#she pulled the rug out under her interviewer

[harmcityherald]

me: "you're in the desert. you come upon a turtle upside down on its back. arms and legs flailing about, it can't turn itself upright. what do you do?"

artemesia: (deadpan) "I eat him. then I use the shell to collect rainwater. We are going to live."

[callieisto]

☆ Kinktober Day 4: Aphrodisiac! ☆

(fem!reader)

Sam hated witches.

They were nearly impossible to deal with, mischievous, and most of the time, they had no real idea what they were getting themselves into. But the ones that did know were the ones Sam hated the most. Because they did stuff like this.

This older grandma-type had seen you and Sam when you came to interview her about some teenagers disappearing, and then claiming they spent three weeks in the woods as actual animals- squirrels and deer and rabbits. Due to what they claimed was a witch, and what the police claimed to be hallucinogenic mushrooms (or something.)

She decided you needed a little push in the right direction, and had drugged the two of you with an aphrodisiac in the tea she offered. Too bad the kids had managed to describe her only a few hours later. Dean had shot her in the head before she could really tell them what it did beyond the whole 'making you really horny' thing. The spell, drug, whatever it was, had taken its sweet time kicking in. He thought it would be okay. All three of you did.

A town over, after the burning and the burying and the ruining of spell ingredients, it had hit him in the car- and you moments later. He managed to tell Dean to pull into a motel and splurge for three rooms- because no way was he going to share with his brother, and no way was he going to share with you.

You were just- Well, you were... you were something to him, something sweet and perfect and entirely untouchable. Besides, even seeing you right now might cause his heart to burst, because you raise his resting heart rate by like twenty BPM just by existing around him, and he can already feel his heart thundering against his ribs. He's sweatier than he's ever been in his life, naked on the edge of his bed in the motel room with a hand around his dick.

He's trying to jerk off to this terrible cable porn, but he keeps imagining you between his legs, your eyes fluttering so pretty as you lick up the underside of his dick, over that vein at the tip that makes him shudder, and-

He cums with a little strangled gasp and a whimper, not expecting his release to creep up on him like that. He pants, eyeing the spot where the cum soaks into the rug. He thinks 'god, finally', because maybe that would make everything better.

But he's still hard as a rock. And his head is still foggy. And if he's hearing things right, there's a timid little knocking sound at his door, but that might also be a hallucination due to his brain leaking out of his ears. He's so hot. He feels like he's melting.

The knock comes again, louder this time. Sam clears his head enough to tug on his boxers as he stumbles towards the door, still a little shaky from his orgasm. He looks through the peephole, and...

Shit.

It's you.

He opens the door slightly. He just stares at you- you're wrapped in a bathrobe, you're squirming under his gaze, you're sweaty and you look weaker than he's ever seen you. You're so perfect. So beautiful.

"Hey," He croaks out, voice hoarse. "How are you holding up?"

He's never wanted to kiss you more in his entire life.

Instead, he opens the door all the way and ushers you inside. The idea of anyone else seeing you looking like this makes him feel an emotion he doesn't quite want to deal with, and the door closes and locks behind you. He offers you a weak little smile.

"It's, um, it's worse than I thought it would be." You manage, shrugging as you sit down on the edge of his bed. He winces internally when you cast your eyes towards the cum staining the carpet. You don't say anything.

"Yeah, it's... not great." He manages, running a hand through his hair. "I tried to do some research on it when we got here, but, uh..."

"You got too horny to think?" You offered, laughing weakly. Sam nodded with a breathless chuckle.

"Yeah, um- sorry about the porn. On the tv." He said awkwardly, moving to turn it off. "I thought it would help, but it really didn't."

"It's okay." You whispered, smiling as he turned to you. "I don't think there's really anything that could help."

"I can think of something." Sam says with a laugh, shaking his head.

"Yeah?" And you tilt your head and flutter your eyelashes. His mind goes blank, just a little. He swallows dryly.

"... Yeah."

Sam swears he has no idea what happened. It's like everything blurred together, and suddenly he was on top of you, kissing the air straight out of your lungs. And his body stopped hurting. And the fog cleared a little bit.

"Fuck," He rumbles against your lips. "Fuck, you taste so good."

You moan all sweet into his mouth and he gets dizzy, if he wasn't already hard, he would've been, because you're just so soft and so fucking wet-

He's rutting his cock against your pussy, and fumbling with the tie of your bathrobe. It falls away, and something cracks in his head because his tip catches at your entrance and the moan he lets out is guttural. He feels wild, he feels hungry, and he wants to fill you up with cum until it leaks out around him.

"Shh, shh," He hushes breathlessly, because you're mewling and it's so cute he might die. "Shh, I've got you, d-doesn't it feel better? You want me to make you feel better?"

You nod, lightly knocking your forehead against his, and he laughs softly. "Sam," you whine, and your hands come up to curl around the base of his neck. "Need you, please..."

"I'm here," He coos, sweet and soft. "I'm here, angel, I've got you." He pushes in, slowly, kissing all over your face as he does. Once he's settled, he takes a moment to pull back and drink you in. You're so pretty, so impossibly pretty, and softer than any girl he's ever been with before.

He thrusts, just a little, shallowly, and the noise you make is almost enough to have him cumming right then and there. He breathes out weakly, thumb sliding through your folds to find your clit. He fumbles, a little- sue him for being nervous- but finds it eventually, rubbing it slowly as he bottoms out in you over and over again.

You're whining, squirming, and- holy shit- you've cum already, just so sweet and sensitive for him, tensing and crying out and he has half a mind to thank the witch profusely because he never would've dared to touch you if this hadn't happened.

"You're so pretty." He breathes, and his voice breaks when he thrusts back in. He's trying so hard not to cum right then and there. "God, oh god, I want to fill you up so bad. Wanna see you dripping with it, oh god."

"Pleasepleaseplease," you beg. "Please, Sammy, want it, need it-" And with that, Sam's mind fucking shatters. He registers that he cums again, register that you cum again, and he's still fucking hungry, wants to stay like this forever.

He keeps going, working both of you through another orgasm, whimpering breathless little moans of your name, babbling about how good you feel, his head dropping into the curve where your neck meets your shoulder, and he whines like a dog.

The rest of the night is a blur. At some point, he thinks the aphrodisiac wears off, but his memory blots out a little ways before that. Waking up in the morning, he's still in bed, and you're tucked into his chest. His head is spinning. He sits up, and you mumble sleepily, and his heart clenches in his chest.

"Good morning." He whispers, kissing over your face. When he gets a little giggly smile from you, he smiles back.

And then he pulls out. A little flood of cum follows.

And Sam has officially been ruined, because he's going to have to ask Dean for Plan B and he's never going to live it down- but also, he's had you, he's never going to let you go, because you're just so perfect.

He'd endure a lifetime of teasing for you.

☆ taglist!

@adhd-introvert

[gottencents]

Kiwi - Jennie Kim

love hangover masterlist. main masterlist

pairing. katseye!oc x jennie

synopsis. Jennie impulsively adopts a kitten, Kiwi, for herself and Tatum, only for them to realize they have absolutely no idea how to raise a cat—leading to a chaotic but adorable journey into pet parenthood.

Jennie had always loved animals. Dogs, cats—anything with paws, really. But she had never actually raised a cat before. So when she impulsively decided to adopt Kiwi after the Buzzfeed kitten interview, she figured, How hard could it be?

That was before she and Tatum found themselves standing in her living room, watching Kiwi explore his new home like he owned the place.

Tatum tilted their head. “So… what now?”

Jennie frowned. “I don’t know. What do cats do?”

Kiwi let out a tiny, unimpressed meow from where he sat on the coffee table, his green eyes blinking at them like they were the strange ones.

Tatum gasped. “Oh my god. We’re parents now.”

Jennie smacked their arm. “Stop being dramatic.”

“You literally called us his ‘moms’ five minutes ago.”

“That’s different!” Jennie crossed her arms, watching as Kiwi stretched his tiny paws. “I meant like… in a cute way. Not in a responsible way.”

Tatum chuckled, but then quickly sobered. “Okay, but for real, do we just… let him roam? Should we be watching him? What if he tries to eat something weird? What if he’s secretly a little criminal?”

Kiwi, as if sensing their concerns, hopped off the coffee table and casually knocked over a magazine on his way to the couch.

Jennie and Tatum gasped in unison.

“He’s so powerful,” Tatum whispered.

Jennie shook her head. “Okay, no, we need a plan. First—food. I bought some, but I don’t know if he likes wet or dry food yet.”

“Easy fix,” Tatum said, already heading to the kitchen. “We do a taste test.”

Jennie followed, watching as Tatum placed two bowls on the floor—one with dry food, the other with wet. Kiwi trotted over, sniffed both, and immediately went for the wet food.

Jennie nodded. “Noted. He’s a fancy boy.”

Tatum smirked. “Like mother, like son.”

Jennie ignored that. “Okay, next—litter box. I set it up in the bathroom. Do we have to, like… teach him how to use it?”

Tatum made a face. “Oh god. Do cats need potty training?”

They both stared at each other before pulling out their phones.

A minute of frantic Googling later—

“Oh,” Tatum said. “Turns out they just know.”

Jennie exhaled in relief. “Thank god.”

With the basics settled, they sat on the couch, watching as Kiwi explored. He batted at the rug, tested the sturdiness of the coffee table by jumping directly onto it, and then—without hesitation—leapt onto Jennie’s expensive decorative vase.

The vase wobbled.

Jennie’s eyes widened. “Kiwi, no!”

The vase crashed to the floor.

Jennie gasped. “KIWI!”

Kiwi, completely unbothered, looked down at the shattered remains, flicked his tail, and walked away like he had zero regrets.

Tatum, on the other hand, was dying of laughter. “I love him so much already.”

Jennie pinched the bridge of her nose. “We need to cat-proof this place.”

“Or,” Tatum said, lounging dramatically on the couch, “we just accept that we now live under Kiwi’s rule.”

Kiwi, as if on cue, jumped onto the couch and immediately made himself comfortable right on Tatum’s stomach.

Jennie’s heart melted at the sight. “Okay… maybe this won’t be that bad.”

Tatum grinned, scratching behind Kiwi’s ears. “Yeah. I think we’re gonna be just fine.”

Jennie sighed, reaching out to stroke Kiwi’s fur. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” she murmured.

Kiwi purred in response, his little body vibrating as he settled between them.

And just like that, their chaotic first night as cat parents officially began.

taglist [OPEN] : @multiliker @goofymickeyr @yuyuy90 @hydrardz @wtfisthisnoclueman @reiiaokii @somedaydream @yjiminswallet @inejghafawifesblog @jaythegirlkisser @xochitlisbest @1800hotnfunn @awkwardtoafault

[fairykitten]

I really loved your Olivia one!!!! Do you think you could do a cg! Olivia and Louis partridge with a little reader and it’s just a lot of fluff maybe like a movie night!!

No rush if you don’t want to make this you don’t have to!!!

OMG I LOVE THIS IDEA!! I read it and had to write it straight away. I completely forgot about their relationship and it just makes it so much cuter. Platonic little with her mama and dada and they spend all the time they can together. Too cute. Hope you enjoy this and I hope it came out how you were wanting.

Warnings: Breastfeeding, Kissing, slightly fussy reader

*not proof read*

The clock ticked slowly on the wall, the sun starting to dip below the horizon and casting a golden glow through the windows. You were curled up in the cozy corner of the couch, snuggled into a plush blanket with your stuffie tucked under one arm. Olivia—Mama—sat beside you, humming softly as she played with your hair.

“Almost time for Dada to come home,” she said sweetly, smiling down at you.

Your head perked up at the mention, eyes wide and sparkling. “Dada?!”

She giggled softly. “Mhm, he should be back any minute, baby.”

Just as she spoke, the sound of keys jingling at the front door echoed through the house.

Your heart leapt.

“DADA!!” you squealed, leaping from the couch and dashing across the soft rug on bare feet. You reached the door just as it creaked open, and there he was—Louis, with tousled hair, his interview clothes still sharp but slightly wrinkled from the long day. He barely had a second to react before you launched into his arms.

He laughed, catching you with ease and wrapping you up in a big, warm hug. “There’s my little one,” he murmured, kissing the top of your head. “Missed you so much today.”

As he held you close, Olivia walked over, smiling warmly at the sight of you in his arms. Louis leaned in and kissed her gently, letting it linger just a moment as he kept one arm snug around you.

“Yuckyyyy mama n dada” you squealed and Olivia poked her tongue at you.

“Guess we will just have to kiss all over you then huh princess” she said as her and Louis planted kisses all over you making you giggle as their noses tickled you.

They eventually stop and Olivia takes hold of your tiny hand and leans her head on Louis shoulder.

“Hi, love,” he said softly to her.

“Hi,” she whispered back, brushing her thumb along his cheek. “You look tired.”

He smiled, shaking his head lightly. “Not anymore.”

He walked with you still in his arms toward the couch. Olivia had already pulled another fluffy blanket over the cushions. Louis sat down with you nestled in his lap, and Olivia curled up beside the two of you. You were soon cocooned between them, safe and warm and completely content.

They helped you pick the movie (you ended up choosing an animated one, of course), and soon the familiar theme music filled the room as the three of you cuddled close.

Halfway through, you started to grow fussy and squirmy, rubbing your eyes and letting out a soft whine.

Olivia noticed right away and gently pulled you into her arms. “Oh, sweetheart,” she cooed, brushing your hair from your face. “You’re hungry, huh?”

You nodded sleepily, resting your head on her chest.

With a soft smile and practiced ease, she shifted you against her, cradling your head gently as she began to nurse you. It was warm and comforting, and you instinctively relaxed, your little fingers curling around hers. Louis reached over and stroked your back soothingly, his other hand resting on Olivia’s knee.

“There we go,” he whispered. “Our perfect little baby.”

He leaned in again and pressed a soft kiss to Olivia’s temple. She smiled at him, her eyes full of love, then kissed his lips gently—just a quiet little moment between two tired but happy caregivers.

You grumbled slightly, annoyed at the attention being taken off you as well as your food supply moving around too much for your liking.

Louis chuckled lightly and moved your hair out of your face while kissing your hand. “Mama and dada are so sorry your highness we just love each other so much.” His statement made you giggle slightly before Olivia rubbed your bottom lip reminding you to focus on nursing.

The rest of the night was peaceful—movie sounds in the background, heartbeats all around, and the feeling of being deeply loved, safe in the arms of your Mama and Dada.

[ematini]

What is your opinion on people calling Caitlyn a sexual predator/predatory lesbian?

I definitely can't blame people for saying that, because the two on screen relationships Caitlyn has, Vi and Maddie have EXTREME power imbalance.

It happens not once but TWICE, and neither is mentioned or acknowledged by any character. That's a pattern of behavior. And what conclusion are we supposed to draw from it? Because all signs point to Cailtyn just not caring about the difference in status. People are not pulling accusations like that out of their ass, like certain individuals claim, because they're very clearly shown on screen, just not properly explained/addressed.

What also bothers me is that if the writers wanted to avoid dealing with that, both of those issues could've been avoided by making some changes in the writing. If they wanted to keep Maddie a traitor, just make her a young officer who shows admiration towards Caitlyn, assures her she's doing the right thing, and subtly pushes her more towards Ambessa. If they wanted a rebound plot line, why not make Cait's affair partner another Councilor's daughter? They wouldn't even have to go through the trouble of explaining that entire lore. The natural conclusion would be that they've known each other since childhood through their parents, and the writers would have their motive of Caitlyn trying to date someone her mother would approve of.

Again, i know Caitlyn is not written to be that way. That was not the goal. It's just the writers' ignorance shining through once more. They either didn't catch on the implications or just straight up waved a dismissive hand at it. They swept it under the rug by making Maddie a traitor, which shifts all the blame onto her and not even mention the issues her relationship with Vi has. You can't just write motifs like that, then ignore them and explain your motivations in interviews. Especially if, by the end, the goal is clearly for us to understand and forgive Caitlyn. You're portraing a "hero" character (morally grey or not, Cailtyn is meant to be a hero in the story) in a bad light and instead of letting people form their own opinions on their behavior, you're forcefully attempting to sway our judgment, by ignoring half the shitty things they did. If people have to read interviews to understand what you were aiming for, that shows a flaw in your writing.

[kathlare]

sharpest tool

Lando Norris x Amelie Dayman

Summary: Amelie returns home after a successful but hollow night at the Oscars, feeling a deep sense of emptiness. As she reflects on her past with Lando, the unresolved pain from their breakup resurfaces.

Wordcount: 1.7 k

Warnings: none

full masterlist // request over here!

March 12th, 2023 - Los Angeles, CA

Amelie stepped into the house in Los Angeles, the quiet echo of the front door closing, marking her arrival. But it felt wrong. It was supposed to be home—a place where her family’s laughter and constant movement filled the air. But tonight, it was empty. The house was so still, so silent, it almost seemed like the walls themselves were holding their breath.

She kicked off her heels, the weight of the day still clinging to her body as she climbed the stairs. The Oscars were done. Another win, another night of flashing cameras and congratulatory hugs from people who barely knew her. Yet, she felt emptier than ever. The red carpet, the glamorous dresses, the faces that smiled at her—they were all so fleeting. Nothing compared to the comfort of being home. But right now, "home" felt like a ghost town.

But as she lay on the bed, hoping sleep would take her, something felt off. Her mind was racing, memories from Bahrain flashing before her eyes—Lando. The fight.

She could still hear the sting in his words. And the shock on his face when she revealed the truth she had buried so deep��she loved him. But it didn’t matter anymore. She had moved on, hadn’t she? Rodrigo had become her safe haven amidst the chaos. And yet, the hurt from Lando’s betrayal—when he chose someone else, when he ignored her, when he couldn't even try to fight for them—still lingered in her chest like a dull ache.

The silence in the room grew louder. The frustration bubbled up inside her. This wasn't how she was supposed to feel. She was supposed to be happy. Successful. Loved. But now, in this space, in this stillness, it all felt like too much to carry.

As the moonlight filtered through the curtains, her fingers itched for something, anything, to pull her from this spiral. And then, like a jolt, the idea came.

She reached for the guitar resting against the wall. It had been a while since she picked it up. A long while, actually. The last time she wrote a song had been when she was still filming Wicked—before the chaos of the Oscars, before the endless interviews, before everything that had come to define her life.

But tonight, she needed to. She needed to let it out.

The guitar felt cool in her hands as she strummed a few notes, her mind trying to catch up with the feelings rushing in. She opened the voice memo app on her phone, her fingers moving swiftly, almost instinctively, as the first words began to spill from her lips.

Amelie’s voice was soft, raw, the kind of sound you only hear when someone is stripping away all the walls they’ve built to protect themselves. She sang quietly at first, the melody forming in the stillness, just her and the guitar and the thoughts she’d been carrying too long.

—“I know you're not the sharpest tool in the shed,”— she muttered under her breath, the words feeling like they’d been waiting for this moment to be said aloud.

Her fingers moved over the strings, the rhythm slow, deliberate. She could feel the pain in each chord, each note she played a reflection of the mess she’d tried to sweep under the rug for far too long. —"We had sex, I met your best friends. Then a bird flies by and you forget..."—

She paused, her chest tight, her heart beating out a rhythm of its own. God, how had it gotten so messy? She didn’t want to think about it. Not anymore. But the words kept spilling, uncontrollably, like an open wound she couldn’t stitch up.

Amelie shut her eyes for a moment, letting the music wash over her. —"I don't hear a word 'til your guilt creeps in…"—

The lyrics felt like an exhale she hadn’t known she’d been holding. The fight with Lando had been ugly, but this—the song—this felt more like the truth than anything she’d said to him in the heat of their argument. —"On a Tuesday, send a soft "Hey", As if you really don't recall the time..."— She winced as the memory of their last conversation resurfaced, of how she had dared to confront him with the truth—how much it hurt to realize that for him, it was all just a game.

Her fingers fumbled over the strings as the melody took shape, the rhythm shifting slightly, as if the guitar itself was trying to find its way through the mess of emotions she was drowning in. She hit record again on her phone, not caring if the sound quality was terrible. It wasn’t about that. It was about the words, the rawness of it all.

—"We were going right, then you took a left..."—

Her breath caught. She had been trying so hard to move forward, to hold onto Rodrigo, to bury the ghost of what she’d once shared with Lando. But every time she thought she was getting better, every time she thought she could let go of it all, something would trigger it again. Like today. Bahrain. Their argument. His face when she told him the truth. And then his anger when she shut him out, when she told him she didn’t want him in her life anymore.

Amelie swallowed hard, the pain rushing back like a tidal wave, overwhelming. But the song—her song—it was her outlet. It was her therapy.

—"Left me with a lot of shit to second guess…"— she sang quietly, her eyes flicking to the ceiling, lost in thought. The anger, the confusion, the regret—it all came pouring out of her with every strum of the guitar.

And then, without warning, the words hit her like a ton of bricks. —"Guess I'll waste another year on wondering if…"— The realization burned her throat. She didn’t want to waste another year. Not on Lando, not on the past. She wanted to move on. But it was hard when the past kept sneaking back in like it had a claim on her.

—"If that was casual, then I'm an idiot,"— she whispered bitterly. Because if that was how it was going to be—if he really had moved on, and all of it meant nothing to him—then what had it all been? Was she just a distraction to him? Was she just a temporary spark in his life?

The song felt like a confession, like a release. And when she hit record again, the words spilled out before she even thought about it. —"I'm looking for an answer in between the lines..."— The irony wasn’t lost on her. She had always been the one searching for meaning, for answers that Lando had never given her. And now, even with all the space between them, even with Rodrigo in her life, she was still looking for something that might never come.

The anger she felt toward Lando felt all-consuming. He’d walked away when she needed him the most, and now, all she had were the echoes of their unfinished conversation, their unresolved issues.

—"We never talk about it..."—

The line was simple, but it hurt. It hurt because it was true. They never talked about the things that mattered. They never talked about what had gone wrong, what had broken them. They had never talked about what she really felt, what she really needed. And in the end, it had cost them everything.

Amelie closed her eyes again, her voice breaking a little as she sang. —"All the silence just makes it worse, really..."— She let the music carry her, letting the sorrow and the frustration build in her chest, and yet, for the first time in a long while, she felt like she was doing something real. Something for herself.

The strumming slowed, and she paused, breathing heavily as the weight of it all sank in. The song was almost done. The words felt finished, wrapped up in a kind of bittersweet clarity. She had no idea where this would lead her, but tonight, in this quiet, empty house, with nothing but the echoes of her past and the reality of her present, Amelie felt more alive than she had in weeks.

And for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel like the sharpest tool in the shed. But maybe that was okay.

Maybe the broken pieces of her could still make something beautiful.

[genericpuff]

bit out of nowhere but LO Hades reminds me so much to Bojack Horseman idk how to explain it

Oh we've talked about this extensively in the ULO chat circles n such, especially when it comes to the most climactic scene in the show, the second interview:

The entire tone of the show showcases a very bitter reality with a lot of celebrities and people in power. There are some messed up things that happen throughout the course of the show, but they always feel like they're being used for comedy or brushed under the rug with comedy, because the show is, after all, a comedy. But I feel like that was the point, because it's not until the final season that everything that happened throughout finally catches up to Bojack, and suddenly... it's not funny anymore. There's no punchline. It really reflects just how much people in power don't see their abuse or wrongdoings as "big deals", sometimes they even see it as "just some funny thing that happened", all while the onlookers and victims of their behavior and abuse either become so acquainted with it they don't even see it as abuse anymore until they finally break away from it (Diana, Todd, Princess Caroline, etc.) OR they fight to be heard while the media tries to snuff them out. So then when the consequences finally catch up to them, there are no laughs to be heard, as much as the perpetrator in question may try their best to pass it off as "not a big deal" or believe they shouldn't be held accountable because "it happened a long time ago".

Anyone who sees Biscuits Braxby as the villain here is missing the overall point - Bojack has been responsible for literally ruining people's lives on several occasions, and has never been held accountable.

And yeah, I see a lot of that in LO as well, but the issue is the framing of the story isn't making it clear if it's actually going to have its "Come to Jesus" moment with Hades and Persephone, or if it's just gonna keep celebrating them as the heroes.

There were no consequences for Hades pulling out Alex's eye. They played the resolution out for comedy.

There were no consequences for Persephone turning Minthe into a mint plant. They played the scenario out for comedy literally by the end of the very same episode and then well into the next one.

There were no consequences for Persephone cornering Tori at his job. The entire thing was played up for comedy.

There were no consequences for Persephone raiding Leuce's home. She was rewarded with sex from Hades and it was, you guessed it, played up for comedy.

Just like with Bojack Horseman, we don't see Hades or Persephone treat these situations as seriously as they ought to. They ultimately don't care how other people feel or how they may be affected by their own actions, they only care about themselves. Just like with Bojack, we see Hades enter sexual relationships with women who are in a much weaker position than him, women who stand to lose far more than he would if the relationship went south.

(I need you all to realize that Hades is literally blackmailing her. He is trying to pay her off with a management position or some kind of severance and framing it in such a way to manipulate her into thinking it's 'better' for her that she take the deal, all for the sake of getting her out of the picture because he's with Persephone now. This is blackmail. And the narrative wants us to root for Hades here.)

Shit, I would argue Bojack is still a better character than Hades and Persephone because we 1.) see how the consequences of his actions do affect him on a deeper level (through his anxiety and self-hatred which he spends a long time wallowing in, making his situation worse, rather than seeking help for) and 2.) he actually does eventually start to seek help, but unfortunately there's only so much one person can do to fix themselves when their actions still haven't been brought to justice and their mindset hasn't truly changed; which is what we see in the final part of the show when, despite Bojack's attempts to be a better person, the Sarah-Lynn case catches up to him, and in his final moments up on that stage with Biscuits Braxby, we see his true nature come out - he thinks being an addict should absolve him from what he's done to others.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Except replace "addict" with "traumatized" as many of Persephone and Hades' actions are swept under the rug with "they went through trauma so it's fine". Despite the fact that other characters who have also been through trauma aren't given that same grace (Thanatos, Demeter, Minthe, etc.)

You could also go a step further and call out how the fans themselves will defend their actions as "but they're gods!!! gods were terrible all the time in the myths!" but isn't it funny how myth accuracy only ever comes up when it comes to defending Hades and Persephone? Meanwhile you'll never see anyone bring it up when it comes to Apollo SA'ing Persephone, or Hades having an emotional affair with Persephone, or any of the other number of things that Rachel rewrote for her 'retelling'. It's not funny haha, it's funny yikes.

I can only imagine how the fans feel seeing Hades and Persephone called out must be similar to how first-time viewers like myself felt seeing Bojack be put on the cross by Biscuits Braxby - "you're being an asshole, he's working on himself!" "leave him alone!!!" "the media is making a monster out of him!" "he's really not THAT bad!"

But he is. They are. And unlike Bojack Horseman, I unfortunately can no longer have the good faith in believing Hades and Persephone will have their comeuppance, or the people they've hurt will get their retribution. I have no hope that Persephone will see that she's the Sarah-Lynn of the relationship, a girl who was groomed into an abuser at the hands of an abuser, who had no chance of doing better because the person she fell for pulled her down to his level. I don't have any faith in Rachel whatsoever that she'll manage to end this story with any message besides "it's fine for Persephone and Hades to be who they are, because they're rich and powerful and really horny for each other!"

And Hades doesn't think he has any power over women.

[cyranonic]

Louis de Pointe du Lac is the most important vampire in the world and let me explain to you why.

I find it incredibly fascinating that Louis is pretty unique among vampires for both his identification with and his connection to mortal humans. This trait is generally pretty inconvenient to him at first, as he struggles to break his connection to his mortal family and to justify killing humans for sustenance. However, we later see that Louis' fascination with human art and culture makes him more appealing, more life-like to other vampires. Armand in particular seems drawn to Louis because of his continuing interest in the world around him, whereas the rest of the coven has "turned inward" and thus stopped sustaining his emotional needs.

In the books, Marius gives Lestat pretty much the same advice--stay invested in the contemporary world around you in order to keep yourself sane. Lestat passes that wisdom on to Armand and his coven, dragging them out of their medieval worldview and bringing them into the ideological world of Enlightenment rationality.

However, where I think Louis does something different, something special, something radically unique, is in his relationship to Daniel Molloy and the interview. Louis goes a step further than Lestat or Marius. He does not simply draw upon humans as a source of artistic inspiration; he engages with Daniel Molloy on his own terms. He is a vampire who wants to tell his story, not to other vampires, but to the human world. He does not want to understand the contemporary human psyche, he wants them to understand him too.

Louis' desire to tell his story to Daniel seems to be based on his desire to find out what was true, to renegotiate the gaps in his own memory, but I think the other key component of what he is doing rhetorically is asking Daniel to perceive him as a human. He reclaims that lost humanity that he has been seeking by telling the tale of his life on human terms, to a human listener. He takes care to show Daniel the ways that he is inhuman, feeding in front of him, but then his story effectively reverses those feelings of alienation. Ultimately, the judgement he is asking Daniel to make is not just "is this real" but also "do I still count as one of you?" And by the end of season 2, as they sit side by side in the rock garden, Daniel seems to be answering affirmatively.

No other vampire wants anything of the kind. In fact, the whole concept is expressly forbidden by vampire laws. Claudia comes the closest, but her lifestory is a diary, a tale told ostensibly only to herself. She narrates her vampiric existence with a lot of "humanity", but her audience remains solipsistic. Lestat derives a certain amount of glee from tricking mortals into believing he is one of them, then pulling the rug out from under their feet. Even Marius does not bother with writing down his life story or telling any of his secrets to anyone other than another vampire. And Armand clearly does not want Daniel or honestly anyone to get close to perceiving the truth about him.

However, I think that Louis and Daniel's published book changes things. Lestat in particular adopts Louis' perspective pretty quickly. The entire opening of The Vampire Lestat is a justification of himself to a human reader, framing the whole book as a message not just to other vampires, but as a correction to the mortals who Louis addressed. Eventually, almost every major character gets a book wherein they have the chance to tell their story, inevitably humanizing them in the process. Even the pretty villainous characters like Armand become more comprehensible through the process of self-narration, transforming the monster back into something closer to a person again.

So in conclusion, while in the books Lestat will eventually take the lead as a the character who is leading vampires into a new era, all of this is only possible because of the revolutionary thought that comes from Louis. And I am so excited to see where the show takes Louis next, as he declares his intention to go up against his own kind.

[harrysmimi]

Hey! I absolutely love all your work. And live to see the Desi representation in some of your work. I was wondering if you could do one where everytime H goes out on stage or interviews all dolled up, the reader does the kajal thing for the bad nazar. I just think H would be like soo bashful and cute about it. Love you.

Evil Eye

First off, thanks anon for sending in the req. I love writing fic where I can imagine myself in. I am glad you like my work. Ilysm. Hope you like this one too. I wrote it real quick in like an hour. Pls ignore the typos if there are any, or simply feel free to point them out I'll edit it. Hehe.

More of my work

Harry was getting ready to perform for BRIT Awards.

He was home. He was with family and the love of his life, about to perform one of his hits. This was going to be one of the happiest nights of his life, he could already tell.

It was time for quick outfit change before he went on stage. His girlfriend of six months was hanging out in his green room with him as he got ready, she was on her laptop working away at a couple of urgent emails she had to send out.

It was her day off, but she's been recently promoted as senior manager at her firm and they need her there more often than it seems to be. Harry was more than content with just her presence by his side. He'd gotten into a pair of black pants before his hair stylist was on board. He'd tried on the few different tops to go with it, his last try was a red sparkly piece.

"You look handsome!" He heard his girlfriend chirp from behind him, when he turned around he saw her looking at him like a love struck puppy behind her glasses, her face lit blue from her laptop screen in the yellow lit room. She was sat on the rug using the coffee table as her desk.

"Thank you baby!" He couldn't help but blush at the compliment he for sure hears a million times when he's working. It somehow felt so special coming from her. She just shrugged in reply. "Did you get a good news from work?"

"Yeah, I got the on-paper for my promotion finally!" She shared.

"That's amazing, darling, congratulations!" He was immediately walking upto her with open arms to engulf her in a bone crushing hug and a tender kiss she deserves so much. "It's more legit now, innit?"

"Yeah! It feels so surreal to be honest!" She chuckled in pure joy. "Enough about me, tonight is for you and about you. Are you excited?"

"More than excited actually." He dat down next to her on the rug. "Can't wait to go out there and perform already!"

"I can see." YN commented, "this jacket looks good on you." She leaned forward with her lips puckered asking for a kiss, which Harry was more than glad enough to give her. He took the opportunity to pull her over his lap, making her straddle his thighs with his hands on her bum.

"Though it would look better on your bedroom floor, along with this hoodie, I think we have a good half an hour before the show." Harry managed to mumble between his kisses on her mouth.

"No, not here!"

"No one's gonna come in, I promise." He urged her, hands slipping under the her (his) hoodie over her bare skin.

"Stop it tickles!" She squirmed under his touch. "No, no, Harry not here please."

He let out a dramatic sigh, "fine!"

"But if you loose the shirt underneath, I might be able to trick my aunty thinking I am staying with a girl friend tonight." She challenged him.

"Then you better get to convincing her, love!" He already took off the jacket so he can rip off the tank top he wore underneath it, being his usual dramatic self.

It is indeed a difficult task to convince YN's landlady, who also happens to be her aunty for letting her stay out. She lives away from her family in London, but she's got her aunty a parent figure in the city, which comes with perks of not paying rent but also cons like still following a curfew, typical brown family behaviour. But none the less YN have managed to trick her aunty into thinking she's staying at one of her friend's house, when in reality she is at Harry's.

Her family knows about Harry, they are very accepting of him. Though her parents won't be happy if they find out their daughter spent a night at his place for obvious reasons.

He was tackling her on the rug now as he tickled her more. They spent their time goofing around and poking fun at one another. In no time Harry was ready to be on the stage.

"A lot of people are going to watch you today." YN pointed on trying her best to make her boyfriend keep his hands to himself for now.

"Mhmm." He sounded stealing a kiss from her. He watched her wipe the kohl from the corner of her eye and placed it behind his left ear, "what was that for?"

"To protect you from evil eye tonight." She shared, "you're looking extra, extra, extra gorgeous!"

"I didn't know you were superstitious." His cheeks turned red in an instant.

"Look at you blushing!" YN cooed at his reaction which had him burying his face into her neck to hide his bashful face. "Awe! Harry you're so cute, I love you!"

"I love you." He repeated.

"Now go and sing your heart out." She encouraged him.

"Mhmm." He nodded placing yet another kiss on her mouth before he was off to the stage just in time.

The night was memorable as expected. Harry got wasted like usual. His sister had to take him to her place as he shouldn't be left alone when he's drunk.

......................................................................

N O T E:

This is smth quick I wrote cuz I haven't posted anything sunce August. 😭 pls forgive me.

I love you. And pls lemme know how you liked it!

......................................................................

Tag list:

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Lemme know if you want to added to the tag list

[obstinaterixatrix]

I also finally watched a chorus line for the first time, it’s good. I get why it’s A Classic. I like how no intermission makes it as hostile to the audience as the process is for the dancers (except a little less so because it’s crazy grueling for them). Also, very impressed by the song made up of many little segments that essentially goes on for 20 minutes at minimum. Since it’s A Classic from the 70s I wasn’t expecting it to be so experimental but it was quite avant-garde, very meta on multiple levels. I also didn’t know anything about the context of ‘the music and the mirror’ except the character singing it knows the director and is trying to get a job, so I assumed it was something like her trying to get an edge over everyone else by appealing to him and their shared history, but it was the complete opposite—not ‘please please pleeeaaase you know I can do this 🥺’ but ‘shut up about me being better than this I want to be in the fucking chorus line!!!’ and her shutting the director down when he tries to tell her She’s Somebody was really good. everyone in the chorus line is somebody you prick!!!!! also worst job interview ever dude why did you make paul tell you all of that shit. also was caught very off guard by looks 4 dance 10, respect for pulling the rug out from under us like that

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

I know it’s been talked about ad nauseam, but I think one of the things that got lost in the discourse about TTPD and the muses and whatnot is how one of, if not the core trigger points of the album is the yearning for commitment and perhaps even more poignantly, motherhood.

The reason she was so susceptible to falling for the “conman’s get love quick schemes” is because she was grieving that imagined life with the person she had long assumed would be the one to give her that. What has been beyond clear in several albums, let alone interviews etc, is that those plans for building a family were very much real and top of mind for years, and she kept holding on and shifting her world in service of making that happen. And when whatever happened happened that pulled that rug out from under her, it left her bereft not just for the relationship that had once been her world but also the imagined family she had been hoping for and sticking out the hard times for.

And that’s likely why she was swayed by and trusting of the promises of someone who knew her history and knew how unmooring that loss was to her. It may have been partially about the person himself or lust or whatever, but the core issue was the pain of giving up the dream, and sublimating that dream into this new opportunity in front of her, because she was so desperate to hold onto the last scraps of that imagined life she wanted so badly. (And I don’t mean desperate as in pathetic or negative, I mean as in fighting within the last ounce of energy and hope she had.) It wasn’t rational and it wasn’t love, it was grief, not just for a relationship but even more so for the family it represented.

So to me the core issue of TTPD isn’t just the Joe vs. Matty or whoever of it all: it’s Taylor and her yearning. She wanted a family badly and a life that was theirs and was processing losing that in all kinds of ways. It’s all over the album in overt and subtle lyrics. It may not have been grieving a literal death but I’d bet it felt pretty darn close.

And I’d also bet that’s why we’re seeing… what we’re seeing now.

(I have so many more thoughts about womanhood and motherhood on TTPD but that is another post being worked on piecemeal in my drafts… this is just a little Saturday morning post-zoomies reflection)

[vexing-imogen]

a minor cat-tastrophe

Freddie is not freaking out. She is soooo not freaking out. She is one hundred percent cool and calm and collected and not freaking out. Please ignore the furrow in the rug from her pacing. Not. Freaking. Out.

"I can fix this," she says, scoffing. "I can fix this. This is totally fixable, right?" She laughs, a little hysterical. "Why haven't I fixed this yet?"

The tiny black kitten sitting on Freddie's keyboard tilts her head, blinks her large amber eyes, and lets out a concerned sounding mrrrp.

Freddie sighs, running both hands through her hair. "You're not helping, Grace."

The trouble had started, as it usually did, with Grace being bored out of her mind. The tour was over, requests for interviews with "the Voice of the Idols" had died off, and Persephone was currently out of town, only available for a few short hours each night. Which left Grace with little more to do than mope around the apartment and distract Freddie from studying the spell book that Hecate had gifted her.

"If you're not going to leave me alone," she says, "the least you could do is help me practice."

"Help how?" Grace asks, her pout morphing into a look of intrigue. She flips off the couch with a thud, barely avoiding cracking her head on the coffee table. "You mean, like, be your magical guinea pig?"

"Yeah?" Freddie says with a shrug. "If you're okay with that, I mean."

"Um, absolutely I am." Grace shuffles closer to Freddie and her book. "What kind of stuff do you got in there?"

"Oh, uhhh..." She flips through the book, sticking to the pages that Hecate marked as spells within her current power level. "Oooh, this could be fun. Transmogrification."

"Trans-what-ifi-whatnow?" Grace asks, sticking her head under Freddie's arm to read the page, pouting again when she sees it's written in Ancient Greek.

"Uh, basically turning something into something else," Freddie explains. "Like a prince into a frog, or a mouse into a coachman. That sort of thing."

Grace mulls it over for approximately five seconds before she shrugs. "Sounds dope. Let's do it."

"Oh, uh, are you sure?" Freddie asks, tucking hair behind her ear. "I'm still a total novice, you know."

"Yeah, totally." She says it like it's nothing. "I trust you, Fred."

A nervous chuckle escapes her. "Okay, uh." She scans the spell, wishes the page was laid out like her D&D handbook. "This says the spell duration is one to two hours, so. What do you want to be?"

Grace thinks for a second before she smirks. "Surprise me."

That was six hours ago.

And, obviously, Grace is still a kitten. An exceptionally adorable kitten, if Freddie does say so herself. But so not the point. Best friend. Still a cat. Focus, Farishta.

Grace meows, the slight wiggle of her butt the only indication that she's about to leap off of the keyboard. Freddie scoops her up before she can, wincing at the sharp little claws that dig into her arm. "Look, I get that you probably have, like, the zoomies or something right now," she says, booping Grace's nose and earning a disgruntled look for her troubles, "but since your girlfriend is already going to kill me if I can't turn you back, we're at least going to keep you in one piece, 'kay?"

The only answer she gets is a gentle gnawing on her thumb. "Wow," she says, shaking her head fondly. "There really is nothing between those cute little ears, huh?"

Grace tries to meow without releasing Freddie's thumb, which really only serves to prove her point.

She slumps down onto the couch, trying to figure out how she's supposed to search her spell book for a solution while trying to keep hold of a rambunctious kitten. Grace has discovered the dangly bits of Freddie's necklace, so really she can't be blamed for going on autopilot and answering the phone when it rings.

"Yello?"

There's a short pause and then, "Freddie?" Persephone's voice comes through, confused. "Why are you answering Grace's phone?"

"Shit," she mutters. She pulls the phone away from her ear for a second, and yeah, that's Grace's obnoxious neon phone case. "Sorry, uh, long day, super distracted. You know how it is."

"Mhmm." Persephone sighs, sounding more tired than anything else. "May I speak to Grace, please?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." The lie slips out automatically, and Freddie cringes at her own stupidity. "She's just...in the bathroom." Welp, she totally biffed that deception check.

There's another sigh, and, yup, this one sounds annoyed. "Freddie, what is going on? Where's Grace?"

She'd had delusions of finding a solution and fixing this mess before Persephone ever found out how badly she screwed up, but. She caves. "Okay, okay, please don't be mad, but...IturnedGraceintoakittenandnowIcan'tfigureouthowtochangeherback."

There's a very long pause, and then, "Come again?"

Freddie sighs. "I-with her full consent, of course-turned Grace into a kitten with magic," she says miserably. "But the spell was supposed to wear off hours ago, and it hasn't. And I don't know what to do."

She hears a hm and then Persephone starts cackling. It's loud enough that Grace's ears perk up, and she starts making her way across Freddie's chest towards the source of her girlfriend's voice, purring all the way. She meows directly into the receiver, setting off another peal of laughter.

Once Persephone has calmed down, she risks a question. "So, you aren't mad?"

That earns her a chuckle. "This is quite possibly the most absurd situation someone could get themselves into, so of course it's happening to you and Grace."

"I, yeah." Freddie sinks even further into the couch cushions. "Do you have any advice?"

"Well," Persephone says patiently, "have you tried asking Hecate?"

Okay, now she just feels dumb. "I, uh...can I call you back later?"

==========

"I have found the answer that you seek, Farishta," Hecate announces.

Freddie blinks, impressed. "Whoa, that was fast." The tea in her cup is still warm.

Hecate smiles. "It was written that you would spend no more than an hour here today." She beckons Freddie over to where she has the book laid out, page turned to the Transmogrification spell.

"So, what did I do wrong?" Freddie asks. "I messed it up somewhere, right?"

"Actually, no," Hecate says. "Your execution of the spell itself was exemplary. Your issue is nothing more than a simple translation error."

"Wait, really?" She leans in to look, follows Hecate's finger.

"You see this here?" her teacher asks. "You translated this as "one to two hours". In actuality, it translates to "up to one hundred hours"."

Freddie's jaw drops. "One hundred hours?" she asks. "You're telling me that Grace is stuck as a cat for four days?"

"Up to four days," Hecate corrects. "Though, it is written that she shall regain her true form before that time."

Freddie collects Grace from where she's wrestling with Hecate's newest kitten. "Alright, bestie," she says, "looks like you and I are taking a trip to PetSmart."

==========

Grace is still a kitten when Persephone returns from her trip two days later. She sprints across the apartment the moment that Persephone steps through the door, and immediately starts trying to climb her pants leg. She is plucked up and cradled to Persephone's chest, where she settles in, purring contentedly.

"Hi there, sweet girl." Grace butts her head against Persephone's chin, earning a laugh. "Yes, I missed you, too."

It's all sickeningly adorable, Freddie thinks. And then the image is immediately ruined when Persephone starts sneezing.

"Uhh, P?" Freddie asks cautiously, "Are you allergic to cats?"

Persephone purses her lips, attempting to hold back another sneeze. "It would appear so." And yet, she makes no move to put Grace down, only stops her from batting at her earrings.

Freddie goes into the bathroom and starts rummaging through the medicine cabinet. "How bad is it on a scale of Benadryl to EpiPen?" she calls.

"Itchy eyes, scratchy throat," Persephone reports. "I can breathe without issue."

"Benadryl it is," Freddie says, shaking out a couple of pills. "Good thing, too, we're fresh out of EpiPens." She watches Persephone curiously. "So is that something that passes with the Eidolon? Because I'd rather not have to deal with seasonal allergies for eternity."

"I don't believe so," Persephone says, "though I suppose I can't be certain. I've always been more of a dog person." She smiles down at the kitten that is now asleep on her chest. "Though, I think I'm starting to see the appeal."

==========

When Freddie gets up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, a very human Grace is perched on the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of leftover mac 'n cheese.

"Hey!" she exclaims softly. "You're you again. When did this happen?"

Grace shrugs. "I dunno," she says, taking another bite. "An hour ago at the most?"

Freddie nods a little longer than necessary. "I am so sorry."

Grace shrugs again. "No harm, no foul," she says. "I'm the one that volunteered, remember?"

"Well yeah," Freddie says, "but neither of us thought that you'd be stuck as a cat for three days."

"I mean..." Grace grins, a spark of mischief in her eyes. "I had a lot of fun." She thinks for a moment. "I can do without the pooping in a box thing, though."

Freddie chuckles. "Maybe next time we turn you into something that your girlfriend isn't allergic to."

Grace throws her arms around Freddie in a quick hug. "I like the sound of next time."

[ivanttakethis]

Wren’s Log - Entry 1.2

————————————————————

ZYNE Entertainment was already abuzz with excited chatter when Wren arrived mid-morning.

Her preseason interview with Alien Stage Magazine hit the shelves a few hours ago, and the revelation that she was Tov’s twin made the front page.

Nearly everyone in the lobby had a copy, with several more strewn across coffee tables and counters.

Wren wondered if ZYNE bought in bulk.

Segyein staff whispered to one another as she passed.

“Legacy contestant.”

“Strong bloodline.”

“Looks just like her.”

Wren just smiled and waved in greeting, pretending not to hear them.

At least it was different from the whispers she usually heard.

“Show off.”

“Star thief.”

And the ever popular: “Bitch.”

Granted, those insults came mainly from other human trainees.

It didn’t bother her much. Wren knew who she was and what she could do.

Random gossip wouldn’t change that.

Not like there was anyone she could report the insults to anyway.

The segyein at the agency didn’t bother themselves with pet-human conflicts unless they escalated to physical violence.

And even then, the punishment was minimal.

Trainees were too much of an expense to harm too severely or discard.

“Sunk cost fallacy.” Ra had once said.

So under the rug they went.

Wren entered Locker Room #3 and set about changing.

Though she was technically no longer a ZYNE trainee, the agency had granted her continued use of their facilities to prepare for Alien Stage.

More than just Wren’s potential solo career was on the line for Season 40.

If she won, ZYNE Entertainment would get an untold amount of press coverage and prestige. It would solidify their place as the top ranked agency in the industry for years to come.

Everyone would want a piece of ZYNE and all they could offer.

Allowing Wren time in the recording studio and reserving a dance room for her every now and then was a small price to pay for what they stood to gain.

Quid pro quo.

Who was she to refuse such generosity?

Wren was just pulling her shirt on when the locker room doors opened again.

“Oh look, it’s the nepo baby.”

She turned around.

Behind her were three human trainees. She could only remember the names of two of them.

Uma was the one who spoke.

Lilac hair, tan skin, not a very good dancer.

Loved to call her a bitch.

“Who? Me?” Wren asked.

“So you’re not denying it?”

“What exactly am I supposed to be denying?”

Uma scoffed, “Don’t play dumb, Wren. We read the article. We all know you only got this far because of your sister.”

Really? Tov got her this far? The same Tov who didn’t know she was blood related to her a week ago?

Yeah.

Sure she did.

“That’s not how this process works.” She said, matter of fact. “We aren’t in Anakt Garden anymore. Legacy doesn’t do you any favors here.”

“Maybe not in bootcamp, but it does explain why ZYNE keeps giving you second chances.” Tyis, the other trainee Wren knew by name, said.

Tyis was taller than Uma, with model-like portions and pin straight black hair.

She washed out of boot camp on her first try because she couldn’t hold a consistent high note.

“You killed all three trainee groups you were a part of. Do you know what that means?”

Wren raised an eyebrow, “That I work best alone?”

“It means you’re toxic, Wren. And if it weren’t for your sister’s guardian’s status in the industry, the agency wouldn’t have kept you around.” Uma said.

Toxic was a strong word.

Wren preferred assertive.

She had to be to survive at ZYNE.

Training to become a pet-human idol was just as cutthroat as training to become a guard. Maybe even more so.

There were no friends here, only competition.

Every human for themselves.

Emotions ran high, and sabotage was a frequent occurrence, even once training groups were formed.

For most trainees, this was their last chance to prove their worth to their owners.

Anakt Garden graduates who didn’t make the cut for Alien Stage, like Uma and Tyis, were particularly desperate to succeed.

They’d already failed once.

There wouldn’t be another opportunity after this.

But that didn’t mean Wren was going to let them walk all over her.

No.

She had to assert her place.

All three groups she’d been a part of had different catalysts for disbanding before debut, but the one constant was someone — or several someones — deciding to pick a fight with Wren.

She understood why.

Wren was one of the top performers at ZYNE in both singing and dancing.

Her unique appearance made her stand out from the pack and draw attention.

And physically, she was also one of the smallest trainees on the roster.

Other trainees likely thought she’d be an easy mark. Maybe they thought they could be rough enough to scare her into leaving.

Wren never lost a fight.

Most of her opponents were no longer with the agency.

Uma and Tyis didn’t care about any of that, though. They just wanted a reason to instigate their own attack.

Wren was happy to oblige them.

“ZYNE keeps me around because I’m good at what I do.” She said. “I’m so good, in fact, that I made it through the preliminaries for Alien Stage. Unlike the three of you.”

“Bitch.”

The third girl who hadn’t spoken yet lunged forward, wrapping her hands around Wren’s neck and slamming her into the lockers. A loud bang of metal echoed around the room.

Her nostrils flared, violet eyes blazing.

This feels familiar…

Wren chuckled as her grip tightened.

Still too weak to cause any real damage.

“Sorry.” She said, a little breathless. “There’s only one person I’d let choke me out, and your name isn’t Naz.”

The mere thought of Naz hearing Wren say that was enough to make her laugh again, even though it made her wheeze.

“What the fuck is your problem?!” She growled.

This was far from the first time Wren had been asked this question.

Ironically enough, it was also probably how Naz would’ve reacted.

I should call her…

Something clicked.

“Oh,” Wren looked at the girl then. “I remember you.” She said. “You went through boot camp with me; you and your friend. She made it all the way to the finals, and got cut at the very end.”

Wren couldn’t remember the judges’ reasoning.

It didn’t matter.

Something about her statement seemed to anger the girl — Dahli, she thinks — and her grip tightened further.

“Quin should still be here. Not you.” Dahli snapped. “She’s a better person than you’ll ever be.”

And there it is.

Dahli, as well as Uma and Tyis, were led by their emotions instead of logic.

That was a mistake.

“It doesn’t matter who the ‘better person’ is, only the better performer. Your friend wasn’t good enough.” Wren said. “Nothing personal. Just business.”

“Shut up!”

Dahli pulled a fist back to punch her and Wren used the slack in the hold on her neck to strike.

She grabbed Dahli by the sides of her head and yanked her down at the same time she brought her leg up.

Wren felt the cartilage of Dahli’s nose crunch under the force of her kneecap with a sickening crack.

She let go of Wren’s neck and stumbled back, nearly falling over, eyes wide in disbelief.

Blood poured out of her nose, dripping onto the tile floor.

Wren didn’t break a sweat.

She scooped up her duffle bag and turned to Uma and Tyis. Both looked shellshocked.

“Anything else?” She asked.

Despite having so much to say before, none of the girls said anything now.

Wren smiled at them with empty eyes, “Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a competition to prepare for.”

She pushed her way out of the locker room and headed down the hall and around the corner to the dance studio.

Standing next to the double doors was a purple humanoid segyein, dressed in all black. Dark shaded glasses covered their eyes.

They took a few steps forward as she approached, “Wren Ra?”

Wren stopped in the middle of the hall, hackles raised, “Who are you?”

The segyein pulled a shiny silver badge out of their jacket pocket and held it up for her to see, “I’m Agent Pol with the AREPH. Can I speak with you for a moment?”

————————————————————

Welp! That’s not good 😬

But ignoring that for right now, more Wren lore!! Yippee!!

As you can see, she’s the polar opposite of her sister, Tov.

She leans into confrontation, is very unapologetic, and a little cocky.

She also isn’t afraid of violence, whether it be dishing it out or taking it.

Even when getting choked, Wren is the epitome of “light work, no reaction” and I love that about her.

However, if you were to ask about her to any of her Anakt Garden classmates (with the exception of maybe Naz), they would say Wren is a friendly, bubbly girl who wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Truly the duality of woman.

Also, Wren thinking about Naz while being choked is pretty emblematic of their relationship, I think.

I promise I’ll have them actually talk at some point, I just gotta figure out how.

Bonus: Tov being known as “The Star” and Wren being called a “Star Thief” is intentional!

Naz belongs to @lookatmysillies.

Tagging: @rockwgooglyeyes @apple8ees @neverforgetyou @chevalperd

[eva-knits12]

A TED talk- the PR edition.

I know very little about PR.

Megan Moss Pinchon, the founder of Narrative, had every chance to pull her client, Chris Evans out of this situation. But no. She only sees him as a six-foot-tall walking dollar sign. I'll explain.

Pulling Chris out right after the pap walk. Talk about cringe.

Pulling Chris out right after the family's annual Disney trip. Mama Lisa's annoyed and murderous expression says it all.

Pulling Chris out after the trash nun's famous shower tantrum, which got her suspended on IG, and would have gotten her on a sec offenders registry. But, no. Meg swept that under the rug.

The Ghosted premiere. The trash nun's shoes up uninvited. Chris looks pissed! That's unusual for him, given his happy-go-lucky demeanor.

The laser focused comment. Meg needed to pull Chris from this, but no. She stood by, making sure he stuck to the script. When he didn't, Meg certainly gave him an earful. Instead, we get 5,000.artickes about them being "IG official", onky to have another 5,000 articles about Valentine's Day photo dumos when it's fucking clear he can't stand her, and can"t stand beinf around her.

After Scott's comment. It was clear Scott was put on the spot, and didn't know what to do. Instead, you used a People article to sweep it under the rug.

After the engagement rumors. Boom, there was a huge chance. But no, you just cleaned up using a dog shelter video and a People article about the family.

The "wedding". It's clear that fraud was committed. You had Chris claiming this the same weekend as 9/11, but wait! Was it that Friday? That Saturday? That Sunday? Nobody can keep the timeline straight. When the met? 2020? No, there was a global pandemic, and at that time, you had your client go to London to help clean up the cocaine Cinderella 's mess. He would have been nominated for an Emmy for Defending Jacob, but no. 2021? No, there were still lockdowns. 2022? Think again. They never met. The trash nun was still with Lucas while seducing old men, making internet porn, and selling foot fetish pics and foot fetish videos. You had every chance to pull him out of this. Then, later that week, you had your client in a "second wedding" in Portugal, the trash nun's home turf, only to avoid immigration laws. Where is the marriage license? Visa's with her name on it claiming that she was here? Where is the spousal visa? They don't exist. Ask anyone who has dealt with immigration, and they can tell you becoming a U.S. citizen is a process, albeit a very long one. Anyone who has married a non-U.S. citizen knows that your spouse is not leaving U.S. or foreign soil for a minimum of four months.

The Con. You had your client, Chris, wear an ill fitting ring the entire time, and admit to fraud. His panel wasn't recorded. How convenient. He spent more time talking about Dodger than he did about the trash nun. He looked very exhausted, haggard, and drugged. Since he was drugged to comply, Meg could have wound up in jail for possession with the intent to distribute, but no. Even that was cringe, and Meg was at the Con the whole time, making sure her client stuck to the script. You also had two people right next to him, one taking gifts from fans, and one watching intently. For what? In case he wanted to escape? I wouldn't blame Chris for making a run for it.

Another People article on Thanksgiving. Chris wanted to handle his return to IG and social media privately. But, no. You had to go ahead, embellish the crap out of it, and again, mention the trash nun, when it's perfectly clear that he hasn't said her name this time, and she's not on his list of followers or peopke that is following him. He is only following two accounts, and two accounts are only following him. Again, you had a chance to pull your client, but no. You chose to announce his return to IG loudly using People.

The manipulation quote in the SMA interview. The trash nub is famous for this, and Meg is, too. Again, you had a chance to pull your client from this.

The GQ article. Again, you could have protected and pull your client. But, no. He was drugged to comply, and you had Mama Lisa there making sure he stuck to the script. I'm pretty sure Mama Lisa didn't want anything to do with it.

We all know Meg loves her designer toys and clothes and accessories. Whatever makes her money, that's the tactic she takes. She cares nothing about her Chris and her other clients. I can guarantee she's done the same with her various other clients, but nothing to this extent.

At the end of the day, Meg is working for Chris. It's not Chris working for Meg. Chris just needs to fire her. She's done more harm than good, and all at the expense and the safety of her client.

I just want to give Chris a hug, and tell him it's going to be okay. I'm still sticking around because I believe in him.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[ansbobcar]

EP 16. A letter of concern

WORD COUNT. 1220

Link to overview

_ _ _ _ _

Dear Mother,

I will be staying at the Northern Estate for the week of the Winter Ball instead of Wirth. I’m sure there is much that needs to be discussed alongside Father. Additionally, please make room for my companion.

Your son,

Orter

“That’s surprising,” she uttered, overlooking the trees yellowing in their garden before rereading the letter in her hand. “What’s so surprising?”

With some scepticism, she iterated, “Orter wants to come over during the winter.”

_ _ _

It’s been a week since she was replaced by Orter to accompany the Flame Cane in overseeing the possible candidates for the Final Divine Visionary Exam. Within that week, she was completely booked with meetings.

A meeting with the Bless Minister, the director, team B, the Magical Items department, and the list went on and on. Orter’s sudden disappearance changed the schedule drastically. But he had already done the schedule changes himself… somehow.

That man wasn’t the type to take any days off work even if he had a given amount of paid-leave days. 3 weeks worth to be exact. So it was rather perplexing. 

It wasn’t like he picked up her calls either, she paced around the room waiting for her candidate's arrival. ‘No explanation, only a schedule change and notice of absence. Family matters perhaps?’ As she saw the clear skies and the greenery still. 

Did his parents lose it when they were seen together?

“Inky Droopy Looney Rinka,” Renatus sang with a mix of boredom, annoyance and curiosity. “You’re walking too much. I can’t sleep.”

“I’ll dampen the footsteps if you need me—”

“What a pain,” he muttered before a yawn crawled out of him with a stretch. “Wasn't Orter supposed to do the interview instead of you?”

“That was for last year only, you know we make the newest Divine Visionary follow Kaldo for an interview now,” she briefly reminded him. Yeah no need to explain that. “Plus I usually handle the non department specific duties more than him.”

“Is it time yet?” Ignoring her extended response.

“Soon,” as she checked the clock on the wall. 2 minutes left before they had to leave the room.

“How soon?”

“That lullaby Agito sings to Hippo-tan long.”

He stumbled out of his seat without further instruction. “Let’s get this over with.”

_ _ _

With little green smoke, the ginger brunette had stepped foot into the interview’s hall. ‘Is this to prevent any external interference?’ she thought to herself. ‘But Auntie said that blind guy calls the shots regardless of what another interviewer chooses,’ taking a look around the empty hall.

Darren Randel is no stranger to Divine Visionaries. They’ve interfered with her life as much as those pests who leeched and pulled the rug under her. Who the hell was inter… her eyes landed onto the blonde woman clad in a dark 3 piece suit metres away from her feet. “Ah. It’s you.”

“You said you had no interest in the position a year ago,” she echoed. Displeased by her appearance. Which made sense. It was a usual reaction to her existence.

The brunette shrugged her shoulders, after all, “I’m a teenager, we can change our minds.”

Out of all these celebrities, Rinka Ontarin is a person who can be reasoned with. That’s what she knows. “You were incredibly adamant about it even before the interrogation. Do you need me to find the recording, Ms. Randel?” Of course, there’s only so much trust she has in this troublemaker.

“That won’t be necessary.” But it’s true, many teenagers are still rather directionless regarding what they want to do in the future. “I just said that because I genuinely would never commit foul play for a mere position. Please understand me.” She just need to pass this interview.

“Then what brings you here?” It’s already strange for a girl whose strengths hold merit to not want to have such a position. It’s even weirder if that same girl with the same opinion decided to participate and passed the initial exam to get ahold of such a position. “Your honesty would be preferred.”

‘I guess it’s useless to hide it,’ letting out a sigh before she averted her eyes. “I’m here to guarantee victory to my friend, Rayne Ames.” This is more embarrassing to say out loud than she practised. “And to piss off the Walkis losers. They wanted me to participate before I transferred anyways.” She definitely made it worse, squeamish to see the older woman’s reaction.

Silence snared the two for a brief yet eternal moment.

“It’s a st--”

“But what happens if you win instead of Mr. Ames?” She questioned her.

The girl immediately responded with: “I’ll surrender the title to him of course.”

‘Sounds like some book Sophie gushed about 2 years ago,’ the brunette’s eyes still looked away from her own. ‘Where a girl does everything in her power for the guy she likes… but the guy betrayed her after achieving his goal.’

“Sounds pretty flimsy,” Rinka critiqued her reasoning. “But I’m serious! Believe me, Aunt-Ms. Ontarin!”

“You’re not skilled with words,” tilting her head. Barely dodging a bladed projectile aimed at her. 

“Are you challenging me?” Voice raised higher than usual, her hand reached into her robe. Ready to break into a duel. 

This is more like Darren, holding up her hands free of a wand. “Just convince me, and I won’t fail you.”

_ _ _

“You pass,” Kaldo waved off Rayne Ames. “Feel free to stay in the lounge up ahead. Mr. Wahlberg will return you to campus in 15 more minutes.” With a simple bow, the two left each other’s presence and with little effort. He returned to his quaint office in time and dialed a number on his rabbiphone.

“How was it?” He asked after getting the call through. “Why? It’s simple. Your message was sent through. Wanna hear it?”

“We both can’t have the same person can we? You’ve barely known her for a year compared to me. You will return her to me,” he repeated the words in the letter. “By the way, did you enjoy my gift?”

His face of intrigue was lost with a frown as the response. “Her assistant was the gift? And Renatus said someone did the job already.” It’s more than just delusional entitlement, it’s obsessive and insane as he continued listening. Further furrowing his brows at his theory. “That doesn’t add up. Her only encounter with the organisation was after he went missing as bait.”

_ _ _

Thrashing on the floor, helplessly was Rinka, unable to muster any strength to tear away the hands strangling her. She underestimated the extent of this brat’s magic. “I thought it… wasonlydispellin… g’dammit…” At this rate she might actually have to use it, tears welled up uncontrollably.

“fine… FINE!” her voice croaked out. “You pass!” 

“Really!?” Darren exclaimed, smacking back her strengths in like a sledgehammer. “Yay! Where do I go now? Or can I just go back on my own?”

Slowly, the older woman pointed forward, “there’s a lounge there. You should be whisked back in a few more minutes…”

“Thanks, Miss!”

‘What the hell!’ She cursed to herself as she watched the teen skip towards the other door. ‘She’s even more dangerous than Alexa.’

‘I can’t make the same mistake again.’

_ _ _ _ _

Can't wait for the next chapter to be released, it's nice. As of the writing of this, I'm still working on Ep 20 (probably repeated this a few times already lol).

[9w1ft]

Hi :) Sorry to disturb but I’m not sure who to ask this to, and I think perhaps you might be able to help?

I’ve been a kaylor for the past two years but I still have my doubts on the timeline from the lover era and forward.

I was wondering if you believe that during these years taylor and karlie broke up. I first got the idea while listening to folklore, and realised that perhaps some of these “fictional” stories were not fictional at all so I’ve believed for a long time that kaylor broke up during the lover era and that lead to the very depressing songs on both folklore and evermore and others on midnights like maroon.

recently, though, I’ve started to have doubts cause I’ve seen some of your posts and there are a lot of coincidences that link karlie and taylor, like that pic of karlie in that blue thing hinting at 1989 tv.

Would you mind clarifying what you personally believe? Or do you have a timeline post that might help me?

sorry to disturb you and thank you if you read/answer this <3

hey! thank you very much for your ask

sorry it took some time to answer. in these trying times it’s always hard to gauge how much you want to lay it all out 😆

here is a post i wrote a little bit ago, though it is kind of vague as well

there is no timeline post i know of that explains the timeline that i believe, sadly. but i have never been in a rush to write one because i kind of think they would want to have this pocket of time that is forever ambiguous, because of the decisions they might have made.

at a base level i don’t think that it’s so difficult to comprehend. what’s the old phrase? first comes love, then comes marriage, then…. you can probably recall the rest. these are milestones that it’s not wild to assume someone might hope to achieve with the love of their life, you know?

i’m going to also assume you believe that they were together during at least part of lover era. seeing as how the lover music video shows the image of two parents in a house gifting their child a snowglobe with their love story inside of it. we see that taylor is already thinking ahead to the kind of life she might want to lead. and because of celebrity tiktoks we have this hint that taylor was very likely to have come out at the end of june 2019 in lover era, but did not.

so if we are to assume that this is what happened, that taylor got the rug pulled from under her and suddenly scooter was poised to profit off of taylor’s work, we might say that one thing taylor decided to do was halt her best laid plan. there may have been several things that froze her but one big reason, i believe, is because it would have led to an explosion of traffic from new listeners, all of which scooter would have financially benefitted from. there’s an interview out there where taylor talks about going out of her way to prove a point, and while you can infer she’s talking about re-recording her work to the interviewer, i think it goes beyond that.

think about karlie in this situation as well. if taylor and karlie were going to be publicly friendly again, that, also, would have led to so much publicity and attention on taylor’s back catalog, meaning more money for scooter. but also, karlie was still managed by scooter at the time, and it would probably have led to more bank for him via her because of taylor’s coming out. in my mind, i believe taylor and karlie decided to once again abandon working toward a public reconciliation, that you could argue they had been working towards for awhile, again. they had to tear down the banners again. karlie at once pared down what she was doing and stuck to several important partnerships. heck, she even gave up on hosting a television show that scooter’s company rebooted. with her adidas line, in the behind the scenes footage of her starting her partnership she gushes about how this is something she’s wanted her whole life. estée lauder as well, was something else she said she wanted since she was a kid. these along with carolina herrera seem to me like the precious few things she held onto.

sometimes i think about how karlie started wearing a necklace that said “i can and i will” in a distinctly tayloresque font as she continued being seen with scooter. how she wore this necklace and took all the heat from all the boneheads out there until eventually, we will get mad woman and vigilante shit. good wives always know. she had the envelope where you think she got it from, etc.. to me, this is the proof that they were still very much fine, although they may have been feigning it a bit to get a few things done.

i tried writing some extra stuff for you but sadly it is just more vague thoughts. but if you are interested, take a look below the cut!

before we get tracks like mad woman and vigilante shit, it is still the failed coming out era and taylor is wearing black jumpsuits with jackets tied around her waist and she looks sad. miss americana becomes a political documentary… sometimes i think about taylor’s explanation of the song hoax to aaron during lpss where she explains how she was mad at a lot of different things and people at once.

but then, it’s the strangest thing because the man music video is released, and while taylor bashes men —as she should— its also a very playful and upbeat video where she embodies this persona who is, among other things, the world’s best dad… and then there start to be all these dad jokes. oh yeah, and then the pandemic happened? taylor’s mother also had publicly reported health struggles. lover fest is cancelled. we are in a new landscape, where taylor is thinking about her life and how she wants to live it. she spends some time out west. karlie spends some time out west. karlie starts wearing the Courage onyx amulette de cartier again. jack leopards and the dolphin club release look what you made me do for finding eve.

oh also, folklore is being written from day two of the pandemic, and in time it gets released and then there’s a huge uptick in rumors and articles but in time karlie announces she is with child and everything gets quiet again. well, with a little clowning here and there for good measure but, a lot of fans who were on the kaylor fence hopped off of it. evermore. a feeling so peculiar that the pain wouldnt be forevermore. leave the chips on your shoulder behind, leave it all behind, and maybe there is happiness. interestingly, taylor says she wrote happiness last and like, a week before dropping evermore. she says its a song where she channels a friend who got out of a long term thing and how it’s about how does she pack everything up and put it (it as in… everything?) in a car and drive away (drive away with everything?) and what does she leave there. she also says that she doesn’t know what’s next, that she has no plans anymore. we are now on to no plan taylor. taylor in her no plan era. then we get bonus tracks and karlie —pregnant— gets so much hate directed her way. like if there was ever a soldier down on that icy ground moment for these two i wonder if it wasn’t here (though i think it was likely earlier) but like you say, the coincidences keep coming and the lyrics keep lyricing and things like renegade get released and all and all things continue to make a bunch of sense as to why they’re still connected to one another. oh and taylor wins a grammy for folklore in march minutes after levi is announced to the world. sometimes i think about how the meaning for the name levi is “unity” or “joined” and i think about the kinds of divides there were out there with the you’s and how across the great divide there is happiness, when you… leave… it behind. oh did i mention she continued to use that family crest symbol as she started her re-record journey?

just gonna skip forward to midnights. taylor releases an album that, for me, miraculously, was not just another ‘confessional’ album, but one that provided several songs that together gave literally all the key elements i was looking for in order to solve the mystery for myself. i can identify a potential reason for why things are the particular setup that they are right now and why not the other way around, i see —and hear— something about an important day, and something about an important period of time, and i see a music video that’s quite prophetic, and i hear taylor telling hard truths to the people that need to hear them, whether or not they choose to is still up in the air.

there are so many tour moments and moments during this tour that i could point toward but… i’m pretty sure most of those beats are fresh in your mind still so i’ll keep my ramblings to here for the time being, pending more signs that might suggest i’m on to something here. for now, this has been another freeform rundown of why i am sleeping fine at night 😌