#of the pinnacle of perfect understanding

[mossterunderthebed]

just finished watching Venom 1 & 2 and i too would like a BBB (otherwise knows as a Brain & Body Buddy or B3)

[vaguely-concerned]

due south is just so incredibly fun is the thing. it's a story that takes such delight in being a story at every turn and on every level.

(something strangely discworld-esque about it that way -- sort of like the fiction version of gender euphoria lol. every episode due south wakes up glorying in being a narrative and getting to do narrative Things and that shameless joy, that lack of interest in courting anything resembling the plausible or more obstructive to the truth yet, realistic, is threaded into everything. yeah of course there's a ghost now. fraser trying to make sense of the story of his father to make sense of the story of himself while being a stranger in a strange land makes the most sense anything ever has. of course they still talk (and fail to talk) to each other all the time. of course he's always here, and never here at the same time. people don't change just because they're dead. fraser in the pilot walking through all the *stories* of his father, still looking for him as he did when he was a little boy, and finding as much of him now as he did then (not nearly enough, even when he's right there). hello. hello. help.)

[rafeslvbug]

CONEY ISLAND

series by @rafeslvbug inspired by coney island, taylor swift ft the national

the perfect couple. not by force, or society standards - but love. wily teenagers, at the pinnacle of their lives, bound together by unbreakable forces. growing together, and forging plans they’d vowed to keep.

but how do you break those vows once reality sets in?

rafe loved her as much as she loved him, he’d kept every promise, and built his life for her. until he began to push her out of it.

when the rock was placed on her hand, he was sure of what he wanted. now six months of pushing back that fateful wedding date, watching her heart shatter and splinter each time, pretending like it didn’t matter. it didn’t matter he brushed off their engagement, it didn’t matter that she sometimes caught him without his ring, it didn’t matter that he didn’t know if he wanted this anymore.

business meetings, investments and a world of politics he claimed she couldn’t understand divided them in two. rafe stuck himself in one part of his life, and barricaded the other from ever entering.

in his mind, it was still only her. in his heart, he felt it too. but it didn’t help the drift.

and she couldn’t understand it either. why her loving fiancé turned distant the moment he gave her that ring. why she waited on a man, who looked like he was going on without her. stuck in the house, treated like a ghost enslaved in pain.

but does he even notice? does he realise that despite his efforts to hide his confliction, it’s seeped into his life nonetheless? she’s in pain, but does he still hold hope that it’s not because she knows? does he know the woman he loves (loved?) the most is noticing that she’s losing him?

and how long will it take for him to realise his mistake? while he struggles internally, and she grows more alone, when will she finally break? when he realises he’s always loved her - if he realises - will she still be there?

chapter one (lines 1 && 2)

chapter two (lines 3 && 4)

chapter three (lines 5 && 6)

chapter four (lines 7 && 8)

chapter five (lines 9, 10 && 11)

chapter six (lines 12 && 13)

chapter seven (lines 14, 15, 16 && 17)

chapter eight (lines 18 && 19)

chapter nine (lines 20 && 21)

chapter ten (lines 22 && 23)

chapter eleven (lines 24 && 25)

chapter twelve (lines 26 && 27)

chapter thirteen (lines 28, 29 && 30)

taglist : @starkeyjoseph @rafesbabygirlx @slut-4-rafey @lanaslushworld @littlelamy @rain-likes-purple

[rainbluealoekitten]

wait wait wait but have we all heard rory's monologue in "Lorelai's Graduation Day?" I just rewatched it and it has me in tears, because all I remembered was so much love when she was in NY and then just dread for the rest of the episode, to the point that I almost skipped watching the end. I'm so glad I didn't because THIS is THE scene that really illustrates what Rory struggles with and explains so many of her future actions.... this and the way Lorelai reacts. I love Lorelai but her silence just confirms to Rory all of these HORRIBLE things she believes about herself and that she HAS to be the perfect, punctual, girl that she "is" and she HAS to be with Dean and she HAS to do what is SAFE and RIGHT and GOOD good good, it ALWAYS comes back to the fact that Rory Gilmore has to be *good* or else she is nothing. She believes this to the point that she is in tears crying and calling herself a horrible person because she went to see Jess and... the bus broke down? It's flighty but it's not the pinnacle of evil, but because of her upbringing, because of who she is, she does consider this the antithesis of who she is meant to be, and Lorelai ultimately plays into this. It's just such a heartbreaking scene because Rory is already at a point where *she needs help.* This is not an act of beating oneself up for attention or validation, and definitely NOT to distract from Lorelai being hurt, but rather it is a real glimpse into the absolutely unbearable pressure Rory is under. There's more to say and direct links to be had with later episodes and seasons, but regardless, I just think this scene is one of the most important ones in understanding Rory, her mindset, and her later "downfall."

[kbwrites]

OFFICE ESCAPADES WITH NANAMI

Synopsis: Ever since Nanami hired you you’ve done nothing but stress him out. You’re infuriating… And he just can’t seem to get enough of you.

⚝a/n: I don’t usually write smut so I decided to give it a shot.

⚝tags: Porn with plot, Nsfw, Companyman! Nanami, Semi-Public Sex, Enemies to Lovers

⚝wc: 2.4k

Nanami was a gentleman, arguably the perfect one. He shows up to work on time, early even. His hair was neatly combed, his dress shirt pressed, leather shoes shined. He was the pinnacle of discipline and control.

However, every time he was in your presence. That control would slip, little by little.

He hired you fresh out of college. Top of your class, all of the firms in the area had given their offers; but Nanami snatched you away.

He soon began to think that maybe you were more trouble than you were worth..

You were brilliant, there wasn’t any denying that. You were gorgeous, couldn’t deny that either. But that damn mouth of yours.. was going to be the death of him and you…

You strutted into the older man’s office, ‘he’s told you multiple times to knock first…’ Nanami peels his eyes away from his laptop to look at the woman standing in front of his desk. His eyebrow quirks up as he notices her visibly pissed-off vibe.

“Something wrong?”

You scoff in annoyance “You denied my contract?”

He looks back at his laptop, stealing glances at you.

“Did you even read over it before you sent it to me?”

“Excuse me-”

“The terms in this contract… Do you have any idea what kind of position it’ll put us in?”

“Are you suggesting I don’t know how to do my job?”

Nanami shoots you a sidelong glance, a hint of irritation flashing across his face.

“I’m not suggesting I’m telling you. Maybe I shouldn’t have given you this big a project so soon.”

You huff in annoyance. Your boss knew just what to say to push your buttons. You slam the papers you were holding onto his mahogany desk. Looking down at your senior… he was so.. So.. infuriating. Nanami leans back in his chair, hands folded against his chest as he looks up at you.

“You arrogant-”

“Arrogant?” He laughs, his voice laced with annoyance.

“You come in here with a horrendous contract, even worse attitude, and think you’re in the right?” He rises from his desk, striding over to you. You never noticed how much Nanami towered over you, and now he was inches away from you. He smelled like… Vanilla and cedarwood, his cologne making you dizzy. But no, you needed desperately to try to control yourself. Make it seem like he wasn’t having such an effect on you.

“That contract is getting sent out.” You inch in closer looking up at him, failing at being intimidating.

“No, it's not.” Nanami says firmly, his eyes locked onto yours. An intense, almost magnetic pull between the two of you. He continues to invade your space.

“You’re not sending anything out until I’ve reviewed and approved it. Understand?” He pushes his glasses up his bridge.

Being this close, you can feel his breath on your skin, the heat radiating off his body.

Nanami takes a deep breath stepping back just enough to create some distance, he takes the papers you previously slammed on his desk and shoves them into your hand.

“Come back when you’ve made the changes I highlighted.”

You roll your eyes before bowing, your formal gesture cannot hide how much you want to ring his neck right now-

“Yes. Sir.” You turn on your heels, leaving his office. Slamming the door on your way out.

Nanami lets out a deep, shaky breath.

“Fuck… She’s gonna be the death of me.”

He runs his hand through his golden locks, trying to compose himself. Why did you have to be so irritating? He would love to just put her in her place. Shut that pretty little mouth of hers… Have her on her knees taking his-

Wait.. What?

Nanami shakes his head, trying to reign in his desire. ‘She’s a coworker’ he tells himself. ‘It would be highly unethical’

And yet you plague his mind, every waking moment. How it would feel to have you underneath him, begging for mercy.

His hands move lower, palming his semi-hard erection through his cotton twill dress pants. The otherwise put-together businessman groaned at the friction delivered from his hand… Imagining it was you, splayed out on his mahogany desk..

He unzips his pants, loosening his yellow tie…

Your blouse discarded and pencil skirt… that damn pencil skirt-- He always warned you it was just a little too short.

His length springs free, slit already leaking. He wraps one hand around it, pumping slowly.

“S-shit… (Y/N).” He lets out a shaky breath. He shouldn’t be doing this, it's shameful to even be thinking about you in that way. He’s your boss.

He tightens his grip, hips bucking into his hand. Nanami’s head falls back to his office chair, this is so wrong.. This is so wrong…

“Ff-fuuuck…”

He hisses through clenched teeth, you’re just on the other side of his office door. If you only knew how he really felt about you. That during all your arguments he’d want nothing more than to bend you over his desk and fuck you until you couldn’t remember your name.

He pumps faster, wanting desperately to release the pent-up frustration. He’s close. His breath quickens, his cum spills out, hot sticky ropes flowing down his hand.

Fuck.

He grabs some tissues cleaning up the evidence of his transgression. Straightening his tie and zipping up his pants, Nanami clears his throat trying to regain some semblance of control. Guilt washes over him.

His work… yes maybe if he focused on that-

But nothing seems to work, he’s bewitched. Intoxicated by you, in all his years working for this company no one had ever challenged him. Questioned his authority, called him a “self-centered bastard” but you… you did all those things. He wanted more, he needed more.

Suddenly the doorknob turns

Nanami sits up in his leather chair, pretending to type away at his computer.

You enter the room, holding another stack of papers. Nanami sighs.

“I’ve told you countless times to knock-”

The stack of papers drops to his desk with a loud

THUMP.

“I revised the contract” You reply placing your hands on the desk, flashing him the fakest smile. He looks up at you, leaning down over the desk his eye flicks down to your slightly exposed cleavage.. A peak of your lace bra showing from under your satin blouse.

Black lace underwear huh?

He clears his throat… Looking back up at you. He pulls the stack of papers towards him, rifling through the pages. Desperately trying to ignore your luring figure looming over him. It’s a marked improvement from the last draft, but where’s the fun in praising you?

“Its… passable” He looks up at you, smirking.

“Bullshit!” You snap, that was it. It was one thing if you made a mistake, but that revision was flawless. Just what exactly was his problem?!

Nanami’s eyebrow quirks up, amused at your outburst. “Did you expect a gold star for doing your job?” He slowly rises from his chair, his hands now also on the desk. Looming over you.

“I don’t need a gold star” You scoff “Especially not from you.”

Every snarky remark, every biting word from your lips ignites something in him. Primitive, possessive, a pull that he can’t seem to escape. He leans in closer, both of your bodies still separated by his desk.

“You clearly need something to adjust that attitude of yours.”

Your heart is running a marathon right now, your arguments were always heated but this… this felt different. You decide to take a chance, your knee comes up to lean on the desk, and your other stiletto-clad leg now dangling off the edge. Your face mere inches from your boss’.

“Oh yeah? And what would that be?” You stare into his honey-colored eyes, filled with fire.

And right there, months of profanity-filled disagreements, heated screaming matches.. It all boiled down to this-

Nanami grabs you by the neck, pulling you into a bruising kiss. His tongue greedily entering your mouth, tasting every corner. He bites at your bottom lip roughly, your eyes flutter shut melting into his firm grasp. Time stops, but starts again when he pulls away, forehead resting against yours. Your mind is an infinite void, millions of thoughts run through it but no words can come out. Did he just? Did you just? Then he speaks.

“You’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass since you started here.” He manages to get out through labored breaths. His attention moves to your neck, he pulls your head up exposing more of your skin to him, he trails hot open-mouth kisses up and down your throat. Your breath hitches.

“And what about you? You think ahh you’ve been a box of daisies?” He grabs your legs, pulling you to sit on the other side of the desk, the papers and pens once occupying the surface now hit the floor, your legs now on either side of the tall blond. Damn, he's strong-

He lets out a dark chuckle, gripping your hips tight, trimmed nails digging into your skirt.

“You’ve made it almost impossible for me to get any work done.” He continues his attack on your neck, trailing down to your collarbone. He kisses and sucks lightly on the delicate skin.

“You’re always so uptight Kento~ I was wondering if it was because you haven’t gotten laid.” You smirk, proud you were still able to quip back despite the growing heat between your legs.

His lips leave your chest and move to your ear, his hot breath sending shivers down your spine.

“Careful sweetheart, unless you want me to find a use for that filthy mouth of yours.”

Nanami licks the shell of your ear, grabbing your wrists and roughly pulling you up off of the desk. Body now flush against his. One large hand grips your hip while the other reaches under your satin blouse, cupping your breast through the lacy material of your bra. His fingers ghost over your hardened bud.

“You’re the only one reduce me to… this, have me fuckk misbehaving at work” Your hips roll into his, feeling his growing arousal.

“Is that what you tell all your girls?”

He growls at this, craning his neck back down to your chest, biting and sucking at your clavicle. Your hands rake through his hair, tugging, manicured nails scratching at his scalp. He lifts his head just enough to say

“There are no ‘other’ girls” Before continuing his assault on your skin. He lifts your blouse over your head, discarding the lace bra. He groans at the new skin exposed to him, capturing your bud in his mouth.

“Oh? Not even that cute receptionist?” You moan as his tongue swirls around your nipple “I’ve seen the way she looks ahhh at you ”

Nanami rolls his eyes at this, he knows exactly who you’re talking about. Sure she was cute, always making sure to tell him “Good Morning” and “Good Night” Begging to hear about his day, boring him with office gossip. Looking up at him with innocent puppy dog eyes…

He never was a dog person…

He releases your bud from his mouth, looking up at you through his hazel half-lidded eyes.

“I don’t need a pushover. I prefer a woman with a little fight in her” He moves to give your other bud the same treatment “Someone.. who’s going to challenge me.” He mumbles in between kisses.

His large hand gropes the other breast as his mouth works, thumb flicking over the sensitive spot. He leans back up, back to towering over you. He takes in the sight before him, you struggle to catch your breath, glossy lips parted, your pupils blown with desire. He wishes he could replay this image in his mind for the rest of eternity.

“Get on your knees.” He says flatly.

Your eyebrow quirks up in challenge. “Excuse me?”

“Told you… I want to find a use for that mouth of yours.” He looks down at you, his eyes dark.

You slowly sink to your knees, not breaking eye contact with him. His breath catches in his throat, he fiddles with his belt buckle. The sound of the zipper filling the otherwise quiet office. The tent in his briefs now on full display in front of you. He looks at you expectantly.

You tug at his waistband his cock springing free from its confines. You see your boss in all his glory, his blushing pink tip, heavy balls and his perfect curve upwards. It was a masterpiece.

You loll your tongue out, swiping at the precum leaking from his mushroom tip. The salty sweet taste making you moan softly. Nanami shudders at the sensation, moving his hands to the back of your head, fingers tangled into your hair.

You slowly take his length into your mouth, tongue swirling around the head. Your hand wraps around the base as you incorporate more and more of his swollen cock past your bruised lips.

Nanami subconsciously spreads his legs, hips twitching as you bob your head at a steady rhythm.

Nanami’s grunts and moans mixed with your obscene gags fill the soundscape of the office.

He roughly grips your hair, taking control of your pace. Oh if you only knew how sinful you looked right now.

Your hollowed cheeks, expensive mascara pooling at the corner of your eyes as tears welled up. It’s all too much.. too fucking much.

Fuck.

Nanami feels a familiar pressure building up in his lower abdomen.

“I-if you keep going like that s-shit I’m going to“ He looks down at you, half desire half concern on his face.

You only encourage him by picking up the pace, spit dripping down your chin as you pump his base and suck his length.

The rubber band finally snaps, Nanami bucks his hips into your face, his strong hand pressing your head flush against his pelvis.

You choke as his seed hits the back of your throat, eyes fluttering shut. If you died right now there would be no complaints on your end.

His breath slows, releasing your head. You come up for air, coughing and wiping the excess drool and cum from the corner of your mouth.

His hand reaches to cup your cheek, stroking it gently, a silent thank you in his mind.

He picks you up with a gentleness previously unknown and sets you right onto his desk,

The roles now reversed with Nanami positioning himself between your legs. Kneeling down, ready to worship you.

He hooks a finger around your underwear, pulling it to the side, humming in satisfaction as he takes in the sight of your sopping wet cunt. Your boss tears his eyes away for a second looking up at you and smirking.

“You did such a good job, it’s only fair I reward you.”

[crappymixtape]

stand on my own

after months of begging, steve finally takes you home to meet his parents – you've been together for over a year and he doesn't talk about them much, but once you meet them you begin to understand why *18+ only | ( 3K words – TW: verbal abuse, almost physical abuse, both from steve's dad – angst, hurt / comfort, sprinkle of fluff, est. relationship, steve x you, steve x reader )

S T A N D O N M Y O W N 🎶 stupid 4 u, dizzy

When you pulled into the Harrington’s driveway, your mouth dropped open at the sheer size of the house. Three times the size of yours growing up with a brand new Porsche parked out front. Steve always told you his dad was materialistic, but he hadn’t said anything about how materialistic or how much someone would have to make to drive a car like that.

Robin had warned you, told you the Harringtons were the pinnacle of Hawkins, Indiana, but if you didn’t grow up with that last name in your mouth, you’d have no idea. No idea of the legacy the Harringtons built after producing generation after generation of lawyers, and why would you? Hawkins was a tiny dot on the map compared to Indianapolis.

You’d moved away from the city in pursuit of a softer life, roomed with Robin Buckley after you’d both been accepted at the local community college and met her best friend – most platonic boyfriend, Steve – on your first night there at a party. He had been standing shoulder-to-shoulder drinking a beer with another guy, Eddie Munson, and both had grease stains all over their pants. In another world, you might have found it a turn-off, but when he caught your eye from across the room you knew you were done for.

Long locks of hair fell into his eyes, his thick lashes sweeping across high cheekbones when he blinked, and the most perfect, pink lips that tugged up at the corner in a grin, grinning at you. High school basketball superstar turned mechanic after getting denied by Indiana State, and damn, it looked good on him.

The day after the party, your car broke down just outside of town, and he came to pick you up in the tow truck with grease-smudged hands and a towel hanging out of the back pocket of his Carhartts. You talked the whole way back to the garage, told him about growing up in the city and how it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. He told you how his favorite thing about Hawkins was the way the sky lit up in the summer right as the sun went down, set to flames as it crept beneath the horizon and you asked him if he’d show you sometime. When you got to the shop he told you he’d personally make sure your car was put back in tip-top shape and then took you for the best milkshake of your life at the diner afterward.

Eddie’s uncle Wayne owned the shop, simply called Munson’s, and had been running it since his old man died back in the 50s. It was the most trusted mechanic south of the city and while it wasn’t glamorous, it was honest work, and Steve liked the people. They were thankful for his help and paid him enough to make a decent living, and there was something about working with his hands that gave Steve a sense of gratification and pride he’d never experienced before. Not stuck behind some desk 9-5 like his dad. He didn’t make hundreds of thousands of dollars or live in a mini-mansion, and even though all that wasn’t important to Steve, it still didn’t make him feel any better as he rumbled into his parents’ driveway.

“Shit,” Steve muttered under his breath as he shifted the truck into park. Running his hands through his hair, he let his head fall forward onto the steering wheel, his nerves palpable from the passenger seat. “I really don’t want to go in there.”

“You’re not going alone, if that’s any consolation?” you offered, gently teasing, rubbing a hand over the soft fabric of the only clean, white t-shirt he owned.

He gave you a lopsided smile and turned the truck off, “That helps a lot.”

“Good.”

The light on the porch flicked on, and it drew Steve’s attention like the snap of a whip.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” you grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed as the front door opened to reveal the portrait of a perfect housewife, Carol Harrington.

“Hi, honey!” she called with a wave, gesturing you to get out of the truck and Steve huffed a heavy sigh.

“Here goes nothing,” he said, expression tinged with dread. With one last glance over at you, he moved to open his door, “Listen, if my dad says anything, I can’t promise I won’t say something back.”

“That makes two of us,” you half-joked, but Steve knew by the look in your eye you were serious. If there was anything you didn’t tolerate, it was demeaning people, and from what Robin said, Gary Harrington had used Steve as his verbal punching bag for most of his life.

You watched as Steve tried to laugh, but it caught in his throat as he pushed himself off the truck bench and out onto the driveway.

“Hey, Mom.”

“I hope you came hungry!” Carol said, wiping her hands on the red, checkered apron tied around her waist. “I made a casserole, a fresh green salad, and those rolls you like so much.”

“Oh–you didn’t have to do all that,” Steve insisted as he met his mom on the steps, his cheeks growing pink under the warm glow of the porch light.

“Of course I did.” Carol pulled her son into a hug, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “And who is this?” she smiled, turning her attention to you, big, blue eyes appraising, trying to decide if you were good enough for her Stevie.

You returned the smile, introducing yourself as Steve shoved his hands into the pockets of his Levis, anxious. The weight of her gaze was heavy and for a minute it shook you, but you doubled down. No one was going to push you around.

“Thank you for having us,” you said genuinely and a pleased look passed over her features.

“Yes, it’s so nice to finally meet you! We’ve been asking Stevie to come to dinner for months now. How’d you convince him?”

“Mom.”

“Okay,” she put her hands up in surrender. “Here, let’s get you two out of the cold. Come in, come in.”

If the outside manicured lawn and award-winning flowerbeds were perfection, then the inside had to have been crafted by God himself.

Every surface was spotless, decorated exquisitely with things you’d only seen in a catalog. Large, smooth, eggshell vases full of bare branches arranged just so, portraits of sweeping landscapes framed in gold and glass candy dishes sat atop polished, mahogany credenzas. As you took it all in, you noticed there were no photos of the family, and in that moment it all felt so empty. Staged and not properly lived in.

“Please, sit! What can I get you to drink?” Carol’s voice interrupted your thoughts and you glanced over to see her holding two bottles of wine. “I’ve got a chilled rosé or a bold red, can’t make a bad choice.”

“Thank you, but water’s fine,” you insisted and a grumble from the head of the dining room table pulled your attention.

Sitting in one of the lavishly, upholstered, high-backed chairs, Steve’s father met your gaze over the top of the newspaper he held in his hands. Folding it up, he set it neatly on the table top and folded his arms over chest, not appraising like Carol. No. This was judgement, cold and severe.

“Not a drinker, hm?” he drawled and you felt Steve tense at your side.

“One of us needs to be responsible,” you quipped back, half-joking and taking Steve’s hand in yours. It’s okay.

The older man snorted in reply and took up the tumbler of scotch at the side of his table setting. Before you could reply, Carol jumped in in an attempt to settle the already blooming tension.

“So, what do you do, dear? Stevie tells us you’re in school!” she asked, setting a hot casserole at the center of the table.

“Oh,” fell out, clumsy as the attention fully focused on you, “I’m uh–I’m pursuing a degree in the arts.”

“The arts! How wonderful!” Carol gushed, returning from the kitchen with a basket of rolls and glass, bowl of salad. “Literature or teaching? Some noble profession surely,” she said, tone oozing and saccharine sweet.

“Ceramics,” you replied tensely, wanting to be embarrassed, but refusing to give them the satisfaction. “I’m actually hoping to open my own studio someday.”

You’d barely finished your sentence when your ears caught Gary mumbling something about hippies and Steve’s mouth firmed into a flat line.

“Dad.”

“What?” Gary snipped back, taking another drink of his scotch as Carol pushed you both into your chairs. “It’s not a very common profession to get into. How’d you find it anyway?” Gary asked, feigning interest, but you could hear the skepticism.

Sitting a bit taller in your chair you leaned forward, chin tilted up in confidence, You can’t scare me.

“I’m originally from Indianapolis, but I came out here looking for something a little…slower. It’s a bit too busy up there for me. Mom was hoping I’d follow in her footsteps up there as a doctor, but–”

“Now see, that’s real work!” Gary said, leaning forward to match you. He shook his head, clicking his tongue at you. “Throwing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity away.”

“Dad!” Steve protested again from his chair next to you, the tension pulling taut in the air.

“Gary,” Carol cut in, eyes on her plate and not meeting the look her husband was giving her. “That’s enough. I’m sure she has good reason.“ Taking the serving spoon she started to dish everyone up. “How’s work going for you, Stevie?”

A heavy sigh pushed itself from Steve’s lungs and he closed his eyes for a minute. You could tell he was uncomfortable and for a minute you regretted making him do this. Taking his hand under the table you squeezed, reassuring, and he opened his eyes again to look at you in silent thanks.

“Uh…yeah,” he started, regaining his composure. “It’s good. Eddie and I are pretty busy right now. Wayne’s showing me how to do the books, actually.”

“Oh! Well, that’s wonderful!” Carol said with a comforting smile as she dished up her husband. “Isn’t that wonderful, Gary?”

“Wonderful isn’t the word I’d choose,” Gary sneered and Carol elbowed his shoulder.

“Behave,” she tutted.

“Actually, Wayne says he’s gonna retire soon,” Steve said sitting up a little taller and your stomach flipped over.

You’d talked on the way over about not sharing any of the news about the shop with them. Promised you wouldn’t say a word about it because it would only make things worse, but you watched now as Steve put it all on the table. Brave. Confident. Proud.

A vein bulged in the middle of Gary’s forehead.

“He’s leaving it to Eddie and–well, Eddie asked if I want to be his business partner. I haven’t signed the paperwork yet, but I’m going to. I want to. I think it’ll be good for–

“Absolutely not! Over my dead body,” Gary slammed a hand flat against the table and you flinched at the force of it, silverware clattering metallically against the fine china.

“It’s a good business, Dad, with a solid client list,” Steve pushed, “I make more than enough to–”

“You think you can convince me?” Gary growled, a sardonic smile twisting across his lips. “You wanna end up like the Munsons? Living like trailer trash?” The smile disappeared. “Jesus Steven, you’ve got a family business right here — your legacy — and you’re shitting all over it! For what? Some filthy garage?”

Carol’s face was as white as a sheet as Gary dug in and she put a hand on his shoulder, “Gary, please–”

“No, Carol. I’m not done,” he shrugged her off and stood from his chair. “That family has done nothing but produce a long line of losers,” he said, pointing a finger off out the dining room window toward Forest Hills. “Edward’s father was a drunk and that kid is one disaster away from drinking what little money he has. I mean, look at him! He’s always high, driving around town in that piece of shit van with hair down to his ass and–”

“Shut up!”

Steve stood up then and slapped the palms of his hands against the table, making you flinch again, your heart leaping into your throat as you watched him glare at his father, flushed and red from his neck to his ears, his hair falling into his eyes.

“Stevie–” Carol pleaded, but he ignored her.

“God, I’m so tired of it,” Steve roughed his hands over his face, flinging an arm in the same direction his father had. Toward Eddie, his partner, his best friend. “The Munsons work really hard! And they’re honest, which can’t be said for you,” he pushed, Gary’s face twisting ugly as Steve laid into him. “Lying and cheating people for what, huh? For money? For a Porche?”

“You watch your mouth,” Gary said a little too evenly and unease settled in your stomach.

“No. I’m not gonna sit here and let you lecture me about something you know nothing about. When was the last time you really felt proud, Dad? Like you accomplished something?”

“Every day!” Gary snapped, “When I sit at my desk and look at the framed degree on my wall because I did something with my life, Steven!” He pushed his chair out behind him and took a half step around the table toward his son. “I’ve become someone and made a name for myself! I support my wife because I’m a man,” he emphasized his point with a finger to Steve’s chest and you watched as Steve’s body grew stiff, hands balled into fists at his sides.

“Yeah, well based on the flashy sports car in the driveway I’d say you’re compensating.”

“That’s enough!”

Gary stepped into Steve, Steve’s back bumping into the wall and it pulled you up from your seat while Carol shrunk into hers, head buried in her hands.

“You ungrateful little shit,” Gary spat, “You’re being handed an opportunity on a silver platter and spitting on it. How dare you—”

“No, dad! How dare you?” Steve shoved a hand flat into his dad’s chest and the older man stumbled back a step. “I bring home the most important person in my life to meet you, and you can’t even keep it together for more than five minutes! It’s embarrassing. You’re embarrassing. Let’s go.”

Steve grabbed your hand and started to pull you toward the door, food untouched on the table, but Gary took a half-step into your path of escape.

“You’ll stay until you apologize,” he growled.

Steve laughed incredulously. “Apologize? For what? For telling you what we already know? That you’re a selfish asshole?”

“What did I say about language?” Gary returned the shove Steve had given him, but Steve didn’t move.

“Honey, stop. Please,” Carol begged her husband from the table, but her pleas were ignored.

“My entire life, all you’ve been is gone," Steve leveled. "You were never there for me, especially when I needed you the most, and, honestly? I don’t care what you think, Dad. Not anymore.” Steve pushed himself to his full height, at least a full two inches taller than his father, and shouldered past him, “We’re out of here.”

“Stevie, sweetheart don’t go,” Carol finally stood from her chair, coming around to paw at Steve’s back. “You know how he gets, he just needs to walk it off—“

“—stop making excuses for him, mom. He doesn’t deserve it and you deserve better.”

Carol kept grabbing at him and it made something snap inside you.

“Don’t touch him,” you said firmly, pressing a hand into hers and tugging it away from Steve. The look on her face then was like you’d slapped her and a tiny pinch of guilt squeezed in your chest, but Gary made sure to fix that, his voice at your backs.

“If you leave, that’s it, Steven! Game over!” he shouted.

“I don’t want it, Dad.”

“I’m serious! One more step and you’re written out of the company!” Gary said just as you both reached the door, Steve’s hand on the handle as he spun around to make sure he made eye contact with his dad.

“Where’s the paper? I’ll write it myself!” Steve snapped and for the first time that evening Gary was rendered speechless, mouth dropped open in shock. “If you break down, don’t call me.”

Pride swelled in your chest and you had to keep from whooping and hollering right there in the foyer, but as soon as you both were safely on the other side of the thick, wooden, double doors you flung your arms around him.

“Holy shit, babe,” you breathed, burying your face in the crook of his neck, the warm, citrusy scent of his cologne setting you at ease as his arms squeezed at your waist. Pulling away, you clasped his face between your hands. “First? I’m so sorry,” you said, shaking your head, running your thumb gently over his cheek, “And second? You were amazing in there, standing up for yourself.”

Steve turned a deep shade of pink, clearing his throat as his eyes dropped down to look at his shoes. “No way, that was awful.”

“It was,” you agreed, leading him slowly back to the truck, “But I’ve never seen you defend yourself, your hard work, like that. It’s not something to disregard.”

“You think so?” he asked the steering wheel after settling onto the bench seat next to you, the truck rumbling to life when he turned the key over.

Lifting a hand to the strong line of his jaw you gently turned his head to look at you.

“I know so,” you said softly, “And I love you and the way you take care of me, so damn much.”

His lashes fluttered, blinking away the starts of his tears, and smiled through it. No one had ever stood by his side the way you had just now. Had pushed through all the bullshit from his family and didn't shy away from it all. It meant more to him than he could ever put into words, so he settled for the truth.

“I love you too," he said, leaning into you with a hand pressed to your thigh and holding your cheek in his other. “I love you,” he said again, a soft whisper as he pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I love you,” another to your cheek. “I love you,” his mouth meeting the corner of yours. “I love you,” his bottom lip catching yours perfectly, sweetly, “I love you.”

crappymixtape™ • steve harrington masterlist // stranger things masterlist ♥️ reblogs and comments keep me going, friends! ily! ♥️

[keferon]

Blurr's public presences is spotless -- held aloft as a pinnacle of humanity, unreachable by anyone else. But, outside the public eye...he's still human.

----------------------------------

It's only when Blurr is sure he's alone in the office that he allows himself to relax.  He turns off the TV broadcast spouting out statistics about how fact his mech can go and how many new recruits have signed up for the program under their latest drive.  He silences the radio, that was giving an update about how the mecha program benefits communities too – how just the other day, Blurr had stopped to help a family get their kitten out of a tree and still been speedy enough to save the day afterwards.

Blurr sighs and slumps into his office desk chair, casual grin sliding off his face.  He stretches out one arm to sweep away the pile of newspapers neatly stacked in the center of the desk.  The action papers the office floor with headlines and photos – his own name and face staring back at him.

Blurr.  Blurr.  Blurr.  Blurr. Blurr…blurr…blurr….

At least he's never in danger of forgetting his own name, he thinks sardonically.  Not with someone saying it every few seconds he's not alone.

Not that it matters really.  Publicity stunts.  All of it.  Meaningless.

There've been countless attacks in recent weeks Blurr knows, even if he can't hold on to the exact number.  Countless actual mech pilots on the front lines. 

Blurr knows because he watches them hurrying through the hangars each day, grim looks on their faces.  He feels a twinge of guilt that he doesn't know any of their names.  Doesn't even know for sure that they're the same people, though he's fairly certain they must be.

Not that it really matters.  He's not really one of them.  Never has been.

And it's not like he's alone in not knowing their names.  The media doesn't seem to know or care who's actually saving everyone's lives.  The boss doesn't seem to care either, so long as the world isn't ending and money is still flowing into his pockets.

Blurr should care.  He should.  They're the ones actually fighting for humanity – the real heroes.  Not Blurr.

But some days, some days it's all just a bit too much.  Because if he cares, he has to admit the truth.  And if he admits the truth, then he's no longer the shining, perfect icon of humanity everyone expects him to be.  So the façade remains unbroken, even as Blurr chafes underneath it.

He wants to be more.  Misses the thrill of the actual race.  Not just the stunts the boss schedules him for, where he runs a set distance through a controlled environment under spotlights and cameras.  Give him the wind whipping through his hair.  Give him the intensity of competing against the best of the best – human ingenuity and improvisation put to the test as they were pitted against an equally intelligent opponent in a lightning-fast test of skills.  He misses the adrenaline rush of the race.  Misses knowing that each time he finished he had done something few others could – and that it was something that mattered.

The boss assures him that what he does does matter.  That the program wouldn't – couldn't exist without him. 

Because they need that good publicity. (Blurr still feels like he should be doing more.) 

They need the money he brings in from donors.   (The boss at least, definitely wants the money.  Though whether he needs the money, Blurr finds questionable every time he watches him keep a check for himself that's substantially larger than the one Blurr walks away with.)

But at the end of the day Blurr can't argue that the boss and the money don't keep the program running.  And if he has no regrets that he still hasn't learned his bosses name, well….  The man acts understanding every time he's around Blurr, but Blurr can tell that that's all it is – an act (and he would know).  And if Blurr himself lets his confidence cross the line into arrogance and acts just a little bit more dismissive than he has to around the man, he doubts many would blame him.  The less time he has to spend with the boss the better.

Even if the boss seems to think the opposite of him.  He'd given Blurr a private radio the day Blurr first signed on to his contract, all in the name of being helpful.  Anything Blurr needed, anything at all.  Blurr has gotten the feeling though that it's as much so that the boss can keep track of Blurr as his investment.  He uses it more to call on Blurr – for anything and everything any time of day or night that might get a boost from a little extra star power.

Speaking of…Blurr's radio crackles to life.  "You have an appointment in engineering in five.  Be there.  Find someone else to assist you, I'm busy.  Over and out."  The radio dies as suddenly as it came to life.

Blurr sighs again, picks up his coffee cup from the desk and downs it in one gulp.  He kicks the newspapers into a corner of the office and shrugs on his coat.  The smile slides easily back onto his face as though it had never been out of place as he steps forward, opens his office door, and wanders out to find someone who might be able to help him find engineering.

“He misses the adrenaline rush of the race.  Misses knowing that each time he finished he had done something few others could – and that it was something that mattered.” ANON YOU ARE KILLING ME. BRUTALLY MURDERING WITHOUT ANY MERCY AND IM NOT COMPLAINING EVEN IN THE SLIGHTEST /POS

[ouroborosorder]

big fan of harpygirls i see

you do not understand the love in my heart for anime harpygirls. if i could be a harpy i would. my hands aren't important. i have wings. it's better.because you have to hold things with the little bent elbows on the end like they're little paws covered in feathers. that's the pinnacle. the way that harpygirls groom their feathers usually as some sort of gag or physical comedy or blatant excuse for being horny but i'm fine with that because i will always be horny for harpies. and the way that we've all unilaterally agreed on chestwraps for harpies, the single hottest article of clothing, with the wings providing the color contrast that a jacket would normally provide, mimicking the effect of the S+ tier "chestwrap with a big jacket" combo,, but the visual balance is restored due to the big talons, meaning that overall a perfectly balanced design where verything exists in a perfect harmony. the fact that harpygirl colors are blue! green! purple! those are the harpy colors! and they're all perfect! sometimes you get harpies designed to mimic actual birds and they're literally peak because how do you design a character carrying the visual traits of a bird into a human design conveys a lot about how much you love the bird and what traits on the bird you deam critical. and they're versatile!!! you like knifeplay? they got talons. you into tickling? feathers, baby. you like... egg stuff? not for me, don't understand it, but i've got great news about the amount of harpy egg porn on the internet. you want art of a cute girl screaming at people? harpies. there;s nothing they can't do. no, that's a lie. There's many things they cannot do. the fact that they do what they do and they do it perfectly. they are beautiful birds, nothing more and nothing less. this is the appeal of the harpygirl. you must love harpies. i wish i was a harpy. i want to kiss a harpy. if i could design myself a vtuber avatar it would be a fucking harpy just so i could look at it and pretend for a single moment that i am a harpy. i feel the same way about harpies that laios dungeon meshi feels about beastmen. i respect them and also want to be them and also want to fuck them. do you understand. the worst day of my life was learning about the arknights liberi because from then on my next question was "can they be a harpy" and the answer is a resounding "not really." and to this day it haunts me. i genuinely have considered comissioning art of a harpygirl i can use as an avatar just so i can go through my day with even a fraction of the gender euphoria i experience when i see a harpy. do you get it. do you UDNERSTAND.

[croded]

So i went to watch the Nice theme (Paragon) MV and it had a Chinese translation of the lyrics, but then I noticed that as usual, their Chinese translation has a meaning or nuance in the lyrics that the original English doesn't really have, and I thought it was cool, so I tried translating it (amateur attempt.) and it got cooler :O so of course I'm going to yap a bit about the differences between the two versions :D

Here are the original English lyrics:

To be the pinnacle, there's a price A model of virtue above the vice Dressed in gold and flowing white The dark is vanquished by your light Pretenders that would give their lives If painless and was televised It's not easy being nice It's not about the merchandise It's so serene, the blue and green, from outer space If we all could make it work It could be such a happy place To broker peace so pain can cease We are much more than the sum of all our parts So go and capture all their hearts Cuz you are the teacher Shine like a sapphire to guide us Wisdom is just in your nature Fighting for justice You take us higher Saw the potential to be good So many just misunderstood So many lost deep in the wood shall find a way Can imagine a world with no fear of hate Waking up with no reason for feeling great Can imagine a world that you can create You're the fate, you're the fate that we deserve Paragon, just cut through the night Guide us with your beacon of light Paragon, just cut through the night Guide us with your beacon of light

Here is the Chinese translation of the lyrics:

想登上顶峰，必须付出代价 凌驾于一切邪恶的美德典范 金装闪闪，白衣飘飘 黑暗被你的光芒驱散 伪装者愿意付出一切 只为了光鲜亮丽地站在镁光灯下 完美并不容易 这无关金钱交易 纵观寰宇，蓝与绿如此宁静 如果一切安好 这将会是幸福的天地 建立和平，让痛苦终结 我们绝不是无魂的躯体 去俘获他们所有人的心神吧 你是榜样 如蓝宝石般闪耀，指引方向 你生而知之 为正义而战 你带我们乘风破浪 看到心灵深处的善良 太多彼此误解的人 太多迷失的人，总会柳暗花明 可以想象一个没有仇恨与恐惧的世界 醒来享受本真的美好 可以想象你将创造的世界 你就是命运，你就是我们应得的命运 启明星，请照亮黑暗 用你的光芒指引我们 启明星，请照亮黑暗 用你的光芒指引我们

And now, here is my amateurish attempt at translating the Chinese lyrics (some lyrics remain unchanged, but a lot of the lyrics have slight changes of meaning or nuance, which I just directly translated):

To be the pinnacle, there's a price A model of virtue above the vice Dressed in shimmering gold and flowing white The dark is vanquished by your light The pretenders are willing to give everything Just to stand glamorously beneath the spotlight Perfection isn't easy This has nothing to do with transactions Across the world, the blue and green is so serene If all is well This will be a world of bliss Establish peace, end the suffering We are most definitely not soulless bodies Go capture the people's hearts and minds You are the model Shine like a sapphire and guide us You are born with wisdom You fight for justice You lead us to march forward fearlessly Saw the kindness deep in the depths of the soul Too many people who misunderstand each other Too many lost people, will always find a path Can imagine a world with no hate and fear Wake up and enjoy true goodness Can imagine the world you will create You are fate, you are the fate that we deserve Morning star, illuminate the dark Guide us with your light Morning star, illuminate the dark Guide us with your light

feel free to correct me if you see something wrong :')

Now let's look at what important things changed :D

"Pretenders that would give their lives/If painless and was televised" -> "The pretenders are willing to give everything/Just to stand glamorously beneath the spotlight"

I'm gonna be honest, I don't really understand what the original means by "if painless and was televised" 😭 like I really cannot comprehend what the meaning is, if they gave their lives how would it be painless- (maybe it's a line hinting at the entertainment industry that I'm too immature to understand, my bad) but the Chinese translates into the pink text above which seems like a meaning change to me?

"It's not easy being nice" -> "Perfection isn't easy/It's not easy being perfect"

As you can see it's a fun double meaning of Nice being perfect and the entire concept of "Nice" ending up becoming "perfection"! :)

"It's not about the merchandise" -> "It has nothing to do with transactions"

Actually I think this one technically means the same thing, just it's not about the material rewards/products/items (they used 金钱交易 which is just "transactions of money")

"It's so serene, the blue and green, from outer space" -> "Across the world, the blue and green is so serene"

Again,this technically means the same thing, just that "from outer space" wasn't used directly? (feel free to correct me)

"If we all could make it work/It could be such a happy place" -> "If all is well/This will be a world of bliss"

In the Chinese translation they didn't mention a "we" at all - just said 如果一切安好 "if all is well" and 幸福的天地 "a world of bliss" so the meaning change isn't really major here, it just feels so much more... grand? or some better fitting word? like "place" and "happy" feel a little less intense/monumental than "bliss" and "world" (天地 literally meaning the heavens and the earth, basically the world, but even more grand)

"To broker peace so pain can cease" -> "Establish peace, end the suffering"

Again, not a very major change, but there is a certain level of difference between "broker" and "establish": "broker" sounds like you negotiated peace with something or someone, and a deal was made for peace, while "establish" sounds more like you set up or built that peace yourself, brick by brick, with your own power? if that makes sense? (idk this is one of the takes that im less confident in 😭 again, correct me if I'm wrong)

"We are much more than the sum of all our parts" -> "We are definitely not soulless bodies"

Now, this seems like a very significant change to me. The original lyric says "more than the sum of all our parts" like joining forces will give rise to an even greater power, but the Chinese translation says "we are definitely not soulless bodies/shells" like everyone has a drive, a power within them that keeps them going. Could it be that the original lyric embodies the hero belief system, where the trust and belief of the normal, powerless civilian masses create a hero with superhuman powers and the ability to perform feats that civilians can only dream of, while the Chinese translation embodies Lin Ling's philosophy in episode 1, where everyone in the world, even the civilians and the nobodies, have something in them that could bloom and flourish into a hero given the chance?

"So go and capture all their hearts" -> "Go capture the people's hearts and minds"

Aaaaand we're back to really minor changes. The only difference here is the word choice.

"Cuz you are the teacher/Shine like a sapphire to guide us" -> "You are the model/Shine like a sapphire and guide us"

Extremely slight meaning change here, with teacher and model. In my opinion, "teacher" is someone who actively... teaches, extending a guiding hand and all, basically very active in the role of guiding and nurturing and teaching. The Chinese translation used 榜样, which means "example" or "model". This role is not active in the teaching and guiding process, but is more of an example to look upon and follow - like a prototype, or for example a student who behaves obediently and performs excellently and is made into a "good example to be followed". The 榜样(model) role does not extend a helping hand and does not guide you actively in a mentor role. It is just... there, like a guidebook.

"Wisdom is just in your nature/Fighting for justice" -> "You are born with wisdom/You fight for justice"

You guessed it - virtually no changes to the meaning except for word choice. The only thing that can be mentioned is "wisdom is just in your nature" to "you are born with wisdom" - since apparently the Chinese translation "生而知之" comes from a line in the Confucian Analects (a record of this really wise guy talking with his disciples): 生而知之，上也。There are more lines behind this but what this specific one means is literally "Those who are born with knowledge are superior" (in learning) (ive said this so many times but please correct me if im wrong 文言文 is NOT my strong suit 😭)

"You take us higher" -> "You lead us to march forward fearlessly"

This is because I feel that the Chinese translation of 乘风破浪 has a bigger/deeper meaning than just "take us higher". 乘风破浪, literally "ride the winds and break the waves", means "to move forward bravely without fear of challenge or difficulty". So I changed it here to "march forward fearlessly".

"Saw the potential to be good" -> "Saw the kindness deep within the depths of the soul"

Word choice again. Just has the details of the soul there. The meaning is pretty much the same.

"So many just misunderstood/So many lost deep in the wood shall find a way" -> "Too many people who misunderstand each other/Too many lost people, will always find a path

Minor difference here on the "misunderstood ones" line: the original English lyrics just says "so many just misunderstood" which, in my opinion, implies the misunderstanding is one-way, while the Chinese translation says "misunderstand each other", which implies that the misunderstanding goes all around. The people are all hurting each other at the same time instead of it just being a one-way hurting. As for the "lost" line, the Chinese translation doesn't bring up woods at all, but for the "find a way" to "find a path", the Chinese translation uses 柳暗花明, which, if my research tells me correctly, means "to suddenly find a path of survival/salvation after going through suffering" which. basically the same thing. but cool Chinese idiom :)

"Can imagine a world with no fear of hate" -> "Can imagine a world with no hate and fear"

This one's a little strange - the original English lyric implies the world is... afraid of hating? Hmm. But the Chinese translation says something else, that the world contains, or is filled with hate and fear.

"Waking up with no reason for feeling great" -> "Wake up and enjoy true goodness"

Here's another one with a major meaning change - the original English lyric is pessimistic and depressed, while the Chinese translation is saying to wake up and "enjoy the true goodness". One thing to note here is the use of "goodness" - I struggled with this translation because they used 美好, which can have a multitude of different English translations, such as "good", "fine", "lovely", "pleasant", "enjoyable", "wonderful", and... "nice". heh.

"Can imagine a world that you can create" -> "Can imagine the world you will create"

Minor changes again. Here you can see the original English lyric treats it like just a possibility or an idea, while the Chinese translation is much more certain with it. "A world" is vague, "you can create" is not very certain. You can create it, but you might not. There is still the possibility that you don't. However, the Chinese translation uses 你将创造的世界, with 将 meaning "will" in this context. "The world" carries implications of an already concrete plan or image, "you will create" is very certain. You are going to create this new world. There was never any consideration that you would say no, or decide not to do it. You will.

"Paragon, just cut through the night/Guide us with your beacon of light" -> "Morning star, illuminate the dark/Guide us with your light"

So this one's interesting, considering the Chinese used 启明星 here, which means morning star (a bright planet, usually Venus, seen in the eastern sky before sunrise). Paragon means "a person or thing that is regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality". Very fitting with Nice's theme! But morning star means something else now - there might be biblical implications, but I'm not familiar with that and don't want to get anything too wrong there, so i focused on interpreting it as "bringer of light", as can be seen from the following lines "just cut through the night/illuminate the dark". Nothing to say about "guide us with your beacon of light/guide us with your light", it means the exact same thing. "Paragon" is a very fitting word for Nice's whole theme, but "启明星 Morning star" is rather fitting with the visuals.

right side of the screen... east... literally shining light down from above the masses who are sitting in the dark... light coming from the right/east... he floats above them, a step above them all, in the "eastern sky"... seems quite fitting with "morning star"!

his theme in general. the many stars, the pure unstained white cloth, the doves, the singular larger sun/star emblem above him... morning star! (and the golden ratio in the back, for perfection!) (if I remember correctly doves also have some spiritual/biblical meaning. salvation I think?)

now that is the end of a rather long yap. I feel that overall the Chinese translation sounds a little more optimistic and determined (?) than the original English lyrics, which is interesting! Can't wait to see how Nice and Lin Ling's story unfolds :)

[once-in-a-blood-moon]

How do u think Solomon would react if MC randomly kiss attack his face?? Lets mixing it up with in front of the other characters

I feel like it could go multiple ways but I wanna know how u would think it could go

(love ur works by the way!! 💛💛🐙)

Sorry I was a little slow getting to this, but thank you, I'm glad you enjoy my writing! 💜

Okay, let's do two scenarios - one where you kiss attack him when you're alone, and one where you do it in front of the others.

In the first scenario, Solomon has you over at his dorm room for the usual lesson. Even though he always takes his time to thoroughly lesson plan beforehand, he's currently flipping through a spell book he thought he had tabbed and is growing frustrated at himself for his lack of preparedness. After all, he strives to be the pinnacle of responsibility so that you don't lose faith in him as your teacher.

You can see the the irritation in the way he aggressively turns the pages, and hear it in the mumbles of curses and sighs as he still can't find the correct spell he wanted to you to work on today. To him, this is an annoyance, and quite frankly, embarrassing. To you, it's slightly amusing and oddly endearing. You know he works hard to provide you with an education that suits your needs and learning abilities. You've watched him switch up techniques in the blink of an eye to accommodate you when the previous way doesn't work, you've heard countless praise and reassurance (even when you fail to perfect a spell), and you've never missed the twinkle of pride in his eyes as he guides you through each lesson - privileged to see you learn from your mistakes and succeed in the end.

Solomon shows you so much patience and understanding, so you decide to take the initiative and return the same. You reach out to gently grab his face, turning him from his hurried search to start furiously kissing him. With each kiss around his face, you feel the furrowed and stressed muscles loosen beneath your lips until you feel the fat of his cheeks swell and warm with laughter. It's a successful distraction from his previous frustration, and serves as a reminder that you care about him beyond his capabilities. You care about him, flaws and all.

When you finally stop and let go of his face, he gives you the most lovesick expression. He doesn't even look as he closes the now abandoned book on his desk and leans in closer to you.

"I always appreciate your kisses. How about we reschedule our lesson for tomorrow? I don't think I can focus now that I've felt your love and am in desperate need of more..."

---

In scenario two, Solomon's coming over to pick you up for an outing to a nearby cafe that recently opened. Your waiting by the door unfortunately catches the attention of the brothers who begin bombarding you with questions. You feel like you're being interrogated by the government.

"Sneaking off, are you?"

"Yeah! Where do ya think you're goin' without me?!"

"Of course you wouldn't tell me you had plans today..."

"I don't think they're sneaking off. It looks like they're waiting for someone..."

"Ooh! A lovely suitor perhaps? Who is it?"

"Isth it smone we know?"

"Beel, chew your food before speaking. ...Is it?"

You grin cheekily as you check the time. "I don't tell you guys everything."

Solomon should be here any minute to sweep you away from the chaos that's going to ensue if you let slip he's the one you're going out with. Your secrecy is not out of embarrassment to be seeing him, it's just that the brothers can be overdramatic - especially where Solomon's involved. It's best to keep your lips sealed until you return as to not spoil the night before it even starts.

Just then, there's a gentle, but firm knock at the door indicating Solomon's arrival. You move to open the door, but Lucifer steps in front of you and opens it before you can.

Oh no...

Lucifer blinks a few times having expected anyone else but Solomon to be standing there before him. There's indifference on his face, yet his eyes tell a different story.

"Hardly a 'lovely suitor'."

"I'll say! The hell do you think you are, whisking MC away like this?!"

"Solomon? You're going out with Solomon?"

"Huh, fair enough I suppose."

"OMG! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Loo, Belphie, isth Stholomon."

"Yes, Beel, I see..."

You face palm as you hear their tirade of questions, comments, and complaints. This is exactly what you wanted to avoid.

Quickly, to shut them all up and to make an obvious statement about your feelings for Solomon, you push past the brothers crowding the door to reach him. He smiles upon seeing you, but is taken by surprise when you suddenly grab his face and attack him with multiple kisses.

The brothers go silent as they watch in envy as that blasted sorcerer gets all those nice kisses. Solomon goes redder than anyone's ever seen before as he tries to get you to stop since you are in the presence of others. Though internally he really doesn't want you to as he loves the attention and revels in the fact that the brothers get to see how much you love him.

"Hey, hey, calm down. I'm happy to see you too! But maybe we should wait to do this when it's just us?"

You begrudgingly stop, but in return, get the privilege of seeing his flustered face cupped between your hands. For not just the brothers, but for Solomon as well, your message was received loud and clear - you love him and you're proudly going out with him.

So much for keeping your lips sealed.

[theeternalwomb]

what kind of seducer are you (18+)

this is me using my mornings to be productive and doing what I said I would do for you guys in the first place lol, these readings take me a long time and a lot of energy even if it doesn’t seem like it so I hope you enjoy these and find them entertaining <33

***

i.

I’m giving immediately everyone wants to see you everyone wants to be around you or people perceive you to be someone well known and well sought after and that within itself is the pinnacle of your allure. Everyone has to have you. You’re a wish fulfillment to many people I’m hearing it girl. I’m also getting debutant vibes like there’s this very timeless beauty that you manifest, or like Bridgerton vibes, you’re the diamond of the season, everybody sees you, everyone wants to look at you, everyone wants to know what you’ll do next.

I’m hearing people also see you as someone who can protect and love very well and it makes them feel very greedy about you. Your energy is enlightened, you heal, you love. And when you have energy like that people can be very attracted to it and desire to have it all for themselves. To overconsume. Like I hear people saying that your energy, the type of person you are is very scarce and they’d like to have a taste, they’d like to have you for themselves.

I’m also getting people may think you’re very good in bed or they fantasize about you and what you can do I’m hearing you’re very beautiful. You’re a perfect embodiment of what desire and love is. You could be a virgin or be very protective over your sexual energy and who you give yourself over to and that curiosity and desire to dive into you is what really attracts some people to you. You make people very thirsty. You’re a reservoir of water in the desert.

Im hearing you’re the one thing people make sure to ask their God for. You may bring people a lot of peace and solace and people see you to be a nurturing person or someone they want to rest with or be around in their time of hardship in need. Like when we had nightmares as a child and we went to lie with someone we knew would keep us safe or would support us or listen to us even if what we were afraid of felt silly or unreal.

People sense that your accolades are within. Like you don’t have to prove yourself or display your talents or achievements publicly or through things that are physical and tangible because people know and you know that you are a good person and have many talents and wonderful attributes and abilities. People also believe that you’re very wise and smart as well. And I’m hearing that you may even take the sexual charge out of people not in a bad way because you’re very desired but you take out the ache and the craving of being sexually driven to fill a void because people see you as fulfilling enough or a lot already without having to sleep with you or use your body for healing.

You make people feel as though they can have all the things they fear they cannot or don’t deserve.

***

ii.

There’s something about your emotional receptivity or your emotional energy that brings people to you. You could be a masculine energy or a man because I got the king of cups. People feel that you care very deeply about a great deal of things even to the point of it troubling you. They feel you have a lot of heart and that you would be ideal for marriage or long-term commitment because they know you’d love them with everything you’ve got and for a long time.

People may feel as though you can heal them or open up their hearts to be saved because you understand them or you may relate to their sorrows and worries. I hear “They’re filled to the brim with love.” You may attract people who’ve come from broken homes or come from places where they weren’t very loved or valued and people feel as though you can shower them in love and affection and fill a hole in their heart. People may leech off of you at times or drain your energy because they see the things they did not receive at crucial moments in their life in excess in you.

I’m hearing people saying that your love is like love. Your s*x, your affection, and your touch is what love is supposed to feel like. You may be very gentle but rough at the same time, very strong, and give off very protective and patient energy. I'm hearing that people fall for you very fast and very hard. You're almost addictive and it takes them long bouts of time to feel their really free of the effect you have on them. People feel you even in your absence when you're not around to have and to hold. You're a lot to miss. You're a lot to love and be loved by. There's so much excess.

You could give off very paternal energy. The girls with daddy issues love you, the boys with daddy issues find themselves wanting to crawl into your lap too. You could be very dominant as well. Stubborn, strong-willed, and unwavering. People find very high expectations for what it means and what it feels like to be loved by you. I’m hearing “I wouldn’t wanna be any place else.” People want to stay with you. You could be very prone to be caught in long-term relationships even if you don’t intend to stay for very long because people hold onto you so tightly.

You almost make people want to be willing to share cause they know other people want your time and attention and love to and they’re not ready to ever let you go on to someone else. The people are also saying that you’re very action-oriented and very driven and that makes them want to follow you wherever you go.

***

iii.

People could see you as very relaxed as well as very intellectually aware. They see you as very level-headed and smart. You’re someone people see as destined for success or someone who can’t help but be on top or come into a lot of good fortune within their lives because you’re just naturally very strong-minded and steady.

People may also see you as someone who isn’t afraid to take risks and is very brave in life. They see you as someone who is consciously aware of their inner calling in life and is intentional about the things they do and know exactly where they are going and that level of stability and knowing attracts people to you. It’s as if they’re saying if this person is stable and knows what they want out of life surely I can learn something and even if I don’t this is the person I want to spend time with.

Im hearing please don’t stop the music by Rihanna as well. People see you as a fun time or a night they never want to end when they spend time with you. People may also think you’re very good to sleep with as well like after a night with you their world is rocked and they want to stay right where they are. People see themselves enveloped by a little bubble while there with you. Nothing else matters. Nothing else is important. This energy really reminds me of Bed Peace by Jhene Aiko and Childish Gambino.

People feel as though you have a thirst for life, like you’re challenging the status quo, like if the world were to shift or change or if everyone woke up one morning and decided they were gonna do what they wanted to do, not go to work, not go to school, eat whatever they wanted, kiss the person they loved or be in any way spontaneous it would be because of you. I’m hearing “you’re a firecracker.”

People are attracted to you, seduced by you, because of the freedom you offer them. You radiate self-love and expression and they desire to be in that energy themselves. You’re like art. Like the countryside or loud jazz music that’s being overheard from the window on a long summer night.

***

these messages were really sweet, made me love you. Okay, good morning, good night, or good evening lol, I love you and I hope this was what you needed. Be sure to book a personal reading with me by going to my Instagram and clicking the link in my bio if you wish to have a reading with me personally. ❤️

[waywardsummoner46]

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ Sink Into the Darkness, My Light | Five | ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

"Join us, my Light."

Two centuries ago, the ruler of the Light disappeared, plunging the universe into chaos and disrupting the sacred, unspoken balance of the universe.

The eight rulers of the Darkness never stopped looking for her; their obsession never once waning since she vanished.

Recently, they've sensed something. Never around long enough to pinpoint but so euphoric that it sings within their veins. And since meeting you, well... slowly they begin to understand why.

"Sink into the darkness with us."

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

「✦」 PAIRING - yandere ot8!ateez x (?)reader

「✦」 GENRE - ancient gods!au, fantasy!au, magical powers!au

「✦」 WARNINGS - mind control, gaslighting, dom/sub, subspace (of a sort), temporary amnesia, manipulation, YANDERE AND DARK THEMES

「✦」 WORD COUNT - 3188

「✦」 A/N - Hey...

「✦」 TAGLIST - @yandere-stories - @adorawritesalot - @yoongisgirl69 - @sadtoru

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

• one • two • three • four • five • six •

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

“Listen, I don’t know what else to tell you. My friends and I were sitting at that table right here and he lost his phone,” frustration was clear in your tone of voice. “Has no one seen it? At all?”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but no one has handed a phone in.”

  You shake your head as you look down at the floor. Perhaps Wooyoung hadn’t lost his damn phone and had just misplaced it at home. They definitely looked as though they’d be doing more than sleeping after you and Ji-Ah left last night. You wrinkle your nose slightly at the thought. The last thing you want to picture on a weak stomach is whatever compromising position those two got into. It was none of your business, anyway.

  You look back at the receptionist, “Well, thank you anyway.” Pulling out a pen from your pocket, you write down your number on an old receipt you found in your pocket and handed it to the receptionist. “If anything pops up, let me know.”

  You glanced around. Siren’s Den looked completely different during the day. A large dance floor, plenty of comfy, dark red booths for people to sit at, all with a perfect view of the incredibly elaborate stage that was the pinnacle of the whole place. 

  You wondered, briefly, why such a stage might be familiar to you, but that thought was gone as soon as it came. You chalked it up to the fever dream of a night you’d had.

  It was honestly quite nice; like somewhere a sociable child would have a disco party. You laughed mirthlessly at the thought, what a fucking birthday you’d had. 

 You sipped the drink you’d been poured - one they’d offered complementarity - and pondered over the past… well, day. Again.

 It was definitely a birthday unlike any other you’d had, for numerous reasons. Could you say you were grateful for them all? No. Definitely not. Meeting Wooyoung, or even learning of his existence was provoking feelings in you that you did not like, regardless of his kindness and friendliness last night. He was charming, you’d give him that. He had to have been in order to have charmed Jiwon into the closest thing to settling down she’d done since you were teenagers. And he had treated you and Ji-Ah with nothing but respect.

  So, why then did he make your skin crawl? 

  You swished the liquid around in the glass before downing it all in one. Maybe you’d just have to put up with it, for Jiwon’s sake. You wondered for a bit if you were confusing your unease for Wooyoung as worry for how he’d treat Jiwon but in all honesty, last night, you couldn’t pay attention to them in any capacity. 

  From the moment he had sat down, hell from the moment you had laid eyes on him, a strange feeling stirred in your gut. And then… eventually left your gut and onto the floor. 

  Something had triggered such a reaction, you were sure of it. It wasn’t like you to have such an aggressive wave of anxiety crash over you like that. As much as you disliked Wooyoung, you couldn’t blame him for the physical reaction you’d had last night. Maybe it was the drink you’d chosen? Doubtful. The atmosphere? It was rather suffocating, in all honesty. The lights and blaring music definitely weighed on your already stressed head more than you liked to admit. Yeah, you’ll go with that.

  Sighing loudly, you stood and thanked the receptionist once again. It was 11:17. Contrary to what you’d told Jiwon, you decided to go in the morning for his phone so you’d have gotten rid of the anxiety swirling in your stomach for the rest of the day. 

  “Have a lovely day, miss!” You hoped you would.

  “Thank you!”

  Ultimately, you decided to visit Life Rose On. You felt as though you should spoil yourself, as a late birthday present. Buying a new bouquet of flowers for yourself was a treat you didn’t often indulge in, but one you treasured all the more for as a result. And after the whirlwind of emotions you’d experienced within the past twenty-four hours, you felt like you deserved it.

  In the past, Jung-Hee always either picked out a bouquet for you herself or let you have free reign over what you wanted to create. Flower language was important to her so when she made the effort to navigate through her endless galaxy of different flowers, it really put into perspective for you just how much she genuinely did care. 

  You’d been touching up on it yourself, although not nearly as much as you’d like. You were doing it so that you could surprise Jung-Hee with your knowledge, something she’d always admired in you.

  “You should put your wits to use, honeybee. It’s wasted holed up in that apartment of yours,” she chided from where she was cutting the thorns from her rose bush. Your face turned exasperated, even if you were fond of her fretting. 

 “You know I’m searching for a job, halmeoni,” your gaze turns wistful. “The right one just hasn’t come up yet.”

  You knew she could sense the longing in your tone. All you’ve ever wanted is to be able to help people, really help people. You’d always had that natural instinct, always been naturally good at making people feel better about themselves and about their situation. Jung-Hee said it was a gift, you were inclined to agree, even if those urges were never truly sated.

  In your peripheral, you saw her lower the clippers in her hands and dust them off on her apron. She approached you and placed two callused palms on either side of your face and squished. The look in her eyes was the same love given from a grandmother to her grandchild, as though they could do no wrong and were yet to shed their naivety.

 “You will get the job you want, honeybee, there is no doubt in my mind.” She gave you a delicate kiss on your forehead. “Who knows? Maybe it will be sooner than later.”

  The familiar sign of the flower shop always put a smile on your face as it stood out amongst the others. The ivy clinging to the walls and the flowers dangling from the entrance an everlasting spectacle. You felt like you could finally relieve the weight from your chest at the sight of it.

  Glancing towards the opening door, the smile that had bloomed grew even brighter at the sight of who was leaving the shop. 

  “Yunho? Hey!” You exclaimed, happy to see his face again even if you’d only met him yesterday. Your mind couldn’t help but remember how reassured his words and voice made you feel yesterday. Yunho seemed to have a naturally soothing presence and, right now, that was just what you needed.

  His head turned in your direction with a slight scowl to his brow before it smoothed, finally seeing who had addressed him. “(Y/N), how lovely to see you again.” He stepped further from the door and tucked a hand into the pockets of his long, black trenchcoat. He was smartly dressed in a black suit but you could practically taste how expensive it was to tailor. You wondered what he did for work.

  His other hand came up in a wave, showing what you assumed to be pure leather riding gloves.

  It was then that you saw that there was someone with him. A man of a similar height in an outfit that looked to be worth more than your apartment. Yunho noticed where your eyes had strayed to and gestured kindly to the man as he moved to stand where you could both be introduced properly, “This is Mingi. Mingi, this is (Y/N). She’s the lovely lady I said I met yesterday.”

  You smiled at him and noticed how Yunho didn’t offer any more of an introduction past his name. Mingi attempted a small smile back but you could tell that he probably wasn’t the kind of person who would put himself into social situations like this very often. His body language was screaming ‘I am on a social timer and it is getting dangerously close to zero’. 

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mingi.”

  “You too,” and, oh, wasn’t that interesting? You had to fight to suppress the shiver that wracked through you as his deep voice reached your ears like a crushed silk and prayed that Mingi hadn’t felt the aftershocks as you shook hands. 

  You couldn’t quite temper the blush that dusted your cheeks, but you could play that off as a chill from the cold air. 

  “Mingi and I were just on our way to get a light snack before we visit a friend later. Did you, perhaps, want to join us?” Yunho asked you, drawing your slightly wide eyes back to him. Admittedly, it took you a few seconds to completely process his question but as soon as you did a pleasant warmth filled your chest.

  “Oh, I’d love to! I wouldn’t be intruding, would I?” they both shook their heads immediately. 

  “We insist. Please, it’d be a nice way to get to know each other better.” 

 ��A bright expression overtook your face. “Then yeah, I’d love to join you both. Where did you have in mind?”

  Yunho looked expectantly at Mingi, and you did the same, thinking that perhaps Mingi was the one with a coffee shop in mind. He wouldn’t meet either of your eyes, instead adjusting the collar of his creaseless shirt as though he was warm, even though the temperature outside was biting. “Any ideas, Mangi-ya?” 

  Your eyes looked between the two of them subtly. You noticed that Yunho was looking at Mingi like he’d hung the stars in the sky and your heart clenched at how adorable Yunho’s love for Mingi was. Mingi’s eyes darted to Yunho’s briefly, not meeting your own, and even in that minute locking of gazes you saw a desperate grasp for reassurance and maybe a call for help as well.

  Interesting, you mused internally. You weren’t about to speculate on the nature of their relationship as it wasn’t your place to do so - it was clear from a mile away that they meant the world to one another. Who were you to judge that?

  Yunho must’ve seen the same thing as you, most probably saw and understood more than you ever could, for he seemed to take mercy on Mingi and put the pressure onto you instead. “How about you, (Y/N)? Anywhere you like to go?” And he genuinely seemed to care.

  Thinking deeply, you listed mentally all of the immediate coffee shops you could think of in the area. There was your typical, universal Starbucks. There was a little shop on the main high street. Was there one on the same street as Life Rose On perhaps?

  Your train of thought screeched to an abrupt halt as you turned to them both with a regretful expression on your face. You’d forgotten the entire point of coming to this part of town today.

  “I’m so sorry but I completely forgot I was meant to be visiting Jung-Hee today, she owns the flower shop and she wasn’t in yesterday. We could go again some time? Maybe this week?” You looked up at them both with hope glistening in your eyes. You were genuinely sorry about the turn of events. Selfishly and selflessly. You’d love to spend time getting to know Yunho and Mingi, they both seemed like kind and genuine people, regardless of how reserved Mingi appeared to be, and you’d always clicked immediately with people of that description. 

  Not seeing Jung-Hee yesterday, despite how pleasant meeting Yeosang was, worried you a little bit. Coupled with how she hadn’t left you a text or even a little bouquet behind the counter with a note, her well-being couldn’t help but preoccupy your thoughts slightly. 

  Both men looked at you with a startling amount of attention in their eyes. You didn’t quite know what emotions were there, you weren’t sure you were quite comfortable with them though. Slowly, your apologetic posture began to angle towards the direction of the shop and away from them.

  “Hey, wait,” Yunho stepped closer to you. A large hand coming up to hover over your arm as though wanting to touch you but hesitant to breach what you were comfortable with. He ducked his head slightly to meet your gaze and, just like yesterday, the deep brown of them captured you once again.

  Voice soft, he murmured, “I’m sure she’s alright. If there was anything wrong, you would know about it.” 

  His words were so convincing. You could see the truth in them, the objective fact that you would know if something was wrong because you were her emergency contact for essentially everything these days. She’d always praised you on your reliability and you’d always appreciated her transparency when things were wrong as she knew that denying you insight into what ailed her would only worry you more.

  You maintained eye contact with him. “Why would there be anything wrong?” Why would Yunho jump to that conclusion? You had provided no indication you were worried about her. 

  Something… ticked in his gaze. As though you’d said something wrong. Or as though he’d said something wrong and wasn’t happy you’d noticed it. You weren’t sure which was more plausible, but you didn’t like either of them.

   Pursing his lips momentarily, he continued, expression as calm and controlled as ever and tone of voice reassuring and firm. “Nothing is wrong, I promise.” He dropped his hand and looked back at Mingi, prompting you to do the same. Mingi’s expression was one of intense curiosity and it was beginning to bother you that you didn’t know why. 

  “Yeosangie is a good friend of ours. He’ll be able to tell you that Jung-Hee is alright and I heard you and Yeosang met yesterday, no?” 

  You nodded in confirmation. “You know Yeosang?”

  A light smile spread across Yunho’s lips, yet it was Mingi who answered. “Our Yeosangie is very special to us. We’ve known each other for what seems like eons.” 

  “Eons, huh? That’s a long time,” you laugh, tension bleeding from your body. “My friendship with Ji-Ah is like that. She’s my best friend, I wouldn’t replace her for the world.”

  Mingi’s smile seemed to shrink slightly but his gaze remained sincere. 

  You still felt majorly apologetic. Their kind words meant a lot to you, and you were admittedly mildly shocked at how coincidental it seemed that the two handsome men before you also seemed to know Yeosang, Then again, you supposed it made sense. “I really must be going now, I’m sorry. I promised Jung-Hee I would visit this week.”

 “Jung-Hee isn’t there today,” Yunho said. “We went in to see if we could find any flowers for our friend that I mentioned earlier, and it was Yeosang who was at the checkout.”

  Yeosang again? Where on earth was Jung-Hee?

  “Come with us, (Y/N).”

  A strange sensation began tingling behind your eyes.

  “We’d love to get to know you better. Please.” 

  As though your eyelids were itching. On the inside. 

  You brought a mindless hand up to rub at them, sighing in contemplation. “I… I don’t know, I’m sorry. I should really check if she’s alright.”

   You turned to them both, hoping to emphasise your sincerity and regret through eye contact. Yunho blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Mingi stood stock still with his hands buried in his pockets and his eyes downturned towards Yunho. 

  “It’s alright, we understand,” Mingi placated like a warm blanket over your nerves and you smiled gratefully. He pulled out his phone from his pocket. “Would you mind adding your number to my phone?” You could’ve slapped yourself, how else were you supposed to organise another coffee grab? Bump into each other again? Doubtful.

  You added your number to Mingi’s phone and added his number once he sent you a message himself. Yunho still hadn’t said anything. Studying his expression, you could see nothing of the obvious that was wrong and you didn’t know him well enough to even begin to guess why he was suddenly silent. It couldn’t have been because you declined their offer, you’d already agreed to meet up the day after tomorrow. You’d have to refresh your mind on the name Mingi had mentioned, not having heard of the place before, but you saw a slight element of excitement in Yunho’s eyes at that announcement, despite his clear deliberation over something. 

  You all bid your goodbyes, you going into the shop and Yunho and Mingi heading off to meet their friend. 

  Hand resting on the door handle to Life Rose On, you hesitated before turning curiously to follow the two with your gaze. They walked closely together, turning heads as they walked which was unsurprising to you. 

  You were about to turn back, satisfied with whatever you saw them straighten and pause. They didn’t look back at you, thankfully. You saw them tilt their heads slightly, as though straining to hear something they couldn’t quite decipher. What was going on? 

  They stopped almost as soon as they’d begun. You noticed, in the small gap between both of their swishing trench coats, that they had taken to grasp each other’s hand. 

  And by the looks of it, they were gripping tightly. Huh…

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

“That’s not possible.”

  “It’s not.”

  “That shouldn’t be possible!”

  “It shouldn’t.”

  …

  “And yet, she resisted.”

  A curiosity, but a fleeting one. They had rare butterflies like you flutter by on occasion, it made the high of the chase all the more rewarding. Yunho seemed to struggle to accept that it was he who had been challenged this time around and knowing how he was, how any of them were, in face of a challenge… 

  A sharp, cruel giggle echoed in their minds. A wince flying through them all. 

  “Fly high, little butterfly. I look forward to seeing your wings break.”

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

It begins with the sweet scent of a soul, they cannot resist it. The smell, the sight, the taste. 

  As gluttonous as they claim not to be, it is in their nature. This I know. This you will know, my child. For they will come for you with all of their strength and manipulation and such beautifully twisted lies, simply waiting for the right moment to devour you whole. 

  The more you resist, the more they obsess and the more they crave the sins they will carve into your flesh. 

  But you must not give in, my light. You are too good, you are good. And it is that goodness, that light, that will either be your greatest strength… or the catalyst for your final downfall.

  Remember me, in times of struggle. Remember me when no light pierces the veil of shadow they have blinded you with. 

  You will not succumb. You will not surrender.

  I will not allow it. Not again.

A helpless lover, clinging to hope. 1117 BC.

[ambeauty]

a few thoughts on the different types of romantic love in the bear

One facet of the show that I feel like is incredibly poignant is the emotional realism. I think I read another post or podcast about "emotional realism" in the bear so I will be borrowing that to talk about emotional realism when it comes to romantic partnerships in the show.

I feel like a lot of people wanted Sydney and Carmy to be this magical soulmate pairing that faced no opposition, trials, or tribulations on their journey to love and let me be the one to tell you right now. That's just not realistic. So in order to showcase how the show portrays different versions of romantic love, I wanted to focus on some couples that are not so triggering when it comes to the idea of romantic partnership within the context of the show.

Natalie x Pete: Natalie and Pete are the epitome and pinnacle of romantic love in the show. BUT, and STRONG BUT, they are not without their challenges. Natalie's family for the most part do not like Pete. They tolerate him, now, but for the longest time and to this day, they talk shit about him, because he's not like them. He's an outsider who has a different way of loving, and they don't understand it. Should Pete have left Natalie because her family didn't accept him?

Natalie's traumatic childhood still makes her feel insecure about her relationship. Plus she has a lot of generational trauma that she is working through to not pass down these things to her daughter. Should Pete leave her because she's insecure and traumatized?

You would answer no.

Richie x Tiff:

Richie and Tiff are divorced but they are still deeply interconnected because of Eva. You know that there is still a deep love between them because of the conversation on the bench. Tiffany wants Richie at her wedding because that's her family. Not to embarrass him or make him feel bad, but because she still has a deep love for him as a person. I get the sense that they didn't work out because it took him well into his adult life to figure out what he really wanted to do. Sometimes love isn't enough, especially when a child is involved. Tiffany and Eva deserve stability and at the time Richie wasn't able to provide it for YEARS. So I don't blame Tiff for leaving, but if Richie was in a better place, I know she would've stayed.

Just because you aren't with someone anymore doesn't mean that their importance to your life and the love you have for them just goes away.

Tina x Mr. Marrero

We don't get to spend a lot of time with them but we get to see such a beautiful dynamic between Tina and her husband. Now that they've been given it to me I need more. Tina and her husband are doing their very best to take care of their son and live a content life. They aren't rich but they've created a warm and comforting environment that is built on the foundation of their love. When Tina loses her job, it shakes up everything. Mr. Marrero is focused on his duty to take care of the household on his modest income. And Tina is so independent and knows that they need her income in order to survive. Her husband supports her through this transition even if it's stress on him and her. They work as team to get through this life change. Should he have left Tina the moment she became frustrated with finding employment? Should Tina have left him because his income alone wasn't enough to sustain them?

Again the answer is no.

The emotional realism of the bear shows that relationships of any kind are never perfect and never without challenges. Familial, platonic, or romantic. Sydney and Carmen are no different. While I support whatever decision Sydney makes, I do believe that what they are going through is their biggest trial yet. Syd and Carmy have failed to communicate in a healthy way for 3 seasons. And once these miscommunications finally bubble over it's going to be catastrophic. In one way or another. Who knows? At the end of the day what's important is that they do learn how to communicate because whether they stay business partners or become more or less, there will be obstacles that they will need to work through and grow from together.

"What grows together goes together."

thank you @thoughtfulchaos773 for encouraging me to expand on this

[ruershrimo]

k. nobara x fem!reader | two pretty best friends??

synopsis: nobara is nothing short of drop-dead gorgeous. you're really gay and super in love even though you think her affection toward you is merely platonic. but then an encounter during the sister school goodwill event makes you discover that you're also super oblivious.

seriously, how do you simultaneously keep those two up?!

word count: ~2.7k, tws: not really anything besides (noritoshi) kamo trying to hit on you??? it makes sense when you read it lol ('tw kamo' LMAO), reader throws shade (?) on mai and noritoshi, reader is called a ‘little mouse’ but more because of demeanour rather than,,, her figure,,,

you meet kugisaki nobara for the first time in the concrete jungle of tokyo. there, she looks like magic in a person, pure magazine model material: dyed brown hair cut girlishly short, wild and frayed at its ends like a paintbrush that had accompanied its owner for years; eyes the hue of a saccharine sweet milk chocolate bar; her back straight and confident, bold and all in place, as if she is where she should be and she knows this. the pinnacle of beauty, this girl is, perfect picture on the cover of vogue. 

she’s got skin that looks milky, silky; loved and kissed with her own tender, painstaking care, it seems. there’s a little bump on it— a blemish that goes unnoticed by the boys, covered by concealer, but it just makes her all the more beautiful. 

you’re barely able to talk to her. your brain goes blank as if it’s short-circuited, stricken and frozen in place. she opens her mouth and a melody sings mellifluously like a restaurant cabaret from an old record in your grandparents’ house. 

she’s magic. 

the second time you meet her, she drags you out shopping and you follow her like a magnet, not even bothering to make a begrudging reply. you’re hauled along by the collar, almost, and you let her. 

“I’m so glad that I’m not the only girl, honestly,” she states as the two of you walk along the pavement, “I can’t imagine having to handle those two all on my own, they must’ve been insufferable! actually, how did you deal with those idiots?” 

you have no idea how, actually. but the boys, savants in some ways yet complete imbeciles in others (oh they really could be bumbling idiots sometimes)— would never understand or comprehend this, any of this. no being of the male species would; they wouldn’t notice the way her eyes catch the light, her irises bursting into a kaleidoscope of colour, or the way she sits so confident of herself, position relaxed and powerful and self-assured. they wouldn’t have the mind to see these things, all right in front of them, and appreciate these traits, admire them. 

your words are almost caught in your throat; your reply comes out mangled and weak like asphyxiated fish from an iron net. “I– I don’t know, honestly,” you stutter, “I just, um, avoided them… but I guess it seems that they’re really close to each other already.” 

“...hey, you okay?” she asks, grabbing hold of your hand. your heart stops and nearly flatlines, heat pooling up in your cheeks. the summer air feels hot. yet it swelters you even more as she inches closer to you, her breath— mint mouthwash and grape-flavoured, mouth-cooling gum— nearly burning literal assaults on your skin. “no need to be shy. I mean, the two of us have got to stick together, you know!” 

“I’m– I’m okay, thanks. sorry.” 

she pulls herself away, and the little circle you have around you misses her in her absence, almost whining as you remind yourself that if she were to get any closer to you in proximity, you could possibly faint, or things could get much worse. 

“but seriously, if you’re a shy person, don’t let people pick on you or intimidate you!” she rolls up her sleeves, an impish yet valiant smile on her face, “I’ll beat them up if they do!” 

the third time you meet her, she’s teaching you a better way to do your makeup. something simpler, she says, a trick she learned online, something meant to mimic the stuff of movie stars and their picture-perfect, freshly-kissed lips. 

you don’t know how it’s gotten to this, though: your knees bent on the sofa as her legs are split on your lap (it looks less erotic than it sounds, you’re sure, but it still makes your brain feel like it’s being waved and wrung all over like a raggedy piece of cloth). she straddles your sides this way, snug between your lap and your stomach. 

“then you’re supposed to just dab it all around like this,” she continues, the blistering heat in your head spreading through your body pervasively as she presses her thumb to your lips, catching your breath in your throat. she places her hand on the side of your face, her fingers caressing your jawline and her thumb resting on your cheek, so close to your eyes that you can see it in your peripheral vision as you stare up at her, rendered a complete and utter mess. 

“come on, don’t be shy. stay still!” 

“sorry, kugisaki…” 

“hey,” she stops, her eyes boring into yours, unassuming and free of any sort of malintent, “don’t be so polite. you prostrate yourself too much, especially around me. seriously, don’t say sorry for everything, and just call me nobara, okay? we’ve got to help each other out— we’re both the girls of the group, the better half and all that. and we’re most of the only girls in this school. the ratio is crazy. so we’ve got to stick together and stuff, be comfortable with each other. no more apologies or self-doubts!” 

every bit of contact her skin has with yours lays a blooming garden of goosebumps on your skin, from your cheek, sliding all the way down to your shoulder. 

how could you act normal about this?

“see?” she asks, holding a mirror up to your face when she’s completed it. “you look beautiful! woah, I’m so good at this, honestly. it makes you feel pretty, right?” 

you’d never be as beautiful as her. for a long time, you’d thought you’d never be beautiful at all. 

but for once, you do. even if you won’t ever compare to her— and you guess nobody else ever could as well— it’s the way she says it, that gleam in her eye as she flashes you a grin while you marvel at how your face looks when it’s ‘dolled up’. you feel like you’re in a painting. like you’d been loved enough to be put in one. 

so you smile back at her, your teeth bare after years of covering your face in pictures and dreading when you couldn’t. she makes you believe that you could be beautiful. maybe that’s what real beauty is. that’s why she herself is beauty beyond compare. “yeah.” if you think about it and believe it enough, then you could embody it. like this, people would want you because you think they would. like this, you could be knockout because you think you could. you’d always known that her confidence factored into her beauty. 

“if you want, I could teach you how to put more makeup. it’s not that you need it to look ‘pretty’, but it would help you show others how you want to feel pretty. the reason why this looks good on you is because I did it to make your features stand out a little: see? you’ve got these gorgeous lips, so I made them look like that,” she highlights, “oh, yeah— want me to take a picture?” 

“you like kugisaki?” fushiguro asks. 

you remain silent. 

he rubs at his temples. “oh my goodness, you do. you’re in love with her.” 

“…not like you would understand,” you retort under your breath. he hears you anyway. 

“she’s so beautiful,” you start, sighing, “and so kind and confident. like she can walk into something and know exactly what she needs. she’s put together like that. and she does things with purpose. she doesn’t wander aimlessly or fight without a goal. she’s so good at makeup and fashion and resourceful when it comes to playing by her skills on the field, and she’s so outgoing and welcoming with people who she can get along well with, and she’s so warm—

“oh, I can’t stress it enough, fushiguro. I— she’s literally perfect. I like her so much, I-I feel like I’m on a cloud or something. every day feels like that.” 

“you’re down bad.” 

“I know,” you choke out pathetically. 

“but I’m pretty sure she already thinks the two of you are dating.” 

“…wait, what?!”

this happens, well— around the fiftieth time you meet her: 

sports festival preparations have been as lively as bubbles in soda pop lately, and you’re sitting down next to her, knees bent on the pavement, mourning a classmate you barely knew and the fact that he could have been a lifelong friend had he not been snuffed out prematurely. as you take another swig of your drink— green tea in the can so that she can have it too if the coca cola’s making her teeth have that weird, fuzzy, plaque formation-indicating feeling like always— she places her hand on yours. 

the heat on your cheeks, the barely formed but nearly forming sweat on your body. that stuff isn’t going to go away, ever. you’re pretty sure of that. even with a thousand indirect kisses from sharing food and even warming up to having her lying back flushed to your lap, it’s never going to go away. each time she looks at you, your gaze is transfixed on hers, your voice nearly comes out mangled, and you feel heat blossoming on the back of your balmy neck. 

“yeah?” you ask. 

“you know, [name], I love you. a lot. like, you’re really special to me,” she smiles warmly, a faint hint of red on her cheeks, just like the rose in her name— though that could just be your imagination. 

“...I love you too.” 

“heh,” she giggles, an impish, graceful, secure sound, like a kiss to your ears, your favourite song playing on the car radio in a memory from several years ago, “I’m glad!” 

it’s wonderful. 

your worst fears are never confirmed, but there are definitely things that give way to them. 

you’re quite sure that nobara herself isn’t like that— she does talk about having a boyfriend, but she doesn’t actually want to date a boy, you’re sure. the closest thing to a crush that you’ve ever seen her having is her admiration for maki— and you understand that. 

you respect maki: she’s impeccably smart, strong, and everything in between. yet her existence begets a small worry. if nobara crushes on maki and they end up together, what would be of you? 

the only thing you’d be certain of was that you’d keep loving nobara. you’d just want her to be happy, after all— all your tears and mourning for time spent on purposeless yearning, just to see that grin on your face. that would be worth it, a fair trade. 

but this is how you’re proven wrong, and you fall deeper in love with nobara after that. 

before the sister school goodwill event starts, the six of you (plus yuuji— you’d hate to admit it but seeing him again nearly made you break down in tears) have been given the opportunity to meet the kyoto students and welcome them. it goes about as well as you’d expected it to be— at least the physical portion of the fights and conflicts hadn’t already begun there. 

after having met them, you’re sure that half of them are out for blood here. they’re an eccentric crowd, but not just eccentric, per se— borderline terrifying. you’ll be sure to avoid them throughout and just focus on the plan. 

which is why you nearly sprint in the other direction like a deer from wolves when you see kamo noritoshi and zenin mai approaching you. 

and zenin mai has a stunning face. even if it can’t compare to nobara or her sister’s, she’s got a charm to her, a glint in her eye that you’re sure somebody else will appreciate someday. (just not you.) kamo is just there, his eyes closed for some reason even though you’re sure he must be fully capable of keeping them wide open, and his hair in an awful haircut that you fail to understand the appeal of. probably something traditional that his clan wanted. 

“oh?” mai says, a lilt in her tone. you’re going to get bullied, right? your stomach lurches forward and you nearly keel over, fainting— an all too familiar feeling. the popular people in school used to do that, especially the rude athletic boys. she would probably be popular among them, had she been born into a normal life. “what a little mouse. she seems like a doormat.” 

“zenin, teasing our competitors is unbecoming of members from our lineages,” he admonishes before mai groans. “shouldn’t you be with the other tokyo students?” kamo asks. 

why couldn’t you have just had to meet todo? he’d say that you had wonderful taste in women, you’re sure. why the girl with family issues and the guy with family issues and an atrocious haircut? 

“I, um— I got lost. but I don’t know if they’re going to have me anyway, I mean yuuji’s stronger than me so now I’m just going to be the weakest member there. anyway, um, nice chat, I’ve got to go, bye-bye—”  

“no,” kamo denies, “itadori yuuji besmirches the title of ‘jujutsu sorcerer’.” 

“and the title of weakling goes to maki, not you, I’m pretty sure,” mai says, “but you’re an adorable little thing. what’s your name— something-something, [name], am I correct?” 

what were they doing, completing their sentences like that?  did they practise their lines in the morning, staring in the mirror and repeating them over and over? they sound like people who’d be mentioned in the local family restaurant comedian’s shows— no, not even their shows, they’re not entertaining enough to be in their shows. they’d just barely be mentioned in passing in the bits so that five audience members could get an extra laugh they’d eventually forget about. 

“maki’s really strong, though,” you refute, trying to keep your mind calm “and yuuji, too. it’s hard fighting with them because nobody can ever beat them down, really.” 

“durability does not equate to power,” kamo claims. well, and then there’s someone like him, with neither. “and be confident of your own abilities. I can sense your cursed energy from here. it’s impressive,” he remarks. 

“...I appreciate the thought, but really, I have to go now—” 

“oh, stay for a while, won’t you?” mai asks, inching closer to you like a large ant from the corner of a room. how were insects always so good at slipping into houses and mentally impaired when it came to exiting them? 

kamo joins her, gripping your wrist. you’ll have to sanitise your hand and double-wash your sleeve now, especially after what you said (you’d be fine if mai was doing it, but why kamo? kamo of all people?) 

“ah, and this may seem rather spontaneous, but you’re rather beautiful.” really, it only sounds as good as it usually does if nobara is the one saying it. it feels like his words are assaulting your ears. “good luck.” 

“come on, don’t let her go yet—” 

“[name]! you okay?” 

it’s nobara. thank goodness, it’s nobara. 

“what the hell do you two think you’re doing to my girlfriend?!” 

girlfriend?! 

“oh, nothing,” mai goes, “just playing with her a little. she’s a doll. you picked well!” 

the only thing she can play with is her fucking audacity. 

“ugh— let’s go, [name]! don’t care about these people!” she pulls you along by the wrist. 

“I should’ve made sure you were okay,” she says as the two of you walk to the tokyo students’ gathering point. “I was worried! you’ve got to stick to us next time.” 

“sorry… but they really didn’t do anything. but, um… I think kamo tried to hit on me…?” 

“ew— with that haircut? hate it when twos go looking for tens.” 

“but um…” you hesitate, “about what you said, am I really… your girlfriend?” 

“huh?” she pulls back, “I thought we’d been dating for almost a month!” 

“wait, what—?!” 

“I even told you I loved you! we literally sleep on each others’ laps!” 

“I couldn’t tell if that was platonic or romantic or not! I mean, I don’t mean that I don’t want to date you, I just meant that I didn’t know—” 

“okay,” she exhales, “since we both need things to be clear. want to be my girlfriend?” 

“like, a girlfriend-girlfriend? like, going out on dates and stuff and um…” 

“yeah, a girlfriend-girlfriend. we can go out on dates and do even more than that, maybe,” she greens cheekily. 

“woah… I mean— it’s a dream, I—” 

“so it’s a yes?” 

“yeah—” 

she kisses you and it effectively shuts you up. her lips taste like a latte from the fancy coffee shop the two of you had visited two days before. to think that she’d seen it as a date, while you’d thought the whole thing was just another outing between ‘friends’... 

it’s the best feeling ever. 

this is going to flop too lmao but back at it w the low-quality posts but

[osiiiris]

Amsterdam ritual - final report

Pop up store

The pop-up stores are not at the concert location*. In my case it was at the opposite side of the city from the concert venue, and it opened a little late (about 20 mins delay). Prices are affordable for small gadgets and exaggerated (to me) for t-shirts and sweaters, going from 50 to 85€. I bought for myself a big back patch for 20€ and the exclusive Amsterdam t-shirt for 60€ (there is only one exclusive item, the location t-shirt. The rest is general merch). Yet they lost the chance to do a design with V smoking a “Mary on a Cross”, in my opinion.

My advice: get in line at least 1 hour before the opening. I don’t know if the quantity of items they have is limited or they have loads, but I have seen people coming out with A LOT of products. A LOT. So better if you make sure to be there early enough to find something left. Bring a bag, they don’t have any. Only the 25€ tote one.

*I don’t know if they sell the same stuff at the merch shop in the venue but I doubt it. Why making a separate shop so far away if the same stuff is at the regular merch stand.

Pre show

I met Vanessa. She wasn’t taking interviews when I arrived so we just chatted a little and gave me a sticker, saying that Tobias designed it himself and he is generally very involved in the project. (I think he is in everything that regards Ghost’s aesthetic)

Someone proposed to his partner during the queue, my queue, right in front of me. Thank you for reminding me how single I stil am after being so close to a marriage myself. It was cute tho.

The gates opened a little late and the queueing and check in (and check out) process was a little confusing and slow. The concert itself also started later than usual, which is surprising because Ghost are an extremely precise band and always start in perfect time. I can’t say how much was the delay but some guys next to me started the countdown when the concert was due to start, and it usually works perfectly, but now… nothing happened for several minutes after the end of the countdown. 

The whole upper ring (seated spots) right in front of the stage was completely empty (all the other rings were full). I think it was intentional but I don’t know the reason for it.

To my surprise, I was the closest I have ever been to their front row, and I queued later than usual. I saw everything perfectly.

Show

This is the third time and still I can’t understand what is announced right before Peacefield. There is a brief introduction between the Peacefield chorus and the start of the actual song; what I grasped till now is that the narrator presents Ghost (the concert I guess) in a very energetic way, like a football match. I think I only understood “…Ghost, the best band in the world!” But don’t trust me.

Swiss still missing, mic stand still there. During the concert I tried to check if the mic is still there because other ghouls use it during the songs, but no… nobody’s using it. It’s just there alone.

Faith instead of From The Pinnacle to the Pit, Call me Little Sunshine instead of Majesty. Let’s talk about it a moment. I witnessed the FTPTTP > Faith swap in London, then finally heard FTPTTP in Milan, and I must say, the songs are easily interchangeable. They have the same energy and impact on the audience, so I’m fine with both, but Call Me Little Sunshine instead of Majesty… it just doesn’t work for me. At all. V is still raised above the stage, but the song lacks the pathos and impact Majesty has… also the subject of the song in Majesty works perfectly with the imaginary of him standing tall above everyone else. It’s a no for me and I’m glad I experienced Majesty twice.

Another thing I have noticed during CMLS is that V’s robes are…rigid. If he moves too much, the whole vestments tremble as if it was a still structure, and that’s what I think it actually is: he just “enters” in the robe, like a shell, sill wearing his clothes, as the papal robe is very large and there is room for it. Only the arms can be moved. Thats why it’s so fast for him to change into that outfit: he just doesn’t change, probably. Plus, his image projected on screen isn’t pre-recorded, it’s live.

During Cirice there is a return of the mic stand touching and fingers “tickle”. V sniffed his fingers after the tickling.

Mummy Dust was a complete flop (not the song). I was extremely close to the stage (4 people from the front row) and the confetti barely reached the first row. There were only a few bills in the cannons, it was all confetti and I saw only one persons actually grabbing one, at my side. I think mistakes were made with the cannons charging. Mummy thrusts were very slow and timid. I think V isn’t that interested in sex.

After Mummy Dust, he made us call for Jesus (Kevin) to clean up, commenting that he wasn’t sure he would hear us there.

V repeated the joint-Mummy Dust (of course, where if not here) implying that was what people was going to do after the concert.

Rain is very hot and intimidating with his veil. Sometimes it moves too much and he has to fix it with his hands.

Dew moved a lot and was often on the left side with Rain and Phantom.

Phantom 🖤

V pouts a lot. He was in sweet mode. Very soft speeches, but he always seems like it’s hard for him to act like a normal person and it’s secretly planning some kind of crime while he speaks.

“If there was time I’d line you up… and give you a hug. But maybe a little kiss will do” before Kiss the go-goat.

During Satanized, the Latin part is sang by monk-Tobias from the videoclip, projected on the side screens. V stays bent on the mic stand, with his clasped hands over his head the whole time during the Latin part, as if praying.

In Rats he was particularly dramatic with his “no!” (After “never to return” before the solo). It wasn’t only a Copia thing.

At the end of Darkness At The Heart Of My Love, Dew adds “something” with the guitar, in a tune that isn’t in the original song. I don’t remember hearing it before. V didn’t ask the crowd to do that “pfff” sound as he used to do at the first concerts and started the song straight away. He gave up.

During Monstrance Clock I keep getting distracted by the red orgy images on the big screen. They are really well animated and hypnotizing, and I honestly think Monstrance is the best live song. Dark, a melody that sounds like a lullaby, easy to sing along, good to dance to, very good projections on screen in line with the song (animated lyrics in the end aside). I just loved it so much. It really sets the atmosphere… Infestissumam is such a great album in this.

During Year Zero, towards the end, the chorus are more audible. I think I heard a “Christis” but again don’t trust me.

I don’t know if it was already said by someone but during the He Is refrain, the central beam of the Grucifix produces a light shot similar to a shooting star. It’s a very beautiful effect and I think it recalls the shooting star we see in the He Is videoclip.

V pointed out that Dew broke his foot twice, not just once. Dew proudly showed his cast, placing it on the ampli before him. V and Dew hugged briefly before Square Hammer.

Generally, in all concerts I have seen, V does the same kind of speeches, changing some details depending on the city. Here a recap:

First speech: comments on the temperature and “Are you in heat/moist/cool?” kind of teasing.

Before Future is a Foreign Land: “[…] Times are dark now, but remember that the future is always a foreign land.”

After Mummy Dust: comments on what people is doing after the concert. Rolls a mummy dust and throws it at someone.

Before Kiss the Go-Goat: “If I had time I’d line you all up (with some variations. Sometimes he quotes Copia’s parking lot joke) and give you a *something* (in Amsterdam was a hug, other times he just let the joke incomplete), but maybe I can give you a little kiss.”

Before Monstance Clock: some memories of the times the band played in the city. He may or may not mention past papas (“the other guys”) and the relationship with them (“uncles” for the first 3 brothers and “dad” for Nihil). He finishes with “Conclusively, I give you…”

Before the Encores: “Someone told you that if you stay here and ask for it, we’d come out and give you more songs. And do you think it works…? …Well, it does. Just one song for you to pack your shit and go.” 

Before Square Hammer: I have absolutely no idea, the screams are usually too loud during that song. He usually praises Dew.

My job here is done. I’m a bit sad that my Skeletour is over… I was starting warming up to V. “Conclusively”:

The new songs are very well received by the audience, very rhythmic and easy to sing along to. 

My personal favorite moment of the show is the stained glass reveal during Cirice.

Monstrance Clock is the best live song in set list, to me. Just let it pervade you.

I hope the “floating papa” moment stays majestic and never gets replaced by CMLS again. 

I have noticed that the only concert he asked the audience to bark was Milan (of the ones I have been at least). He knew we were the only crazy enough to get along with that.

Past reports here: London, Milan.

Ps for my fellow Terzo’s widows: his supremacy is intact. His image is everywhere. I personally made that clear too 😉

[syndrossi]

I was recently re-reading the scene in Resonant when, after the failed assassination attempt, Crayne first threatens to assault Rhaegar and then kisses his hair and looks directly at Jon. It was SO creepy it made me physically sick to my stomach. I hope we get a similar scene in Rescue AU because apparently Daemon didn't suffer enough. Of course Crayne wouldn't dare do anything to such a prized prisoner, but Daemon isn't about to know that. Especially since Daemon is less valuable and can be bullied more. I still sometimes remember with horror your words that Crane will cut off Daemon's hair and I can't help but imagine what else Crane's sick mind will come up with. Like holding Daemon and forcing him to watch his children be "tested by fire"? Putting Rhaegar to sleep next to him? Making him entertain him with stories otherwise Crayne will hurt Jon or Daemon? So many possibilities.

What makes Crayne such an effective killer is that he's very good at reading people, which makes him both good at charming people (thus disarming them in both senses) and at honing in on how best to threaten people to get what he wants.

Jon's initial reaction to the reward and Crayne's mention of pillow houses showed him that it was something that made Jon very alarmed. (Whereas most eight-year-old boys, at least highborn ones, probably don't quite know/understand what a pillow house even is.) So he immediately knew how to get under Jon's skin; especially because every interaction between them since almost the very beginning had been Jon trying to shield Raymar from him.

Some of it's also about control, especially the more powerful/"important" his victim(s) are, given the particulars of his own past/history. And House Targaryen, with its Doctrine of Exceptionalism (which Crayne originally dismissed as bullshit but then came to buy into), is the very pinnacle of power.

So you get moments like after the escape attempt, where Crayne is applying maximum pressure for control. And you also have his nightly pastime of terrifying Rhaegar with threats toward Jon, with an undertone of "keep me entertained or I'll entertain myself (hurting your brother)." And of course the creepy fascination with things that are unique to House Targaryen, like Raymar's coloring.

Crayne having the responsibility of keeping Daemon in line must be the biggest high (other than the promised reward). Threatening him at River Row, knife to his back, to get him to drug himself? An utter pleasure. Holding a knife to his neck while shaving him? Ditto. Daemon is such a proud person, he is perfect for Crayne's little power trips. And I doubt he could think of a better trophy than Daemon's hair.

It is a little more difficult to threaten Daemon quite the way he would like, since the Volantenes are so focused on the boys and their wellbeing. If he so much as sneezes on them, he gets a dirty look. It's painfully obvious that they're Daemon's weakness, so I'm sure that's frustrating for him. He has to be subtle with his threats.