#maximalism holiday ideas

[hermaximalismhome]

[daydreams-after-dark]

Blindfolds | Chan x Reader x mystery man (Minho)

chan x fem reader x minho.

Chan helps you fulfil your fantasy of having a "stranger" sleep with you

Word count: I think about 3k?

MDNI . Content warning below.

————- WARNINGS: unsafe sex, threesome, oral sex, vaginal sex, anal fingering, blowjob, orgasm, slight choking, cum eating, mystery sex, blindfold—————-

You walk down the dimly lit hallway towards one of the unused bedrooms in the holiday house you and your friends were staying at. You and your best friend, Chan decided the scenario will take place in a space that no one is using, to really maximize the mysteriousness of it the whole thing.

Butterflies are going crazy in your stomach, and you tug your satin robe tighter around your waist to try to settle them down. You feel rather sexy and feminine in the robe, the cream floral print against a gold background makes you feel like a queen.

You approach the designated door and knock.

“Come in.” Chan's voice calls from the inside. You swallow hard and push open the door.

You're immediately taken aback. The room is stunning. The decor is dark and moody, with the walls painted a dark grey blue, and the furniture looks as though it’s antique. Paintings of abstract naked women have been hung around the room.

There are various stained-glass lamps, emanating a seductive glow, and there is music playing low in the background. It sounds like French music. A woman’s voice seductively fills the room.

Then there’s the bed. Huge, King sized, so plush and high set. Chan is laying propped up against the dark timber headboard, he almost looks lost leaning amongst the generous number of over sized plush pillows. He’s wearing black tracksuit pants and a muscle tee. It looks out of place in such a sensually styled room.

“What do you think?” Chan gestures around the room.

“Th- this,” you stammer. “It’s amazing Chan.” You move towards the bed, stretching out your hand to touch the dark green quilt. It’s luxurious on your fingertips as you run your hand along the fabric and move closer to the head of the bed. The only thought going through your head is: Someone’s going to fuck you on this.

You perch on the side of the bed facing away from Chan, your feet barely reaching the floor. That's when you notice the black blindfold laid out neatly on the bedside table. Next to it is a bottle of coconut oil.

“How are you feeling? Are you okay?” Chan reaches out to touch your hand that’s resting beside you on the bed.

You inhale deeply and then slowly release the breath. How are you feeling?  It’s a mixture of feelings really. You're so very nervous. That you already know. But, you're also… excited. The idea of what’s about to happen is truly thrilling to you.

You can't believe your best friend Chan agreed to help you fulfil this fantasy. Of being blindfolded and fucked by a mystery person.

Chan smiles “We gotta get you ready!” He practically jumps off the bed and moves around to the side of the bed, taking your hand and helping you slide off the bed.

You've already discussed the details of how you're going to do this, covering safe words and safe gestures, what positions we are going to be in. These had been relayed to the mystery person who was going to be participating. The man coming to fuck you wouldn't be a stranger though. It was one of seven other men, that Chan knows extremely well. You've met them all too, and to be fair, you'd be thrilled to have any of them fuck you.

You stand in front of Chan facing away from him. There is tension in the air and your breath feels wobbly. He steps closer to you, and you can feel his breath on your neck and a pang in your chest. You'd really wish he'd kiss you. Chan doesn't know how much you actually want him. But he's never shown any signs of wanting you as more than a friend. He slowly reaches around, careful not to touch you too much, you wish he would, and pulls at your robe’s rope-tie.

It comes loose easily allowing your robe to fall open. Chan delicately pulls your robe off your shoulders letting it drop to the floor. You hadn’t put any underwear on, and now you're standing completely naked in front of Chan. And only Chan.

It feels extremely intimate and you're feeling self conscious. He hasn’t been this close to your naked body before. Goosebumps form on your skin. It isn’t cold in the room. Chan had thought of that too and had made the room a comfortable temperature. He’s so fucking considerate. You smile to myself.

You close your eyes and compose yourself. Fuck. You're really doing this.

Chan takes your hand again and grabs the blindfold in the other. He steadies you as you climb onto the bed where he resumes the position of laying down and propped up against a pillow and headboard. He directs you to sit between his legs facing away from him, and carefully he places the blindfold over your eyes and securing it at the back of your head. Your senses immediately heighten. This feels so erotic.

“Lean back on me.” He whispers as he guides you to lean back onto his fully clothed body. You can feel his hard, toned muscles flexing underneath you and his breathing is strained. Is he nervous? You can feel an erection beginning to dig into your back. Is this turning him on?

You imagine what this must look like, your exposed, naked body with Chan’s strong legs on either side of yours. You don’t know what to do with your hands so you rest them on your stomach. You don’t know where Chan’s arms and hands are, only that they aren’t touching you. You wish he’d wraps his arms around you. You wish he’d caress your body.

For a moment you try to imagine what it would be like if he did touch you. The sensation of him cupping your breasts, pinching a nipple, sliding his hands over your body. Then you remember why you're here, for a mystery fuck. A small moan escapes you. Did he hear you?

Chan nuzzles his face into your neck, resting his chin on your left shoulder. He's so close. “You already imagining a stranger inside you, hmm?” he whispers. You whimper. His voice turns you on beyond belief.

You don’t have chance to answer because there is a knock on the door. You suck in a breath. This is actually happening.

“Come in.” Chan calls out. You hear the door creak open and then close.

“Are you ready to begin?” whispers Chan in your ear.

“Mmm hmm, yes.” you reply.

“Good, because I think you are going to really enjoy this.”

He takes hold of your hands and places them on the bed either side of your body, using his hands to hold them down out of the way so you can’t go ahead and touch your anonymous lover. You had requested this. It makes you feel like you're being forcefully held in place, although you know you can change things if you want.

You feel the mattress dip slightly. Someone is climbing onto the bed near your feet. Who can it be? Is it Changbin? Or could it be Minho? Felix? Could it be Jisung?

A hand touches your ankle. You shudder, then very slowly and delicately it makes it way up to the side of your knee. Their touch is light and feathery. You swallow.

Then you feel a mouth, a moist, plush mouth just above your knee. You think he is about to take the kisses up your leg, but instead takes his kisses back down, making his way down to your ankle. It feels so sensual. Who do these lips belong to?

Chan releases your arms for just a moment so he can lift your legs over each of his legs, which are spread out wide on the bed. Then he goes back to gently pinning your hands to the mattress.

You sense the other man moving closer and a mouth reappears on your skin. This time it’s your inner right thigh. He drags his tongue from inside your leg near your knee all the way up your inner thigh, sending tingles through your body, but he stops before he gets anywhere near your pussy. He does this again, and then mirrors the action with your other leg.

His hands try to push your legs a little wider and Chan assists by moving his own legs wider again, forcing your legs to part just a little more. You're ready, wide open for whatever you're about to receive.

The touching stops, but you can feel him kneeling in front of you. Your chest is rising and falling rapidly in anticipation.

You're pleasantly startled when you feel a warm liquid landing on your breasts. The oil. Chan must have warmed it up somehow in preparation. You moan at the sensation of the oil dripping down around and between your breasts. You suck your breath between your teeth when you feel a pair of hands cupping your breasts, then squeezing and massaging the flesh in slow, but firm circles.

His hands slide easily over your oiled skin, and you squeal slightly when he squeezes your nipples. As the pinches and flicks become more aggressive you can’t help but arch your back and rock your hips at the sensation.

Chan shushes you. “We need to stay still and take it, remember what we agreed to?” That’s right, part of this was you needed to stay as still as possible, it was all part of being restrained. You compose yourself and stop moving. It’s so difficult but you're determined to play the part properly.

“Good girl.” Chan growls low. Good girl? You love those words.

More warm oil is applied to your stomach. There is so much that it coats your entire abdomen and runs down towards your core, and trickles down where your pussy lips meet. You feel bad for the bedding, it’s probably going to be a mess.

It feels so fucking sexy with your body being this slick and slippery. You feel like a goddess being worshipped and adored, yet at the same time you feel like a dirty whore who doesn’t care who fucks her.

You wait for the hands to return to your body, anticipating them all over your stomach and you moan and pant with the need to be touched now. You're desperate and on the verge of begging.

“Pl-please… please touch me.” you say.

“He wants you to call him ‘Sir’”, Chan whispers.

“Please touch me again… Sir.” you pant.

You let out a long, low moan as he pours the oil at the top of your pussy. It runs down through your lips and onto your asshole. You can’t help but try to wriggle with pleasure and frustration. Chan squeezes your hand, a reminder that you need to stay still. You don’t know where his hands will land next and the anticipation is pure agony.

The stranger lifts your legs up bending them so your knees are up near your chest. Chan removes one of his hands from yours to grip under your knee to help pin it against your chest, whilst the other man pins your right leg.

You feel the heel of a hand press firmly against your clit and begin to move in circular motions, much like they did with your breasts. It provides a grinding sensation that shoots pleasure deep inside of your abdomen.

“Fuck that feels so good… Sir.” you whimper as his hand swirls and presses on you for what feel like and eternity.

He then drags two fingers beginning at your clit all the way down to your asshole, dragging the oil and your slickness all the way down. Your cunt clenches as his fingers pass by the entrance, not stopping to explore. He presses a finger to your rim.

“Aaaah!!” you gasp at the sensation of the pressure.

He massages his finger against you, and you know you're going to open up easily for him. You are so aroused and so slick from yourself and the oil that it doesn’t take much for the tip of his finger to breech the entrance. You grip the sheets with your hands and pant shallow breaths as his finger slips in deeper, deeper, all the way in.

“You’re being so good for him.” Chan’s words of praise in your ear make you melt around the stranger’s finger and you're ready for more.

“Sir… please.. I need… can you put in another finger?”

He slowly removes his finger and you feel two fingers at your rim now. He pushes them in, going ever so slowly. It’s a stretch but he’s moving slowly enough that you're adjusting along the way, making the stretch feel achingly good. He must be experienced at this sort of thing. He knows exactly what to do.

You bring your left arm up and wrap it around Chan’s neck, as whispers words of encouragement in your ear.

The volume of your moans and whimpers grow so loud now that it’s drowning out the sound of the French woman’s singing. The man moves his fingers in and and out of your ass maintaining a relentlessly slow pace. The burning sensation with every drag of his fingers makes you cry out.

“Faster… harder… Sir I need… more.”

He quickly builds up the pace. Chan releases your hand to bring his hand to your neck, wrapping it around your throat and squeezing slightly but not enough to cut off air. Then he brings his thumb up to your lips. You open your mouth allowing him to slip his thumb inside. You pull at the hair on the back of his head and he pushes his thumb further into your mouth. The other man continues to fuck your ass with his fingers.

A mouth lands on your pussy. His tongue swirls around and through your lips. The tip of his tongue slides inside of you. Chan starts to fuck your mouth with his thumb, pushing it deep into your mouth roughly. You want him to ruin you.

You're practically screaming from the glorious agony, your senses are on overload.

Chan removes his thumb. “Is this okay?” he checks in with you.

“Yes… But… I want his cock now.”

“Ahhh yes, I bet you do. Let’s sort you out, yeah?”

The fingers inside your ass are removed and you feel the man shift his position.

His thighs press against the underside of yours. Then… you feel the tip of a cock. He pushes it against your opening, making you let out a pathetic whine. Your body is begging for him to push his cock in.

But he doesn't push it in. Moments pass and still nothing happens. What is happening? A sense of panic makes it’s way into your body. Has he changed his mind?

“He wants to know if we can take the blindfold off?” Chan asks.

You pause. He hasn’t changed his mind. You quickly decide what you want to do. Whoever it is wants you to be right there with him, making this moment together. Not him fucking you, but you fucking each other.

You bite your bottom lip. “Okay.” you say shakily. Your breath quickens at the thought of coming face to face with the man who has been pleasuring you so amazingly.

Chan takes over holding your right leg up and two hands come to rest on the sides of your blindfold, the tip of his cock slips into you slightly as he leans in towards you, giving you a tease of what’s to come. You can’t wait until he is all the way inside.

Your blindfold slides off but your vision is slightly blurry. You blink to adjust your eyes and the man before you becomes clear.

Minho.

He is looking at you expectantly, nervously, like you might run away at the sight of him.

You reach up and cup his face. His cheeks are flushed and lips pink and swollen. He isn’t even being the one fucked right now but he looks like he is.

“Hey.” you say with a dazed smile.

“Hey.” He replies. “Is this okay…do you want to keep…”

You wrap an arm around his waist and pull him down on top of you. His hands reach around to your ass and he lifts your hips up and pushes himself all the way inside of you.

Minho is finally free to make noises now and he makes long low moans as he rocks his hips into you. He looks down to where you're joined to watch his cock glide in and out.

You still have one arm wrapped around Chan’s neck, your other explores Minho’s body. His toned body undulates like some sort of exotic python. He’s even more skilled with his cock than with those magic fingers. He brings his mouth down onto yours mirroring his tongue with his thrusts. A skilled, diligent lover.

You melt together as his long, languid thrusts become deeper and you’re being pressed into Chan’s hard cock.

Without warning, Minho pulls out and flips you over in one fluid move so that you’re on all fours.

You look to the head of the bed and see Chan’s hard erection inside his sweat pants. You’re about to reach for it when you’re dragged down the bed by Minho. You look into Chan’s eyes longingly as you’re being pulled out of reach and he just stares back at you. You want to please him so badly.

Minho pushes his cock back inside of you making you cry out. Pleasure washes over you, mixing with the angst of yearning for Chan. He slides his thumb over your asshole and presses it inside. “Ahhh.. Yes, Minho.” You cry, squeezing your eyes tight.

He pushes it in all the way and rests his palm and fingers on your tail bone. His grip is perfect to rock you on and off his cock. You love feeling so filled up. You’re so close now.

Chan looks fucked out, like he’s on another planet. His engorged, swollen red cock is now out of his pants and in his hand, but he’s not doing anything with it. He’s just holding it absentmindedly. His eyes glazed over as he stares at you.

Minho must notice him too. “Kitten?” he pants. “Do you want to help Chan out? Make him come?”

You look at Chan eagerly. You’re practically salivating.

“Come over here Chan. It’s okay.” Minho encourages Chan over but he doesn’t move. “Before I cum.” He adds, hoping that will spur him on.

Chan, as if possessed, gets up onto his knees and crawls his way towards you. Once he is close enough he offers you the head of his cock and you take hold of it with one hand and guide him into your mouth. Chan whimpers at the touch. You lick your tongue along his shaft and over the tip before taking him deep into your mouth.

“Oh fuck!” Chan whines high pitched.

“Don’t use your hands. Make him work for it.” Minho growls.

You do as you’re told and release your grip but keeping him in your mouth.

Something in Chan snaps. He grabs the back of your head and starts plunging his cock into your mouth relentlessly. He tangles his fingers in your hair as he fucks your face without restraint. It makes you gag. It’s hard to take him and your eyes water.

You look up at him, he’s staring at you while his cock thrusts into your mouth, hitting the back of your throat, making you almost choke. Seeing Chan using you like this while Minho pounds into you from behind, is all too much.

You cry out around Chan’s cock as your legs shake and your cunt clenches around Minho. Your arms and legs buckle underneath you but Minho is there to hold you steady. He wraps an arm underneath you, keeping you in position.

Minho suddenly pulls out, painting your back in his cum with a long moan.

Chan growls and moans and pulls his cock out to massage his release into your waiting mouth and tongue. There is so much, coating your tongue and dribbling down your chin. He leans back onto his heels, shaking as he watches you swallow everything in your mouth, and then use your fingers to scoop the remaining cum on your chin and licking your fingers clean. He looks horrified and startled. Oh shit, have you done something wrong?

Chan quickly gets off the bed and pulls up his trackpants. “Fuck. I am so sorry.” He is so flustered.

“I’ll get the towels.” Minho announces and hops off the bed.

“Chan?” You whimper. He doesn’t seem to hear you. He’s is freaking out. “Chan!” You repeat, “I need you to hold me.”

Chan looks down at you, as though he is scared. What is going through his mind? Cautiously, he edges closer to the bed and sits beside you. You’re still in an all fours position waiting to have your back wiped clean, but you kneel up to let Chan wrap his arms around you. You nuzzle into his chest. Why is he so upset with you?

You feel him relax against you and he strokes your hair. “I shouldn’t have done that to you.” He whispers over and over. You don’t understand. You fucking loved that he did that to you. You’ve wanted it for so long.

“Oh Channie!” You cry. “I fucking want you, you idiot!”

Chan looks at you warily. “Really?”

You reach up and cup his cheek. “Yes.” You whisper, your eyes dropping to his lips. He closes the gap capturing you in a heated kiss. “Stay with me tonight, Chan.”

“Of course, baby girl. Of course."

Minho returned, cleaned you up and helped you and Chan hop into bed.

"I'm glad you two have finally got your act together." he said laughing as he said goodnight and left you and Chan to snuggle together.

@channieandhisgoonsquad @noellllslut @itshannjisung @kangnina @weareapackofstrays

[masked-men-fantasy]

Favorite Kink (Rainbow Six Siege)

You and them are getting along for awhile. It's time to learn more about their truest, deepest desire.

NSFW Content. MDNI.

Tachanka

Breeding Kink: Tachanka will whisper how well you take him, how his virile seed performs inside your fertile body, how your belly will grow, what the baby with you and him will look like, and how well he will take care of you once the baby is born. Fear not; if you are not ready for a baby yet, he will not do it without any protection. He will wait until you accept to be fully bred by him.

Bondage kink: Alexsandr was always drawn to the idea of tying you up with rope. Be the one in charge in the room with you losing all control completely. And my, oh my, Alexsandr is sure one hell of a dirty talker. He has a dictionary of dirty words inside his head, both in English and Russian. He knows how to use his voice and his Russian to his advantage, to turn you on, and to make sure you beg for more on his bed. 

Body worship kink: It is not easy to maintain the physique. Although it is part of his work, it is still challenging. Hence, Tachanka is very proud of his muscles and, overall, of his body. Guide your hand over his body. Give him plenty of massages and kisses. Perhaps compliment him on how handsome he is when he has those unique tattoos on his body. If you did this right, you can expect a hell of a ride tonight.

Kapkan

Hunter and prey kink: Maxim is a hunter by nature. He was raised to be a hunter, live like a hunter, and therefore enjoy sexual life like a hunter. If you both had a long holiday, he would bring you to the silent woods. Not well-known, no people, perfect for hunting you. Kapkan will let you run away from his hut for an hour before he starts hunting you down.  You might step into his non-lethal trap, or perhaps you might cause the sound by accident and give away your location. And in the end, with his skill, he will, of course, catch you within less than two hours.  Be prepared for rough, animalistic sex in the middle of the forest and on the way back to his hut. You won't get any breaks from him. Well, you cannot blame him for such behavior. The adrenaline kicked in after the thrill of the hunt, and you are too gorgeous. Plus, he deserves his reward for finally catching you with his hand.

Marking kink: Oh, and what comes along with hunter and prey kink is also his habit of marking. Kapkan hunted you down to own you. Therefore, he has to prove that you are his property. Be prepared for plenty of bite marks, hickeys, or some nail scratches. Fear not; you can do the same to him, and he is not afraid to show those marks to the rest of the Spetsnaz Unit. He takes your mark on his body as a trophy of pride.

Deimos

Sex toy kink: Deimos is a man of gadgets. His ability to engineer also grants him creativity for sex toys as well. He has many modified versions of sex toys. Extremely high-strength vibrator and e-stim, custom-made dildo that is exactly the same shape as his cock, or the best one yet, a drone that will monitor you while you masturbate while he is on a long mission. He has even more in store, and he cannot wait to use them with you.

Chastity kink: To be Deimos' lover, discipline and submission are must-haves. He wants to make sure that you are his and completely belong to him. A chastity device is one way to prove that. He will take the key that locked your chastity cage as a necklace on his dog tag.  Also, while he is away on another mission, he will constantly remind you by making you squirm with his deep, husky, dominant voice. He will order you to touch yourself through the cage and deny your orgasm just at the right time. And all of this will pay off well once Deimos is back home; the sex after that will be one of the best experiences you ever had.

[salllzy]

Regarding Holiday in Hell

Just to get a idea of how overworked Alastor realistically is. (this is a approximate of what it takes to keep a hotel running according to google, I've added Multiple in front of each role that usually requires a team of people depending on hotel size, 5 people per team being a extremely lowball guestimate)

Front Office: Responsible for guest check-in, check-out, and overall customer service:

Front desk staff (full-time and part-time) (Husk)

Head of front office (Charlie & Alastor)

Housekeeping: Ensures cleanliness and maintenance of guest rooms and public areas.

Multiple Housekeepers (full-time and part-time)(Niffty)

Head housekeeper(Alastor)

Laundry staff (full-time and part-time) (Niffty)

Food and Beverage: Manages hotel restaurants, bars, and room service:

Multiple Food and beverage managers(Alastor & Husk)

Multiple Kitchen staff(Alastor)

Multiple Servers and bartenders(Husk)

Multiple Breakfast attendants (if applicable)(Alastor)

Maintenance: Responsible for maintaining hotel facilities and equipment:

Multiple Maintenance staff (full-time)(Alastor & Niffty)

Revenue Management: Oversees market analysis and pricing strategies to maximize revenue. This department typically includes:

Multiple Revenue managers(Alastor)

Management: Ensures overall hotel operations and strategy implementation:

Hotel managers (Alastor)

Multiple Management Teams (Alastor)

Specialized services:

Concierge: Provides guests with personalized recommendations and assistance. (Alastor)

Spa and Wellness: Offers spa treatments and wellness programs.(N/A... Why not? Seems like a good idea to help mental health?!)

Fitness Center: Manages hotel fitness facilities.(N/A... Except maybe confiscating drugs and weapons might be part of Alastor or Vaggies job here?)

Meeting and Events: Coordinates conferences, and other events.(Alastor)

Unmentioned Hellaverse Specific essential services:

Security against Sinner attacks: (Alastor & Vaggie)

Security against Voxtek Infiltration/cybersecurity: (Alastor)

PR: (Alastor) yes it counts, Charlie punched Killjoy in the face live on TV, Lucifer is a absent king who allowed his people to undergo annual genocide and the Demons who were once human know this is exactly what he did, ANYTHING Alastor does is a improvement.

Don't think I missed anything but it's passed midnight here and I'm just about falling asleep.

But Yikes that's one helluva workload, customer service too, ouch.

Hi duckie, Thanks for dropping by. As someone who worked in a Hotel, I can safely say that there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that most never ever see.

Money handling is just one of the many things that is needed to keep a hotel running, the books have to be balanced correctly otherwise you end up not having enough to pay your employees should you end up accidentally overpaying someone. (this is from personal experience as the company that was paid to handle the industrial washing machines was overpaid one month and it caused problems all over the place.) Advertisement is very important as is making sure that personal problems are managed correctly and if certain employees are having issues with each other? Then that needs to be addressed, mediated meetings until the root of the problem is solved, if it cant be resolved? Then have them work different shifts and if different parts. These are all really, really good ideas, as I said, personal experience. Will see what my rabid little brain can come up with. Thanks duckie. The Duck Overlord.

[corvidcrybaby]

Hello, friend! I just stepped into Hellsing this past weekend and through my scrolling for blogs to follow, I came across yours. I found you through your posts about your OC. Based on what I've already read from you, you seem like a highly thoughtful, kind and knowledgeable person, and I've got every intention of reading your stories and commenting on them!

If it pleases you, I'd like to ask you some questions about Hellsing and your relationship to it.

1. What first drew you to the series? And is it best to follow the manga, anime, or OVA in terms of interpreting the story?

2. If it was up to you, what would you change about the story?

3. What's your take on the overall dynamic between Alucard, Integra and Seras?

4. I see the story takes quite a few artistic liberties with the lore from Dracula by Bram Stoker. Why do you suppose Alucard tried to turn Mina? Do you suppose it was for similar reasons as those for why he turned Seras?

5. I've been doing my share of research into vampire lore as of late and have come to learn that the lore Bram Stoker borrowed from for and added to through his novel contains antisemitic undertones. As a Jewish individual and a fan of the Hellsing series, how do you navigate this? (Disclaimer: I am not Jewish, which is why I did not recognize this myself until recently.)

Thanks so much for your time and attention. Happy Holidays!

First of all, oh my gosh thank you so much for the kind words! This ask made my whole day - I hope you enjoy my works, I feel like you can physically see my sense of writing develop over time but I put a shitload of heart and soul into them so I hope it shows. <3 As for your questions, I'm going to get into some major spoilers, so reader be warned beneath the Read More.

I think the general aesthetic was what drew me to the series at first. The dark, edgy and mysterious elements blended with pulpy action hero shit and campy horror form a really unique beast in terms of art, storytelling, everything. I saw someone refer to Hellsing's approach as "aesthetic maximalism" and tbh that is everything I love about it - all this, plus the surprisingly heartfelt messages about war, trauma and being human kept me coming back for more. As for which version is best to follow, I personally lean towards the manga as the main reference point, but Hirano was plenty involved (to my knowledge) with Ultimate's development since it's the adaptation that's faithful to the manga. The Gonzo 2001 anime has some fun ideas and cool moments but it's basically fanfic, including some major changes to the characters from their original versions (Integra is outright cruel at times in 2001 and way more dogmatic, Alucard is more brooding and mysterious, and Seras has more to do and feels more mature but her personality got flattened). Oh, that and BDSM as a narrative device. Love that shit.

I would make a couple of changes, personally. First and foremost, I would make it a little clearer why Alucard decided to shoot Seras before then turning her. It's never explained if he did this out of selfish desire to have a companion, or if there's some other reason - from our perspective it seems like he really did just murder Seras to make her his pet. It seems totally plausible for him to have shot the vampire holding her hostage without hurting Seras. Right now, it basically looks like a glorified abduction. However, this kind of clashes with how their dynamic develops over time, and that's clearly not the kind of relationship that's meant to be portrayed between them, as they do have a certain sort of genuine affection for one another, but it isn't delved into as much as I would like. I think making it clear one way or another would dispel the uncertainty. I would also expand on Millennium's origins and personal motivations more, and at least make the references to their crimes against Jews more overt. Beyond that, there is little I would change.

BDSM polycule. No. Literally. I don't even mean this to say that they are canonically a throuple - that misses the mark. BDSM is often sexual, but it does not need to be (plenty of dynamics exist where a dominant and submissive engage in a power exchange without ever touching one another for mutual benefit). The characters call those who direct their actions 'Master' for a reason, and it's because Hellsing is rife with themes of dominance versus submission, and how the act of bending to someone else's will is not necessarily a bad, damning thing that makes you weak. Alucard knows he is not a moral person, so he gladly allows Integra to give him orders on who to kill, who to destroy, and so on. Seras is a fearful person who has long struggled to feel a sense of agency in her life, and lacked authority figures to guide her growth. Alucard and Integra both provide her that push - and it's scary, and it hurts, and she puts up a fight all the while because she's frightened and uncertain of herself. Everyone likes to act as though Alucard hated her for this, but that seriously misses the mark. Especially in the manga, Alucard is surprisingly patient with her refusal to grow, telling her to take her time as she adapts to being a vampire. But at no point do either parties let Seras forget - growth is not optional. Eventually, she will have to accept what she is. And she ends up finding solace, belonging, and fulfillment in her service to others in this way.

I doubt it was for these reasons. Personally, I think Alucard’s affiliation with and interest in Mina Harker is often overstated by the fandom - of Dracula the novel, and of Hellsing. I view what he did to Mina as a cruel, strategic crime of opportunity, a means of striking at the heart of the team of vampire hunters that were pursuing him. That, and a means of keeping an eye on them. Nothing more, nothing less.

Aaahh that's a spicy meatball. So first and foremost I think it is important to note that a great deal of tropes in literature from the Eurosphere have some level of antisemitism baked into them. As one of the oldest forms of bigotry, it's just a fact of life. If you're Jewish and engaging with media whatsoever, you run into it. It just happens. Now, having said that, I would say two things. One, Alucard is far tamer in appearance than Dracula is in the novel. No small beady eyes, no retracted hairline of messy-fluffy hair, and while he does have an aquiline nose, it isn't this grotesque-looking oversized Zeppelin of a thing as most antisemitic caricatures would portray. That, and his negative personality traits are more than of a general brute, rather than this small-minded, vindictive, greedy miser. Having said that, he does still use seduction as a weapon, he does drink blood (blood libel), and so on. That in mind, I think where I fall is that you cannot divorce the vampire from its origins as an antisemitic trope, but you can point to the elements of the trope that aren't necessarily anti-Jewish in nature as well as say that Alucard is departed enough from these roots to be largely divorced from them. Largely, keyword.The other part to this is that antisemites in Hellsing are consistently portrayed as the villains. Indeed, it is perhaps the only usage of the Nazi Vampire trope that I think does it justice. By having the bigots that would normally insist that Jews are blood-drinking monsters be the actual monstrous enemies who kill and plunder just because it's fun for them (and that they did this as humans long before they turned to boot), it gives the impression of commentary on how Jews are often scapegoated for the crimes of actual bad actors, in the same way that Jews get blamed for the economy being bad instead of the rich corporate oil barons who sit in their ivory tower ruining shit for everyone else. That, and general commentary on warfare. Warmongers gorging themselves on the blood of innocent people that their conflicts spill is a classic allegory of the vampire - hell, for that matter, think of how many Confederate vampires there are in fiction. It isn't a coincidence (and come on, we've all seen the thumbnail for that one YouTube video essay on this, LOL). Beyond this, I also want to draw attention to two things: Tubalcain Alhambra's name, and the Captain's death. First off, the fact that Hirano named the Brazilian collaborator with the Nazis after the Alhambra Decree, a watershed moment in European antisemitism which expelled, forcibly converted or murdered all of Iberia's Jews (Sephardim), boggles my mind and to this day I think it's the coolest fucking detail about Hellsing. It links the bad guys both with religious persecution and with violent antisemitism in an unmistakable way. That, and his name, Tubalcain, being named after the son of Cain. It's all very pointed.

Second, the fact that the Captain gives Seras the tools needed to kill him and it's a silver tooth? That Pip specifies comes from a death camp victim and makes it crystal clear for narrative purposes that it represents the crimes of the Nazis coming back to bite them? That's powerful, to me, IMO. It, too, links Millennium with their antisemitic crimes against humanity in a way that you really cannot make excuses for. I've spoken about this with fellow Jewish Hellsing fans, mind you, and my take is more charitable than most. If you want to be specific with it, the widely agreed-on way to properly discuss Nazism is to show point blank that their victims were primarily Jews, first and foremost - and in that, Hellsing falls short, as there isn't a single Jewish character in the series, named or otherwise (which is a gap I wanted to fill through my fanfiction). Having said that, I personally think that as far as depictions of Nazis in anime goes, it's one of the better ones out there - but it isn't perfect, and the style Hellsing is written in (it's basically opera, after all, Bertolt Brecht forgive me) kind of made that a forgone conclusion. Make of that what you will.

Thanks for the questions!!!

[divorcedes]

eons ago @nolansiegels tagged me to answer these questions and i've finally gotten around to it!!

tagging @gayferrari @catboyseb @rosberggp @97leclrc @kissingwalls @darlingnemesis @raikkonenslay and anyone else who wants to do it

do you make your bed? yes but very poorly. hate the idea of dust on my sheets however i simply don't enjoy making the bed

favorite number? hmmmm i like 9 very much. nice little triangles ect

what's your job? i'm a uni student double majoring in linguistics and anthropology with a minor in arabic and i'm an archival intern

if you could go back to school, would you? i'd go back to elementary school in a heartbeat. also i fear i enjoy uni too much and will try and stick around for some time.....

can you parallel park? as of literally one week ago i've magically been able to reliable parallel park. idk how or why but i'm not complaining

do you think aliens are real? welll maybe there's Something out there but probably we'll never meet which is for the best

can you drive a manual car? no but i do want to learn (that being said i pretty much hate driving in general and will continue to avoid it whenever possible)

guilty pleasure? british white boy rock music (think catfish and the bottlemen circa waves sam fender the wombats ect) and this very particular green tea mochi danish from a bakery near me

tattoos? none rn, although i follow a ton of tattoo artist and have a couple from whom i definitely want to get something. unfortunately i can't make up my mind and stick with it for longer than 5 seconds so !! tattoo plans on indefinite hold

favorite color? dark greens.....olive emerald forest ect. however i weirdly tend to both accumulate items and clothes in various shades of blue so like. people irl tend to associate me with that apparently

favorite type of music? uhhhhhhhhh. it oscillates wildly but artists i can p much always listen to are jeff buckley tamino springsteen z berg u know the sort. also mika. (i was gonna put him as my guilty pleasure unfortunately i do not feel guilty in the least. everyone go listen to coke studio stardust)

do you like puzzles? yesss always !!! physical puzzles are very dear to me bc my family is insane abt them in a good way but i also love puzzle games!

favorite childhood sport? figure skating <3 og dramatic bitch sport that i have been following religiously since early childhood

do you talk to yourself? mmm sometimes i narrate in m head but rarely out loud

tea or coffee? so. tea forever and always HOWEVER this is largeley bc american coffee is kinda ass and i'm reminded of this whenever i leave the country. bought some fun coffee stuff in italy which i'm very excited to use !!

first thing you wanted to be when growing up? a librarian and then a tech/business girlie (dark time in my life) and then a stage manager. kind of come full circle now !!

what movies do you adore? taking a minute to say tal u have incredible taste thoroughbreds 2017 is so near and dear to me. also and then we danced !!! i remember watching that in the shittiest quality with a russian dub over the georgian with english subs....excellent film also got me very into georgian food. and man from u.n.c.l.e is the only action film ever. okay actually gonna answer now here are some of the all time favorites (i warn u these are not all Good they're just Good To Me): the decoy bride, amelie, roman holiday, the blue caftan, the social network (sorry), matthias et maxime, jab we met, yeh jawani hai deewani, ek main aur ekk tu (2000's bollwood is sooo important to me)

[yesireadbooks]

YES U MADE A COMEBACK YAYYYYYY

(taking this as an opportunity to ask you about how your WIP is going!!)

also my wip has undergone dramatic changes. dramatic. massive.

Not me wondering who this is because the DP was different, haha.

Uhm... My WIP has been stagnant, but, I did write some poems and got a new idea for another WIP. Next week we get holidays and I will set things straight by then.

And oooh, what you mean 'dramatic changes'? Who died? Maxim is fine... right? Please tell me he is.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Fic Titles Based on Lyrics (5) Masterlist

part one, part two, part three, part four

a wand and a rabbit (ao3) - CloudyPhan

Summary: just a silly little one part about a cute morning in the phouse.

all the stars are closer (ao3) - kay_okay

Summary: Eventually, he’ll grow to love this holiday as much as he loves the others -- Christmas with his family, and New Year’s with his best friends. His birthday elaborately planned down the hour to maximize time for celebration, and even pre-Valentine’s Pancake Days that will be spent laughing in the kitchen with the one he loves the most in the world.

But when we meet Phil he won’t know any of this. And it’ll take meeting Dan exactly three times before it’s even remotely clear that when the stars align as precisely as they did for him, you really should listen.

All You Did Will Be Undone (ao3) - INeverHadMyInternetPhase (BirbWatcher)

Summary: What 2009 phan would have looked like if they were ace and wanted to be in a QPR

be still my foolish heart (ao3) - t_hens

Summary: Phil is a bartender in a jazz club during the Prohibition and he's doing his best to live a plain, but safe life.

- that all goes out the window when a new jazz band is hired and the drummer, Dan, starts to capture Phil's heart.

bruises, on both my knees for you (ao3) - t_hens

Summary: this wasn’t how Dan had planned for the night to go.

But It Takes Someone To Come Around To Show You How (ao3) - Cutaehyung

Summary: Dan is born mute into a world where once in everyone's life your soulmate will say the specific words that are tattooed onto your body, and bring you together. These words will save your life in more ways than imaginable. Whilst Dan resigns himself to the fact he will never have a soulmate, fate has different ideas...

don't trust a song that's flawless (ao3) - The_Blonde

Summary: "Dan surveys their menu. It’s in Comic Sans and all lower case. Only one drink has a description because (1) he got bored halfway through and (2) left the menus until last so they got rushed out opening day. The description is “coffee and foam?” with a question mark that he forgot to take out but now maybe creates some mystery. Add “update menus” to the to-do list. Phil’s drinks all have descriptions, detailed ones. The descriptions also have cat puns."

Or: Awkwardness Squared - A Love Story.

give me all your hopeless hearts (ao3) - itsmyusualphannie (itsmyusualweeb)

Summary: Dan is a university student who doesn't believe in love, but when Valentine's Day rolls around, he feels himself suddenly falling for the boy who sits next to him in his writing 101 class. When they're assigned a project together, Dan has the brilliant idea to ask Phil out - for research!

give me toothaches just from kissin' me (ao3) - whiskers (robertmontauk)

Summary: “Hey- sorry to bother you, but is it okay if I sit here?”

Dan didn’t bother looking up from the chemistry textbook splayed in front of them, choosing instead to grab a piece of paper on the table and study it intensely. “Not interested,” they muttered with a quirk of their lips and a short head shake.

A pause, and then - “Oh. I mean? I-I didn’t think you were? But, uh, I’ll just. Find another place to sit, I guess. That’s-that’s fine.”

(alternatively: assumptions are dumb and love is dumber)

Hanging Out With Corpses (ao3) - parentaladvisorybullshitcontent

Summary: In which Phil is a lonely ex-vampire hunter living in the city and Dan's just a pretty guy who doesn't sleep and wears a lot of black...right?

HOT TO GO! (ao3) - ae121

Summary: Dan loves his roller skating job where he gets to sing and be silly.

He loves his boyfriend Phil, even more.

i thought of angels (ao3) - deletable_bird

Summary: I can’t believe I’m actually writing this. I don’t know why I thought this would be a good idea, but here I am.

i’m electric, a romantic cliché (me and you were meant to be in love) (ao3) -nardfx

Summary: “i really don’t know if i can do this.”

“you can do this.”

“okay, but what happens when everyone’s eyes are on me and they all know all of my secrets?”

or

dan and phil go to prom

no grave can hold my body down (i'll crawl home to her) (ao3) - antiadvil

Summary: Dani is missing. She comes back, but something is different.

AKA lesbian vampire hozier songfic

run away together, spend some time forever (ao3) - manchestereye (orphan_account)

Summary: dan howell, and his unexpected whirlwind romance with an angel of a human being. the only catch is that he's about to get deported...

The Good, The Bad, and The Dirty (ao3) - analester

Summary: a high school au in which dan and phil used to be best friends and are now enemies that hate each other's guts until it becomes something a little more complicated than they thought.

to intervene between me and this monster (ao3) - PoisonedMind

Summary: Phil gets assigned to Dan, a lonely human child. In theory, Phil has no reason not to fulfill his duty of being the scary monster under the bed. In practice, however, Phil has always been a little special and as it turns out, there might just be something about Dan that makes Phil not feel so alone himself.

And Dan? Dan just knows there’s something under his bed.

Too High, Can't Come Down (ao3) - calumthomases (orphan_account)

Summary: Phil never expected to be sticking his dick through a hole in the wall for some stranger to suck, and yet, here he is.

He isn't even that down for this. Personally, he's not really a glory hole person. Well, he's a glory hole porn person, but that's completely different.

who you are and who you've been (ao3) - kay_okay

Summary: The last day of summer seems like the perfect time to break into a public pool and make life-altering decisions in the middle of the night.

would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you? (ao3) - resurrectdead

Summary: “Hey.”

Phil reaches over the counter. Leaning one elbow on it, he puts a finger underneath Dan’s chin, gently tilts his head back up. Dan tries not to tremble. He darts his eyes up and they catch at his lips, stay there as he speaks. (He wants to taste them so bad.)

“I don’t know what kind of people you’re friends with,” he starts, “but if they aren’t nice to you, maybe you should consider switching them out for some that are.”

or: it's 1978, everything is a bad influence, catholicism makes you a bit sad sometimes and dan finds the answer to all his questions

you are the sun and i am just the planets (ao3) - fairytalelights

Summary: “I think this is really gonna be the year I find my soulmate, guys. I'm just gonna go around and touch as many soulmarks as I can until midnight. And no, Dan,” Phil holds up a finger as if he knows Dan is gonna say something, “I don't care about your stupid statistics monologue and that my soulmate might be on the other side of the world right now.”

Dan just glowers at him, suddenly for some reason in a much worse mood than he was a few seconds ago.

or, the one where soulmates meet on Valentine's Day, Dan and Phil just have a little trouble catching up.

[scifrey]

Hold Tight (2/6)

Status: Complete. Unbeta’d, we die like Hob doesn’t.

Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022) Includes some comics canon, and some cameos from the wider Gaiman-verse, but it’s not necessary to know to enjoy the story.

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Discussions of grief and in-canon character death. Also includes some erotic content. Please curate your internet experience accordingly.

Relationships:  Morpheus | Dream of the Endless/Hob Gadling, Past Eleanor | Hob Gadling’s Wife/Hob Gadling (past), Hector Hall/Lyta Hall (past)

Characters: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Hob Gadling, Matthew the Raven, Desire of the Endless, Lyta Trevor-Hall, Daniel Hall, Rose Walker, Jed Walker 

Summary:

Hob is tasked with his first quest as Vassal of the Endless, Morpheus is bad at using his words, Destiny thinks he’s so clever, Desire makes a confession, Rose Walker meets her Uncle’s boyfriend, and Lyta Hall punches Dream of the Endless in the nose. Or, the one where Hob Gadling turns into everyone’s therapist, and honestly, he ain’t mad about it.

Set at the end of Cling Fast - after the premiere of “Elizabethan Manor”, but before the Epilogue.

READ ON AO3 or below:

Chapter Two

Easter is coming up, and Hob still doesn’t teach on Tuesdays. So after some back-and-forthing via text, and a few video chats to prove that he’s not catfishing the Walkers, Hob’s got a flight booked from Heathrow to Newark Liberty for the Friday morning of the holidays. He picks a hotel at random from the half a dozen near the Walker’s apartment building, and splurges on a pair of tickets to see the big ‘It Show’ on Broadway that season. It’s been a lifetime since he saw live theatre in New York, quite literally, and Morpheus is fond of stories in all their forms.

He reserves a swanky pan-Mediterranean restaurant with a Michelin-starred chef for the same night, but doesn't bother with a second plane ticket for his lover. Morpheus is still Dream enough to travel without needing to be crammed into an airtight metal tube for nine hours, and Hob’s not wasting the money (or, frankly, the patience.)

While he’s not hurting for cash, Hob is desperately aware of how fast everything can go to hell, and his wages and savings are soon enough going to have to stretch to cover the needs and wants of two immortal humans. While it is more or less true that two can live as cheaply as one, as the old maxim goes, there are renovations he wants to make to the living quarters of the Inn so he and Morpheus aren't tripping over one another. And Morpheus is going to have to eat (whether he likes it or not), which means an increase in the grocery bill, if nothing else.

Hob assumes that eventually Morpheus will get a job, but before that he’s going to have to get used to the pleasures and frustrations of occupying just one body on the mortal plane. Though, what kind of job will be suited to a former Onieromancer, Hob can't even begin to guess. His mind baulks every time he tries to imagine Morpheus in a barista's pinny.

Hob has vague ideas of not telling Morpheus about the New York trip. Of just heading to the airport and falling asleep in New York, and shouting “surprise!” when his lover pops into existence in his hotel room. But about a week before he’s due to travel, Hob finds himself in utter brain-dead exhaustion and tipping into slumber draped over a pile of marking. He opens his eyes in the interior of an airplane.

It’s a weird amalgamation of all the earliest flights he’d ever taken, painted with an ever-shifting palette of generous legroom, outlandishly luxurious curtains and carpets, over-the-top Golden Age of Airtravel cocktails, and sexy little airhostesses (what? Hob is only human, and the outfits were designed to turn the girls wearing them into works of art. Hob's allowed to admire art.)

“I would not be opposed to wearing such an outfit if it would please you, Hob,” Morpheus rumbles in his ear, deep as night and sweet as sin. His timbre here in the Dreaming remains what Hob thinks of as his Dream Voice, laced with magic and the deepness of night. Sometimes, when he makes the effort to draw the cloak of his Endless nature about him, he can still access it in the Waking. But it's becoming less and less common. “Though I do not think my legs would be as comely.”

“They would in those heels, babe,” Hob laughs, and turns toward the window seat to catch Morpehus’ mouth quick and dirty with his own. “But that’s not why I’m dreaming about air travel.”

Morpheus bites his lower lip playfully. “Are you planning a trip, erasti?”

“Betrayed by my own subconscious,” Hob huffs, and pulls back. “It was sorta supposed to be a surprise.” Concentrating on his lucid dreaming, Hob produces replicas of the Broadway tickets.

Morpheus takes one and studies it, eyebrows lowering in confusion. “You would cross the ocean simply for a play?”

“A good play,” Hob hedges, wondering if he is really going to get away with the subterfuge.

Does he tell Morpheus it’s just for the performance, and then spring the Walkers on him?

Or would that do the opposite of what Destiny had asked, make Morpheus resent both Hob and this mortal niece and nephew? And what would it mean for this mysterious friend Lyta that Hob’s supposed to reconnect Morpheus with?

Hob hasn’t looked into her too deeply, for fear of coming off creepy or weird. However, according to both the internet and Hob’s chats with Rose, Lyta is an architect, and the sole partner in a firm that used to include her late husband. She lives in the same building as the Walkers. They share a tight bond, as Rose had been there for her husband’s death, and then Lyta returned the compassion while Rose slowly lost her mother.

Lyta’s also recently had a baby. The dates around the death of her husband don’t align with when she might have conceived, so Hob assumes there’s a new boyfriend in her life, or a rebound that had gone wrong (or right,) or the late husband had frozen his sperm, and Lyta had done IVF. All possibilities, and all none of Hob’s goddamned business.

He wants to form his own relationship with her as honestly and organically as he can, before shoving her at his lover and telling them to make up. (Hob still has no idea why she hates Morpheus.)

“Well, it’s not Shakespeare,” Morpheus allows offhandedly, manifesting a single puffball-perfect, light purple scabius blossom.

Hob laughs. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. My taste isn’t that bad!”

He takes the flower, presses it to his lips, and is about to suggest he and Morpheus join the mile high club when the blossom wavers and reblooms as a darkly purple, star-shaped nightshade.

Morpheus looks from the plant to his lover, and smirks. “Are you lying to me, Hob Gadling?”

Hob puffs out a sigh and runs his free hand through his hair. “No! No, not… not lying. Just… not telling the whole truth.” He twirls the stem of the tattle-tale flower in between his fingers, releasing the sweet scent of the flower into the cabin. Then he sets it down and takes Morpheus’s hands between his own, resting them on the narrow arm rest separating them. “I’m going to New York to perform a boon-–no don’t ask me which sibling, or what the task itself is, I won’t tell you. But I’m going to New York, and I want you to come with me.”

“To a play,” Morpheus repeats, clearly unconvinced. "For a task, as Vassal of the Endless."

“The play is a reward for your good behaviour, O Prince of Stories, and a treat for me.”

Morpheus wraps his fingers around Hob’s, tight and demanding. “And pray tell me, what does this visit entail for me, that you feel the need to pre-book a reward for my lack of a tantrum?”

Hob licks his lips. Morpheus’s starlit eyes drop to them immediately, so Hob does it again.

“You are stalling, innamorato,” Morpheus growls, but doesn’t lift his gaze away from Hob’s mouth.

“I… I’ve been in communication with Rose Walker,” Hob confesses in a rush, deciding to rip off the bandaid.

Morpheus rears back, eyebrows bouncing high, lips pursed in a pissy frown. “Who gave you permission? She is my niece–”

“You’re not her only uncle, you know,” Hob says, taking his turn to squeeze his lover’s fingers and keep him rooted to the dream seat, preventing him from whispering away in a sandy strop. “And like you said, I am Vassal of the Endless. All of the Endless, not just the siblings you get along with.”

Morpheus swallows the rest of his indignant protest with an audible click. He chews on the truth of what Hob’s saying, the look on his face suggesting that it’s awfully sour.

“Look, I know you don’t like it, but I need to see them. I need to talk to them. And I want you to come with me.”

“Why?” Morpheus grinds out, the single syllable grating against his teeth.

Hob gawps at him. “Because they’re your family, duckie. You're going to be human soon—don't tell me you don't want the family connection. Rose and Jed, they won't live forever, but they may have kids, and don't you want to be part of their lives? Don't you want that… that anchor? That privilege? I know I would give anything to know what happened to the descendants of my sisters’s living children.”

Morpheus seems to muse on this, and while Hob can't tell from his expression on what side of the fence his lover lands, he does catch the little eyelid flicker which means Morpheus has decided to acquiesce to his pleas in order to keep Hob happy. "Do you require me to intervene on your behalf with them?"

"No. I just… I want you to spend time with them, that's all," Hob says gently.

"And what does this have to do with the task laid before you by one of my siblings?"

Hob tugs on his ear, once again debating the probability of complete honesty working in his favour, or blowing up in his face. The nightshade hanging in the air between them fades away into dream sand and reforms as a spray of freesia.

Morpheus frowns at it, a fetching little furrow appearing between his eyebrows. It's the one which Hob always wants to smooth away with his thumb, and this time he lets himself reach up and do so. Morpheus transfers his gaze to Hob's face, eyes sliding back down to Hob's mouth.

He takes Hob's upraised hand gently, and presses a slow, open-mouthed and lingering kiss against Hob's wrist, testing his pulse with his night-cool tongue. Hob shudders, feeling the dream of the airplane wisp away around them.

"Very well," Morpheus rumbles. "I will do as you entreat and trust you."

"You'll meet me there?" Hob asks, even as the freesia changes again, this time into a headily perfumed white-and-yellow jonquil.

"I will. Name the day."

"Okay. I promise, Morpheus—"

"Hob," the King of Dreams and Nightmares says, and pushes Hob back onto his bed. Hob doesn’t wonder how they got to Morpheus’ private chambers in his castle. He only arches his spine and spreads his limbs wide in invitation, which his lover accepts, as he knew Morpheus would. "I have said I will attend."

Even Hob rarely sees Morpheus' bed chambers in the dreaming, for more often they make love in the Waking, or in a fantasy replica of Hob's apartment or other analogous location. The walls around them are an ever-shifting marble of purple and deep blue, the colours of the sky in the gloaming. The pillows are made up of piles of scarlet-pink-orange-peach sunset clouds, fluffy and sweet-smelling, and the bedclothes the star-pricked heavens of twilight.

If there is other furniture in the room besides the massive, body-cradling bed, Hob has no idea. He's always had much better things to pay attention to when he's in this room than the decor.

"Thank you, duckie," Hob says, as Morpheus fists his long, slim fingers in Hob's hair and tugs just enough for it to be exciting. Hob gasps, high and sweet, as Morpheus scrapes his teeth—pointed and thrillingly nightmarish—along his clavicle.

"Enough talk, Hob Gadling," Morpheus intones, his words an edict. "Put your mouth to better use."

And who is Hob to ever deny a direct order from his King?

See, one of the nice things about sex in the Dreaming is that first, Morpheus can present with any arrangement of genitals that he's feeling fit his current mood he wants. And, secondly, there does not need to be any elaborate hygiene ritual to ensure that one's body is prepared to receive a tongue.

This convenience is balanced out by the extreme inconvenience of mornings where Hob is more often than not ridiculously stuck to his PJs. A wet dream or two (or three, or four) will do that to a man. Hob could, of course, choose not to wear anything at night, but that would just mean he'd have to change the sheets every time Morpheus felt frisky, and that is more work than it's worth. Hob's seriously thinking about looking into period panties as nightwear, solely due to their absorbent properties. Hob's also begun waxing his pubic hair simply because it makes his morning showers faster.

He's not saying that the faster Morpheus the God of Sleep becomes Morph the Immortal Human full-time, the better. Of course not. Morpheus' transition should happen at his own pace and comfort level. But Hob is definitely looking forward to not having to peel himself out of his pajamas in the shower before he can start the day.

"Hob!" Morpheus says with another imperious tug of his hair. "Cease daydreaming and—"

Using the element of surprise, Hob wraps a thick thigh around Morpheus' hip, shoves his shoulder, and gets the skinny little nightmare under him.

"What are you—oh!" Morpheus gasps, as Hob folds his fingers over Morpheus' stomach, rocks back on his own heels, and hauls his lover's pelvis up to his mouth to see what he's working with.

A beautifully camelia-pink pussy pouts up at him. It is already swelling open, moist and delicious, with the cutest little clit winking at Hob from under its soft hood.

"My, my," Hob tuts, rubbing his cheek on the soft moon-pale flesh of his lover's inner thigh, leaving a deliberate ruby-red beard rash behind. "If you wanted my cock so badly, all you had to do was ask, duckie."

Morpheus gets his black-laquered nails into Hobs shoulders and digs in. "This is asking."

"Right, of course," Hob murmurs, smearing the words against Morpheus' glistening labia. "Why use words when you can just sit on my fa—mmph!"

Now it is Hob's turn to be surprised, as Morpheus surges up and, using his superior eldritch power to force Hob's shoulders back onto the springy bed to do just that. Morpheus grinds down against Hob's chin, and Hob opens his mouth, points his tongue, and puts it to the demanded use obligingly.

Even when he desires to be topped, Morpheus is bossy.

Hob wouldn't have him any other way, honestly.

From the moment Hob had craned his head back to look up at the long, lithe line of Morpheus' body in 1389, he'd known that he would be happy to be on his knees, chin tipped up and throat exposed, for the rest of his life. Acts of Service and Gifts are his love language, and like ridiculously expensive Greek wine, whole Inns, venison pasties, and appearing on a TV show to make his lover happy, Hob delights at giving orgasms, too.

Morpheus is his God, Hob is Head Priest and Supplicant, and Hob is filled with zinging joy to be made to lay back on the altar of Morpheus' regard, and worship.

PREVIOUS PART | NEXT PART

[wanderinginksplot]

I don't mean to be a downer, but I don't think the crab day thing is going to turn out the way people hope. When you're negotiating for something you want, the idea is not to give the other side what they want in hopes that they'll reciprocate in good faith.

This is especially true if the other side is a corporation, which are designed to maximize profit while minimizing costs.

If you want to buy crabs for people, that's great! If you've missed tumblr holidays and you're just excited to participate in one, that's wonderful! Just please don't expect that the decision-makers are going to recognize that money as proof of anything or incentive to listen to what users want.

[scripted-downfall]

I mentioned, in a past post, that the fandom’s excusal of soulless!Sam’s actions (“he was soulless!”) and condemnation of MOC/demon!Dean's (“how dare he…”) isn’t really fair — this was a paragraph or two in “Unrighteous Righteousness,” but the basic thesis essentially consisted of: the two are, at best, not comparable (since soullessness is an absence of a soul while the Mark was the presence of a corrupting influence) and that, as a result, if anyone came out worse, it was Sam — but that post (and, of course, season 11 anon) brought up the question of how Dean would act were he to lose his soul and, thus, be in a comparable situation to Sam’s in s6. (This post is tied pretty heavily with the post available here, which contains operational definitions of “value” vs “moral”, as well as possible context.)

Personally, I think it would work as follows (and I’m once again framing this through two lenses: values vs. morals, and D&D alignment)… Dean is, throughout the series, pretty consistently chaotic good; I might elaborate on this in a larger post later, but he has zero-to-negative respect for laws/conventional norms/etc despite all of his actions being, at root, carried out in an innate attempt to make things better. In other words, his values (self-oriented personal beliefs) are hard-wired and damned strong, but he’s much less reliant on morals (society- or other-imposed ideas of what someone should or shouldn’t do). Soulless!Dean would still protect Sam at all costs, because “protect Sammy” is one of his main driving values (and I do mean values… in some ways, John imposing it means that it’s partly moral, but Dean outright states that their dad needn't have told him to do it anyway. Regardless, by the time canon starts, that’s definitely ingrained enough that I doubt it would disappear, even if his soul did). Dean wouldn’t swing into ruthless hunting because, to him, hunting is about saving the people, not killing the things. (For examples… in “What Is and What Should Never Be,” the reason he decides to go back to the real world is because the djinn is hurting people. In “Death Takes a Holiday,” he protests the fact that their stopping the seal from being broken means that people in the town — including Pamela, though he doesn’t know that, I don’t think, at the time of the conversation — will begin dying again. etc.) His core values are innately protective, so I don’t think he’d lose that, even with his inhibitions vanished by the lack of a soul.

More likely, he'd lose a lot of his already-limited self-preservation --- since at least half of the times he decides to keep fighting/living is because someone else asked him to, not because of his own desire to do it --- and start taking even more risks than usual. If Sam were in trouble, Dean might be more ruthless about finding a solution --- e.g. since his "protect Sam" maxim to some degree outweighs his "saving people" (generic) maxim at the best of times, it's possible and maybe even probable that his thresholds for unacceptable prices to pay to keep Sam safe might rise --- but I certainly don't think he'd lose that protective streak. The sole other way in which I think his personality might shift away from outright "good" is if his tendency to innately believe that he's a bad, violent person affected his soulless actions... but I'm struggling to envision that enough to explain it here, so I find it a bit doubtful.

As I was writing this, though, the episode “Sam, Interrupted” hijacked my thoughts and promptly refused to leave. It’s one of my favorite episodes — not that there’s really a shortage of those, to be honest — because of the characterization and analysis that it affords. (Then again, if I’m honest, that’s usually a really good metric to figure out how much I like an episode; Dark Side of the Moon, Faith, Asylum, On the Head of a Pin, etc… all of my favorites have that edge of unspoken implications or hidden meanings that give me sustenance.) Frankly, I could go on and on about that episode for ages, but I’ve never before considered the whole ordeal as it pertains to soullessness. It’s not a perfect representation, perhaps, but it’s at least informative. After all, the wraith’s toxin a) affects everyone differently (which has also been blatantly stated to be the case with soul removal) and b) pulled to the forefront characteristics that, in a normal situation, were diluted within the individual’s personality. She isolates Sam’s anger and his latent willingness to do anything for the hunt (e.g. him flipping out in the asylum, him attacking the doctor so violently that he didn’t notice the silver not burning, etc) in much the same way as soullessness does (e.g. him beating up the troopers and using innocents as bait in “Unforgiven”, his work with Samuel, etc).

So it's notable that her toxin led to an emphasis of Dean's tendency to take on burdens (specifically as regards the conversations of "that's a crushing weight to have on your shoulders", "You think you have to save everyone?"), as well as his, frankly, less-than-safe personal tendencies (e.g. "How do you get up in the mornings?" "That's a good question." *doesn't answer*). And, of course, his sense of failure ("hell, these days, you can't save anyone", "all you do is fail", "you're going crazy", etc). The above predictions about what might happen if Dean lost his soul were produced in abstraction (i.e. before considering this episode), but the two actually lined up really well. His subconscious being forcibly crescendoed in the episode kinda gives a sense as to where he'd be were his soul yanked out completely.

[benwvatt]

my 2022 writing year in review!

 Thank you so much to @feeisamarshmallow for the tag!

1. Number of stories posted to Ao3: 32 separate stories! I was very fortunate to have a productive, joyful writing year, and I also started writing shorter stories rather than longer ones this year.

2. Word count this year: 74,396

3. Fandoms I wrote for: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, Heartstopper, Murdoch Mysteries, Severance, Supergirl, The Fault in Our Stars, The Martian, Virgin River

4. Pairings: Aang/Katara, Sokka/Zuko, Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, Rory Gilmore/Logan Huntzberger, Charlie Spring/Nick Nelson, William Murdoch/Julia Ogden, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Hazel Grace Lancaster/Augustus Waters, and Beth Johanssen/Chris Beck.

5. Stories with the most:

Kudos: i’ve been around the globe, found a diamond wrapped in gold (but it doesn’t shine like you) which is my Supercorp friendship bracelet story! I just finished it and I was so happy to be able to give it a satisfying, cute ending.

Bookmarks: same thing as above! this was a really popular story :)

Comment threads: to know you like the back of my hand, which is my collection of a dozen one-shots I wrote for Supercorp.

Word count: same thing as above! this fic was my longest this year, at 9,100 words total.

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): I’m going to go with memories painted in much brighter ink, the Heartstopper fic I wrote about Nick and Charlie dealing with their negative relationships with Harry, who decides to apologize to them both for being a bully and a bad friend. That fic is also tied with please remind me to forget you for the story I’m most proud of (this one is my Murdoch Mysteries story about William and Julia reconciling after she marries the wrong guy.)

They were both really interesting missing-moments stories that included letters (I’m a big fan of epistolary communication! letters are so intimate and personal!) and I don’t think most other writers would have published something like this. It felt exciting and special to focus on these parts of canon and expand them, exploring the characters’ curiosity and heartbreak at the same time.

7.  Work I’m least proud of (and why): Definitely i strung you a halo of stars, which is a collection of 4 stories I wrote for Supercorptober. I was really anxious and stressed when I wrote these stories, and I felt like I kind of had to “keep up” because it’s a fandom holiday and we had daily challenges. The writing became more about maximizing word count rather than enjoying writing, which is why I only did Supercorptober for about 5 days before quitting. I was just too busy and uninterested in the end.

8.  Share or describe a favorite review you received: Oh, I have so many! @nostradamus0 is kind enough to leave screaming reviews on many things I write (thank you for that, friend) and I also got a lot of really lovely reviews on Supercorp stories I wrote about parental trauma or forgetting your native language or struggling with anxiety.

 I really like to write hurt/comfort and fluff combined, and it was so nice to see that my stories were able to comfort other readers who were also dealing with stress and hurt.

Aaaaand I got so many lovely reviews on the fics I wrote for Kataang or Heartstopper. I love being able to write things that entertain and make people happy. I’m quite good with banter (it’s my main thing and the easiest thing for me to write) and I insert it wherever possible. 

9.  A time when writing was really, really hard: Supercorptober! I was pushing myself to do a monthly challenge when I had schoolwork and other stuff to deal with, and it just didn’t work out for me. I’m glad I quit so early. Quitting is good and quitters deserve hugs and chocolate. If you can’t sustain something, taking a step back and interrogating why is a good idea.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: Helly R from Severance. She is amazing. I would die for her. I wrote about her in my reputation precedes me, a ficlet about her character growth, and I can’t say anything more without spoilers. Severance is the best tv show I’ve ever seen. I don’t usually like thrillers/horror but Severance is light on both and it’s just so GOOD at exploring the ways that capitalism will devour you from the inside out.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

this is a scene from (whoever said I would find someone new) must’ve never met you, a Supercorp fic set at a southern bar where Supercorp have broken up in the beginning and they get back together by the end.

I really loved writing Lena’s experience at this bar, The Great Beyond, and creating OCs who are all friendly and loving. I’m also just ... weirdly excited to write the OCs falling in love with each other because they are all gay? And I love a good queer southern love story.

Fuck. She should’ve just turned into bed early instead of driving out here to the bar, The Great Beyond, to say hey and good evenin’ to the regulars. Tim probably groaned when he saw her. Marcie in the corner cheered gently when she walked in. Lena always dances with her when it’s eleven and they don’t wanna go home yet. And then there’s Lucas, about to get his first tattoo, and Connor who keeps his guitar in the backseat. Just in case he figures out the bridge of the song he’s been writing since last year, y’know. He and Tim came up with the chorus together.

Connor won’t tell you he plays but he can sing you a story, rock you to sleep, take you on an old-timer’s tour of dreamland. Lena’s been before. She’s seen the milestones and skipped them across the pond. The road on the way there’s a little rocky, but it’s nothing she can’t handle.

Ashley sits front and center, welcoming the warm glow of orange light. Steph tilts back in her chair and offers once again to braid Ashley’s hair, or perhaps Lena’s. Steph had been laid off from the beauty salon last month. No luck since.

Lena said yes once, on a Saturday when she found an old receipt from the time she and Kara went and got ice cream at Braum’s, and Steph wiped her tears away with a ratty napkin before twisting Lena’s hair into a Celtic knot.

“No, I’m Irish,” Lena blurted, “and I dunno if I’m a Celt-”

Steph laughed. “Who’ll ever know ‘cept for you?”

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: I started writing for different fandoms instead of being strict with myself about “the core fandoms” that I had to stick to! I wrote shorter stories (like, 1500 words or less) because I liked it and I didn’t have time to do a big multichap fic. I branched out. I had fun while writing. I wrote meta for Grey’s Anatomy and Virgin River. I quit writing for The Resident because that show took a SERIOUS downturn in quality recently, and I don’t ever want to watch it again (if you know, you know.)

This was a good year and I had so much fun writing shorter stories, and different stories for various tiny fandoms.

13. How do you hope to grow next year: I want to get better at not defining success through the number of hits/words/comments/etc. a story has. Stories are allowed to exist just as they are. Less popular stories aren’t “bad” or “not worth my time.”

I also hope to finish up some of my unfinished multichap stories, and mayyyybe write more for B99 (I only wrote 1 B99 story this year, and it was meta rather than fiction, which is a big change from previous years when I wrote a lot of peraltiago fic.) AND I want to keep writing whatever I want, even if that means writing for new fandoms that I’ve never tried before.

I like writing things out of love I’m not a good visual artist; I’m not good with textiles or gifs or drawing, and I often wish that I could translate the images in my head to art on a page. But fic is one of the ways that I like to give back to fandom, collaborate with fandom, meet people in fandom. I love that I can have a fleeting idea and publish a story about it in the next 12 hours.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

@nostradamus0. It’s not even a question. He is lovely, and lets me scream at him about Kataang even though he’s never seen ATLA, and I can send him excerpts of my stories anytime.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: EVERYTHING from real life shows up in my writing.

must’ve never met you was inspired by neotraditional country music of the 2010s/2020s (it’s great! it’s making a comeback!!!)

many of my supercorp fics are inspired by my cats and my narwhal painting (technically, it’s a poster of whales, but there’s a narwhal in there) and my desperate desire to have a lamp shaped like a jellyfish.

I constantly write scenes where people bake because I get frantic if I don’t bake for several days. Oh, and I also constantly write scenes where people daydream and write letters/letters and cherish the softness of their homes because I’m a gentle person.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: Uh, overusing italics is a really bad idea because it ruins the flow of your sentences. Getting a good flow often involves reading your work in your head so you can imagine the ups and downs of the words.

Writing takes time and you’re allowed to be frustrated that you’re not “better.” Give yourself time and space. Write as often or as rarely as you want.

Write down fic titles and AU ideas in a list in Google Docs because you may want them later. Don’t be afraid to be silly or gloomy or whatever; this is your blank page! Your words are the ink!!!!

Reading other people’s work, whether a published book or a fic or stuff like poetry, is a great way to get better at writing. Offering to be someone else’s beta reader, such as on AO3, is often a great way to make friends and learn more about writing. Oh, and try not to judge your writing too harshly. You still have so many good things waiting for you.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: hmmmmmm I do have 2 peraltiago AUs (the you’ve got mail AU and the Jake-is-undercover AU) that I want to finish sometime in the future.

I also have several ATLA stories that are random memory-tangle-ideas (the Aang-Spiderman AU, the Katara is undercover as both a Kyoshi Warrior and the Painted Lady AU, the Kataang Mulan AU, the Zukka turtleduck petting zoo AU, the Zuko-emotional-support-dragon story) that I hope to write eventually! Or, at least, they will stay good dreams.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:

@nostradamus0, @chocomd, @flameohotwife, @dearestpartnerofgreatness

and anyone else who wants to participate! If you see this, you are free to do this tag if you like! <3

[chibi-sunrise]

Everything I could find on Vanessa Morax

A member of Blaze whose strength is second only to Lucien’s. Her skills have earned her the respect of the younger members, but she struggles with decision-making and relies on others to determine how she should act, as if seeking someone to take the lead for her. Although she has a serious and formal demeanor, she is adorably thrown into a panic when caught off guard.

Profile

Birthday - April 25, 981 Y.C.

Age - 17 (998 Y.C.) 18 (999 Y.C.)

Embleo location - On her right leg

Dual Blade wielder

Height - 162cm

Right-handed

Theme Color - #ab2175

Here’s the post on where you can read the story.

Episodes she appears in

Leo ep. 1 Budding Heroes

Celia ep. 2 Mercy and Resolve

Lisette ep. 2 Entangled Pasts

Lucien ep. 1 The Secret Blade of Wisdom

Maxime ep. 2 Is It Really Love?

Vanessa ep. 1 What Needs to be Done

Yelsy ep. 1 Flowers for You

Yelsy ep. 2 Sharing a Table with You

Gaspard ep. 1 The Stooge

ep. final Blossoming Heroes

Event stories she appears in

Valentines Day

Easter

Episodes she’s mentioned in

Maxime ep. 1 Dreams Beyond My Reach

Event stories she’s mentioned in

April Fools Day

References and Miscellany

Video of her outfits/Mystic Artes (EN audio and text)

Some references for Vanessa’s outfits

Vanessa’s favorite dishes put together (JP text) If you scroll down, you can also find her ep 2 outfit and weapon. It was いいお腹の日 (good abdomen day), so people were tweeting pics of their favorite characters’ tummies. More close-up references for Vanessa’s ep 2 outfit!

Video of Vanessa’s Mystic Artes (JP audio and text) Scroll down for some screenshots of descriptions of her Mystic Artes

JP Voice Collection

A Vanessa fan made a questionnaire discussing several aspects and details of Vanessa with other Vanessa fans. This thread is the results of the questionnaire (JP text) …I know this sounds like a lot, and it looks like a lot too, but if you’re a big Vanessa fan, I think you’ll find their discussion very interesting. They cover topics like, “Who do you think gave Vanessa her ribbon?” and “How old do you think the knight who raised Vanessa was?” and “Do you think ‘Vanessa’ is her real name, a name she came up with, or given to her by someone else?” Actually, I don’t think you have to be a Vanessa fan to see that there’s a lot of love, ideas, and thoughts for her here. You might find it interesting regardless.

A tweet putting different pieces of information together that supported the “Vanessa and Falk are siblings” theory, which was a popular theory on the JP side of the fandom. This is just one of many tweets from different fans in the JP fandom that I could actually find again…

Her archive section

Favorite Dishes (excluding Noble dishes and Elixir)

Academy Petit Four Salés

Beginner’s Pot-Au-Feu

Canned Meat & Potato Gallete

Crispy Crust Sauté

Front-Line Camp Knödel

High Protein Fried Bugs

Holiday Cake 2021

Lucien’s Milk Tea

Lunch Lady’s Rice Ball

Nutritional Non-Perishable

Simple Miso Soup

Three-Barley Porridge *secret recipe

Hated Dishes (excluding expired event dishes and Ana-Maria’s cooking)

Fermented Bean Spread

Level-10 Spicy Mabo Curry

Pickled Mushrooms

Sea Cucumber Marinade

[outrealm-gates]

Current ideas

•Ann struggling to fit her chunky self into a sexy Santa outfit, too many promotional holiday crepes

•Corrin finding every Mistletoe to be under, maximizing her chance for kisses and to get gobbled like the yule tide treat she is

• Charlotte saying she'd only help with decoration because she's so dainty, despite the fact that she was the one who lopped the tree down in secret

•Poor Forrest and all the alterations to everyone's clothes!

•Lucina accidentally stumbling under a Mistletoe by Peach, and getting pulled into a full on make-out (possibly with Corrin in Peach's gut~)

[digitaltravelexpert]

How to Find New Travel Content Ideas: Be a Genius Influencer

If you’re a travel influencer, then you cannot just keep doing the same things or going to the same places (well unless you’re a Disney vlogger maybe) all the time and anticipate that your audience will remain engaged. As any travel marketing team will tell you, fresh content and unique ideas and perspectives are what modern audiences are after, so you need to find a way to provide them with that. But what if you’re out of ideas? Don't worry because here are eight ways(+7 bonus tips) to find fresh, quirky, and exciting content ideas that’ll make your followers think you’ve got some secret treasure map of untapped inspiration. Before we jump into it, blog post ideas for travel creators should aim at building meaningful connections.

1. First Go Where the Tourists Don’t: Learn How to Find New Travel Content Ideas as an Influencer

One of the simplest ways to start boosting your brainpower and creating better travel content is to simply take a step of 50 off the beaten track, Everyone goes to the Colosseum or the Great Wall, and sure, these are things everyone should aim to see in their lifetime, but because everyone does just that there’s already tons of travel content covering the classics.  You need to find the things that no one else does, whether it’s a delightful centuries-old bakery in the side streets of Florence or that weird museum dedicated entirely to broken relationships (yes, that’s a thing). 

2. Embrace the Art of the Epic Fail but Don't Fail Your Audience

Let’s be honest, not every travel moment is Instagram-perfect. Sometimes you miss your flight, accidentally insult someone in a foreign language, or lose your luggage. Instead of hiding your travel fails, lean into them. Your audience craves real, and nothing is more real than getting hopelessly lost while trying to find that ‘authentic’ Thai street food stall (that might not even exist). Document the chaos, laugh at yourself, and show your followers the bloopers reel of travel life. Bonus points for epic selfies mid-fail.

3. Collaborate With Fellow Travellers

An easy way to get new ideas for your travel content, and do a good bit of marketing too, is to team up with some of your fellow travelers who are also on the road creating content of their own, Not only will you benefit from more exposure via their audience, and vice versa, but you might even learn a thing or two that you did not already know about the travel influencer industry, and hey, you might even make a lifelong friend or two too!

4. Research Weird Holidays

Sure, everyone’s heard of New Year’s Eve fireworks in Sydney or Oktoberfest in Munich, but did you know that there’s a Tomato Throwing Festival in Spain? Or how about a Cheese Rolling Race in England? (Spoiler: It’s as bonkers as it sounds.)

Research quirky, lesser-known festivals and events in different countries. Trust me, your audience will love watching you get pelted with tomatoes or chase a wheel of cheese down a hill. Plus, it’s guaranteed content that’s way more unique than just another shot of you sipping coffee in a cute café.

5. Look at the Nuts and Bolts

Sure, travel blog topic ideas and social media content where you climb the tallest mountain in an area or go skydiving over the sea might look and seem more captivating at first glance, but you know what? Many viewers are seeking detailed, practical insights into the essential aspects of travel. That constitutes the nuts and bolts of travel. For example, letting them know where they can find the best luggage storage Milan has to offer or how they can maximize their air miles, is always going to bring in an audience.

6. Use Your Audience Insights as a Travel Compass

Feeling a bit aimless? Let your followers steer the ship! Create polls, ask for recommendations, and even let them decide your next destination or challenge. Not only does this generate engagement, but it also takes some of the pressure off your creative block. There is a large room for post ideas for travel bloggers and influencers who not only do the ordinary thing. Plus, you might discover some absolute hidden gems thanks to your audience’s suggestions. Who knows, maybe your next big adventure will be a random tiny town in Portugal that your follower Becky swears is “THE place for secret beaches.”

7. Make a Local Friend 

Guidebooks? Meh. Travel blog posts? Pfft. If you want the real scoop, you need to buddy up with a local. Whether it’s the barista who makes your morning coffee or the random guy you met at a bus stop, locals know where the true goldmine of travel content lies. Ask them to take you to their favorite spots, restaurants only locals know, or festivals that never make it into tourist brochures. And hey, if you can’t find a local to help out, there’s always the next best thing—Uber drivers. Those folks are a treasure trove of insider knowledge, and trust me, they love to chat.

8. Follow the Food or Try Something Different

We all have to eat, and most of us enjoy food to some extent, so it is safe to say that food content always has the potential to be a big hit, especially if you are a travel influencer who has the opportunity to taste all kinds of different cuisines from all kinds of different places.

Just try to think outside the box a bit, and instead of going to the same fancy restaurant that all of the travel influencers are going to, maybe eat a meal in a local person’s home or try cooking the local delicacy and asking the people from that place what they think of your efforts. Make it fun. 9. And Finally, Travel to Your Childhood Spots A really fun way of reigniting your passion for travel influencing, and bringing your audience on a journey with you, is to go back to your childhood. Think about all of the places you used to travel to with your parents when you were younger, and go back to them with fresh, adult eyes. You will be able to get tons of content ideas out of describing your memories of the place, and how things have changed now, and your audience will love seeing you take a trip down memory lane, as they take their very own meander down that very same road too. BONUS! Here are other additional ways forward to better travel content! 1. Share Personal Lessons Learned Through Most Traveled People

Learning from the most traveled people can transform your mindset and worldview. Experiencing diverse cultures broadens your horizons, helping you develop a more open-minded perspective. Those travel lessons make for valuable travel blog post ideas, offering unique insights into how travel changes you. As a travel influencer, sharing personal growth and ethical travel storytelling connects deeply with your audience, allowing them to relate. Integrating travel slogans or “Would you rather” travel questions sparks engagement, while POVs in Instagram Travel Videos capture these experiences in real-time, bringing authenticity to social media travel content. 2. Meaningful Travel Trivia Aiming at Educating Your Travel Audience Educating your travel audience through meaningful travel trivia goes beyond entertainment—it enhances their travel knowledge. Consider using travel quizzes and answers, or even travel riddles, that dive into cultural facts or eco-friendly travel practices. In these travel niches, influencers can engage followers with trivia that sparks curiosity, allowing you to mix educational content with fun, thought-provoking posts. Travel blog post ideas centered on trivia, especially ethical travel storytelling, encourage your audience to explore destinations responsibly. This approach elevates social media travel content while positioning you as an informative and mindful travel resource. 3. Deciphering Clichés and Travel Marketing Narratives

Challenging mainstream beliefs about certain destinations can break travel clichés and create fresh content ideas for travel influencers. For instance, uncovering the real stories behind popular places shatters common misconceptions and offers a deeper understanding of cultural and historical contexts. Ethical travel storytelling plays a pivotal role here—narratives that promote authentic experiences rather than just tourist attractions. Craft travel quizzes and answers to engage your audience while encouraging them to rethink their travel perceptions. The true understanding of POV Meaning in Your Instagram Travel Videos can further humanize these experiences, making social media travel content relatable and eye-opening. 4. Travel Budget Planning Ideas Planning a budget-friendly trip without compromising comfort is a challenge many travelers face. Offering travel trip planning ideas focused on smart savings while maintaining well-being can draw interest from first-time travelers and seasoned adventurers alike. Include travel niche-specific content like minimalist packing and use reviews of essential gear like travel backpacks. Sharing travel slogans or “Would you rather” travel questions can add a fun twist to your blog post ideas. Incorporate ethical travel storytelling by emphasizing sustainable travel choices that don’t break the bank. These tips help travelers enjoy their journey affordably and responsibly. 5. Travel Tips on Do’s and Don’ts Sharing personal travel tips on what to do—and what to avoid—makes for evergreen social media travel content. Highlight the travel mistakes you’ve learned from, turning them into valuable lessons for your audience. Incorporating travel quizzes and answers about common travel missteps can be engaging while educating your followers. Add a POV Meaning in Instagram Travel Videos to showcase real-time dos and don’ts. By mixing in different travel niches like budget travel or solo trips, you diversify your content and position yourself as a knowledgeable and trustworthy travel influencer. 6. Reviewing Best Travel Gear and Backpacks for Minimalist Traveling Minimalist travel is a growing trend in travel niches, and reviewing the best travel gear or backpacks taps into this movement. Sharing honest reviews on gear that saves space and weight without sacrificing utility offers practical value to your followers.

As a travel influencer, you can use these reviews as a base for ethical travel storytelling, showing how minimalist packing aligns with sustainable travel. Travel blog post ideas around gear reviews are evergreen, especially when paired with travel riddles or fun “Would you rather” travel questions. These add an interactive layer to your content. 7. Travel Tips for First-Time Travelers First-time travelers often face challenges that experienced travelers may overlook. Providing tailored travel tips for this audience can address their specific needs and concerns. Incorporate travel blog post ideas such as essential packing lists, safety tips, or how to overcome travel anxiety. Mix in fun content like travel quizzes and answers or travel slogans to keep it light and engaging. As a travel influencer, your social media travel content can include meaningful POV in Instagram Travel Videos, showing what first-time travel experiences feel like from a personal perspective, making your advice more relatable and reassuring. Final Thoughts Becoming a genius travel influencer is all about consistently finding fresh and engaging content ideas that resonate with your audience. To stand out, you need to explore beyond the obvious—look for untold stories, unique cultural perspectives, and hidden gems in your travel experiences. Don’t just follow trends; set them by offering value through ethical travel storytelling, exciting travel quizzes, and thought-provoking questions like “Would you rather?”. Challenge your creativity with new content formats like POV Meaning in Instagram Travel Videos, sharing authentic and personal viewpoints. Mix it up with niche travel blog post ideas, from gear reviews to budget hacks, to keep your content diverse. Ultimately, being a genius influencer is about staying curious, continuously innovating, and connecting meaningfully with your followers through impactful, authentic content. It’s not just about destinations—it's about the stories you tell and the inspiration you offer along the way. Read the full article

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Travel Hacks: How to Save on New York to Miami Flight Tickets

If you're planning a trip to either Pittsburgh or New York, securing the best deals on flights is essential for saving money. Whether you're looking to explore the Steel City’s rich history or immerse yourself in the bustling energy of the Big Apple, these travel hacks will help you find cheap flights and make the most of your journey. Here’s how to find the best flight tickets to both Pittsburgh and New York.

Finding the Best Flights to Pittsburgh

1. Book Flights to Pittsburgh in Advance

A journey to Pittsburgh should be planned well in advance. Plan far in advance for your flights to Pittsburgh to prevent last-minute ticket increases. This tactic offers you additional flight possibilities in addition to assisting you in locking in low rates. Look for low-cost flights to Pittsburgh and utilize fare comparison tools to discover the most affordable options.

2. Compare Flights to Pittsburgh

With so many airlines offering flights to Pittsburgh, it’s important to compare flights to Pittsburgh from various carriers. This will give you an idea of which airlines provide the best deals and services. Whether you’re looking for economy or premium options, comparing prices can help you find the right fit for your budget.

3. Look for Last-Minute Deals

If your travel dates are flexible, you may be able to score some great deals on flight tickets to Pittsburgh at the last minute. Airlines sometimes drop prices to fill empty seats, so be on the lookout for these opportunities. Just be prepared to book quickly as these deals tend to disappear fast.

4. Cheap Flights to Pittsburgh

Finding cheap flights to Pittsburgh is easier when you remain flexible with your travel dates. Mid-week flights are often more affordable than those on weekends, so consider flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday to save even more. In addition, set fare alerts to track price changes and jump on discounts when they arise.

5. Compare Airline Tickets to Pittsburgh

When booking airline tickets to Pittsburgh, it’s essential to compare what each airline offers in terms of amenities, baggage policies, and overall comfort. While price is important, make sure you’re getting value for your money by choosing an airline that fits your needs.

Saving on Flights to New York

1. Book Flights to New York Early

New York is one of the busiest cities in the world, and flights tend to fill up quickly. To secure the best prices, make sure to book flights to New York several weeks or even months in advance. The earlier you book, the better your chances of finding cheap flights to New York.

2. Compare Flights to New York

With a wide range of airlines flying to New York, take the time to compare flights to New York before making a booking. Use online comparison tools to compare prices, flight times, and available services. This will make sure you find the best deal for your trip to the Big Apple.

3. Look for Deals on Flight Tickets to New York

Be active in searching for promotions and discounts on flight tickets to New York. Airlines often run limited-time deals, particularly during off-peak seasons, which can save you a significant amount of money. If you’re flexible with your travel dates, you can find the best deals on airline tickets to New York.

4. Cheap Flights to New York

Much like Pittsburgh, mid-week flights to New York tend to be more affordable. To maximize savings, try flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday and avoid booking during holidays or major events. With a little flexibility, you can find cheap flights to New York that won’t break the bank.

5. Last-Minute Flights to New York

If you’re making a spontaneous trip to New York, don’t panic—there are still ways to find affordable last-minute flights to New York. Many airlines drop prices as the departure date approaches to fill remaining seats, so keep looking for these opportunities. Just be prepared to act quickly!

Tips for Booking Flights to Both Cities

Set Fare Alerts: Whether you’re booking flights to Pittsburgh or flights to New York, set fare alerts to look for price changes. This allows you to track variations and book at the lowest possible fare.

Use Comparison Tools: Always compare flights before finalizing your purchase. 

Be Flexible: The more flexible you are with your travel dates, the more likely you are to find cheap flights. Traveling during off-peak hours or mid-week can significantly reduce your airfare.

Join Loyalty Programs: If you frequently fly to cities like Pittsburgh or New York, consider joining an airline’s loyalty program to earn points that can be redeemed for future flights.

Conclusion

Whether you’re booking plane tickets to Pittsburgh or looking for the best flight tickets to New York, these travel hacks will help you find affordable and convenient options. Start your search early, compare prices, and remain flexible to secure the best deals for your next adventure. With the right planning, you can enjoy all the exciting attractions these cities have to offer without overspending on airfare.