henry kisses his cheek. He looks down at the complete mess of their bodies, perhaps more aroused than he ought to be at the sight.

“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Let’s get us cleaned up. Shower with me? I wouldn’t say no to round two in there,” Alex says, wiggling his brows.

Henry shakes his head in disbelief.

“It’s going to be a long night, isn’t it?”

Alex searches his eyes, his head tipping to the side, his curls falling over his eyes. It’s far more adorable than a scenario like this should be, but it makes Henry weak; he knows he can’t resist Alex when the man looks like this. He suspects Alex is aware too as his perfect mouth curls into a smirk and he replies.

“Yeah, but I promise, you’re going to love every second of it.”

~*~*~

Memphis, TN Comic and Fantasy Convention Day 1

“How far are you into the show?” Alex as he sits cross-legged on his hotel bed.

Henry sits at the desk in Alex’s room with his laptop out, taking advantage of the fact that they’re still wired from traveling. They arrived in Memphis a mere four hours ago ahead of tomorrow’s convention. It only gave them enough time to grab a bite and scrub the smell and germs of the airport and Uber off themselves before checking in.

The pace at which Alex hops on flights and gets settled into new cities is mind-boggling, but Henry is grateful that at least this time around, they’re actually in the same time zone from the last city they were in. 

He has to admit, it is exciting. But he can’t help but to wonder what it would be like doing this alone like Alex ordinarily does. 

He makes a note to himself in his document to ask Alex about that at some point.

“Just started series three,” Henry says. “I’ve been live texting Pez. Rather, he’s been ambushing me with messages, asking after my progress. He still can’t believe I’m touring with you. Crescent Valley was so major to him when we were at school. He’d beg me to watch, but I never did and somehow I managed to miss one of the greatest cultural phenomenons of our generation.”

Alex smiles. “You ever think about how differently that night in New York would have gone had you known who I was?”

Henry pauses and considers how to answer. After getting the shock of his life in going to that lunch and finding himself seated with none other than the man he’d slept with the night before who, on top of that, turned out to be a celebrity was (and still remained) hard to fully wrap his mind around.

Henry’s simply glad for the fact that he and Alex have been able to make the most of it, to actually become friends despite the rocky start.

“I have. But I think I prefer the course it actually took. Makes for a more compelling story,” he says. 

Henry falters for a moment.

“If I had recognized you though, do you think you would have still gone through with it all?”

Alex smiles thoughtfully. “It wouldn’t have changed how I felt…or what I wanted with you. I wouldn’t have been able to resist.”

Henry searches his eyes and feels his heart beat a little faster at Alex’s candor as he tries not to think too heavily on the implications of Alex’s words. Whatever the risk might have been, Alex deemed him worth it.

He licks his lips and forces himself to look away, to break the spell of Alex’s eyes.

“Let’s talk about the early days of your career,” Henry says, grabbing his phone and opening the voice app to record. 

“According to your Wiki page, you got your start doing commercials as a child in Austin. Is that true?” Henry asks.

“As you can imagine after looking at me now, I was freaking adorable as a kid. I think I had too much personality and energy to contain inside the house without driving my family crazy. I’ve always felt comfortable in front of people and playing pretend. It seemed like a natural fit. I could lose myself in a role. During the times my parents’ fights got to be too loud, I’d just go into the backyard and dream up another life for myself time and time again.”

Alex shifts on the bed, grabbing a pillow and dropping it into his lap.

“I booked a few local spots and moved on to theater. That opened up a whole new avenue and I think that’s when I fully realized just how much I loved inhabiting a character and getting to work off other people’s energy. With commercials, it was a few lines here and there. You’d film that one day, maybe two depending on the situation and then you’d move on. But with the stage, I got to live and breathe those characters on a daily basis. It was straight up magic.”

Henry smiles.

“What prompted you to then find a bigger stage? A life in California doing television and film?”

Alex mulls it over for a moment.

“I started to feel like a big fish in a little pond. And I don’t mean to sound like an asshole, like theater was somehow beneath me or something. I’ll always love stagework and honestly, I’d love to return to it someday. I just…felt a calling elsewhere at that time as I got older. I felt myself being pulled out there.”

Alex grows quiet for a moment as he travels back in his memories.

“It was an open call for Crescent Valley,” Alex says. “Looking back on it, I honestly still can’t believe that from the thousands of guys who auditioned, they saw something unique in me to say, ‘yeah, that’s who this show needs in this role’. I’ve never been one to believe in fate and all that stuff, but when something life-changing like this happens to you, it’s kinda hard to rule it out completely.”

Henry smiles to himself. The action must not go unnoticed.

“What?” Alex asks.

Henry looks at him and shrugs.

“Nothing. It’s interesting hearing you talk sometimes. You’re a bit of a romantic.”

Alex seems to consider this for a moment.

“Certain things bring it out of me.”

Henry wonders if the same could be said about people.

Henry gets them back on track and he digs further into asking questions about Alex’s career, his foray into film as well. Alex is such a great conversationalist, his stories always laced with humor and interesting asides. It makes Henry all the more excited about working deeper on the preliminary pages and delving further with his voice for these segments. 

They talk for another hour but it hardly feels laborious or tiring. It hardly even feels like work at all. Ultimately Henry puts a pin in their talk when he notes the hour. It’s creeping close to midnight and Alex has an early morning phone interview ahead of the con and Henry wants to work on transcribing this conversation.

“Calling it a night so soon?” Alex says, as if he doesn’t have a busy day ahead of himself.

Henry laughs and swivels around to look at him. Alex is still seated on the bed, but his arms are outstretched behind him. It’s a casual pose, though something in his eyes betrays the effect. 

“Do I sense the next item on the syllabus coming to the forefront with mere minutes to spare before a brand new day?” 

Henry has the document cemented in his mind. He knows exactly what lesson is next.

Oral.

Alex shrugs. “I’m not tired. Are you?”

Henry can’t resist taking the bait. He can pull an all-nighter after this.

“I’ll defer to you. How would you like the practical to go?”

Alex smiles, his expression a bit thoughtful.

“In Minnesota, you were incredible. Bold even,” he continues. “I’ve been wanting to put into practice the things you did to me and I’d love to figure out what makes you tick too.”

Henry is certain his face is red. He can feel warmth flood his cheeks, curious as to how often Alex allows himself to picture it.

“If that’s what you want, then yes.”

Alex looks at him, shaking his head slightly.

“Is it something you’d want?” Alex counters, moving the pillow off of himself.

Henry mirrors his stare.

“Of course,” he says, seeing little use in pretending otherwise.

“Then let me hear you say it plainly. I won’t lay a single finger on you unless I know you want it too.”

Henry’s heart races, beats right up to his throat. He keeps his face as neutral as he can as he speaks though, inside, his mind is a riot.

“I want you on your knees for me, Alex. I want you to taste me.”

Alex breathes a little heavier but he doesn’t say a word as he gets up and crosses the small space between them to where Henry sits at the desk. He settles on Henry’s lap and immediately Henry feels his own cock stiffen in response. Alex’s confidence is extremely attractive. His body can’t help but to react to it.

“I know how much you like the buildup,” Alex says quietly, running a hand slowly up under Henry’s shirt, his palm skimming his bare skin.

Henry shivers. Alex merely smirks.

“I’ll give you what you want. I’ll take my time with you.”

He leans in and kisses Henry, his mouth inviting and all too familiar. Henry feels his body relax further as they kiss. Alex’s thumb rubs against his nipple and Henry trembles in response. He can feel Alex smiling once more against his lips before doing it again on the other side. Henry can feel the delicate skin grow harder, among other things.

From his position on his lap, Henry knows Alex can feel it too.

Alex’s touch is feather-light as his hand brushes Henry between his legs for the briefest of seconds. It’s downright tortuous, but Henry wouldn’t have it any other way. He kisses Alex with renewed vigor, his right hand slipping into the man’s hair and pulling him closer. He opens his mouth to Alex, letting their tongues meet. Alex’s hand slips under Henry’s shirt once more, fingernails scratching teasingly down across his skin. Henry’s hips jerk forward on their own accord.

Alex has learned what he likes so well now, keeping up his promise from before and not rushing matters. Henry deepens the kiss, moaning deeply as his fingers continue curling in Alex’s hair and his tongue ensnares Alex’s.

Henry craves more and Alex seems to understand as he grinds down on him. Henry is almost unbearably hard.

Alex pulls away slowly just then and settles down on his knees, peering right up at Henry through his lashes all the while.

Henry shakes his head in disbelief of how gorgeous Alex looks. There’s something sweet yet tantalizing in his gaze. It completely wrecks Henry already.

Alex undoes Henry’s jeans and slips his cock out. His face feels hot Alex takes a hold of him and licks a languid strip up the underside from root to tip.

“Alex,” Henry gasps, clutching the arms of the chair. 

He hadn’t been expecting this level of assurance from him right out the gate. Henry doesn’t think he will need to guide Alex much—if at all— through this lesson if he’s hitting the ground running like this.

Alex’s face is the picture of innocence, as if he has no clue the kind of frenzy he’s causing to flare up inside Henry now. He repeats the move and Henry thinks he’s prepared for it, but he’s quickly thrown off in the best way as Alex’s lips wrap around the head of his cock and he begins to suck.

Henry’s knuckles turn even whiter as he grips the chair tighter still as he studies the way Alex’s pretty mouth looks wrapped around him.

“Someone’s been doing some studying on the side I see,” he manages to say, his voice wavering.

Alex smirks and it’s so unbelievably sexy to see the mischievous sparkle in his eyes. He slips Henry out of his mouth.

“Oh, you do not want to see my browser history,” he says before taking him in again.

Henry sucks in a breath. “Actually, I think I would rather enjoy a peek at that.”

Alex laughs before sobering up and focusing his attention once more. He pumps his hand along the hilt of Henry’s cock as his tongue swirls around the head. Henry feels overstimulated in a good way, his whole body buzzing as Alex works him over.

Alex plants his left hand on Henry’s thigh and takes in more of his length a bit quickly.

“Nice and slow, darling,” Henry gently reminds him. “You’re doing so well,” he continues, running his fingers through Alex’s curls. 

Alex slows his pace again and sets a rhythm as his head angles this way and that way, moaning deeply as he sucks Henry off.

“There you go,” Henry says softly, cock throbbing at the attention to it. “It’s like your mouth was made just for me.”

Alex glances up at him, eyelashes casting shadows against his sharp cheekbones. Henry can barely handle the sight of his perfect full lips wrapped around his cock. It takes everything in Henry not to thrust forward and fuck into the wet heat of his mouth. It’s a close thing as Alex blinks prettily and takes him in just a bit more, clearly testing his own limits.

Alex’s tongue is relentless, snaking around his length with ease. Henry murmurs continued praise, his body feeling limp as Alex tends to him.

After a moment, Alex slips off of him, but his hand is right there without missing a beat, jerking him off as his tongue laps against one of his balls. 

Henry jerks forward involuntarily. Alex peers up at him, a question in his eyes. Henry merely brushes his curls off his forehead.

“Keep going, love. That feels amazing.”

Alex nods once and licks again before popping one of his balls into his mouth. Henry groans, grip tightening on Alex’s curls as he gently rolling his hips. Alex gives the same treatment to his other ball before getting his glorious mouth back on Henry’s cock.

Henry shudders feeling Alex’s tongue run along his shaft once more. He feels like he could just about explode.

“Alex, I’m not going to last much longer,” he warns, the pressure in the pit of his stomach reaching a fever pitch.

Alex doesn’t break his stride, not even a little. It’s almost as if he hasn’t heard Henry at all. His head bobs as he sucks him off, his tongue brushing here and there. The combination feels so good, Henry can only surrender to it further.

“Alex,” he cautions again more firmly, but the man doesn’t relent. He merely locks eyes with Henry and slackens his jaw a little as he kneads Henry’s balls.

Henry bites back on his lower lip at Alex’s tightening grip, his tongue pressing a sensitive spot just under the head of his cock and Henry loses it instantly.

His body shudders as he comes, a soft laugh falling from his lips. His instinct is to close his eyes and ride it out, but he refuses to deprive himself of the sight of Alex nestled between his legs, dutifully taking him, tasting him as requested.

The sight is downright obscene. Alex swallows down what he can, but his mouth is a mess as Henry’s release drips down from the corners. He can’t look away, especially with how Alex smirks and stares back almost defiantly.

Henry takes a breath as he comes back down to earth.

Alex merely wipes at his lips and chin with the back of his hand. 

“Come here,” Henry says, his voice completely shot as he pats his leg twice.

Alex gets to his feet shakily and perches in Henry’s lap again. He looks to Henry expectantly, searching his eyes. 

Henry cups his face, eyes drifting to Alex’s mouth.

“Was that okay? Should I have done anything differently?” Alex asks, wrapping an arm around Henry’s shoulders.

Henry leans in and kisses him deeply, tasting himself on Alex’s tongue as he explores his mouth. It only drives him madder. Alex gets his fingers in his hair, kissing him back roughly.

“I guess I was pretty decent then if you’ve got no compliments, huh?” Alex remarks in between kisses.

Henry laughs in spite of himself.

“You’re an absolute menace. Did you know that?”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean. I’m a goddamn saint.”

Henry rolls his eyes and kisses the tip of Alex’s nose.

“Shall I get you off?” he asks. “You must be like a rock right now.”

Alex smiles. “It’s nothing I can’t handle in the shower.”

Henry makes a wounded sound in the back of his throat at the mental image.

Alex cackles and kisses him, taking a hold of Henry’s hand and slipping it into his pants. Henry shivers as he grasps him. 

It’s just as he suspected. He’s so hard and wet, Henry knows it won’t take much to get Alex to finish. He brushes his thumb back and forth along the man’s shaft. Alex’s eyes flutter at the sensation. He hums softly, lightly combing his fingers through the hair at the back of Henry’s head.

“I mean, I guess you could do it for me. That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world,” he muses.

Henry laughs and kisses him again, stroking his cock in earnest as they get lost in each other. He can’t get enough of the way Alex responds to him, hips jerking forward, moans pouring from his mouth, goosebumps blooming on his skin all because of him.

Surely, he thinks, they both have lost their minds for getting tangled up in this arrangement. But Henry is so grateful for it. Once upon a time, he used to be the most straight-laced individual in the world. Now that he knows this life of recklessness, he’s not entirely sure he could ever go back completely.

Henry breaks their kiss and begins sucking on Alex’s clavicle.

Alex all out fucks into his fist, soft grunts emitting from him. Henry is obsessed with it all. He bites down on Alex’s collarbone and sucks harder, letting the tip of his tongue skim along the spot he’s bitten.

Alex moans his name and Henry quickens his speed against his shaft, tightening his grip as Alex bucks forward over and over again until his breath catches. He goes flying over the edge and Henry diligently helps him through the aftershocks, kissing up to his neck, along his jawline, and back to his lips.

“Dammit, Henry,” Alex hisses against his mouth, taking a few heavy breaths. “I can’t get enough of you.”

Henry rests his forehead on Alex’s and pecks his lips once.

“Darling, there’s no limit. You can have it all.”