#it's like...in an entire year in english we would do ONE book and ONE play and ONE poem and maybe a short story?

[witchstone]

i am 99% convinced the private school i spent the remainder of my high school years in only used to government system to boost their pass rates and average marks for advertising purposes bc god on earth it was not because it had any kind of academic integrity

[actual-changeling]

Welcome back to Alex's unhinged meta corner, and today I have something surprisingly not kiss-related—though it is still about the final fifteen because hey, gotta keep the brand image.

I read this post by @goodoldfashionednightingale and began typing a small response. Then I made the mistake of drinking half a litre of coffee on an empty stomach right after taking my adhd meds and my brain began vibrating at the speed of light.

But oh, have I discovered parallels. This, my friends, is about the nightingale, where it comes from, what it means, and what the fuck happened in part 3 of 1941.

Ready? Let's go.

Now, as OP said in her post, s1e3 is important. In the script book, Neil himself says that these flashbacks are where the producers would tell him to cut scenes to save money. They suggested every single one—except for the one he ended up taking out, which was the bookshop opening scene set in 1800. The others are building blocks, you need them to see how their relationship progressed and what kind of important milestones they had.

(side note: author is very miffed that english does not have a separate subjunctive form like german which makes quoting lines way more confusing than it has to be)

The one I want to mention is neither 1941 nor 1967. No, what I want to talk about is 1601. This might be about to get a bit rambly but I will do my best to keep it tidy.

The focus of that flashback is on the Arrangement, yes, but it gives us a lot more information than that.

they both see Shakespeare's plays regularly, maybe even meet in the crowd

Crowley prefers the comedies

Aziraphale does not seem to have a preference, he enjoys the tragedies and presumably the comedies too

there is an oyster woman selling food -> reference to their meeting in Rome when Aziraphale tempted him to try some oysters

Aziraphale reflexively denies their relationship

Crowley might say he is not worried but circles Aziraphale the entire time, keeping watch

they both ask favours of each other and both agree to do them

What stands out to me in relation to what I am about to expand on is the line that Crowley delivers after Aziraphale's little 'buck up'—which Crowley finds adorable btw but that's a post for another time.

"Age does not wither nor custom stale his infinite variety."

Why would he say that? What exactly is prompting this? WHY say that specific line?

At first I thought it might be to tempt Shakespeare because he does commit art theft by just copying that line down, BUT I think there is more to that. So much more, in fact. I am wiggling now because I am very excited about this and my adhd meds are kicking in anyway.

First things first: the line itself.

It appears in Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra, a romantic tragedy, which was first performed in 1607 aka six years after this meeting. Enobarbus is talking about Cleopatra and describing why Antony won't leave her. Her.

Ccrowley uses his—again, who is he even talking about? Hamlet? Shakespeare? Random poetic quote?

No, I think this line is about Aziraphale and it's a code. Right after, the next line from Aziraphale is "What do you want?", meaning that this is their code phrase for 'I have a favour to ask of you'.

Age does not wither nor custom stale his infinite variety

Age will not affect his appearance nor will he ever become boring to Antony. Crowley, who later chooses the name Anthony for himself, tells Aziraphale, an immortal, that he will never age and that he will never grow bored of him.

It's flattery, pure and simple, and it's code at the same time. This establishes the important fact that they might use more of Shakespeare's work as code/already have a system in place (even though he steals Crowley's line for later).

They play their little morality game of back and forth, Aziraphale agrees, Crowley probably manipulates the coin toss, and THEN we find out that the oyster woman is called Juliet.

Why? What is the meaning of that? Why give her a name and that name in particular? Why bring the sexy oysters back into it?

Romeo and Juliet premiered in 1597, so it is safe to assume they have both seen it by 1601, but this is mostly for the audience, not for us-or is it?

Aziraphale gives Crowley puppy eyes until he agrees to make Hamlet popular, and while I don't think Juliet itself is a code word, although it's very interesting that the OYSTER woman is the one with that name (especially adding what we now know about Job), Romeo and Juliet might be.

Yes, the Nightingale song came out in 1940 but the bird has been around for much, much longer, and, as many probably know by now, also shows up in Romeo and Juliet.

This is where I am starting to vibrate at the speed of light because listen to me. Listen.

Crowley is Juliet. Anthony J. Crowley. Antony Juliet Crowley.

(side note: I'm not saying that Crowley chose it based on that—though I am not not saying that—but that it is a clue for us at the audience.)

Why do I think that? In the play, Romeo spends the night with Juliet and then goes to leave as the night begins to end. Juliet tries to stop him and tells him that the birds they are hearing aren't larks, which sing at dawn, but nightingales, which sing at night.

Who is the one always pushing for more? Crowley. He is the one trying to convince Aziraphale it's safe, they're safe to spend time together.

Romeo disagrees with Juliet and says 'I must be gone and live, or stay and die'.

Leave and stay alive, or stay and hell/heaven will punish us. It gets even better though.

We all know how Romeo and Juliet ends: Romeo thinks Juliet is dead, kills himself, Juliet finds him and then kills herself too.

Hey, do you know how Antony and Cleopatra ends?

Antony thinks Cleopatra is dead, kills himself and dies in her arms, then Cleopatra also kills herself—by snake poison; Romeo also died by poison.

The parallels are THERE. They are jumping down our throats! Two tragedies, two sides, several familiar names and phrases, same fear, same ending.

I think by now you can guess how this ties back to 1941.

We do not see how that night ends, but we know it ends. One of them wants to stretch it out, maybe even quotes Romeo and Juliet because look at the setting!

Candlelight, wonderful night they spend together, the threat of Crowley's early demise, and, to quote the play once more, this time Romeo: I have more care to stay than will to go.

Crowley thought it was his last night on earth and went with Aziraphale to his bookshop, to be with him, because he cares more about that than the fact that he will be dragged to hell come morning. Do you remember?

"Expect a legion to come for you first thing tomorrow" THAT is the threat. They have until dawn, just like Romeo and Juliet, which is why she is so desperate for the birds to be nightingales. Fortunately for them, Aziraphale saves the day, BUT there is NO SECURITY. They do not KNOW if a legion will still show up or not. If dawn is a deadline and they will need to fight.

Sure, they improved their chances, but who knows? Maybe they will come for him anyway, it's not like hell is all fair and square.

The best part: it gets even better.

Juliet eventually panics and tells him to go, and Romeo drops a line that huh, sounds oddly familiar, doesn't it?

'More light and light, more dark and dark our woes!'

Remind me, what does Aziraphale say again? Ah, yes. Perhaps there is something to be said for shades of grey.

There is more. Yes, even more. We know the whole rescue relies on a magic trick, a switch. Guess what Juliet yearns for while telling Romeo to go save himself?

Oh, now I would they had changed voices too. While they did not for Romeo and Juliet—they kiss and part—they did for our two. One fabulous switch and we're good.

(side note: Toads? Associated with hell. Larks? Associated with the dawn, yes, but also heaven since Romeo says 'Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat the vaulty heaven so high above our heads.')

So, this was a whole lot of information, let's see if I can summarize my thoughts.

I believe the nightingale is a code word that has existed even before 1941 and gained a lot of importance over the years. In 1941, the song is added to the meaning and whatever happened between the two that we have not seen yet, it fundamentally changed their relationship. Maybe they kissed, maybe one of them tried to convince the other to prolong the night but they parted on not-great terms.

The nightingale and the song become a symbol of hope, a goal to achieve, another uninterrupted night, maybe, or an uninterrupted life.

When they part in the final fifteen, it's morning. Crowley points at the sky and says "no nightingales", which at that point has several different layers to it.

No nightingales because their night is over, just like with Romeo and Juliet, and please, please allow me to add another detail, because I am frothing at the mouth over this. The scene I quoted, known as balcony scene, do you know what it is preceded by?

A ball.

Star-crossed lovers defying their sides, falling in love at a ball, getting a hurried, wonderful night together but torn apart by danger of punishment, the nightingale as a dream, as a wish for unhurried time together. Family rejection, torn apart by parents, willing to die for each other so they can reunite in death.

No nightingales. The ball, the romance, is over, their dancing is over, heaven is tearing them apart, and Aziraphale returns to heaven while they are both stuck in a pit of misunderstanding and miscommunication, all bound together by fear for each other.

The thing is, Crowley hates tragedies, he never liked the "gloomy ones", and he does not want them to end in one—luckily, this isn't the end. Yes, they kiss and part, but the play keeps going. We have an entire act 3 to fix what Romeo and Juliet couldn't, to ensure that this is a COMEDY, not a tragedy.

Both Antony & Cleopatra and Romeo & Juliet died out of fear, hurried into making bad decisions because they knew what would happen if their sides were to catch up with them.

Crowley and Aziraphale can reunite heaven and hell with love, not death. This is THEIR story and they are writing the ending. No more day and night, no more deadlines, no more hiding and sneaking about, no more fear of larks and sunshine.

Good Omens will end the way it began: In a garden with two no-longer-star-crossed lovers embracing the song of a lark as well as that of the nightingale.

I hope this made sense to everyone who was no present while my mind started to vibrate itself into a puddle because the thing is I can see Neil doing all of this completely on purpose.

Thoughts? Questions? Additions? Come and join me in my insanity and until next time I have a mental breakdown over this show (probably in like two hours).

[youandiwerealive]

Wish you could see you through my eyes [rd]

Author’s note: Roommate!Rúben is finally here! I want to thank the anon who dropped this scenario in my inbox because this… changed my life forever 😭 I loved writing this one and I hope my girls enjoy it! Mwah

Warnings: hold tight because this one is intense!! MINORS DNI!! Masturbation, wet dreams, some dirty talk, protected sex (finally), oral sex, multiple orgasms. Let me know if I’m missing something!

wc: 7058 - English is not my first language! Feedback is always appreciated

It’s been three weeks since you’ve moved into the new apartment you will be staying in while you’re at university. The house is small but perfect enough for you and your housemate. His name is Rúben, he told you he is Portuguese when he introduced himself at the welcome party in the beginning of the semester.

You had a house that you shared with two other girls, but since they started some drama with you, you were desperately looking for another place to stay.

“I have a spare room in my house, my old housemate already finished his degree and he moved out” - Rúben said after hearing your story while you’re telling it to some friends that you two had in common - them bringing Rúben along to your group of people. You didn’t have another option, really, so you accepted his offer.

He’s alright, he seems calm and hasn’t been pestering you too much since you moved in, so you’re thankful for that.

You noticed right away that night that he is very interesting in the looks department - silently thanking god to be able to look at him every single day, but you’re not really interested in starting something fiery with your housemate, not wanting that kind of drama inside the house that you will be living in for the next two years.

On the other side, Rúben finds you very interesting as well, his mind is already creating a thousand scenarios where you two could be together, doing some of the most devilish things that can come to his mind.

He doesn’t want to push it right away though, thinking about knowing you better first - completely enticed by you. That shouldn’t be difficult, since you’re both living under the same roof.

Rúben plays football for the university’s team. You can tell that he is very focused on his goals by the way you always see him in the kitchen cooking all his meals, preparing his entire weeks worth of food, instead of acting like the usual 19 year old that would just order some pizza if they didn’t feel like cooking.

You often try to avoid being in the same place as him for too long - feeling a little anxious by the way he looks so dominant and intimidating to you. He is tall, much taller than you obviously, and he uses his free time to work out, having a toned body that would make a lot of guys jealous.

Sometimes, you decide to study in the living room when you’re home alone. When Rúben arrives, you feel the need to immediately pick up your books and go back to your room. He’s nice to you, he’s soft spoken and has a light smile on his face, but you would rather not get too close to him.

You feel small and intimidated by the way he looks at you, feeling like he could set you on fire, your cheeks burning every time you feel his eyes on you.

But you know he’s a caring guy, you can’t forget the way he helped you when you were desperately searching for a place to live, that alone has made you feel eternally grateful to him.

But it’s not just that. It’s the way he’s softly knocking on your room door now, pulling you out of your thoughts and studies. The door slowly opens, and your face turns into a smile once you see his face poking in.

“Sorry to disturb your peace” - he says with a shy smile. “I just thought I could invite you to come have dinner with me in the living room? We could watch a nice movie to get a break from all the studying.”

You look at him, like you’re trying to understand why would he invite you to that.

“I noticed you’ve been here for hours now, too focused studying, and you haven’t eaten yet. Plus I’ve been cooking so maybe I thought you could have a bite? Only if you want to, of course” - he looks at you like he’s begging you to accept his offer.

You smile at him. “What movie are we watching?” - you ask and Rúben lets out a breath that he didn’t knew he was holding.

And that’s how it started. You and Rúben had a routine now: you would have dinner together every night and watch a movie after. That was the only way Rúben found to spend more time with you. He loved hearing you laugh when you were watching comedies, the way you would always ask him a million questions when you were confused about the movie, and how you looked so adorable when you were scared of horror movies. The last one really making him want to hug you tight and cuddle you so he could make you feel safe and protected in his arms.

You’ve started to open up around him more as well, letting your bubbly personality show. You too got used to having his presence around, feeling sad when his football practice would run late and he couldn’t make it in time for dinner and movie night.

At the same time, Rúben didn’t look at you in a normal housemate-type-of-way. Neither did you. The sexual tension was noticeable near the both of you, but you just played pretend, believing that it was all in your head.

Until there’s one night, when you’re in your room studying - after having movie night with your housemate. Everything seemed quiet, little noise could be heard, mainly coming from the street, since your window was open. You kept writing down your notes, until you heard an unusual sound. You froze in place, trying to understand what kind of noise it was and where it came from. Sounds like… a moan? And it sounds like it comes from Rúben’s bedroom - being right next to yours.

You can’t help but blush while you imagine him in such an amended state that he didn’t even notice how loud the moan he'd let escape was.

You start thinking about how thin the walls in your apartment actually are, and remind yourself to be careful while making any type of noise, while you put your headphones on, so you can stop listening to Rúben while he is clearly having “a moment”.

You try not to overthink the sound that you heard coming from him. He’s a boy, after all, you shouldn’t be surprised to know that he was jerking himself off. But that changed the way you saw Rúben.

The next morning, you were having breakfast when you saw your housemate going to the bathroom, ready to take a shower as he took a towel with him.

The water starts running and you notice that he didn’t turn the water heater on. Why was he taking a cold shower?

You wait until he gets out of the bathroom, your eyes immediately glue to the water drops, slowly diving through his toned abs when he comes into vision. The towel was wrapped around his hips, and you can’t help but wonder what would happen if it accidentally fell to the floor.

“You’re staring, you know?” - he laughs cockily, taking you out of your trance.

Your cheeks immediately turn bright red, feeling so embarrassed by that moment.

“Why were you taking a cold shower?” - you ask back with an eyebrow raised at him, erasing the smug smile from his face.

“Oh-” - he stuttered a bit. “You know, it’s good for the muscles and all. Need to be careful, we have an important game coming up” - he told you, unsure of himself and definitely not convincing you.

After that, you take notice of Rúben’s behavior in your shared house, and around you.

You start noticing the times his hand would immediately go to his bulge, when you two were having a movie night. The way he would immediately close his legs when you would get closer to him on the sofa.

When the movie ends, he always goes to his room, and it gets very silent. It’s always unusual when his room is so silent: he is always listening to music, watching some videos, playing games, you name it. It’s only truly silent when he’s asleep, but yet… his light is still on.

It’s always the same routine: dinner, movie, Rúben goes to his room, absolute silence, and after a while, he gets out of his room, goes to the bathroom for a bit and comes back to his room to actually turn the light off and fall asleep, after sending you a good night text - not wanting to knock on your door in case you were already sleeping.

Rúben is unaware that you've noticed his routine. When he goes back to his room, it’s only him and his brain. The way you’re always plastered on the front of his head, the only thing he can think about all day, it was driving him insane. He lays in bed and thinks about how good your touch feels on his arms when you touch him. It’s an innocent and harmless touch, but he can’t stop thinking about how good it would feel on his entire body. He feels goosebumps on his skin when your delicate fingers touch him in such a light way. He loves being close to you, he loves how soft your hair feels on his arm when you lay your head on the sofa, next to his shoulder. He wants to touch you, to feel you.

All these thoughts wrap his head in a knot, and the only thing he can do is feel himself through his shorts.

His hand travels from his abs to his bulge, already growing at the thought of you. He massages his dick through his boxers, lowly whining at the feeling. After teasing himself for a bit, he pushes his underwear down, letting his hard dick spring free from his tight clothes.

He feels how hard he is, how much you fucked up his mind - and how unaware you are of it.

You turn him on. Everything you do. The way you look at him with your eyebrow raised, the way you roll your eyes at his cockiness, the way you laugh at his jokes. The way you make him lose his mind when you appear in the middle of the living room in the morning, looking so beautiful even after waking up, with your pyjamas. He loves the way your pyjama shorts hug your waist, embody your ass and allow your legs to be in full display for him. He loves it. He loves looking at you, he’s always daydreaming about you. He fantasizes about you all the time, he imagines how it would be if you were in his bed with him, right now. How would you react if you saw him touching himself, his cock painfully hard because of you.

His hand is wrapped tightly around his dick, thrusting up and down in a slow motion, not wanting to rush the film that’s going through his head right now. Picturing you doing all kinds of dirty and devilish things with him, thinking about your lips wrapped around his dick while his mouth would devour your pussy, giving you the best hard yet passionate sex you could ever have. His other hand travels behind his neck, helping him get more comfortable as his head is now thrown back, his eyes still shut - dreaming about you. His breath turns erratic as he starts pumping himself harder and faster now, like he is pumping life into his veins and he can’t stop. He growls as he pictures you on top of him, straddling him and jumping on his dick - oh, how he wishes that dream would become reality.

He tries his best not to moan loud at the feeling he’s giving himself and the obscene thoughts he’s having. His mind rushes, silently praying that you would walk through the door and help him chase his orgasm. But just knowing that you’re on the door next to his room, is enough to make his stomach swirl, feeling dirty by doing it while he’s thinking about you, without you even dreaming of it.

He sustains a moan as his hand speeds up, anxious to cum. He finally breathes out when he feels the bubble in his stomach burst. He cums in his stomach, disappointed that he didn’t get to cum anywhere on your body, like he wishes so badly. He grabs a towel and cleans himself before going to the bathroom and quickly shower to get rid of the dirtiness he made - he wishes he could get rid of the thoughts surrounding his head, but that won’t go away with any shower.

He goes to bed, as he feels lighter after hitting his high and falls asleep in a few minutes.

But his mind is always playing tricks on him, even when he is sleeping.

There’s an image splattered on his mind, dreaming about going out with you - on a proper date. You look so beautiful in his dream, wearing a red dress that is making him feel things already. Rúben starts moving on the bed, his waist searching for you, for the way you’re sitting on his lap in his dream. He starts breathing heavily as he pictures you two making out in such a dirty way. He needs that feeling, he desperately can’t wait to put his mouth on you, needy to taste you, to feel you, to devour you.

His dream proceeds, and now you take a seat on his face, gripping on his hair as he eats you out like he’s starving for you. His mind recreates the sound of your moans - how he thinks you would sound like. He feels hot while he’s still in a deep sleep, not wanting to wake up and ruin the scenario. His hands are all over you, holding you still as his tongue plays with your wet pussy. You reach out and start stroking his hard dick before putting him on your mouth. You lay your body on his, completely 69ing each other. He takes the opportunity and slaps your ass - now in full view in front of his eyes.

The feeling he’s having is too much to bear, his dream looking so real right now that it could drive him insane. He wakes up with his alarm ringing - it’s 8 am already. He’s sweaty and hot from the nasty dream he just had. He tries to compose himself, breathing in and out, when his hand goes to his bulge and he gets a sticky sensation. He came in his boxers, during the night - the movie playing in his head being too much for him to hold it in. He sighs, ashamed that he actually had a wet dream like he was still a teenager.

He goes to the shower, his mind still thinking of all the dirty things you two could do together. You’re in the kitchen having breakfast, he saw you before entering the bathroom, so he can’t feed those thoughts any more right now. He needs to get them out of his mind, and his growing dick needs to calm down. So, he decides to take a cold shower, hoping that would ease his heartbeat too.

His days have been like this, it has become a routine already. He’s been having wet dreams with you nearly every night, even after he masturbates before going to sleep. It’s actually driving him insane, but he doesn’t feel brave enough to tell you, to hit on you - he would do it to any other girl, but not to you. You’re different and he feels that in his chest. He doesn’t want to just get you in his bed. He wants you, entirely. He’s falling for you.

“Are you planning on going to Jack’s party tonight?” - you ask Rúben while you two are having lunch together, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, I think me and boys will show up” - he informs you. “What about you?”

“Me and the girls are going too” - you say with a smirk. - “I’m going to start getting ready after we eat.”

Rúben’s face shows a confused expression now. “Y/N? It’s 1pm. You know the party only starts at 10pm, right?” - he confirms.

“Duh, of course I know that. But I want to look good, and perfection takes time” - you laugh.

“You always look great, you don’t need much” - he confesses, being completely honest with you.

“Yeah but I want to look my best, who knows, I might find a hot guy at the party” - Rúben’s face falls when he hears your words. Yeah, find a cute guy to make out with - one that is not him.

He doesn’t respond and you look at him, trying to read him.

“Hey? What’s up with you? You went mute out of nowhere?” - you question.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just thinking of all the studying I still have to do before the party” - he lies.

You smile at him. “Don’t worry, I bet you’ll find a cute girl too. Maybe someone who studies business too, so you two can have private study sessions and all” - you giggle and Rúben just fakes a smile.

He doesn’t want a girl who studies business, like him. He wants a girl who studies law, who's perfectly balanced, has the beauty and the brains he’s looking for. He didn’t have to search much to find her, since she lives in his house. He just wants you. He's never seen you act like this - you were never the kind of girl to go out every single night, matching Rúben in that matter. You two would only go out once in a while, but he never saw you talking about finding a guy to make out with. You are an extrovert and he loves your bubbly personality, you are always honest with yourself and the others and you always say what’s going on in your mind and in your heart.

His heart drops and his chest hurts, thinking about how oblivious you are of his feelings towards you. It’s not your fault, obviously, he doesn’t have the nerve to confess his love for you and that’s all on him. He feels down for the rest of the afternoon, trying his best to focus on studying, but he just feels so disappointed at himself, for not having the courage to ask you out. He can’t bear the thought of you making out with some other dude, so he just prays that you two would go different ways at the party, and not see each other again until you get home.

While you were choosing the perfect outfit to go out, you called your best friend. She keeps insisting that Rúben is a hot dude and that you should enjoy the time you spend alone with him at home more.

“Is Rúben your pair for tonight’s party? Are you two gonna dance with your bodies glued to each other?” - your friend asks on the other side of the line, you know she really means it.

“Of course not. He will be with his friends and I will be with you girls. Plus, I already told you that I don’t think that messing with him is a good idea. We live together and I don’t want to lose my room again” - you try to reason with her.

“What if you mess with him and things turn out alright? You’d still lose your room, only to move in to his own” - your best friend really tries to convince you that having sex with your housemate is actually a good idea.

“Girl, that’s not even a thing. Nuh uh, that won’t happen” - you firmly decline.

“Just admit that you fancy him, please! This is getting tiring already” - she notes.

After some moments of silence, you decide to give in. “Of course I think he’s crazy hot, I have two eyes on my face that see him walking around the house wearing only some shorts” - you remember. “But I think he fancies someone else. I’ve heard him moaning once, he was probably touching himself… and I’ve noticed that his routine has been a little strange lately” - you continue speaking on the phone.

“Oh my god! Hearing your housemate touching himself is actually insane! God he’s so fucking hot Y/N, I would die to hear him moaning” - your friend loses herself in her dialogue, too focused on picturing Rúben in the scenario that you just described to her.

“Babe, just stop, please. I literally just told you that I think he likes someone else” - you answer, your mood drowning a bit by imagining him with another girl.

“How do you know that, bitch? He’s probably jerking himself off to the thought of you, duh! You’re beautiful as fuck and you’re working your ass off to become a successful lawyer, you have the beauty and brains bestie, I would be surprised if that man didn’t fall for you” - she calls you out, and her words echo in your head.

Could there be a small chance of Rúben fancying you? Your heartbeat accelerates by just thinking of it, you don’t have the courage to face the guy who you share your house with, and confess how hot you think he is, and how much it tortures you to see him walking through the house with just a towel wrapped around his waist. There’s no way you can actually do that, so you would rather just find a random guy that seems decent enough for you to flirt with him and get some action, even if it’s just some kisses.

You asked Rúben if he could wait for you to keep you company on the way to the party, not really feeling like walking in the middle of the night all by yourself. He can’t say no to you, so he was in the living room waiting for you, and his jaw dropped when he saw you. You looked so gorgeous, wearing a red dress like the one he saw you with in his dreams - could this be a sign or something? Rúben doesn’t believe in any of that, so he just shrugs his thoughts away, and looks at how beautiful you look.

“You look stunning” - he says with a shy smile.

You smile back at him. “You look hot as well. I bet hundreds of girls will beg you to get in their pants” - you laugh, trying to hide your feelings and Rúben doesn’t say anything. Instead, he just talks about how you two should get going.

Once you two arrive at the party, you and Rúben split, you decide to go meet your girls while Rúben joins his football team members.

Through the night, both you and Rúben act similar, even if you’re not by each other’s side. The two of you decide to have some drinks to cool down from the anxiety forming in your stomachs.

You feel anxious so you try to have some fun and really find a cute guy who could make out with you for a while. You don’t go out every weekend, but now you feel needy and desperate to take some risks.

Rúben feels anxious because he knows what you’re looking for tonight. And it pains him that he’s not the guy you’re looking for. You could have him, all of him. He would do anything for you, he would never turn you down, and yet, he’s not the one you’re looking for.

You both take a couple rounds of shots with your friends, mixing beer with other drinks that you don’t ever know what they actually are.

When Rúben decides to go back to the bar to grab another drink, he freezes at the sight in front of him. He catches you kissing a random guy he’s never seen in his life, his hands driving through your hips, getting dangerously close to your ass, while his tongue is entirely inside your mouth.

He feels his blood boiling right now, closing his firsts in a ball, clenching his jaw, unable to control his anger at what he’s watching. He turns away and exits the party, leaving you behind with your newfound “friend” and your activities.

Rúben gets home quickly, his feet moving fast by the way his anger is fuelling his entire body now. He knew damn well that you were trying to find a fling at that fucking party, the only thing he silently begged was for you to spare him, so he didn’t have to see you with another guy that wasn’t himself.

He enters his room, slamming the door behind him, trying to find a way to alleviate the strong feeling in his chest.

He is sad, disappointed and he hates what he saw. Rúben is a possessive guy, and jealousy is all he can feel right now, wanting to punch that prick's face. It should be him that you were kissing, not a random dude.

His breathing itches when his mind starts making up scenarios of potential things that could happen once you get home. Would you go to his room, searching for him? Maybe you would tell him how much you regret kissing that boy. Maybe you two would finally confess your feelings to each other? Rúben feels so jealous now that he just wants to show you how he could be everything you need and more. He wants you to regret kissing another boy when you could have kissed him instead all this time.

He goes back to his routine, maybe having a release would help him remove all the tension on his body right now. He lays on his bed, taking deep breaths as his bulge is already aching in his pants. He quickly removes his clothes, not in the mood to take it nice and slow. He’s angry, jealous, fuming at the thought of you with someone else.

He anxiously touches himself, already feeling the protruding veins in his cock and stroking himself fast, imagining how sex would feel like if he was punishing you after what you did. How you would moan and sigh when he would fill you up, roaming inside of you, feeling your wet and warm pussy around his cock, your juices mixing up with his already.

His hand works fast and hard on his dick, he doesn’t control himself as he starts moaning loudly at the feeling - he was sure that he was home alone, you would probably still be at that stupid party, or even in that guy’s bed already.

His mind went blank at how excruciatingly hard his dick is in his hand, precum already dripping down his shaft.

You walk inside the house, stumbling a bit on your own feet, feeling a little tipsy because of the few drinks you had at the party. Your chest feels heavy, you truly feel guilty after kissing a random guy while Rúben was the only one in your mind the entire time. You should have gained the courage to talk to him, to shoot your shot. When you realized that he had already left the party, you immediately went home to find Rúben - praying that he actually decided to go home.

But he doesn’t hear the door open, too lost in his thoughts and sounds, absolutely enticed by his moment. You walk inside the house and hear him moaning - your heart sinking at the thought of him actually having another girl over.

You carefully walk through the corridor, getting closer to his bedroom door. His sounds get louder and more consistent, and you stop next to his door, trying to understand if he’s alone or with someone else.

The way you only hear Rúben moaning and breathing heavily, makes you realise that he’s alone - probably touching himself like crazy. The thought of being so close to him while he’s jerking off is enough to make your legs weak, already feeling your pussy throbbing at how erotic he sounds. The alcohol in your blood was already making you feel brave enough to talk to him about how you feel, but hearing him groaning at the way he’s touching himself… that is definitely making you desire him like crazy. You need him, you want him, and you’re going to shoot your shot.

You decide to open the door to his bedroom, your hand shaking as you turn the handle open. Your eyes land on Rúben, sprawled on his bed, with his hand tightly wrapped around his hard cock. He stops stroking his dick momentarily when he sees you, his mouth slightly agape, shocked and slightly embarrassed that you’re in his room, seeing him like this. But he’s also feeling brave tonight, and he starts stroking his dick again while he makes eye contact with you.

You share a look in silence, eye fucking each other at this point. His hand doesn’t stop moving in his dick, but it starts slowing down as you walk closer to him.

“I was looking for you” - you breathe out.

“Oh yeah? Did your friend turn you down after shoving his tongue in your throat?” - he answers bitterly.

“No… I just wish it was your tongue exploring my mouth, instead of his” - you confess while sitting in his bed, next to him.

You could see the sparks in his eyes igniting at your words, and he stays silent, trying to think of the right thing to say.

Your index finger carefully travels through your bodies, sliding up his dick, gathering his juices in your tip. You open your mouth, placing your finger inside and sucking on it, tasting how Rúben feels hot and sweet at the same time.

He groans at the sight in front of him and completely loses it. He grabs your face and finally kisses you hard and passionately, his tongue now fighting for dominance with yours, exploring every corner of your mouth - like he was supposed to all along.

You move so you’re now straddling him, your dress already pulled up, while Rúben’s hands discover your body. You can’t stop kissing each other, needing the other one so badly, making out in a dirty and raw way, with saliva already dripping down your chin. You moan into his mouth as you grind your hips on his dick, the thin fabric of your panties being the only thing separating you two right now.

He pulls your dress off of your body, admiring you and kissing every inch of skin that his lips could find as his hands keep travelling your body. He looks at you shocked when his lips find your boobs and he realizes you have a nipple piercing - something he never even imagined you could have, and it’s doing wonders to his mind. You smirk at his reaction and pull his head between your tits more, encouraging him to play with the metal piece between your nipple.

His mouth wraps around your nipple, sucking on it while his tongue draws circles around it. Rúben is desperate to touch you, he needs to feel you, he needs to make sure that you are real, that you are really here with him, naked in his bed like he’s been dreaming all this time.

“Do you know for how long I have been dreaming about this?” - he says, breathless from all the kissing.

“Oh, is that right?” - you say seductively, as you keep moving your core against his hard dick.

“Fuck, I’ve been dying to kiss you since I first met you. I’ve been having these fucking wet dreams about touching you like some horny teenager. I want you so badly, Y/N” - he confesses, his hands secured on your hips.

“Oh, yeah?” - you say as you get up from your spot on his lap.

You take off your panties slowly, without never breaking eye contact with Rúben, putting on a show for him.

He looks at you hungrily, like he’s already devouring you in his mind.

“Let me give you a taste of what you’ve been missing, baby boy” - you say as you sit on his face.

Rúben’s tongue is already working on you, licking your folds like a cat. Your hand immediately wraps on his hair, as the other goes to help you hold yourself up against the headboard. You moan at the vibrations his mouth sends through your body, unable to control your sounds.

You grind your pussy on his face, completely riding his mouth now, and you moan breathlessly at the way his tongue devours you while his nose keeps hitting your clit on purpose, making you shake with a crazy amount of pleasure.

You notice Rúben’s reaction to your moans, as his hand leaves your hip and wraps around his dick, still painfully hard from being so turned on and not getting a release. He starts pumping himself while he eats you out, you look back to see the sight and moan at the view. You can’t stop thinking about how you two look like a recreation of a movie, looking so erotic and needy for each other.

His lips wrap around your clit now, sucking on it and making you scream out of pleasure. The way he’s devouring your cunt makes it almost unbearable for you to hold your orgasm inside, and seeing the way he is touching himself like crazy to you, makes the bubble in your stomach burst. You cum on his face, riding him more to chase your high, the feeling he’s providing you being unmatched to anything you’ve felt before.

Rúben moans underneath you, his mouth still on your pussy, collecting all your juices in his tongue, tasting you entirely. His hand speeds up and he cums some minutes after as well, groaning at the feeling of finally having a release. You get up from your seat on his face, allowing him to breathe properly now, his nose, mouth and chin drenched in your cum. The sight of Rúben lying under you, still tasting your juices and his stomach dirty with his own cum, was enough to make your cunt throb again, wanting to feel him more.

“You taste insanely delicious” - Rúben says in a hazy state, completely high off you.

“Better than in your dreams?” - you tease him with a smirk.

“Fuck, way better. I can’t believe this is actually real” - he laughs, still trying to catch his breath.

“I need to feel you, Ruby” - you say in a needy voice, using his favorite pet name that he told you about in one of your conversations.

He takes a condom out of his bedside table, kissing you again passionately as he wraps it on his dick - already hard again, you being an absolute menace to his libido. Rúben lays you on the bed, towering over you now, as he looks at you with love and fire in his eyes. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly next to you while you wrap your legs around his hips. He kisses you sweetly and carefully before slowly entering you. You both moan into each other’s mouth, still kissing with your bodies glued now.

He thrusts slowly into you, wanting to take his time and enjoy all the feelings he’s getting from this moment with you.

You moan when he fills you up nicely and easily, not really believing this is happening either.

“You feel so good, baby, fuck” - he groans into your ear as his mouth is now leaving kisses on your neck. You pet his hair gently, not really having words to describe the energy and the connection between you and your housemate.

“I need more, Rubes, please” - you beg him to go faster, needing to cum again on his dick now.

Your wish is his command, he could never say no to you. He picks up the pace, going faster inside of you right now, leaving open mouth kisses on your nipple again - the piercing still driving him insane.

“Fuck, you’re so good Rubes, you fuck me so good” - you breathe while your nails scratch his back at the sensations he’s providing you.

The sounds coming from your wet pussy fill the room, along with the moans and heavy breaths that you two share.

Rúben feels your walls clenching around him, and his thumb goes to play with your swollen clit, his dick now roaming inside of your cunt, desperate to cum again too.

He could lose all his composure just by listening to your sounds, going crazy at the way you feel so wet and warm, your cunt desperately clenching around his dick. Plus, you look so beautiful to him, your eyes rolling to the back of your head out of pleasure, while he hears you moaning so erotically and whispering incoherent words, completely fucked out of your mind. He loves knowing that he’s the one making you feel like this, giving you this much pleasure. He can’t stop feeling cocky at the way his girl is sprawled on his bed, begging him to fuck her harder and faster so she can cum on his cock.

His thumb doesn’t stop bullying your puffy clit and you can’t hold it any longer.

“I’m not gonna last, Rub-“ - you cry out, the pleasure being unbearable right now.

“Cum for me, baby girl. Cum on my cock, I need to feel you cumming around me” - the dirty talk could send you straight to heaven.

And your body obeys. You cum, moaning his name over and over again, your pussy pulsating around his dick, encouraging him to cum as well. After a few more strokes, Rúben fills his condom with his seed, breathing heavily at the feeling you both just shared. He collapses on top of you, his head now buried on your neck, leaving sweet kisses on your skin as you both try to catch your breaths.

You hug him tightly, not really knowing what to say, and you both stay like this, enjoying each other’s touch. Soon, you both fall asleep, the alcohol in both of your bloods and the tiredness from the previous events knocking the two of you out in a matter of minutes.

The next morning, you wake up wrapped in Rúben’s arms. You feel safe, protected, it feels right. The sun is shining, warming up your face and Rúben slightly moves in his place, pulling you closer to him.

“Good morning” - he says in his deep morning voice.

“Hey” - you say back with a smile. He kisses your shoulder while hiding his face in your neck, taking in your scent, not believing that last night was real, not wanting to let you go out of his embrace.

You turn around so you’re facing him now. The two of you giggle at each other like true teenagers who just fell in love.

His hand goes to caress your cheek sweetly, looking at you with all the love in the world.

“Hope you don’t regret last night” - he says honestly.

“The only thing I regret from last night is kissing another random guy, instead of kissing you earlier” - you confess with a smirk on your lips.

He laughs softly at your words.

“How could I regret anything? Really, I only regret not knocking on your door sooner… I’ve been thinking about you a lot for the past weeks” - you continue speaking.

“Well, guess we can say that I’ve literally been dreaming about you a lot” - he says with a laugh, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red now.

“I had a dream of us going out on a cute date” - you tell him, reaching out to give him a gentle kiss on the lips.

“Really?” - he looks surprised that you’ve been feeling the same way as him for the last couple of weeks. “I guess I should turn that dream into reality, then” - he kisses your hand lovingly.

“I would love that… I’ve been trying to shut my feelings out for you, I didn’t want to mess with my housemate and end up without a place to sleep, again” - you confess.

“I don’t think that’s gonna happen” - he says with a soft smile. “I’ve been hypnotized by you since the first time I saw you, Y/N… it’s been killing me to drown in my feelings all the time because I didn’t have the courage to confess how I felt towards you. I am in love with you, I really am. I think you’re the most beautiful, caring, funny and intelligent girl I’ve ever met. We get along so well that I can’t stop thinking about how I want this forever. I want our movie nights forever, I want to take you on cute dates, I wanna share this house with you without having to hide away from you, literally when I have a boner because of you, or emotionally when I feel jealous or like choking on my feelings because I wanted to blurt them out and I couldn’t. I don’t wanna hide anymore. This is me, with my good parts and my bad parts as well, and there's nothing more I want than for you to take me as I am. Because I for sure will take you as you are, through the good and the bad, I want to have you by my side forever, as I promise you to always be by your side as well” - he breathes after finally letting his feelings show.

You smile widely and kiss him once again.

“It’s hard not to fall for you, Rubes, I wish you could see you through my eyes” - you kiss him again, unable to stop. You can’t believe you have Rúben all to yourself.

You two start making out again, smirking at each other and giggling between kisses.

“I just hope you want more amazing sex like the one we had last night” - you wink at him as your hand is already palming his dick, hungry for him once again.

“You’re gonna be the death of me” - he sighs as you two wrap yourselves between Rúben’s bed sheets again, truly on cloud nine from finding out that love can actually be closer than you think. In this case, it was under the same roof, right next door.

[vsnyarbll]

never enough pt 2

part 1

pairing: Aegon II Targaryen x fem!reader

words: 4.105

summary: Aegon is trying to get reader to forgive him after breaking her heart.

warnings: NSFW (not detailed/making out), angst/fluff, targcest

a/n: English is not my native language.

Both Aegon and Y/N had locked themselves in their rooms.

It had been two weeks since the two of them had argued in the garden. No one had seen either of them in the castle for two weeks.

Y/N had welcomed Jace into her room at the end of the week, but no one knew what state Aegon was in.

The only people who came in and out of his room were the servants. But he hid from them too.

When they came to his room, he would either hide under his sheets or stand in front of the window and hide his face from them.

They were pleased that Prince Aegon wasn't talking to them.

Baela stopped at the door to Y/N’s room. She was holding illustrated history books. Y/N had been looking for them in the library since they arrived at the palace, but she couldn't find them.

No one knew what had happened, but it was clear that something was going on between Aegon and Y/N.

Baela went over her conversation with Jace in her head again. Jace allowed her to go to her room on one condition.

Aegon was not to be mentioned.

Jace had told Baela dozens of times not to tell Y/N to talk to Aegon. The longer Aegon stayed away from his sister, the better.

Baela entered without knocking. Y/N was sitting at her desk, reading a book. There was a big glass in front of her. Baela guessed it was wine because she looked disheveled. Even though it was late afternoon, she had not yet changed her clothes or done her hair.

She looked up at the girl standing in the doorway.

"Why didn't you knock?"

"So I could see you like this."

"What do you want, Baela?"

The girl didn't answer for a while and looked at Y/N's face.

Annoyed by the silence, she returned to her book.

Baela glanced around the room.

Her room was not untidy, but there were signs that she had not left it for two weeks. The bed was unmade, and there were plates and glasses in certain parts of the room.

"May I sit?"

She answered without looking up from her book.

"I don't think you want my permission to do anything in this room."

With a sigh, Baela walked to the table and sat in the chair directly opposite her. "I brought you some books."

"Thanks."

She took the books from her and began to read them.

Indeed, Baela knew her very well.

She had brought her the books she couldn't find.

The book was about the conquest and what happened until her grandfather became king. She could see how the painters had painted the faces of the conquerors, even if they were not entirely realistic.

"What exactly happened between you and Aegon?" She might have made a promise to Jace, but he was a man, after all. He wouldn't know how to handle a situation like that.

Y/N felt a little anger at being interrupted from reading the book. "Ask me directly what you want to know, Baela. You don't need to linger."

"I asked you exactly what I wanted to know."

Y/N closed her book and looked at the girl. "He made it very clear that he didn't like me."

"What happened between you two before he said that?"

Y/N thought for a while about what to say. She needed to talk to someone about what had happened. But she didn't want them to think she cared about Aegon.

"After dinner, we went to his room and-" She swallowed before continuing. "And I kissed him. It's nothing important, alright?"

"If it's nothing important, why have you been holed up in your room for the last two weeks?"

Y/N didn't want to look at Baela's face. So she started playing with the rings in her hand. It was a habit she had inherited from her mother.

"I thought he cared about me. I'm so stupid, aren't I? I thought someone I hadn't seen in years cared about me." She smiled bitterly. "What makes me feel even more stupid is that I thought Aegon Targaryen cared about someone other than himself."

Baela reached out and took her hand. "I'm sure he cares about you. Maybe he's scared or doesn't know how to express his feelings."

Y/N looked up and looked her straight in the eye.

"I can't say you're any good at it either." She smiled for the first time in two weeks. But her smile faded again with her thoughts.

"If he cared about me that much, he'd come and talk to me. He could at least try to tell me how he feels. You don't have to fool yourself and me for nothing."

"You're right, Y/N. But this thing between you two-"

"There is nothing between us. I don't want to tire or upset myself thinking about him anymore. If you have nothing else to say, you may leave."

Baela sighed at her stubbornness. "I asked the servants to bring fruit to your room. If you don't mind my presence, we can eat together."

She looked at her friend's face and smiled. "Of course, we can eat together, as long as you don't mention Aegon."

”I won’t.”

"Good. I hope you asked for peaches."

"Peaches and strawberries."

xxx

After finishing their fruit and chatting for about an hour, Baela left Y/N alone with her new books.

Once out in the hallway, she walked quickly toward Aemond's room. He was just on his way out when Baela came to the door of his room.

"Did you talk to her?"

"Yes, I did."

When he heard her answer, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his room. He checked to see if anyone was in the hallway and closed the door. "What did she tell you?

"Not much. I think Y/N kissed him, and then Aegon told her he didn't like her."

"That is a situation that is likely to happen."

"They're both so stubborn."

Aemond nodded.

"Why are you so interested in this?"

"Aegon is my brother, and Y/N is my friend. You may think I'm acting out of character, but I care about them."

This time Baela nodded. They both looked at each other's faces in silence. "If you have nothing else to say, I'm leaving. I need to check on Jace."

"Alright, you may go. I will talk to Aegon. This whole thing has gone on longer than it should have."

The two of them hadn't had many conversations before, so they didn't know how to treat each other.

Baela nodded, not finding anything else to say or do, and they left the room together.

xxx

"Aegon!" Aemond shouted as he entered the Prince's chambers.

"Why are you shouting, Aemond?" said Aegon as he buried his head in his pillow. A girl was lying next to him.

Cassandra Baratheon.

She recovered the moment she saw Prince Aemond enter. She looked at Aegon, waiting for him to do something. But Aegon didn't care about anything. He was almost asleep again.

"Leave us please, my Lady," said Aemond.

"Yes, my prince," she said and got out of bed. Inwardly Aemond thanked the gods that she was clothed.

Cassandra Baratheon took her book from the bed and left the room.

"How can you keep behaving like this?"

"How have I been behaving, brother?"

"Perhaps I should stop defending you, Aegon. I can no longer find excuses to cover up your mistakes."

Aegon opened his eyes and sat up in bed. The sheet was down to his waist, exposing his naked torso. "Fine. I never asked you to cover up my mistakes. This whole thing is something you started all by yourself."

"And now I'm to blame for trying to show people that you're not so bad?"

"Exactly. If you had left me alone, everything would have gone as it normally does."

Aemond looked at Aegon in amazement.

He thought of the sacrifices he had made over the years.

He hadn't tried to correct the rumors, but at least he had tried to keep Aegon on good terms with his mother. He had taken a few things upon himself, so she would not be too hard on Aegon. And yet here he was being insulted for trying to help him.

"And what explanation do you have for Lady Cassandra being in your room?"

"I don't have to have an explanation."

Aegon rose from the bed, wearing the same breeches he wore when he rode his dragon. "Were you going dragon riding?"

Aegon reached across his desk for the wine and two glasses. As he filled them, he remembered his night with Y/N and felt sad. He knew he had been unnecessarily mean and uncaring to her, but he had never felt that way before. He had never known what it was to love before, and he didn't know what to do when he suddenly felt too much.

"Yes, and then Alessandra came to my room."

"Her name is Cassandra."

"Whatever it is." Aegon handed one of the glasses to Aemond.

"Aemond, I am no fool. I can understand why you are here. But it is up to you whether you believe me or not. I didn't invite Cassandra to my room."

"Did she suddenly want to come to your room, then?"

Aegon drank all the wine from the glass and set it on the table. "I think Otto sent her. You know how he likes to use sad girls to gain access to princes and kings."

Aemond clenched his jaw.

"She came and started reading to me out of the blue. People's idea of fun has changed a lot these days."

Aemond clutched the wine glass Aegon handed him. His knuckles grew whiter and whiter. Aegon's relaxed demeanor was driving him to the brink of madness.

He put the glass back on the table. "Aegon, aren't you going to explain to Y/N why you treat her like a common whore?" he said through his teeth.

It was no longer about Aegon's treatment of Y/N.

It was Aegon's ridiculous behavior.

As soon as Aemond finished his sentence, Aegon grabbed him by the collar. Aemond refused to let his nerves get the better of him. But Aegon's face was about to turn red with anger. "You love her, don't you? That's why you don't like the way I treat her?"

Aemond grabbed both of Aegon's arms. But he did not push him away.

"You took away everything I loved, everything I wanted. My mother's love belongs to you and you alone. Now Y/N is in love with your stupid grin and your long silver hair."

He tugged at Aemond's collar. "Even the maids in the halls laugh at me now that you let me ruin my name."

"I thought you were happy to have your image ruined."

Aegon smiled bitterly. "I thought so too, but- but I'm trying to get better, don't you see?"

Aegon looked away from his brother. "For her," he said in a low voice.

Aemond pulled Aegon away and sat him on the bed. Aegon kept his eyes on the ground.

He felt himself sinking into a sense of helplessness he had been trying to ignore for two weeks.

"Look at me, brother."

Aegon raised his eyes to Aemond’s face.

He had been in this situation too many times.

His mother usually found him like this when she came to his room to scold him.

"I love her, but not in the way you think."

He took a deep breath. He did not like to express his feelings. "The night I lost my eye, she came to me even though her brother was responsible. She was the only one."

He studied Aegon's expression for a moment. "My mother was in her room trying to figure out how to calm my father's anger at her for losing her temper."

He looked around the room for distractions for a while but found none. "You were drunk in a corner again. I can remember our grandfather could barely find you."

Aegon felt sad and regretful.

"She was the only one with me, comforting me through the night. I thought I would never sleep again, but her fingers in my hair made it easier to fall asleep. "

Aemond looked at his brother, who was already looking at him. "Of course, I'll be there for her when you treat her like a whore. At least that way, I can repay her."

Aegon took a deep breath. "I screwed up again, didn't I?"

"Yes, but you can fix it."

Aegon lay down on the bed again. "How do I do it?"

Aemond took Aegon by the arm and lifted him. "First, you will get dressed. And then you're going to apologize to Y/N."

"You've been helpful," he said mockingly.

"What am I going to wear?"

Aemond looked at him in disbelief.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm just excited," said Aegon.

Aegon chose some clothes he thought were beautiful. It took him longer than usual to get dressed because he couldn't stop his hands from shaking.

He spent a long time combing his hair and applying expensive oils he liked the smell of on his neck.

As Aegon left the room, Aemond called after him. "She told me she loves you."

xxx

Aegon's heart had been pounding ever since he heard Aemond's words.

Y/N had not only said she loved him, but she had also said it to Aemond.

He ran into the corridor where her room was. He knocked on her door several times, but there was no answer.

"Y/N," he said. But there was still no answer.

When Aegon looked around and saw no one, he opened the door. The room looked empty.

He took a few steps inside, and her scent filled his nose.

He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent for a while.

Then he walked to the center of the room. Her desk was full. A few history books are on the table.

He saw her nightgown thrown casually on the chair and picked it up. The idea of it hugging her curves excited him again. She could wear that nightgown while lying in bed while reading a book. And Aegon would watch her, fascinated.

He knew that if he stayed in her room longer, he would suffocate from fantasizing about her.

"My prince," someone said. The voice was, unfortunately, not Y/N's.

Aegon threw the gown back on the chair in worry.

Y/N's maid was standing in the bathroom doorway. "I'm looking for Princess Y/N. Do you know where she is?"

The girl put down the bucket in her hand and walked over to the princess's table. "I think she went out into the garden for some air, my prince," she said as she picked up the books on the table.

Aegon nodded and left the room.

He felt like he was reliving everything he had experienced two weeks ago. But this time, it was going to be different.

He was going to be very careful with every word he said.

As he reached the outer door, he realized it was raining outside. He decided to go back inside but stopped when he saw Y/N in the garden. She was wearing a summer dress. The fabric was thin, and she must have been cold.

He walked into the garden. It wasn't raining too much.

Aegon came up to her, but she didn't notice him. She was picking the dead petals off the flowers. It was probably just something she did to take her mind off things.

Some of Y/N's hair was wet and stuck to her. He almost gasped at the sight of her.

"Y/N," he said in a soft voice.

She jumped a little and turned to him. When she saw Aegon, her gaze was soft but instantly hardened.

How dare he come to her?

She wanted to hide behind the trees or run inside, but she wondered what Aegon would say.

And she desperately needed Aegon to make amends for his mistake two weeks ago.

"I do not think you wish to be seen with me, my prince," she said and turned back to the flowers.

"Y/N, please look at me. I want to talk to you."

"I apologize, my prince, but I am busy."

"Y/N, please-"

"What is it?" she said fiercely, turning to him again. "Have you come to insult me again?"

She knew that Aegon was difficult to understand, the most complex person she had ever met. She also knew that his moods were complicated and that he was in a constant state of sadness. But that still didn't justify what he had said in the garden. Y/N wanted him to apologize and explain himself.

"No. I came to apologize."

"I don't want your apology. Go away."

Aegon looked at her in despair. "As your prince, I command you to listen to me," he said. "Please."

If anyone else had heard him say 'please' so much, they would have been shocked and thought something had happened to Aegon.

The girl frowned, thinking Aegon was being arrogant. He came to apologize, and at the same time, he was using his power to order her around. "As you wish, my prince," she said, crossing her arms.

Aegon thought he was sinking deeper and deeper, but it seemed the only way she would listen to him. "I didn't mean anything I said that day. The possibility that you could love me seemed so remote that it seemed like I was in on a joke."

Aegon wanted to reach out and hold her, but he restrained himself. "Y/N, I don't know how to express my love. Even now, I can't think of what to say without making a fool of myself in front of you."

Y/N's gaze softened a little, her arms falling to her sides. "What I said when we were in my room was the truth. You excite me. Just thinking about you makes me feel things I don't want to exist. Because amid all the chaos in my life, I don't know how to control my love for you. I don't know how to protect you from all this chaos."

Aegon reached out and took Y/N's hand. "If you are with me, I can find a solution to everything. I can find ways to make you feel my love."

Y/N squeezed Aegon's hand in hers. She wanted to say nice things to Aegon too. But she was afraid that he might have lied. "You know what they say. If a man wants something, he will say and do anything to get it. I don't believe you."

A sense of panic gripped Aegon. She was right. Aegon did not know how to regain her trust after everything he had said. His clothes were almost completely soaked, and he was cold. The front strands of his hair stuck to his face.

Aegon took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. Y/N wanted to give back, but she didn't. It felt good to feel Aegon's warmth through the coat.

"Y/N, I've lived in Aemond's shadow all my life. I'm not trying to justify myself, but when you mentioned him, my blood boiled. I was afraid I'd lose you to him, too."

Y/N wondered what would happen if Aegon was honest. After all the years she had tried to reach him, he was here.

Aegon dropped to both knees.

He took her hand, this time with both hands. "I am trying to change for you. I will be a better man. I will try to be the best husband I can be for you, and I will be."

The thin shirt he was wearing was completely soaked and stuck to him.

Y/N cupped Aegon's face with her free hand. She didn't want to resist. Aegon involuntarily lowered his head into her hand.

"I don't want you to change yourself, Aegon. You are perfect as you are. I love you for who you are."

Y/N grabbed Aegon by the arms and pulled him to his feet.

She wrapped her arms around Aegon's neck. He held her waist tightly.

She had decided to give Aegon a chance, but if he blew it, she would handle it herself, not leave it to Jace. "If you hurt me again, I'll feed you to my dragon," she whispered in his ear.

Aegon smiled. "I wouldn't dream of upsetting you."

Y/N pulled her head back but did not take her arms off his neck. She looked into Aegon's eyes. "You are everything I could have imagined."

Aegon felt his eyes well up. He might even have shed a few tears. But luckily it was raining. Neither Y/N nor Aegon could tell the difference.

Aegon dared not take his gaze from her eyes. It was as if she would disappear if he looked away for a second.

Her presence in his arms was unreal.

"I'm supposed to be saying nice things to you."

"You'd better get used to it."

"I think I can."

Aegon began to caress her waist with his thumbs. "May I kiss you?"

Y/N pulled Aegon to her by the neck. "Please."

Aegon pressed his lips to hers. The rain got heavier. Y/N was having a moment exactly like the books she had read.

Aegon's lips moved to her chin and jawline. He kissed where her neck met her chin. Y/N moaned slightly, and Aegon's grip on her waist tightened.

Y/N almost moaned again at Aegon's grip on her waist.

Aegon kissed her jawline again. Y/N threw her head back to make room for Aegon. Aegon licked a long line from her collarbones to her chin. Y/N felt herself melting in Aegon's arms.

He wrote down in his mind all the points where she had reacted. He would return to them many times later.

All Aegon wanted was to make her feel his love. And from her reaction, he thought he had succeeded.

Y/N stepped back. "Do you want to move to a more private place? I think we've shown the castle folk enough."

Aegon chuckled. "Which of our rooms would you like to move to?"

"Which of our rooms is closer?" Aegon took her hand, and together they walked into the castle.

They smiled as the warm air hit their faces as soon as they entered. They didn't even realize how cold it was outside.

Y/N’s smile froze on her face the moment she saw Jace. Next to him was a grinning Baela and an expressionless Aemond.

Jace was literally about to turn a tomato-like red.

"Brother," Y/N said.

It was clear that Jace was ready for an angry reply.

Aegon squeezed Y/N’s hand reassuringly. Aegon was about to speak when Y/N interrupted. "Jace, we've talked about everything. I love him, and he loves me."

"And you only realized you loved her after you broke her heart and made her suffer for two weeks?" He asked to Aegon.

Aemond looked at his brother briefly. "Jace, I assure you, Aegon was just as bad for two weeks."

Jace laughed nervously. "Was Cassandra Baratheon in this morning part of your brother's sad days, Aemond?" he said, looking directly at Aegon.

Y/N wanted to let go of Aegon's hand, but he wouldn't let her.

"Nothing is as you think."

Y/N felt her heart shatter again.

She was angry but more at herself than at Aegon. How could she have believed him?

Y/N was about to shout at Aegon when she heard Otto Hightower's voice from behind. "I sent her to Prince Aegon's room, and nothing happened between them. Except for today, Prince Aegon was completely alone."

Marrying his grandson to Rhaneyra Targaryen's daughter was a better option for him than marrying him a Baratheon.

Y/N looked at Aegon. He nodded desperately.

Y/N was a little relieved, but they would talk about it later.

"You're not just saying that to back up your grandson, are you, my lord?"

"No. I have witnesses. You can even speak directly to Lady Cassandra, princess."

Y/N felt a sigh of relief. She took Aegon's arm and pulled herself closer to him. "I hope you have a good explanation."

Jace's anger still hadn't subsided. "But-"

"Great news! What season would you like to get married?"

Y/N and Aegon turned at the King's voice.

The Queen, the King, Princess Rhaenyra, Lord Otto, and Prince Daemon stood side by side.

Y/N blushed, thinking they had seen their little interaction in the garden.

"How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to see my nephew stick his tongue down your throat," Daemon said.

[qfitpac]

Imo this is the most likely event for Sunday, and let me explain why. (leaks from the QSMP discord)

First of all, earlier Quackity mentioned being on a plane. Why is this relevant? Well the only way to get to Korea is by plane. However, 14 hours later, he tweeted that he had lied about the plane. Now why would he do this?

This is, of course, because BTS had been testing the mod and realized that Korean wasn't working. For some reason, whoever coded the translate mod had mixed up the language files and replaced Korean with Spanish, specifically Spanish with a Korean accent. (Tbf I don't blame them, the file was named something like QSMP_language_file_v3_finalFINALVERSION_KOR_Korean_Hangul_Accented_Spanish_ESPANOL, and obvi if ur screen is small the last part would get cut off).

Now Quackity is in a predicament. He's very smart, obviously, so he cancelled his plane immediately and actually got a 70% refund even though he was technically canceling within the 24hr window. And then he got in a call with admins. I was actually in this call (they added me on accident) and although I don't speak or understand Spanish I was able to comprehend everything perfectly (they were speaking English).

Basically, they were screwed. BTS themselves had scheduled out time to make a guest appearance on the QSMP, this was huge! MASSIVE!! But the translator wasn't working: what were they going to do? Now naturally my first instinct was oh, well they can speak English, right? But I should've held in my trust of Quackity and the entire admin team, bcuz their creativity and problem solving is as always off the charts.

One of the admins (not going to name anyone for privacy reasons) had been doing a project on their spare time. Eggsonas, of course, have been a trend on and off since the first adoption day. And this admin had been making all sorts of models. It just so happened, by a stroke of luck, that they had made 7 bts eggs!!!!! Everyone was so excited about it, the entire call was shouting for a good minute lol. I actually had to take out my earbuds.

Eggs, of course, cannot speak. This solved the translator problem flawlessly, as the sign and book translators were working as normal. It also gave the BTS members an extra 2 hours to play on the server! (previously their managers had allocated 2 hours for them to find/create minecraft skins, which obviously is now unneeded.) It's a win-win-win.

Now on to analyzing the teasers: firstly, you'll notice the Update accounts tweets. These are, of course, referencing how bts have both touched and eaten ice and ice cream. Also, as true fans will know, bts just recently broke their freezer and had to mop everything up. It's a nice red herring given the previous ice imagery in teasers, and we all know Quackity loves his trickery.

Secondly, the seven outlined in grass. Grass has been a prominent feature in many BTS music videos. Some say it's even a staple of their work. For example, in their 4th music video there is grass on the ground, to represent how growing up has made them more grounded. Nextly, the seven. Obviously there are seven members, but combined with grass this is actually a double hint: BTS was active for seven years between 2013 and 2020 during which they released songs. This is a special number for them because of these events.

Now obviously, I don't have all the answers. My prediction on the discourse, for example, was completely made up. But i hope this gives you all a sense of what to expect come Sunday. (also please don't tell any qsmp admins I'm leaking this info 😭😭😭😭)

[matan4il]

Hi friend! I was wondering if you had any favorite Israeli/Hebrew children's books! Also any fave Israeli musicians??

Hello, my lovely! :D How are you?

Ooooh, do I! Man, you're gonna regret asking me this. XD Sorry, not sorry... So shall we start with Israeli/Hebrew kids' books?

Anything by Yehuda Atlas (יהודה אטלס), but especially And That Kid is Me (והילד הזה הוא אני). Short humorous stories, written in rhymes, perfectly capturing how baffling the world can be for a kid, and how silly adults can seem, or just what things can sometimes feel like for a child. It's one of those books that work, funny and essential, 'coz it's so true. He just gets kids.

Another one that I love, and am probably one of the few Israeli kids who even know this book, is Siamina and the Cats of Yemin Moshe (סיאמינה והחתולים של ימין משה) by Holocaust survivor Uri Orlev (אורי אורלב. He's more well known for his books about that period of time, which are also highly recommended, but I only dared read them when I was older). Jerusalem is known for its many stray cats, and the book is a love fest for cats and Jerusalem, with some historical sites becoming in the book the "homes" of the cats.

David Gershtein, who crafted the engravings for the book, is a pretty popular Israeli artist, and you can find some of his creations all over the country, and even entire shops dedicated to his works.

Last one ('coz I don't wanna burden you too much, but lemme know if you want more recs!) that I really loved as a kid, was Yael's House (הבית של יעל) by Miriam Rot (מרים רות). It was about a girl who has a home, but she wants a house that would be all her own. She tries all sorts of solutions, including taking over the space under the kitchen table... Not gonna lie, as a kid I was inspired to follow in her footsteps, but my parents were not impressed.

Now, as for Israeli musicians! You have stumbled onto dangerous ground, my friend, since I'm a music addict, and in love with the Hebrew language, so songs in Hebrew are something I can go on about for freaking years...

I'll share with you the link to two unlisted playlists that I made on YouTube. One is of some of my fave Israeli songs (though I started it years ago, so sadly, I see some vids have been deleted or made private, and there are literally hundreds of songs on the list, meaning I'm not sure which ones are missing), but also with a few thrown in 'coz I think they're good for people who wanna know Israeli culture and popular Israeli songs, and the other is one that I started making with songs connected in different ways to the current war we're in. They're not all faves, but I thought they capture a moment in time, so I wanted to have them grouped together. I'm actually not done with either list, the latter I really just started not that long ago, so you can expect them to grow.

If we're talking specific Israeli musicians, I find it hard to answer, I think almost every singer or songwriter has at least one good song to offer, and likewise whenever I wanna name one, I feel like adding, "Except for this song... and that one..." No musician is great all the time. But I guess some of my faves (where I like more songs than I don't) include Ivri Lider, Berry Sakharof, Yehuda Poliker, Ran Danker, Harel Ska'at, Chanan ben Ari, Narkis, Eliad, Amir Dadon, Avraham Tal, Marina Maximilian, Achinoam Nini (Noa), Sheila Ferber, Gilad Segev, Ofra Chaza, Meni Berger, Yardena Arazi, Natan Goshen, Keren Peles, Izhar Ashdot, Nurit Galron, and the bands Beit Ha'bubot, Ha'Yehudim, Metropolin, Ethnix, Mashina and Synergia.

I was thinking I should add at least one of these vids to my reply, and for whatever reason, the one that started playing itself in my head (where there is always music) was a song first released in 1993, אדמה חמה (Hot Earth) by Shlomo Gronich and the Shva Choir (Sheba is the English pronunciation of Shva). I love this song, I think the vid was very cool for its time, and I'm still never gonna forgive the MTV viewers who gave it last place in a video music awards. The song incorporates Hebrew and Amharic, both Semitic languages, the latter being the language spoken by Ethiopian Jews. You can actually listen to the whole special album (inspired by the story of the Ethiopian Jewish community's journey to Israel) here.

But just for the fun of throwing in a gay themed song as well, here's התשמע קולי (Will You Hear My Voice), a love poem for a man, originally written by an Israeli poet called Rachel (full name: Rachel Bluwstein Sela), but it's performed here by only men, and no one changed the pronouns, which makes it a mlm song to me. It's so pretty and sad (Rachel is believed to have written the poem to a former lover, a man she even thought at one point she would marry, but WWI tears them apart and they never meet again. She wrote this poem, after getting the news that she's terminally ill), it fills my soul at the same time as it tugs on my heart.

I hope this helps! Sending so much love! xoxox

[lovebatty]

ㅤ( English and Spanish ver. )

Diabolik Lovers: Haunted Dark Husband — Dark Prologue

ㅤTW: none / ninguna❔

English ver.

—Monologue—

I have always thought that, as long as I can remember, I have never felt the need to venture into something. Maybe it’s normal for kids my age to act this impulsively, kicked out of the woods at such late hours... even out of public places.

It’s not that I don’t believe in magic or the paranormal activity, it’s just that maybe it doesn’t make an impression on me.

Maybe we were never the only intelligent beings on the surface, we just played at believing we were important. Thinking we were unique, valuable.

And if so, why would we be now? In a vast world, where without being —or not being— we cannot be happy and the morning smells like cigarettes.

—Flashback, 10 years ago in Mexico.—

❁ㅤHe still remembers that afternoon when one of his many colleagues took him by the arm to the computer room. It seems like a joke, but Romantic isn’t used to being dragged around. Spring was just dawning in the joy of the 21st century and they ran without any rush just to look at the day’s publications. For a laugh or two. After all, they were children.

Romantic: Vampires?

❁ㅤSaid the kid glued to the counter, more like a murmur to himself.

They? Romantic believed that they had become extinct from cinema; subjugated by entertainment, romantic comedy and Superman. For this reason, the little one could not help but frown, sliding his eyes over that digital page that no longer transmits that intoxicating aroma of fresh ink on his screen.

Romantic: Oh! Incredible! Who knew vampires could develop immunity to their weaknesses.

( Waa! This book is fabulous! If only I had the money to buy it... )

( At least, this girl uploaded all the translations like an angel from heaven would do. Now, I owe her my entire life! )

Hehe. ♪

Even if it’s crazy... If I was a vampire as well, maybe I could do those cool things too. Ah, that most be... too good to die for. ♪

—End of flashback.—

—Currently, «Haunted House» in Japan.—

Romantic: What a joy! I can’t stand this shoes anymore, I should have brought something lighter.

❁ㅤRomantic proclaimed as he looked at the huge houpse.

Romantic: Is this the place?

❁ㅤHe could expect everything, but a mansion is a luxury even for the most greedy. The boy searched his pockets, pulling out a battered sheet of paper with a scrawl of the address. It was the right place.

Romantic: It seems fine... is this really the «Haunted House» everyone is talking about?

❁ㅤHe didn’t have time to think about it. The skies rumbled and the rain became even more aggressive, forcing him to enter the space of that solemn construction without taking even a step back. He stuck to the entrance and carefully knocked on one of the two large wooden doors, waiting patiently in the rain without any response.

Romantic: Hello? Is anyone here?

( I could swear that everyone I asked along the way said this was the exact place. Was I wrong? )

Maybe they didn’t listen, should I knock again?

❁ㅤUnder his voice, his tone hinting at a certain insecurity. Maybe he was too used to the air of his home that being alone and without signal in the middle of the night is a worry.

Romantic: ( I don’t know what to do. There aren’t even any lights on, there’s most likely no one there after all. )

( It was to be expected. After all this place... is the famous «Haunted House» of the street. )

( They say there are monsters inside, but that doesn’t make much sense. After all, there are people living here... It must be a shame that they are considered that way. )

( I’m sure that if I approach them cordially, they will agree to answer my questions about the mansion. )

( I want to be the first to tell their story! It will be a fabulous project. ♪ )

Just one more try—

❁ㅤThe boy tried to knock on the door again by retracing his steps, shaking off some of his wet clothes and tilting his wrist, but his hand stopped in mid-air when the door opened on its own, leaving Romantic fully impressed.

Romantic: It’s open!

( The... the door opened by itself? )

This... can’t be possible, can it? Are there thieves snooping around in there...?

❁ㅤHe spoke while his mouth was partially open, turning his head from side to side to check that no one was there, and letting the wind of the storm blow his hair from the outside in.

Romantic: ( There’s only one way to know how lonely this house is—! )

( God, forgive me for what I’m going to do! I know it’s reckless, but I can’t handle this concern anymore. )

( I swear it’s for the common good... )

❁ㅤFor a brief moment, he had his doubts, but in the end, he never lowered his face as he walked through the lightning inside the house.

Romantic: ( It doesn’t look like anyone is here... but, the door opened. Should I grab something just in case? )

This is all so strange...

❁ㅤWhile paying close attention to all the amenities present inside the mansion, the boy lowered his voice. The house was huge inside, so he didn’t want to make noise in case someone was home.

Romantic: ( I must admit, this house is pretty scary. I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking it’s haunted... although the decoration is nice. )

It’s so dark, maybe I should go back now...

❁ㅤSuddenly, lightning fell from the sky and light filtered through the window, revealing a figure lying on a sofa in the main room that left Romantic paralyzed.

❁ㅤRomantic walked there, the image of that figure slowly focusing on another male with refined features. He was so beautiful, his red hair covering part of his face as he lay on the couch.

Romantic: ( A person! )

( I feel so bad interrupting... whatever he’s doing, but maybe it’s the best option. )

Romantic: ( What a pretty face... )

( Will he live here? He shouldn’t have left the door open like that. )

Um... Excuse me.

???: ...

Romantic: ( Is he sleeping? He must be a heavy sleeper... )

Hello, are you okay? Please, wake up.

❁ㅤRomantic asked in a low voice, trying to wake him up. He wanted to get closer, but once he ended up accidentally touching the stranger’s hand, a chill ran through his skin.

Romantic: ( He’s... frozen. )

( Did he...? )

Excuse me—

Ugh! Ah...

❁ㅤWithout knowing why, he suddenly clutched his chest and pulled at his clothes as he gasped in pain. A puncture piercing his heart.

Romantic: Agh—!

( What was that...? G-god...! )

( W-what’s wrong with me?! It hurts so much! )

...It hurts...

Unknown voice: Where are you? Where...? Where?

Romantic: ( What... what is this voice in my head? )

( This is all so strange... did seeing this person really affect me that much? I’m afraid something bad has happened to him. )

( ...My sickness must have played a trick on me again... but I have to help this person first, he seems to be alone, I can’t leave him here by his own. )

I have... I-I have to get help, yes. That’s it...

❁ㅤHe staggered weakly, took out his cell phone from his pocket, and looked at the person sitting on the sofa who had not moved yet. He had to help him, help himself. Romantic tried to call someone.

Romantic: Let’s see... Ah, should I call someone to come here—?

???: ...Ngh...

Romantic: !

???: You are so loud...

Romantic: You–! Y-you’re fine!

( He grabbed me by the ankle to sit on the couch... But I can't believe he’s really okay, this must be a miracle! )

Oh, god... I’m so glad you’re okay, I... I thought that–

???: Oh...? What the hell... you’re a guy. What are you doing in a place like this?

Who gave you the permission to sneak out, huh?

Romantic: I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t want to break into your house, and— I did it because...

( I thought he was hurt... Or even worse. )

???: «Because» what? I was just sleeping peacefully... and you ruined it, do you have a problem with that?

Romantic: No, not at all.

???: Well, in that case...

❁ㅤThe redhead smiled mischievously, grabbing the boy’s hips to pull him onto the couch with him, pushing his body against his, making sure to keep him under him.

Romantic: W-wha...?!

( He pushed me! )

???: Heh, you’re like the moth flying itself towards the light, isn’t? Just when I’m hungry.

Romantic: ( ...What did he say? This can’t... )

???: Having a feast right in front of me...

Romantic: W-wait! What are you doing?!

???: That’s what I should ask you. It’s you who appeared out of nowhere!

Romantic: ( Well, he’s right, but that doesn’t mean he have to attack people like that! )

???: What’s happening? Were you suddenly embarrassed?

Just accept it and stay still for me...

Romantic: ...!

( I-I feel like I want to say something, but I can’t... )

No, don’t touch me! Get out of me!

???: Haa?! Who the hell do you think you are to reject me?!

Romantic: D-don’t you dare come any close... you... monster!

( It can’t be true, is this a nightmare? )

( He’s... not a person. He can’t be one! )

???: ...

...How did you call me...?

Romantic: ...?

❁ㅤThe young man suddenly stopped and raised his head when he heard the footsteps of another person who came here and showed some anger, growling through fangs as he turned around.

??? (2) : What is the reason for this scandal? I wish you weren’t so noisy after you woke up, Ayato.

Ayato: Ugh... Reiji...

❁ㅤConfused, Romantic turned and looked at the vampire’s face once more before slowly backing away from him. His eyes fixed on the other’s with uncertainty.

Romantic: ( Ayato...? )

꒰ 𔓕 ꒱ㅤThis chapter comes included with a poem, these are related to the story, but you can skip them. Do you want to read it?

CW: Pregnancy, blood mention.

Greatness is in my veins.

Every morning I find myself, but I don’t see myself in the mirror.

I was just a zygote in the womb of a young mother when they told me that glory ran through my veins, with the pain of the soul and anesthetized of the heart.

I don’t know what it’s like to depend on someone, because my greed has embraced me every sleepless night; with each sentence of his for a confusion and between my footprints the blood of a greedy child.

I always have to be the best because I am full of pride, I am the only one who can handle it and only I can do it. There is nothing in the world that can change the price of your praise.

So, lie.

Let’s see if you see me.

ーー END OF DARK PROLOGUE ーー

Admin's comment 🧚🏻‍♀️

It’s very good to post here again, I already missed doing it. This time, I updated and improved the main lore experience. You guys chose for me to upload the oldest chapters first, and here it is.ㅤ(〃´𓎟`〃)

If you like it, please consider giving this post a fav, reblog and why not, even follow me❕ As always, thank you so much for reading. Have an amazing day.

Versión en Español.

—Monólogo—

Siempre he pensado que, desde que tengo memoria, nunca he sentido la necesidad de aventurarme a algo. Puede que sea normal para los chicos de mi edad actuar de esta manera tan impulsiva, expulsados de los bosques a horas tan tardes... incluso de los sitios públicos.

Tampoco es que no crea en la magia o en lo paranormal, es sólo que, tal vez no me genera impresión.

A lo mejor nunca fuimos los únicos seres inteligentes pisando la superficie, tan sólo jugábamos a creernos importantes. Pensando que éramos únicos, valiosos.

Y si así fuera, ¿por qué lo seríamos ahora? En un mundo vasto, donde sin ser —o no ser— no podemos ser felices y la mañana huele a cigarro.

—Flashback, hace 10 años en México.—

❁ㅤÉl todavía recuerda aquella tarde en que uno de sus tantos compañeros le tomo del brazo hasta la sala de cómputo. Parece una broma, pero Romantic no está acostumbrado a que lo arrastren. Apenas iba amaneciendo la primavera en el júbilo del siglo XXI y corrían sin aprieto alguno sólo para mirar las publicaciones del día. Por una risa o dos. Después de todo, eran niños.

Romantic: ¿Vampiros?

❁ㅤDijo el niño pegado al mostrador, más como un murmullo para sí mismo.

¿Ellos? Romantic creyó que se habían extinguido del cine; sometidos por el entretenimiento, la comedia romántica y Superman. Por eso mismo el joven no pudo evitar fruncir el ceño, resbalando sus ojos por aquella página digital que ya no transmite ese aroma tan embriagador de la tinta fresca sobre su pantalla.

Romantic: ¡Ah! ¡Increíble! Quién diría que los vampiros pudieran desarrollar inmunidad a sus debilidades.

( ¡Waa! ¡Este libro es fabuloso! Si tan sólo tuviera el dinero para comprarlo... )

( Al menos esta chica subió todas las traducciones como ángel caído del cielo, ¡le debo mi vida entera ahora! )

Jeje. ♪

Incluso si es una locura... Si yo también fuera un vampiro, tal vez también podría hacer todas esas cosas geniales. Ah, eso debe ser... demasiado bueno para morirse. ♪

—Fin del flashback.—

—Actualidad, «Casa Embrujada» en Japón.—

Romantic: ¡Qué alegría! Ya no soporto los zapatos, debí haber traído algo más ligero.

❁ㅤProclamó el joven al mirar la enorme casona.

Romantic: ¿Es este el lugar?

❁ㅤPodía esperar todo pero, una mansión si que es un lujo incluso para el más avaricioso. El muchacho reviso sus bolsillos, sacando una maltratada hoja de papel con un garabato de la dirección. Era el lugar indicado.

Romantic: Parece estar bien… ¿es está de verdad la «Casa Embrujada» de la que todos hablan?

❁ㅤRomantic no tuvo tiempo para pensarlo. Los cielos retumbaron y la lluvia se hizo incluso más agresiva, obligando al chico a adentrarse dentro del espacio de aquella construcción solemne sin dar ni un paso hacía atrás. Él se pegó a la entrada y golpeó cuidadosamente una de las dos grandes puertas de madera, esperando pacientemente en medio de la lluvia sin respuesta alguna.

Romantic: ¿Hola? ¿Hay alguien aquí?

( Juraría que todas las personas a las que les pregunte en el camino dijeron que este era el sitio exacto. Acaso... ¿me equivoqué? )

Tal vez no escucharon, ¿debería volver a tocar?

❁ㅤBajo la voz, su tono dando a entender cierta inseguridad. Quizá estaba demasiado acostumbrado al aire de su hogar que, estar sólo y sin señal a medio anochecer es una preocupación.

Romantic: ( No sé qué hacer. Ni siquiera hay luces prendidas, lo más seguro es que después de todo no haya nadie. )

( Era de esperarse. Después de todo este lugar... es la famosa «Casa Embrujada» de la calle. )

( Dicen que hay monstruos dentro, pero eso no tiene mucho sentido. Después de todo, hay gente viviendo aquí... Debe ser una pena que se les considere así. )

( Estoy seguro de que, si me acerco cordialmente, ellos accederán a responder mis preguntas acerca de la mansión. )

( ¡Quiero ser el primero en contar su historia! Será un proyecto fabuloso. ♪ )

Bien, sólo un intento más—

❁ㅤEl niño trató de llamar a la puerta de nuevo volviendo sobre sus pasos, sacudiéndose parte de su ropa mojada e inclinando la muñeca, pero su mano se detuvo en el aire cuando la puerta se abrió por si sola, dejándolo impresionado.

Romantic: ¡Está abierta!

(¿Realmente... la puerta se abrió sola?)

Esto... no puede ser posible, ¿verdad? ¿Podría haber ladrones husmeando por ahí...?

❁ㅤHabló mientras tenía la boca parcialmente abierta, girando la cabeza de un lado a otro para revisar que no había nadie, y dejando que el viento de la tormenta soplara su cabello de afuera hacia adentro.

Romantic: ( ¡Sólo hay una forma de saber que tan sola está esta casa—! )

( ¡Dios, perdóname por lo que voy a hacer! Sé que es imprudente, pero ya no puedo soportar más está inquietud que me carcome. )

( Prometo es... por el bien común. )

❁ㅤPor un breve momento, tuvo sus dudas, pero al final, nunca bajó la cara mientras caminaba a través de los relámpagos en los adentros de la casona.

Romantic: ( No parece que haya alguien aquí... pero, la puerta se abrió. ¿Debería ir agarrando con qué defenderme? )

Todo esto es tan extraño...

❁ㅤMientras prestaba mucha atención a todas las comodidades presentes dentro de la mansión, el chico bajo la voz. La casa era enorme por dentro, así que no quería hacer ruido en caso de que hubiera alguien en casa.

Romantic: ( Debo admitir que la casa es bastante aterradora, no culparía a nadie de pensar que está embrujada... Aún así, la decoración es bastante bonita. )

Está tan obscuro, lo mejor será que regrese pronto a dónde estaba...

❁ㅤDe repente, un relámpago cayó del cielo y la luz se filtró por la ventana, revelando una figura tendida en un sofá de la sala principal que dejó al pequeño paralizado.

Romantic: ( ¡Una persona! )

❁ㅤRomantic camino hasta allá, la imagen de aquella figura lentamente enfocándose en un hombre joven de rasgos refinados. Era tan hermoso, su cabello rojo cubriendo parte de su rostro mientras yacía en el sofá.

( Me siento tan mal interrumpiendo... lo que sea que esté haciendo, pero tal vez sea la mejor opción. )

Romantic: ( Qué cara tan linda... )

( ¿Será que él viva aquí? Porque no debería dejar la puerta abierta de esa forma. )

Romantic: Um... disculpe.

???: ...

Romantic: ( ¿Está durmiendo? Si que algunos tienen el sueño pesado. )

Hola, ¿estás bien?

❁ㅤPreguntó el chico en voz baja, tratando de despertarlo. Quería acercarse, más una vez este terminará tocando la mano del desconocido accidentalmente, un escalofrío le recorrió la piel.

Romantic: ( Él... está helado. )

( ¿Acaso él...? )

Disculp—

¡Ugh! Ah...

❁ㅤSin saber por qué, de repente se agarró el pecho y tiró de su ropa mientras jadeaba de dolor. Un pinchazo que le atraviesa el corazón.

Romantic: ¡Agh—!

( ¿Qué fue eso...? ¡D-Dios...! )

( ¡¿Q-qué pasa conmigo?! ¡Duele mucho! )

...Me duele...

Voz desconocida: ¿Dónde estás? Dime dónde... Por favor, ¿Dónde?

Romantic: ( ¿Qué... qué es esta voz en mi cabeza? )

( Es tan extraño todo esto… ¿realmente me afectó tanto ver a esta persona? Temo que le haya pasado algo malo. )

( ...Mi enfermedad debe haberme jugado una mala pasada otra vez… pero primero tengo que ayudar a esta persona, parece estar solo, no puedo dejarlo aquí. )

Tengo... tengo que buscar ayuda, sí. Eso es...

❁ㅤÉl se tambaleó débilmente, sacó su celular del bolsillo y miró a la persona sentada en el sofá que aún no se había movido. Tenía que ayudarlo, ayudarse a si mismo. Romantic trató de llamar a una autoridad.

Romantic: Veamos… Ah, ¿debería llamar a alguien para que venga aquí—?

???: ...Ngh...

Romantic: ¡!

???: Eres tan ruidoso...

Romantic: ¡Tú–! ¡E-estás bien!

( Me agarró del tobillo para sentarse en el sofá... No puedo creer que verdaderamente esté bien, ¡esto debe ser un milagro! )

M-me alegro tanto de que estés bien, yo... creí que–

???: ¿Ah...? Qué demonios... es un chico. ¿Qué estás haciendo tú en un lugar como este?

¿Quién te dio permiso de entrar?

Romantic: De verdad lo siento muchísimo, no quería irrumpir en su casa, y-yo pensé...

( Creí que estaba herido... O algo peor. )

???: ¿Qué «pensaste»? Tan sólo estaba durmiendo pacíficamente... y tú lo arruinaste, ¿tienes algún problema con eso?

Romantic: No, para nada.

???: Bueno, en ese caso...

❁ㅤEl pelirrojo sonrió con picardía, agarrando las caderas del chico para tirarlo sobre el sofá con él, empujando su cuerpo contra el suyo asegurándose de mantenerlo bajo suyo.

Romantic: ¡¿Ah–?!

( ¡Él me empujó! )

???: Je, eres como la polilla volando ella misma hacía la luz, ¿eh? Justo cuando estoy hambriento.

Romantic: ( ...¿Qué es lo que dijo? )

???: Tener un festín justo frente a mí...

Romantic: ¡E-espera! ¡¿Qué haces?!

???: Eso debería preguntarte. Eres tú quien apareció de la nada, por suerte, justo delante de mí.

Romantic: ( Bueno, tiene razón, ¡pero eso no significa que tenga derecho a atacar a la gente así! )

???: ¿Qué te pasa? ¿De repente te sentiste avergonzado?

Sólo acéptalo y quédate quieto para mí...

Romantic: ¡...!

( S-siento que quiero decir algo pero no puedo... )

¡N-no, no me toques! ¡Alejate de mí!

???: ¡¿Haa?! ¡¿Quién carajos te crees que eres para rechazarme?!

Romantic: N-no te atrevas a acercarte... tú... ¡monstruo!

( No puede ser verdad, ¿es esto una pesadilla? )

( Él... no es una persona. ¡No puede serlo! )

???: ...

...¿Cómo me llamaste...?

Romantic: ¿...?

❁ㅤEl joven de repente se detuvo y levantó la cabeza cuando escuchó los pasos de otra persona que vino aquí y mostró algo de enojo, gruñendo entre colmillos mientras se daba la vuelta.

??? (2) : ¿A qué se debe este escándalo? Me gustaría que no fueras tan ruidoso después de despertarte, Ayato.

Ayato: Ugh... Reiji...

❁ㅤConfundido, Romantic volteó y miro el rostro del vampiro una vez más antes de apartarse lentamente de él. Sus ojos fijados en los del otro con incertidumbre.

Romantic: ( ¿Ayato...? )

꒰ 𔓕 ꒱ㅤEste capítulo viene incluido con un poema, estos están relacionados con la historia, pero puedes omitirlos. ¿Quieres leerlo?

CW: Embarazo, mención de sangre.

La grandeza está en mis venas.

Cada mañana me encuentro, pero no me veo en el espejo.

Yo era sólo un cigoto en el útero de una madre joven cuando me dijeron que la gloria corría por mis venas, con la dolida del alma y anestesiada del corazón.

No sé lo que es depender de alguien, pues mi codicia me ha abrazado todas las noches sin dormir; con cada frase suya por una confusión y entre mis huellas la sangre de un niño avaricioso.

Siempre tengo que ser el mejor porque estoy lleno de orgullo, soy el único que puede manejarlo y sólo yo puedo hacerlo. No hay nada en el mundo que pueda cambiar el precio de tu elogio.

Así que, miente.

A ver si me ves.

ーー FIN DEL DARK PROLOGUE ーー

Comentario del admin 🧚🏻‍♀️

Es muy bueno volver a publicar aquí, ya extrañaba hacerlo. Esta vez, actualicé y mejoré la experiencia de la historia principal. Ustedes eligieron que yo subiera primero los capítulos más antiguos, y aquí está.ㅤ(〃´𓎟`〃)

Si les gusto, consideren darle a esta publicación un fav, rebloguear y, por qué no, incluso seguirme❕ Como siempre, muchas gracias por leer. Qué tengan un maravilloso día.

[buckys-little-belle]

Hellfire Babysitting Club : The Sequel (Part Two)

Cafeteria Conversions

Gareth Emerson x Little!Reader (They/Them Pronouns used) / The Hellfire club x Little!Reader (They/Them Pronouns used)

Warnings - Mentions of eating, Mentions of bullying, Gareth being soft, the entire Hellfire Club being adorable in regards to their newest member

Notes Prequal - Please let me know what you want to see in this series! This one has a much more Introverted!Reader than the first instalment, so keep that in mind!

Notes - I know this took a longggg time to come out, I'm dealing with a lot right now, but really wanted to write some more and interact a little again, thank you to those of you who haven't left, and haven't stopped supporting me. I see your messages and asks, and I appreciate them, thank you <3 (THIS IS NOT MY BEST WORK, AND I AM AWARE OF THAT FACT.)

Notes Epilogue - Just to clear some things up for a few people, my idea is that last school year, Little Terror, Eddie, Gareth, Jeff, and Jason Carver were all in their senior year. This year Gare is taking his senior year again, and 'The Party' are now in the eleventh grade! Little Bunny is also in their senior year, this allows me space to make a third part with characters from 'The Party' be the leader of Hellfireclub and co, and another little set in the next year, if I chose to do so. (I am aware this isn't canon, but I'm making it my stories cannon!)

SFW - Please keep all interactions with this post, and this blog, SFW

+ + + + + +

Gareth walked Bunny to their first class, taking note of which room they'd be in just before lunch, promising to pick them up, but ever since then he'd been freaking out. He was excited, sure, but worry creeped in not long after, the reality of him being the lead of the group, not just leading them in D&D but now in babysitting was scary.

'I'm just a phone call away.' Eddie's words filled his mind, though they made him more mad than reassured, he could do this, he didn't want to seem weak to Eddie, to everyone else, especially not to Little Bunny.

When the bell for lunch rang the english class grew busy, Dustin running to Gare's desk. "Same lunch table?" He asked, his books spilling out of his bag, hair disheveled.

"No." Gareth nodded his head, trying to seem confident in his decision. "Gather the others and meet me in Game room." Gareth stood up quickly, getting ready to run to Bunny's classroom, leaving a confused, yet intrigued, Dustin behind.

+ + + + + +

"Y/n!" Gareth whisper yelled, Bunny turning their head to look at him, their nose scrunching in excitement. "Are you ready for lunch?" He panted, brushing a hand through his hair, trying to stay cool as sweat threatened to drip.

"Mhm." They smiled, following as Gareth led them to the Game room, swinging their arms back and forth.

"Good." Gareth cleared his throat before continuing. "Um, my friends and I meet for lunch, is that okay?" He asked anxiously, hoping his plan would work out.

"Are dey nice?" Y/n looked to him, a worried expression replacing their previously content one.

"Oh yeah, plus I'm sure they'll treat you like royalty." He added.

"Why?"

"Right." He chuckled, struggling to come up with the words to explain their situation. "We play Dungeons and Dragons, but we also babysat a little last year." Y/n nodded their head. "I don't have to tell the group that you're a little, but they're pretty good at knowing." He admitted, hoping that what he was saying was okay.

Y/n stopped walking, eyes trained on the ground, fingers playing with the hem of their shirt. "Are dey gonna make fun of me?"

Gareth's heart broke a little, he hoped that one day he could meet a little who hadn't been made fun of, but clearly a group of accepting and willing people was still unheard of. "No, no Bunny, they won't." He smiled, placing his hand on their shoulder, his thumb rubbing soothing circles. "They'll play games with you, they'll talk about toys with you, watch fun movies with you, hold your hand if you're scared, and babysit you when I can't take care of you, they're all very nice, and won't me mean at all." He reassured them, Y/n's eyes meeting his, not a sense of doubt found in his expression.

"You're gonna take care of me?" They asked, trying their best to hide back an excited smile.

"Of course, I found you, so I get dibs." He laughed, Y/n giggling back at his joke. "Anything you need, you can come to me, anything, okay?" The two of them nodded their heads. "And if you can't find me, you can find one of the group members, and they'll help you anyway they can."

"I don' wanna bother anyone though." Y/n admitted nervously.

"Bunny, you're not a bother! I was super stressed this morning, I don't like school very much." Gareth laughed. "But when I ran into you my day got better, you aren't a bother, if anything we will bother you."

"Okay." Y/n smiled. "Okay, 'm excited."

"Me too."

+ + + + + +

"Thank god!" Dustin called out as Gareth entered the room, Y/n behind him, not ready to truly meet the group. "Can you tell me why we're in here? I'm hungry!" Dustin's voice was loud, making Y/n instinctively reach for Gareth's hand, their head peaking past him to see who was yelling so loudly.

"Calm down." Mike whispered, more aware than Dustin that clearly something was happening.

"Who here actually likes eating in the cafeteria?" Gareth asked, the group looking to one another in confusion. "Lucas you hate the basketball guys, Mike you gave me a thirty minute talk in math today about how El struggles with loud noises, Dustin you talk about how your legs fall asleep on the benches, and I hate a whole room of people just looking at us, laughing at us." The room was silent, a few people nodding their heads. "So we're going to be eating in here, everyone pick a seat, and calm down." He smiled, walking into the room further, Y/n blindly following behind him.

"Who is that?" El loudly asked, the newbie not in Mike's Hellfire rundown.

Gareth ignored the groups whispers for a few seconds, setting his bad on the DM chair, his DM chair, and pulling a smaller seat next to his for Y/n. "This is Y/n." He said, still shielding them from the group slightly, not sure if they wished to be introduced fully to the chaos just yet. "They're new to the school, and needed a buddy this morning."

Mike and Lucas seemed to know what Gareth meant right away, that Y/n was a little, and that's why they were here, but Will and El looked very confused, and Dustin didn't seem to be on the same page as anyone. "So another player?" He asked, Mike and Lucas rolling their eyes as Gareth let his face fall into his hand.

"No, Y/n is a little, I'm not only changing where we eat lunch, but I'm starting back up Hellfire Babysitting Club." Gareth proudly said. "And this time we're going to have rules, and a schedule, I don't need Y/n eating soap, or getting into trouble like Little Terror."

Y/n giggled and the group smiled, El and Will still confused, waiting for a better explanation. "I don't get it." Will admitted.

"You guys." Gareth gestured to everyone but Y/n. "Explain what this all is, and what went down last year, and tomorrow we'll reconvene and talk about how things will work here on out." Gareth hoped that the group would respond well to some structure, Eddie liking to just hope things work out fine while winging it. Gareth hoped that making some rules, and implementing new things would let the group stay strong, and would alleviate the stress from his shoulders.

"Can we say hi to the baby?" El asked, taking her seat at the table, trying to peek past Gareth at them.

Everyone went silent, looking at El confused, Mike sighing before weighing in. "I talked to her about Eddie and Little Terror already." He explained.

"Baby please." She said a little more harshly, Mike sending Gareth a look full of warning, knowing El would move him if he didn't move.

Gareth stepped aside, Y/n's sitting frame, cheese string in one hand, the stuffed bunny in another, coming into view, a sweet smile on display for everyone. "Hi."

"I called them Little Bunny this morning." Gareth admitted, smiling as he watched Y/n look around the room, everyone smiling back at them.

"Little cheese fingers." El said seriously, opening her own lunch box and moving on, the group bursting out laughing at her words, though no one argued the name, just sat down too, pulling out their own lunch boxes and silently welcoming the new member.

[roarriita]

eres tu - ellie williams

latina!fem!reader! x elliewilliams!

wc: 1.7k+

content warning: explicit language

tags: @prrimordiais @prettyplant0 @sparkleswonderland @minustwofingers @intrnetdoll @elliesflower @frogychu @scandalcus (if you'd like to be tagged in any future chapters of 'eres tu' just lmk in the comments or pms <33)

// initial summary: you and ellie use to be best friends until she made the awful choice to end things with you. skip to a year later, you guys are at each other's throats, pretending to not care and to not feel. as ellie's 19th birthday is creeping up, you find yourself wanting to patch things up with her, but will the stubborn auburn-haired girl make that easy for you? //

// a/n: awful description i'm sorry, i just really wanted to get this out there so that i can work on one of my other current works, hope you guys enjoy!! and ps, you don't have to be latina to read, just thought it'd be cute!! //

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your wrists flicker bewitchingly as you play your violin. out of all your classes this school year, violin would have to be your favorite. the sweet and heady melodies the instrument makes as you maneuver its bow against the strings is all it takes to put your mind to ease. in a world in which society has collapsed and uninfected humans are difficult to come by, this is what you needed. well, this and– “can you shut up with that? like honestly, you’re starting to give me a headache.”

the violin lets out a small shriek as you come to an abrupt stop. you place the instrument on your lap as you turn your head to look at ellie, who has gone back to writing in her cedar colored journal. you tried to hold back the anger that begged to come out as you burned a glare into the side of her temple. “how about you go and fuck yourself? the only reason as to why i’m trapped in here with you instead of at my violin lessons is because of your pettiness and lack of showmanship.”

ellie’s grip on her pencil tightened as her eyebrows furrowed. you weren’t wrong, not entirely. it’s your last year of high school and you only have 2 more months to go until you officially graduate and are assigned real adult jobs by maria. your science teacher thought it’d be fun to have two of her top students in that class participate in a ‘friendly’ competition over the subject. let’s just say things were not friendly and when you seemed to have been in the lead with only a few minutes left of class, ellie blurted out the fact that you didn’t learn how to read until you were 9 years old and that you were probably cheating.

of course, you didn’t let that slide and in return spilled one of her big secrets which was the fact that she plagiarized her 10th grade english paper from some random textbook she found on a run with joel. it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if it wasn’t the same paper that got her on honor roll and at the top of her class. she stole that spot from another girl who was a brilliant writer and worked her ass off to show it be reflected in her work. so, then that girl stepped in and started verbally attacking ellie and before anyone knew it, people were turning against each other, some siding with the writer, others siding with ellie and her desperate attempt at passing 10th grade english, ‘cause in her defense, the assignment was pretty difficult.

ellie turned her head to you as she shut her journal. “ugh, finally.” you scoffed. “we have another 45 more minutes left of detention to go and i do not want to hear your imperceptible scribbling for the time being.”

‘imperceptible’ the word replayed over and over in ellie’s head as she tried to search for the meaning. when she couldn’t, it caused her to grow even more frustrated. it might’ve taken you a little longer to learn how to read and write than the other kids in jackson but once you did, you made sure to read every book and dictionary you could get your hands on. the thought of ever being humiliated for your lack of knowledge, drove your motivation. 

when you first met ellie, she thought it was cute. she’d smile at those ‘big and weird’ words you’d use to describe the simplest of actions and emotions and would even ask you what they meant. you’d always be happy to answer and even throw in a few fun facts about the word, but now? oh now, she just found it insufferable. she found you insufferable. “you know, i meant what i said, about you cheating. no way could you recall all of the constellations off the top of your head. you’re too slow for that.”

you ran your tongue over your front teeth as an annoyed smirk took a hold of your lips. “you are such a sore loser. it’s entertaining actually. the way your eyes flicker with anger the second i do anything that ticks you off.” you leaned in her direction, refusing to break eye contact. “my favorite part about it all is that i don’t even have to try and your anger runs rampant with thoughts of me. glad to know i have that kind of power.”

ellie felt a familiar, yet unwelcomed knot in her stomach as you stared at her. the teasing words that left your lips didn’t help her situation either. “what?” you questioned. “cat got your tongue?” the fire you lit in her chest grew brighter at your snarky comment but the knot in her stomach also tightened. she looked over you, her eyes darting from your eyes to your lips, to the small facial details all around your face until they landed back on your (y/c/e). 

“i hate you.” ellie cursed.

you blinked a few times as a powerful sting erupted from your chest. you caught your smirk before it could fully fall and recollected yourself. “i hate you too.”

✩───────────✩──────────✩

your eyes linger on the ceiling of your room as your thoughts jump from subject to subject, ellie being one that keeps coming back. your friendship used to mean the world to the both of you, then one fight over something so stupid and boom, it’s over and you find yourselves fighting over what was supposed to be  a ‘friendly’ competition. the love you have for ellie is still there, it never left. it could never leave. a knock on the door pulls you out of your thoughts.

you quickly get off your bed, making sure to suck back in the tears that were seconds away from spilling and open your bedroom door. “(y/n), ven.” your mother, who’s still as youthful as the day the infection went wildfire, said as she grabbed your hand and led you to the kitchen.

“¿para qué?” you questioned.

“i want you to try the arroz con leche i made for ellie.” your mom smiled as she poured you a cup of the piping hot drink.

you groaned, rolling your eyes. “why’d you make her some? do you still talk to her, venus?”

your mother sent you a death glare for using her first name. “you know, back in my day you would’ve gotten a smack on your behind for that.”

“yeah, well back in your day you also didn’t have clickers running wild, trying to satisfy it’s insatiable hunger with you either, now did you?” you snarked. the next glare your mom sent you felt much scarier and more threatening. you shuffled between your two feet quickly before dropping your piss poor attitude. “i’m sorry.” you hung your head low as you sat on the wooden barstool.

you rested your elbows on the kitchen island and placed your cheeks in the palm of your hands. your mom reeled herself back, understanding that ellie was a sensitive topic for you. she didn’t know the whole story of your fallout. all she knew was what you told her after you came home, snot running down your nose, teary clouds blurring your vision and sorrowful sobs leaving your throat. 'she stopped talking to me a few weeks ago, she blew up on me over something stupid i said and then i tried talking to her again today and ugh, mami she was such an asshole, i don’t get it. i just miss her.'

your mother gave you a look of sympathy, before carefully placing the cup in front of you. “listen, i know your relationship with ellie right now is… complicated–”

“right now?” you repeated. “ma, it’s been almost a year already.”

“so? tu papa y yo, fuimos 2 years without talking,” your mothers accent made itself more apparent as she passionately spoke and switched between english and spanish. “and yet, we still found ourselves back to each other. love is greater than any other emotion we feel (y/n), whether that’d be fear or anger. if what you had with ellie was as strong as you believed it once was, then she will come back to you. maybe she was going through something, blew up, felt embarrassed and let her pride win.”

you took careful sips of your drink, taking in all that she said. your mother possessed many amazing qualities but her ability to make others feel seen and understood was one of her greatest ones, as well as giving fruitful advice. “i mean, did you try talking to her again after things cooled down?”

“no.” you quickly let out. “the first time she blew up on me, that’s what i did, i waited until things cooled down but the second time? nu-uh, message-fucking-recevied.”

your mother scoffed amusingly as she began pouring the liquid into a tall thermal. the fact that you finished your drink in the small amount of time in which this conversation was taking place was all the answer she needed to know that what she made was more than delicious. “you’re gonna give her all of it?” your face scrunched up, wanting another serving or two.

“it’s her early birthday present. 19 is a pretty big number.” venus smiled as she took off her mits and placed the empty pot in the sink. “now, please wash that while i go over and take this to them.”

“what, no.” you whined, hating having to wash dishes, especially big pots with gunky stuff stuck to the bottom.

“okay, fine.” your mother placed the thermal back down. “you take it over to them. and don’t just hand it to joel, make sure you let ellie know that it was from me and that we both wish her an early happy birthday.” your eyes widened as you took in a deep and sharp breath. “yeah, that’s what i thought.” 

before your mom could leave, you stopped her. you really hated washing big pots, this is your only reason for wanting to take the thermal to ellie. it had nothing to do with what your mom just said or the unspoken fervent thoughts and feelings you still possessed for ellie. “fine, i’ll go. just, let me get dressed first.”

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[writtenbyjanee]

‘ ‘ be my baby ! ’ ’ [ chapter one ]

E . M . & F!CHEERLEADER!READER

‘‘ the night we met i , knew i needed you so! “

[ chapter 1 : » first meeting 🩵 ]

🩵

the phone on your bedside table rang , the sound shocked you awake. closing your book you picked up the phone.

“ hello ? y/n ? are you there ? “

it was your best friend , diana

“ di ? hey, what’s up ? “

“ could you uhh.. do me a huge favour and come out with me ? “

“ like right now ? i mean sure but , why ?? “

you sighed , knowing you could never say no to her. she was just too sweet , so happy all the time.

you met di during your first english class in freshman year. she was your first friend at school , you’d been to catholic school almost your whole life , but after almost an entire year of begging your parents finally agreed to send you to a ‘ normal ‘ school. you couldn’t stand all the stuck up girls at the catholic school , all so mean, turning up their noses to anyone slightly different.

which was the complete opposite of diana , maybe that was why you loved her so much.

“ yes.. right now! stacy’s band is playing tonight! remember ? ,.. uhm. i just wanted to be there for her! you know? “

stacy was another friend of yours , an aspiring starlet , she hated the restrains of small town america and would basically die to get out. you couldn’t miss her first real performance infront of people that weren’t your friends if your life depended on it!

“ oh! right , i totally forgot , that’s tonight , hang on . let me just get ready! “

“ i knew you’d come! “

she giggled a little.

“ so?? i’ll come pick you up at 8 ? park halfway down the street so your parents don’t see the car or whatever . “

“ sounds good to me , see you di ! “

“ later y/n ! “

you crept around your bedroom , careful to not make too much noise , your parents were probably still awake. you grabbed your makeup bag and began applying it in your vanity mirror , not forgetting to fix your hair.

you put on some sparkly white eyeshadow and mascara to finish off before picking out an outfit.

you settled on a little baby blue dress and a white cardigan , modest in a way but still appropriate for the occasion. you shimmied into the dress , adjusting yourself a little.

you grabbed some little white frilly socks and slid them on. rushing to pick out a purse to fill with all your belongings , deciding on a small white bag that could fit all your needed. finally stepping into your baby blue sneakers , worn out from how much you wore them.

this was the hardest part , actually leaving the house. you opened up your bedroom door , tiptoeing down the hallway all the way to the back door . you slipped out of the side gate , leaving it unlocked for when you returned later.

🩵

you basically skipped down the street to diana’s car , excited to finally get out after a long week at school.

“ y/n ! hi ! “

diana ran over to hug you.

“ hey ! “

after a small embrace the two of you got into the car and headed for the hideout. basically the only bar in hawkins , you listened to your favourite music on the way , chatting about school and gossip.

after about 15 minutes the car came to a stop and the two of you got out of her car.

“ i’m like so excited! “

diana squealed , everyone knew how much this meant to stacy , the bar was having some kind of open mic night where all the bands could play.

the two of you strolled into the bar , finding your place among the crowd of high school students and middle aged alcoholics all patiently waiting for the music to start.

after a few minutes a group of boys came out onto the stage , clad in black and a few of them holding their own instruments.

“ uh , hi , we’re corroded coffin “

a few young girls jokingly cheered and whistled for the group of boys ,

after a few short moments the band began to play , the music was loud and heavy , this wasn’t really your scene but you couldn’t just leave. you distracted yourself with admiring one of the boys , his hair was long and almost curly ,

the two of you almost made eye contact, but you instinctively looked away before he could look at you.

“ they’re really good ! “

diana yelled over the music,

“ i mean , i totally dig them ! “

you looked over at her , giggling a little , you could tell how much she enjoyed this music. diana was spontaneous, she loved new things , all things. she was like a ray of sunshine.

“ you know , they aren’t half bad? “

🩵

finally after a half hour , they finished , stacy was finally coming on .

you and diana were basically screaming for her , her curly red hair bounced as she walked , she grinned when she saw us and a few other of her friends amongst the crowd.

most people from school had come to see her if you were being honest , she was pretty popular.

she wore a light pink lipstick that shimmered in the spotlight , something out of the 1970s , you thought.

another girl from her band began to play , starting out the song , stacy began to sway to the music. her voice was angelic , soft , she was like a movie star.

“ i’m like totally in love with her . “

you said , half joking , half serious.

“ i know .. she’s magnetic ! “

di replied.

🩵

the night came to a close , you were waiting outback with diana for stacy ,

“one second , i need to get her flowers from the car ! “

diana rushed over to her car to grab the bunch of flowers she’d picked for stacy.

you hugged yourself in the cold , wishing you’d bought more than just your cardigan.

‘ fuck it ‘

you thought ,

‘ i’ll just go find her myself , and id only be five minutes , diana wouldn’t worry . ‘

you pushed open the back door searching for stacy , you were determined to find her and get home as soon as humanly possible.

in the dark of the hallway , you bumped someone’s arm , you turned around to the person.

“ ah ! i’m so sorry ! “

you looked up at the boy , the one from earlier with long hair. you’d totally die for hair like that , even if you wouldn’t openly admit it.

“ oh , you’re that guy .. from the band ,? corroded coffin ? “

he looked at you and you saw him smile,

“uh yeah , that’s me! and sorry , by the way . “

you smiled back at him.

“ that’s alright , my friend and i thought you totally rocked. “

he giggled a little at your tone of voice , why was a girl like you , so sweet , speaking to someone like him .

“ thanks. i’m eddie , by the way . “

“ that’s it ! i knew i recognised you ! and im y/n , by the way . “

“y/n , i’ve seen you around , you’re on the cheer team aren’t you ? “

you nodded at the boy ,

suddenly , you felt a manicured hand grasp your arm , you’d recognise that purple nail polish anywhere ,

“i was totally sweet out there! wasn’t i ? “

“ yeah ! you’re like .. the next stevie nicks or something! “

she grinned at you .

“ now come on , diana’s probably waiting on us! “

you turned to eddie who had already began to walk away

“ see you around ! “

you smiled gleefully at him and waved , he waved back.

you grabbed her hand and you walked out of the door,

“ did i just see you wave to eddie and then GIGGLE TO YOURSELF AFTER? ? “

stacy was wide eyed at what you just did , she never could have predicted that .

“ diana , hi! “

diana ran up to you and stacy , hugging you both.

“ i’m so proud of you stace!!! we both are ! “

diana basically yelled as she squished the two of you .

🩵

the car door slammed shut and you pressed play on the radio , letting the tape play ,

“ y/n , you never answered my question!, “

stacy glanced at you when she said this .

“ sooo, do you find eddie cute or something? “

diana turned to the two of you in shock

“ HOW AM I JUST HEARING ABOUT THIS?!! “

“ eyes on the road di ! “

you looked down in embarrassment.

“ and yes , i very well may find him ‘ cute ‘ stacy. what about it. “

you were holding back laughter, not that you weren’t serious , you just laughed in situations like this. you basically never liked anyone at school.

when the girls heard this , they basically celebrated,

“ y/n this is serious! you like , never like any guy , E-V-E-R “

diana was being dramatic , laying it on . how could she not. her best friend was finally getting a life outside of her countless romance novels.

🩵

you waved goodbye to the two girls in the car , walking down the road and into your back garden , through the gate , then to door , finally creeping up the stairs.

you quickly wiped your face in the bathroom sink and stumbled into your bedroom , sliding out of your outfit and back into your pyjamas.

you were honestly surprised how easy that was , usually there are atleast a few obstacles.

when you closed your eyes after turning out the lamp on your cluttered bedside table , you thought about eddie , maybe you DID like him .. you probably liked him .

you argued back and forth with yourself in your head , i mean , you’d only ever spoken to him once just about an hour or more ago.

but there was just something about him , something different to any other boy you’d met , his eyes were soft and kind , not like anyone else you knew.

you rolled over a little more before finally falling asleep ,

🩵 [ chapter 1 » end ]

[ineffablecastielsstuff]

I've been walking around with an idea for a Good Omens AU "human - teachers" slowly taking shape in my head for a while but it was never clear or urgent enough to actually put pen to paper. Yesterday though I finally started writing again and I have this familiar feeling of "I need to write this, I need to see their journey, I need to see them happy in the end!" Yay! I have missed that feeling so much since finishing my GO long fic!

I won't start publishing before I'm not a little further into writing it, but I needed to shout somewhere that I am back at writing. Hope you'll understand! Here's a little unpolished snippet of what I've written today:

"Seems like you’n’I are the only ones left,“ he suddenly heard a drawl from behind his chair. He turned, and his brain needed a few moments to take in the sight in front of him.

[...]

"Uhm. Well, yes. It appears so,“ Aziraphale finally replied. Then he held out his hand. "Aziraphale Fell,“ he said, since he wasn’t entirely sure that Mr Crowley would know him by name.

"Yeah, I know who you are,“ he replied, waving a hand nearly dismissively and ignoring Aziraphale’s offer of a handshake, "you’re the English guy, doing the plays and getting the kids to read. Always catch at least one of the year 8s reading under the table when they come from your class.“

Aziraphale wasn’t quite sure if this was meant as a compliment or a complaint so he kept his mouth shut and waited.

"Anthony Crowley. Just call me Crowley though. Never liked Anthony,“ Crowley continued with a smirk.

"Delighted to meet you, Crowley,“ Aziraphale said, biting his tongue immediately after those words had left his mouth. Make an even bigger fool of yourself, why don’t you, he scolded himself internally. Crowley’s smile widened.

"Aw, there’s still people out here talking like that, ey? Or did you drop out of one of those 19th century novels? Or just read too many of them?“, Crowley shot him a teasing look that left Aziraphale slightly breathless.

"As you might have noticed, I said delighted to meet you. Not delighted to make your acquintance, which would have been the proper reply during the 19th century. Seems like I should lend you some books as well,“ Aziraphale took Crowley’s remark in stride and raised his eyebrow. Aziraphale rarely needed more than a pointed look and a raised eyebrow to tell a student that they were toeing a line, and he couldn’t help but tease Crowley with his best teacher look. It seemed to work.

"Ngk.“

"Maybe reading would help with your vocabulary as well.“

At that, Crowley threw his head back and gave a full body laugh.

"Oh, here I thought I’d have a little defenseless angel as my partner, but turns out you can be quite the bastard, can’t you?!,“ he roared, delighted.

"I reckon that no angel would ever be defenseless, with the heavenly powers backing them up,“ Aziraphale remarked. He had never expected to stand here, bantering with Anthony J. Crowley, but he was really enjoying himself doing just that.

"True,“ Crowley replied, biting back on the laughter. „Angel it is then, and we won’t mention the bastard side of you ever again. Now let’s compare timetables to get those bloody lesson observations out of the way.“

[angieloveshua]

“My five starts danmei novels.” Short, well, you do know, not short reasons why I like them.

🎋 —C Language Cultivation.

carrd.

Programming? Cultivation? A pretty man with long hair? Fucking swipe my card— wait, I don't own a card... Anyways, you get my point!

This novel, C Language Cultivation, had all the possible elements to make it into the top of my favourite novels. Did it achieve it? Well, fellas, it is in the post for something!

Believe me, for a moment, I was crazy enough to think that studying Computer Science because of this book was a good idea of a degree (it is, but Angie is a literature girl), so Imagine how good it is.

If you're done with slow burn (I'm never done with slow burn, but there are times when I appreciate a couple who gets straight to the point), read C Language Cultivation! Dong Jun and Lin Xun had THEE tension going on from the moment they've met, and I was screaming with every single interaction.

I believe this novel had one of the best plot twists I've read in my entire life (and I've been reading since I was 10, guys, 10 years old!). I was literally staring into the wall, trying to process what I've just read. I still can't believe how it fucking played with me.

Alas, Dong Jun and I share birthdays! Do you need another reason to start reading it, like, mmm, NOW?

🎋 —Beyond The Outline.

carrd.

Grab yourself to something because this is the second, THE SECOND novel with almost no angst (there are sad moments, but it's mostly cute) that I ranked as a five starts book. The author? Obviously, Mu Gua Huang.

You see, guys, Mu Gua Huang makes me love happiness and to be quite addicted to it. Once I started this novel, I would keep reading it until 5 a.m., and it was worth it!

Beyond The Outline has a precious message behind the hilarious and mysterious situation where two high school students, completely opposite from each other, switch bodies after being hit by lightning. I was this emoji 🥺 all the time.

I love this couple. Shao Zhan 🤧, look, I don't mean to spoil you, but he does something that I was like, “No man will do this for me never. He's the last romantic.” He's the best boy and the best boyfriend. If someone hates him, they seriously need some help.

🎋 —Alpha Predator.

No carrd, unfortunately.

Some of you may say, “Angie, didn't you review this novel before?” And I will do it again.

Alpha Predator is the last novel of the 188男团 (if you don't know, basically, the gongs are all 188 and scummy) and the best I've read from Suida. This book basically fell from the sky for me. I was on a reading block (is that the right term in English?) and needed something that made me retake my usual reading rhythm. May I aggregate that this has been the best novel I read in 2023 by so far? It is.

As the title suggests, Alpha Predator is an ABO world where rank plays an important role in society. The ML and scummy gong (mi bebé solo estaba jugando) is an S class Alpha, which means he is the one on top of the pyramid. I love Qu Moyu, and I am willing to defend him with my life. I accept that I tweeted that he was a stupid Alpha, but we all make mistakes, hahaha.

I love QuShen. 💜 They are my favourite 188 couple, and the best, in my not so humble opinion. They admire each other, and they come to love each other despite all the misunderstandings, and that makes me 🤧.

If you like scummy gongs and trust my taste, give it a try!

🎋 —Po Yun.

carrd.

What do we have here? My last reading, the best crime book, and the novel that made me couldn't look my chemistry teacher straight in the eye! The last point is kind of a long story that I'll tell you some other day.

Anyways, who are these sexy gentlemen? I'll introduce you to Yan Xie and Jiang Ting, the protagonists and couple of Po Yun!

I have great memories of reading this novel. I remember sending voice messages to one of my friends about this book: “Girl, you wouldn't believe what just happened...” Dalia and I agree that this is an amazing book.

I also found it quite realistic in the aspect of how much can drugs fuck up someone's life. I won't elaborate on this because it's spoiler, but you will piece a lot of things once you know about a certain character past.

As for the romance, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, WHY THE FUCK I WASN'T IN THAT WEDDING. I WOULD HAVE CRIED WHILE DRINKING EXPENSIVE WINE (I don't even like wine). They're HOT and they LOVE each other.

🎋 —First-Class Lawyer.

carrd.

Look, maybe I wouldn't have dropped out of law school if it were as entertaining as this novel, but it wasn't in my case. Putting that new fun fact about me aside, welcome to First-Class Lawyer by Mu Su Li.

This novel is set in a futuristic environment, so Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan are not just lawyers but interstellar lawyers. Amazing, isn't it? The mystery involves the other planets, so you'll see them space-travelling to find out the truth. And if that didn't sell you, Yan Suizhi is “dead.” Yup, our main character was awakened from death and put in another body in the first chapter. As the critics (me) say, “You know the book is good when the author kills the protagonist in the first page.”

The couple, aw. Imagine having someone you could tell anything, it doesn't matter how insignificant it is, and that they listen to you and that they love you so much —that's Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi. They're also teacher × student, from those who like that kind of dynamic!

As I told you in the beginning, this is written by Mu Su Li, author of QQGK, which means it is freaking good!

Some of you may be wondering, “Where the fuck is BAB?” I'M WAITING FOR OFFICIAL ART. 😭 HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO ART BAIT YOU IF THERE IS NO OFFICIAL ART???? /cries in it's my favourite book and it doesn't have art even though it was signed to a lot of publications

[coughs] I hope you like this pt. 4 of Angie recs! I don't know when I'll post the next, but this is my humble effort of making you read these amazing novels!

[gordonzola-ramen]

My mutual @alectricblue tagged me in this game tag! I normally dont do these, but I thought it'd be nice to get to know me more (and also meet y'all if you wish to participate)!

It will be long though. Sorry

1. Were you named after anyone?

Was originally gonna be named Andrea after a ballerina my grandma liked! Sadly no one remembered her well, not even grandma, so I don't know much about her.

My deadname was simply just chosen bc it was easy to pronounce, as well as my chosen name Diego (it's what I would've been called had I been male), although when I chose it for myself I liked the JoJo character Diego Brando so there was some correlation there.

Funnily enough, people think I'm nicknamed Lio after the Promare character, but I hadn't met them yet.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday. At 11pm. Watching OR3O's One Piece song. It was nostalgic ok

3. Do you have kids?

Nope. There's an absurd amount of reasons I don't want them, although not a single one is because I dislike them. I've had to babysit many kids and they've all been very sweet.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

Oof, my recent sports is taking my dog for a walk. But I used to like volleyball and kickball! And reluctantly played soccer and did swimming! Sports give me a lot of anxiety and i'm not sure why.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

I do a lot of teasing and lighthearted banter that can sometimes be considered sarcasm?

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their eyes! Or anything outstanding like cool hairstyles or visible tattoos.

With online people, I mostly recognize them by pfp or a vague mental pronunciation of their username.

7. What's your eye color?

Dark brown?? Or black??

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Honestly, whatever makes me think more. Unhappy endings tend to do that more though, so I guess scary movies! But of course it depends on the mood, sometimes I just want a nice story to cheer me up.

9. Any talents?

I've been told I am talented at the piano! And music in general, although most of my skills feel less like talent and more like just studying the thing.

10. Where were you born?

So I was born in the US, in Florida, but my entire family is from Costa Rica and I just happened to be born while my parents were studying abroad. I don't remember much from the US though, I came back to CR with my grandma in my first months because she was less busy than my parents, and then they came to live here again. So in my eyes I've been a true Costa Rican since always hehe

11. What are your hobbies?

Playing the piano! Also drawing sometimes (I like to color more than draw, but unless I get my hands on a coloring book I can't do that unless I draw), playing videogames (mostly RPGs and visual novels), and doomscrolling.

12. Do you have any pets?

YESSSS my beloved dog Mia!!!!!!!!!!! I love her so much, she escaped her abusive home and we found her while walking around a plaza, said hi, and she followed us home. She's been with us for 8 years now and I adore her. Reference below because how can I not show her off:

13. How tall are you?

Excellent question. I forgot but I'm average if that helps!

14. Favorite subject in school?

It changed over the years, in senior year it was English because we had my favorite teacher! I knew him for years because he has a literature club I partook in, so I was very happy to have classes with him. Plus, we saw the Oresteia, which goes tremendously hard especially when your teacher geeks out about all the symbolisms.

Apart from that, computer class! We barely ever had it, and almost had it cut out entirely in senior year, but the few times we did I really enjoyed programming and practicing typing! And when we didn't do anything we could play so.

15. Dream job?

I want to make my own videogame! So I'd say a game developer, although being a part of any videogame, especially RPGs, would be a dream come true.

Well thank you for reading, I hope that was some insight, it was very fun to reply!

Tagging section (no pressure to do it at all, you can also do it if you're not tagged who cares)

@skyllion-uwu @thefrogswhospoke @gorgeousuare @chronologicalimplosion @fishy-lilic @smoothedsmoothie @mx-mind @montied @aspirationatwork @jhofoyitchg @derkhue @mellomaia @federalfazbear @mcfinnigan @mutantsgurls @foxounderscorecube @sweetnessfollowsmp3 @mildredtefoneck @oh-my-stars1969 @unfullbucket @fluffnfuzzxoxo @electriceel69 @scottigyn @stressedsilverware @sapphicrobotenjoer @antjellies @milk1non-tolarantes @ovalbrain @chocokhaos @markdiegamer @astralix13 @atheist-xmas @blktomekurata @monstar-dreams @glass-duke @c--eam @laooneart

[straightplayshowdown]

Indecent: The story of Sholem Asch’s controversial play, The God of Vengeance, and the passionate artists who risked everything to bring it to the stage. The story—about the daughter of a brothel owner who falls in love with one of her father’s prostitutes—was polarizing even at its first readings, with many of Asch’s fellows arising him to burn it. Nevertheless, it achieved great success on the stages of Europe and in the Yiddish theatre scene of downtown New York City. But when an English-translation was attempted on Broadway, the play—featuring the first kiss between women on a Broadway stage—proved too scandalous for the general public, and the entire cast was arrested and charged with obscenity. 

Arcadia: The show takes place in a single room on the Coverly estate in two separate times: the Regency period and the present. 1809 finds a household in transition, where an Arcadian English garden landscape is being uprooted to make way for picturesque Gothic gardens, complete with hermitage. Meanwhile, brilliant thirteen-year-old Lady Thomasina proposes a startling scientific theory that is only starting to be figured out more than 200 years later. In the present day, we find two competing scholars researching the world of the estate in the Regency Era.

Propaganda under the cut!

Indecent:

Best, most emotionally resonant play I have ever seen performed. It recounts the controversy surrounding the play God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch, which was produced on Broadway in 1923, and for which the producer and cast were arrested and convicted on the grounds of obscenity. In God of Vengeance, the brothel owner's daughter falls in love with the female prostitute. Vogel's play goes far beyond recounting the censorship. It's a complex story that follows the show's playwright and performers and how their relationship to the material changes from the plays original run, to the Broadway censorship, to the Holocaust. It focuses on the need for hope and love.

A troupe of ghosts rise to keep alive the story of author Scholem Asch's most controversy play. In three languages & innumerable roles (including a turn by Katarina Lenk in the 2017 Broadway production) the lovers in God of Vengeance preserve for the stages of eternity one rain-soaked & sacred night. Meanwhile Asch, once a passionate defender of the plays love story against intracommunal accusations of fueling antisemitism and well, indecency...he gets quieter as Lemml becomes the stage manager of a story whose ending he will always forget. The play that convinced me that I could & would read Yiddish theater.

A breathtaking play about art, censorship, and Jewish lesbians, by THE Jewish lesbian. "He’s crafted a play that shrouds us in a deep, deep fog of human depravity: then like a lighthouse, those two girls. That’s a beacon I will remember."

Arcadia: 

it's the COOLEST. it's an exploration of entropy and how time scrambles popular perception and desire derails supposedly perfect plans and how knowledge makes its way through the years as sources get lost. 

it's about math and also lord byron is a character and there's a turtle

This is his best play (and pretty accessible for Stoppard). It’s an exploration of humanities vs. science, chaos theory, the interpretation of history, and also a love story. 

This is such a beautiful play about academia and how we do research and understand the past. And it's about love and friendship and biases and egos and so much more. 

THOMASINA: Oh, Septimus! -- can you bear it? All the lost plays of the Athenians! Two hundred at least by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides -- thousands of poems -- Aristotle's own library!....How can we sleep for grief?

SEPTIMUS: By counting our stock. Seven plays from Aeschylus, seven from Sophocles, nineteen from Euripides, my lady! You should no more grieve for the rest than for a buckle lost from your first shoe, or for your lesson book which will be lost when you are old. We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind. The procession is very long and life is very short. We die on the march. But there is nothing outside the march so nothing can be lost to it. The missing plays of Sophocles will turn up piece by piece, or be written again in another language. Ancient cures for diseases will reveal themselves once more. Mathematical discoveries glimpsed and lost to view will have their time again. You do not suppose, my lady, that if all of Archimedes had been hiding in the great library of Alexandria, we would be at a loss for a corkscrew?

[what-gs-watching]

“Now, I may be wrong, but frankly, I doubt it.”

So I finished a draft of my new and improved resume today and I’m super jazzed about it. It looks hella professional (jokes on you, recruiters!) and it makes sense in a way my resumes never have before. I’ve got that nice, warm feeling of accomplishment going. Gotta appreciate the little wins where you can. 

Keeping with this nice little boost ( while I listen to 1989 Taylor’s Version), I wanna talk about another comfort show I got into last year. Stay with me here, really.

Murder, She Wrote.

HEAR ME OUT!

Wherein a retired English teacher from a sleepy seaside town in Maine that never gentrifies simultaneously discovers she’s incredible at writing murder mysteries and solving real life murders. 

If you were born in the 80’s like I was, you’ve seen at least pieces of episodes on tv when you were a kid. You could probably recognize the intro music and you most likely think ‘yeah, I’m good on that.’ BUT! But, but, but….

It’s really got everything. Random murders with ridiculous weapons that make you go ‘I really don’t think that would have killed someone’ and dead bodies with very little blood. Like, there’s never blood. And random guest stars you’d never expect. And murderers you can guess sometimes and sometimes you can’t because it’s convoluted or silly but that makes the episode better. But those wily murderers are always, always caught.

And there are TWELVE SEASONS! 264 episodes, running longer than the typical 42 minutes because we used to not shove so many ads down our fucking throats. 

I spent like, nine months making my way through it and it was fantastic. Jessica Fletcher is an absolute badass, and she’s the grandmother figure I didn’t even realize I wanted. This bish is polite to a fault, whip smart, observant, and she faces down murderer after murderer without ever losing her nerve. She is utterly fierce, but kind. And you don’t really get a lot of female characters like that. 

This powerhouse would outwit cops easily, solve their shit with the weirdest clues and seemingly random details, and then she’d make them feel like they did a good job and let them take the credit. She doesn’t want notoriety, she’s already got it through her best sellers, she just wants to help and ultimately catch the bad guy. 

There are so many things I love about this show. It satisfies my pure, unadulterated lust for ridiculous murders, while making you feel cozy as hell. It’s comforting to know that by the end of the episode someone was going down and everything would be wrapped up neatly. Sometimes you need that. 

And the fact that her character is an extremely accomplished writer in the universe is wonderful. Like, she sat down at her kitchen table one day and banged out some incredible book. And then kept doing it. Throughout the series, there’s mention of like THIRTY different books that she wrote. It’s totally implausible, there’s no way she’s writing like two books a year while also running into all these dead bodies but I love it. It makes my heart happy. It makes me want to write something, finally. Something real. 

And y’all. The cameos. THE CAMEOS! Young Courtney Cox. JERRY ORBACH and his entire arc! George freakin’ Clooney. Baby Neil Patrick Harris! That one guy from that thing, and that chick from the other thing! Literally, everyone. I got my sister watching and she was behind me so every couple of days she was getting texts about who popped up. It’s impressive, really. If you were trying to be anyone in the late eighties, early nineties, you had to get your ass on Murder, She Wrote. 

ALSO, Angela Lansbury is amazing. Hell of an actress, talent oozing from her pores. At one point, she plays her own British cousin, and it’s fantastic. She was in her 60’s when the show started! Like, someone gave a 60-year-old actress her own show. She was a ground breaker, a glass shatterer. She was a fucking icon. 

I’m not sure what I’m driving at here really, but the show is just, such a place and time. And that place and time are really beautiful and relaxing and soothing and silly and entertaining. You don’t get shows like this anymore. Everything has to be edgy and dark and foreboding and yeah it’s a show about murder primarily but it doesn’t feel like that. Why can’t we make fluffy murder shows that make you feel like you're just hanging out with your cool aunt, and she’s radiating  the intrinsic knowledge that everything is going to be perfectly fine? Why isn’t that a thing? Are we just that terribly jaded now? 

Jessica Fletcher is a treasure. And she’ll warm your heart from the inside out. If you need to be snug and cozy, Cabot Cove is the place for you. It never changes and it never should and there are no loose ends. It’s just nice. And there isn’t enough nice out there. Trust me, and get it where you can.

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a second chance

10:30pm, sunday, may 12, 2024

wow oh man i have forgotten how to do this!! but it's spring, it's the end of the term, it's the start of a new season and a new burst of creativity and, perhaps, a different routine-- so let's try again.

reading audio-books and ebooks have been my absolute constant companions all winter, but shout-out to the stack of paperbacks on my bedside table, which i am slowly but surely working through. finished italo calvino's if on a winter's night a traveler (a loan from @hematiterings), part of my now intentional quest to read calvino's whole oeuvre, and basically loved it. the whole 'first chapters of various novels you'll never get the rest of' was such a good way to showcase a bunch of cliches from, like, mid-century literary fiction. very meta, and very fun. the connective frame narrative, in second person, was a little more of a stretch (again, very mid-century literary self-referential/ironic/whatever, which unfortunately i did find amusing)-- and calvino's female characters are not great, except for in the nonexistent knight's narrator who i loved)-- but there was a section addressed to a female reader which did, in fact, feel like it read me for absolute filth. other finished reads from the last few months which i will mention here briefly: the angel of the crows, katherine addison; our wives under the sea, julia armfield; the bell in the fog, lev ac rosen; the nutmeg's curse, amitav ghosh; the ruin of kings, jenn lyons.

listening this would have been different if i'd written this last week, but have y'all heard beyonce's album cowboy carter?! i know i'm a few months late but i actually feel like i'm years late, like i haven't responded to a beyonce album this strongly maybe ever. i love the covers, i love the vocal layering and harmonies, i love the samples from old timey radio and everything familiar and texas and country about it...i keep thinking i have a favorite track, but genuinely i like listening to this one all the way through, as a cohesive album, as a work in itself. have a pitchfork review. pull quote:

"On Cowboy Carter, Club Renaissance is swapped out for KNTRY Radio Texas, an AM station hosted by an ever-hazy Willie Nelson. Here she re-contextualizes roots music—Americana, folk, country—for a contemporary moment, reminding listeners that Black artists were the genesis of these forms and never stopped playing them, despite what Hollywood or Nashville might have on offer....Despite drawing from the kitsch and fun of ’70s and ’80s country music, Cowboy Carter has an air of melancholy to it, a quality that reverberates through the scores of songs in minor keys about loneliness on the range.

^^ this is a playlist of the whole album on youtube, if you're into that. AMERIICAN REQUIEM, the opening track, is what hooked me-- i was in from the opening notes. but TEXAS HOLD EM' is also great. fuck yeah, rhiannon giddens.

watching so in addition to rewatching the entire sixth season of dropout's game changer today, last week we finished a truly wild show out of netflix italy: la legge di lidia poët / the law according to lidia poët, which is a historical mystery-romance like only netflix can make. is it bridgerton but for ninteenth century italian lawyers? is it the girlbossification of an actually interesting historical figure? yes, maybe, but everyone is very attractive and the costumes are bonkers in a satisfying way. she has insect themed jewellery, rides a bike, has a lot of sex, finds a decent relationship with her brother and, god help me, i do want a second season.

featuring, hey isn't that pasquale from my brilliant friend? and wow, they probably think this song choice is really cool but it is so on the nose in english it is almost distracting.

playing hollow knight! hollow knight. hollow knight. it's become a problem, actually, since i have quite literally turned my evening yoga time into gamer time, and would you believe, i am less flexible and have higher anxiety levels lmaoo. but i'm getting so powerful i don't care. i probably can't promise myself to beat this game any time soon, and should stop thinking i can, but look! two dreamers down?!

making patched the inner thighs of some jeans-- they will probably remain weekend pants, but they're further from dead than they were. similarly, clumsily darned a hole in my sweater. baked a caffeinated cake courtesy of a b. dylan hollis video (coffee loaf from 1959) . glued a wooden salad tong back together and i feel like the seams are actually quite subtle.

(this wood glue claims to be food safe after curing, pray for me etc etc).

working on ooof. i am done teaching but still owe two-three students emails. i survived my committee meeting but have done nothing to follow the schedule of deadlines we set me, despite being so excited to back on may 2 / so energized to do All the Things back on april 26. i have an article to prep to submit! a chapter to finish tweaking (reworking? reframing? changing from the ground up? lololololol)! not to mention a newsletter to draft and copy edits (almost done) to send back on a friend's article! but i can't stop playing hollow knight in all my free time, and really, what's more important here.