#people: claire danes

[justzawe]

At the very end of this article is a mention of Claire Danes giving Tom and Zawe a big hug last night. people.com/emmy-awards-2023-what-you-missed-during-live-broadcast-8426372

[secretagentsagainstwhatever]

does…does he think Romeo and Juliet was real…? just two normal teenagers Shakespeare knew irl 🥲

[mitzvahmelting]

its not innocuous she was literally banned from manila also she follows white supremacist ivanka trump on instagram and stars in a deeply racist series homeland where she is called the 'drone queen' for bombing middleasterners

this is in reference to my comment on this post. for the record, i'm only doing this because i love conflict. but i acknowledge that this is a very silly and pointless conversation for us to be having. nevertheless, let's address each of these in turn:

"she was literally banned from Manila" yup she sure was! and, like, rightly so. she sure did shit on Manila in Vogue Magazine in 1998, and newly elected president (and former movie star himself) Joseph Estrada made a point to call her out on that and encourage the Manila City Council to ban her. All that said, on the scale of "racist things an ignorant american might have said in 1998", the particular set of comments isn't nearly as bad as, like, slurs or mask-off racism. They read more like "ignorant wealthy American putting foot in mouth when describing how shocked they were that poverty exists." Which, like, it was bad, but in an ignorant way, not a malicious way. And she apologized (again, in 1998. Which, again, was 25 years ago.) Like, idk, the ban from Manila feels like political theater. Cool for Estrada's publicity to get quoted defending the capital city from famous Americans saying rude things about it, but like. Hardly evidence that Claire Danes is an irredeemably evil person or anything. If she was, there would be more than just one incident in the past quarter century to reference. Also, Estrada was embezzling money from the government. So. idk, maybe Claire Danes was not the worst person in that particular news cycle.

"she follows white supremacist ivanka trump on instagram" yeah, i'm not even engaging on this one, buddy. i just never believe that "who you follow on social media" is sufficient evidence of someone's character. consuming content is not a political act. curating your following feed is not a political act. if she donated money to Trump, then we could talk. but following Ivanka on instagram is a nothingburger.

"stars in a deeply racist series homeland" okay so there's actually 2 parts to this. the first part is where you're saying "starring in a racist television show makes you a bad person" which means that every broke New York actor who ever guest-starred on Law & Order is persona non grata. That would be preposterous. The actors do not write the scripts. There might be individual cases where a role is so deeply harmful that you could argue the moral responsibility rests on the actor themselves (for example, blackface or yellowface, or unscripted television where the actor volunteers a racist sentiment without a script) but if we're talking about a major network television drama watched by millions of people, I think we're falling way short of that level of severity. the second part is where you're saying that Homeland is deeply racist. which, again, we're talking about a major network television drama watched by millions of people from 2011-2020. [as an aside, holy shit that show went on longer than i realized!!]. do i imagine the show has some major issues with its portrayal of brown people, just, like, based on its plot and provenance alone? absolutely. do i think that makes the show 'deeply racist'? i don't know, buddy, i don't think it's more racist than other shows and movies in the same genre. here's a good article about how Homeland fits into the media landscape of 2014, where the author concludes that it's certainly a problematic show, but its problems aren't unique. "Early on in the show’s run, they had a better grasp on how problematic the notion that the U.S. has to police the world is. But as the show has gone in different directions, they’ve occasionally forgotten that." (this is a really good moment to interject that writer's rooms are collaborative, and there's way more than just one voice in the pot.) speaking of -

"[in Homeland] she is called the 'drone queen' for bombing middleasterners" boy howdy, that sure sounds like a plot point about how drones are bad, and to remind the audience that it's chilling and wrong that the character Carrie is being congratulated in such a way!! not sure how you could possibly take that at face value as if it's a good thing. anyway, in the relevant episode, after being cheered as "the Drone Queen" by her colleagues, it is revealed that the drone strike which precipitated this offensive nickname actually killed forty civilians attending a wedding, a gruesome reminder of how drone strikes are an ethical shitshow. now, I'm not gonna comment on whether or not the show handles this topic well, because I'm pretty sure I only watched like half of season 1 or something, but at the very least, anon, whatever buddy-cop comedy TV-strawman setting you imagined the line "good job, drone queen!" took place in is clearly not at all the content of the actual television show you're talking about.

anyway, in conclusion, given the evidence presented, i don't get the impression that Claire Danes is any more racist than the median white american actress of her generation. (obviously i'm not going to say she's not racist, because we live in a Society, and most antiracist activists will tell you that it's not helpful to think of 'racism' as an outgroup that "Good People" are excluded from. rather, i'm just saying that she doesn't seem to be any more racist than the median white american actress of her generation.) anyway, thanks for giving me the opportunity to think critically for 45 min while writing this post. i sure miss doing that. fuck i should go back to school 😭

[violetasteracademic]

What does it take for regifted jewelry to be romantic?

Rambling crap post that will literally only make sense of you have seen the movie The Family Stone but let's do it.

Sometimes I genuinely try to understand other ships. I actually really mean that, in a deeply authentic and non sarcastic way. If this shipwar wasn't so nasty, I'd engage with other people the way I do with my real, human, offline friends- some of whom are E/lucien's and G/wynriels. They are genuinely wonderful people who are not chronically online like we are (and we are, there's no point throwing that around as an insult) and they don't actually care that much. They are just going off vibes - but would be absolutely disgusted to see the violent misogyny and bullying that takes place here. We enjoy talking to each other about the ships, even when we don't agree.

Typically, when I am trying to understand something, I seek out more of it. I've asked my friends for fated mate book recommendations that match E/Lucien's story (meeting your mate, then genuinely falling for another person that is absolutely right for you in every way except for the fact that he is not your mate, and somehow the plot leads to falling in love with your mate that you don't like anyways because fate is always right and never makes mistakes, even if everyone is questioning it because you have feelings for someone else) and I haven't been able to find anything. The closest I can get is meeting your mate when you are possibly already in love/engaged/what have you to someone else and then you find out that person you are already with is actually the worst (aka Graysen) and then you wind up falling in love naturally and authentically with your mate. This is what makes it work. The person who isn't your mate showing his true colors and realizing you were wrong about them.

I think this is why Azriel's character has been rewritten to create a moment of the male Elain is actually into showing his true colors. Otherwise, her moving on to her mate that she isn't interested in just because the guy she likes rejected her literally doesn't make any sense. It can't be political machinations and the threat of violence and exterior motives and interference keeping Azriel and Elain apart. It has to be Azriel's personality and personhood, or the fated mates typical structure that I assume everyone is basing their thought process on falls apart.

I've actually been wracking my brain for years to find a piece of art or story that represents a piece of jewelry being regifted symbolizing the transference of a relationship and I FINALLY realized- my favorite holiday movie- The Family Stone! My God, the movie is literally named for the piece of jewelry, his mother's ring.

Finally having a piece to work with and pick apart allowed me to understand what elements are required to really pull off "regifting" to show that the gift is symbolically landing where it needs to go in a moving and romantic way.

1: The jewelry must not have been picked out and purchased for a specific woman, with deep and thoughtful insights as to why the man saw this piece of jewelry and thought of the woman he loves. In The Family Stone, the ring is an heirloom. It is no one's ring but his mother's. And the journey of this stone landing on the hand of the woman that is right for Emmet is deep, complicated, and heart breaking.

This is not the case for Azriel, who saw the rose necklace (very widely agreed to symbolically represent Elain on all sides) and saw something that the full depth and color was revealed when held to the light, a thing of secret, lovely beauty. And he knew it was meant for Elain. My God. Jfc. That's poetry.

2: The original recipient of the gift must actively show displeasure or disappointment in the jewelry- further revealing that this is the wrong woman.

In The Family Stone, Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker), the "first" and "wrong" woman sees the ring on her little sister Julie's finger (Claire Danes) and while there is some drama (the ring symbolically gets stuck on Julie's finger lolol) Meredith looks at the ring and hilariously goes- "That's it?" because the diamond is so small. She doesn't like it. She wouldn't want to wear it. Meanwhile Julie was stunned. She lost her breath over its beauty and was overwhelmed.

Elain was also stunned and breathless at how beautiful her gift was. She wants to wear it immediately, and she wants him to put it on her. The act of this beautiful, thoughtful gift emboldens Elain to do something she has never done before: Blatant, unrestricted touching. Even while the man she is supposed to be with, the man whose gifts do disappoint her, sleeps upstairs. So the classic holiday romance trope of one gift is right and one gift is wrong is already playing out. From Elain's perspective, the woman who will demand a say in who she chooses and is the only confirmed FMC, she's been getting disappointing gifts from her mate for years. When she finally sees a gift that steals the air from her lungs and lights up her eyes, a gift she wants to wear and use immediately after years of lukewarm responses to the man she is "meant" to be with, it's romantic as fuck. Unless you don't like her and don't want her with Azriel, in which case it isn't romantic to you personally. However, personal opinion on Elain doesn't actually change the fact that after years of many of us already assuming Az and Elain were into each other, they had an extremely classic holiday romance reveal.

4: The act of changing your mind about who will receive this gift, in order for it to be romantic, must be an act of hope. An act of joy and dreams and revelation. Realizing that there is more out there for you, and after years of playing it safe, of trying to make it work for the wrong reasons with the wrong woman, you are ready to be brave and break your character patterns to act on that dream of happiness.

Near the climax of The Family Stone, we discover that Emmet's mother, the keeper of this ring, has had her breast cancer return. It is already clear she is not going to make it this time.

We learn that Emmet has been acting out of trauma, grief, and loss. He cannot wrap his mind around the thought of getting married without his mother being there. In a heart breaking scene, Sybil finally gives Emmet the ring she has been refusing the entire movie and lets him know it is his decision. But she also frees him from the horrible pressure he has placed on himself to get married while she is still alive. She wishes passion, joy, and happiness for him. She helps him cope with the loss of her, helps him heal the wound and burdens he carries of trying to be the Perfect Son and do everything right. All she wants for him is happiness and love. But ultimately, the decision is his.

In a rush of hope and healing, Emmet asks Julie to try the ring on. He wants to see it on her. It is a culmination. It is powerful, emotional, and restorative. In this story of brothers and sisters coping with the loss of their mother and trying to find their personal happiness, they all wind up together in the end. Meredith winds up telling Emmet she can't marry him, before he even reveals he decided not to ask her, because they both knew it wasn't right. It was so clear that they weren't in love with each other, but just trying to fit this ideal picture for reasons that had nothing to do with love. Still, Meredith isn't a villain, and winds up falling in love with his brother. The next year, everyone but Sybil gathers as a family, the first Christmas without her. The grief is palpable, but so is the love. The image of Sybil smiling at her gathered family through last year's gifted photograph of her ends the movie.

Azriel's regifting of Elaine's necklace was not a culmination. It was not an act of hope, it was not Azriel releasing Elain because he realized his love for her was not genuine and there was real and true happiness to be found in G/wyn. He did not even care to give it to her directly. He gave it to Clotho, who absolutely read the vibes and noted his sadness. He didn't even care if it wound up with Gwyn or literally any other priestess. He needed to relieve himself of the necklace because of the pain of not being able to be with Elain, just like Cassian yeeted his first Solstice gift to Nesta into the Sidra after her rejection. Regifted or getting rid of gifts as an act of pain is not romance. It is not even symbolic of a change. It only reflects a man who is hurting because he has nowhere to channel his love and longing.

What I find odd is that most people do agree that Az regifting the necklace via Clotho is absolutely not romantic, thus Azriel incel fuckboy (which literally makes no sense) was born. For the necklace regift to hold the symbolism that G/wynriels want it to hold (a sort of passing of the torch of Azriel's affection and attention) they agree that this is icky and gross behavior but G/wyn will fix him and he'll stop being icky and gross. I'd ask for recommendations on romances like that to try to understand that thought process as well, but frankly I am not interested.

Azriel getting rid of the necklace was not an act of hope, it was an act of pain. It was lot an act of love, it was an act of loss.

A change in who a gift belongs to can be romantic, with the right elements. The great ACOSF bonus chapter necklacegate has none of them. And yet somehow, even though everyone agrees it wasn't romantic, people are still out here arguing that it clearly symbolizes a new romance.

I assure you, romance symbolizes romance. It shouldn't be tricky or leave you feeling icky or like the MMC is flaky and entitled. I cannot think of a single romance author who thinks it's a good idea to sit down and write toxic fuckbois as MMC's. Even if they were toxic fuckbois in the past, they IMMEDIATELY simp for their women. As of now, Azriel still hasn't noticed G/wyn, his supposed mate, and is hurting and heartbroken over another woman that he would kill for if asked to. He is not coping with it by raking about town and looking for a new girl to fall in love with since he was ordered away from the one he wanted. He's just training, not sleeping, and putting rocks in snowballs.

When trying to determine what is being foreshadowed as romance, if we have to stretch beyond asking the simple question what is romantic, I fear we have lost the plot.

[star2fishmeg]

Hello! I’d like to request a fujio fic pwease. I was rewatching Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes and thought Leo’s version of Romeo fits fujio’s personality really well. Basically a fujio x shy reader. Also I didn’t see him on your character list but would you ever consider writing for shoji in the future?

sɴᴏᴏᴢᴇ

Pairing: Hanaoka Fujio x afab!reader

Summary: Fujio and y/n take the same bus almost every day. Y/n’s too shy to speak to him while Fujio makes it his life mission to get y/n to stop running away

Warnings: fluff, swearing

Authors note: thank you for requesting! I also got your other request and I will absolutely give Sameoka a shot! This one’s a quieter fic, Fujio and fluff are just so cute, I couldn’t help myself

Request: above!

They had always walked in the same direction to and from school, but her nose always remained in her phone in the hope that Fujio wouldn’t engage in conversation. It’s not that she didn’t like him, he wasn’t repulsive in any way and usually focused more on chasing the birds or fishing for frogs once they’d left the bus. It was because he was cute that she didn’t want to talk to him. At all. When you only really see someone in the morning and sometimes the afternoon, what were you supposed to even talk about? She couldn’t even sit near him on the bus without her heart palpitating.

However, her streak of avoiding Fujio had come to an end, much to her dismay, when two of the other buses that ran to the countryside had been terminated, meaning all the country folk who needed access to the city took the same rush hour bus. Every day. Meaning less room to hide. Leading to Fujio noticing her and claiming the seat next to her. All. The. Time. But still, she never said a word, just sat on her phone, taking quiet side-eye glances at him when she couldn’t feel his eyes on her. And how she couldn’t help herself from looking once she had started. His handsome side profile, the way that he never seemed to stop smiling and helping the elderly with their groceries and then sprinting back to the bus before it left. Then it got to the point where it would just leave the two of them on the empty bus, side by side.

Sometimes he would talk, just spilling words about his day or telling a story. Sometimes asking rhetorical questions and other days reminiscing about his grandpa. She’d only respond with a small smile, her voice completely failing and resulting in either nodding or shaking her head when asked a question about herself. That’s how they bonded.

Fujio liked it. A lot. After a full day of Oya, retreating to her quiet company was like heaven. He found himself almost running to the bus stop, hoping she’d be there just so he could at least know she was okay.

--

Shit shit shit

She panted, slipping through the bus door as it closed behind her, scanning her pass she weaved her way through towards the back of the carriage to find at least a pole to hold onto. Fuck the council for terminating the other buses, it’s like they wanted to make things harder for people to commute. Shimming through to find her usual place, knowing it would be taken, the stress that had her in a chokehold completely ascended off her body seeing Fujio sat there instead of the sweaty bloke she had to settle with standing next to. For the first time, her eyes had contacted his, and even with his eyes, he could smile. With a small smile, she nodded, and he stood up, motioning for her to sit in her seat.

“I saved it for you.” He whispered, watching her sit down as his hand took the place on the pole. As usual, she scrolled through her phone, while he watched her with soft, fond eyes.

It wasn’t long until Fujio himself could sit next to her. He hadn’t realised how warm the vehicle was until he sat down, feeling his cheeks flush suddenly and eyes heavy. His eyes drifted closed, head leaning back against the window until he relaxed, y/n feeling a weight on her shoulder. Barely able to shift her head, she froze at the sight of him, slumped on her and peacefully sleeping while her brain raced at a hundred miles per hour, eyes skittish and unknowing of what to do. Did he want her to wake him up at their spot? Had he meant to fall asleep? She really didn’t want to have to speak to him, perhaps he’d wake up naturally and everything would be fine. Perhaps this consuming feeling in her stomach would pass quickly when he woke up soon.

When they had reached their stop, Fujio still stayed slumped on her, his breathing deep and rhythmic. Hands running through her hair in panic, y/n gently shook Fujio, her voice soft as – what Fujio would describe – an angel gracing his eardrums.

“Fujio, we’re here.” She mumbled, watching his eyes flutter open and a smile form on his lips. How dare he look at her like that. Like she was the treasure he’d been trying to find all along. She avoided his gaze, standing up to leave in a hurry.

“Let’s go home, y/n!” his voice rasped, linking their arms together while he pulled her through the doors and down the gravel path.

That was the beginning.

--

Tuesday was the same, bus crammed to the brim, but this time y/n had managed to get her seat comfortably. The only horrendous element being Fujio standing over her, and the angle she saw him. Had his jaw always been that sharp? His posture always look that…protective? She’d seen a great deal of his personality, but never his physical appearance. At that moment she started to understand why the girls opposite her giggled over him all the time. Maybe she did like his outgoing attitude a bit more than she expected, maybe him doing the talking filled some sort of void. She leant her head back against the window, shutting out the world around her delving into her own.

She was only brought back into reality when Fujio’s head found comfort on her shoulder again. His arms folded and surprisingly soft hair tickling her neck. She couldn’t lie to herself much longer; the mullet did look good on him. Incredibly good.

Yet again she hoped he’d wake up before their stop. Yet again he had not. What made him so tired recently? Was Oya that tiring? Did they even study? Questions she’d never get answers to.

She poked him, “Fujio.” He stirred, lips forming a smile again but choosing to keep his eyes closed. Her breath hitched, hesitantly bringing her hand to his head, and giving it a gentle pat before repeating his name. When he did decide to ‘wake up’, his chest tightened at the blush that dusted her cheeks.

“Sorry, y/n. I’m so tired lately. Thanks for waking me up again!” He winked.

--

Thursday was like the other days, except Fujio hadn’t turned up for the bus on Wednesday. And as much as she refused to admit it, it felt empty without him. She missed his update on his day, the way he’d look at her like she was a deity that had graced him. Just one afternoon felt painfully long. But he was back on Thursday, slouching back into the tatty seat, the afternoon sun giving his skin a warm glow. Y/n knew he’d dozed off again, his breathing pattern changed, and his shoulders relaxed. Another afternoon where she finally had the chance to properly look at him secretly, and noticed the veins raised on his hands and arms as if he’d just been working out, his nails not too long but not bitten short either and how coarse his palms were.

She tilted her head against the window again, watching the holding straps swing until her lap had gained a suspicious weight. Gaze flickering down, Fujio’s head lay comfortably; one hand flat on her knee and thumb rubbing gently. Her stomach protruded into her throat, her cheeks burning, breathing almost erratic. She had just become accustomed to her shoulder being a pillow, but this was another level of ‘what the fuck do I do?’. Hanaoka Fujio would be the death of her.

--

Friday, one more day of Fujio sleeping on her then she could catch a break.

She had barely enough energy to fight for a decent place on the bus, she hoped that all the people standing with her felt the same. As usual, you had the anomalies, such as the boys from her school making comments about people, especially her, heckling about if she talked more the boys would ask her out and all that high school shit that doesn’t matter. However, while y/n may have not been bothered by it, Fujio was fuming, so much so that his arm snaked over her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side.

“Sorry for the sudden gesture, I’ll let go when we’re on the bus.” He leaned into her ear and whispered. The boys stopped their giggling. The Hanaoka Fujio of Oya High with y/n? Lord save their souls, they’d heard what happened at Oya.

Even on the bus, she felt those boys’ glares on her. All she did was scroll through her phone, Fujio’s head resting on hers and watching over her shoulder. She had become used to him, even if he’d become bolder over the week, she was strangely quick to adapt. But it didn’t last long before she closed the screen, eyes drifting close and letting her body fall into his side. Giving the boys a serpentine glare, his arm once again slid around her shoulders, keeping her comfortably close to him so she could rest peacefully this time.

“Sleep tight, pretty.” He placed a feathery kiss to her head.

H&L harem (if you wanna be tagged/removed in future H&L content, comment or lemme know via ‘chat to me bbygorl’ :D);

@straysugzhpe @airbendertendou @strxwberrychocolate @rouzuchan @yuken-gf @rinwhore @simpforchuchu @thatpoindexterpixy @rainisawriter @cheshirecatuniverse

[Masterlist]

[Requests CLOSED]

2023 © STAR2FISHMEG All rights reserved - do not plagiarise, translate, repost, copy any of my works. If you notice that any of these have been done to my work, please let me know.

[twstbookclub]

Fatal Attraction

Summary: Two lives stripped away in a moment's glance before they could even enjoy the gift of love presented in front of them. Caused by strife and wrath, this tragic tale is not one to be taken lightly. Pronouns: Gender Neutral POV: 2nd Admin/Writer: Kai⚔️ Tags: Azul Ashengrotto, Romeo and Juliet, angst, heavy angst, character death, be warned this is depressing Word count: 6,201

I'm gonna totally true here, I had so much fun writing Azul's angst fic, because I took one of my favorite pieces of literature and turned it into a fic-esque work. So, this takes inspiration from Romeo and Juliet, specifically the 1996 version of "Romeo + Juliet" with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. That version is a lot more modernized to use guns and drugs, etc but I tried my best to minimize all of that to give a less TW tag. I did take some dialogue from the actual literary piece and translated it into modern language, BUT NOT TOO MUCH cause it was honestly really hard 😭

6k words is insane to me because it's more than Malleus or Sebek

I am so sorry Azul stans

Lights illuminate the quiet streets at night, while the city comes alive during the day. However, two rival mafias operate in the town, hidden from the ordinary citizen's eye. Amidst the danger, a casino is the only place where people can forget their problems, but two lovers only need each other for peace.

Azul Ashengrotto is a hitman and negotiator for one of the mafia factions. Well known for his work within the organization and occasional work as a dealer in the casino, Azul is as cunning and deceptive as they come, but it's just his nature.

Azul strolls around the casino with his usual smirk, basking in the glory of a successful negotiation with a company. The other casino staff congratulate him, but he brushes it off, knowing it's all part of his job.

“There’s no need to congratulate me! It is simply my duty as a negotiator.”

After setting his things down, he jokes with some of the casino staff before heading off to prepare for the evening.

Sitting in the garden of your home, you sigh and admire the flowers as the day starts. The day feels long, and sadness makes it feel even longer. You have always been kept within the property of your home. You’re a child of a mafia organization, but your father is hellbent on keeping you from the outside world. You need more, but where could you get that without permission? Suddenly, during your train of thought, a familiar voice interrupts your thoughts.

"Well, good morning, cos," said the voice, playfully interrupting your thoughts.

"It’s still morning?" you respond, letting out a small sigh.

“The day’s barely begun?” Asked Cater, confused.

“Oh, Seven, this day feels too long and dull.”

“But it’s a good day! What sadness lengthens your hours?” Cater asked, trying to sound playful to lighten that solemn look in your eyes.

“Having to sit here and waste away makes my days long and dull, cousin.”

Cater sighs and tries to speak, but your mother calls for you with an alarmed voice. Shrill screams of your name echo, reaching the sky from how loud she is.

You hurriedly ascend the staircase to the second floor, stopping at the middle platform where your mother stood with pinched eyebrows and a subtle frown.

“Madam, I’m here. Is something the matter?”

“Finally! Come! We have something important to discuss. Cater—you can leave,” she said, pushing Cater away. Your mother paused as if something dawned on her at that moment. She shook her head and hastily added, “Wait! Cater, come back! You’re part of this, as well.”

You and Cater rushed to your bedroom and were made to sit on your bed. Maids rushed inside your chambers, and you found yourself being tugged around by each one. The familiar sensation of a brush and the smell of powder filled the room. The sound of rustling fabric and barked orders disturbed the silence.

“Despite what your father says, you are of age. You should go out more—find someone to give you thrills in life!” Your mother exclaimed, helping herself to sit at your vanity table. “I’ve been your mother for many years now, and I’m deeply concerned about your… self-isolation. This is only what I think is best!”

The rest of that conversation was mostly your mother telling you how “the world is your oyster” and that you should take advantage of it. You could only listen until she was tired of lecturing you and walked off to do other things. It ended with Cater helping you get ready.

“Alright. You heard the woman. You’re lucky that I know exactly where to take you,” Cater says with a sigh and starts looking through your closet for you.

The sound of shuffling cards, chips clattering on the tables, and cheers from winners rang through the different halls and rooms. Different themes exist on every floor depending on the games. A floor filled with different slot machine games was filled with neon lights and bright colors to accommodate the vibe. One of them had restaurants galore for each type of economy class that was visiting. Vibrant, blinding colors greeted you, and the mind could easily be overwhelmed by the sight. It smelled of cigarettes and smoke everywhere, and servers held trays of crystalline glasses filled with golden champagne.

Cater brought you to a casino to de-stress. He was familiar with this place, so he knew you’d be okay here. You walked around independently since Cater left you to play a round of Hearts with others he knew.

You watched how people crowded around the poker and baccarat tables. There was a mix of emotions lingering in the casino air: concentrated, frustrated, happy, and angry to name a few. When you turned to another section, you leaned against a pillar and looked in front of you, meeting a pair of bluish-purple eyes.

He was looking at you, too. He looked—

Gorgeous.

You stepped behind the pillar and poked your head out enough just for your eyes to meet his own again. The stranger gave you a modest smile and a gaze so fine that you just had to smile back. Dressed in a black button-up with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, fabric fitting his frame as two top buttons were open.

His hair was a pretty gray, and the beauty mark under his lip made his features come together like a perfect painting. His smile grew wider, and he looked away. Then you felt your cheeks grow hot.

It was an unfamiliar feeling. One only your maids and mother would describe to you as love, but is this really what it was? It felt right, but it was too new to confirm true.

When you met his eyes again, he had his hand out for you to take. You looked at the floor momentarily before moving closer and letting your palm touch his, and he guided you to sit at his table.

You looked around, then noticed it was a table of blackjack. Hmm… a simple game. He didn’t let go of your palm and dealt the cards with his free hand. You smiled softly and stared at how he held your hand as if you were glass. 

“You do realize that holding a stranger’s hand for this long is not normal,” you said while looking into his eyes, prompting a laugh to escape his lips

“Well, dear stranger, what is normal? It’s certainly not us.”

“How so?” you asked as you tried to slip your hand away again, but the gesture was met with a firm grip.

“Any other person would’ve walked away from a man with wandering eyes,” he said while leaning closer to you, but you moved away with a smile.

“Would it not be stranger if we were closer than this? Though, I don’t wish to interrupt how you are dealing with this game.”

“Oh? Do you wish to be closer? Closing the distance is not a problem to me.” His offer was tempting, but the words your mother spoke of flashed through your mind. Maybe this is something you should be doing?

“I… can allow that,” you whispered loud enough to reach his ears, quite confident that this was something you wanted

“Then stay while I deal as I please,” he whispered as he leaned closer, noses brushing for a moment before you moved away and stood from the chair you were in.

“Oh,” you laughed playfully and went towards the nearby bar, and he followed you without a complaint, “what a tease. I must say, you’re very forward and quick to act.”

“Wasting no time is what I do best,” he said, following you, watching your movements. “People call me charming and witty, but no praise will amount to anything if I fail to leave an impression on you. Don’t leave me feeling this empty, darling.”

“Why empty? Is the time spent with me so far not fulfilling enough?”

The man placed his fingers under your chin and made you look at him, then he took off his glasses in a swift move. “No, and I won’t be satisfied until I can do this...”

You felt a smile creep up as he pulled you closer and gave you a gentle kiss, only starting. After that gesture, you looked at him and kept your composure.

“Better,” Azul said after that short kiss, a smug look on his face, but he didn’t let you go.

You were a bit surprised by the feeling, but you couldn’t complain. “Is it?”

“Very. It makes me want more…” He whispered before kissing you again, this time letting it linger much longer. 

“You kiss as if you learned from a book,” you spoke softly after breaking it, but he only moved lower towards your ear and neck. 

“Hey, we can’t do this. As much as I enjoy your company, you are a mere stranger at the end of the day,” you said and pushed him back lightly, then tried to walk off. The man moved closer again and sat you down on a bar stool.

His lips found yours again, but you couldn’t lie to yourself. Your body could only respond to the kiss almost instantly. His hands didn’t let go of your waist, yet your own were on the nape of his neck and shoulder.

You don’t know how much time had passed, but you snapped out of it once Cater called your name. “Hello, Earth to cousin? We have to go!”

Cater looked at the man whose arms you were in and sighed in disappointment, clicking his tongue and pulling you away. “Come on!”

While getting pulled away, you kept turning around to watch as the man followed you, a determined look on his face as he tried to catch up. You were pulled up the stairs to the floor above and joined with the bodyguards you arrived with. 

The man remained at the bottom of the stairs, but he stared at you in disbelief.

“His name is Azul Ashengrotto, a hitman from the mafia your family fights against all the time! He’s the right-hand man,” Cater whispered to you, and you felt the smile on your face disappear. You stared down at the man but couldn’t utter a word.

“Is that…? No—they can’t be,” Azul whispered, still in disbelief.

After staring momentarily, you were pulled away, and Azul had to follow again. This continued, even with your head turning back a few times, just to meet the man following at a distance.

Azul stood at the casino door while you left, watching as your car left with a regretful expression in his eyes. “Not knowing and finding out too late—how the hell did we end up finding each other this way?” he said to himself as you stared back at him from the moving car, then he went back into the casino grounds.

After arriving home, you walked around your garden under the moonlight and sighed softly. You moved yourself to squat in front of the pool at the end of the concrete path, looking up at the moon. 

“Azul Ashengrotto… Who could he really be? What does his name have to do with anything?”

“The group that rivals my family name, but what is in that name? It’s not a hand, foot, or any other part belonging to me.” You stare down at your reflection in the water and smile softly at the thought of that man you had a slight moment with at the casino. 

You stand up and sigh, “Should he tell me he doesn’t like it, I would change it in a heartbeat—”

“Then should we change that name?”

You spin around and scream as he puts his hands on your arms, but the shock causes you to fall back into the pool with him. You quickly come up to the surface and spit out the water in your mouth, then stare at the pale indigo eyes on you.

“What are you doing here!? Did you follow me? If they see you, they’ll murder you!” You whispered loudly because of the panic, but your reaction made Azul laugh.

“That is the least of my worries.”

“But you’re the Ashengrotto, an ally of my mortal enemy—”

“I will neither, if you dislike it. What can they do to me?” He whispers the last part, moving closer and touching your cheek. “I was able to see you again. I’m satisfied with that. It’s better to be killed by their hatred than by the torture of not seeing you. You love me and I love you, so let them find me here. I want your love for as long as you’ll allow me to have it.”

You stare at his features for a moment before he kisses you softly, the quiet night enveloping the both of you. It was slow, but you could feel how he felt the same for you as you did him. The more time that passed, the more passion was being shared.

The pool water was warm, but the way he grabbed your hips with one hand and kept your head in place with the other gave you a chill down your spine, simply from how he made you feel. 

You pulled back after a while longer and felt your face burning, so you avoided looking at him. “The moon's light can only hide me so well, and now you’ve heard me speak tonight. Do you love me? I know that you’ll say yes, and I will take your word for it.”

You spoke while backing away to get out of the pool, and he followed, leaving kisses on your neck when he could. “If you love me, say it faithfully.”

“I swear by the moon—”

You sighed and pushed him back. “Don’t swear by her ever-changing beauty unless your love has conditions.”

“Then what do I swear by?” Azul asks, looking at you with confusion in his expression.

“Don’t swear at all. If you must, swear on yourself. If it comes from your heart, then I’ll believe you.”

“The love in my heart…” He whispers, then gives you light kisses again, but you quickly break it and turn away.

“Don’t. Although I enjoy this, I will have no joy in this promise tonight. It’s too soon, too rash, and—like a lightning strike—it will be gone too soon,” you said and climbed up the ladder to get out of the water, but his sudden call out made you stop.

“Will you leave me so unsatisfied?”

You turn around and look at him with surprise. “What satisfaction could you have tonight?”

“To tell me that your heart belongs to me”

He was right. He had declared his love for you, but you hadn’t done the same for him. Was this real? You smiled brightly and ran back into his arms, falling into the pool with him again.

“I gave it to you before you even asked!” You exclaimed before falling back in with him, your lips landing against his into an underwater kiss.

Coming up to the surface, you hear Cater calling for you around the house, and you shout. “I’ll be there!” You turn to Azul and pull him out, hurrying him to leave through a secret gate.

“I leave you with a few more words before good night. If you’ll allow me the honor of marriage, let me know tomorrow—in a way that I can visit you—where and what time we’ll marry,” you whisper with a smile and hold his hand through the iron bars of the gate.

Cater shouted again, and you could only shout once again. “I’m on my way!”

“May all of my fortune and my will always follow you. If you do not mean well, I beg you not to argue and leave me alone to grieve. I will send someone over to the casino tomorrow,” you told Azul before letting him go, not before giving him a kiss.

“I am yours, and you are mine. I’ll be happy to hear from you.”

“I hope you have a wonderful night.” You smiled again and ran off, and Azul walked off as well. Shortly after, you gasped to yourself and tried to find him again, rushing towards him.

“Azul!” you called out, catching his attention, and his smile only brightened your heart. “At what hour should I send for someone?”

“By 9 in the morning.”

“I won’t let you down. It’s an eternity until then.” You laugh softly and pull your necklace off you, giving it to him. He took it gladly and tightened his fist to avoid losing it.

“Good night, darling.” He said and walked away, looking back at you a few times until he was completely out of sight.

“A bittersweet sorrow that is parting, that I shall say ‘good night’ until tomorrow.” You said with a smile. Finally, you ran off into your home.

The next day, you were home alone, and you waited with anticipation for your cousin to arrive back to you. As soon as the door opened to your bedroom, you jumped up and saw Cater come in with a tired expression.

“Cater!”

“Oh, hey, cos,” he says and tucks himself into your bed, your expression turning into disappointment.

“Cater! What does my love say?”

“Your love? Oh! That negotiator guy,” he says, “… Hey, where are your parents?” Cater asked, looking at you with a cheeky smile.

“Where are my parents?” You sigh from frustration and pull the blankets off the kid. “Don't keep it from me any longer! What did Azul say!?”

Cater laughs before standing from the bed and going to your closet. He looks at your more formal clothing and then picks something out for you. “When you go out today, meet him at the church. There, a man waits to marry you later today.”

Your eyes lit up with excitement as you heard the news. You took the outfit into your hands and left to change, finding even more reason to leave your home today.

Arriving at the church, you noticed the cars parked in front were all the same. When you entered the wide chapel, your eyes instantly met his, and the warm golden lights illuminated the design.

You had always been here before, but how the room lit up now was mesmerizing. Seeing Azul made the moment even better because it was only you and him. You made your way down before meeting with him, and how sweet he was.

Speaking vows and promises while looking at your love in the eyes, you could finally understand why a wedding day was so important. You knew you would never forget this day even if fate decided to take you away tomorrow.

His hands held yours and carefully slipped a silver band on your finger. That was it. You were officially married to him.

“I love you,” you whispered, seeming as if now was a dream that would slip through your fingers.

“I love you too,” he responded, giving you a kiss to conceal it together.

Azul had to leave after that because his negotiation work was urgent, but he still ensured you arrived home safely.

Under that guise, Azul arrived at his own mafia’s headquarters. The room was a bit tense as he walked into his boss’ office, only to find a man tied on the marble floor. The room was dim and added to the atmosphere that the organization strived for.

At the snap of a finger, the man became unmasked, to reveal one of your relatives. Azul looked surprised but quickly had to hide it. 

“Boss. Is… this him?” Azul asked, looking his boss in the eye, but he was feeling a cold sweat for once.

“That’s right. You already know what you have to do. Don’t disappoint me, Ashengrotto.”

Azul nodded once and gestured to the guards to follow him with their victim, and he left behind them with a tense feeling. 

Your relative? One whom he now shared names with through his dearly beloved, but did he really want to kill this man? 

This man was a spy. Playing his organization like a game of chess, he could get away with it for a while, but his boss knew the truth from the beginning. The boss wasn’t an idiot, they wouldn’t be in the place they're in now if that was the case, so it wasn’t surprising.

This was different now, though.

Azul stared at this man’s back with hesitation. He didn’t want to do this to you, but this was his job. You knew that, too, but that wasn’t an excuse. Yet, if he didn’t do this, it was his life on the line along with this man.

You sat in your room while staring up at the statues of the Seven in your room, a warm smile on your face at the thought of your new husband, a lingering sadness that you couldn’t spend time with him.

“Oh, Seven… If only the stars could show me my husband now. If anything should happen, may the heavens take his soul and place it among the stars, so his radiance could illuminate the night, that not even the moon could compare,” you whispered to yourself while imagining Azul, causing you to smile more than you already were. “If only I could see him soon..”

Azul stood in front of the captured man with a bitter look in his eye. He called the guards off to be alone in the room, still hesitating about the choice in front of him.

“You know, you’re trembling… it’s obvious, buddy.” The man said with a laugh, his busted face still dripping some blood onto the floor.

Azul’s eyes widened, his voice slightly trembling. “What? Don’t say a word. Do not provoke me.”

“Why? Is the big man, Ashengrotto, finally scared?”

“Shut up—”

“What a baby. How the hell are you the right-hand man, if you can’t pull the trigger?”

“Don’t say anything else!”

“In my organization, you would’ve been killed for being this weak!”

“You don’t know a damn thing!” Azul yelled, swiftly taking out his gun and putting it to the man’s head. “Do you not wish to be saved? I can do that. I don’t want to do this. Not for…” His voice trailed off, a lump forming in his throat.

“Don’t be fucking weak. Do it!” The man yelled, messing around with the assassin in front of him. This man knew what he was doing but didn’t know the consequences.

The gun was taken off its safety as Azul took a deep breath, putting his personal emotions aside and speaking quieter. “To my beloved relative by name… May the Seven help you.”

The man grew confused before he was met with darkness. The sound of the gun echoing through the large room was enough of a message that it was over, but guilt started to take over the new silence.

“Shit… What the hell did I do?’ Azul whispered to himself before dropping the gun and staring at the corpse in front of him with disbelief.

You stared at the statues once again with a confused look on your face, at a loss for how to react. It had been a few hours, but you had just been told the news about your relative being killed by your husband’s hand.

“Say it isn’t so? Seven, don’t betray my heart this way… Am I supposed to criticize my husband? Speak ill of him? For the love he had for me, am I supposed to think of him as a traitor? Give up his word for actions?” You spoke to yourself, pleading with the gods above to give you an answer, but you received nothing.

Your heart ached at the deafening silence, and not even your ancestors could help you in this. It felt like your bloodline was shaming you for confiding in a sworn enemy, but you couldn't control who you could love...

Was it truly so easy to blame yourself for this?

Azul had quickly become a target under your family’s watchful eye. He had to do something, and quickly. Azul stared out the window from his office before he took a breath and fixed his glasses, only coming up with one answer.

“Guards, take me to them. I’ll be staying the night. In the meantime, prepare a burial.” Azul said calmly before grabbing his coat and leaving quickly.

You sat on your bed and tilted your head, hugging one of the pillows while thinking. Your mother left you to rest for the night, and you took the opportunity to lock yourself in. You let out a sigh and slowly stood up.

“Am I supposed to deny him? Divorce him for what he did? What a cruel thing to do to someone I love,” you said to yourself, but then you heard footsteps come in through your window.

The sound immediately caught your attention, and you were met with Azul standing there with regret in his eyes. You slowly went closer without your eyes moving away, scared that he would disappear.

“I’m sorry,” Azul whispered, his already sad eyes becoming glassy with the tears he couldn’t keep back anymore. “I swear to you and the Seven above, I didn’t want to do it—”

“I believe you. I can see it in your eyes. It was either that… or death, right? I know how this business goes, but that still won’t stop me from loving you.” You responded just as quietly, then looked over his body to make sure he didn’t have any injuries. Just doing this made your heart race.

Your hands slid down his coat to take it off, the ruffling sound of it hitting the ground mixing with the sounds of breathing and pattering rain hitting the ground outside. It made you a bit relieved that he could reach you before the rain began, but your heart rate wasn’t slowing down.

You loosened his tie and took off a few buttons so he could relax, but you were nervous. You guess… it’s kind of late to be nervous when you’re already married to him. Regardless, your hands just went with the flow, even if you didn’t have any experience in this aspect.

Azul watched your movements carefully before he leaned closer, taking off his glasses in the process. Your eyes met his indigo irises, your hands made their way to his neck and shoulder, and your heart was about to explode.

You willingly closed the space and kissed him as you knew he was about to do the same to you, but he returned it so gently. It was different from the time you met at the casino or in the pool that same night, but it felt perfect. Neither of you wanted to let go.

Morning came too fast. Azul woke up to the harsh reality of what was going to happen today. Any slight movement he made easily woke you up, but you could only give a small groan since you weren’t ready to get up yet. That noise made him smile and laugh before he sat up to see how you slowly opened your eyes

“It’s too early, and not time for you to go.” You whispered with a tired voice, still exhausted from the events of the day prior. Azul quickly moved to hover above you within the blink of an eye as your words caused him to feel warm.

“Then let’s not get out of these sheets—delay the morning by never coming out. I can appreciate just how divine my spouse looks while you look up at me like that.” Azul began playfully, slowly becoming genuine and affectionate with his words.

Before you could respond, Cater ran into your room and closed the door behind him, causing Azul to fall off your bed from surprise. “Your mother is on the way! Quick!” He said with panic, swiftly moving around to help out.

Azul got all of his things and you let him escape from the window, following him onto the balcony. He pulled you into a kiss for a moment before letting you go. “Stay safe. I’m sorry for what I did.”

You shook your head and gave him a gentle smile, placing your lips against his for a few seconds. “I love you. I love you more than anything. My life is yours.”

“My love…” Azul said somberly and sighed, placing a small kiss on your forehead. You felt the emotion he was feeling by just the way he was acting, and it left you confused. You looked at him with concern before giving him your ring from the day before.

You kissed the engraving on the band before placing the ring in his palm. “Just be safe. I will try to find out if something grave is being planned in hopes of stopping it.”

Azul just stayed quiet before he pushed you back inside your bedroom and quietly left. That was it between you two for now. You stared at the bed in front of you as your stomach began to turn in a bad way, but you could only whisper something to yourself as you fixed the robe you had put on when rushing.

“Letting someone out and bringing light in—why do I have a feeling that it will be in vain?” 

Azul stood in the church that had become special to him less than twenty-four hours ago, holding a small bottle in the palm of his hand, along with your ring and necklace beside it.

There was a war going on outside. He was the head that they wanted to capture for killing your father’s brother, an eye for an eye, and he didn’t want you to be brought into it. He was thankful that you could forgive him and still keep your love, but he didn’t deserve it after making you grieve for the loss of a relative and the loss of his presence beside yours.

He made sure to kiss the ring and the cross charm from your necklace, before putting them both on and staring up at the painted murals from the church’s ceiling, a soft expression at the memory of exchanging vows that were so fresh to him.

Without much hesitance, Azul popped open the small container and dropped some pills into his palm. His boss gave him these after he proposed to fake his death until this was over, composing a plan once a certain number of their kin had been killed in his stead.

One, two, three. Pills disappeared as Azul swallowed them. The drugs were quick, as he felt his heart begin to slow down and his breathing was coming to struggle for air. The church echoed the sounds of his quick suffering, until turning as quiet as the sleeping city he committed his sins.

In the morning, Cater ran into your room to find you clutching your chest, but not a single tear in your eyes. You were more shocked than anything. Your father stopped the war at the moment of finding out that their target was dead. Your husband was dead.

Cater, who was breathing heavily from running, went over to your side with a saddened look, letting out a sigh at the immense despair he could feel around you. “Cos, I’m sorry, but now… what’s your plan?”

Silence.

Nothing was your plan. How could there be a plan? The love you harbored couldn’t be shared with the one you married anymore. You let out a shaky breath and closed your eyes, a hidden tear finally dropping down your cheek.

Cater noticed your silence and went to lock your door, “He’s laid to rest at the church. I’ll take you to him.” 

Your body was simply guided by Cater now. He dressed you the best way that he could, in a way that your parents wouldn’t find suspicious. You hadn’t uttered a word or looked at him, but instead kept yourself together as if it was taking its time to affect you.

Your parents believed that you were grieving over your uncle’s death, so they left you alone. With that, Cater could take you over to the church during the sunset hour.

When you arrived, he guided you in and let your eyes lay upon the empty cathedral. The door closed behind you as Cater didn’t step in to leave you on your own. Finally being by yourself, you could relax as tears filled your eyes at the sight of the bed at the end of the aisle.

You slowly made your way closer and closer, each step making a sound that echoed through the space. The closer you got, the more detailed his body became. With gentleness and care, your hand wrapped around his and it felt weird.

“My love, death hasn’t taken your warmth yet?” You speak quietly and caress his cheek while holding back your tears. “You look as if life is still within you, and a peaceful sleep is all that affects you,” you said while leaning down to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Even your lips are as warm as the day. How precious…”

You went quiet after and closed your eyes, letting out a small sob before covering your eyes with your hands. The tears ran down your cheeks before being wiped away, not wanting to cry too bad after.

“What a cruel world we were born into,” you say quietly to your husband’s body before you look up at the ceiling above you, memories flashing through your head. A smile finally showed on your face at the thought of Azul, like his face and name always had these days.

You looked down as you held something in your hand. A small dagger with a black shine to it. You placed the tip of the blade at your chest and pierced yourself with it, the pain not being at all the same as losing the love of your life. You only let out a small wince and looked down at your husband, only to find him with a look of horror and his eyes wide open.

“No, you—” Azul started but quickly reacted to sit up and pull you to lay down where he was, struggling breaths coming from you as the blood seeped out of your wound. Azul tried to take it out, but your grip on the handle was strong even though your body was growing weak.

“What—” You whispered, tears falling down from your eyes as you tried to think, but you could only stare at Azul with a blurry vision from how fast your life was being taken away from you. “Why…?”

“Why? To protect you. Why would you follow me?” Azul asked with tears coming up to his own eyes. He held you tightly as if that would stop the slow death you were experiencing, but he wasn’t doing anything. He couldn’t. “Why wouldn’t you want to live?”

“Live…” You whispered, your slow blinking accompanied by a small smile only made this more bitter than it was, a gasp coming from you before you spoke again. “I couldn’t live without you.”

These words were soon followed by silence. A quiet breath was let go from you. Your body grew limp and still. Your hands had finally let go of the dagger that had you inflicted on yourself, but it was too late.

Azul just stared in a still stance, still holding you. He waited for something. Anything. A sign of life. Something to check if you were still there with him. When he didn’t get anything, he let out loud sobs while holding your lifeless body close to him, even putting out a few screams from the agony that surrounded his heart.

Every sound and movement he made echoed and pierced his ears with desperation and regret. If only he had told you the plan. If only he ran away with you instead, you would still be alive and smiling at him.

After his moment of grieving, he looked up and down at you, but then his eyes stopped at the blood-stained clothes you had on. His eyes locked onto the dagger before he carefully pulled it out and stared at the blade. 

The question he asked you earlier wasn’t in his mind anymore. Even if he stayed alive, he would die at the hands of your family once they realized that he was alive and that you died with him beside you. He couldn’t live without you either.

He stared at you for a moment before he took your hand into his and he closed his eyes. He placed the dagger against his neck and let out a breath before his body fell right next to yours, and a deafening silence befell them.

Two lovers. Both alike in dignity, now gone in mere moments from their organization’s strife. Young adults with so much more to life and love to share, could not stop the rage of others. A love story that ended so tragically changed the outcome of the respectful lives that they could’ve had.

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss and Helen J Shen To Star In MAYBE HAPPY ENDING On Broadway This Fall

From Skid Row to 44th Street! This morning it was announced that Darren Criss and Helen J Shen will star in the Broadway premiere of the new romantic musical comedy Maybe Happy Ending, with music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Hue Park and a book by both Aronson and Park. Michael Arden is set to direct the new musical which will begin previews Wednesday September 18, 2024 ahead of an opening night on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at the Belasco Theatre.

Dez Duron will make his Broadway debut along with Shen with the production. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Inside a one-room apartment in the heart of Seoul, Oliver (Criss) lives a happily quiet life listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant. But what else is there to do when you’re a Helper-Bot 3, a robot that has long been retired and considered obsolete? When his fellow Helperbot neighbor Claire (Shen) asks to borrow his charger, what starts as an awkward encounter leads to a unique friendship, a surprising adventure, and maybe even...love? Winner of the Richard Rodgers Award, Maybe Happy Ending is the offbeat and captivating story of two outcasts near the end of their warranty who discover that even robots can be swept off their feet. Maybe Happy Ending is a fresh, original musical about the small things that make any life worth living.

Maybe Happy Ending was written in both Korean and English-language versions. The Korean-language version opened in December of 2016 at DaeMyung Culture Factory in Seoul and subsequently won six Korean Musical Awards including Best Musical. The English-language version was awarded the 2017 Richard Rodgers Production Award and had its U.S. premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in the 2019-2020 season.

“I am so very happy to be joining the enchanting world of Maybe Happy Ending,” said Darren Criss. “It’s already such a special piece, but all the more exciting for me to get to build it for Broadway with people I admire - namely my ol’ pal Michael Arden, a visionary I’ve been wanting to work with for longer than I care to admit, as well as the very talented Will Aronson and Hue Park. Their inventive book and music, combined with Michael’s direction, is exactly the kind of alchemy that gets me most excited about what musical theater can be. I can’t wait for audiences to take part in this wonderfully original theatrical experience, and behold a story from a future that explores one of the most ancient questions of humanity- why love?”

Dane Laffrey will design the Set and Additional Video, while Costume Design is by Clint Ramos, Lighting Design is by Tony Award-nominee Ben Stanton, Sound Design is by Peter Hylenski, Video Design by George Reeve, Deborah Abramson is the Music Supervisor and John Yun will be the Music Director. Casting is by Telsey & Co, Craig Burns, CSA and Justin Scribner is the Production Stage Manager.

For more information please visit: www.maybehappyending.com

[justenjoythegossip]

CHRIS WILL BE JUST FINE…

A portion of Chris’ fandom is really mad at him for accepting to be part of a shitshow with such a problematic girl. And rightfully so. But it’s important to keep something in perspective: Chris is going to be just fine.

Stars have gotten away with much worse

I saw this article this morning about celebrities being involved in big scandals. https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahmarder/wild-forgotten-celeb-controversies

There are many more that didn’t make the list and definitely could have. Even recently, Greta Gerwig’s partner left the mother of his unborn child to be with her. It’s awards season so of course, it has been buried. Same situation with Claire Danes’ sordid affair with Billy Crudup a long time ago. 

So many of these Hollywood folks are problematic and have gotten away with it and continue to get away with it. 

Their behavior range from the problematic to the horrific and criminal. 

Casey Affleck allegedly assaulted a woman sexually and settled his case out of court. He won an Oscar for Manchester by the sea anyway. If people are curious, look at how Brie Larson handed his awards. She knew!

According to Rose McGowan, his brother Ben Affleck would have told her after she had confessed to him that Weinstein (let's not even discuss him) raped her: “I told him to stop doing that”.  

Allegedly a former girlfriend of Fassbender pressed charges against him after he violently assaulted her. And I could go on and on. 

Many have done much worse than being in a PR relationship with someone problematic and have gotten away with it. So in the grand scheme of things, Chris will be just fine. His “relationship” with Abba will be buried and soon it will be a forgotten memory, only remembered by a small portion of his fandom. 

Chris’ darker side

Chris’ history is rather tame compared to all those super problematic people and or criminals that are still on the loose. 

But yes, he has made mistakes in the past like everyone else and he has done his fair share of problematic stuff as well. In his younger days, there were rumors of fights and being thrown out of bars. There has been rumors of drug use. There was that messy affair with a married costar during the shooting of Gifted. Also let’s not forget the more recent papwalk in London with Lily James during Covid Lockdown to clean her sniffing cocaine in the park. The pairing of Captain America and Cinderella was a good idea on paper but the execution was atrocious and tactless. It was already a sign of his team’s gross incompetence and miscalculation. There was also the leak of the screenshot of his phone. The d..k pic was all people talked about but some of the other pictures were even more problematic, not as embarrassing of course but more problematic.

Also Chris’ friends and family and Chris himself have trolled his fandom for years. A day before he left for Portugal at the beginning of this shitshow, he tweeted a pic of himself and wrote something like: “I love my fans and Dodger loves you too”. He then hopped on a plane and purposefully filmed a video for that teacher from his hotel room in Lisbon so that his fans (plants?) could place him there. And surprise surprise, there was some backlash on certain platforms and just afterwards he or his team tweeted a picture of him with a bald kid with cancer. It was actually the low point for me. Much worse than anything he did with Abba. I think the picture was 2 years old and I know celebrities use charities to make themselves look good all the time. But using the pic of a sick child for damaged control was as low as you can get. I am not sure he promoted Christopher’s Haven ever since. 

And of course, there are still the ongoing shenanigans with the Nazi sympathizing yacht girl…

But like Chris said in an interview the past year, the industry makes you do things you don’t want to do. Hollywood is indeed a snake pit where they sometimes force you to compromise yourself and play certain games if you want to be successful. That is part of the price to pay.  

He needed a change in his PR image

Chris was at a good place in his career after Endgame. Knives Out was a huge hit and Defending Jacob got good reviews. He seemed to have diversified but Covid happened and derailed a lot of stuff. Little shop of Horrors was canceled. He didn’t have Marvel to fall back on and he seemed to be at a crossroads career wise and PR-wise. He couldn’t remain the perfect internet boyfriend and play Prince charming waiting for the one forever. He had to evolve into more adults parts as well: husbands, fathers etc. 

This is probably why his team came up with this PR relationship and those kinda of weddings. Again it was a good idea on paper because it enabled them to change his image in a natural and organic way. But the execution was again as disastrous as it gets. Abba was not a good fit for him and she was not a good choice especially if they wanted to rebrand him as a family man. 

The question remains whether she is the only one who agreed to this charade. Indeed the contract’s terms seem rather drastic. She has never been able to even post anything about him (just his dog) or about marrying him. She has mostly hid for the past years and just popped up for PR events or reasons. And given the GQ event, it's likely she is not even allowed to speak in public. Remember the articles saying she was rude and refused to talk to the media. Who would agree to this kind of contract but a desperate clout chaser with little prospect? 

An artist’s career is full of ups and downs. Hopefully, once this is over, Chris will get opportunities to expand on his body of work with more diverse roles. I think Pain Hustlers was supposed to do that for him but even if he was rather good in it, the movie wasn’t. I do think he has the acting chops to do it. Whether or not he will get such opportunities is another question… I am not sure this shitshow would have helped him at all in that regard but time will tell.

[stackthedeck]

boostle aus I swear I'll write one of these days

fairytale au where Ted is a classic fairytale prince complete with evil uncle trying to steal the throne and sneaks out of the palace to help the people of the kingdom and Booster is a fallen star like Claire Danes of stardust fame

fairytale au where Ted is a fairy because I want him to be beetle sized but the fairy hierarchy is just obviously pixie hollow and Ted is a tinker fairy and Booster is a classic fairytale trickster who is immortal because he wagered his soul in some wild gamble

Just making Ted beetle sized in the canon universe through comic book nonsense

high school teacher au. Ted is the teacher who got stuck teaching every advanced science because he made the mistake of getting his masters and also the robotics team coach. Booster is the new football coach and history teacher (his ass does not know history there's a student in his class that just takes over the lecture and rambles about history for the whole hour yes it's Rip Hunter). Ted starts liking Booster when he realizes he's mandated that the football team has to stop picking on the nerds. Also oops Booster has a criminal record and lied to get this job but shit Ted is already in love and has to make sure he keeps his job. Guy is a special ed teacher and the gym coach. Tora teaches home ec and AP euro and Bea teaches foreign languages and government classes. Bruce is the principal (his ass knows Booster is lying)

Cowboy au but it's not the justice riders but it's also not not the justice riders

not technically an au but just a fic about how the carter-kord family gets started and domestic fluff with the kiddos

booster getting a star sapphire ring after ted dies angst ensues

a 5 plus 1 fic about why Rip is distrustful of heroes despite being raised by two of them

[good--merits-accumulated]

OK, SEVERELY rambly post incoming but - Anderperry Stardust (2007)/ The Little White Horse AU, anyone?

Rundown: I think many of us are familiar with Stardust, originally a Neil Gaiman book but also a great film, starring Claire Danes as a falling star and That Guy Who Plays Daredevil as the lad who promises to bring her to the girl he's infatuated with. The Little White Horse is, to the best of my knowledge, more unknown, but equally very good (for sentimental reasons, I think of it much more highly than Stardust). Published in 1946 by Elizabeth Goudge, it tells the story of thirteen-year-old orphan Maria Merryweather, who moves to her cousin Sir Benjamin's Moonacre Manor in the West Country, where she finds a) a thriving cosy community and a long family history, b) the little white horse of the title, c) a longstanding family feud cutting off Moonacre from the sea, d) her imaginary best friend Robin, real and in the flesh, and e) some of the most deliciously-described food that has ever been or will be. It's a great book even past the rose-tinted glasses of my childhood. Go read it. (The one (1) marring is that you can't find a bloody edition that doesn't have a JK Terfling quote pasted onto the cover, because apparently it was one of her favourite books, but fuck OFF, I'm reclaiming it now. Thou shalt not keep the cosy low fantasy from me.)

Anyway even though I mention Stardust this isn't really part of the AU I have in my mind, except for the bit with the Star, because Todd as a main character who thinks he's a very forgettable bland boy-in-the-corner until he finds out he's a star is a great thought to me. Particulars on /how/ he's a star to be fleshed out later! (I only thought of this AU about two hours ago, lol.)

In my mind this is how it goes - nebulously Olden Times setting (TLWH is set in 1842, so perhaps then). Todd is around seventeen/eighteen and Geoff has just graduated from university, and gone off around Europe, accompanied by their parents. Months go by. Something happens - he's never given the liberty of knowing, but Geoff and their parents stay in Europe, and the townhouse in London is sold, and Todd is packed off to stay at a distant relative's - Keating, as it turns out. It's a blessing in disguise, because Todd is finally away from his family for the first time in his life and around people that appreciate him. He begins to bloom under this new care - but there are strange family secrets only now being revealed to him, and dark forces beyond the valley which threaten to disrupt the haven he's found...

The rest is very cosy fantasy, featuring Mr Perry as the local uptight vicar locking horns with Keating at every opportunity, Neil as his withdrawn but friendly son just longing for a rebellion, and more! (Read: Charlie is here and he is Outrageous as usual. Read also: Pitts as a sailor because I think he'd like it.) Right now I'm thinking of adding an equivalent of Monsieur Cocq de Noir for a villain (Mr Perry is NOT the villain), and Cameron can play a part there so I can give him a good redeeming! Here are a couple of extracts from TLWH to show the kind of mood/tone we're working with:

Thematically, I REALLY like the idea of Todd as a star because it allows me to work in a very fun trope, of "not of the rose but near the rose" - when a character perhaps is shy and a little quiet and reclusive, but inspires other people around them to brilliance and greatness. (Honestly I do think this kind of goes in with the film, where it's not just Keating's teaching but Todd's reaction to it and his presence that galvanise Neil to continue.) This ties in really well if Todd's a star and adds to the overall self-confidence journey - plus I was really thinking about the sun/moon motifs! They're very prominent in TLWH (Maria is a "moon" Merryweather and Robin is a very sunny boy), and I really want to implement them here with slight twists. I think of Todd as a sunny moon; yes he's warm and caring and cheerful but once you go a little closer it's more of a luminosity rather than a blaze, there's a coolness and quietness to him I like. You know, a quiet character doesn't always have to be quiet because there's something "wrong" with them, sometimes they're just like that. For Neil it's the opposite, he's a moony sun; under the thumb of his father he's polite and decorous and demure but somewhere under all of that there's a very loud and booming laugh and a healthy sort of ruddiness. I don't know, I just like sun/moon motifs!!!!!!!!!!

(On a more personal note: this AU, which I already love very much despite not having known very long, would be above all a careful love letter to the West Country. It's been lovely living around here almost all my life and by this time in September I'll be hopefully up very far north at uni, so I'm pre-emptively kind of :') about it. Mutuals who are at uni/college how on earth did you cope?)

[gorjee-art]

HOWDY ! tis i :] Would it be alright to inquire in what your oc story is about ? How do Claire and Charles meet, do they have any history together ? And what's my guy Sebastian up to what's that old man doing...

Hi! Firstly, Always see your tags, great comments as always, they bring me so much joy! Makes me go YIPPIE in my chair...Now...Onto the questions! What's the Story of Dog's Dinner? 🎉 NOTHING!!!!!!! 🎉 ... At least...not a narrative, not...yet. The "story" of Dog's Dinner (in heavy quotes) is about stowaways on a long-forgotten man-made island...named Elysium. Or as its residents "lovingly" nicknamed it... "Isle of Slapstick".

Started way back in the 19th century, what was meant to be mankind's greatest feat, a revolution of engineering and prowess, to make land, countries, and homes, for everyone. Now in the 1940s, it's a sorry sight, a hell on earth, in the midst of the sea with its people stranded on it.

Sickly and immoral, its people are poisoned by the unnatural environment, rendering many of its people infertile, sick, and hungry. It's a dog-eat-dog world, many scrounging for rations, and medicine. However...Elysium is unique in its culture, corruption oozing like the disease it was born from, business can be made with such...desperation for survival. Import businesses, smuggling rings, prosthetics, false fake organs, and even...trafficking. Whether it'd be desperation for new healthy viscera or...desperate mothers hoping for a child. Not many of the people outside the island knew (government officials especially), that with no law to stop the progression of its science...anything is fair game.

Elysium runs on the clever and the heartless, it's a hierarchy of power, and those on top, rule the island with an iron fist, and the smaller ones make do with what they have, collecting scraps, surviving day by day. However...they say, that on the island legends are born, and it's the small voices...the eyes peering through the dark, and the teeth glistening ready to strike. A person, beyond feared, beyond loathed, said to be the severed head of Cerberus under human skin. No one knows where he came from, new arrivals are usually announced to the high heavens, who doesn't love fresh new meat? No...he arrived from the mists of the blackened sea, his eyes glowing with rage. The Devil's Dane lurks, as Elysium's...bounty hunter. The cursed repo man of the island said to punish the unholy, immoral, slimy, goat vomit with the boiling cinders of his unrest. Tattered with scars, a giant never meant to be witnessed, stapled together haphazardly to contain whatever MONSTER was inside. From that day...he will know no PEACE, until he cleansed this perdition, himself.

-But...Those are tall tales, the story actually follows a bounty-hunting group named Cerberus, Charles the muscle and minute-man, Sebastian the group's cleaner and harvester, and Joe the sniper, gambler, and spokesperson. Together, they make a pretty great team, a found family within the walls of this dump. Until...one mission- How did Claire and Charles Meet?

Claire had always seen him at the corner of her eye...Not a first-time guest. His glasses glistened, reflecting her spotlight. He stood so still...the only indication that he was alive was the smoke escaping his lips. Claire has an open secret, she's not just a pretty face, honied voice, and bodacious body for her shows... she's a spy, a keeper of secrets, a great judge of character, and....oh so persuasive, luring poor men and women, to tell a little more than they should have, strumming the strings of their poor little weak hearts. With a generous offer of dough...she'll tell you some particularly juicy blackmail, schemes, and plans from rival groups. An amateur Pinkerton! Quite a business she's mucked up...and...seeing the Dane makes her nervous. She wouldn't believe such stories about one person! Would she...? Well, she certainly doesn't do a great job of covering up that she's scared out of her wits, when her voice, croaks just slightly during one of her performances. Her throat tightened even more seeing another plume of smoke blow out in the darkness, his face illuminated by the dim candlelight, she could even make out that he began to lean in his seat, possibly intrigued by what he was seeing, she couldn't help but warble in her singing voice, as she just knew that he saw her fear. Her dear boss Jones had warned her before that some bad men wanted to hunt her down for all the information she had. He wasn't sure who, but he'd overheard a gruff voice spilling out his plans to: "Wring that little bird's neck until she SINGS FOR ME", thus she was given a gift of a revolver and ammunition, she even scoffed over just how tiny it was, but...admittedly it was portable. It was best to lay low and wait. She sat back in her seat attempting to relax, but couldn't help to recheck the lock and observe her gun several times.

She's never been a great fighter, she never even shot a GUN before...she knew of the environment and its consequences but...to kill a man...? It was justified! Yeah, it's justified. Simple self-defense, play stupid games win stupid prizes! Right? With all the whirring and spiraling in her head, to the best of her ability, she eventually fell asleep. Until quickly, startled awake by the sounds of splintering wood, right outside her door. Heavy footsteps creaked down the halls of the complex. She carefully grabbed her gun and pointed it at her front door. Steady breath, eyes like pins, alert to any sounds of shuffling, she jerked up as she heard the careful turning of the door knob. To her terrified confusion though, the clinking of the copper quickly turned to moans of metal breaking. A short gruff of a man's voice, then her heart sank to her stomach, watching as the doorknob, fell to the ground. Her hands shivered as she watched, a giant of a man, opening the door damn near throwing it off its hinges, enter inside after kneeling down, to squeeze himself into the apartment. His glasses glinted, head quickly turning to the sound of Claire's shivering voice, attempting to feign assertiveness. "Not. Another. Muscle. Or I'll shoot." He trudges himself forward. "I WILL. Don't you DARE test me." He ignores the threat, proceeding to invite himself in. "I will...I-I. Will." she whimpered as the two now were just a foot apart from each other, him clearly observing her. She shuts her eyes tight, turning her head away until a- Click was heard. Confused, she looks down at her shaking hand.

Click...her life was beginning to flash before her eyes, checking the chamber to see it was empty. Weakly chuckling to herself as she spots, her ammunition sitting on her dresser. She knew she was forgetting something, but wasn't sure what she forgot. Her smile quickly fades, however, as she sees this beast now inches away from her face. His voice was haunting, like a low humming growl, deep within his chest, and yet he was merely whispering... "Today's your lucky day." In her eyes, the world faded into a black void, feeling the ground fall beneath her...she had fainted! A very long story short, turns out they were dealing with the same person! Charles searched for the man who wanted to use Claire for his sick gain, the two had suddenly had a common enemy to deal with. It just so happened that he'd...end up in her apartment in search of clues, unknowing of the fact she'd be there waiting (he assumed she didn't know anything about this, but ho-hum.). Thus this entire thing led to a partnership, and now she is a part of Cerberus, nicknamed by the team as "Persephone" now the spy of the group, until this problem goes away...which it does and she goes back to shows. However, with now lingering feelings on both sides, but they wish to remain..."professional" ( it fails spectacularly) . What's Sebastian Doing? Oh I know...he's fine, probably cleaning the preservative jars, observing a dead rat, doing some healthy business...the usual! He's a chipper fellow and a beloved peepaw, so he's never truly alone.

[fillejondrette]

internet racists are so mad about a black woman playing juliet opposite tom holland as romeo. comparing her looks unfavorably with olivia hussey claire danes etc. nevermind that tom holland is not exactly visually pleasing himself. and ofc they defend their racism as a concern for historical accuracy, which just makes them sound dumb imo - historically accurate to when? the fictionalized version of verona where the play takes place? shakespearean england, when all the women would have been played by males? like i just feel like most of the people complaining have never voluntarily seen or read one (1) of shakespeare’s plays

[the-badger-mole]

The Romance is Dead

I've always had an issue with Romeo and Juliet as a love story. Don't get me wrong, I love a good "starcrossed lovers" romance as much as the next obsessive fangirl, but R&J never really made sense to me as a romance. The more I learn about the story, the more I realize, duh! Of course it's not a great romance story. it's a tragedy. It's right there in the title, Badger! I know, and smarter people than me have pointed all of this out already, but for my entire life every treatment of this story has been presented as if it were the height of romance. Especially if it's a reinterpretation. Most retellings of the story miss the point, though. By a lot. A LOT.

Here's the thing...Juliet was really young. She was 13. That went over my head for a long time, but the mention of her age in the play was deliberate. Shakespeare makes it a point to tell us, the audience, how young Juliet is, which I don't believe he does for characters in his other plays (but don't quote me). In fact, I think Juliet is the only one given a specific age in this play. Juliet's father says in the play that he thinks she's too young to marry and thinks she should at least get a say in who she marries (at least until Tybalt dies and he decides that marrying a man twice her age is the cure to her grief. The crap???). Juliet's nurse has a whole monologue about Juliet's age.

The reason I think this went over my head for so long is that I didn't have the historical context. None of my literature or theater classes spent much, if any time on the historical context of Shakespeare's plays, and I'm just now starting to realize how much that has affected how I, and I guess the average Hollywood writer understand the story. There's this idea that people- girls, mostly- were married extremely young all the time in Ye Olden Days of Yore. What I learned years too late for it to make a difference to my grade is while it was legal for girls around that time to be married as young as 12, it wasn't as common as we modern day people seem to think (or in the case of several states, as common as they hoped). Which is why when Juliet's mother comes to talk to her about the marriage proposal Paris (who was probably at least 25, based on his being Italian) presented to Lord Capulet, Juliet says she hasn't even thought about getting married.

The people Shakespeare actually wrote the story for would have had all that extra context and would have understood why Shakespeare took extra special care to make sure they knew exactly how old Juliet was. They would have had the context to really grasp the tragedy of Juliet's story (and it is now clear to me that this was very much Juliet's story). Me, a sap who grew up with romantic retellings, and the Claire Danes version of the original play, didn't have all that context when it mattered, so now that I do have the context, I want to make it everyone's problem share what I've learned with you, my friends. If you're still in school, and they still aren't giving deeper historical context behind this particular play, just know, Romeo and Juliet isn't a romantic story of true love. If this story wasn't a tragedy, Juliet probably wouldn't have married Romeo at all.

[whoiwanttoday]

Olivia Hussey is most famous for her role as Juliet in probably the most faithful and well known adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. I say probably because there is the Claire Danes one but that is not very faithful and I have no idea what people think of it now. They were hyped at the time but it was pretty bad but I always really appreciated the spirit of it because it felt like what Shakespeare would have done. In the sense of the words but in a modern setting. They didn't wear Togas during performances of Julius Caesar afterall. All that said, she is here today because she is the lead in Black Christmas. The original. The classic not the abomination. I know the new one must have some fans because everything has some fans but I rewatched it a few years ago and it still sucks, sorry. The original is a classic though, an early slasher and a film with an abortion subplot that really looks more impressive as the years go on. Anyway, I have actually posted Olivia Hussey once before and that was in 2013 and it was after watching Black Christmas. So you know, maybe in 10 more years she'll show up again with essentially the same pictures again because there just aren't that many of her out there. She is so pretty though and I love her accent. Today I want to fuck Olivia Hussey.

[hekateinhell]

I'm back as promised with fluffy post-canon Armand & Louis headcanons because I need them, so you're going to get them whether you need them or not. 🖤

In RoA and BC, it's pretty much implied that Armand only comes to court to be closer to Louis and keep an eye on Lestat since there's always something going on. I imagine post-canon things are a lot more settled and he retreats back to Trinity Gate as much as he can, which means Louis goes back and forth a lot when he needs a break from the château.

They don't have a strict visitation schedule per se, but Louis knows it's time when they're on the phone and Armand quietly says something like, "We went to the opera today; you would have loved it." And it's very clear that what he wants to say is, "I would have loved it if you had been there with me." But he's not going to be demanding, that's not who he is with Louis.

Trinity Gate as a coven house is rather busy most of the time, very different when it was just Armand, Louis, and B & S; neither Louis nor Armand prefer to be in the spotlight like Lestat. And as much as Louis needs a reprieve from court life and being Lestat's emotional support animal, Armand also needs a break from being the ever-on-alert guardian and caregiver at Trinity Gate. It's necessary for both of them to have that time away and decompress with someone who can relate to what they're going through (worrying over Lestat; having so much of their identity wrapped up in who they are to other people).

Shortly after the events of BC, Armand purchased a beautiful old renovated Victorian property by Sleepy Hollow, New York (Louis surprisingly never gets tired of making a deadpan Headless Horseman joke whenever it comes up, beating Lestat to the punch). It's exactly an hour's drive from Trinity Gate, so it's easy for Armand to meet Louis when he arrives via Armand's private jet and they head off for a few days.

The Sleepy Hollow house is their special place together. In some ways, this is the first time they can authentically recreate the early days of their relationship under much better circumstances—their "gentle intimacy"—without the ever-present distraction of fledglings coming and going and the earlier threats of Burnings in the 2000s.

They both have an inclination to want to retreat from the world at times, so for Armand being away from the overstimulation that is millions of minds in NYC and for Louis having a complete lack of privacy as royal consort at court, a little house miles anyway from anyone else is a much needed sensory reset. A lot less opulent than Trinity Gate and an actual castle, it's truly a smaller, comfortable, and cozy nest that reflects both their combined tastes.

Armand will typically silently opt to don Louis's old sweaters that he's hoarded and now keeps there, and Louis will very intentionally make it a point to wear nothing but clothes Armand's bought for him in years past. It's his way of saying, "This is our time right now."

Away from everyone, it's where Armand feels the freedom to be more vulnerable and passionate and confess how much he misses Louis, how tired he sometimes feels (remember: he's 500 years old and he has yet to go into the earth once, he must be exhausted). The sentiment is mutual—they were a constant in each others' lives for over a combined 10 decades. 

Oftentimes they take mortal naps together, curled up on the sofa in front of Romeo + Juliet with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio (a movie Louis is said to have watched in TVA) and the artificial candles flickering. Armand's head on Louis's chest and Louis's "long and delicate fingers" tangled in Armand's curls, a green wool blanket that costs more than my rent draped over them both (Armand enjoys being cocooned and he likes to think Louis does too... and he does). ♥️